Family Matters
by nyislandersgirl
Summary: A collection of future Ash/Misty one shots based loosely on my other stories. Latest Update: Every New Year's Eve, the Pokémon League hosts an extravagant party at the Indigo Plateau. Ash and Misty both took a break from it for a while, but now they're back...and they've got some more than reluctant guests tagging along.
1. Sugar Rush

"Mommy! Mommy!"

"This is _boring _Mommy!"

"Mommy it's too hot out here!"

Misty shut her eyes very tightly as her twin four year olds tugged and cried at her. This had been going on all afternoon, and at this point, it was mortifying.

"Aiden, Michelle, you have to be _quiet,_" Misty hissed as she looked between the two, "people are trying to watch the battles."

There was silence for a few moments, and then Aiden and Michelle started to scream. Misty grew wide eyed and whipped her head around the private box in which they sat. The other inhabitants of the suite were glaring intensely at her, clearly aggravated by the children's actions.

_Great, _Misty thought bitingly, _now everyone thinks I'm a horrible mother._

"Okay, come on guys!" Misty grabbed the twins' hands and pulled them out of the box, her cheeks burning with a heavy blush.

"Mommy is we going home now?" Aiden asked hopefully.

"No!" Misty snapped at the boy, causing him to wince, "we came here because Daddy _really _wanted you two to watch him battle, and all you're doing is misbehaving!"

"But Mommy it's _boring,_" Michelle whined.

"You guys adore Pokémon," Misty shook her head, "how can this be boring?"

"Because we want to play," Aiden mumbled, causing his sister to nod in agreement. Misty groaned and breathed out deeply. She had to find _some _way to get the twins to behave and watch the battles. It meant a lot to Ash, but they still had quite a ways to go before the raven haired Pokémon master made his appearance.

As Misty continued to think up various ideas, Aiden and Michelle giggled excitedly and began to run away from her.

"Hey!" Misty yelled as she chased after the children, "Aiden! Michelle! Get back here right now!"

The two had finally stopped in front of one of the food stands, jumping up and down as they browsed the selection. Misty looked over the stand and gasped quietly. It was a candy stand.

"This is perfect!" Misty murmured to herself. Smiling sweetly, she knelt down and asked, "Would you two like some candy?"

Aiden and Michelle nodded feverously, causing Misty's smile to widen. She knew this was the trick to getting her children to sit quietly and behave. So, after buying an immense amount of candy (Misty was starting to feel like she alone was keeping the stadium running after all these years), she took the twins and their newly bought treats back to the suite, hoping that her idea would work.

And it did, for a little while. Aiden and Michelle sat happily in their seats, stuffing their faces with candy. Misty knew this would definitely spoil their dinner, but at this point, she didn't care. She'd have done _anything _to get them to behave. When it finally came time for Ash to battle, however, the twins were jumping up and down, giggling uncontrollably and once again being as loud as humanly possible.

"Aiden, Michelle, shush!" Misty scolded them. But they weren't at all listening to her. Instead, they hopped out of their seats and began to chase each other around the room, roaring with laughter and greatly disrupting the other spectators.

As Misty watched with a horrified look on her face, she gasped audibly and smacked herself in the face. How could she have been so stupid? She was so intent on quieting the children for just a short while that she had completely forgotten about the long term effects of too much candy: sugar rush.

Looking back at the others glaring at her, Misty shrugged her shoulders deeply and thought silently: _I wonder if they'll let it slide if they realize these are the Pokémon master's children?_


	2. Lost Teddi

**Here's another one! I need a little break from my chaptered fics, and these one shots are flowing like crazy! Feels good :P**

**Ages for this one:**

**Elizabeth: 3 years old**

* * *

><p><strong><span>Lost Teddi<span>**

"Lizzie, its bed time!"

No response.

"Elizabeth! Come on baby, you need to go to sleep!"

Still nothing.

Sighing heavily, Misty walked up the stairs, knowing that her youngest child had been playing up in her room. When she walked into Elizabeth's light pink room, however, she found the little girl sitting in the middle of the room, bawling her eyes out.

"Lizzie!" Misty gasped, jumping on the floor next to the child, "are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

"N…no…" Elizabeth sniffed, letting a tiny hiccup escape.

"Then what's wrong? Why are you crying, sweetheart?"

"I…I can't find T…Teddi," Elizabeth sobbed, "he…he's missing Mommy."

_Oh no, _Misty thought fearfully. 'Teddi' was Elizabeth's Teddiursa poke doll. Ash had given her the stuffed toy on the day she was born, and it had been Elizabeth's constant companion since. Without it, there was no way Elizabeth would go to sleep. Or stop crying for that matter.

"Where was the last place you had Teddi?" Misty inquired softly as she brushed back some of her daughter's hair, "Do you remember?"

"At lunch," Elizabeth murmured.

"With Daddy?" Misty's eyes widened, and Elizabeth nodded in response. The family had all gone to a special Pokémon League lunch that day in Ash's honor. Elizabeth had, in fact, brought Teddi with her, but Misty could've sworn the little girl had left with the stuffed Pokémon. "Did you leave him in the room, baby?"

"I fink so," Elizabeth rubbed her eye.

Groaning, Misty stood up and returned downstairs, walking swiftly into the kitchen. Ash was sitting at the kitchen table, finishing up some paper work for the league, while Pikachu snoozed lazily at his trainer's feet.

"We have a problem," Misty announced from behind Ash. The ebony haired man looked over his shoulder, giving his wife a curious look.

"What's up Mist?" He asked, "I've really gotta' get this work done."

"No, this is a _big _problem," Misty shook her head rapidly. Ash sighed and spun the chair around in order to face Misty.

"What is it?"

"Elizabeth doesn't have Teddi," Misty continued, "she left him at the luncheon today."

"Please tell me you're kidding," Ash grimaced after a moment of silence. In response, Misty frowned and shook her head yet again. "What're we going to do?"

"We've gotta' get him back Ash," Misty folded her arms, "otherwise tonight is going to be a living hell."

"How are we supposed to get him? The banquet hall isn't open right now. It's eight at night."

"Ash, you're the Pokémon master," Misty tried, "you can pull _a lot _of strings. Can't you find a way for them to let you into the hall?"

"You seriously want me to abuse my power as Pokémon master to retrieve a stuffed Pokémon?" Ash asked incredulously. All of the noise had woken up Pikachu, who was now yawning as he scurried up Ash's leg and into the trainer's lap.

"Unless _you_ want to stay up all night with a hysterical three year old, then yes, I do."

"Fine," Ash grumbled as he stood up, causing Pikachu to jump to his shoulder, "I'll see what I can do."

**XXX**

Amazingly, Ash had been able to convince the owner of the restaurant to let him in, although he'd refuse to tell the proprietor just why he needed to come back.

"Thank you very much," Ash gave the man a tired smile as he entered the building.

"It's not a problem," he returned the grin; "you are the Pokémon master, after all!"

_Yeah, and I also feel like a crazy person, _Ash thought miserably as he scanned the room.

"Are you looking for something?" The owner asked, slightly confused by Ash's behavior.

"Hm?" Ash looked back at the man for a quick second before continuing his search, "uh…I guess maybe you could say I am…"

_I cannot tell him I'm looking for a freaking poke doll! _Ash snapped at himself inwardly.

"Perhaps I can help!" The owner offered, "What exactly are you looking for?"

Ash began to ponder whether or not to respond, but when he locked eyes on a nearby chair, he felt relief wash over him. Now he wouldn't have to embarrass himself!

"Nah, I'm good," Ash smiled as he ran towards the chair in order to grab the stuffed Teddiursa and hide it behind his back, "I found it!"

Looking at the chair that Ash had hurried over to, the owner chuckled and commented, "Ah, so that poke doll was _yours! _We were trying to figure out who it belonged to!"

Ash's face flashed a deep crimson. "Err…technically, it doesn't belong to _me. _It belongs to my daughter…and…yeah. Thank you though!" And with that he darted out of the restaurant, completely humiliated.

"Well, that was degrading," Ash looked towards Pikachu, who was still sitting dormant on his broad shoulder. In turn, Pikachu just gave a little squeak before rubbing against Ash's head.

It was all worth it, however, when Ash returned home and found Elizabeth waiting by the door, her eyes lighting up at the sight of her favorite toy.

"Teddi!" She squealed, jumping up and down. Ash smiled and knelt down, handing the stuffed Pokémon over to his little daughter.

"There ya go pumpkin," Ash patted her head, "ready for bed now?" Elizabeth nodded furiously as she wrapped her arms around Ash, giving him as tight a hug as she could deliver.

"Thank you Daddy!" She stood up on her tippy toes to kiss his nose.

"No problem sweetie," Ash kissed the top of her head, "let's go upstairs now." Elizabeth nodded and let go of her father, running towards the stairs. Ash chuckled and followed after the girl, giving Misty a loving glance as he passed her.

"Hey Ash?" Misty called when he was halfway up the stairs. He looked back down at Misty, who was now standing by the door with a smart look on her face. He, in turn, looked a little shocked. She was holding up nothing else but Teddi. "I think you're forgetting something."


	3. The Little Ballerina

**No, this was not inspired by my love of ballet that I've had since I was 5. Nope. Don't judge me :P**

**This one is from Ash's POV by the way. Thought I'd try something different. I hope he doesn't seem too out of character...**

**Elizabeth: 5 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>The Little Ballerina<strong>

Groaning tiredly, I threw myself down on the living room couch, Pikachu slipping lazily onto my lap. It had been one long day training at the Pokémon League facilities, and I was completely beat. A nice, long nap sounded really good at the moment.

"What do you say Pikachu?" I asked my partner Pokémon as I yawned, "wanna go to sleep?" There was no response. Looking down curiously at the electric type, I chuckled when I saw he was already asleep! "One step ahead of me," I mumbled as I leaned my head back and closed my eyes. It felt good to finally relax and get some sleep!

"Daddy!"

Or maybe not.

I kept my eyes shut, hoping that maybe I could trick Elizabeth. I heard her shuffle into the room and stop right in front of me. Truthfully, it hurt to ignore my sweet little girl, but I was just too tired for whatever she had in mind.

Unfortunately for me, Elizabeth is much smarter than I was at that age.

"Daddy, I know you're not really asleep."

I furrowed my brow gently to make it appear that she was disrupting a deep slumber.

"Quit it Daddy."

Just a little more acting and she'd give it up. I tilted my head slightly and breathed out quietly. That's when I felt her climbing up my legs. Sensing the incoming danger, Pikachu squeaked quietly and leapt off my lap.

"Okay Daddy. If you're not gonna' stop pretending, I'm gonna' _make _you stop!"

She started jumping up on my lap, and that's when I finally willed my heavy eyes to open.

"Ow! Come on Lizzie, cut it out!" I whined, finally getting my hands on her. Pulling the giggling little girl down, I studied her choice of clothing very carefully. A baby pink leotard with a frilly tutu, white tights, pink ballet slippers, and her dark red hair tied up in a tight and precise bun, obviously Misty's handiwork. "Why're you all dressed up like that, baby?"

"This is my ballerina outfit Daddy," Elizabeth answered as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, although I suppoused I couldn't blame her. It was _clearly_ a ballet outfit. "I had dance class today."

"Oh," I stretched my arms, trying to replenish my energy. This was doing no good, however. "Was it fun?"

"Yeah!" Elizabeth's emerald green eyes were sparkling, "My teacher taught us how to twirl today. I'm good at it! Maria kept falling down though. So I helped her learn!"

"That's very nice of you Lizzie!" I smiled as I patted her on the head. I just loved how sweet and caring my daughter could be.

Elizabeth nodded in response before grabbing my hand and cheering, "come on Daddy!"

"Come on where?" I raised a curious eyebrow.

"Dancing," she replied simply.

"Ugh, Lizzie, I'm too tired for dancing," I groaned yet again as I threw my head back. Yes, I was exhausted, but I was also a terrible dancer. And everytime Elizabeth got me to dance with her, it involved me having to wear either a tutu or a tiara. Or both.

"Please?" Elizabeth hugged me tightly, "I need to practice my twilring! I want to be the very best ballerina I can be!"

I'll admit, those words made me smirk. Elizabeth may have had more intelligence then I did as a kid, but the rest of her personality was very much mine. She was always determined, wether it be in training school, learning about Pokémon, or dance.

"Alright," I finally gave in, ignoring the lingering ache in my back, "I'll dance with you."

Elizabeth squealed and jumped off of my lap, clapping her hands as I stood up. After preforming another little stretch, I put my hands on my hips and looked down waitingly at my youngest child.

"Daddy, you don't know how to twirl," Elizabeth frowned suddenly, "I'll have to teach you."

"Lizzie, do I have to…"

"Yes!" She interrupted, "it's a very important ballerina move!"

"Okay, okay!" I waved my hands helplessly in front of myself, "show me."

Beaming, Elizabeth got up on her tippy toes and instructed, "first you have to go like this." Looking down at my sneakers, she commented, "you should be wearing ballet slippers."

"I don't think those come in my size," I quipped playfully.

"Then take your shoes off," she scrunched her nose up, looking remarkably like Misty as she did so, "it's too hard to do it in shoes, Daddy."

"Whatever you say," I sighed as I kicked my sneakers off. Misty would kill me if she saw my shoes thrown across the room, so I made a mental note to pick them up when Elizabeth was done with her little lesson.

"Next," Elizabeth continued as she began to walk in a little circle, still on her toes, " you do this."

"Is that all?" I asked with a smirk.

"Daddy, it's much harder in class!" Elizabeth shouted, "we actually gotta spin in there. But I can't do that here," she pointed accusingly at the carpet underneath her feet.

"Good point," I nodded.

"Do it Daddy," Elizabeth pouted, "show me what I taught you."

Although it was only me and Elizabeth in the room, I could feel a heavy blush growing on my cheeks. I was the Pokémon master for goodness sake. Under no circumstances should I ever be dancing _ballet._

"Daddy…" Elizabeth frowned.

Too bad I loved my little girl so much.

Sighing for what felt like the millionth time that day, I got up on my toes and walked around in a little cirlce; just as Elizabeth had done.

"Wow Daddy!" Elizabeth appeared quite impressed, "you're a really good twirler!"

"Thanks," I rubbed the back of my neck as I giggled nervously.

"You're practically a real ballerina!" She darted out of the room as she called back, "now all you need is a tutu!"

"Uh, Lizzie!" I cried, holding my hand out. But Elizabeth was long gone, charging up the stairs to retrieve my pretty pink skirt. Looking back at the couch, I found Pikachu snickering quietly, my eyes forming a judgemental glare.

And at that moment, I wondered just how much time I had to run out of the living room and pretend I was never there.


	4. Educational Torture

**Ash's POV again. I like testing this stuff out, actually :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Educational Torture<strong>

What am I doing here?

I'm sitting on the couch, having been threatened by Misty to keep an eye on Aiden and Michelle. I don't see why I need to, though. All they've done the whole afternoon is watch TV.

And I mean, _really _bad TV.

I don't even know the names of these shows, to be honest. They're all starting to run together. Right now, the two were watching some show about different colored Ponyta. Both of them seemed pretty excited with whatever was going on, and they kept shouting answers at the TV every time one of the characters asked a question.

"What is this show even about?" I mumbled under my breath. I hadn't meant for either of the twins to hear me, but Michelle had, so she turned her head and gave me a gleeful smile.

"It's the show about the magical Ponyta, Daddy!"

I grimaced slightly and looked back at the screen. All of the fire horse Pokémon were now crossing a sparkling rainbow as they sang some song about being friends.

I cannot believe this is how I have to spend my day off.

As I finished this thought, the ending credits began to roll, causing me to take a breath of relief.

"Aw, it's over," Michelle frowned at her brother.

"Don't worry Shelly!" Aiden beamed at the disappointed little red head, "_Gloom's Clues_ is on next!" This cheered Michelle up instantly, as evidenced by the happy clapping of her small hands. Unfortunately, I could not reciprocate my children's joy.

When I was a kid, my Mom always told me TV would rot my brain. So why didn't Misty teach our kids the same thing? Clearly, my mother had been right. Just another thing for her to boast "I told you so!" about. Sometimes she and Misty were too similar for comfort.

"Guys, don't you think we've watched enough TV for one day?" I asked kindly. They both shook their heads slowly, not bothering to remove their eyes from the screen. "Come on you two. This can't be good for you!"

"It's good," Michelle leaned down on her elbows, "it's 'cational."

"What did you say Shelly?" I couldn't help but to sound highly confused. Whatever Michelle had just said made absolutely no sense.

"It makes us smart!" Aiden answered for her in simpler terms.

"And who told you that?" I asked with a curious tone.

"Mommy," they replied simultaneously.

Of _course _she did. Misty was home way more often then I was. Sitting the kids in front of the TV was obviously her way of giving herself a break, so I don't understand why _I_ have to sit here and watch them watching television.

"I've got a great idea!" I grinned as I jumped off the couch. Both Aiden and Michelle were too absorbed in the show to even acknowledge me. Not one to be easily deterred, I continued, "let's go outside and play! Doesn't that sound like fun?"

I could've sworn I heard a little noise escape from Aiden's mouth, something like an uninterested squeak, either way, they were still staring at the television screen.

Sighing, I walked over to the window, taking hold of the curtains. "Come on you two, it's beautiful outside!" I pulled back the blinds and was greeted by a stormy gray sky and heavy rain fall. Narrowing my eyes, I put the drapes back and dragged myself back over to the couch.

"It's over there Gloom!" Michelle cried frantically, "in the corner!"

Moaning from the mental anguish, I rested my head in my hands and made sure to make myself nice and comfortable.

I wouldn't be getting off this couch for a good, long while.


	5. Wedding Blues

**This one is from Misty's POV. There are two other pairings featured in this chapter: Contestshipping and Wishfulshipping.**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 years old**

**And just in case anyone was wondering:**

**Basil, Kokum, and Sage (Cilan and Iris' children: 6 years old)**

**Damien (May and Drew's son: 4 years old)**

**Rosie (May and Drew's daughter: 1 year old)**

* * *

><p><strong>Wedding Blues<strong>

"Well, what do you think?"

I smiled broadly at my friend Dawn, who was standing in front of me and our two other friends, May and Iris. The bluenette coordinator was donning a beautiful white satin dress with a structured bodice and a skirt that reached the floor. A pale pink ribbon sash was tied around her waist, topped off with a sparkling diamond studded pin. Her hair was up in a bun, with two single and curled locks hanging down.

"You look beautiful Dawn," May breathed.

"That dress is _perfect_ on you!" Iris squealed.

Looking at the young girl made my eyes tear up a bit. She was still quite young at 23 years old, and was the last one out of the four of us to be getting married. It was an amazing sight, really.

"Misty, are you okay?" Dawn asked cautiously, "you don't feel sick do you?"

"Hm?" I finally snapped out of my trance, revealing a delicate smile, "no, not at all. I haven't gotten sick for weeks now, don't you worry!" I could see her eyeing my midsection, which was not as flat as my friends'. I was hoping the ruched waist on the pale pink organza bridesmaid dress would hide my growing bump, but clearly I was having no such luck. "I mean it Dawn. There's no way I'll ruin your special day."

"You could never ruin it Misty," Dawn giggled, "no need to worry!"

This helped to reassure me. What with my raging hormones and all, almost anything and everything was making me cry at this point, and the thought of destroying Dawn's wedding was enough to push me over the edge into a crying _fit_.

"MOMMY!"

No, I may not be able to mess up the happiest day of Dawn's life, but my children might be a different story.

I grimaced as Michelle came rushing into the room, her little hands holding onto the circled wreath of flowers, rhinestones, and crystals that sat atop her head as if her life depended on it. Her bright red hair was perfectly curled, and she looked like a tiny princess in her ivory colored tea length dress. The tiered skirt was beautifully paired with a pastel pink satin sash that had a permanently affixed bow on the back. I could tell by the tone of her voice and the look on her face, however, that she was anything but content.

"What is it sweetheart?" I asked tiredly.

"Aiden keeps trying to steal my crown!" She wailed, "Make him stop!"

"She's lying Mommy!"

I should've seen this one coming. Aiden, having heard his sister tattling on him, bounded into the room, his dark brown eyes bouncing with fear.

"Aiden," I asked sternly, "have you been trying to take Michelle's crown?"

"No," he mumbled as he looked down at his feet.

"Dawn," I looked back at the younger girl, causing her to blink confusedly, "you wouldn't want to have a lying ring bearer in your wedding, now would you?"

"NO!" Aiden finally screeched, causing everyone in the room but me to jump. I was used to his little Ash esque outbursts. "I wanna be the ring boy Mommy! I tried to take her crown. I'm sorry Mommy."

"See how much trouble lying can get you into?" I scolded softly. He nodded slowly, and I could tell he actually felt quite terrible. And that made me feel _extremely _guilty. Stupid hormones! Kneeling down to touch his face, I comforted him, "You're still going to be a ring bearer, don't worry baby. Just no more lying, okay?"

"Yes Mommy," he gave me a gentle hug, resting his head on my shoulder. As he pulled away, he looked down at my dress and grinned broadly.

"What are you smiling at honey?" I asked kindly.

"I can see your tummy!" He pointed at my stomach, his smile actually growing even wider, "it's big, Mommy!" And _there_ went the reassurance Dawn gave me.

"Aiden…" I growled lowly, trying not to lose my patience with him. Taking in a deep breath, I continued, "You and Michelle should go play with the other kids, okay?" He nodded excitedly and ran out of the room, Michelle following carefully after him. As I stood up, I could hear the other three girls snickering, and I made sure to give them all a look of pure disdain.

"Sorry Misty," May smiled apologetically, "but that was just so cute!"

"Ah, the things kids say…" Iris sighed thoughtfully.

"I really hope _your _children get you both back like that one day," I narrowed my eyes.

"Trust me, they get me back like that _every day,_" May shook her head with a little smirk.

Although my friends were trying to be lighthearted, I couldn't help but to still feel deeply hurt. I knew my son hadn't meant to upset me, and I certainly wasn't angry with him. Now I just felt completely self conscious. The only thought running through my mind now was that everyone was going to be staring at my stomach the entire time.

When it was time for the ceremony to begin, Ash couldn't stop smiling at me, but I found it next to impossible to return the action. And by the time I finally saw him at the reception, I could no longer hide my tears. Between my horrifically damaged self esteem and the deeply emotional ceremony, I was at the end of my rope.

"Aw Mist, why are you crying?" Ash asked softly as he hugged my head against his chest. I felt relieved to be able to cry freely without anyone but him knowing. "Is it just your hormones?"

"Pretty much," I hiccupped, although my voice came out muffled because I refused to move my face away from his body. He seemed to understand my response, however, because he didn't ask any more questions, instead choosing to stroke my hair lovingly.

"Mommy?" I felt someone tugging at my skirt at the same time as the little voice called out to me. Rubbing my remaining tears off onto Ash's suit jacket, I finally moved my head in order to look down by my feet.

Aiden was holding a fistful of light pink organza as he gazed up at me with his innocent young face. Standing several feet away was Damien, the son of May and Drew, and Basil and Kokum, the two sons of Iris and Cilan. It was clear that Aiden had been playing with the three other ring bearers before, but had left them to come to me.

"What is it sweetie?" I sniffed slightly, "don't you want to play with your friends?"

He shook his head slowly. "I want to stay here with you, Mommy."

"How come?" I could feel a light blush overtaking my face, "you'll have more fun with your friends!"

"You're sad Mommy," he frowned, "I can tell. Let me stay with you."

I opened my mouth to try and convince him that I was fine, but I was stopped instantly when I felt Ash's lips press against my ear. "Let him stay with you," he whispered, "it'll be okay. I have something to attend to anyway."

I stared after him helplessly, but all he gave me was a playful wink and a comforting smile.

"Let's sit down Mommy," Aiden leaned against my leg, "you seem sleepy."

"I think _you're _the tired one here, sweetie!" I finally laughed as I led my sweet young boy to a nearby table, sitting down in a chair and lifting him up to my lap. As I let him cuddle up to me, running my fingers through his jet black hair, I began to question what exactly it was that Ash had to "attend to." Looking up towards the dance floor, a broad smile quickly overtook my face as I spotted Ash.

He was bowing like a gentleman in front of Michelle, causing her to giggle. Behind her stood Rosie; May and Drew's daughter, and Sage; Iris and Cilan's daughter. Her two fellow flower girls looked enamored by the scene, their little faces full of glee and wonder.

I could see Ash asking Michelle a question, to which her eyes sparkled and she shook her head vigorously. Chuckling, Ash lifted her up in his arms and stepped onto the hardwood surface, smiling at our little girl the entire time.

He was a terrible dancer, and was trying his best to only sway back and forth in an effort not to embarrass himself. Michelle, however, clearly didn't mind. She held tightly onto his arms, resting her head on his shoulder as he danced lovingly with her.

As I watched the two sway happily, I could feel Aiden snuggling more deeply into me, placing one of his little hands on my stomach.

And that's when I thought to myself: _how did I get so lucky?_


	6. Mini Makeover

**Another one from Misty's POV. I like the way this one came out!**

**Elizabeth: 4 years old**

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><p><strong>Mini Makeover<strong>

"Lizzie?" I asked as I peeked under the kitchen table. Nothing there. Sighing, I stood back up, turning my head left to right. Where could my little daughter have gone?

"Lizzie!" I called again, hoping she would appear, or at least respond to me. Still nothing.

Groaning, I figured she might be somewhere upstairs. Climbing up the steps, I pondered how the girl could've gotten so good at "hide and seek." Ash probably taught her, thinking it would be funny. I certainly hoped she pulled this stunt on him every once in awhile.

I was about to go look in her bedroom, until I saw all the lights on in mine and Ash's bedroom. This perplexed me greatly. Ash wasn't home, and I hadn't been in the room since this morning. So why would the lights be on?

Walking slowly into the room, I saw a small trail on the floor that made my eyes grow wide with horror.

Tubes of lipstick and mascara, pallets of eye shadow, and cases of blush were lying in a disorganized manner on the carpet, all leading into the bathroom. Fearing what I would find, I sauntered quietly towards the bathroom door and peeked in at first with one eye, and then both.

Elizabeth's back was facing me. She was standing on my vanity chair, leaning in closely to the mirror. The rest of my make up was piled up in front of her.

"Lizzie, what are you doing?" I asked cautiously.

"Oh, hi Mommy!" She turned around and smiled at me. When I saw her face, I could've sworn my eyes were going to fall out of my head. And _not _in a good way.

She had enough make up on her face to look like a clown. Bright red lipstick coated not only her lips, but around her mouth as well. She had on two different shades of blush: light pink on the left and a darker tea rose on the right. Her eyelids were covered in a messy mixture of blue and purple eye shadow, and dark clumps of mascara sat heavily on her eyelashes. Dark green lines were drawn several inches underneath her eyes; clearly an attempt to use eyeliner.

"E…Elizabeth…" I stammered.

"Look at me Mommy!" She grinned, "I look so pretty!" As she reached for a bottle of sea green nail polish, I finally snapped.

"Elizabeth Dilynne Ketchum!" I yelled. Elizabeth looked curiously at me, not bothering to put down the polish.

"Don't you like it Mommy?" She frowned now.

"No! Elizabeth, you can't just walk into other people's rooms and start using their things! That's _my_ make up!"

"But you always told me to share."

"Yes, you can share if you _ask _first! But you just came in here and started using my stuff! That isn't nice, Elizabeth! You've ruined all of my make up!"

"I made it prettier," Elizabeth mumbled as she held up one of my eye shadow pallets. She had blended all of the colors together into one awful, tye dyed like mess.

"No you didn't Elizabeth," I growled, "I don't want it to look like that! How could you do this?"

And _that's_ when she burst into tears. I bit my lip as I watched the poor little thing cry her eyes out; getting the mess of eye makeup she had created all over her hands as she rubbed her eyes. I knew what Elizabeth had done was bad, and that when children did bad things, they needed to be disciplined. But watching her cry just made me feel so bad…

"Lizzie," I spoke more softly this time. She looked up at me, her makeup smeared even more than before as tears fell down her face. "I'm sorry I had to yell at you baby. But what you did was _very _wrong."

"I…I'm sorry Mommy," she sobbed, hanging her head in shame.

"Why did you do this Lizzie? What made you want to use my make up so badly?"

"I…I just wanted to look like you," Elizabeth was still looking down, "you're pretty Mommy. I wanted to look like a grown up, like you do."

"Lizzie," I sighed, walking forward to hold her in my arms, "that's very sweet of you. But you're just a little girl! There's no reason for you to be wearing makeup. You're perfectly beautiful without it."

"But I want to wear it Mommy. Princesses wear makeup."

"I'll tell you what," I pulled her away so she could see my delicate smile, "how about you and I go out, replace this make up, and I'll put some on you. Does that sound good?"

She sniffed, but then nodded slowly as her lips bent back into a grin.

"Okay," I stroked her hair, "we'll do that. But before we go out, I think we should take all this off your face. Do you agree?"

"Yes," she nodded again, "I look a little scary." I'll admit that made me laugh. At least she knew when she had over done it!

"Well, that's because when you put make up on, you're not supposed to use that much," I tapped her little nose, "but don't worry. When I get through with you, you'll see that the less you put on, the better it looks!"

**XXX**

When Ash returned home for dinner that night, Elizabeth was so excited to show him the little make over I had given her that she ran all the way down the stairs.

"Be careful Lizzie!" I called nervously after her. She leapt off the third to last step and landed neatly on her feet. I sighed and playfully rolled my eyes. Her personality was one hundred percent Ash's.

"Daddy! Daddy!" I heard her yelling excitedly as she darted to the front door. Following calmly after her, I leaned against the wall as she jumped up and down in front of Ash, who was beaming at her.

"Hey there pumpkin!" He greeted her with a loving smile, "what are you so excited about?"

"Do you see it Daddy?" She asked happily as she pointed to her face, "See it?"

"See what?"

"Mommy gave me a makeover!" Elizabeth cheered, "She put make up on me and everything!" Instantly, I could see Ash's brow furrow. "Look Daddy. She put on blush, and lip gloss, and an itty bit of eye shadow! Do you like it?"

"Uh…yeah. It's nice," Ash was raising his eyes towards me. I could tell he wasn't pleased.

"Lizzie," I suggested sweetly, "why don't you go sit at the table? Dinner is almost ready."

"Okay Mommy!" Elizabeth reached up towards Ash, motioning for Pikachu to come down from his shoulder. The yellow mouse Pokémon squeaked happily, jumping into Elizabeth's arms and allowing her to take him into the kitchen. When she was gone, I looked back at Ash, knowing what I'd have to face.

"Misty, why did you put make up on our four year old daughter?" Ash deadpanned.

The only response I could think of? "You should've seen what she did _before _I got to her."


	7. Ginger

**Another update! I'm still working on my other stories, don't worry :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 9 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Ginger<strong>

"Aiden, you're such a pain in the neck!"

"Ha! _You're_ one to talk!"

"Oh shut up! At least I'm not a scrawny little runt like you are!"

"Oh yeah? Well at least I'm not a _ginger!_"

Michelle's eyes snapped open and she stared at Aiden in disbelief. He, in turn, looked a little sorry for a moment, but quickly returned to his hostile glare.

"Hm!" Michelle stuck her nose up in the air and stomped away, pretending not to care. Inside, however, she was deeply hurt. Aiden knew for a fact that Michelle's hair color was a major insecurity for her, and he typically left her alone with it. In the heat of the moment, however, he had clearly forgotten their silent truce.

Trudging inside, Michelle tried her best to avoid her father, who was watching something on TV. Unfortunately for her, he had gotten much more observant with age.

"Hey Shelly," he greeted happily.

"Uh…hi Dad…" she murmured, attempting to race up the stairs. Once again, she was stopped by his voice.

"Are you okay?"

Taking in a deep breath, Michelle responded, "fine."

"You don't sound okay to me," Ash suddenly appeared in the doorway, a gentle smile playing on his lips, "what's wrong princess?" Michelle bent her brow and growled lowly.

"You wouldn't understand," Michelle looked over her shoulder with narrowed eyes, "so don't bother."

"Hey, I'm sure I would!" Ash replied valiantly. Abruptly remembering he was talking to his daughter, Ash softened his voice and continued, "Unless it has to do with like…girly things. In that case, your mother knows better than I do."

"Exactly," Michelle sighed, "you won't get it. Just forget it, okay?"

Ash watched with bewilderment as Michelle marched up the stairs. Something was definitely wrong with the girl, and he intended on finding out what.

"Hi there Ashy!"

Ash jumped slightly as he felt a pair of slender arms wrap tightly around his shoulders, although he quickly relaxed when he realized it was just Misty. She was grinning boldly at him, her dark emerald eyes glittering as she looked at him.

"You're being awfully affectionate," Ash mused teasingly, giving Misty a knowing glance.

"I'm just in that sort of a mood," Misty shrugged as she pressed a kiss against Ash's cheek before pulling away.

"Well, I'm not sure how much longer you'll be in this disposition," Ash sighed heavily, "I think we have a problem."

"With what?" Misty tilted her head innocently.

"Not what. Who."

"Alright," Misty placed her hands on her hips, "_who_ do we have a problem with?"

"Michelle. Something is up with her."

"And what makes you think that?"

"She was outside with Aiden before, and then she came running in. I could tell she was trying to avoid me, but I wasn't going to let her slip under my radar. When I asked her what was up, she seemed pretty irritated."

"It's probably some kind of a girl problem," Misty commented.

"I wouldn't doubt it. She said I wouldn't understand."

"I'll go talk to her," Misty volunteered, "is she upstairs?"

"That's where she went," Ash nodded, "my guess is she was going to her room." Misty walked up the steps without another word, taking note of the closed door that led to Michelle's room.

"Michelle?" Misty called as she knocked on the door.

"What?" Michelle's muffled voice replied.

"Can I come in?" Misty asked cautiously. She knew Michelle's personality was very much like her own, and the young girl was volatile to snap without warning.

"I guess," Michelle replied with disinterest. Misty turned the doorknob and pulled the door back, finding Michelle sprawled across her bed with her face hidden in her pillow.

"Michelle, your father told me something happened with you," Misty sat down next to Michelle, "is that true?"

"Maybe," Michelle shrugged.

"Michelle," Misty got a little sterner, "take your face away from the pillow." Groaning, Michelle lifted her head up, giving Misty a perturbed look. "What happened?"

"Aiden made fun of me," Michelle grumbled. This provoked Misty to raise a wry eyebrow.

"What did he say?"

"He called me a ginger," Michelle looked away in disgust. Misty sighed deeply, knowing she'd have to scold Aiden for his action later. "I hate my hair Mom."

"You have no reason to hate it dear," Misty touched the girl's cheek, "you have a very unique, beautiful hair color. Don't be ashamed of it."

"But I am!" Michelle cried, "all I ever do is get made fun of for my hair! Sam even told me I have no soul!"

"Because Sam can be extremely rude at times," Misty responded, "just like his father." Sam was Gary's nine year old son who Michelle harbored quite the dislike for.

"Didn't you hate your hair when you were my age?" Michelle asked.

"Surprisingly, no," Misty shook her head, "I always loved the shade of my hair. I knew it made me unique. Once, when your father, Brock, and I were taken hostage by the Squirtle Squad, they threatened to dye my hair purple, and I freaked out."

"I don't blame you," Michelle furrowed her brow, "I'd rather my hair be the color it is now than _purple._"

"See how much worse it could be?" Misty winked playfully.

"Yeah…" Michelle looked down sheepishly at her feet as a little smile appeared on her young face.

"Don't be embarrassed by something as silly as the color of your hair," Misty gave Michelle a tight hug, "everyone else just _wishes _they could have hair as pretty and one of a kind as yours."

"I suppose so," Michelle blushed.

"Besides, one day, you're going to meet someone who thinks your hair color is the greatest thing in the world."

"Like who?" Michelle blinked.

"Like your father," Misty laughed, "all he _ever _talked about when we were dating was how _beautiful _my hair was, and how it reminded him of fire and how lucky he was to be dating a girl with hair like mine."

"Really?"

"I wouldn't lie to you," Misty smiled as she ran her fingers through Michelle's long, straight tresses, "just wait and see."

Michelle thought for a moment before nodding and looking up at the gym leader. "Thanks Mom."

"Don't mention it," Misty gave her daughter a delicate grin before walking out of the room and heading downstairs, where she saw Ash waiting by the staircase.

"Well?" He inquired, "How did it go?"

"Just fine," Misty beamed, "I worked everything out with her. I'll need to have a little talk with our son later, but Michelle is much better now."

"That's good," Ash smiled as he looked Misty over.

"What's up with you?" Misty giggled.

"Nothing," Ash shrugged as he chuckled, "your hair just looks _really _good today."


	8. Mother's Day Disaster

**Ah, the requisite Mother's Day chapter ^^ This one went in a completely different direction then I was planning, but I like the way it came out. Much more like something that would happen to Ash and Misty :P**

**It's also the first chapter to have all three of my OC's in it at the same time! Amazing.**

**Aiden and Michelle: 6 years old**

**Elizabeth: 9 months old**

* * *

><p><strong>Mother's Day Disaster<strong>

"WAKE UP MOMMY!"

Misty grumbled quietly and slowly opened her eyes. She could feel and see Aiden and Michelle jumping excitedly around her, trying to wake up the gym leader. Misty knew the twins were excited, but she really didn't want to get up. She was _so _tired. The next thing she noticed really woke her up, however.

Crawling right near Aiden and Michelle's bouncing feet was little Elizabeth, giggling as she moved closer to her mother.

"Guys, be careful!" Misty gasped as she jumped up, grabbing the little girl. Elizabeth, clearly unaware of how close she had been to being stepped on, babbled happily in Misty's arms.

"Sorry Mommy," Michelle apologized, "but it's a big day!"

"It's Mother's Day!" Aiden beamed as he sat down next to his mother.

"Yes, I know," Misty giggled, patting Aiden on the head.

"We got you presents Mommy," Michelle added, "because you're our Mommy!"

"Elizabeth didn't do anything though," Aiden looked accusingly at the child held by Misty.

"Ma," Elizabeth jabbered, waving her little arms in the air. All the baby could do was make simple noises, occasionally blurting out the words 'dada' and 'mama.'

"Lizzie is just a baby," Misty laughed as she kissed the girl's cheek, "I'm sure she would've helped if she knew what was going on."

"I guess," Aiden shrugged, "but that doesn't matter! We have to go get your present from Daddy's closet! Come on Shelly!"

Michelle nodded and followed her brother off the bed and into their father's closet. Misty smiled as she watched the two digging through Ash's mess, Elizabeth biting eagerly at her slender arm.

"Are your teeth bothering you, sweetie?" Misty asked as she raised the child's head.

"Ka," Elizabeth cooed, sticking her fingers in her mouth.

"Uh…Misty?"

"Perfect!" Misty smiled. Looking back down at Elizabeth, she continued, "Daddy can bring you one of your teething rings. That will make you feel better!"

"Ma…ma…" Elizabeth whimpered, fussing as she began to cry.

"No, don't get upset honey!" Misty soothed as she rocked the baby back and forth, "no crying Lizzie!"

"Mist!" Ash was now in the doorway, his voice sounding and face looking quite nervous.

"Ash, thank goodness!" Misty sighed, "Could you go get a teething ring for Elizabeth? Her teeth are bothering her."

"Uh…yeah…" Ash stammered, "But I'm having a little bit of a problem downstairs…"

"Can't it wait?" Misty frowned gently, "She's getting very fussy."

"I don't think that's the best idea…" Ash rubbed the back of his head. Misty was about to reply, but something suddenly caught her attention, causing her to narrow her eyes in confusion.

"Do you smell something burning?" Misty inquired.

"Y…yeah…" Ash looked down sheepishly, "that's my problem."

"Ash, what did you do?" Misty's tone suddenly became deathly serious.

"I didn't do anything bad!" Ash shook his head frantically, "All I was trying to do was cook you a nice Mother's Day breakfast, and I messed it up..."

"That's because you can't _cook _Ash!" Misty stormed, hopping out of bed. Running out of the room, she thrust Elizabeth into Ash's arms, yelling over her shoulder to "watch after her!"

Misty bounded down the stairs and into the kitchen, her eyes locked intently on the stove. Indeed, there was a small fire raging on the stove top, causing Misty to groan.

"Vaporeon! Azumarill!" Misty called.

The two water types came rushing into the room, sensing the urgency in their trainer's voice. When they spotted the flames, they both gasped slightly and took a cautious step backwards.

"Azumarill, use water gun," Misty ordered, "and Vaporeon, use hydro pump!"

Without having to be told twice, the two Pokémon unleashed their attacks at the stove, trying desperately to get rid of the diminutive blaze. Although the fire wasn't all that big, Misty couldn't help but to get a little nervous. Ever since she had become a mother, the gym leader was much more cautious about things. The thought of _anything_ harming her children was too much to bear.

After a few minutes of using their attacks, Azumarill and Vaporeon stopped unleashing the streams, looking up at Misty with a gaze of sheer innocence. Misty, in turn, gave the stove one last look, feeling a sense of relief wash over her as she saw no more flames.

"Thanks you two," Misty gave a small grin of appreciation, "nice work."

"Mommy, are you okay?" Aiden came charging into the kitchen, his russet eyes full of fear.

"Everything is just fine sweetie," Misty kneeled down to the boy and kissed his nose, "don't you worry."

"Is our house okay?" Aiden murmured.

"Perfect," Misty brushed his hair back, "your Daddy just made a little mistake is all. But we're all okay."

"Misty?" Ash looked through the door cautiously, Elizabeth chewing on his shirt to relieve the pain of her incoming teeth.

"I'm fine Ash," Misty gave him a reassuring smile; "it wasn't a big fire."

"I'm really sorry!" Ash nearly wailed, "I didn't mean to!"

"I know you didn't," Misty replied after taking a deep breath, "you were just trying to do something sweet. I'm not mad honey."

"Da!" Elizabeth reached up towards Ash, and then to Misty, her dark green eyes blinking rapidly.

"Guess she's still a little fussy," Ash looked down at his shirt and grimaced at the amount of drool Elizabeth had left on it.

"She'll be fussy as long as those teeth are coming in," Misty sighed, taking the little girl from Ash, "isn't that right, baby?"

"Ma," Elizabeth frowned, burying her face into Misty's chest.

"I'll go get that teething ring," Ash smiled, walking over to the freezer.

"Mommy! Mommy! I got your present!"

Michelle was grinning from ear to ear as she ran in holding a fairly large box, all wrapped up in iridescent sea green paper.

"Shelly, be careful!" Ash gasped as he looked over his shoulder, "what's in the box is very…"

But he was interrupted by Michelle tripping over her feet, squeaking as the present went flying out of her hands and onto the floor, the sound of shattering clearly audible.

"Fragile," Ash groaned, closing the freezer door.

"Oops," Michelle covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes wide in horror. How could she have just destroyed her mother's present? Misty, meanwhile, couldn't help but to laugh softly. "It's not funny Mommy!" Michelle cried.

"I'm sorry sweetie," Misty smiled sympathetically; "I didn't mean to upset you."

"Then why'd you laugh?" Michelle grumbled.

"Because," Misty smirked as she bent down to pick up the damaged box, "first I had to deal with a fire, and now this. I can't help but to laugh a little!"

"I guess so," Michelle frowned.

"It's alright darling," Misty pulled the little girl close, "I'm sure I can fix…whatever this is. Maybe I should open it first."

Michelle nodded hesitantly and watched with bated breath as Misty opened up the gift. She pulled out a plate, obviously painted by Aiden and Michelle. The serving dish was split into about five pieces, but this made Misty smile even more.

"I love it!" Misty cheered, "And the breaks aren't too bad. All we need to do is glue them back together! How does that sound?"

"Good," Michelle mumbled, hope shining in her big green eyes.

Misty sighed contently as she stood back up, the shattered plate still in her hands. It was always nice to get breaks from her job as the gym leader, but when you were a mother, well, there were _never _any breaks. Not even on Mother's Day.

And for whatever reason, Misty didn't mind in the least.


	9. Sink or Swim

**This one is from Misty's POV, and is quite funny if I do say so myself :P Gotta love the Pokemon who shows up in this installment!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Sink or Swim<strong>

I couldn't help but to smile at the two toddlers sitting on the edge of the pool, kicking their little feet in the water and patiently waiting for my instruction. I had been taking them into the water since they were just babies, but now that they were two years old, I figured it was time for them to learn how to swim on their own.

"Can we go in Mama?" Aiden asked with a little tilt of his head.

"Not yet baby," I slid a bright blue water wing onto his arm.

"What's 'dat?" Michelle squeaked, pointing at the inflatable accessory.

"These are floaties," I answered, "they'll keep you safe in the water."

I was very cautious with the two when it came to almost everything, but being a water type gym leader, I was less afraid of them going in the water. The water wings were just a standard precaution for children of their age. For the record, I was _not _being paranoid.

After putting on Aiden's pair of floaties, I put Michelle in her pink ones and then pulled the two into the water. Giggling, they began to splash one another and happily bob up and down in the cool liquid.

"Alright you two," I piped up after a few minutes of letting them play. They looked up at me, floating effortlessly thanks to their water wings. I'd have to teach them how to tread the water once they got a little older, but for now this would work. "Today will be your first day of swimming lessons!"

Aiden and Michelle looked quite excited at that. Giggling, I swam over to the wall and held onto the edge of the pool with my hands.

"What you doing Mama?" Michelle reached for me.

"I'll show you," I pulled her and Aiden a little closer for them to watch; "we're going to start by kicking the water."

"I can do 'dat!" Aiden announced proudly. He began to try and move his legs, but quickly flipped over to his backside, his head nearly going underwater. Fortunately, I was able to grab him and get him upright before that happened.

"Oops," was Aiden's only remark. Fortunately, my son was not easily frightened.

"Watch carefully," I told them before facing the wall once again. "All you have to do is hold onto the side of the pool and kick your legs. Can you both do that?"

Aiden and Michelle nodded happily and reached for the edge of the pool. It took each of them only one try to get it right, which made me immensely proud. I always knew that they would be natural born swimmers.

"Good?" Aiden asked hopefully.

"Yes, perfect!" I cheered, which caused the two to beam. "Okay, now let's try blowing bubbles." I lowered my face halfway into the water and blew out, creating a small storm of bubbles. The twins' eyes lit up at the sight, and once again they began to dip up and down. "Now you two give it a shot!"

They both mimicked my actions, once again nailing the exercise on the first attempt. The sheer joy I was experiencing must have been evident on my face, because when Aiden and Michelle lifted their mouths out of the water, they were both sporting a grin that stretched from ear to ear.

"I'm so proud of you two!" I squealed, giving them each a tight hug, "you're going to be the best swimmers in the whole wide world!"

As they laughed happily, a sudden flash caught my attention. It was accompanied by a little _swoosh, _the blue streak coming all the way from a poke ball located on the nearby metal rack where, for the most part, I kept my loyal battle partners when they needed a good rest.

"Poke ball!" Aiden pointed at the flare excitedly. He knew very well what that was after all the battles he had watched Ash and I partake in.

The sapphire streak materialized into none other than Psyduck, who as soon as he hit the water, began to call out his name and flap his wings wildly.

"Psy! Psy! Psy!"

Aiden and Michelle watched the water type with pure curiosity while I narrowed my eyes in frustration. After all these years, the damn duck _still _couldn't swim!

"_Psyduck!_" I bellowed as I pulled myself out of the pool with very little effort. Marching over to the metal rack, I retrieved Psyduck's poke ball and held it out, quickly tapping the button. "Return."

And just as swiftly as he had appeared, Psyduck became illuminated by a bright red light as he was pulled back into the safety of his red and white sphere. Rolling my eyes, I put the ball back in its place before jumping into the pool once again.

"Mama, ducky can't swim," Michelle looked at me with an eyebrow raised. I'll admit that made me chuckle. Michelle had difficulty calling Psyduck by his actual name, so she just went along calling him 'ducky.'

"Yes, I know that," I smiled feebly at her.

"Why?"

"Because Shelly," I sighed, "Psyduck is not a very smart Pokémon."

"But he water," Aiden blinked, referring to Psyduck's type.

"Yes, that he is, but he just doesn't know how to swim."

"We can teach him!" Michelle beamed, showing off her little white teeth.

"I've tried that," I rubbed the back of my neck, "but Psyduck's not a quick learner. Not like you two!"

"We smawt," Aiden seemed quite happy with that statement.

"Yes, you both are," I stroked his damp raven hair, "now, let's get back to work! Maybe one day, you two will be able to teach Psyduck how to swim!" And while the twins looked very excited at the prospect, I didn't have the heart to tell them that there was just no hope for the dopey duck Pokémon.


	10. Tooth Fairy

**Here's a good Pokeshipping chapter for all of you! Ah, the classic competitiveness of these two :P**

**Michelle: 5 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Tooth Fairy<strong>

If Ash and Misty had a dollar for every time Aiden or Michelle ruined a romantic moment, they would have _a lot _of dollar bills. Money that, in this case, would actually come in handy.

It was an early spring day when the couple was in their backyard. Somehow, an intense practice battle had turned into a flirting session, and their faces were now only inches apart as they murmured sweetly to one another. As they leaned in to kiss, however, the scene was broken by a single cry.

"MOMMY! DADDY!"

"Well, so much for that," Ash sighed as he pulled away. Misty groaned in displeasure, but stood up straight as well. Looking over Ash's shoulder, she found Michelle racing towards the pair, her face appearing quite frantic.

"Michelle, are you okay?" Misty asked worriedly.

"I…I don't know!" Michelle frowned, her dark green eyes filling up with tears.

"What's wrong baby girl?" Ash kneeled down to her level.

"My tooth fell out!" Michelle wailed, holding up a tiny white square. Ash looked at her mouth, where there was in fact a vacant spot sitting where her left bottom front tooth had previously been. "Am I gonna' die?"

"Of course not princess!" Ash chuckled at the question, "this is a good thing!"

"How?" Michelle gasped in horror.

"It means that your adult teeth are ready to come in," Misty smiled to comfort the girl, "you're becoming a very big girl, Shelly!"

"What do I do with this?" Michelle examined the tiny tooth that resided in her palm, "do I throw it out?"

"No!" Misty puffed, jumping down to hold Michelle's wrist. "You don't throw it out sweetheart."

"Then what do I do with it?" Michelle sounded highly confused by the whole situation.

"That's an easy one," Ash glanced at Misty, "you put it under your pillow for the tooth fairy."

Michelle grew wide eyed at that suggestion. "Who's the tooth fairy, Daddy?"

Smiling, Ash continued, "The tooth fairy is a fairy, of course, which comes during the night for lost baby teeth. She takes the tooth back with her and in its place, leaves some money for you!"

"And what does she do with the teeth?" Michelle raised an eyebrow.

"Does it matter?" Ash ruffled the girl's hair, "you get money!"

"Ash!" Misty scolded as she smacked the back of his head, causing him to yelp in pain and Michelle to laugh at the action. "That's a terrible thing to say. Don't you dare lead our daughter to believe that money is the only important thing in the world?"

"I was just kidding Mist," Ash grimaced as he continued to nurse the spot where he'd been struck.

"Well I wasn't," Misty huffed.

"So I put this under my pillow?" Michelle held up the tooth yet again.

"Yes," Misty nodded, "just leave it there, and you'll have a nice surprise in the morning!" Michelle smiled boldly and skipped off towards the house, leaving her parents to look at one another in contemplation.

"So how come Aiden hasn't lost a tooth yet?" Ash stood up.

"I read that girls usually lose their first tooth before boys do," Misty mused. Glancing back at Ash, she continued, "so who's gonna' be the tooth fairy?"

"You," Ash answered simply, "you're the girl here."

Misty narrowed her eyes at that comment. "Who said the tooth fairy has to be a girl?"

"She's a fairy," Ash replied incredulously, "fairies are always girls."

"No they're not," Misty rolled her eyes, "there can be boy fairies. Haven't you ever read a storybook before?"

"Yeah, every night to Michelle," Ash retorted, "and none of them involved a _male _fairy."

"Yeah, well there can be boy fairies," Misty folded her arms.

"Fine, if that's how you want to play it, I'll be the tooth fairy," Ash sounded quite smug in his response. "I'll probably make a better tooth fairy then you ever could anyway."

_That _caught Misty's attention. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Ash smirked, "you know that compared to me, you'd make a lousy tooth fairy."

"I would not!" Misty stormed.

"Would too," Ash shrugged.

"Would not!"

"Would too."

"WOULD NOT!"

"Prove it."

"Fine, I will!" Misty threw her arms down. "We'll _both _go tonight, and we'll just _see _who the better tooth fairy is!"

Ash nodded as he grinned deviously. "You're on, Miss Misty."

**XXX**

Just past ten o clock, with Michelle fast asleep in her bed, Ash and Misty peaked through the crack left by the slightly open door to make sure the coast was clear.

"Pikachu isn't in here tonight," Ash commented. Sometimes, the electric type chose to sleep in the twins' rooms in order to protect them. "We should be okay."

"And she's a heavy sleeper," Misty whispered, "so she shouldn't wake up."

"I'll go first," Ash puffed out his chest proudly. Misty rolled her eyes as he pulled the door back in order to slip into the room. With complete stealth, Ash pressed himself against the sky blue wall of his daughter's room and edged closer and closer to her bed. In one swift motion, Ash retrieved the tooth from underneath Michelle's pillow and left a dollar in its place.

"Beat that," Ash bragged as he stepped out of the room.

Shaking her head, Misty marched into the room, not bothering to act like a spy the way Ash had done. Instead, she simply walked across the floor, leaned down, and stuffed a paper bill underneath the girl's pillow before walking out with a smirk on his face.

"My entrance _definitely _looked cooler," Ash folded his arms, "I _must_ be the better tooth fairy."

Giggling, Misty headed towards the couple's room and announced in a sing song voice, "We'll see in the morning."

**XXX**

As Misty prepared breakfast the next morning, and Ash snoozed lightly at the table, Michelle came charging down the stairs, her face as bright as the sun.

"Good morning baby!" Misty smiled at the girl, "you certainly look happy."

"Mommy, the tooth fairy came!" Michelle began to jump up and down. "My tooth is gone! And there was money there instead!"

"Just like Daddy and I said, right?" Misty smirked.

"Yeah," Michelle nodded quickly before pursing her lips, "but I'm confused too, Mommy."

"Why's that, sweetheart?"

"Are there two tooth fairies?"

Ash's head shot up at the inquiry, and Misty simply giggled in response.

"No dear, there's only one. Why do you ask?"

"Because there were two different kinds of money under my pillow," Michelle held them up, "see? There's a one dollar bill, and then there's a five dollar one!"

Ash gasped quietly and glared at Misty. No she didn't!

"Hm. Now that _is _strange, isn't it?" Misty mused playfully, "Maybe she left the dollar under your pillow, and before she left, decided to be more generous!"

"Oh," Michelle lowered the money, "that makes sense. And that's good! I like the five dollars a lot, Mommy!"

"I'm glad to hear that," Misty could feel Ash's eyes burning into the back of her head. "Now, why don't you go play with Aiden and Pikachu? You can all come back down when breakfast is ready."

"Okay!" Michelle smiled again, and bounded back up the stairs.

"What happened to _'money isn't all that?'_" Ash imitated Misty's voice. "Huh? Well?"

"Money isn't everything Ash," Misty shook her head as she turned around to show her husband a triumphant smirk. "It does come in handy when it comes to beating your egotistical husband, however."

"Not funny Mist," Ash sulked. Misty, however, must have found it absolutely hysterical, because she kept on laughing at the poor Pokémon master all morning long.


	11. It's a Steal

**This one is from Ash's POV.**

**Aiden and Michelle: 3 years old**

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><p><strong>It's a Steal<strong>

The only thing more difficult than taking care of a kid is taking care of _two_ kids. At once. When they're the same age.

Trust me, I would know.

Case in point: I needed to go shopping today. Trust me, not my first, second, or even third choice of a preferred activity. But Misty's birthday was coming up, and as embarrassing as it is for me to admit, I didn't have a gift for her. Meanwhile, all of our friends are just going on and on about the "perfect" and "wonderful" gifts they've all gotten for her.

As for me? I'm her _husband_, who's sitting there empty handed. Leave it to me to be the _last_ person in the entire world to buy my wife's birthday present.

So, I had no choice but to go to the Celadon City Mall. Sure, Cerulean City had one, and it'd really just be much easier to go to a place that's only five or ten minutes away from where I live. But the Cerulean City Mall is just too small, and the chances of accidentally running into Misty there are too great. Sometimes she goes there out of sheer boredom in between gym battles while her Pokémon heal at the Pokémon Center. So to Celadon City it was.

Oh, and of course I couldn't go alone. A challenger had presented themselves to Misty _right _when I was about to leave, and Aiden and Michelle can't be left to fend for themselves. They're only three years old, after all. As a result, the two of them had to tag along for my little adventure.

Here's the problem: Aiden doesn't like to be held. He absolutely, positively hates it. You try holding onto him for more than two minutes, and he throws a temper tantrum of epic proportions. Therefore, I always have to keep a very close eye on him as he scurries either next to or ahead of me.

Michelle, on the other hand, is a cuddler. She wants nothing more than to jump in your arms and hug you, and to be carried around anywhere and everywhere. But for some strange reason, Michelle was not in a nestling mood today.

"Down Daddy," she commanded as soon as we stepped into the mall.

"Why princess?" I asked curiously, "it's very big in here. Don't you want me to hold onto you?"

"No," she shook her head feverously before pointing at the ground, "down."

I contemplated it for only a moment before putting the little girl next to her brother. This may sound bad, but I'd rather have given in to what Michelle wanted than have to listen to her throw a fit. Being stuck in a shopping mall was punishment enough.

"Why are we here Daddy?" Aiden looked up at me with his big brown eyes. He didn't sound overly thrilled either. At least he was taking after me.

"We need to get Mommy a birthday present," I answered while trying to figure out which store to look in first, "it's coming up very soon."

"I 'ready got her a present," I could hear Michelle comment. Fantastic. I was getting beaten out by _three_ year olds here! Of course, life for them was easy. All they had to do was draw Misty a little picture and she'd be as happy as could be. Being married to her, however, gave me more responsibility as far as a gift was concerned.

"What're you gonna' get her?" Aiden leaned against my leg.

"Uh…I'm not too sure," I rubbed the back of my head. I truly had absolutely no idea what to get.

"Daddy," Michelle stated in quite the staid tone, "you should buy her a pretty necklace."

"You think so?" I looked down at her. It wasn't a playful little reply. I was completely serious. Michelle _was _a girl after all. She may have been a little one, but she was a girl. I'm assuming she would understand what Misty would like better than me.

"Yeah," she nodded quickly.

There, so that wasn't so bad after all! I found a store that sold some very nice pieces of jewelry, and knew I could find something perfect for Misty. Aiden and Michelle were actually being quiet today, and they too were walking around admiring the different bracelets and earrings. Everyone seemed very impressed by their behavior, and that made me even more proud. How could something I was so badly dreading have turned out to actually be pretty good?

After picking out and purchasing a short silver necklace with a sparkling sapphire stone (which I made sure Aiden and Michelle approved of), the store alarm went off as we walked out the door. I stopped in my tracks, wondering why that had happened. I'd paid for the necklace and everything! Aiden and Michelle looked up at me with innocent faces, and after looking into the bag, the lady who sold me the necklace explained that sometimes the alarm just went off when it felt like it, and that I had nothing wrong. Thank goodness! The last thing I needed was for people to think that the Pokémon master was some kind of thief.

Walking home, Aiden and Michelle skipped merrily next to me, looking out for any wild Pokémon in the grass. They loved spotting different Pokémon and trying to remember the names of each ones. Teaching them that sort of stuff was really fun.

Halfway there, I saw Aiden reach into his shorts pocket and pull something out, admiring it in his hands as it shimmered in the afternoon sun.

"What've you got there Aiden?" I asked kindly. He certainly seemed enamored by whatever it was.

"A bracelet!" Aiden beamed, holding it up for me to see. Instantly, my face paled and I could feel my heart pounding. "I got it for Mommy. It goes with the necklace!"

"Aiden, where did you get that?" My voice came out almost like a robot's: emotionless.

"The jewelry store," Aiden replied as though it were obvious.

"Did…did you just…take that?"

"Uh huh," he shook his little head, "that's all you have to do, right?"

I wanted to die. Right then and there, in the very spot where I was standing. That's why the stupid alarm had gone off! I wasn't the criminal! My _son_ was!

"Aiden, no!" I yelled, jumping back slightly as though the bracelet was about to explode. He simply blinked, not understanding why I'd suddenly gotten so upset. "What you did was very, very bad!"

"Why?" He furrowed his young brow and tilted his head.

"That's called stealing, Aiden!" I grabbed at my forehead, "you don't steal! You know what kind of people steal, Aiden?"

Again, he shook his head.

"Team Rocket, Aiden!" I bellowed, "Bad people like Team Rocket steal!"

"But I'm not Team Rocket, Daddy!" Aiden was now very distressed, "I didn't know! I…I'm sorry!" And just like that, he burst into tears, a rare action for the young boy. That made me realize I had to calm down. If I had freaked out enough to make Aiden cry, then I had overdone it. After all, he was just a kid. He didn't understand what he had done was wrong.

"It's okay buddy," I sighed, kneeling down to his level, "I know you're not as bad as Team Rocket. You don't know any better." Aiden shook his head in accordance with my words.

Now, I wasn't sure what to do next. I knew that the right thing to do was to go back to the store, explain everything, and return the bracelet. But man was that going to be embarrassing. And right after everyone thought they were such well behaved kids, too! I could already see the "Ash Ketchum is a terrible father" headlines emerging. And that was the last thing I wanted.

But, embarrassing or not, I knew that doing the responsible thing would teach my children a lesson. After all, I want them to do the right things in life. And owning up for a mistake was certainly a good lesson to learn.

"What do we do Daddy?" Aiden sniffed as he looked down at his sneakers.

"We go back to the store and tell them what happened," I patted his head, "and we give back the bracelet too. Okay?"

Aiden nodded slowly before piping up, "I don't wanna' be yelled at, Daddy. It was a accident."

Yes, it was an accident. And the poor kid was so terrified I was afraid he was going to pass out at any moment. I could see him trembling, for Arceus' sake. Time for another action I might find myself regretting in the future.

"I'll cover for you this time son," I looked him right in the eyes, which were identical to my own, "because you didn't understand what you were doing. But you have to pay attention, alright? I won't always be able to make up for your mistakes."

With another nod of his head, I held out my hand for the bracelet. Aiden quickly dropped it into my hand, clearly wanting to rid himself of the object. The trek back to the mall was a fairly long one, and Michelle was finally back to her usual self after about ten minutes, wanting to be back in my arms. Of course, I knew it was because she didn't want to walk anymore, but anything that would keep the twins out of further trouble was okay with me.

When we walked back into the jewelry store, and the alarm went off again, it made my head pound, since I now knew why it was ringing.

Walking up to the sales lady, I held out the bracelet and cautiously explained that Aiden had accidentally taken it, not understanding what he'd done wrong. I continued by saying that once I explained his mistake to him, however, he'd felt terrible and had never made it his intention to take the bracelet. When I was finished, I held my breath, waiting for an all out lecture about how I was the worst parent in the world.

And guess what? The woman didn't go ballistic. Oh no. She started _laughing_.

Noticing the confused expression that had overtaken my face, she explained that they had dealt with this many times before, and that it was perfectly understandable. As long as they got the bracelet back, it was no big deal. After all, as she said, "kids will be kids!"

Heading back home to Cerulean, I couldn't help but to feel relieved. It was good to know that Aiden wasn't the only kid who'd ever swiped something by accident. Knowing that made me feel _a lot_ better about the situation. Either way, I still had one more concern that needed to be addressed about the whole thing: Misty could never, _ever_ know.

Sure, the woman at the jewelry store might have laughed it off, but Misty?

I don't even want to _think _about it.


	12. Pacifying Trouble

**Homework or writing? Homework or writing? ...****Writing :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 years old**

**Elizabeth: 1 month old**

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><p><strong>Pacifying Trouble<strong>

"Good girl Lizzie. Go to sleep…"

Stroking the newborn's soft cheek, Ash watched intently as her eyes closed. Elizabeth had proved to be a well behaved baby so far, but just like any infant, she had her fussy days, and today was one of them. She'd been crying and screaming all morning, much to Ash and Misty's frustration. Not even Teddi, her favorite stuffed companion, could calm her down.

Fortunately, Ash seemed to have found a solution to Elizabeth's crankiness: her pacifier.

Aiden and Michelle had never liked the things when they were babies, but Elizabeth always stayed nice and quiet when she had one. All Ash had to do was make sure that the pacifier stayed in her mouth, and they'd be just fine.

Misty had dragged everyone out to the grocery store in order for her to buy the things she needed to make dinner. Knowing that Ash was no good when it came to any kind of shopping, even for food, she had ordered him to watch after the three children like a Fearrow.

"Let's get cookies Daddy!" Michelle suggested excitedly, running circles around her tired father.

"Ask Mommy," Ash sighed, "I'm not allowed to pick things out here."

"Why not?" Michelle asked curiously.

"Because Mommy says that I pick out nothing but junk food. And cookies _definitely _fall into that category. Just wait until she comes back, okay?"

The young red head nodded and began to play with Pikachu, who had just jumped off of Aiden's head.

Unlike his sister, the young boy was not happy about being at the supermarket. In fact, he didn't like doing anything when his baby sister was in the vicinity. Jealously ran through Aiden's veins like a vital sustenance. So he stood by Ash's legs, arms folded with a little look of annoyance on his face.

"Ash," Misty called sweetly, striding up next to her husband. Holding up a jar of sauce, she questioned, "Does this look like the right thing to you?"

"How should I know?" Ash knit his eyebrows, "they all look the same to me."

"But they don't have the kind I usually get," Misty complained, "and I don't want to mess the food up."

"I'm sure it's fine," Ash rolled his tired eyes, wanting nothing more than to just lay on the floor and go to sleep.

As Misty continued to bother Ash about the sauce, Aiden stepped away from his father in order to peer into Elizabeth's stroller. He stared at the tiny girl, her eyes shut and the pacifier occupying her mouth. And that's when Aiden got a brilliant idea.

"Are you sure?" Misty asked worriedly, examining the jar like it was the most important thing on Earth.

"Mist, for the hundredth time, its _fine_," Ash groaned. Before Misty could come back with another assuring inquiry, the sound of high pitched crying filled the air, causing both her and Ash to look down.

It was in fact Elizabeth bawling, and her pacifier was nowhere to be found.

"What? Where did that stupid thing go?" Ash whined, smacking his hand against his forehead. He couldn't stand anymore of his daughter's wailing. That pacifier was a life saver, and now it was gone! "It has to be around here somewhere!" Ash grumbled, peeking into the stroller. It didn't appear that the pacifier had fallen out anywhere in there. And it wasn't on the ground either.

"Oh, sweetie, don't cry!" Misty hushed. Placing the sauce on a nearby shelf, she lifted the girl out of the stroller and began to rock her back and forth, shushing her the whole time. Ash took another look into the stroller, but the pacifier definitely wasn't in it.

"This is ridiculous," Ash glanced at Misty, "where could it have gone?"

"I don't know!" Misty replied frantically as she bounced the baby up and down, "maybe she spit it out somewhere!"

"But it isn't on the ground," Ash shook his head. Looking down at his feet, he saw Michelle looking around curiously with Pikachu sitting on her shoulder. Aiden, however, was nowhere in sight. "Michelle, where is your brother?"

"I don't know," Michelle shrugged innocently.

A familiar wave of giggles was now being intertwined with Elizabeth's screeching. Looking ahead, Ash found Aiden standing at the end of the aisle, Elizabeth's bright pink pacifier held tightly in his right hand.

"AIDEN!" Ash barked in a voice much too loud for the indoors. Elizabeth's sobs became louder as well, causing Ash to look rather regretful. Frustrated and tired, Misty smacked the back of Ash's head and marched towards Aiden.

"Aiden," she ordered sternly, "give me back the pacifier."

Aiden smirked deviously and shook his head.

"Aiden Nash Ketchum," Misty growled, "give it to me. _Now._"

For once, Misty's angry tone wasn't scaring the boy one little bit. Instead, he raced past his mother, right in the direction of Ash. Having had enough, Ash leaned down and tried to grab the child, but he was simply too fast to be caught.

"Aiden!" Ash stormed, "get back here and quit acting like a brat!"

This demand was met by an even more furious wave of laughter, and all Ash could do was groan and hang his head in shame.

"Oh, why'd he have to take after _you_?" Misty complained, handing the upset Elizabeth to Ash in order to chase after their son.

"I'm sorry," was Ash's downtrodden reply as Misty ran off in a huff. After processing her words, however, Ash furrowed his brow and called out, "hey! I am _not_ a brat!"


	13. Tantrum Attack

**This one will make you all laugh, I think. It's short, but sweet ;)**

**Michelle: 3 years old**

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><p><strong>Tantrum Attack<strong>

"Daddy, can I have it? Can I?"

Ash groaned inwardly as Michelle held up a stuffed toy, her emerald eyes gleaming as she looked up at her father. Normally, he'd have said yes in a heartbeat. As Pokémon master, Ash maintained a fairly enviable income, and would do anything to make his children happy.

Misty, however, demanded that it stop immediately. She was afraid of the twins becoming too spoiled, so by her order, Ash could no longer give into the children's requests.

"Please Daddy? _Please?_"

Ash sighed and averted his gaze from the young girl. He didn't want to see the look on his little princess' face when he had to say that one malevolent word.

"No," Ash squeaked out, his voice sounding strange in his own ears.

"Huh?" Michelle blinked, lowering the toy to her chest.

"I'm sorry sweetheart," Ash still couldn't lay his eyes on the child, "but I can't buy it."

"Why not?" Michelle frowned.

"Because…because I just can't. Maybe another time baby. Okay?"

There was no reaction. Slowly, Ash turned his head to look at Michelle. Her face was static, although an unrecognizable expression was bubbling below the surface. He could see the glint in her eyes, but not one of joy or innocence. In a way, it was almost evil.

Ash breathed out heavily, relieved that Michelle was able to take the news so well. Maybe saying no to his children wouldn't be so bad after all!

"I WANT IT! I WANT IT!"

Ash grew wide eyed. Turning back around, he found Michelle red in the face and stomping her feet, still holding onto the toy for dear life.

"Michelle, honey, don't do that!" Ash implored. The twins had done embarrassing things before, but this certainly had to be one of the worst so far. Michelle, however, wasn't about to grant her father's wish.

"I WANT IT!" Michelle screamed, her eyes narrowing in anger. Ash glanced slightly over his shoulder and found some people to be staring at both him and Michelle with stunned and incredulous looks. _How wonderful, _Ash thought dully.

"Michelle…" Ash tried again. Instead, the little red head growled lowly and moved closer to Ash in order to hit his leg. They were more like pats, considering she was only three years old and didn't have much strength. "Hey! No hitting!"

"Give me my toy!" Michelle barked, her voice lowering ever so slightly. "You owe me a toy!"

_You owe me a toy. _Ash grimaced at the phrase. He could've sworn he'd heard those words before. Or at least something similar. Now what was it? Oh yeah.

_You owe me a bike!_

Sighing, Ash took the toy from Michelle and declared, "Alright, fine. I'll buy you the toy. But you can't tell Mommy, okay? You have to make sure to hide this from her. Promise?"

"Yes," Michelle nodded, a little smile appearing on her face. "Thank you Daddy!"

"No problem," Ash tried his best not to grumble, "come on."

As his young daughter followed behind him, Ash couldn't believe what had been bestowed upon him. Sure, the looks had matched up from the start, but the personality was really beginning to shine through and prove exactly what Ash had suspected.

He had a mini Misty on his hands.


	14. First Father's Day

**This chapter was inspired by Father's Day, which falls tomorrow! In the US at least.**

**Aiden and Michelle: 6 months **

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><p><strong>First Father's Day<strong>

I blinked rapidly, the words sounding strange in my head. They couldn't possibly be celebrating _me_, could they? It didn't make sense. I was just doing my job; yet I was being rewarded?

"Ashy, why do you look so confused?"

I blinked yet again before turning to look at Misty, her dark green eyes sparkling as a little smile appeared on her face.

"I…I don't understand this," I gestured towards the decorations, the small collection of presents, and the special breakfast waiting patiently on the counter. "What's all of this for?"

"Father's day," Misty answered as though it was obvious, which I guess it kind of was. But still, I wasn't so sure of just _why _it was all here waiting for me.

"I know what day it is," I practically mumbled, "but…why?"

"Because you're a father," Misty giggled, "today is your day!"

"I don't deserve this!"

Misty looked almost alarmed by the panic that was showing in my voice and face. She clearly wasn't expecting that reaction from me, and I actually began to feel bad for answering in such a fashion.

"Why do you think you don't deserve today?" Misty asked much more softly than I'd expected. In fact, it was practically a whisper. "I know it's only been six months, but in all this time you've been an _amazing_ father. You deserve this day more than anything in the whole world."

"There's no way I should be rewarded for something I'm _supposed _to do! Being a good dad is like…a life requirement!"

"Yes, it is important to be a good dad," Misty nodded in agreement, "but that doesn't mean we can't reward you for it."

I bit my lip and looked away from my pretty wife. I appreciated her efforts, really I did. But something like this was just too painful for me to face.

"This has to do with your childhood, doesn't it?" Misty murmured in realization. I groaned inwardly and kept my face away. "Ash, answer me."

"Yeah, it does," I grumbled. An awkward silence set in between us, and slowly turning my gaze back to Misty, I could see a look of sympathy and understanding on her face. Breathing out slowly, I continued, "I never got to celebrate Father's Day as a kid. Because, well…I didn't have a father. There was no reason to celebrate."

"Ash…" she tried, but I ended up cutting her off. I hadn't meant to, really. My mouth was working and my brain was not.

"I don't really like this holiday. It just brings up too many bad memories for me. And I feel like I don't deserve to have a part in something like this." I looked back up at Misty, who was now giving me a somewhat incredulous look. "Don't get me wrong," I added quickly, "I love Mother's Day! You have _every_ right to celebrate that one. I know how important a mother is! I mean, it's all I had, and I turned out okay, right?"

Misty didn't respond. She turned her eyes away, and it looked as though she was thinking.

"I'll be right back," Misty announced softly before walking up the stairs. My heart sunk, and I really wanted to bash my head against a wall. The last thing I wanted to do was upset Misty even further. She was trying her best to make me fool good about myself, and I had completely ruined her efforts.

"Come on, we're going to see somebody!" Misty's voice trilled from the top of the stairs. I looked up curiously to find her holding both of our children, their wide eyes set intently on her beautiful face. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she approached me and tried to get Aiden and Michelle to look at me. "Look who it is you two! Look!" They didn't seem too interested in listening to her, however.

"Aiden! Michelle!" I called sweetly, hoping to catch their attention. Michelle's head snapped up, and a _huge _smile appeared on her face. Shrieking delightfully, she reached out for me, giggling and cooing as she eagerly waved her little arms up and down.

"It's Daddy!" Misty gasped, bouncing Aiden up and down. He finally looked at me, giving a little baby laugh as he stuck his fingers in his mouth.

I moved closer to Misty and took the two babies into my arms, watching their actions closely. Michelle let out another happy squeal before resting against my chest and mumbling jumbled, incoherent phrases. Aiden, on the other hand, patted my shoulder with his free little hand, looking up at me with inquisitive eyes. His other hand was still in his mouth.

"Funny," Misty piped up in a whimsical voice, "they seem to think you deserve this day a _whole_ lot!"

I gave her a false look of anger, to which she responded with a little giggle and a kiss on my nose.

"You're a wonderful father Ash," Misty continued seriously, pressing her hands against my face, "don't let the past haunt you like that."

"But how?" I practically whispered.

"Simple," Misty glanced between Aiden and Michelle before looking back up at me with a gentle smile. "Create some new memories."

I thought about her response for a moment before giving her a grin and a nod. Misty was right. I did need to make new memories. Having Aiden and Michelle around would make that very easy. I loved the two with all of my heart, and I could tell just by looking into their little faces that they loved to see me happy.

Just because my father didn't deserve recognition doesn't mean that I don't either.


	15. Misty's New Baby

**I love when Misty babies her Pokemon. Alot of people hate it, but I love it. Henceforth, inspiration for this installment! I've been in a fluffy mood lately.**

**Elizabeth: 4 years old**

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><p><strong>Misty's New Baby<strong>

Misty sat cross legged by the spacious pond on Professor Oak's ranch, sighing sadly to herself. It had been a week since Aiden and Michelle had left for their Pokémon journeys. Misty was scared, worried, and most of all, depressed. She knew that the two of them were together, and that they would do anything to protect one another, even if they fought sometimes. Now, they even had Brock's nephew Brandon traveling with them.

But still, they were her babies. Her two oldest children. And they had grown up so fast. Misty wanted nothing more than to go back in time to when they were just toddlers, speaking their first words and learning how to walk.

Taking another long sigh, Misty leaned over to run her fingers through the cool water of the pond. Lately, one of the only things that had been helping her through this difficult time was her love of the water. If she wasn't battling, then Misty would be in the gym, swimming for almost hours on end. Half of the time it was for exercise, and the other half was for leisure.

"Mommy?"

Misty looked over her shoulder and smiled sweetly at Elizabeth. The precious four year old was one of the only other things that was helping Misty out.

"Hello there baby girl," Misty greeted.

"Are you being sad again?" Elizabeth frowned as she sat down next to her mother. "I don't like it when you're sad."

"I'm not sad dear," Misty lied effortlessly, "don't you worry about me." Elizabeth looked a little skeptical at first, but seemed to buy it after a few seconds. "Do you want to put your feet in the water?"

Elizabeth nodded excitedly and pulled off her white sandals, not even bothering to undo the straps. She never did. It was a matter of her being impatient; just like her father. Giggling softly, Misty rolled up the young girl's jeans, a detail that the young girl frequently forgot when it came to things like this.

"Thank you Mommy," Elizabeth grinned as she dipped her small feet into the cool liquid.

"You love the water too, don't you sweetheart?" Misty rested her head in her hand as she gazed lovingly at the child next to her. Elizabeth was a beautiful little thing: wide, dark green eyes with long eyelashes, soft pink cheeks, and dark red hair that hit just below her chin. Misty often couldn't believe the child was hers.

"Yes, just like you!" Elizabeth beamed at her mother, clearly proud of the fact. Turning her head back to the pond, Elizabeth gazed into the water and pointed a little finger outwards. "What's that, Mommy?"

Misty looked to where Elizabeth was pointing, and smiled at the object. Leaning in, Misty took the pale blue oval into her hands and held it on her lap for her daughter to look at. "It's a Pokémon egg, Lizzie! A baby Pokémon will hatch from it."

"When?" Elizabeth blinked.

"I'm not sure," Misty mused, "but it's moving around a lot in there! Do you want to feel it?"

Elizabeth looked a little nervous at first, but she soon reached out to touch the egg. Feeling the Pokémon rock back and forth, Elizabeth giggled happily and put both of her hands on it.

"I wonder what kind of Pokémon it is!" Elizabeth trilled.

"Well, since it was in the water, it's probably a water type," Misty suggested.

"Your favorite!" Elizabeth grinned at her mother.

"Yes, it is!" Misty laughed. Suddenly, the egg started to glow, causing Elizabeth to shriek and withdraw her hands.

"What's happening Mommy?" Elizabeth sounded terrified.

"Don't be afraid sweetie!" Misty laughed, "All that means is the egg is going to hatch very soon!" Misty put the flashing oval in between her and Elizabeth, right on top of a soft patch of grass. The egg rocked back and forth for several seconds before the white glow became steady. Elizabeth leaned in closer to the egg, mesmerized by what she was witnessing. Misty, of course, had seen many an egg hatch before, so she wasn't as fascinated as her daughter. That didn't mean she wasn't at all enamored, however. The miracle of life was something that Misty greatly appreciated.

A large crack spread from the top of the egg all the way down to the middle, and the shell quickly fell apart, revealing a little baby Squirtle.

"Aw, it's so cute!" Elizabeth cheered as she clapped her hands together.

"Yes it is," Misty agreed as she smiled down at the water type. Slowly shaking its little head, Squirtle opened up its big, brown eyes, instantly catching sight of Misty.

"Squir?" It asked curiously.

"Hello there baby," Misty cooed, gently patting the newborn Pokémon's head.

"Squir! Squirtle!" The turtle Pokémon reached out for Misty, a wide smile appearing on its young face.

"Huh?" Misty blinked. "What's the matter, little one? You want me to pick you up?" Squirtle nodded, causing Misty to giggle and take the Pokémon into her arms, cradling it like she would a human baby. "Does that make you happy?"

"Squir," Squirtle yawned and gave another little nod before falling asleep in her arms.

"Wow, Squirtle really likes you Mommy!" Elizabeth grinned.

"Yeah, I guess it does," Misty stroked the water type's smooth cheek. She missed being able to hold something so close to her. The last baby Pokémon she'd had was Azurill, and she'd evolved a long time ago.

"Misty! There you are!" Ash called, hurrying over to where his wife and daughter sat.

"Shh!" Misty silenced the Pokémon master, holding a finger up to her mouth.

"Huh? Why do I have to be quiet?" Ash whispered, raising a wry eyebrow. Misty motioned with her head towards the sleeping Squirtle, causing Ash to grow a little wide eyed.

"Where'd you find that Squirtle?" Ash asked.

"It was an egg!" Elizabeth answered excitedly, "we found it in the pond and it hatched right in front of us!"

"I think you should have Professor Oak give it a check up," Misty put forward as she continued to rock the newborn Pokémon. It felt very natural for her; almost like an unbroken habit.

"I'll go get him," Ash agreed as he ran off in the same direction from which he came.

"Mommy," Elizabeth looked up at her mother with sparkling eyes, "can I pet Squirtle?"

"Okay," Misty sounded somewhat hesitant, "just be very gentle, alright?" Elizabeth nodded as she reached out to stroke the Pokémon's head.

"It's so smooth," Elizabeth whispered as she ran her fingers over Squirtle's light blue skin.

"What have you got there, Misty?" Professor Oak's voice drifted in, causing Misty to raise her head.

"A baby Squirtle," Misty replied softly, "it just hatched from its egg not too long ago."

"We watched it hatch Professor!" Elizabeth squeaked.

"That's wonderful Lizzie!" Professor Oak grinned as he kneeled down next to Misty, "that's something very special you got to see."

Ash sat down next to Elizabeth and pulled the little girl onto his lap as she giggled, giving her a delicate kiss on her temple.

"I'll just take Squirtle off your hands," Professor Oak smiled as he lifted the Pokémon out of Misty's arms. As soon as it was out of Misty's hold, however, Squirtle awoke and began crying hysterically. "Oh dear," Professor Oak frowned as he gently bounced the water type up and down in an effort to soothe it.

"Boy, it's really upset, huh?" Ash scratched his head.

"Squir…squirtle! Squirtle!" The turtle Pokémon wailed, kicking its legs up and down.

"Hey, it's okay," Misty soothed Squirtle as she stroked its head, "don't cry cutie."

"Squir…" Squirtle sniffed and relaxed under Misty's touch, allowing the Professor to complete his examination of the baby Pokémon.

"He's perfectly healthy!" Professor Oak beamed, holding up the baby turtle.

"It's a boy?" Misty asked softly.

"Awesome!" Ash pumped his fist. "I wonder how strong of a battler he'll be! How would you like to battle one of my Pokémon, Squirtle?"

"Squir?" Squirtle squealed, clearly terrified by the idea.

"Ash, quit it!" Misty scolded. "He's just a baby! He doesn't want to start battling right now."

"Squir…squirtle!" The newborn Pokémon burst into tears, turning his head to look at Misty.

"He's a bit of a crybaby," Ash shrugged.

"No, I think he just wants Misty…" Professor Oak mused. Deciding to test his hypothesis, the elderly man handed the water type off to Misty. Squirtle squeaked happily and nestled himself against Misty.

"Why is he so obsessed with Misty?" Ash asked.

"Misty, who was Squirtle facing when he hatched?" Professor Oak inquired. "You or Elizabeth?"

"Me," Misty answered as she cradled the turtle.

"Misty must've been the first thing Squirtle saw after he hatched," Professor Oak rubbed his chin.

"So you mean…?" Ash's eyes grew to the size of saucers.

"Squirtle must think Misty is his mother," Professor Oak concluded.

"Huh?" Misty gasped, switching her gaze between the Professor and Squirtle. On the inside, she knew she shouldn't have been surprised. The same thing had happened with Togepi, and again with Azurill. Misty just never thought it would happen again.

"I don't know," Ash rubbed the back of his neck, "I didn't really want another kid."

"You're not funny Ash," Misty growled. Squirtle, meanwhile, was reaching up with his little claws to Misty's fiery red tresses.

"But…but…she's _my _Mommy!" Elizabeth cried, angrily flailing her arms from her spot in Ash's lap. "I don't wanna' share her!"

"I was just joking Lizzie," Ash chuckled as he tilted her head, "Squirtle isn't your baby brother."

"No, but he thinks Mommy is his Mommy," Elizabeth frowned. "_I'm_ the baby! I don't want Mommy to treat anyone else like her baby!"

"Lizzie, it's alright, you're still my baby," Misty smiled, holding out one of her arms. "Come here sweetheart." Elizabeth grinned as she crawled out of Ash's lap and over to Misty, hugging her side tightly.

"I think I just lost my wife," Ash muttered to Pikachu, who laughed merrily at the Pokémon master's misery.

"But wait…" Misty twisted her mouth, "I can't just keep Squirtle. He belongs to you, Professor. And one day, he'll need to go to a beginning trainer."

"That's true," Professor Oak nodded, "but I wouldn't mind if you kept Squirtle for a little while. You could take care of him and start doing some basic training. After he feels ready, you can give him back to me to be given to a new trainer."

"That sounds good," Misty decided after a moment, still holding onto both Squirtle and Elizabeth.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea, Professor?" Ash asked skeptically.

"Positive," Professor Oak nodded. "Come with me, my boy."

Ash was a little confused, but he followed after the older man, just as he had asked. Once they were away from Misty, Professor Oak gripped Ash's shoulders and looked the raven haired man directly in the eyes.

"This will be a good thing for Misty," Professor Oak informed Ash. "She misses Aiden and Michelle so much. I can tell how much it's hurting her. You must notice it too, yes?"

"Of course I do," Ash frowned, "and it kills me to see her so upset. Trust me, I miss them too, but I have to try and stay strong for Misty. Elizabeth too. It's my job to keep everything in order, so I have to keep masking my feelings. I kind of hate it."

"I understand," Professor Oak smiled sadly, "but that's why taking care of Squirtle will help Misty. It'll be like filling a hole."

"You're right," Ash finally agreed, "She needs this."

**XXX**

"Wow, look at you go!" Misty giggled as Squirtle happily swam around the gym's spacious pool, his head jovially bobbing up and down. "You'll be battling in no time!"

"Squir?" Squirtle looked at Misty with an expression of terror.

"What's the matter?" Misty frowned, "don't you want to be a good, strong battler?"

"Squir!" Squirtle shook his head, tears beginning to flow from his eyes. Misty cooed softly and swam closer to the turtle Pokémon, taking him into her arms for a hug.

"It's okay. You don't have to battle right now. Don't cry!" As Misty held the baby Pokémon, he slowly stopped crying and began to smile, nuzzling his head against Misty.

"Hey there Mist!" Misty spun around and found Ash standing at the side of the pool, wearing nothing but his red and black swim shorts. "I just put Lizzie down for her nap, so I figured I'd come in here and help you train Squirtle!"

"That'd be helpful," Misty smiled at him, and then the little blue Pokémon in her arms. "What do you say, Squirtle?"

"Squirt," Squirtle narrowed his eyes and shook his head.

"Come on little buddy," Ash chuckled as he slid into the pool. "If she's your Mommy, then that means I'm your Daddy. You can trust me!"

"Squirtle," Squirtle huffed.

"Squirtle, he's right," Misty tried to get the water type to come around. "Ash is a _very g_ood trainer. He loves Pokémon! "

"See? Even your Mommy has confidence in me!" Ash winked at the thoughtful young Pokémon. "So, do you wanna' train with me?"

"Squirt!" Squirtle blew a stream of bubbles out at Ash, the weak attack hitting him directly in the face.

"Ah!" Ash shrieked lightly, shaking his head after the attack was done firing.

"Aw, that was his first attack!" Misty cooed, holding Squirtle up in the air. "What a good boy!"

"That was bubble beam," Ash added, "it wasn't very strong, but it's got a lot of potential!"

Squirtle gasped quietly. Ash wasn't mad at him? He had just attacked the Pokémon master, for goodness sake!

"Squir…squirtle…" Squirtle murmured quietly, holding his claws out towards Ash.

"What's up Squirtle?" Ash asked, his head tilting curiously.

"I think he wants you to hold him…" Misty thought out loud, looking at Ash with surprised eyes. She was afraid Ash would laugh or refuse outright, but of course he wasn't that kind of guy. Instead, Ash wordlessly held out his arms, looking more at Misty then Squirtle. Smirking, Misty handed the tiny turtle Pokémon to Ash, who held the water type close and smiled down at him.

"See? We're friends!" Ash laughed softly. "Do you want to start training, little buddy?"

Squirtle nodded happily, a smile appearing on his face. Perhaps learning to battle wouldn't be so bad after all.

**XXX**

Although Squirtle was happy to be trained by Ash and Misty, he still wasn't interested in battling other Pokémon. Two weeks after he'd hatched, he still wanted nothing to do with taking on the other Pokémon.

"Come on Squirtle, why won't you battle Azumarill?" Misty frowned. "She's going to go easy on you. You won't get hurt, I promise!"

"Squirt…squirtle…" Squirtle shook his head before jumping into Misty's lap.

"Oh Squirtle," Misty sighed, "I know you're afraid to battle, but you've got to learn to start getting a little tougher. You know I would never let you get hurt, right?"

"Squir," Squirtle nodded slowly, hugging Misty's slender midsection.

"Squirtle!" Elizabeth's high pitched voice called out as she bounded out the front door, "do you want to come pick flowers with me?"

"Squirt!" Squirtle nodded excitedly. Elizabeth had gotten used to having Squirtle around, and was even beginning to think of him as her younger brother. Misty wasn't entirely sure how she felt about it, but she couldn't deny that it was quite adorable.

"Don't wander off too far, okay baby girl?" Misty assured as she brushed back some of the child's short hair.

"Yes Mommy," Elizabeth nodded as she held out her hand for Squirtle. The tiny turtle Pokémon squeaked and ran ahead of Elizabeth, wanting the little red head to chase after him. In turn, Elizabeth giggled and followed after the water type, eager to start collecting the colorful flowers.

Misty smiled as she watched her daughter play with the little Pokémon. She was such a little Ash, it was almost unbelievable.

"Pikachupi?"

Misty looked over her shoulder and found Pikachu standing behind her, his tail happily shifting back and forth.

"Hey there Pikachu," Misty greeted, "where's Ash?"

"Pikachu," Pikachu curled up into a ball and shut his eyes, gently twitching his ears.

"Ah, he's napping," Misty nodded, understanding what Pikachu was miming to her. "So you must be lonely then. Why don't you sit here and keep me company?"

"Pi!" Pikachu nodded and bolted up closer to the red head, sitting down next to her.

"It looks like Squirtle and Lizzie are best friends now," Misty giggled as she folded her legs. "It's cute, isn't it?"

"Pika," Pikachu agreed.

While Misty and Pikachu watched the two companions play, a suspicious hot air balloon floated high up in the air, the trio riding inside the basket looking down upon the scene with a pair of binoculars.

"Da' baby twoipette is out tah play!" Meowth chuckled. "And wif' a Sqoitle no less."

"Who cares about a lousy little Squirtle?" Jessie huffed. "We came here for a reason. Do you see it?"

"Hmm…yeah, I do!" Meowth cheered after readjusting the binoculars. "Pikachu is outside!"

"Yay!" James clapped his hands together. "I've got a feeling that today will finally be the day that we capture that little electric mouse!"

"Meowth, lower the net at once!" Jessie ordered.

"Aye aye, captain!" Meowth snickered as he pressed a button on a nearby remote, lowering a net made of thick twine. It fell over both Pikachu and Misty, causing the two to shriek as they were taken up in the air.

"Success!" James grinned jovially.

"It looks like tings ah' goin' our way fer once!" Meowth cackled.

"Mommy!" Elizabeth cried, her little figure suddenly appearing as she chased after the balloon. Squirtle was not far behind, his squirrel like tail bouncing up and down vigorously as he ran.

"Squirt! Squirtle!" Squirtle called in tandem with the young red head.

"Hmm?" James peered out of the basket and noticed that Misty was trapped in the net along with Pikachu. "Meowth, it looks like you caught a little something extra."

"What's dat?" Meowth leaned over and yelped when he saw the water type gym leader. "We gots us a twoipette stow away!"

"What?" Jessie stormed. "Meowth put her back down _now! _She'll ruin everything!"

"I can't just let her go!" Meowth panicked. "If I let her free, then Pikachu goes free too!"

"You three are going to be sorry!" Misty stormed, violently shaking the net.

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed, biting deeply into the thick twine.

"Biting at that rope isn't going to set you free," James chuckled deviously. "We made it out of special tear proof _and _shock resistant materials!"

"I hate it when they think ahead," Misty grumbled to herself.

"Squirt!"

"Huh?" Misty looked down and noticed a stream of bubbles heading towards the net. They made direct contact, soaking the twine and effectively weakening the material. Grinning, Misty realized only one figure down below could've aimed the attack. "Squirtle," Misty called quietly, "aim another bubble beam at the same spot!"

"Squirtle!" The tiny turtle nodded and obeyed Misty's command. He continued hitting the rope with bubble beam assaults, until finally the rope snapped apart, sending Misty and Pikachu barreling towards the ground.

"Pikachupi!" Pikachu cried, flailing his little arms.

"Don't worry, I've got you!" Misty called as she reached out and grabbed the electric mouse. Holding him close to her chest, Misty straightened her legs out and landed right on her feet, glaring up at the hot air balloon.

"Mommy, you're okay!" Elizabeth squealed, excitedly clapping her hands together.

"Yeah," Misty glowered as she let Pikachu out of her arms and back down by her feet. "Pikachu, if you'd please?"

"Pika," Pikachu smirked as electricity began to crackle out of his red cheeks. "Pi…ka…chu!" The electric type unleashed his powerful attack, hitting the hot air balloon dead on and sending it flying while Team Rocket screamed.

But, as Misty quickly noticed, Pikachu's thunderbolt wasn't the only thing to hit Team Rocket. The voltage was in fact accompanied by a stream of bubbles, no doubt unleashed by her little baby Squirtle.

"Well, what do you know," Misty snickered to herself, "Team Rocket's actually done good for once!"


	16. Teasing Time

**I like the way this story came out. There's a bit of a background to this one.**

**As most of you who read my current main story, Double Trouble (yay for shameless plugs!), I spent the last 2 weeks at a pre college camp. And if you know that, you know I was pretty miserable there.**

**Basically, there was one girl there who picked on me the entire time. And, to make a long story short, by the end of the program, she stole my iPod. She claims she didn't do it, but all the signs point to her. And she just kept on picking on me. I don't like bullies. I really don't.**

**At least it gave me inspiration for this installment...ha.**

**Elizabeth: ****5 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Teasing Time<strong>

Elizabeth Ketchum was a perfect mix of her parents. It had been obvious since the day she was born.

She had Ash's face: his nose, mouth, the shape of her eyes. Her coloring was a match of Misty's: bright emerald eyes and unique red hair. Elizabeth's shade of red was darker than Misty's, thanks to Ash's raven tresses. Her skin tone fell in between her two parents': not as tan and glowing as her father but nowhere near as milky white as her mother.

Aside from physical appearances, Elizabeth's personality was also matched to her parents. For the most part, she was just like Ash. Sweet and unassuming, with an endless source of energy and a penchant for getting herself into trouble.

But if someone made Elizabeth angry, which was rather hard to do, they'd just better watch out.

Because that's when Misty's personality begins to shine through in the little girl.

This fact was put on display one particular morning at the renowned Cerulean City School for Young Trainers. Elizabeth was standing before her two best friends, David and Maria, proudly showing off an aquamarine bangle that was wrapped around her wrist.

"It's so pretty!" Maria awed, her dark blue eyes sparkling at the jewelry.

"It looks like it belongs to a mermaid," David commented, getting excited at the thought.

"I love it," Elizabeth beamed, moving it closer to her face so she could examine it more closely.

In a nearby corner, a young girl named Sora glared at Elizabeth. She hated the little red head with all of her might. Sora didn't even have a reason, really. Elizabeth had never done anything to the girl. In fact, Elizabeth always tried to be _nice_ to her. But Sora would have none of it; always going out of her way to make sure Elizabeth got sniped.

Huffing, Sora marched over to Elizabeth and stood right over her shoulder, staring intensely at the red head's pretty bracelet.

"Hi Sora," Elizabeth blinked as she turned around, "what's going on?"

Sora let her dark brown eyes linger on the bangle for just another second before staring Elizabeth straight into her bright emerald orbs.

"You're a spoiled brat," Sora remarked matter of factly, folding her arms as she did so.

"Huh?" Elizabeth looked taken back, while Maria and David stood shocked behind her.

"You're spoiled," Sora repeated, more strongly than last time, "you think you're so great because your parents will just buy you whatever you want, like that bracelet!"

"I'm not spoiled!" Elizabeth shot back. "My parents _don't_ buy me whatever I want! And this bracelet isn't mine! It's my Mommy's!"

"So why do you have it?" Sora rolled her eyes.

"She let me borrow it," Elizabeth folded her hands into fists, "I told her it was pretty, so she let me wear it to school!"

"You're still spoiled," Sora shrugged.

"Why you…!" Elizabeth shrieked as she lunged forward, attempting to attack the brunette girl. Maria and David both gasped and grabbed onto the enraged red head, attempting to hold her back from the still smirking Sora. "Let me go!" Elizabeth demanded, "I'm gonna' punch her!"

"No Lizzie!" David scolded, holding Elizabeth a little more tightly.

"Elizabeth, you're scaring me," Maria murmured, black hair falling over her nervously shifting eyes. What would the teachers think of this little display?

"Let me at her!" Elizabeth cried, her fists flailing in the air.

"Elizabeth, what are you doing?"

The young girl and her two companions looked up to find their teacher standing over them and Sora, staring confusedly at the exhibit.

"Miss Wendy, Sora called me a spoiled brat!" Elizabeth shouted, "so I'm gonna' punch her in the mouth!"

"No Elizabeth, we don't do that," Miss Wendy sighed as she took David and Maria off their angry friend. Holding Elizabeth back by the shoulder, Miss Wendy glanced at Sora and added, "And we don't call other people names, Sora."

Sora growled lowly, but offered no apology to Elizabeth, who was still scowling at her assailant.

"Alright everyone," Miss Wendy sighed as she stood back up to her full height, "it's nap time! Everybody off to your mats."

Elizabeth grumbled angrily to herself as she settled down on her rug, lying down with her hands above her head. Everyone else was soon on their mats as well, most of them falling asleep within minutes.

Sora, however, was not one of those people. She waited until Miss Wendy left the room to get something, at which point the door closed and the children were alone in the room. Smirking, Sora sat up and crawled over to Elizabeth. Looking down, Sora's grin grew even wider when she saw that Elizabeth was fast asleep.

With complete stealth, Sora reached down to slip the bracelet off of Elizabeth's slender wrist. Holding it in her hands, Sora jumped up and scurried over to her cubby, stuffing the bangle into her coat pocket before lying back down on her mat.

After the forty five minute rest time, all of the children woke up, most of them yawning and stretching out their limbs from the helpful sleep.

Elizabeth was busy rubbing her eyes, when suddenly something felt strange to her. It was almost as if something was missing. Taking her hands away from her eyes, Elizabeth studied them very carefully, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. That is, until she laid eyes on her wrist.

"My Mommy's bracelet!" Elizabeth shrieked, jumping up as she panicked. "It's gone!"

"What's wrong Lizzie?" David exclaimed as he ran over to the red head.

"The bracelet my Mommy let me borrow is gone!" Elizabeth cried, her heart pounding furiously.

"How could it be gone?" David grew wide eyed, "all we just did was take a nap!"

"Somebody must've taken it!" Elizabeth screamed, her dark green eyes narrowing in anger.

"But who?" David blinked.

Elizabeth thought for a moment before her eyes widened in realization. "Sora!"

Before David could do anything, Elizabeth whipped around and stormed towards the brunette girl, easily tackling her to the ground.

"Ow!" Sora yelped, her brown eyes burning. "What're you _doing?_"

"You stole my Mommy's bracelet!" Elizabeth yelled, grabbing at the tie on Sora's shirt.

"I did not!" Sora retorted, kicking her legs furiously in an attempt to get Elizabeth off of her.

"Alright you two, that's enough!" Miss Wendy marched over and pulled Elizabeth away from Sora, holding the two girls apart from each other after Sora hopped back up. "What is going on with you two?"

"Sora stole my bracelet!" Elizabeth pointed an accusatory finger at the angry brunette.

"I didn't!" Sora stomped her foot.

"Are you telling the truth, Sora?" Miss Wendy prodded.

"Yes, I am," Sora folded her arms. "You can look in my backpack. I don't have that dumb bracelet of hers."

"Fine," Elizabeth tore herself away from Miss Wendy and strode towards Sora's cubby, grabbing the girl's purple backpack off the hook. Zipping it open, Elizabeth scoured all of the pockets and compartments, growling when she couldn't find anything.

"You see?" Sora commented smugly, "I'm no thief."

"But…but…" Elizabeth whimpered as tears slipped out of her eyes. How could the bracelet just be _missing? _None of it made sense. And explaining it to her mother was not going to be fun.

**XXX**

That same afternoon, as Elizabeth sat miserably by her cubby, Misty walked into the room to pick the little girl up from school. Upon seeing the child so upset, however, the Cerulean City gym leader was quick to try and comfort her young daughter.

"Lizzie, what's wrong baby?" Misty frowned as she moved closer to the little girl.

"I…I…" Elizabeth stammered as her tears returned.

"What happened?" Misty kneeled down to Elizabeth's height, gently gripping the child's shoulders. "Why do you look so upset?"

"Mommy, I can't find your bracelet," Elizabeth answered tearfully; "I think somebody stole it."

"What?" Misty replied breathlessly, her eyes widening.

"I'm sorry!" Elizabeth wailed, burying her face in her hands. "I know you love that bracelet, Mommy! 'Cause Daddy gave it to you! I'm really, really, sorry!"

"Elizabeth, honey, don't cry," Misty pulled her in for a hug, rocking her back and forth. "I'm not angry with you. But I _am _upset that the bracelet is gone. Do you have any idea as to who might have taken it?"

"Yeah," Elizabeth sniffed, "Sora."

"Sora?" Misty repeated.

"She's mean to me all the time," Elizabeth nodded, "and today she called me a spoiled brat."

"What?" Misty growled, her cheeks growing red with anger. _No one _insulted her daughter and got away with it! "How long has she been being mean to you?"

"All year," Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders, "I just try to ignore her. Except for today. I tried to punch her."

"Well that isn't right Elizabeth," Misty shook a finger at the child.

"I just want your bracelet back," Elizabeth wailed again.

"Alright, we're going to find it," Misty nodded, standing back up.

"Mommy?" Elizabeth called softly, her bangs shifting over her tear filled eyes.

"What is it sweetheart?" Misty responded kindly.

"You…you don't think I'm spoiled, do you?" The look on Elizabeth's face was enough to break Misty's heart.

"Of course not Lizzie," Misty shook her head, "you're a very sweet, grateful girl. Don't let one awful person get to you. She's just jealous."

At that moment, Sora was reaching into her cubby to pull out her things. As she took her coat off the hook, Misty's aquamarine bangle fell out of the pocket and landed with a soft _clank _on the floor. Both Elizabeth and Misty peered down, gasping at the sight of the wristlet.

"Hey! It's the bracelet!" Elizabeth squealed, racing over to pick it up. Sora, upon seeing the bracelet by her feet, grew wide eyed and began to back away nervously. Elizabeth, however, would have none of it.

"Oh no you don't!" Elizabeth yelled, grabbing Sora's leg so she would fall to the ground.

"Hey!" Sora shrieked as she hit the floor.

"You're a liar!" Elizabeth growled. "You said you didn't steal my Mommy's bracelet, but you _did!_"

"So what?" Sora narrowed her eyes.

"So this!" Elizabeth barked, reaching for Sora's silky brown tresses.

"Okay Lizzie, that's enough!" Misty ordered as she lifted the child off of the young thief. Holding Elizabeth tightly, Misty sighed and continued, "I think I need to talk to your teacher about this."

"Do it!" Elizabeth nodded feverously. "Get her in trouble!"

"I also need to figure out how to extract my temperament from you," Misty deadpanned as she hung her head.

"What does that mean?" Elizabeth asked curiously.

"Oh nothing," Misty sighed, "nothing at all."


	17. Bugging Out

**I've had this idea for awhile, and decided to finally write it. I thought it might help me with the writer's block I'm currently experiencing with my main story.**

**Elizabeth: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Bugging Out<strong>

"Mommy! Mommy! Where are you?"

"I'm in the kitchen sweetheart," Misty turned away from the counter and looked expectantly out of the kitchen door. She and Ash were off visiting Gary and Professor Oak for the day, and Misty had decided to use the kitchen and make everyone lunch. Elizabeth, who had come along with her parents, had stayed rather quiet during the morning, choosing to run around the plantation and explore her surroundings. It seemed now that this was going to change, however.

"Oh, there you are!" Elizabeth beamed as she raced into the room. Her emerald eyes were sparkling with something that Misty was able to very easily pinpoint; mischievousness.

"Elizabeth Ketchum," Misty sighed as she placed her hands on her hips, "what have you gotten yourself into?"

"Nothing," Elizabeth frowned at the notion.

"Really?" Misty smirked as she raised a wry eyebrow.

"Really," Elizabeth grinned as she nodded her head feverously. "I want to show you something Mommy! Come on!"

"Can't it wait until after I finish making lunch sweetie?" Misty frowned. Elizabeth always seemed to have _something _to show off to her, and it always seemed to be at times when Misty was preoccupied with something.

"It won't take long," Elizabeth pleaded. Clasping her hands together and widening her bright eyes, Elizabeth begged, "Please Mommy? _Please?_"

"Oh, alright," Misty sighed, following her now bouncy daughter out of the room. She never _could _say no to her youngest child.

The water type gym leader trailed behind her fairy like daughter, whose joyful skipping and sweet giggles of rhapsody led them outside into the bright, late spring sunlight. Looking over her shoulder to make sure Misty was still behind her, Elizabeth grinned cheerfully and soon broke out into a full out sprint.

"Ah, Lizzie!" Misty groaned, dashing after the child. As she ran, Misty sighed inwardly and made a mental note that she was glad she'd had her children while she was still very young. She'd always known she and Ash would have very active offspring.

"Look Mommy!" Elizabeth beamed as she stopped in front of a cluster of bushes. Misty slowed down her pace until she was next to her young daughter. Blinking at the shrubs, Misty kneeled down and peered under the plants. Elizabeth quickly followed suit and crawled closer to them, pointing eagerly underneath the bushes. "Don't you see him? Right there?"

"Him?" Misty asked quietly as she squinted. Leaning in closer, Misty soon saw a slow flash of color. It was mostly red and cream, although she also saw some hints of yellow. "What are you talking about, Lizzie?"

"Here, I'll show you," Elizabeth crawled halfway under the low shrubs and stayed underneath for about a minute before pulling out, her arms folded with the colorful bundle curled up inside of them.

"What is that dear?" Misty giggled.

"My new friend," Elizabeth's eyes twinkled. She tapped it gently on the head and cooed, "Come on. Say hi to my Mommy! She's really nice, you know."

It raised its head in order to become face to face with the pretty gym leader. And when their eyes locked, Misty's body froze in stolid fear. The stubby limbs, sharp spikes, big yellow eyes, and slimy skin…

"Mommy, what's wrong?" Elizabeth's voice broke through to Misty. The gym leader squeaked quietly, taking a tiny step backwards. She opened her mouth to say something, but all that came out was yet another squeak. "Mommy?" Elizabeth frowned.

"B…b…BUG!" Misty screamed, whipping around and darting away faster than Elizabeth had ever seen her run.

"What was that about?" Elizabeth wondered softly, looking down at her little friend.

Misty, meanwhile, kept on running and screaming, keeping her eyes shut tightly in fear. Before she knew it, she had run straight into something very hard and solid. She gasped quietly and would've fallen, if it hadn't been for a pair of hands reaching down and grabbing her.

"Whoa! What's wrong, angel?"

_Angel. _There was only one person who called her that…

Misty looked up with wide eyes and saw Ash staring down at her. He looked rather concerned, though curious at the same time. Then, a shot of adrenaline rushed through her body, and Misty was able to jump back up with extreme fervor.

"You…our daughter…" Misty panted, her face growing red at the memory.

"Michelle or Elizabeth?" Ash asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Elizabeth!" Misty shrieked, as though it were obvious.

"Okay, what about Elizabeth?" Ash folded his arms, "is something wrong? Did she get hurt or anything?"

"N…no…but…" Misty was trembling so hard it was difficult for her to speak. "Just go to her! She's in danger!"

At this, Ash's face paled instantly. His baby girl? In danger? Not on his watch!

"Where is she?" Ash asked quickly, determination flashing through his dark brown eyes.

"By the bushes," Misty looked away, "just…go! Hurry!"

Ash nodded and raced towards the back of the plantation. Just as Misty had said, Elizabeth was kneeling in front of the bushes, chattering away to what appeared to be a Pokémon sitting before her. Ash slowed down and studied the scene more carefully. His daughter certainly didn't seem to be in any kind of danger.

"Elizabeth?" Ash called inquiringly.

"Hi Daddy!" Elizabeth's head snapped up, a grin stretching out on her young face. The small Pokémon swiveled around and blinked its wide eyes at Ash, causing the Pokémon master to chuckle.

"Hey, it's a Wurmple!" Ash noted, watching the bug type as it twirled around in a perfect circle.

"Uh huh, I found him in the bushes!" Elizabeth nodded affirmatively. "Isn't he cute? I named him Wurmpie. I like him a lot! But when I showed him to Mommy, she ran away screaming."

_Oh, _Ash's eyes grew wide in realization, _that's why Misty was freaking out before._

"Elizabeth, sweetie, it's not that Mommy doesn't like Wurmpie," Ash started to explain, "it's just…she doesn't like _any _kind of bug Pokémon."

"But why?" Elizabeth frowned.

"Uh…" Ash nervously rubbed the back of his neck, "I don't really know, to tell you the truth. I've never asked her why."

"That's dumb," Elizabeth narrowed her eyes.

"Excuse me?" Ash blinked hard. His daughter had never talked to him like _that_ before.

"You should ask Mommy why she's so afraid of bugs," Elizabeth shrugged as she continued to play with her Wurmple, "you both loves each other a lot, so you should know why she doesn't like 'em."

Ash looked up in shallow thought. He wondered how in the world his four year old daughter often seemed so much smarter than him.

"You know what?" Ash stood up and pumped his fist, "you're right Lizzie! I _will _find out just why your mother is so afraid of bug Pokémon!"

"Yay Daddy!" Elizabeth clapped. Wurmpie let out a high pitched squeal and clapped together his two front legs in time with the young girl.

Nodding, Ash turned on a heel and marched promptly to where he'd left Misty. But when he got there, he was surprised to find the pretty red head gone.

"Huh?" Ash blinked before looking around. "Misty? Misty!" No response. Groaning, Ash began to scour for his wife without much luck. As he drew closer to the lab, however, he suddenly heard the sweet, familiar sound of humming. It was light; angelic…it was definitely Misty!

Grinning, Ash burst into the kitchen, where he found Misty humming quietly to herself as she finished preparing lunch.

"Ah, there you are Mist!" Ash smiled, causing Misty to look gently over her shoulder.

"Yes, here I am," Misty smirked as she playfully rolled her eyes. "What brings you here? The smell of food? It'll be ready in a few minutes, so try not to swipe anything."

"No worries," Ash replied airily, "I'm just here to ask you something."

"Oh really?" Misty mused as she turned back to her work, "And what would that be my dear Pokémon master?"

"Why _is_ it that you're so afraid of bugs?"

Ash could see Misty visibly shiver, her back straightening and shoulders evening out. Ash blinked confusedly and moved a little closer to the water type gym leader.

"Uh, Mist…?"

"I hate bugs…" Misty whispered.

"Yeah, I know that," Ash shushed, wrapping a strong arm around her slender midsection, "but you've never told me why."

"Just…because I do!" Misty narrowed her eyes, trying to shrug Ash off of her. "Why is it such a big deal?"

"Because it _really _seems to bother you," Ash frowned. "I mean…you _are_ an adult now. I thought this was something you might've outgrown by now."

"Well, I haven't," Misty blushed at the accusation. "I still hate peppers, I still hate carrots, and I still hate bugs!"

"But…Elizabeth doesn't understand why you're so afraid of them," Ash tried now, "she think that you hate Wurmpie."

"Wurmpie?" Misty raised an eyebrow.

"That's what she named that little Wurmple she found," Ash explained.

"She _named_ it?" Misty hissed quietly.

"Well, yeah…"

"She isn't keeping that thing!" Misty spun around, her eyes flashing with fear.

"Why not? It's just a little thing."

"It's a BUG!" Misty screamed, causing Ash to back away slightly. Taking in a deep breath and placing her hands on her hips, Misty continued, "Me plus bugs doesn't mix. You _know _that; it's the whole point of this conversation! That…_thing_ isn't staying in our house."

"Okay," Ash gently lowered his head, "it won't stay in our house."

"Thank you," Misty sighed.

"Under _one_ condition," Ash winked mischievously while raising his pointer finger in the air.

"Ash Ketchum…" Misty growled lowly.

"It's nothing bad!" Ash chuckled, pulling Misty closer to him so their noses were touching. Misty breathed out softly as Ash's eyes closed, his hands running softly down her back. In turn, Misty too shut her eyes and wrapped her arms around Ash's neck. She felt him lean in closer to her face, his warm breath tickling her ear in a way that made the beautiful red head blush ever so slightly.

"Misty…" Ash began.

"Yes Ash?" Misty gasped quietly, her lips bending into the most gentle of smiles.

His mouth firming its own smirk, Ash continued just as sweetly as he had before, "tell me why you're so afraid of bugs."

"Ugh!" Misty stormed, her eyes snapping open as she pushed Ash away. The Pokémon master burst into a fit of laughter, doubling over and holding his stomach as he chuckled loudly. "You're so obnoxious. Do you know that?"

"Yes, you've told me that before," Ash's laughter began to subside as he stood up straight and wiped a tear away from his bright russet eye.

"Well I reiterate it."

"Whatever you say darling," Ash teased, winking at his rather aggravated wife.

As he turned to walk out of the kitchen, still giggling quietly to himself, Ash was too amused to even hear Misty call out, "I hope you're happy to get your lunch last, _darling!"_

Ash quickly found his way back to Elizabeth, who was now teaching Wurmpie to jump over a decent sized stick that she must've found in the nearby woods.

"Hey there Lizzie," Ash greeted brightly, kneeling down to the child's level.

"Hi Daddy," Elizabeth grinned, giggling cheerfully as the bug type Pokémon leaped effortlessly over the twig. "Did you find out why Mommy is so afraid of bugs?"

"No, she wouldn't tell me," Ash frowned slightly at the fact. Quickly recomposing himself, he continued, "but it's alright. She said you could keep Wurmpie, and that's the most important thing."

"Really?" Elizabeth asked, her eyes growing wide with hope.

"Of course!" Ash chuckled, giving a gentle nod of his head. "I'm sure Wurmpie will be very comfortable in our home. But make sure you keep him all wrapped up before we get home, okay?"

"Sure, but why?" Elizabeth blinked.

"Oh, no reason," Ash shrugged before patting his young daughter on the head. "It'll just be better for _everybody_ if you do that."

* * *

><p><strong>Maybe I'll continue this in another installment, where Misty finds the Pokemon in the house. Thoughts?<strong>


	18. A Bug in the Bed

**Here's the second part to the last chapter!**

**As you may (or may not) remember, in our last chapter, Misty refused to tell Ash why she's so afraid of bug Pokemon, and as a result, Ash allowed Elizabeth to bring home a little Wurmple, even after Misty said no. The worst part? Ash is doing all of this behind Misty's back!**

**Let's see what happens, shall we?**

**Elizabeth: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>A Bug in the Bed<strong>

"I don't know why Ash thinks I love cleaning so much. I _hate _it. And all of the mess is his anyway…"

Misty was busy grumbling to herself as she rifled through the house, trying to get the rest of her spring cleaning done. Ash had offered to help once he got back from work, as always. And just as it usually went, he would end up returning far too late into the night.

Therefore, Misty was left in charge of all of the cleaning.

She sighed and pried her orange bangs away from her sweat dampened forehead, making a noise of disgust as she did so. At this point, all Misty wanted to do was take a shower, followed by a nice, long nap.

"I think I'm getting old," Misty sighed, dejectedly shrugging her shoulders. Vaporeon sat in front of her trainer and looked up curiously, letting out a soft mewl of disagreement. Misty arched one of her slender eyebrows and looked down at the water type, who was elegantly swishing her tail back and forth. "What's that, Vaporeon? What are you up to?"

"Vay," Vaporeon purred simply, pawing at Misty's leg.

"Ah, you don't think I'm old, now do you?" Misty cooed. Vaporeon simply blinked her black, cat like eyes. "Alright, I guess I _am _only 31. Enough of the melodramatics from me, huh?"

"Vaporeon," the bubble jet Pokémon urged, moving closer to Misty. The gym leader watched in bewilderment, especially when Vaporeon began pushing against her legs. "Vay…"

"Vaporeon, what's gotten into you?" Misty folded her arms. "You're acting like something is wrong."

"Poreon," Vaporeon flicked her tail just once, still eagerly bouncing on her heels.

"You want to show me something?" Misty asked quietly. Vaporeon nodded feverously and, without another utterance of her name, the water type dashed up the stairs, all the way down the hall.

"Ah, wait up Vaporeon!" Misty called after her partner. She hurried up the steps and went in the same direction Vaporeon had. Looking between the different rooms, Misty soon caught sight of Vaporeon's mermaid like tail swishing side from side out of Elizabeth's door frame.

"What are you up to?" Misty murmured to herself. She walked up slowly behind Vaporeon, whose eyes were narrowed as she investigated the room. "Are you looking for something Vaporeon?"

Again without response, the water jet Pokémon jumped onto Elizabeth's bed, frantically pawing at the pink comforter that sat messily atop the mattress.

"I know, I know, I haven't made Elizabeth's bed yet," Misty frowned. "Cut me some slack, okay Vaporeon? I've got a lot of work to do. I'll get to this eventually."

"Vay…"

Misty stopped. Vaporeon was _growling. _The water type was crouched down low, her tail moving ever so slowly as she buried her nose into the blanket. Misty leaned in a little more closely, and that's when she saw something _moving _underneath Elizabeth's covers.

"What…is that?" Misty gasped, her heart speeding up.

With another deep growl, Vaporeon raised her paw and smacked it down on the lump, which shrieked and went flying out from underneath the comforter. And as soon as it came into full view, Misty let out an ear shattering scream.

"Wurm?" Wurmpie looked around the room in sheer terror. Upon seeing Vaporeon hanging over the edge of the bed and leering at it, the bug type unleashed a shrill cry and began racing around the room.

"Vay! Vaporeon!"

Vaporeon flew off the bed and quickly followed every single one of Wurmpie's moves. She tried desperately to catch the pest in her paws, and she did a few times. Unfortunately, Wurmpie was quite the stealthy little worm, and was able to escape Vaporeon's hold rather easily.

The chase continued for a little while longer, Misty frozen in complete fear.

"Vaporeon, stop!"

Misty looked over her shoulder, the surprise written clearly on her face as Elizabeth ran past her and into her bedroom.

The young red head lunged at Wurmpie, gathering the terrified Pokémon into her eyes. Vaporeon halted at Elizabeth's feet, still looking up at Wurmpie with pure disdain.

"Don't hurt him Vaporeon," Elizabeth frowned, "Wurmpie is a good Pokémon." Looking back at Misty, Elizabeth gave a sweet smile and said, "Hello Mommy!"

"E…Elizabeth!" Misty shrieked, pressing herself against the wall. The young girl confusedly tilted her head. Misty raised a trembling finger to point at Wurmpie, and stammered, "WH…what is that…_thing _doing in here?"

"Wurmpie isn't a thing," Elizabeth's lips bent back down. "He's a Pokémon. And Daddy told me you said I could keep him."

"What?" Misty jumped up, her eyes burning. _Ash, that jerk! _Misty thought scathingly. _When he gets back, I'm going to crush him like a pathetic little bug!_

"That's what Daddy said," Elizabeth whispered, hugging Wurmpie a little more tightly. "I wouldn't lie, Mommy."

"I know you wouldn't," Misty sighed, trying her best not to look at the bug type. "Just…take it outside for now, okay sweetheart? I really can't have…_it _in the house."

"Alright," Elizabeth gave a small nod, walking past her mother who had squished herself as far into the corner as she could possibly go. Once Elizabeth was gone, Misty let out a heavy sigh, getting off the wall and holding a hand over her weary heart.

"Oh man," Misty panted, "now _there's _something I certainly didn't want to have to deal with today."

Vaporeon, meanwhile, was still sitting on the floor, glaring around the room as though Wurmpie would jump out of some small, hidden space.

**XXX**

At nearly midnight, Ash trudged back into the house, his tired head hanging down as he shuffled through the door. Pikachu had fallen asleep on his trainer's shoulder, exhausted from all the training the two had done during the day.

As Ash let out a small yawn, the kitchen lights flickered on, causing the master to become alert. When he realized it was just Misty, his body grew less tense, and he went to rub his eyes.

"Hey there Mist," Ash greeted softly. "Believe it or not, I'm not even hungry tonight. I just want to go to bed is all."

"That's nice," Misty retorted in mock sweetness. "You won't be getting _any _of that until you explain yourself, Ash Ketchum."

"Explain myself?" Ash mumbled, looking confusedly at Misty. "What are you talking about?"

"Why the hell did you tell Elizabeth she could keep that filthy bug?" Misty ordered through clenched teeth. "I _told _you I wanted her to get rid of the thing!"

"Come on Misty, she likes it, "Ash smiled sweetly at his irritated wife. "I know you don't like bug types, but it's just a little Wurmple. It won't do a thing to you. Besides, that one is just a baby. It probably doesn't even know any attacks."

"Ash…" Misty sighed deeply, as if trying to find a way to explain it to her husband. "I _hate b_ugs. Hate. I can't stand them, look at them, think of them…I just can't Ash. And I know you all just _love _to tease me, but it isn't funny. I don't like them, Ash."

"But you've never told me _why," _Ash stressed. "There's got to be a reason they scare you so badly. So why don't you just tell me?"

"Because it's stupid," Misty grumbled.

"It's not stupid to me if it bothers you this much," Ash replied in a hushed tone. "Now please tell me."

Misty thought it over for about a minute. Ash didn't pressure or prod her to start talking. He stood patiently, ready to listen whenever Misty decided to share the story with him. Finally, Misty let out a shallow breath before beginning, "when I was a really little girl, no more than two years old, I was playing outside in my front yard. Daisy, Violet, and Lily were off somewhere else, more in the backyard really. They liked playing very girly games, and I didn't. Instead, I was playing circus with one of the Seel from the gym. I was trying to train him to jump through a hoop."

"Okay…" Ash nodded after Misty stopped yet again.

"So, I was there with Seel, minding my own business. All of a sudden, my sisters came running into the front yard. I saw that Violet was holding something in her hands, but I wasn't too sure of what it was. They hurried up to me and then I realized that Daisy was holding a paint brush in her hands. I asked them what they were doing, and they said they were going to give me a makeover."

"Ah, the girly games," Ash chuckled. Misty, however, didn't look at all amused.

"They painted the stuff in the jar _all_ over my face, and my arms, and my legs," Misty huffed. "Turns out it was honey."

"Oops," Ash shifted his eyes away from the red head.

"Needless to say, bug Pokémon just adore honey," Misty rolled her eyes. "An entire swarm of them went after me. And they didn't _stop _chasing me until my father came out with his Pokémon and got them to go away."

"Oh, Misty," Ash smiled sadly at the gym leader. Misty could tell he was trying not to laugh, however, and that just set her off even more.

"Ash, it isn't funny!" Misty cried, her hands clenching into fists. "It was horrible! And completely traumatizing!"

"I know," Ash got himself under control and gently stroked Misty's cheek with his thumb, "I'm sorry angel."

Sighing, Misty continued, "_Now_ do you understand why I'm so afraid of bugs?"

"I do," Ash nodded. "And it's perfectly understandable."

"So…I still don't want Elizabeth's little friend in the house," Misty twisted her mouth.

"I understand," Ash brushed through Misty's silky tresses, "but I don't think we can just get rid of the poor thing. Elizabeth really seems to love it. Plus…she gave it a name. That means she's emotionally attached."

"You're right," Misty groaned, resting her head in her hand. "Now what do we do?"

Ash tapped his chin in thought before grinning and announcing, "You just leave that to me, my dear."

**XXX**

"Where are we taking Wurmpie, Daddy?"

Ash looked back at his daughter and gave her a sweet smile. The little girl looked quite concerned, and Ash wanted to make sure she didn't get upset over anything. He wasn't heartless. Wurmpie would be saved; not just thrown into the woods. Not even Misty agreed with such a tactic.

"You'll see pumpkin. It's nowhere bad, I promise. Your little Wurmpie will be quite happy, I think."

Elizabeth gave him a slightly skeptical glance before looking upwards. Wurmpie was traveling atop her head, happily wiggling his nubby little legs every now and again. The baby bug type always seemed to be in a joyful mood. Elizabeth had even caught him singing to himself once or twice.

After a bit more walking, Elizabeth realized that she and her father had reached Pallet Town's limits, and were swiftly moving towards Professor Oak's lab.

"Do you need something from the Professor?" Elizabeth asked curiously.

"I suppose you could say that," Ash grinned.

Elizabeth gave a little shrug and moved up closer to her father, grabbing onto his hand and gently swinging it back and forth. Ash laughed quietly and lifted her into his arms, Wurmpie still riding on the girl's head.

Ash carried his little daughter into the Professor's plantation, earning another bewildered look from the child.

"Daddy, shouldn't you tell the Professor you're here?"

"He already knows," Ash smirked. "I got his permission to do this."

"Do what?" Elizabeth asked in that squeaky little voice of hers, excitedly swinging her legs back and forth.

Ash brought Elizabeth over to a cluster of enclosed trees and bushes, where various other bug types were lounging about. Ash's Heracross was busy sucking sap out of a trunk, while his Swadloon napped in a sunny patch of grass.

"You have so many Pokémon, Daddy," Elizabeth cooed.

Ash giggled and put the girl back down on her feet. "Thank you sweetheart. I'm sure that one day, you'll have lots of Pokémon too. I can bet you'll be a great trainer!"

"Thank you," Elizabeth replied absent mindedly. "Now where does Wurmpie go?"

"Right in there," Ash motioned towards the forest like replication. Elizabeth blinked and looked up at her father. Wurmpie, meanwhile, was still hanging onto Elizabeth as he stared longingly at the habitat.

"Why?" Elizabeth murmured.

"Baby," Ash smiled, kneeling down so he was at eye level with the girl, "you know Wurmpie can't stay in the house. Mommy is just too afraid of bugs. But she understands that you and Wurmpie are good friends. So, we talked to Professor Oak, and all of us thought it would be a good idea for Wurmpie to stay here on his plantation. That way, you could come and see Wurmpie whenever you want, without him having to be anywhere near Mommy."

Elizabeth thought this over for a moment before beaming and giving a happy little nod.

"That's alright with you?" Ash asked.

"Yes," Elizabeth replied. She pulled Wurmpie off of her head and gently placed him down into the mini forest. "What do you think, Wurmpie? Do you like it here?"

"Wurmple!" Wurmpie did a little dance as he went to eat some low lying leaves. Ash and Elizabeth laughed at the Pokémon's actions. As he ate away, Elizabeth turned towards Ash and gave him a tight hug.

"Thank you Daddy," Elizabeth cooed.

"No problem Lizzie," Ash patted her head. "I just want you to be happy is all! And your Mommy too."

"And you?" Elizabeth asked as she looked up with big, sparkling eyes.

Ash made a little noise of amusement and replied, "As long as I can stay away from Mommy's mallet, then I am quite content my dear."

Elizabeth looked a little puzzled by her father's response, but chose to just pretend she knew what that meant. Her parents never _did _make much sense to her anyway.


	19. Introductions

**Okay, sooo story behind this update. It's always bugged me that in the anime, they never show the gym leaders having any knowledge of each other. Like...what the hell? Seriously. So, in _my _world, all of the gym leaders are very well acquainted and go to gym leader meetings and all that. I think their interactions would be very interesting, especially because they all have such different personalities.**

**The top and bottom sections are from Ash's POV, and the middle is 3rd person.**

**Aiden and Michelle: 2 and a half months old**

* * *

><p><strong>Introductions<strong>

I couldn't help but to stare wide eyed at my manager Scott, and I could sense that Misty, who stood beside me, was doing the same.

"Why in the world are you two looking at me that way?"

"Because!" Misty retorted, "Did you just _hear_ your suggestion?"

"Indeed I did," Scott nodded, "and I see nothing wrong with it."

"But they're so little," Misty glanced over her shoulder at the two tiny babies sleeping behind her in their carriers, "and it's not that I don't trust my fellow gym leaders, it's just that…well…they can be a little…_rough _sometimes." Lowering her voice to a whisper, for a reason I couldn't decipher, Misty continued, "what if one of them gets dropped on the floor?"

"Now now Misty," Scott lowered his sunglasses to reveal a pair of sparkling eyes, "if _Ash_ can take care of two such little things, I'm sure a group of well respected gym leaders can be introduced to them for a short while."

I rolled my eyes. I was so sick of the 'Ash can't be responsible for his own children' jokes. I was a perfectly fine father! Well, it had only been a few weeks, but either way I hadn't totally screwed anything up yet.

"So let me get this straight," I piped up gruffly, "you want Misty and me to bring our barely three month old babies to the league headquarters to show them off?"

"Not show them off," Scott tisked before correcting me, "introduce them to your colleagues."

"How are we gonna' introduce them?" I cocked an eyebrow, "they can't talk."

"It'll just be the higher ups of Kanto," Scott looked back at Misty, clearly not amused by my playful jab. "No other regions. And if it helps, I'll be right there the whole time."

"Oh yeah, that makes me feel so much better," Misty bit back sarcastically. One of the babies began to cry, causing Misty to turn on a heel and attend to the upset child.

"What do you say, Ash?" Scott finally addressed me directly, "sounds like a plan?"

"Err…I'm kinda' with Misty on this one Scott…"

"Ash," Scott was almost pleading at this point. It was really starting to amuse me. "Come on. Sooner or later, you'll have to introduce your contemporaries to the children. Might as well get it over with now when they won't whine and scream just to aggravate you."

"You _do _have a point," I rubbed the back of my head. Sighing, I decided, "fine. On _one _condition!"

"And what might that be?"

I cast my manager a dark look, causing him to gulp slightly. "Stop making those 'bad dad' jokes about me."

**XXX**

"AW! How CUTE are you two? SO cute! Yes you are!"

"Erika," Misty growled lowly, "don't get so close to them."

The grass type gym leader flicked her head up, short blue locks lashing out in a flurry. Her green eyes locked with Misty's own, causing Erika's water type counterpart to scowl.

"Why not?" Erika stood up and gave a little frown, "babies _love _to be coddled!"

"I don't want them getting sick," Misty turned her head indignantly, "I heard you sneezing before you came over here."

"Because I was busy training Pokémon all day yesterday!" Erika looked shocked by Misty's accusation, "I breathed in a lot of pollen!"

"I'm still not taking a chance," Misty huffed. She didn't mean to be so curt, but Misty really wasn't a fan of Erika. The grass type gym leader was far too much of a princess for her liking, constantly making demands and coming off as ditzy. There was also the little conceited side of Erika that she was actually getting worse at hiding with age.

"Erika, what in the world are you up to now?" A cool voice floated in. Erika turned around and her expression quickly shifted into one of annoyance. For it was Sabrina who had now appeared, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Nothing that should intrest you," Erika flipped a strand of hair, her eyes shut in aggravated bliss.

"Really?" Sabrina hummed jovially. "And how beautiful must these little babies be?" She peered into the carriers, her deep blue eyes widening slightly in pleasant astonishment. "Just as I would expect. They're lovely."

"Thank you Sabrina," Misty blushed, her emerald eyes averting sheepishly.

Giggling softly, Sabrina's eyes began to glow a bright sapphire, and the two children floated up into the air.

"Sabrina!" Misty shrieked, her eyes filling with fear.

"What is _wrong _with you?" Erika gasped.

"Don't worry you two," Sabrina sighed, lowering the still sleeping infants into her arms, "they're just fine."

Misty began to pant heavily as she placed a hand over her heart. All of the nightmares she'd had about this meeting were coming true right before her eyes.

_I hate today, _Misty thought acidly, _HATE it. What else could possibly go wrong at this point?_

"Aww, lookit! The Cerulean City baby's got babies of her own!"

Misty narrowed her eyes. _Of course it would get _this _much worse!_

Surge was now hovering over Sabrina, who still held a firm grip on the two little babies. The electric type gym leader's booming voice caused the infants to wake up and stare at him with big, terrified eyes.

"I betcha they like to see people make faces at 'em!" Surge boasted, leaning into the babies a little more closely. He began to make a series of faces that, quite honestly, even scared Misty. And if it scared her, it must have _horrified _the twins because they began screaming and crying so loudly that everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and turned to see if the children were being tortured or something of the like.

"Guys!" Misty finally cried, snatching the infants away from Sabrina. She frowned sadly at the two and began to bounce them up and down, murmuring sweetly to the children. "Now now, it's okay. Please don't cry little ones. Mommy is here, see? I'm not going to let anyone hurt you, no."

"Misty, are they okay?" Ash hurried over to his wife, looking nervously over her shoulder.

"No!" Misty hissed her eyes ablaze. Ash frowned and took Aiden into his arms so Misty only had to try and comfort one baby. "I'm pretty sure all of this activity is freaking them out, Ash. I don't like it either! I mean, Erika is over there sneezing, Sabrina's making them levitate, and I think Surge just traumatized the poor things for the rest of their lives!"

"Well, you might want to keep them away from Blaine," Ash explained in a low whisper. "He won't stop talking about how cold the babies must be, and he wants to put them in some heated blanket."

"That could burn them?" Misty grew wide eyed as she clutched Michelle a little more tightly.

"Yeah," Ash bit his lip, "and Pikachu caught Janine's scent when she walked by us. He kind of freaked out and I'm pretty sure she's got traces of poison type attacks all over her."

"I'm going to kill Scott, I will!" Misty ground her teeth, cradling the still sobbing Michelle's head in her hand. "Introducing the babies to the other gym leaders is probably the _dumbest _idea he's ever come up with!"

"Not necessarily," Ash smirked at Misty.

"What are you talking about?" Misty's brow flattened. "Of course it is."

"No," Ash shook his head at the water trainer. "Because there is _one _gym leader the twins already like." He stopped to think for a moment before adding, "other than you."

**XXX**

After distracting the other gym leaders in order to pull my wife away from them, (and let me tell you, those six leaders are all kind of crazy in their own unique ways!) I brought Misty towards Brock, who I had brought along to perhaps use as a shield from Misty's anger. Oh, and because he is the babies' godfather, after all.

"Brock," I tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. It worked as he turned around, flashing a big grin at me and Misty.

"Hey you two! How's the event going?"

"Terrible," Misty barked out before I could even open my mouth. "All of the gym leaders are terrorizing the babies, Brock! Not on purpose, of course, but I just _knew_ this would happen! Their personalities just call for disaster."

"That's why we've been looking for you," I finally cut in. Growing a smile, I continued, "We need the Pewter City gym leader."

"That's nice and all Ash," Brock frowned, "but…you _do_ know I'm not the gym leader anymore, right?"

"Of course I do. You haven't held that position for years now! What I meant was the…_current_ gym leader."

"He's already met the babies, Brock," Misty explained, "and they're not afraid of him. In fact, I think they quite like him. And he's good at keeping the others away because he can tell when they've all gotten on my nerves." Smiling fondly, Misty added, "He's very good at protecting me that way."

"That's because I always told him to look out for you," Brock smiled sweetly. He retrieved his cell phone and added, "Here. I'll send him a message right now. There's no way I'll be able to just find him with all these people around."

Michelle whined discontentedly, kicking her little legs as she moped. Misty continued to stroke the child's hair, trying her best to soothe the still frightened thing. I felt so bad whenever the babies were upset. I hated to see them cry. Them and Misty. And my Mom too. Man, I just hated to see anyone I love crying.

Not too long after Brock had sent the text, a slightly younger male who looked quite a bit like Brock came bounding over to us, his eyes showing off a slight glimmer of concern.

"Hey," he greeted softly, "is everything okay?"

"Yeah," Brock nodded, "but the twins are getting pretty upset. All of this activity is freaking them out. Ash and Misty just thought it would be a good idea for them to see somebody that they're used to seeing."

"They like you Forrest," Misty explained. "And out of the 7 other gym leaders, you seem to be the _only _one they like."

I watched as Forrest chuckled quietly, taking Michelle from Misty's arms. He tilted his head down so he was at level with her, and asked, "Do you hate Erika the most? Tell me that you do." Michelle cooed softly and held her little hands out, patting Forrest's cheeks with exemplified interest. "I'm gonna take that as a yes. Atta girl!"

I had to admit it wasn't surprising how much the twins loved Forrest. He was one of Misty's closest friends, and had been ever since he took Brock's place as gym leader. Forrest is also the only other gym leader who never gets on her nerves. And, being her husband, I can tell you just how hard of a job that is!

As Forrest was tending to both babies, Scott approached us with a big smile on his face.

"So," he inquired, "how are things going for you two?"

I quickly snapped my head around to find Misty glaring at my manager, her eyes narrowed and teeth barred.

"You might want to find a way to make this up to Misty," I turned back to Scott, giving him a very serious look. "Or…at least run."

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah, I don't know why I make Erika such a ditzdisliked. I've never liked Erika for some reason. Go figure.**


	20. An Allergic Reaction

**I don't know where I got this idea from, really. I just read about baby allergies somewhere, and I just had a feeling this was something Ash would do. So...there you have it :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 months old**

* * *

><p><strong>An Allergic Reaction<strong>

Ever since Aiden had been able to start eating solid foods several weeks ago, Ash had decided he wanted to try and make something for the boy to eat.

Ash was a terrible cook, and he knew it. But Aiden seemed to eat anything and everything. Even those gross looking, mashed up vegetables Misty kept giving him! If Aiden would eat that, then he would definitely eat something made by his own father.

So, having decided that that's what he would do, Ash came up with a wheat based dish that he had found the recipe for somewhere in the kitchen. He assumed it had been Misty's grandmother's at one point. She always used it to make dinner, and she treasured it dearly.

"Okay buddy," Ash grinned as he walked over to Aiden, who was sitting in his high chair. The little boy was gurgling hungrily, impatiently swinging his legs and smashing his tiny hands against the chair's tray. "I get it, champ!" Ash laughed as he sat down in front of the baby, "you're a hungry guy. Don't worry, I've got some delicious food for you right here!"

Ash spooned out some of the mush and offered it to Aiden. The baby simply looked at the food for a few moments before finally deciding to eat it. Aiden kept on accepting spoonful after spoonful, and it didn't take long for the entire bowl to empty out.

"Man, you really were hungry," Ash blinked as he stared into the vacant bowl. Aiden squealed in response and joyfully clapped his hands together. "Alright buddy, I think it's time for your post meal nap."

Aiden cooed softly and leaned back in his high chair, looking up at Ash with big, inquisitive brown eyes. Ash simply laughed and lifted the child up, holding him close as he brought the baby upstairs. All the way upstairs, Aiden made a series of different noises, using his hands to pat Ash's back and shoulders.

"You're so curious, little buddy," Ash chuckled, kissing the boy's cheek. "Your Mommy likes to call you alert. She says you get that from me. You think that's true?"

"Gah," Aiden put his mouth on Ash's shoulder, sucking happily on the Pokémon master's shirt. Ash grimaced at the wetness for just a moment, but quickly regained his composure. He was getting quite used to the babies drooling all over him. Especially at this age; they were putting everything in their mouths.

Ash finally made it to the nursery, where baby Michelle was already asleep on her side of the room. Smiling, he gave Aiden another kiss and placed the squirmy baby into his crib. The Pokémon master checked on his baby girl, who was in a deep sleep. Determining everything to be in order, Ash walked out of the room and into his own.

Misty was sitting cross legged on the bed, doing some paperwork in her lap.

"What's the matter Mist?" Ash smirked. "Got sick of the office?"

"The office, the front desk, the kitchen table…" Misty narrowed her eyes. "I'm a _gym leader_. I make my living through battling amateur trainers. So why do I have to do all of this stupid paperwork?"

"Well, you've been doing it for almost ten years," Ash chuckled, "so you tell me."

"I've never come up with a good enough reason as to why," Misty shrugged, flicking her pen off to the side. Looking up at Ash, she continued, "You're the Pokémon master for goodness' sake. Can't you do something about this?"

"Unfortunately not," Ash frowned, climbing onto the bed in order to pull Misty onto his lap and snuggle her. "It's not in my business of affairs." Brushing his eyelashes against her cheek, Ash kissed up her neck and murmured, "If there was anything I could about it, trust me, I would."

Misty hummed softly before leaning forward to retrieve the baby monitor. Ash raised an eyebrow in confusion, but soon understood when Misty raised the volume on the device. The familiar sound of gurgling could be heard, and made both of the parents laugh spritingly.

"Yeah, I just put Aiden down for a nap," Ash nodded.

"He doesn't like to sleep," Misty smiled down at the monitor. "I noticed that when you put Aiden in his crib, he'll lay there for almost an hour just making noises. It's so sweet."

"Maybe he'll start talking soon," Ash's face lit up at the sight.

"I think we still have a little while to go before he says his real first word," Misty mused. "All of my nieces said their first words when they were nine months old. So we still have about four months to go."

"I hope it's 'dada'," Ash rested his head in his hand.

"Of course it won't be," Misty rolled her shoulders back. "It's going to be 'mama.' In fact, I bet Michelle's first word will be 'mama' as well."

"Keep on dreaming sweetheart," Ash scoffed playfully.

"No, they're going to say it!" Misty retorted, gently shoving Ash down onto the bed. He kept on chuckling, especially as Misty leaned over him like some kind of hungry predator. Out of nowhere, her head popped up, eyes locking definitively on the baby monitor.

"What's wrong honey?" Ash asked as Misty jumped off of him, gathering the device into her hand.

"Aiden stopped making noise," Misty murmured, gently shaking the monitor.

"He probably fell asleep," Ash smiled at his worried wife. "It's about time, too. That little boy of ours is finally learning to calm down, I think!"

"No," Misty shook her head, "something is wrong."

"Misty, he's fine," Ash assured, "I'm sure of it. Why don't you come back here and we can pick up where we left off?"

"I need to check on Aiden," Misty frowned, putting the monitor down. "Maybe the batteries just died in this stupid thing. But…I need to make sure my baby is okay." She handed Ash the monitor and told him to listen to it just in case Aiden woke up on her way there. Ash groaned but took the device. He could never say no to Misty.

She left the room and went down the hallway. Ash flipped the monitor back and forth between his two hands, just waiting for Misty to come back and tell him that Aiden was just sleeping. The young mother was extremely worrisome, and never seemed to learn her lesson.

"ASH!"

Ash heard that through both the monitor and all the way from down the hall. It was definitely Misty's voice, and she sounded absolutely frantic. He jumped out of bed and ran all the way to the nursery. Misty was standing next to Aiden's crib, the baby boy cradled closely in her slender arms.

"What is it?" Ash hurried next to Misty. "What's wrong?"

"Wh…what…something's wrong with Aiden!" Misty cried, tears quickly falling out of her eyes.

"What do you mean something's wrong with him?" Ash panicked.

"Look!" Misty turned the baby to face Ash, and when the Pokémon master laid eyes on the boy, his heart nearly stopped.

The infant had red marks all over his face. Ash wasn't entirely sure of what they were, though they looked almost like highly irritated pimples. The child's chest was barely rising and falling, and his eyes were half lidded, but not in a peaceful looking way.

"Oh my…" Ash let out a shuttered breath before allowing his adrenaline to take over. He took the baby away from Misty, holding him up at the angle he used to hold Michelle in to help her breathe better. It didn't seem to do much good, however. The boy just let out several, wheezy little squeaks.

"Ash, stop, it isn't working!" Misty shrieked, her face reddening as she continued to cry. "We…we have to do something! Quick!"

"I'll call the doctor," Ash decided, handing the baby back off to Misty. "You call someone to watch Michelle. I have a feeling we're going to have to take Aiden to the hospital."

Misty let out a tortured whimper but did as Ash told her. As much as she just wanted to stand there and cry, she knew that wouldn't do anything to help her baby.

As soon as she hung up her cell phone from calling Daisy, Ash was getting off the phone with Dr. Aaron. The Pokémon master hurried back over to his wife, who was trying her hardest to get Aiden to do _something._

"I was right," Ash frowned miserably. "Dr. Aaron said we need to take him to the hospital."

"Oh my Arceus," Misty wailed, holding Aiden a little more tightly.

"Who did you call to watch Michelle?" Ash asked frantically.

"Daisy. She said she'd be right over, and you know she only lives down the block."

"Okay then, let's go," Ash ushered, his eyes still flickering nervously.

"Ash, we can't just leave Michelle here alone!" Misty cried. "I know Daisy is going to be here any minute, but that doesn't mean we can just leave our little girl by herself."

At that very moment, the doorbell rang, causing Misty to jump slightly.

"Speak of the devil," Ash muttered under his breath before revealing a relieved smile. "Thank goodness. Now let's go."

**XXX**

Ash had his arm wrapped around Misty's shoulders as Dr. Aaron examined the sickly baby. Somewhere along the line, the infant had stopped panting and squeaking, and he was breathing more easily. Additionally, the hives on his face, as Dr. Aaron had identified them as, were beginning to dissipate.

"Well, I know exactly what this is," Dr. Aaron nodded, looking towards the young parents.

"What is it?" Misty quivered. "Will my baby be okay?"

"He'll be just fine. This is an allergic reaction to whatever he last ate."

At this, Ash's face lost all of its color. An allergic reaction to the food _he'd_ made?

"Food?" Misty breathed. "But…Ash was in charge of giving Aiden his lunch…" Misty turned to look at her husband, shooting him a less than pleased expression. Ash, in turn, began to grow red out of embarrassment.

"Ash, what did you give Aiden for lunch?" Dr. Aaron inquired.

"I didn't think I was doing anything wrong," Ash frowned. "I found this good sounding recipe in Misty's cookbook…"

"The one from my grandmother?" Misty's eyebrow twitched. Ash drew back slightly. He knew he wasn't really supposed to touch it.

"Yeah," Ash nodded hesitantly. "I don't even know what I made him, really. I just found it in the section that she had labeled as good for kids. All I know is it was based off of wheat."

"_WHEAT?_" Misty yelled, her eyes lighting up angrily.

"Yeah…" Ash answered softly.

"Ash, you are _never _supposed to give babies this young _anything _that's made out of wheat!" Misty cried. "The same goes for things like nuts and eggs!"

"R…really?" Ash's shoulders sagged.

"Babies' bodies aren't accustomed to those ingredients," Dr. Aaron explained. "They are able to better adjust to those kinds of things as they get older. But right now, it'll trigger the kind of allergic reactions that Aiden just experienced."

"But he'll be okay right?" Ash dug his nails into his palms. "I didn't…break him, did I?"

"Yes, he's going to be just fine," Dr. Aaron smiled reassuringly. "This doesn't even mean he'll be allergic to things like wheat when he gets older. I'll give you some medicine to give him over the next week just to make sure everything in his body is evened out. But for now, just refrain from giving him anymore of those kinds of food until he's about 2 years old."

**XXX**

"Come on Mist…I'm really, _really_ sorry!"

"I know you are, Ash," Misty sighed, her eyebrows knitting together. "You would never purposely hurt our children, I _know_ that. But seeing our little boy like that…"

"I was just trying to do something good Misty," Ash frowned once she trailed off. "I thought it would be helpful of me to feed Aiden, and I knew he wouldn't complain about something I made. I didn't know it would hurt him, though."

Misty let out another gentle breath, laying her hands on Ash's shoulders. "Ash, you are the sweetest, most gentle person I've ever met. _Especially_ when it comes to our children. And hurting them is something you would never think of. Don't you know I'm not mad at you?"

"Yes," Ash answered quietly after a moment. Misty smiled and got up on her toes, kissing Ash gently on the nose.

"Good. Don't be so hard on yourself." Misty raised a mischievous eyebrow and continued, "Besides, we've learned a little something from this adventure."

"What?" Ash blinked.

"No one likes your food. Not even our babies."

Misty giggled behind her hand, and Ash, in turn, flattened out his brow and sulked.

"Ha ha. _Real_ funny Mist."


	21. First Halloween

**Yay, a Halloween chapter ^^ I might do another one, because I like Halloween :P Tell me what you think.**

**This one is from Ash's POV.**

**Aiden and Michelle: 10 months old**

* * *

><p><strong>First Halloween<strong>

"Come on Shelly! Do you want to try walking to me? Huh?"

Michelle tilted her little head and pouted slightly, her big emerald eyes growing as she threw me that sweet little look. I chuckled and held my hands out towards her, hoping she would get the hint. It seemed to work, as Michelle squealed excitedly and got up shakily onto her little feet.

"Good girl! Now come here baby. Just walk to me!"

Michelle let out another indiscernible noise as her face contorted into another amusing expression. She was able to stand up just fine, but when it came to walking, she seemed to have a serious hesitance.

"Sweetie…"

Michelle took a careful step forward, which caused a huge grin to break out on my face. I just _loved _watching Aiden and Michelle make such strides in their development. Aiden had already taken his first steps, and was always working on his ability to walk. Michelle, on the other hand, didn't seem as eager.

She took a few uneasy half-steps before falling right down, which caused me to gasp rather loudly. I couldn't help it; every time she fell, it sent nasty shocks up my spine.

"Are you okay princess?" I cooed, crawling next to my baby.

She didn't do anything for a few seconds. Finally, she raised her little hands up to her eyes and started to cry. The sobs were quiet and controlled a slightly unusual method of crying for such a small child. But I noticed that Michelle cried like that a lot. I assumed she got it from her mother.

Sighing sadly, I collected the girl into my arms, hugging her close to my chest. "It's okay baby. Don't cry, you'll be fine."

It only took a matter of moments for Michelle to relax. Although she was still considered a baby, I very often wondered if she was just being a little drama queen. She _was_ Misty's daughter after all!

"Come on Ash, are you ready?"

I blinked and looked down confusedly at Michelle. She, in turn, gazed up at me, letting out a little "gah" in the process.

"Ash, over here."

I looked towards the doorway that led into the living room and found Misty standing in the frame, Aiden in her arms and threading locks of her ginger hair through his tiny fingers.

"Oh, Mist," I smiled nervously, especially when I noticed the bemused expression on her beautiful face. "Hey there."

"Did you really think Michelle was talking to you?" Misty giggled. I blushed at this accusation, although I couldn't deny it either.

"I just didn't see you. That's all."

"Whatever you say Ashy," Misty shot me a playful smile, which I was happy to return. "Now let's get going."

"Going where?"

"Ash, don't you remember?" Misty's shoulders sagged in what I imagined to be disappointment.

"Uh…no?"

"Of course not," Misty breathed, breaking only to beam at our little boy who was smiling up sweetly at her. Rubbing his nose, she continued, "We have to go to Daisy and Tracey's."

"Why?" I gaped. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed seeing Tracey, and I _guess _Daisy too. She wasn't as awful as she was as a teenager. It's just…as Misty would say, I'm lazy. And I guess I didn't really like sharing my babies either, as dumb and selfish as that sounded.

"Daisy wanted to show me something. And she said she'd make us lunch."

"Your sister can cook?" I asked incredulously.

"Yes. Shocking, I know. But she can."

"Half of me wants to try it," I smirked, "and the other half is telling me to run away from it."

"Well you're going to have to go with your first half," Misty made a rising motion with her hand. "Let's go handsome."

I sighed and got up, still holding onto Michelle. I sauntered over to Misty and gave her a kiss before gently grabbing onto her hand and pulling her towards the door. "If you insist angel."

**XXX**

"Oh look at these two! Aren't my niece and nephew just the cutest things? You two love your Aunt Daisy the most, now don't you?"

I watched rather enviously as Aiden and Michelle giggled under Daisy's attention. My heart lurched as I watched the blonde pull Michelle up by her little hands, balancing her carefully on her legs. That was _my _job, not Daisy's! But I knew if I said anything, Misty would smack me.

"Mommy! Can't I show them now?"

"Yes darling," Daisy called over her shoulder. She smiled at Misty and me and asked, "Do you two want your babies back?"

Before Misty could even open her mouth, I raced over to Daisy and gathered the children up in my arms. They both squealed happily, which made me smile. The twins were at an age where they seemed to really be getting attached to Misty and myself. It wasn't that they were miserable when they were away from us, but whenever we went to go pick them up or play with them, they would just become overjoyed.

I sat back down next to Misty, who eagerly took Michelle from me. The little girl became even more excited, especially when Misty stood her up and held the baby by her hands as she steadied her feet on Misty's thighs.

"You gonna start walking soon baby?" Misty trilled.

"Ma," Michelle replied, sticking her little tongue out in deep concentration.

"Okay Dakota," Daisy sighed laughingly, "you can come in now."

"Here I am!" The young girl yelled as she came skirting into the room. Her loud voice caused Michelle to grumble in a dissatisfied fashion as her legs gave out underneath her. Fortunately, Misty was still holding onto the little baby and she didn't stand a chance of falling. Aiden, on the other hand, looked curiously over his shoulder, his big russet eyes narrowed in what seemed to be slight annoyance. That was definitely enough to make me chuckle.

Daisy and Tracey's little blonde daughter spun around in a circle to show off the lovely outfit she was wearing; a purple princess dress that was so fancy it reminded me of Misty's wedding dress. The predominantly lilac dress was decorated with gold accents and trimmings, along with a delicate gold tiara placed atop the five year old's head. She giggled yet again and scurried over to Misty, placing her hands on my amused wife's legs.

"Do I look pretty Aunt Misty?"

"Yes sweetheart," Misty smiled, "you look stunning! A perfect little princess."

"What's that for Dakota?" I asked my young niece. "Dress up?"

"No!" Dakota giggled wildly at the suggestion. She moved closer to me now, climbing up on the couch so she could pet Aiden on the head. "It's my Halloween costume!"

"Bah," Aiden spat out, wildly swinging his arms at the girl. She didn't seem to get the hint as she simply went on playing with his soft black hair.

"Isn't it just adorable?" Daisy squealed. "Tracey drew it up for her, and Dakota just loved it! So, I took the sketch to the store where we get all of our water ballet costumes from, and they made it up for her. I think she looks precious!"

"I'm gonna get _lots_ of candy with this costume!" Dakota clapped her hands together and pressed a kiss on Aiden's forehead, which caused the poor boy even more agony.

"Hey, speaking of Halloween," I glanced over at Misty, who didn't seem to understand where I was going with this, "what are the twins going to be?"

"Nothing," Misty answered simply.

"Huh?" I frowned. "What do you mean nothing?"

"Come on Ash. They're still just babies! There's no reason for us to dress them up and take them out when they can't even eat any of the candy they'd get."

"But…but…" I pouted. I was _really _looking forward to dressing the two up for their first Halloween!

"Besides, Aiden can only take a few steps at a time, and Michelle can't even walk yet," Misty continued as she fussed with Michelle's bright ginger hair, "so it wouldn't make much sense anyway."

"Oh come on Misty," Daisy broke in, her sea green eyes slightly narrowed, "don't ruin all the fun."

"And what is _that_ supposed to mean?" Misty arched a delicate eyebrow.

"It's not a big deal to dress the twins up in some cute costume," Daisy explained as she flipped her golden blonde hair. "Everyone knows that babies have the cutest costumes, so why waste the time you have? Just dress them up and carry them around."

"Daisy," Misty started slowly, leaning forward slightly, "it doesn't make _sense_."

"Of course it does! Look, if you want, you and Ash could come along with Dakota and I. We could make it a family thing…or something. Maybe Vanessa and Lola would like to join us as well."

I nodded my head slowly before breaking out into a huge grin. For once, Daisy had come with a great idea! I would've done anything to show my babies off in a pair of adorable Halloween costumes, and if I had to shamefully suck up to my sister in law to do it, then so be it.

"I like Daisy's plan Mist!" I turned my head towards her, the smile still stretched across my face. Misty shot me an incredulous look, but I didn't show any signs of backing down. "Come on. Don't you want everyone to be jealous of our sweet, adorable little babies?"

"I guess…" Misty replied quietly, which made me laugh. Misty was so proud of the twins; she thought they were the most gorgeous things to ever exist. Showing them off was a favorite of Misty's. "But what could they even be?"

"You just leave that to me," I chuckled some more. "I've got a pretty good idea, Mist."

**XXX**

"Alright Ash, I'll hand you this one. The twins look absolutely _adorable!_"

The babies, who were now outfitted in the costumes I'd picked out for them, were looking up curiously at us with wide and bewildered eyes. I had decided that dressing them up as Pichu would make for a perfect first costume. The material was a soft, light yellow that covered up all of their bodies, including their little hands and feet. The bottoms of the feet had light pink paw prints on them, much like a real Pichu. Around the neck was the same black collar all Pichu had, and a little black tail was attached to the back of the costume. The best part of the costume was a hood with two big ears attached to it. The outfits looked identical, with the only difference being the light pink ribbon I'd tied into a bow around the right ear of Michelle's costume.

"Aren't they cute?" I chuckled, rubbing both of their cheeks. "The costumes are nice and comfy too. They'll be able to stay nice and warm."

"I guess so," Misty's smile was turning back into a frown, "I just don't know how we're going to manage walking around with them. What with all that craziness going on."

"We'll just carry them," I shrugged, "like we always do."

Misty sighed and went back to examining the twins. I could tell she was still hesitant over this, although I wasn't sure why. Taking the twins out really wasn't a big deal. They were too little to cause any real trouble, and everything would be just fine as long as we held onto them.

"You two like your costumes, don't you?" Misty asked softly.

"Ma," Michelle blurted out, reaching up towards the soft ears on the hood. Aiden, meanwhile, simply stuck his fingers in his mouth and threw himself down in around to roll around. For whatever reason, our son simply _loved _doing that.

"Well, alright," Misty glanced up at me from out of the corner of her eye. "If they're happy, that's all that matters. And they seem pretty content in their costumes. If you really want to take them out with Daisy and Dakota, then I'm okay with it."

Her vote of approval surprised me, but I certainly wasn't about to question it. Smiling, I pulled the pretty gym leader up and turned her towards me. Noting the confused look in her emerald eyes, I chuckled warmly and pressed a light kiss against her lips.

"You're so cute, angel. Now I know where our babies get it from!"

**XXX**

Halloween night finally came, and the twins seemed just as excited about it as I was. Of course I knew they didn't understand what was going on, but one couldn't help but to wonder if _maybe _they did.

My guess as to why they were so excited was all of the different costumes surrounding them. It wasn't so much the costumes themselves but the wide array of colors that came with the big selection. Colors really seemed to stimulate both Aiden and Michelle, as they were pointing frantically at everything while letting out excitable squeals.

"Ra! Ra!" Aiden cried from Misty's arms as he pointed at a young boy dressed as a fireman.

"Yes, that's red!" Misty giggled as she kissed Aiden's cheek. "Good boy."

"Gee!" Aiden yelled as he pointed at the brightly lit bushes surrounding people's houses. "Gee!"

"Right, that's green. You're so smart baby boy!"

Aiden and Misty's interactions made me smile. Michelle wasn't as jumpy as her brother, but she would still occasionally point something out and softly make her own babyish interpretations.

"Po," she was motioning towards Dakota, who was walking flit fully in front of us. "Da…"

"What are you trying to say princess?" I brushed my lips against her little ear. "Purple?"

"Po," Michelle repeated before resting her head on my shoulder.

Dakota was walking in between Vanessa and Lola, the daughters of Violet and Lily. Vanessa was dressed as an angel, with her dark blue hair tightly curled and a feathery halo held above her head. Lola, meanwhile, had gone as a Butterfree, wearing a frilly purple dress with glittery silver wings and a pair of antennae in her short pink hair.

Michelle had predominantly kept her eyes on them, I had noticed. She would occasionally look away to point at something or someone else, but for the most part she was interested in what they were doing.

"Why do you think that is?" I asked Misty after explaining my observation.

"I think she wants to be like them," Misty giggled. "She spends so much time with Aiden, but he's a boy. So I think the girls' sparkly, girly things sort of intrigue her."

When we reached another house, the three girls shrieked excitedly and darted towards the front door.

"Da! Da!" Michelle cried, tugging at my shirt.

"What's the matter baby?" I frowned. "What are you getting so worked up about?"

"Da…" Michelle whined again, pointing towards the ground. Blinking, I shrugged and put the little girl down on the ground, becoming even more confused when she took a sitting position by my feet.

"I wonder what that was about…" I murmured to myself.

"Aw, she just wants to be independent," Misty pecked me on the cheek. "Don't get so worked up over it."

"I wasn't getting worked up over it," I blushed slightly. "I just don't understand it. She's never acted like that before."

"Well, she's growing up," Misty frowned slightly. "She and Aiden aren't going to be considered babies for much longer. I guess we're just going to have to start accepting it."

"Yeah," I looked down and gasped, my eyes widening. "Crap!"

"Whoa Ash," Misty glared as she covered Aiden's ears, causing the little boy to turn his head in puzzlement. "What was that for?"

"Michelle's gone!" I cried.

"_What?_" Misty shrieked, her eyes nearly falling out of her head. "Ash Ketchum, I am going to _kill_ you!"

"It wasn't…oh man," I groaned while rubbing at my head, "we've got to find her!"

"You better!" Misty fumed, her face reddening more quickly than the flame on Charizard's tail. "Because if you lost our daughter, I swear to Arceus…"

I was looking around frantically, the sound of my pounding heart reverberating through my head and out of my ears. Then, just as quickly as I panicked, I began to relax. I spotted a little figure dressed in yellow only several feet away from me. And was she…

"Misty…" I murmured softly.

"Don't you Misty me!" Misty stormed, one of her hands balling into a tight fist. "I am _so _mad at you right now! How could you lose track of our baby girl!"

"Misty…"

"Ash, if you keep pulling this little act, you're going to be even more sorry than you already are!"

"Misty!" I turned towards her, my eyes shining. She growled as I gently grabbed her head and directed it to Michelle's course. And with that, all of her anger evaporated and a small gasp escaped her lips.

The little girl was toddling towards her cousins, gurgling happily as she did so.

"Mi…Michelle…" Misty stammered, holding Aiden more tightly to her chest.

"She's walking!" I yelled.

My sudden shout caused Michelle to fall down, a little squeak emitting from her mouth. Misty and I both panicked slightly and hurried over to the fallen child. For once, she wasn't crying as a result of her fall, but was simply glancing between her mother and I, as if looking for a reaction.

"You did it baby girl!" I cheered as I lifted her up into the air, causing her to giggle wildly. "Oh, who's the best little girl in the world? You are! Yes you are!"

"Da," Michelle smiled, waving her little fingers. I put her back down on her feet and she once again gazed up at me, her emerald eyes full of wonderment.

"Well, looks like both of our babies know how to walk now," Misty smiled at me, although I could see the sadness shining in her eyes.

"Don't worry angel," I brushed her cheek with my finger. "They still need us."

Glimpsing down, Misty groaned slightly. I raised a puzzled eyebrow but quickly understood when I realized that Michelle was no longer standing in between us.

We began looking in all different directions, until I finally caught sight of Michelle scampering away as quickly as she could on her small and unsteady feet.

"See?" I chuckled as I went after her, "_definitely_ still needs us!"

"What do you think Aiden?" I could hear Misty slyly asking our son. "Is this a trick, or a treat?"


	22. Deserving

**This one is fluffy, fluffy, fluffy. But it's an idea I've had for awhile and I thought it would make for a cute, light hearted one shot ^^**

**Aiden and Michelle: 10 years old**

**Elizabeth: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Deserving<strong>

"And for our next contestant, we have Michelle Ketchum from Cerulean City!"

Michelle peered out nervously from behind the red velvet curtains of the contest stage. There were a lot of people in the audience for this particular contest, but that isn't what made Michelle nervous. It felt natural for her to perform in front of all of these people.

No, it was the fact that her _family _was in the audience.

Michelle had no problem with Aiden and Brandon watching her. They were her traveling partners after all, and it'd be fairly stupid if she didn't like them watching her. Her mother and father, however? That was a _much _different story.

She could see the group high up in the box seats, waiting patiently for her to appear. Her parents, Ash and Misty, were seated next to each other, their eyes locked intently on the stage. Michelle noticed her father murmur something, to which her mother smirked and replied with something just as quietly. Misty had her arms wrapped around Elizabeth, the couple's youngest child who was busy sucking on a bright red lollipop.

Aiden sat to the left of Ash, while Brandon sat to the right of Misty. The raven haired boy had his brow furrowed in deep concentration, as if he was studying the vacant stage. Brandon, meanwhile, simply had his arms folded while keeping a little smirk on his face. He would occasionally turn to entertain Elizabeth, who would laugh at anything the aspiring young breeder did. Misty seemed to appreciate this, as she too giggled and appeared to be thanking Brandon for his actions.

"Michelle, they're waiting for you."

The young coordinator gasped and spun around, her emerald eyes wide with fear. She quickly relaxed, however, when she just saw it was her friendly rival.

"Clarisse, you scared me," Michelle sighed as she placed a hand over her heart.

"Sorry," Clarisse giggled, "but you seem so out of it. Everything okay?"

"Uh…not really," Michelle blushed slightly, looking away. "You see, my parents are here, and I don't really want them to see my appeal."

"Why not? I'm sure they always watch you and TV."

"Yeah, they do," Michelle sulked even more, "but this is completely different! They're here, in person! People will see them, and make comments about me…I don't want to face this. Especially not when I'm on this stupid losing streak."

"Michelle, I'm sure you'll do fine," Clarisse's amber eyes sparkled as she tried to comfort the girl. "You're a great coordinator! Everyone is going to have a few bad appeals or battles every once in awhile. So just don't think about it! Think about making today the contest where you break out of this slump and show what you're made of!"

"You really know how to give a pep talk, don't you?" Michelle giggled quietly as she lifted her head up.

"I've been told I am, so I guess so," Clarisse smiled as she brushed back a strand of platinum blonde hair that had been curled for the contest. "Now, go out there and do your best!"

"Right," Michelle put a more confident look on her face. "Thanks Clarisse!"

"No problem," Clarisse grabbed Michelle by the shoulders and pushed her out onto the stage, earning a rather frightened squeal from the red headed coordinator.

Standing in the middle of the stage, Michelle felt the hot, familiar spotlight hit her. Her eyes eventually adjusted to the intense brightness, and they once again settled on her family. Ash and Misty's static faces quickly became cheerful as they smiled down at her and leaned forward slightly in anticipation. Aiden and Brandon gave her a reassuring nod, and Elizabeth was too busy with her lollipop to care too much.

_Let's do this, _Michelle thought to herself as she retrieved her capsule covered poke ball. Beaming powerfully, Michelle whipped the ball and cried, "Ponyta, its show time!"

As Ponyta was released from her poke ball, the fire type was enshrouded by a flurry of big yellow stars, provided by the seal that Michelle had placed on the ball capsule. The yellow stars swirled around Ponyta's body, and were then fired away by the Pokémon's mane and tail.

The crowd cheered wildly for Ponyta's grand entrance, which caused Michelle's smile to widen even further.

"So far so good," Misty commented to her husband, who was watching with intent eyes.

"She orchestrated a pretty good entrance," Ash nodded in agreeance, "and it's always good to start the appeal off on a positive note."

"Alright Ponyta, let's start off with ember!" Michelle called.

Ponyta neighed and spit out several small balls of fire.

"Now, use tail whip!"

Ponyta spun around and whipped at the ember with her fiery tail, causing the fire balls to swirl around the fire horse's body in an orbital fashion.

"Wow!" The contest hostess cried into her microphone. "Ponyta looks like something from outer space with that ember attack racing around her!"

"Just what I was going for," Michelle remarked to herself. "Ponyta, use your stomp attack!"

Ponyta began stomping her harder than diamond hooves, causing the ember attack to fall to the ground and shoot up into more intense flames, forming a circle of fire around her.

"Mommy, it's pretty!" Elizabeth yelled as she waved the lollipop around.

"Isn't it?" Misty giggled. "Your sister is a very good coordinator."

"Go Shelly!" Elizabeth cheered before putting her candy back in her mouth.

"Let's finish this up!" Michelle commanded. "Ponyta, flame wheel!"

Ponyta ran forward until her body became engulfed in a swirl of flames. She stopped abruptly and the flames tightened before bursting out and lighting up the stage a magnificent orange color, leaving a series of orange and red sparkles twinkling on Ponyta's cream colored hide.

The crowd burst out into another round of applause, causing Michelle to laugh girlishly. She pulled at her dark blue skirt and curtsied, while Ponyta bent her front legs down and bowed to the audience.

The fire horse Pokémon followed her trainer off stage, where Michelle congratulated the fire type on a job well done before returning her to the sanctuary of her poke ball for a well deserved rest.

"Michelle!"

The red head spun on her toes and found Clarisse standing by the stairwell that led up to backstage. Michelle grinned and approached the blonde, her emerald eyes twinkling with hope.

"Well, what did you think?" Michelle asked. "Did it look okay?"

"It looked awesome!" Clarisse nodded emphatically. "I definitely think you made it to the battle round."

"You're not just being nice, are you?" Michelle straightened out her brow.

"Of course not," Clarisse smirked. "That's my honest opinion. I don't like lying to people."

"Alright, just checking," Michelle nervously smoothed out her skirt.

"Why don't you go visit your family?" Clarisse suggested. "I just saw Aiden. He said your parents really want to see you."

"I will," Michelle gave a nod, "thanks Clarisse!"

**XXX**

"There's my baby girl!"

"Dad…why do you have to be so embarrassing?"

Ash chuckled and pulled Michelle away from his body, studying her less than amused expression. He brushed through her soft red hair, which had been curled and pulled up into a ponytail for the contest.

"Because I'm your father, and it's my job," Ash smirked.

"I thought your job was to be the Pokémon master," Michelle flashed Ash an identical smile, "why don't you just stick to that?"

"Not as fun," Ash gently wrapped his arm around his daughter's slender neck.

"Do you guys think I did okay?" Michelle's mood changed dramatically as her eyes darted nervously around the circle of people surrounding her. "My appeal didn't look lousy, did it?"

"Of course not dear," Misty assured. "It was beautiful! And so were you! That dress I got you is really just a perfect fit."

Michelle looked down at her dark blue dress, which tied with a ribbon halter and ended just above her knees. "It is pretty, isn't it?"

"That's why I bought it for you," Misty winked. "A gorgeous dress for my gorgeous daughter."

"You are all _so _embarrassing!" Michelle wailed.

"I liked what you did Shelly!" Elizabeth cried. She ran up to her older sister, hugging the older girl's legs and looking up at her with innocent eyes. "I was yelling your name!"

"I'm glad to know you enjoyed it," Michelle blushed slightly. She leaned over to pick the smaller girl up and into her arms, where Elizabeth squealed delightfully and rested her cheek against Michelle's.

"How do _you_ think you did?" Ash inquired curiously.

"I really think I did a pretty good job," Michelle replied after a few moments. "Maybe this losing streak of mine will finally end."

"I think it will," Misty smiled at her older daughter. "But no matter what happens, just know that we're _always _proud of you."

Michelle breathed out softly, but said nothing in response.

**XXX**

"And now, here are the finalists for today's contest!"

Michelle stood next to Clarisse, the two girls' eyes locked firmly on the big screen TV that would soon be showcasing the appeals results.

"Let's see who's made it to today's battle round!"

Michelle and Clarisse leaned in ever so slightly. The pictures of the finalists were slowly revealed. Clarisse's appeared towards the middle, causing the blonde to let out a sigh of relief. Michelle congratulated her friendly rival before returning to wait for her own picture to flip over. When the final one appeared, however, it wasn't Michelle's picture.

She had missed the battle round. _Again._

"Michelle…" Clarisse murmured to her speechless friend. "I'm so sorry. I _really_ thought you were going to make it."

"Yeah, me too," Michelle sighed and looked down at her feet. Tears were stinging her eyes and threatening to fall. _Why am I such a failure?_

"Shelly…"

Michelle looked up slowly, finding her father standing right behind her. Misty wasn't far behind, with Aiden, Brandon, and Elizabeth by her side.

"What?" Michelle asked, furiously rubbing at her eyes.

"It's gonna be okay princess," Ash whispered as he gently gripped her delicate shoulder. "Really, you'll get it next time."

"No I won't!" Michelle snapped, finally raising her head. Ash was a little startled by the outburst, as were the young red head's other visitors.

"Don't say that sweetheart," Misty hushed comfortingly as she moved closer to her daughter. "A few losses don't mean anything. You just have to keep working and…"

"This is my third appeals loss in a row!" Michelle interrupted, her eyes burning like emerald fire. "Clearly I'm not good enough to be a coordinator!"

"You're plenty good," Ash frowned sympathetically at the girl. "Everyone faces a rough patch every now and then."

"Not you, not Mom!" Michelle cried, the tears finally slipping out of her eyes. "You're both famous; everyone loves you. You would never do _anything _wrong! The best trainers in the world and their daughter is as useless as a rock."

"Michelle, please, you aren't useless!" Misty sounded almost like she was pleading. "You're a beautiful, talented young girl. It's like I said before; your father and I could never be disappointed in you. You'll always make us proud."

"No," Michelle shook her head, clenching her fists at her sides. "I'm the worst, and I know it. I don't deserve to be in this family." And with a quiet sob, Michelle tore away from her father and ran off, not bothering to relax her hands as she ran.

"Michelle!" Ash stood up to his full height, his eyes narrowed in pain. But it was no use. The girl wasn't about to turn around now.

Misty sighed miserably and pressed a hand against the side of her head, sullenly closing her eyes. "How could she even think that?"

"Shelly sad?" Elizabeth asked while looking up at Aiden and Brandon. The two boys just nodded, Aiden reaching up to clutch at his chest.

"My heart hurts…" Aiden mumbled breathlessly.

"That must be the emotional synchronization you have with Michelle," Brandon commented softly. "She's in emotional pain, so now you are too."

"I want to help her," Aiden winced, lifting his head to look in the direction where his sister had run off.

"No," Ash shook his head, "you have to let me do it."

"Ash, you can't do this on your own," Misty told her husband in an almost stern tone. "Michelle is _very _upset; she may not listen to only you."

"She's my little girl," Ash replied quietly. "She's just _got _to listen to me."

"How?" Misty inquired as Ash turned to look at her. "What are you going to say to her?"

"I know exactly what I'm going to say," Ash reached out to brush Misty's cheek before spinning back around and walking down the same path Michelle had taken.

**XXX**

Using Pikachu to track down Michelle by her scent, Ash eventually found the girl standing on the balcony of the town's Pokémon Center. The building was new and beautifully designed; closely resembling a small French house of sorts.

After leaving Pikachu with Nurse Joy for some special treatment, Ash found the stairway and ascended the steps, eventually finding his way out to the balcony.

Michelle was leaning over the railing, and it seemed she was in deep thought. She had taken her hair down and gotten out of her contest dress; she was now back in her regular clothes.

"I'm a little surprised that this is where you ran off to."

Michelle gasped and spun around, once again placing her hand over her heart. "Dad!" She grunted quietly and turned back to the railing, resting her arms on the top of the barrier. "Where else would I have gone?" She grumbled.

"I thought you would've found a lake or a pool…some body of water," Ash smiled to himself. "You're a lot more like your mother than you realize, you know."

"Yeah right," Michelle mumbled.

"Every time you get startled, you put your hand right over your heart," Ash pressed. "That's what your Mom does too."

"It's just a habit." Michelle sounded rather aggravated.

"That you inherited from her," Ash commented. He settled himself next to the girl, leaning over the railing just as she was. "Have you been thinking?"

"What's there to think about?" Michelle shrugged.

"Well, your comments before you ran away is a good place to start," Ash continued, noticing the slight blush that appeared on his daughter's face.

"I'm not thinking about that," Michelle looked away. "I meant it."

"You really don't think you deserve this family? That you don't belong with us?"

Michelle didn't say anything. She simply shook her head and kept her solemn expression. Ash sighed and moved his head closer to Michelle's so their cheeks brushed against one another.

"Oh Shelly…if only you _knew_ how much we deserve you. How lucky we are to have you."

"You're just saying that," Michelle groaned, glaring sideways at her morose father.

"I'm not," Ash choked out, his eyes clouding over. "I wouldn't lie to you sweetheart. You don't know…" Ash trailed off. He wasn't sure if he should tell his daughter about her tumultuous infancy. He and Misty had never bothered to tell her, because they didn't want to scare her. She was safe now. But he _needed _Michelle to understand how important she was to them. Taking a deep breath, Ash finished, "you don't know how close we came to losing you."

This seemed to catch Michelle's attention. Her eyebrow twitched as she turned her head to stare into her father's eyes. She noticed the glassy appearance of his russet orbs, and knew instantly he wasn't making this up. "What do you mean?"

Ash breathed out and straightened his shoulders, looking up into the night sky. "When you and Aiden were born…I thought you two were the most perfect things in the whole world. You were both _so _tiny, and fragile. Your Mom and I were the happiest we'd ever been. If I'm being honest…the day you two arrived was even better than the day I became Pokémon master."

Michelle's eyes widened at this. "But that was your dream, wasn't it?"

"Yes," Ash nodded, "it was. And gaining the title was definitely one of the best days of my life. But seeing you and your brother, and then Elizabeth, for the first time…I'd never been that happy before in my entire life. I thought my heart would burst when I first laid eyes on the three of you."

Michelle didn't know how to respond to that. She was touched by it, of course. Her father loved and cared for her so much; that was obvious. In her mind, however, that didn't necessarily mean she deserved to be a part of the talented family.

"But there was a problem," Ash's voice brought Michelle back to reality. "It was nothing we could see on the outside. You were always perfect on the outside. But…you were born with weak lungs. _Very _weak lungs. You could hardly breathe, Shelly. And the day after you were born, while I was gone, you just stopped breathing all together."

"What?" Michelle whispered, her eyebrows knitting in distressed mystification.

"You stopped breathing," Ash repeated, his voice tight. "They took you away from your Mom and me, and at first we didn't know what was going to happen to you. Not even the doctor was optimistic about the whole thing."

"But I'm okay now, right?" Michelle asked breathlessly.

"Yeah, you're fine," Ash quickly nodded his head. "Don't worry sweetheart. But when I think about how close we came to losing you, it _kills_ me. We deserve you more than anything."

Michelle fell silent. She and Ash just stood there for what felt like an eternity in uncomfortable stillness, Ash's eyes looking ahead into the dark night while Michelle's were glued to her tri colored sneakers.

"I'm sorry," Michelle broke the quiet with a gloomy murmur.

"For what?" Ash looked towards her, his tone reflecting a sense of puzzlement.

"For saying that I don't deserve to be in our family," Michelle continued in a staid voice. "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry princess," Ash smiled warmly as he reached out his right arm and pulled the young girl in close to him. "I just wanted you to know how much you mean to all of us."

For the first time that night, Michelle grinned. She snuggled her head into her father's side and felt the familiar sense of warmth, and happiness.

And belonging.


	23. Leaves

**This one is rather short, but I thought it was a cute idea. Ash's interactions with his daughters are my favorite to write :) And this one is from Ash's POV.**

**Michelle: 2 and a half Years Old**

* * *

><p><strong>Leaves<strong>

"DADDY!"

I jumped right out of bed, nearly throwing Pikachu off in the process. My little electric buddy looked up at me with sheer anger set in his beady little eyes while a series of sparks emerged from his cheeks. I shot him a very sorry look before running off towards Michelle's room.

I don't know how, but I'm always able to tell the difference between Michelle and Aiden when it comes to a scream or crying. Misty calls it "parental intuition," which I suppose makes sense because she's able to do it too. In a way, it makes me feel better since I don't have to spend any extra time trying to figure out which one is upset.

Swinging back Michelle's door, I ran over to the window, where my little girl was standing and staring outside.

"What is it baby?" I asked frantically, kneeling down to her level and holding onto her sides.

"Daddy!" She cried again, turning her head to look at me. Her emerald eyes were wide and she looked rather panicked. "We have to go outside!" Michelle grabbed onto my shirt, yanking at it with as much strength as she had. "Hurry!"

"Shelly, why do we have to go outside?" I raised an eyebrow. "Is something happening out there?"

"Yeah!" Michelle nodded quickly. "All the leafies are fallin' off the trees! We have to save them!"

As realization hit me, a gentle warmth covered my face as I began to chuckle. Michelle furrowed her brow, clearly not understanding what I found so amusing about her concerns. Composing myself, I answered, "Sweetheart, it's okay that the leaves are falling off the trees. They're _supposed _to do that!"

"But…but they're not green no more," Michelle frowned. "They look sick, Daddy."

"No, the leaves aren't sick baby girl," I took her face into my hands. A hopeful look gleamed in her eyes, and that put a pang in my heart. _Technically, _yeah, the leaves were dying. That's what happens in the fall, after all. But I knew that telling Michelle that would only make her upset. She was very sensitive to living creatures, which in a sense made her a lot like Misty. And I guess like me too.

"So why are they falling?" Michelle prodded.

"Err…" I wracked my brain, trying to come up with a good façade for my daughter. "Well, you see princess, when it starts to get cold outside; the leaves don't like staying on the trees. They want to go someplace warm."

"The ground isn't warm," Michelle responded.

"Well, getting to the ground is just the first step," I continued, gaining more and more confidence in this little tale as I went along. "Because once the leaves are on the ground, the wind will sweep them away to somewhere with lots of sun and warmth!"

"But won't they miss the trees?" Michelle fretted. "The tree is their house, Daddy."

"Oh, don't worry Shelly," I grinned at her. "The leaves will come back eventually. They only go on a long vacation for the winter. When spring comes around, you'll see the leaves growing back on the trees. And they'll be green again!"

"Okay," Michelle seemed to accept this story. "But I still don't 'stand why they're brown now."

_This_ one I wasn't entirely sure of how to explain. Why would leaves need to change their color if they were only going on vacation? I didn't know what to tell Michelle.

"Daddy, why they brown?" Michelle inquired again.

"Well, they're brown because they're bored of being green!" I finally explained. "The leaves just want a little change is all. You don't like wearing the same colored clothes all the time, right cutie?"

Michelle quickly shook her head as she pulled at her yellow pajama top. "Like how all my pajamies have diffy colors!"

"Yes, just like your jammies," I smiled as I patted her on the head.

"I know now," Michelle nodded eagerly. "The leaves are okay!"

"Yes, everything is _just _fine," I lifted Michelle up into my arms and kissed her on the forehead, earning a wildly happy laugh from the little girl.

"Love Daddy," Michelle murmured, wrapping her arms around my neck.

"I love you too sweetie!" I chuckled, hugging her even closer. "Come on now. It's time for breakfast."


	24. The Water Prince

**So, several of you asked for an installment featuring the relationship between Misty and Aiden. Well, ask and you shall reccieve! Even Misty's sisters make an appearance ^^**

**This one is from Misty's POV.**

**Aiden: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>The Water Prince<strong>

"Aww, such a cutie!"

"Yeah, he looks just like his Daddy! Just look at those big brown eyes!"

"And the messy black hair! Oh, I could just squeeze him _all _day!"

Aiden shifted his eyes to the right, setting the bright russet orbs directly on me. I could see the agitation written on his young face, and that made me fear he was going to lose his cool sooner rather than later. The little boy didn't just _look _like his father, as my sister had squealed; he also _acted_ just like him.

"Okay you three, I think Aiden's had enough of your attention," I smirked, approaching my older sisters who were hovering over my son. Smiling down at the child, I picked him up in my arms, hugging him close as he rubbed his cheek against my shoulder.

"Oh Misty, Aiden just adores being the center of attention!" Violet covered her heart blissfully. "I can definitely tell."

Aiden growled quietly into my body, forcing me to choke back a laugh. It was blatantly obvious that he didn't like being fussed over. My sisters just didn't see it because they didn't want to.

"We can't help it that we're so enamored by our little nephew," Daisy giggled as she ruffled Aiden's dark locks, earning yet another huff from the disgruntled child. "We only have girls, Misty. Aiden is the only little boy in this family to fawn over!"

"Mommy, quick," Aiden suddenly piped up, grabbing onto my shirt, "give me a brother!"

At this, my sisters burst out laughing, while my face exploded into a deep, burning blush. Aiden looked around the room, bewildered as to why his aunts were so amused, and why I was suddenly so embarrassed.

"It's…not that easy baby," I managed to reply, the blush slowly disappearing from my cheeks.

"Oh, he's just so precious," Lily cooed, leaning over to kiss Aiden's cheek.

"_Mommy,_" He whined, rubbing furiously at his skin, "make them stop!"

"Okay sweetie," I pressed my hand against the back of his head, as if this would protect him from my sisters. Sighing, I looked up at them and almost pleaded, "Come on guys. You're freaking him out."

"Alright Misty, we'll lay off the poor thing for a little while," Daisy smiled, gently pulling our other two sisters away.

I silently thanked her with a little grin before sitting down on the floor in front of a large box. Aiden settled down in my lap, although he was still facing me in order to play with my hair. "What is it that you wanted me to see so badly, Daisy?"

My eldest sister laughed airily as she too knelt beside the box, lifting the top of it off. "Why don't you have a look and see for yourself!"

I leaned into the box and examined its contents. Upon recognizing several objects, I smiled and leaned back, looking up at Daisy with glittering eyes.

"And what made you take this stuff out, might I ask?"

"I don't know," Daisy shrugged. "Boredom?"

"Aiden," I looked down at the boy, trying to get his attention. It worked as he turned his big, brown eyes onto me, warming my insides like the warmest, most comforting fire. In my opinion, Aiden really did have the most gorgeous eyes I've ever seen. Maybe because they reminded me so much of Ash's. "Do you want to see what's in the box?"

"No Mommy," was his slow response. It was obvious that he was rather curious about its contents (Ash's son, remember?) but not willing to admit that fact to me. He was a stubborn little thing.

"Are you sure?" I asked again, this time drawing out my words in an almost teasing fashion. An uncertain glimmer went off in his russet orbs, and he was soon turned around, trying to pull the box down to his level.

"I'll get it," he called when I reached my hand out to try and help him.

"Why don't you just let me lift you up so you can look inside of it?" I giggled softly.

"No," Aiden looked over his shoulder, eyes now narrowed. "By _myself_."

"Okay, okay," I gave up, still laughing airily while he struggled with the rather large cube of cardboard.

"Aw, he's so independent," Violet resumed her fawning over my young son. "That's so cute!"

"Yes, it's just adorable," I deadpanned. Aiden turned around once more and gave me a look of sadness. Cooing, I leaned forward and kissed his temple, assuring, "I'm just teasing baby. You know I love you very much."

Aiden nodded just once and went back to his work, forcing me to hold back a laugh for fear of upsetting the poor thing again. After a few more minutes of struggling, Aiden dragged the box down; causing several of the objects it held to spill out onto the floor. He blinked, eventually crawling off of my lap to examine the items.

"What do you think sweetie?" I asked amusedly.

"I don't know what this is for," Aiden frowned as he looked at me. In his hands he held a pink pearl headband, which he then went back to examining. "This looks like the presents Daddy gives you."

"That was part of my costume," I replied softly. Now Aiden looked _really _confused.

"A Halloween costume?"

"No silly!" I once again picked Aiden up into my arms. "Not a Halloween costume. A ballet costume."

"A _water_ ballet costume," Lily corrected with a little twitch of her eyebrow. Leaning down to Aiden's level, she trilled, "you know what a water ballet is, don't you little guy?"

Aiden furrowed his brow and shook his head, causing all three of my sisters to gasp. I pulled back slightly, a little puzzled by their reactions. "What?"

"Misty, your own son doesn't know what a water ballet is?" Violet shrieked.

"No," I scrunched up my nose. "He's a boy; he doesn't care what it is."

"But every Waterflower knows about the water ballet," Daisy tried to reason with me, instead of just freaking out like the other two. "It's a huge part of our heritage!"

"Technically, Aiden and Michelle are _Ketchums_," I smirked. Teasing my sisters just seemed like fun at the moment, although I could tell by Daisy's expression that she wasn't in the mood for it.

"Well, that's no problem," Lily broke in, her blue eyes gleaming with mischief just as they had when we were kids. "I'd be more than happy to explain it to my adorable little nephew!"

"NO!" Aiden yelled, covering his ears with his little hands. We all looked at him in bewilderment, not sure why he was getting so worked up. After uncovering his ears and shifting his bright eyes from side to side, Aiden turned his attention onto me and prompted, "Mommy, tell me."

"Huh?" I blinked. "But, sweetheart, Aunt Lily was _going_ to tell you!"

"No," Aiden repeated, although more quietly this time. Wrapping his arms around my midsection, he nestled his head into my body and continued, "You. I want _you_ to tell me, Mommy."

"Oh…okay," I smiled, gently patting his head. For whatever reason, Aiden was being unusually affectionate with me today. I found it strange, but also had no desire to question it. I liked being able to baby him without complaint. "You see Aiden, when your Aunts and I were younger; we used to put on shows in the gym. Lots of people would come to watch us, and they were very popular shows. They're called water ballets because, well, we're basically performing ballet underwater."

"Sounds girly," Aiden made a face. "I don't like girly."

"No, you don't," I giggled, kissing his little nose.

"Oh, but they were so much fun," Violet sighed in a dreamy tone. "I loved when you weren't around, Misty. Because then I got to play the beautiful princess roles."

"Wow, thanks so much," I replied flatly. Regaining my sneaky composure, I pressed, "wait, _beautiful? _You three always called me the runt and said I wasn't a Sensational Sister. So why'd you always give me the best roles, huh?"

"Because you're the prettiest, Mommy!" Aiden answered before any of my sisters could speak up.

"Aww, my sweet baby boy!" I hugged him as tightly as I could without hurting him, pressing plenty of kisses into his messy raven locks.

"Clearly he lacks a filter," Violet flattened out her brow.

"Just like his Daddy," I tickled the boy under his chin, smiling as he laughed heartily.

As I was busy paying attention to my dear son, I noticed Daisy scouring through the objects on the floor, eventually setting her eyes on something I couldn't quite see and grinning joyfully at it. She then moved closer to us, kneeling down and placing the item on Aiden's head. I was finally able to see what it was: a silver crown dotted with blue and green gemstones.

"You look so handsome!" I complimented the child as he adjusted the headwear to move it away from his eyes.

"Ah, my prince crown!" Lily nodded towards the circlet. "You know, I never admitted it, but I really didn't like having to play the male parts."

"Trust us, Lil, you didn't have to complain," Violet rolled her eyes. "It was obvious enough."

"Aunt Lily was a boy?" Aiden raised one eyebrow.

"No cutie, I had to _pretend _to be a boy," Lily explained through a smile.

"That is until I got Tracey to play the male leads," Daisy piped up, clearly pleased with herself for doing this.

"And then Ash," I added. My lips twitching, I continued, "He still hasn't forgiven you for it."

"Not surprising," Daisy sighed laughingly.

"But that's okay," Violet beamed, "because we finally have a natural born male in the immediate family!"

"Violet, what are you implying?" My voice was hesitant. I had a feeling I knew where she was headed with this, and if I was right, it wouldn't end well.

"The next time we put on a water ballet, we have our sweet little prince right here!" Lily knelt down and hugged Aiden close to her. The boy grew wide eyed, the crown immediately falling off his head.

"Aw, a little water prince!" Violet trilled, clasping her hands together.

"_Mommy!_" Aiden wailed, hugging me yet again. "I don't wanna be a prince! I don't, I don't!"

"Sweetie, you don't have to be a prince…" I laughed nervously while rubbing the back of my neck.

"Oh, wouldn't he make such a sweet little prince?" Lily agreed instantly with Violet, her eyes lighting up at the prospect.

"I could start sketching up a costume for him right away!" Daisy chimed in.

Aiden groaned and buried his face into my shirt, as if this would make him disappear. I smiled and ran my hand up and down his back, hoping to reassure the boy.

"Don't worry sweetheart," I whispered to the child. "You're not gonna be a prince. No one gets through your Mommy, not even your Aunts!"

At this, Aiden giggled and lifted just his eyes up in order to wink at me. In turn, I winked back. We made a pretty good team, I thought. Together, we could stave off anyone we wanted to.

Even my crazy, overzealous sisters.

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah, I don't have Misty's sisters say "like" after every other word. I figure by this point (where, in my mind, they'd be 30, 29, and 28 years old) they would have grown out of that habit. They're still a <em>little<em> ditzy though ;)**


	25. Grammy

**Some people wanted to see a chapter involving some Aiden and Michelle interaction with Ash's mother, so I came up with this! It's a fluffy piece, but I like the way it turned out :P She spoils them greatly, as you could probably imagine, so this is what I created the chapter around.**

**Two small notes. One: Aiden and Michelle call Delia "Grammy" so they don't mix her up with Misty's mother, who they call "Grandma." I haven't written much involving Misty's parents yet, but eventually I will. Once I come up with a good idea. And two: Aiden and Michelle are still young in this chapter, so any mistakes you see in their grammar is on purpose. For example, you're going to see "pease" alot. I didn't forget the L, Aiden and Michelle did :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 3 years old**

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><p><strong>Grammy<strong>

"Do you two promise that you're going to behave for Grammy?"

Aiden and Michelle were both gazing up at their mother, who had a very serious look plastered on her face. They then turned to their grandmother, who giggled and gave them a smile.

"Yes Mommy!" The two chimed together.

Misty beamed and kneeled down, giving both children three kisses each; on their left cheek, forehead, and right cheek. Michelle appreciated the affection, but Aiden didn't quite feel the same way. He instantly stuck his tongue out and began wiping at his face, causing Misty to laugh and ruffle his midnight locks.

"Ready to go yet, Mist?" Ash was standing behind Misty, trying desperately to tie a dark blue, printed tie around his neck. Sighing, Delia stepped forward and fixed the tie for her son, who grinned sheepishly in response. "Heh. Thanks Mom."

"No problem," Delia waved a hand. "Aiden, Michelle," she addressed her grandchildren, who quickly turned around, "Mommy and Daddy have to go now, or they're going to be late."

"Bye!" Michelle called out, waving to her parents.

"Well, that was easy," Misty glanced at her husband. Ash simply chuckled in response.

"Remember what Mommy said, okay guys?" Ash looked down at the twins. They nodded slowly, and soon Ash and Misty were off to dinner.

"Grammy," Aiden turned to his grandmother, "I'm hungry."

"Oh sweetheart, you ate dinner before you came here, didn't you?" Delia smiled at her grandson.

"I'm hungry again," Aiden blinked.

Delia giggled and turned towards the kitchen. "Oh, you're so much like your Daddy. Well, since you already ate dinner, how about some dessert?"

"Yeah!" Aiden beamed, jumping up and down excitedly as his eyes sparkled. "Cookie?"

"Yes, I have cookies," Delia nodded. "And I have some cupcakes too! What would you like, dear?"

"Both!" Aiden answered without hesitation.

"Both?" Delia repeated, her tone growing a little wary. Aiden nodded, his face set in a serious expression. "But honey, if you eat both, you might get a tummy ache."

"Grammy, both pease?" Aiden pouted, his eyes growing large as he pleaded with his grandmother. Delia cooed softly, grinning boldly at her little grandson's simple action.

"Oh, how can I say no to a face like that?" Delia ruffled Aiden's midnight black locks. The young boy smiled once again, his cheeks turning pink as excitement once again coursed through his veins. Looking at the boy's twin sister, Delia hummed gently and asked, "Michelle, darling, do you want cake and cookies too?"

"Yes!" Michelle cheered, her wonderful emerald eyes brightening as she looked up at the older woman.

Delia continued to smile happily to herself as the two children ran into the kitchen, pulling themselves up into chairs at the kitchen table with great effort. Delia would have offered to help the children up, but they were rather independent and determined little things. They didn't even like to receive help from their own parents, although they loved the adults dearly.

Ash's mother hardly minded watching over the twins, and providing them with a seemingly endless amount of sweets, an act that she knew Ash disapproved of heartily. Delia just couldn't help it. She loved Aiden and Michelle like nothing else in the world. They were so precious and wonderful…Delia was sure nobody had grandchildren as beautiful and perfect as hers. Perhaps they brought her so much joy because Delia wasn't so sure they would ever even _exist_. Ash, while she loved her son immensely, had always been terribly stubborn, and on top of that, restless. He was always jumping from one journey to the next, stopping by the house for only a day or two at a time before setting off yet again. As Ash got older, however, Delia began to prod him on the subject of love just as much as she had about his underwear when he was a child. She would always ask him when he was going to find a nice girl, and finally settle down in order to give her some grandchildren. Of course, Ash would always become flustered and beg his mother to stop asking him such a question, but Delia was persistent on the matter.

Putting down the cake and tray of cookies on the table, Delia took a moment to study Michelle's hair: bright red and stick straight, resting a good inch or so below her dainty shoulders. It was clear she got that from her mother, Misty, and that's part of what made Delia so giddy.

Delia would've loved whoever Ash eventually got together with, because she valued her son's happiness above all else. However, while he was still young, Delia had mentally decided who would make the best partner for Ash, simply based on their friendship and natural chemistry. This on top of the fact that Delia had begun to view the girl as her own daughter. On the days where Misty could barely tolerate her gym leader duties, or her sisters, she would come straight to Delia, even though Ash was rarely home for these visits. Through these countless stopovers, Delia and Misty had formed a solid bond. Misty was always happy to do something for Delia, be it a small errand or helping her in the garden. Delia never did like putting Misty to work, however, and often just sat the younger girl down for tea or a good meal.

Once Ash and Misty finally started to date, Delia felt that everything was right in the world. Having only her growing up, Delia knew that Ash could've probably used a stronger family unit. With Misty in the picture, this fantasy was beginning to become a reality. Delia knew it would become perfect once the couple actually got married and had children of their own. Then Ash would have the complete family he'd never known.

Delia's attention once again reverted back to her grandchildren. Eating was pretty much the only time the two were completely silent. Much like their parents, Aiden and Michelle ate plenty and feverously. Delia was almost certain she would regret giving them this much sugar later on, but they were just too cute to say no to. Besides, once Ash and Misty came back, the children would be their problem. _This is the real joy of having grandchildren,_ Delia thought with a smirk. _Spoiling them without consequence._

"Done, Grammy!"

Delia blinked, having been torn from her thoughts by Aiden's squeaky little voice. Glancing down at the children's plates, Delia was hardly surprised to see the dishes completely clear of any food. Not a single crumb remained from the cookies and slices of cake that had just been demolished.

"My, that was quick!" Delia giggled. She collected the plates and headed over to the sink, putting them in and preparing to wash the dishes.

"Grammy, can we go?" Michelle called.

Delia looked over her shoulder. Michelle was sitting up on her knees, leaning her little arms over the back of her chair. Her head was tilted to the right in a questioning pose, and her eyes were wide in childlike innocence.

"Go where, darling?" Delia trilled.

"Park!" Michelle chirped, her head snapping up at the seemingly fabulous idea.

Delia hummed quietly to herself and looked out the window. It was still early at night, and because it was summertime, the sun was still out and the weather was warm. She glanced back down at the dishes, which desperately needed to be done. Delia sighed. She wanted to make her grandchildren happy, but she couldn't really just leave the dishes.

"Mime, mime!"

Turning around, Delia found her faithful Mimey standing in the doorway, sporting a straw sunhat and wearing a pair of dark green gardening gloves.

"There you are Mimey," Delia smiled at the clown Pokémon. "You finished tending to the garden?"

"Mime!" Mimey nodded.

Suddenly, Delia got an idea. "Mimey, if it's not too much trouble, would you mind taking care of these dishes for me?"

"Mime? Mr. Mime!" Mimey became even happier, causing Delia to smile. Doing chores was no bother to the barrier Pokémon; in fact, they were his favorite pastime.

"Thank you so much, Mimey!" Delia clasped her hands together. "Once you finish, there's a whole plate of cookies as well as some cake on the table. I made sure my little grandbabies didn't eat it all!"

"Mime," Mimey smiled, hopping over to the sink and trading out his gardening gloves for a sponge and dish towel.

"Alright you two," Delia put her attention back on the twins, who were still sitting at the table, "let's head on over to the park!"

Both Aiden and Michelle cheered excitedly as they leapt out of their chairs and hurried over to the front door, jumping eagerly for the door knob. Neither could reach, however, so a giggling Delia approached the door and opened it herself, sending the children right out into the front yard. They were smart, however, and knew not to run off without their grandmother. They waited patiently on the walkway for Delia to come outside, who grinned proudly at the children and told them how proud she was that they knew to stay put.

Aiden was happy to walk alongside his grandmother, observing everything around him as they walked. Michelle, however, preferred to have a little more attention placed on her.

"Grammy, hold hands?" Michelle looked up and smiled. Upon seeing the girl's tiny teeth, Delia giggled airily and held her hand out to the child.

"Of course, baby girl!"

Michelle squealed delightfully and grasped the older woman's hand, gently swinging their arms back and forth as they walked.

Delia went back to her thoughts as she watched the children walk alongside her, their obvious youth shining through tremendously as they scanned their eyes over all different kinds of things: trees, houses, flowers.

They were quite big already. It honestly felt like only yesterday that a still newly married Ash and Misty had informed her that they were going to be parents. Delia could clearly remember the first time she saw the two beautiful children: nestled in Ash's arms as tiny, newborn babies. She could've sworn her heart was going to burst at the sight: not only because it was wonderful, but because it hardly seemed like reality. In fact, Delia found herself in such a shocked state that she had looked up into her son's face with a look that was full of love and bewilderment, as if asking _they're really real? _And then, seeming to know exactly what his mother was wordlessly inquiring, Ash gave her a bright smile and sparkling eyes that responded _yes, they're real. They're real, and they're perfect._

"Grammy, I'm going to go on the swings!"

Once again, Aiden was the one to break Delia out of her revere. She realized the boy wasn't looking at her, but rather ahead of himself with a look of determination. Wearing that expression made Aiden look even more so like Ash than usual.

"The swings were always your Daddy's favorite at the park," Delia playfully informed her grandson.

"Really?" Aiden stopped in his tracks and whipped around, his eyes bright upon hearing this little piece of information. He loved to be like his father in any way, shape, or form, and that meant anything from his favorite kinds of Pokémon to his favorite foods.

"Oh yes," Delia giggled quietly. "Every time I took him to the park, he would head straight to the swings. And he would try to get himself up as high as possible and then jump off in mid air." Delia looked rather startled by the memory, and she sighed tiredly. "Your Daddy was so good at scaring me when he was young. In fact, he was good at scaring me for quite some time."

"Daddy's not scary Grammy," Michelle laughed at the thought. "Daddy cuddly!"

"Yes, that he is," Delia murmured with a small smile gracing her lips.

Ash had really only calmed down when he found out he was going to be a father. He didn't want to endanger himself and chance not being there for his children. It was difficult for him to grow up without a father, and he didn't want Aiden and Michelle to suffer the same fate. Because of this, Aiden and Michelle refused to believe that their father could ever do anything dangerous. He was just there to hug and to cuddle! They had no idea what kind of situations their dear Daddy had put Delia, Misty, and all of his friends through throughout the years. And if they saw all the old, faded scars on the handsome young man's body…

"Grammy, watch me!"

Delia blinked hard and shook her head. She _really _needed to stop spacing out when Aiden and Michelle were in her care! They may have been well behaved children (at least under her supervision) but they were still young and _very_ energetic; anything could happen.

It just happened upon Delia that they had finally reached the park. Aiden had already taken up one of the swings, and Michelle, who had been the one calling out for Delia's attention, was peeking out at the top of the plastic, orange slide.

"I'm watching dear," Delia grinned as she encouraged the young girl. "Go on!"

Michelle giggled as she began to push herself down the slide. As she went down, she shrieked in pure delight, the simple pleasure of the playground attraction more than enough to entertain the child.

"You sure are having fun with that slide, aren't you Shelly?" Delia playfully asked her granddaughter after the girl's sixth trip down.

"Yeah!" Michelle emphatically nodded her head. Jumping up from the bottom of the slide, Michelle beamed at her grandmother and asked, "Do you want to go, Grammy?"

"That's very sweet of you to ask, darling!" Delia cooed at the request. "But I think I'm a little too old to be going down the slide."

"You're not old!" Michelle scrunched up her little nose as she giggled airily. Delia supposed the little girl had a point. She _was_ only in her forties, after all, and she didn't even look _that_ old. There had been occasions before, in fact, where people had mistaken Delia to be Aiden and Michelle's _mother. _

"Thank you for the compliment Shelly," Delia grinned. Michelle simply laughed again and then, apparently bored of the slide, ran over to the swings to join her brother.

Delia watched the two young children play for a little while longer, but soon it began to grow dark. The sun was just setting below the tall oak trees that filled Pallet Town, and Delia decided that it was probably time to take the twins home.

"Alright you two, let's start heading back," Delia beckoned sweetly. The twins stopped swinging and stared up curiously at their grandmother, wondering why in the world they had to leave now. They were having too much fun. Smirking, Delia continued, "It's starting to get late, babies. I'm going to have to help you two get ready for bed so when Mommy and Daddy come to get you, they can tuck you away as soon as you get home."

"But we're not tired, Grammy," Aiden rested his head against the rubber coated chain of the swing and gave the most charming smile he could manage.

"I'm sure that walking home will help you two grow a little tired," Delia encouraged. "Let's try, okay?"

Aiden and Michelle still didn't look completely pleased with the decision, but they never argued with their Grammy. Their parents? Well, that was an entirely different story.

As Delia led the two back to her house down the quiet streets of Pallet Town, this time holding the hands of both children, Aiden and Michelle decided to stall for time by stopping to look in the windows of each and every store that lined downtown Pallet. At first, Delia thought they were just being their curious little selves, but she began to see through the act when the twins actually took interest in a pottery shop.

"You two are sneaky, aren't you?" Delia giggled behind her hand. Michelle looked over her shoulder to give her grandmother a glowing smile, batting her eyelashes as she did so. The latter action took Delia by surprise. She'd never seen the girl do _that_ one before. With a quiet smile, Delia assumed that one of Misty's sisters had taught her the trick.

"Ooh, ooh, toys!" Aiden cried suddenly. He ran to the next store over, pressing his nose up against the glass window as he admired whatever was in the display. Michelle, who was also excited by the idea of toys, hurried next to her brother and looked alongside him. Delia stood behind the children, waiting patiently for them to finish surveying the playthings.

"Aiden!" Michelle squealed as she grabbed onto the sleeve of the boy's short sleeved red shirt. "Look at the Mana!"

Delia looked to where her granddaughter was jabbing her finger at, and giggled inwardly upon seeing what Michelle was so excited over. It was a stuffed Manaphy, although Michelle was clearly unable to say the Pokémon's full name. The fact that she got so excited over water Pokémon, however, just further proved who her mother was. _It's just like Ash says. Michelle really is a Mini Misty._

"Ch…Charmander!" Aiden cried just as excitedly, sounding out the Pokémon's name very carefully.

Delia smiled to herself. She knew she shouldn't…that Ash would probably get upset with her. But the twins were so precious…how could she resist?

"Do you two want them?" Delia leaned in closer to the children and asked. They both spun around, with the widest grins either one could make, and nodded emphatically. "Alright, then. Let's go buy your stuffed Pokémon and then get into pajamas. How does that sound?"

"Yes pease," Michelle jumped up and down.

"Okay!" Aiden chirped joyfully.

It didn't take too long inside the store, since Aiden and Michelle both knew what they wanted. Delia showed them the other stuffed Pokémon, and made absolutely certain that they still wanted their original choices. Neither one changed their mind, so Delia paid for the Manaphy and Charmander and the small group was once again on their way, this time with no distractions.

Closer to home, Michelle had begun yawning and was soon leaning against Delia's leg. Looking down at the girl, Delia patted her head and asked, "Are you getting sleepy, little princess?"

"Yes," Michelle mumbled, her voice heavy with exhaustion.

Her lips curving upwards, Delia reached down with her right arm and pulled Michelle up, deciding to carry the tired girl the rest of the way. Her left hand, meanwhile, was still busy clutching onto Aiden's right, while the bag from the toy shop hung from her right wrist.

Back in the house, Delia found Mimey dusting off the television, a chore that she hadn't instructed the barrier Pokémon to do. "Oh Mimey, I certainly hope you took a break after washing those dishes," Delia smiled gently at the Pokémon.

"Mime!" Mimey nodded happily.

"Good. Would you mind fetching the twins' pajamas for me, then? They're folded up on the bed in the guest bedroom."

"Mime, Mr. Mime!" Mimey put down his duster and headed up the stairs.

Walking over to the couch, Delia put the half asleep Michelle down as gingerly as possible. The little girl yawned again and settled her head into the back cushions of the couch. Aiden, meanwhile, was able to pull himself up on the couch, sitting calmly next to his sister. He certainly didn't appear to be as sleepy as her, but he wasn't as hyper as he usually was, which indicated that he was somewhat tired.

"Aiden, do you want me to put the television on?" Delia asked as she stroked the young boy's hair.

"Yes pease!" Aiden smiled. Delia cooed and leaned in to kiss her grandson's cheek. He was always so polite to her. Delia just found it to be so adorable. She reached for the remote and turned the set on, searching for the one thing she knew would make Aiden happiest. As soon as she found it, the child's happy shriek confirmed it for his grandmother.

"Pokémon battle!"

Delia patted the boy's head and left him to his own devices. As she went to tend to Michelle, she smirked when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Aiden pull his legs into his chest resting his chin on his knees; completely absorbed in the battle.

Michelle, on the other hand, had completely slumped over, and was now lying on her side with her eyes still half shut.

"Someone is very sleepy," Delia spoke to Michelle in a soothing, sing song voice. Misty often did the same thing to the children, so Delia knew it was comforting for them.

"Grammy," Michelle murmured, her voice barely audible. "I wan' Mana."

"You want Mama?" Delia leaned in closer, trying to decipher what Michelle had just said.

"No. Mana."

"Oh, Manaphy," Delia laughed quietly. Reaching into the bag, she retrieved the stuffed water type legendary and held it out for her granddaughter to take.

"Thank," Michelle yawned for the third time as she grabbed onto the toy, wrapping her arms around it and snuggling her cheek against its soft material.

"Aiden, do you want Charmander?" Delia glanced back at the raven haired boy. He nodded silently, not wanting to tear his eyes away from the battle for a single second. Smiling to herself, Delia handed off the stuffed replica of the fire starter, which Aiden took with a "thank you Grammy" and then proceeded to hold against his side like a dear friend.

"Mr. Mime, Mime!"

Delia knew that was Mimey announcing his presence. Turning her head towards the clown Pokémon, Delia called out, "thank you so much Mimey! Could you bring them over here?"

"Mime," Mimey nodded, bringing the articles of neatly folded sleepwear over to his trainer.

Delia decided to change Michelle first, since the girl was on her way to falling asleep. Her day clothes, which consisted of white, knee length leggings, a short sleeved sky blue dress with a ruffled hem, and blue sandals were switched out for her lilac and white pajamas. Delia found the purple pants dotted with white polka dots to be absolutely adorable, as well as a perfect match to the white, short sleeved shirt that featured a big, light purple heart on the front, also covered in polka dots. Not being able to dress Ash in such cute, girly outfits were the only times Delia found herself wondering what it would be like to have a daughter. Now, she got to experience all of that with Michelle.

Once Michelle was changed, it was time for Aiden to get into his own pajamas. Delia knew that he would be a much more difficult task, since he was now engrossed in the battle that was playing on TV.

"Aiden, dear, are you ready to get changed?" Delia tried.

"Yes," Aiden replied without taking his eyes off the screen.

Somehow, Delia managed to get Aiden out of his red shirt that featured a blue poke ball, and blue shorts, without having to tear the child's attention away from the battle. The last thing to remove were his blue and red sneakers, and within a minute, the boy was re-outfitted in his dark blue pajamas that had lightning bolts on the pants, and a cute little Pikachu on the front of the shirt.

As Delia folded up the children's day clothes, the grumbling of someone's stomach pierced the air. Somehow, Delia knew _exactly_ who that sound had come from. She looked towards Aiden, smirking when she saw that his eyes were still glued to the screen, but was now sporting a heavy blush on his cheeks.

"Aiden," Delia teased playfully, "was that your tummy?"

"No," Aiden buried the lower half of his face in his arms so only his eyes could be seen. Another rumble sounded, and Aiden's blush intensified.

"Such a hungry little boy," Delia sighed before she began to giggle. "Well, you certainly _are_ growing! Do you want some food, little guy?"

"Cookies?" Aiden asked with a wide grin.

"Of course you can have some cookies," Delia tickled under the boy's chin. "In fact, you could have some warm milk with it too! Would you like that?"

"Yay!" Aiden nodded happily.

Delia laughed yet again before heading into the kitchen, with Mimey following dutifully behind. She had her Pokémon helper put some cookies on a plate while Delia busied herself with the task of heating up a glass of milk for her young grandson.

With the boy settled on the couch, quietly eating his nighttime snack while watching the battle, Delia was relieved to finally have a break. She sat down in the chair that was placed near the couch, and reached for the book she was currently reading. Once she retrieved it, however, the doorbell rang, earning a tired sigh from the older woman.

"Mime, Mr. Mime!" Mimey announced. He got to the door before Delia, answering it with a bright smile and a cheerful little greeting of, "Mr. Mime, Mr. Mime!"

"Hello there Mimey!" The sweet, familiar voice of a young woman floated into the house.

"Where's my Mom, Mimey?" This question was posed by a male, his voice amused and light.

Delia jumped up and walked over to the door, beaming at her son and daughter in law. They were both in good spirits, and quickly returned her smile.

"Hi!" Misty greeted simply but brightly, her eyes sparkling in the summer moonlight.

"Ah, you two are back!" Delia grinned. "Did you have fun at the dinner tonight?"

"We sure did," Misty nodded. At this, Ash scoffed and playfully rolled his eyes. Glaring at her husband, Misty corrected, "well, _I_ had fun."

"Okay, it's not that I didn't have fun!" Ash quickly defended himself. "Because I did. I just don't like giving speeches is all, and I made a mistake or two. All of my friends ribbed me about it, like they usually do."

"But I didn't, because I'm good to you," Misty winked.

"Only when you feel sorry for me," Ash smirked teasingly.

"Well, I'm sure you two missed your children," Delia giggled.

"I always miss my babies when I'm away from them!" Misty clasped her hands together. "Where are they?"

"They're right here in the living room," Delia motioned her hand towards the inside of the house. "Come in, please! I even have some cake and cookies if you'd like."

"Thanks Mom, but we had plenty to eat at the dinner," Ash let Misty enter the house first, earning a sweet smile from the gym leader, before he walked in himself.

"I think Michelle might have fallen asleep," Delia informed the young parents. "Last I checked on her, she was halfway there."

Misty caught sight of the twins sitting (or in Michelle's case, lying down) on the couch, and she cooed softly. Walking over, she gently greeted Aiden, rubbing his cheek before leaning down and kissing him on the forehead.

"I missed you so much tonight, little guy!" Misty beamed at the boy. "Did you miss me?"

"No, I'm not sad with Grammy!" Aiden happily shook his head before taking a bite out of his last cookie.

"You're certainly an honest little thing, huh?" Misty stood back up to her full height and smirked. Looking over at Michelle, Misty realized that her mother-in-law was right. The little girl was fast asleep, breathing gently with her arms still wrapped tightly around her newly purchased Manaphy toy.

"Ash, our little princess is in dreamland," Misty giggled airily as she looked over her shoulder. The Pokémon master smirked and approached the couch, carefully studying the snoozing figure of his young daughter for a few moments. Chuckling, he reached over and lifted the girl into his arms, cradling her the way he did when she was a baby.

"Aw, she's so cute," Ash sighed. He kissed the girl's nose before looking down at his son. When he saw Aiden nibbling on a cookie, however, Ash became somewhat bewildered. He also didn't recognize the stuffed Charmander by Aiden's side, or for that matter, the stuffed Manaphy in Michelle's arms. Slowly raising his head, Ash glanced towards Delia and asked simply, "Mom?"

Right away, Delia knew what Ash was getting at. His face held an un-amused expression, one that clearly read: _Have you been spoiling them again?_

"Ash, I just can't help it," Delia laughed behind her hand. "They're so cute! How could I not?"

"But Mom…" Ash groaned.

"No buts, young man!" Delia scolded as she wagged her finger. Putting her hand down, Delia smiled and finished glowingly, "I'm their grandmother. It's my job to spoil them. Isn't that right, Aiden?"

"Yes Grammy!" Aiden agreed whole heartedly.

All Ash could do was sigh quietly, but despite his frustration, a smile appeared on his handsome face. He couldn't really blame his mother for spoiling the twins. They really _were_ adorable.

And Ash knew just how much the two meant to her.


	26. A Valentine Disaster

**Here's the Valentine's Day chapter! A day late, but better late than never, right?**

**Aiden and Michelle: 2 years old**

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><p><strong>A Valentine Disaster<strong>

"Ash, you _do_ know what tomorrow is, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Ash rolled his eyes, seeing as Misty was in her closet and unable to see him. "It's…" he glanced over at the digital calendar that sat on his nightstand, "February 14th."

"Which is?" Misty began to sound irritated.

"Uh…Valentine's Day!" Ash answered, clearly proud of himself for having figured that out on his own.

"And what else?" Misty's tone only grew more annoyed.

Ash screwed his mouth in thought. Misty was really testing his brain, now. He knew the answer to this simple question probably should've been obvious, but nothing was coming to mind at the moment.

"How about our _anniversary?_" Misty snapped. "Does _that_ ring a bell?"

"Oh, yeah!" Ash grinned. "I forgot that we got married on Valentine's Day."

"How could you ever forget that?" Misty finally stepped out of the closet. She sounded part angry and part disappointed. Ash assumed she was more of the latter, however, because a rather forlorn expression had taken over her pretty face. "I had our wedding on Valentine's Day because I thought that would make it easier for you to remember!"

"I'm sorry, baby," Ash frowned and held his arms out for Misty. She was still pouting, but none the less, she shuffled over to her husband and fell into his lap, allowing him to wrap his strong arms around her. "I really do know our anniversary, I just wasn't thinking clearly when you asked me all those questions," Ash rubbed his cheek against hers. That one may have been a little bit of a lie, but he certainly wasn't going to let her know that.

"That's okay," a small smile itched its way onto Misty's lips. Turning her head, she left an airy little kiss on the tip of Ash's nose before continuing, "So what are we going to do for it?"

"Huh?" Ash seemed a little taken back by Misty's latest inquiry. "How much can we possibly do? We've got two little kids."

"Yeah, and a million people to babysit them," Misty rolled her eyes, causing Ash to grimace. He wondered why he wasn't allowed to do that in front of Misty without getting smacked or chided, but _she_ found it fine to do in front of _him_. "I want to have fun, Ash."

"We're parents, Misty. How much fun do you possibly expect us to have?"

"I'm not saying we should go out and get ourselves killed, idiot," Misty smacked the back of his head. Ash groaned and rubbed the sore spot. Sighing, Misty pushed his hand away and replaced it with her own, massaging the afflicted area. Ash purred quietly and closed his eyes, leaning his head back ever so slightly as Misty rubbed through his dark, tangled locks. "But we're only 23 years old, and more often than not, I feel like we act more like we're in our thirties or something."

"Well, that's your fault for getting pregnant at such a young age," Ash reopened both of his eyes to shoot a playful look at his wife.

"I'm not afraid to hit you again," Misty warned, her own eyes narrowing in aggravation. "Need I remind you that it takes _two_ people to make a baby?"

"Hey, we made _two_ babies," Ash smirked. "Because I'm super talented."

This one earned Ash an even harder smack.

"OWW!" Ash whined, once again reaching for the back of his head.

"Don't be so loud!" Misty hissed. "You'll wake the twins up!"

"Well, maybe you shouldn't hit me so hard!" Ash bit back.

"You deserved it," Misty folded her arms. "You're not taking me seriously, Ash. I'm trying to have a conversation with you, and you're cracking jokes like a smart ass."

"Sorry," Ash reluctantly apologized as he lowered his hand. "Let's try again."

"Right," Misty breathed out and tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear. Looking back up at Ash, she repeated, "I want to do something for our anniversary. And "nothing" is not a proper response. I really want to do something."

"Alright," Ash smoothed his hair back. "Like what?"

"I don't know," Misty admitted, slightly shrugging her shoulders. "I wanted us to be alone, though. You know…no kids. Just for the night."

"So…just a date?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, just a date. But I don't know what we could do."

"We could always go out to dinner," Ash suggested.

"But…that's so simple," Misty scrunched her nose. "I mean, there's nothing wrong with it, but I wanted to do something different."

"Something different…" Ash repeated quietly, thinking about what they could possibly do for their anniversary that would be both romantic and unique. Suddenly getting a brilliant idea, Ash raised a single finger into the air and announced, "I've got it!"

"What?" Misty blinked.

Laughing charmingly, Ash grabbed both of Misty's hands and held them in his own, causing the gym leader to blush. Beaming, Ash continued, "how would you like it if I took you to Cerulean Cape for the afternoon? We could have a picnic, and I won't make _any_ of the food! We could have Brock come over and watch Aiden and Michelle while we're out. What do you think?"

Misty's blush subsided and her eyes began to sparkle as she threw her arms around Ash's neck. "Oh, sweetheart, I _love_ that idea! You're a genius!"

Ash pulled Misty away and stared at her with wide, shocked eyes. "Wow, Misty. I think that's the first time in nearly 14 years that you've called me a genius!"

"Hmm," Misty giggled airily. "Don't get used to it!"

**XXX**

Both Ash and Misty awoke the next morning in pristine moods. They were so looking forward to the special date they had planned; nothing could possibly ruin this perfect day!

Or…so they thought.

The twins had woken up happily as well, but for reasons their parents didn't want to be experiencing at the moment.

"Let's pway game, Daddy!" Michelle cheered, jumping up and down on the floor like a Spoink on a sugar high.

"Sweetheart, I don't have time to play games," Ash smiled sympathetically at his little girl, who instantly stopped hopping upon hearing this.

"Why?" Michelle frowned.

"Because Mommy and I are going out this afternoon," Ash reached down and ruffled his daughter's hair. Michelle huffed and smacked at her father's hand, surprising Ash. She had never done anything like _that _before. "Michelle, that wasn't nice!"

"Pway game!" Michelle demanded.

"Baby, I _can't_…"

"GAME!" Michelle screamed it this time. Folding her arms across her chest, she began to march in circles around her exasperated father, holding her head back as she yelled, "GAME, GAME, GAME, GAME!"

"What is going on in here?" Misty blinked as she walked into the kitchen.

"Michelle wants to play a game," Ash informed his wife over their daughter's incessant shouting. "But when I told her there just wasn't time…well, _this_ happened."

"Michelle, stop!" Misty ordered, planting her hands on her hips.

The young red head finally stopped circling her father, but she kept the furious little pout on her face. Lowering her arms in order to tighten her hands into tiny little fists, Michelle bounded up to her mother and whined, "Daddy won't pway wif me! I wanna pway a game! Tell him to pway, Mommy!"

"He already told you he can't," Misty shook her head. "Daddy and I have something to do soon. He can play with you when we come back, though!"

"No, NOW!" Michelle stomped her foot.

"I don't like your attitude, little lady!" Misty wagged a finger at her frustrated child. "Don't make me put you in a time out!"

"I wanna pway a game!" Michelle cried again. This time, she burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably as she lowered her eyes to the floor. Misty was still stuck in her "you're going to be in trouble" stance, but her expression had changed to one of slight panic. Michelle never usually acted out in such a fashion. To be honest, Misty wasn't sure what to do.

"Michelle, why can't we play a game when I come back?" Ash kneeled down and asked his daughter the seemingly innocent question.

"I wanna pway _now_," Michelle wailed, her little cheeks reddening as she bawled. "No wanna wait!"

"Sometimes we have to wait for things we want, honey," Ash tried to reason with Michelle. "Can't you be a good girl and do that for me?"

Michelle sniffled but shook her head. She was not going to give up this fight until her father gave in to what she wanted.

"Michelle…" Ash sighed.

Shrieking in a high pitched, unsatisfactory fashion, Michelle ran over to Ash and attached herself to his leg, crying into his knee as she dug her fingers into his jeans.

As Michelle carried on this little act, the doorbell rang, leading Ash to look up at Misty with pleading eyes. Knowing that there was no possible way for her husband to get up at the moment, Misty groaned and walked over to the door in order to answer it.

"Michelle, you have to let go of my leg," Ash spoke slowly and softly to try and coax his daughter off of him.

"No," was Michelle's simple, tearful answer.

"Why not?"

"No."

"Michelle…" Ash gently grabbed the girl's sides, trying to pry her little self off of him. It didn't seem to be doing any good, however. Michelle's grasp on her father was a pretty solid one. She was holding onto his pants for dear life, and she had even managed to plant her feet into the ground.

_She's really crafty for a two year old, _Ash thought, _I blame Misty's DNA._

"Ash, Brock is here!" Misty called from the doorway.

_Damnit! _Ash swore in his head. "Uh…be right there!"

He continued his vain attempt to remove Michelle from his leg. Once he finally came to terms with the fact that he wasn't going to accomplish this task, Ash decided to do the best he could with a little girl stuck to his leg. Standing up to his full height, Ash began to move towards the door, picking up his right leg with great effort in order to lift it up. Even with his leg several inches above the ground, Michelle continued to hold on, never showing any signs of coming loose.

Eventually, Ash made it to the door, where Misty gave him an un amused gaze, and Brock just looked absolutely confused.

"Uh…hey Ash…" Brock stared down at the little girl attached to her father's leg. "What's up…?"

"I have a 2 year old stuck to me," Ash answered nonchalantly.

"Yeah, I see that," Brock just continued to look down at Michelle.

"Ash and I will be able to go just as soon as we disconnect Michelle from Ash's leg," Misty tried to smile at Brock, but her lips were deceiving her. Kneeling down, she began to tug at her daughter and gently coo, "come on Michelle, let go sweetie…"

"I already tried that, several times," Ash deadpanned. "Trust me; she ain't coming off that way."

"This is ridiculous," Misty grumbled as she stood back up and folded her arms. She looked so pretty, Ash noted as he looked over his wife. Her past the shoulder red hair had been gently curled, and she was wearing a short white sundress decorated with red, yellow, and orange stitched flowers. Over the dress she wore a light, tight fitting navy blue jacket with gold zippers and buttons, and on her feet were a pair of yellow ballet flats.

"Did you try bribing her?" Brock suggested. "I know that when Brandon acts out, Forrest or I will have to try and entice him with sweets or something of the sort."

"That could work," Misty nodded slowly. "She _is_ Ash's daughter, after all."

"Not funny," Ash grumbled.

"Hey baby girl!" Misty trilled as she kneeled down once again, completely ignoring her husband's comment. "If you let go of Daddy's leg, I'll give you some of your favorite candies! What do you say?"

"No," Michelle repeated for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

"What about cookies? Would you like some cookies?"

"No."

Misty began to growl before stopping herself in order to take a deep breath. She had to remember that being patient with such a young child was extremely important, and she couldn't snap at the little girl the way she would with Ash or any other adult. Doing that would get them nowhere. She just had to keep her temper under control. "What would get you off of Daddy's leg, sweetheart? Will you tell me?"

Michelle finally turned her head away from Ash's leg, although she kept her little arms wrapped around it as tightly as she could.

"Game," Michelle chirped. "I wanna pway a game wif' Daddy."

"Michelle, isn't there _anything_ else?" Misty was basically pleading with the toddler at this point.

"No," Michelle shook her head. "Game."

"Sweetheart, you know Daddy can't-"

Michelle turned her head back into Ash's knee before Misty could even finish her sentence. This seemed to _really _set her off, because both Ash and Brock could see the familiar fire beginning to burn in Misty's dark green eyes. The chances that she would actually snap at her beloved daughter were insanely low, but Misty's current expression was giving Ash cause for concern, so he grabbed onto her arm and pulled the gym leader back to her feet before she could do anything rash.

"Misty, I really don't think we're going to get Michelle off of my leg," Ash bit his lip.

"She's gotta come off sometime!" Misty slapped a hand against her forehead.

"I don't know, she's pretty determined," Ash furrowed her brow. "I honestly think that the only way we're going to get her to cooperate is if I play a game with her."

"Fine, but make it fast!" Misty threw her hands up in the air, clearly having given up on the whole ordeal. "I'm _really_ looking forward to this date, so hurry it up!"

"Got ya," Ash nodded. Clearing his throat, he announced, "okay Michelle! I'll play a game with you!"

"Weally?" Michelle looked up at her father and showed off all of her tiny baby teeth as she grinned wildly at him.

"Yes, really."

Michelle squealed excitedly and finally released Ash's leg, clapping her hands once she was off and standing in front of him.

"What do you want to play, princess?" Ash smiled weakly at his toddler daughter.

"Matchy!" Michelle beamed.

"Matchy?" Ash wasn't entirely sure of what Michelle meant by that. He didn't know of any games that were called "matchy," and really had no clue of what his daughter wanted to play.

"Yeah, matchy," Michelle nodded.

Ash looked up at Misty, hoping she would understand what Michelle was asking to play. For whatever reason, Misty seemed to better understand the children's "toddler speak" better than he did.

"She wants to play the matching card game," Misty explained to her confused husband. "You know, the one with all the cards that have different Pokémon on them, and you put them face down on the floor and have to flip over two at a time and try to match up the Pokémon?"

"Oh, so _that's_ matchy," Ash muttered to himself.

"Pway, Daddy!" Michelle called.

"Okay, okay, we're going to play!" Ash waved his hands in front of him. "Where is the game? In your room?"

Michelle nodded.

"Okay, let's go upstairs then," Ash nodded towards the staircase.

Michelle bounded off, her pigtails bouncing wildly behind her as she ran. Misty had specially styled the girl's hair for Valentine's Day: tying two pink ribbons around the neat and low pigtails.

Ash followed after the girl, hoping that this little game wouldn't take too long. The concept of the game was simple enough, and Ash figured they could be done in less than ten minutes if he was able to memorize what each card was. Unfortunately, he had never been very good at the matching game either. There was just too much to remember! Ash was sure if he thought about his date with Misty, however, that he would be more determined to win the stupid thing.

As Michelle sauntered into her room, Ash stopped in the door frame, realizing that his young son had been unusually quiet that afternoon. He hadn't seen the boy since breakfast. After eating, Aiden had hurried back upstairs and never come back down. Ash wondered why Misty hadn't already had a panic attack over it. Perhaps he should go check on the boy?"

"_Daddyyyy_," Michelle's voice whined from inside her bedroom.

"Sweetheart, do you mind if I just check on Aiden before we play?" Ash asked the little girl.

Instantly, Michelle scrunched her face up and made an angry little noise. "No Aiden," Michelle shook her head. "He okay."

"I just want to make _sure_," Ash stressed.

"No!" Michelle stomped her foot. Folding her arms, she continued, "Daddy, Aiden said no. Aiden wanted to be _awone. _He said so!"

"Really?" Ash raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

"Weally, weally," Michelle nodded her head. "I sawed him befowe. He okay."

"Alright, if you say so," Ash shrugged and stepped into the room.

He managed to go just over ten minutes with the game before winning. Michelle pouted over the fact that she lost, and when Ash went to stand up, her eyes widened and she lunged at his leg.

"No!" Michelle cried.

"Michelle, come on!" Ash groaned. "I played a game with you, just like I promised. Now, _you_ have to keep _your_ promise and let me go out with Mommy, okay?"

"No," Michelle repeated. "Mowe game!"

"No more games, Michelle!" Ash threw his head back in anguish.

"Game, game, game!" Michelle chanted desperately.

"I said no, Michelle," Ash was using a firm tone now, something he very rarely did with his children. "I have to go!"

Growling, Michelle hugged his leg even more tightly, just like she had done before.

"Come on Michelle, let go!" Ash shook his leg, but the little red head didn't even budge. Folding his arms, Ash looked down and informed his child, "you're being ridiculous, do you know that?"

Michelle, in turn, glanced up at her father and shook her head. "I don't know what that means."

"Of course not," Ash sighed and slumped his shoulders forward.

"ASH!"

The dark haired young man picked his head up and stared out into the hallway. Misty was standing in the doorframe of Michelle's bedroom, her arms folded while a rather angry glare graced her beautiful face. Brock stood behind her, peering over her shoulder curiously.

"Oh…hi Misty," Ash greeted lamely.

"Why is Michelle hugging your leg again?" Misty narrowed her eyes.

"Because…she wants to play some more," Ash shrunk slightly.

"And did you tell her no?" Misty planted her hands on her hips.

"Yes, I did," Ash sighed. "But little Michelle doesn't seem to care _what_ I said."

"Michelle, let go of Daddy!" Misty scolded her daughter.

"No!" Michelle wailed, throwing her head back as she whined.

"Misty," Brock tapped the gym leader on the shoulder. "I hate to take your attention away from the matter at hand, but where is Aiden? I haven't seen him yet."

"He's been playing upstairs all day," Misty mused, "although it _is_ odd that he hasn't come downstairs since breakfast, or made a single noise since he came up here. Have you checked on him, Ash?"

"No," Ash shook his head. "Michelle said he wanted to be left alone."

Misty's eyes widened at this. "Ash…_please_ tell me you're joking."

"Why would I lie to you about that? Michelle told me that Aiden didn't want to be bothered, so I listened to her. I was trying to get the game over with as quickly as possible! Although that doesn't seem to matter now, huh?"

"_Ash!_" Misty hissed, storming over to Aiden's door.

"What did I do now?" Ash turned his head towards Brock, who simply shrugged in response.

"AIDEN!" Misty screeched, causing both Ash and Brock to jump. "WHAT DID YOU DO?"

Brock ran over to the room, while Ash walked as fast as he could with the toddler girl still attached to his leg. They all gathered in the doorframe, right behind Misty, who was standing just over the line that separated the hallway floor from the carpeting in Aiden's room.

They couldn't see it, but the young mother was glaring at her son, hands clenched into nervous fists as her eyes slowly traveled between the boy and his bedroom wall.

"I made awt, Mommy," Aiden answered innocently. Ash switched his gaze onto the red painted wall, and his jaw dropped at the sight.

Practically the entire wall was covered in various scribbles and other attempts at art. The tangles of black, blue, yellow, purple, green, and white were swirled on the walls in a messy, unorganized fashion. Moving his eyes down, Ash realized that his and Misty's young son was gripping a mixed collection of markers and crayons in his little hands.

"You no like it?" Aiden frowned.

"Ai…Aiden…" Misty stammered, her cheeks quickly reddening. "Y…you're not supposed to draw on the walls! That's _bad!_"

Aiden didn't look like he was hurt or even about to cry. He just appeared to be bewildered, not understanding why in the world he wasn't supposed to draw on the walls. It was _his_ room after all; wasn't he allowed to do what he wanted?

"It's going to take a while to get all of that off the walls," Brock murmured.

"Guess I better get started then," Ash frowned. Looking down at Michelle, he sighed, "come on, baby girl. You and I are going to get some soap." And with that, he began to shuffle away, with Michelle riding on his leg the whole time.

Misty, meanwhile, could only bury her face in her hands and mutter, "happy anniversary to me."


	27. Banana Pancakes

**This one has more Aiden and Misty interaction, since alot of people seemed to like the last one :) **

**Aiden and Michelle: 4 years old**

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><p><strong>Banana Pancakes<strong>

Aiden slowly opened his eyes, yawning as he rubbed the remaining sleep out of his chocolate brown orbs. The sound of chirping Pidgey filled the room, and once Aiden finally pried his eyelids open, he could see sunlight spilling in through the windows and beckoning to him to get out of bed and face the new day.

Yawning once more, Aiden threw the sheets off of himself and slid out of bed, his little bare feet landing with a soft _thud _on the hardwood floor beneath him.

Spinning around, Aiden ran out of his room and flew down the stairs. Once he reached the bottom of the steps, his stomach let out a low grumble, causing the young boy to twist his mouth up in fairly deep thought.

Knowing exactly what to do, Aiden scampered into the kitchen, his face bright with hope as he saw his mother standing by the sink.

"Mommy!" Aiden called cheerfully.

Misty looked down at the floor and smiled at the sight of her young son, still dressed in his blue and red pajamas. "Good morning, sweetheart! Did you sleep well?"

"Uh huh," Aiden nodded. "But now I'm hungry."

"Of course you are!" Misty giggled airily. "Well, don't worry; breakfast will be done in just a few minutes. Why don't you go sit down at the table and wait?"

"Okay!" Aiden hopped over to the table and pulled himself up into a chair, making it a bit more acrobatic than necessary. Misty watched the whole thing out of the corner of her eye, and tried to refrain from saying anything. She was just a _bit _too overprotective of her children, and often times had to remember that they were Ash's children, so there was no possible way to stop them from doing crazy things.

"Hey Mist!" Ash's voice caused Aiden to look over his shoulder. The raven haired man was carrying Michelle in his arms, the half asleep girl resting her head on her father's shoulder as she whined softly.

"Michelle must still be tired," Misty sighed as she brushed the girl's cheek. "Poor thing."

"She won't be so sleepy once she knows that there's food on the table," Ash smirked as he gently shook the child. "Isn't that right, princess?"

Michelle sighed and buried her face into the side of Ash's neck.

"Alright, let's sit down," Ash laughed, taking the seat next to Aiden. He reached out and ruffled the boy's hair, greeting the child, "hey champ! How's it going?"

"Good," Aiden smiled up at his father. "Mommy's making breakfast!"

"Yes, she is," Ash chuckled, watching as Misty put the food down in front of them. He placed Michelle in the empty chair on his right, patting the still tired girl's head as she moaned and rubbed her eyes.

"Alright you three, here's your breakfast!" Misty announced cheerfully as she placed a plate full of pancakes in the middle of the table.

"Oh boy, food!" Ash beamed. He reached for the food and immediately placed four of them on his plate, earning a smack on the hand from the wooden spoon that Misty held in her hand. "OW! Misty, what the-"

"Feed the children first!" Misty scolded, cutting off whatever swear Ash had in mind. "Not yourself."

"Sorry," Ash blushed slightly. He knew that Misty was right, and normally he would've done just what she'd ordered. But his raging hunger had gotten in the way of rationality at that moment in time. Looking between Aiden and Michelle, he asked, "You guys don't want four pancakes at once, do you?"

"I do!" Aiden raised his hand.

"Alright!" Ash grinned as he switched plates with his young son. "That's my boy!"

"Aiden, sweetie, you might not want to take that many at once," Misty warned gently.

"Why Mommy?" Aiden tilted his head. "I'm hungry!"

"I know you are, baby, but those aren't regular pancakes."

"Huh?" Aiden threw his arms down in surprise.

"They're banana pancakes," Misty smiled at the little boy. "I decided to try something a little different this morning. I always loved these as a little girl!"

"Gross!" Aiden whined as he pushed the plate away.

"Buddy, why don't you just try them?" Ash asked as he put a single pancake on Michelle's plate.

"No, it's icky," Aiden shook his head.

"Now how would you know that if you've never tried them?" Ash playfully inquired as he folded his arms.

"Cause they _sound _icky," Aiden narrowed his eyes.

"But you'll never know if you don't try it," Ash patted Aiden's back. "And we Ketchums don't turn away from a challenge!"

"I didn't realize that eating my food required such effort," Misty huffed as she now made the top of Ash's head her spoon's target.

"OW!" Ash rubbed at the sore spot. "Come on Mist, you know that isn't what I mean! Don't you agree with me that Aiden _and_ Michelle have to try new things, regardless of whether they think they'll like them or not?"

"Of course I do," Misty stroked Aiden's tangled black locks. "It's a good way to expand your opinion on things!"

"No," Aiden mumbled, looking down at his feet.

"Aiden, you like bananas," Misty tried to reason with the child, "so there shouldn't be any reason for you not to like banana pancakes!"

"I want _regular_ pancakes," Aiden frowned.

"Aiden…" Ash sighed, burying his face in his hands.

"Look, Aiden!" Michelle called. Aiden huffed but still looked over at his twin sister, who was happily eating the cut up pieces of her pancake. "I like it! I tried it, and I like it!"

"See?" Misty smiled at her young son. "Your sister tried it! So you should too."

"I don't want to," Aiden folded his arms on the table and buried his face in them.

"Here, what if I put some pieces of banana on top of them?" Misty asked as she waltzed over to the counter to retrieve the yellow fruit. She peeled and cut it up, returning to Aiden in order to scatter the slices atop his pancakes. "I always _loved _eating them this way! It adds more flavor. Why don't you try it now, sweetheart?"

Aiden growled, but didn't raise his head.

"I'll tell you what," Misty placed her hands on her hips. "If you try the pancakes, and you really don't like them, I will go ahead and make you regular pancakes. How does _that_ sound?"

Ash whipped his head around and shot Misty a disbelieving look. Misty was very stubborn when it came to her cooking. The rule was typically that it was her way or the highway, and if you didn't like what she'd cooked, then you weren't going to eat that night. Fortunately for them, the twins weren't picky eaters, and the parents had never had to face the problem of them not eating something.

Misty caught the look and motioned for Ash to be quiet. She seemed to know what she was doing, and didn't want Ash to interrupt her little plan.

"Okay…" Aiden's timid voice filled the air as he lifted his head up. Narrowing his eyes, he added, "but I'm _not _going to like them!"

"We'll just see that about that, little guy," Misty smirked.

Aiden picked up his fork and stabbed it into one of the pieces of pancake that Ash had already cut for him. Glaring at the small morsel, Aiden stuck it in his mouth and began to chew it as quickly as possible. Ash gave Misty another glance, and all she did was smile angelically at him.

When Ash put his eyes back on Aiden, he noticed that the young boy was now chewing the piece of pancake much more slowly. At long last, he swallowed it, and looked down thoughtfully at his plate.

"Well?" Misty's airy voice prompted her son. "What do you think?"

"I _love_ them, Mommy!" Aiden grinned up at his mother. "They're sooo tasty!"

"I'm glad you like them," Misty folded her arms and shot Ash a victorious look. "Make sure you eat up, now, little guy."

Aiden heeded his mother's order and ate seven and a half of the pancakes. Ash, of course, couldn't be any more proud, and Misty was just stunned, even though she knew she shouldn't have been.

"I'm done, Mommy!" Aiden announced after finishing half of his last pancake.

"You can't eat the other half of that one?" Ash nodded towards the half eaten pancake.

"No Daddy," Aiden shook his head. "I'm full."

"Yeah, full after almost _eight_ of them," Misty blinked.

"Suit yourself, champ," Ash smirked as he took the other half and put it on his own plate.

"I'm going to play with Shelly now," Aiden jumped off of his chair and ran into the living room, where his sister had already wandered off to.

Misty got up and took Aiden's plate to the sink, leaving it in to wash later. She went back to the table and sat across from Ash, her eyes still wide from Aiden's little spectacle.

"How such a little thing manages to put away _that_ much food, I'll never know," Misty shook her head.

"He's good, but not as skilled as me," Ash shrugged. "I've already eaten ten of these." He looked down and found the remaining half of Aiden's pancake that he had put on his own plate. As if it were nothing, Ash downed the whole thing and smiled up at his pretty, young wife. "Ten and a half."

"Okay," Misty narrowed her eyes, "that's just _gross._"

**XXX**

The next morning started off quite similar to the one before. Misty was busy bustling around the kitchen as Aiden came skidding in, still dressed in his pajamas. Misty heard his little feet and giggled to herself, turning around to smile at the young boy.

"Good morning, sweetie!" Misty turned around.

"I'm hungry, Mommy!" Aiden ran over to his mother and hugged her leg.

Laughing, Misty bent down and picked the boy up, holding him in her arms. "I knew you would be! But I haven't made anything for breakfast yet. What would you like to eat?"

"Banana pancakes!" Aiden beamed.

"You want them again?" Misty raised an eyebrow. Aiden nodded his head. "But you just had them yesterday!"

"They were so good, Mommy!" Aiden wrapped his arms around her neck. "Could I have them again? Please?"

"If that's what you really want," Misty hugged her little son. "I'll make you banana pancakes, little guy!"

"Thank you, Mommy!" Aiden rubbed his forehead against her cheek.

"No problem," Misty kissed the top of the boy's head before putting him on the floor. "You can go and play while Mommy makes them for you."

Aiden nodded and scurried off, leaving behind a quietly giggling Misty. _I can't believe I actually got him to like something new! _Misty thought happily to herself. _I feel like some kind of magic worker. This is the best!_

**XXX**

_Scratch that, _Misty thought seething to herself by the end of the week, _this is the worst._

It had been nearly an entire week since Misty first made Aiden try the banana pancakes, and now every single morning he asked for them.

So, that morning, when Aiden came rushing down the stairs, Misty knew exactly what to expect.

"Banana pancakes, Mommy!" Aiden called excitedly from the doorway.

"Aiden, baby, can't we eat something _different _this morning?" Misty smiled pleadingly at the child.

"No," Aiden shook his head. "Banana pancakes."

"But there's so many other things we could have!" Misty opened the refrigerator and looked through it. "Yogurt, or bacon, I even have your favorite cereal in the pantry! Don't you love that sugary stuff?"

"No, I love banana pancakes," Aiden grinned at his mother.

Misty groaned as she threw her head back. She could only hope that, after awhile, Aiden would grow sick and tired of eating the same thing every morning, and she wouldn't have to make them. _Every _morning.

She begrudgingly walked over to where she kept all of the bananas, and when she reached the wire basket, a beautiful discovery was made. The sight made Misty grin from ear to ear, but she couldn't let Aiden see her joy. So, before turning around, Misty made sure to put on a sympathetic look as she spun around and gazed down at her little boy.

"Oh, Aiden, I'm so sorry! But we don't have any bananas left."

"Huh?" Aiden frowned.

"Yeah, it looks like I used them all up because all you've eaten this week is banana pancakes," Misty smiled compassionately at the child. "So, what do you say? Cereal?"

"Can you go buy more bananas?" Aiden pouted.

"Buy more…no, sweetheart, just have something else that we already have here!"

"But Mommy, I really, really, _really_ want banana pancakes!"

"Aiden…"

"Pleeeease?" Aiden clasped his hands together and looked up at Misty, making his chocolate brown eyes grow as wide as he could.

Misty groaned and tried to look past the sweet, innocent face her son had put in. She knew she couldn't resist it, she had to look away…she wasn't going to go out and buy the stupid bananas…she wasn't…she wasn't…

"Okay, I'll go get some more."

She was going to buy the stupid bananas.

"YAY!" Aiden flew forward and hugged his mother's legs so tightly she was afraid her circulation was going to be cut off. "Thank you, Mommy! Thank you!"

"Yeah, no problem…" Misty slumped her shoulders forward.

"I'll wait for you right here!" Aiden jumped onto his kitchen chair and looked over at his mother. "Don't worry, Mommy."

"I won't, sweetheart," Misty sighed as she walked over to the front door. As she reached for the doorknob, she muttered to herself, "I'm never teaching my kids to like new things again."


	28. Bed Buddies

**Look, I finally came up with another update! Go me :P I got to torture Ash and Misty in this one...so fun stuff :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 3 years old**

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><p><strong>Bed Buddies<strong>

"Mommy…wake up Mommy!"

Misty groaned and reluctantly opened her eyes. It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust to the darkness of her and Ash's bedroom, but eventually, she was able to see Michelle hanging over her, the little girl's eyes wide with fear, and her mouth bent into a frown.

"Michelle, honey, what is it?" Misty rubbed her eyes. She turned her head towards the nightstand and read the time on the alarm clock. 1:30 AM. _Lovely_.

"I had a bad dweam, Mommy," Michelle whimpered. "It was so scawy."

"Do you want to sleep in here?" Misty asked the little girl. Michelle nodded happily and climbed over her mother, accidentally kneeing Misty in the back as she clambered over the gym leader. Misty winced, but didn't say anything out loud. She knew Michelle hadn't meant to do that.

Pulling the covers up, Michelle wedged herself between her mother and father, since there wasn't much space in between them. Ash liked to sleep closer to Misty, so whenever one of the twins wanted to stay in bed with them, it involved pushing Ash off to the side.

The little nudge caused Ash to groan softly in his sleep, but otherwise it didn't disturb the slumbering man.

"Are you comfortable?" Misty asked sleepily.

Michelle snuggled herself deeper into the mattress, pulling the comforter all the way up to her face and pressing her head into the side of her mother's pillow.

"Yes," Michelle's young and airy voice replied.

"Good," Misty breathed out and closed her eyes once again. "Good night, baby girl."

"Good night, Mommy."

The room settled into silence for another hour and a half. For Misty, however, it only felt like 15 minutes. For once those 90 minutes had gone by, Misty once again heard the sound of little footsteps, and then felt the presence of someone hovering above her sleeping body.

Breathing out heavily, Misty raised her eyelids and found herself staring right into Aiden's chocolate brown eyes.

"What's wrong, Aiden?" Misty yawned.

"Mommy, I heawd a scawy noise in my room," Aiden crawled closer to his mother. "I think thewe's a monster in my closet."

"Baby, there's no such thing as monsters," Misty stroked the boy's cheek.

"Maybe it was a ghost!" Aiden's eyes grew wide.

"Aiden, there's no such thing as ghosts either."

"Yes thewe are!" Aiden gasped. "Thewe are ghost _Pokémon_, Mommy! What if it's a Ghastly in my closet? Or a Haunter? I don't _like_ ghost Pokémon, Mommy!"

"Let me guess," Misty tilted her head back and stared up at the ceiling. "You want to sleep in here with me and Daddy."

"Yes pease," Aiden nodded.

"Alright," Misty sighed, inching closer to the edge of the bed in order to make room for Aiden. "Lie down, now, sweetheart."

Aiden threw himself down on Misty and rolled off onto the vacant space. He had knocked some of the wind out of Misty by laying on her, so the young woman was now groaning quietly and holding onto her sore stomach.

Getting comfortable between his sister and mother, Aiden was quick to fall back asleep, without so much as a "good night" for his weary mother.

"At least we only have two of them," Misty muttered to herself as she drifted back into sleep. "No more disruptions."

Or so she thought.

Misty was later woken up by someone kicking her in the leg. Slowly opening one eye, Misty realized that Aiden was practically sleeping on top of her, and his legs were kicking almost frantically in his sleep.

Grunting, Misty sat up and gathered the boy's sleeping being into her arms. She had to be careful, because he was a light sleeper, but Misty managed to move him off of her without waking him up. Looking over her shoulder as she laid back down, Misty peered at the alarm clock and took note of the time: 5 o'clock.

_I just want to sleep! _Misty thought miserably to herself as she slunk back down and closed her eyes.

An hour and a half later, Misty was awoken for the fourth time that night, although by now, it was early in the morning.

This time, Aiden was laying across her _horizontally, _his small feet resting towards the edge of the bed and his head and outstretched arms taking up space in the middle of the bed.

Ash must have moved closer to Misty sometime in the last few hours, because he was now lying on his side and not on his back. Michelle was hanging onto him, one arm around his shoulder and the other around his neck. Her left leg was hanging over Ash's side, while the right remained on the bed. Her head was resting against his chest, and every now and then, the foot that was hanging over Ash's body would give him a little kick, causing the Pokémon master to whine and contort his face in his sleep.

Sighing, Misty tried to gently shrug Aiden off of her, but with no luck. She turned slowly to the left, hoping that the little boy would roll off. Unfortunately, all that did was roll him closer to her chest, further limiting Misty's ability to breathe.

_I guess I'm a human mattress now, _Misty rolled her eyes. _There's no going back to sleep now._

At exactly the same time, Ash seemed to have been having the same thought. His eyes slowly opened and, instead of his usual yawn, let out a quiet moan. Looking down at his chest, and around at his side, he realized that the reason for his less than peaceful sleep was the fact that his daughter was hanging onto him like he was a giant teddy bear.

"Ugh, man," Ash groaned, trying to move his arm without disturbing Michelle's sleep. He looked up and found Misty to be awake and staring at him. Moving his eyes down further, he saw Aiden laying across Misty's chest.

"Yes, we're both having a lot of fun this morning," Misty droned.

"What are they doing in here?" Ash squeezed his eyes shut repeatedly since he couldn't free his arms to rub the sleep from them.

"Michelle had a nightmare," Misty recanted, "and Aiden thought there were ghosts in his closet."

"Did you tell him they aren't real?" Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Well, apparently, they are."

"What do you-"

"Ghost type Pokémon."

"Oh, gotcha."

"Ash, you have to understand that they're only 3 years old," Misty smiled sympathetically at her husband. "They're going to get scared at night sometimes and want to come sleep with their Mommy and Daddy."

"I'm not mad about them sleeping in here," Ash quickly refuted. "I don't mind it at all. I just wish they weren't so…clingy in their sleep."

"Okay, _that_ I can agree with," Misty nodded.

"Do you think they're going to wake up anytime soon?" Ash frowned.

"It's only five in the morning, so I'm gonna go ahead and say no." Grimacing, Misty added, "They seem to be pretty comfortable at the moment."

"That makes two out of the four of us," Ash sighed.

"So, you just wanna stay like this until they wake up?" Misty glanced up at Ash again.

Twisting his mouth, Ash studied Aiden and Michelle's current positions and replied, "I don't think we have much of a choice."

"Great," Misty rolled her eyes before closing them again, hoping that by some miracle, perhaps she would fall back asleep.

"Misty…"

"What, Ash?"

"…I can't feel my arm…"

"I can't breathe. Suck it up."


	29. The Invisible Boy

**Look, I updated two of my stories in one day! Unbelieveable :P Nah, this one shot was basically finished anyway, I just added the last touches and decided to get it up now before I forgot :P This is another one focusing mostly on the relationship between Misty and Aiden :)**

**Aiden and Michelle: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>The Invisible Boy<strong>

"BOOM! That one made a _really_ loud noise!"

Aiden laughed gleefully as he stood over one of his father's trophies, which he had just pushed over onto the floor. The large gold cup was resting among several other awards, all of which had been knocked down by the young raven haired boy.

"Let's see how loud _this _one will be," Aiden's eyes gleamed as he approached an even bigger trophy, one that stood quite a bit taller than him. He reached out and put his little hands on the award, beginning to push it forward…

"AIDEN!"

The little boy squeaked nervously and released the shiny metal prize. His mother was standing in the doorway with an incensed look on her face as she surveyed the mess he had created on the floor.

Misty gasped and walked into the room, kneeling next to the pile of her husband's accolades.

"Aiden, why in the world would you do this?" Misty turned to stare at her son. Aiden blinked at her wide emerald eyes and shocked expression, not exactly understanding why she was in such a state.

"I was just playing, Mommy."

Misty's eyes narrowed then, as if she had just realized the severity of what Aiden had done. "This is _bad, _Aiden," Misty scolded. "Daddy will be very angry if he sees this! Not to mention, you could've gotten hurt!"

"But I was just having fun," Aiden tried again.

"That's not an excuse, Aiden!"

The child pouted and folded his arms, looking like a mirror image of Ash. "You wouldn't have caught me if I was invisible."

"What is that suppoused to mean?" Misty arched a wry eyebrow.

"I could get away with stuff if no one could see me," Ash sulked. "I wish I was invisible."

"Go to your room Aiden," Misty sighed. The boy huffed but did as his mother asked, scampering off to his room.

As Misty began to clean up Ash's trophies before he could see the disarray, Aiden's words ran through her head. A little smile appeared on her face as she conjured up a brilliant idea.

_Be careful what you wish for, sweetheart, _Misty thought. She knew just the way to teach her son a lesson.

**XXX**

"Mommy! What's for breakfast?"

Aiden was calling out for his mother as he ran down the stairs, still dressed in his red pajamas. He came bursting into the kitchen, jumping eagerly behind his mother.

"Are we having pancakes? I want pancakes Mommy!"

Misty turned around and began setting the table, paying no mind to her young son. Aiden stared after her and blinked rapidly before a big smile appeared on his face.

"Does this mean I'm invisible?" He murmured gleefully. Getting excited, Aiden scurried over to his kitchen chair and climbed up onto it, gripping onto the back of the chair with his small fingers and jumping up and down. "Look at me, Mommy!"

The Cerulean City gym leader continued to ignore her child, simply laying down some utensils before returning to her cooking.

Giggling, Aiden slid off the chair and began to run in circles around the room. Normally, his mother would've scolded him for such an act, but now that he was invisible, she couldn't see what he was doing! He could do _whatever_ he wanted!

While he ran around, Ash walked into the kitchen, with Michelle trailing right behind him. Ash glanced quickly at his son, but just as rapidly returned to paying no attention to him. Misty had informed him of her little plan last night (while being careful not to tell Ash about the fact that Aiden had been using his many trophies as life sized dominos) and, although Ash was somewhat skeptical over it, he figured that Aiden did have to be taught a lesson if he was really being as naughty as Misty said he was.

Michelle, meanwhile, didn't have a clue as to what was going on. All she had to see was her twin brother running around in circles, and that was enough to turn her off from speaking to him. Michelle didn't want to have a _crazy person _for a brother, after all. Half the time, she didn't even want a brother _period!_

Sitting down at the table, Michelle continued to watch her brother with narrowed eyes. He finally stopped running and held onto his head, laughing to himself. Rolling her eyes, Michelle looked away from Aiden and instead turned her head towards Misty.

"Hi, Mommy!" Michelle greeted warmly.

"Good morning, my beautiful little girl," Misty beamed at her daughter. "I bet you're hungry!"

"Yes," Michelle nodded eagerly. "What are we having, Mommy?"

"Oatmeal," Misty answered sweetly. "Do you want me to put raisins and cinnamon in yours, the way you like it?"

"Yes, please!" Michelle grinned.

Picking up two bowls after fixing one with Michelle's favorite ingredients, Misty brought them over to the table and placed one in front of Michelle, and one in front of Aiden. Michelle began to eat right away, but Aiden looked down at his and frowned.

"Mommy, you didn't give me my raisins and cimma…cimma…cimons," Aiden scrunched his nose up, being unable to properly pronounce the word 'cinnamon.'

Misty, however, just walked back to the counter to get her and Ash's bowls.

"Mommy?" Aiden asked again.

But Misty kept ignoring him.

"Oh, I keep forgetting that I'm invisible now," Aiden murmured to himself. Chuckling, he looked around the kitchen, where the rest of his family was busy eating their oatmeal with spoons.

_What silly people, _Aiden thought to himself. Without another word or sound, Aiden stuffed his face into his bowl and began to eat out of it like a Pokémon.

Michelle caught sight of this out of the corner of her eye, and quickly turned towards her mother to give her an incredulous stare. Misty looked at Aiden and sighed, but simply ignored him and returned to her food.

"Mommy?" Michelle whispered in a bewildered state.

"Shh," Misty raised a finger to her lips, furthering confusing Michelle. "Don't do anything, baby girl."

"Why?" Michelle scrunched her nose up.

"Don't worry about it, sweetheart," Misty shook her head.

Michelle had absolutely no idea what was going on, and why her Mommy wasn't doing anything about the fact that Aiden was being completely disgusting to levels that nearly matched her Daddy, but she knew that when her Mommy didn't want to talk about something, that you didn't keep asking her about it.

Aiden, meanwhile, was still busy eating out of his bowl without the use of his hands…or utensils. He was having a lot of fun with this, being able to do whatever he wanted without being scolded or told to stop. His oatmeal didn't even taste so bad without raisins and cinnamon, since he was eating it handless!

Once he was finished, Aiden brought his bowl over to the counter and left it there, since he was too short to reach the sink and wash it.

Scurrying upstairs, Aiden went into the bathroom and climbed up onto the stepstool that was placed in front of the kitchen so he could wash the oatmeal off of his face. Pleased with his work, Aiden was about to go into his room to change into clothes, but then a thought occurred to him.

_I don't have to! I can stay in my pajamas all day! No one can see me!_

Running back downstairs, Aiden decided he wanted to watch some TV. His favorite cartoons would be on soon, after all. Walking into the living room, Aiden searched for the remote, and found it on top of the nearby disc tower. Unfortunately, it was too tall for Aiden to reach. Frowning, he realized that he wouldn't even be able to reach the remote with the help of his stepstool.

Fortunately, at that moment, Ash walked into the room, and Aiden hurried over to him with a big smile on his face.

"Daddy! Could you get the remote for me?"

Ash just walked right past Aiden and didn't acknowledge him.

"Daddy?" Aiden asked, a slight pout emerging on his face.

Approaching the disc tower, Ash took the remote into his hands, causing Aiden's pout to be replaced with a sweet little grin.

"Thank you, Daddy!" Aiden reached up for it.

Giving Aiden the remote was not Ash's intention, however. He strode over to the couch and sat down, turning on the TV in order to watch a show on the comprehensive studies of Pokémon attacks.

Aiden furrowed his brow. "Daddy, I want to watch my shows!"

Still, Ash said nothing to the young child.

"Daddy!" Aiden whined again.

It hurt Ash to ignore his only son. He wasn't sure why Misty had demanded it. And when he asked what Aiden had done that was so bad, Misty just ignored him and told him to simply do as she said. And Ash, despite popular belief, wasn't _completely _stupid. He knew not to push Misty's boundaries and piss her off.

Huffing, Aiden stormed away, before calming down and realizing it wasn't entirely his father's fault. He was invisible, after all. So the little boy couldn't be heard or seen by anyone in the house. Folding his arms, Aiden began to think that he was quite tired of being invisible.

Scurrying back upstairs, Aiden peered into every single room until he found his mother. She was sitting in her and Ash's room at her vanity, slipping on a pair of earrings.

"Mommy, I'm bored," Aiden frowned, "and lonely."

Misty didn't bother to turn around.

"Please…Mommy…" Aiden whimpered, his heart plummeting.

But still, nothing from the beautiful young gym leader.

"I don't want to be invisible anymore!" Aiden sobbed, raising his hands to his eyes as he cried. "It's no fun! No one can see me, or play with me! I _hate_ this!"

Smirking, Misty looked over her shoulder and called sweetly, "Aiden?"

The young boy looked up, blinking his eyes to try and clear away the tears that were clouding his vision.

"M…Mommy?" Aiden sniveled.

"What's my sweet baby boy doing crying in my doorway?" Misty asked lightly.

Looking up, Aiden gasped, his lips trembling. "Mommy…you can see me?"

"Of course I can see you!" Misty smiled. "You're not invisible, sweetheart!"

Closing his eyes, Aiden began to cry harder. Sighing, Misty got up from her chair and moved over to Aiden, kneeling in front of him to take the boy into her arms and hold him close.

"There, there, baby boy," Misty hushed. "Don't cry. It's okay."

"M…Mommy…I _was_ invisible," Aiden softly informed his mother once his tears stopped flowing and he managed to calm down to some degree. "And…and…"

"And what, sweetie?" Misty separated from Aiden to brush some of his soft raven hair away from his sad brown eyes.

"It was fun, at first," Aiden murmured. "I could do whatever I wanted. But then…I was lonely, Mommy. No one would play with me or listen to me…"

"I see, that _can _be very sad," Misty nodded. "But…remember yesterday, when you wished you were invisible?"

"It came true," Aiden frowned.

"Yeah, and it wasn't so fun, right?" Misty asked sympathetically.

"No," Aiden slowly shook his head. "I never want to be invisible again."

"Oh, honey, I'm sure that you will _never _be invisible again," Misty kissed his forehead. "From now on, you should be careful what you wish for, hmm?"

"Yes, Mommy," Aiden nodded now.

"You know that I love you very much, right?"

"Uh huh," Aiden nodded once again.

"Oh, honey," Misty hugged her son again, resting his head on her shoulder. "I'm so glad you learned your lesson. I'm sorry that you were so hurt, though. But you know what this taught _all_ of us?"

"What?" Aiden looked up curiously.

"You're _definitely _better at learning than your Daddy," Misty tapped Aiden on his little nose, causing the young boy to laugh joyfully.

"I'm happy you can see me again, Mommy," Aiden rubbed at his right eye.

"Me too, baby," Misty kissed Aiden's forehead. "Me too."


	30. Gray Hair

**My head is just completely full of one shots. Like...they won't stop coming, you guys. This one isn't even my favorite, I just wanted to write some sweet Daddy-daughter times :P**

**Elizabeth: 3 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Gray Hair<strong>

"NO!"

Misty jolted, her eyes growing wide in terror. She had just walked into the house, coming back from a gym battle, and was greeted by the loud scream of her husband.

"Mommy!"

Misty looked down and saw Elizabeth running towards her, the child's eyes wide and full of fear.

"What is it, baby girl?" Misty frowned as she leaned down to lift the small three year old into her arms.

"Daddy yelled," Elizabeth murmured. "He scawed me!"

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Misty hugged her daughter close.

"Is Daddy huwt?" Elizabeth whimpered.

"I don't know, I have to go check on him," Misty moved some strands of Elizabeth's dark red hair away from her doll like face before walking towards the stairs. "I certainly hope he's alright."

Moving as fast as she could with the child in her arms, Misty hurried into her and Ash's bedroom, assuming that she would find Ash there. He wasn't on the bed or in his closet, however.

"Where is he?" Misty murmured.

"There, Mommy!" Elizabeth pointed towards a stream of light coming from the bathroom that Misty had managed to miss while scanning her eyes around the room.

Nodding just once, Misty moved towards the bathroom and called, "Ash! Are you alright!"

"No!" Ash wailed in response.

Stepping into the bathroom, Misty found Ash standing in front of the mirror, his hands pressed against the counter as he scrutinized his reflection with narrowed eyes.

"What's going on with you?" Misty breathed. Ash didn't reply this time, causing Misty to sigh and stand Elizabeth atop the closed toilet before moving over to Ash and gripping onto his shoulder. "Ash, answer me."

"I can't," Ash lowered his head.

"Well why not?" Misty folded her arms.

"Because…"

"Spit it out," Misty urged, getting fed up as Ash trailed off.

Groaning, Ash looked over Misty's shoulder at their little three year old daughter. She stared right back at him and smiled, her young, angelic face lighting up as he glanced at her. This made Ash's heart pound painfully, his lips bending into a frown, and his cheeks paling.

"Ash?" Misty asked quietly, her expression softening.

Leaning down so his head was closer to Misty's, he whispered painfully, "I found a gray hair."

Misty stood up straight, looking rather unimpressed with Ash's revelation. "Really?"

"Isn't it horrible?" Ash breathed.

Growling, Misty smacked Ash on the shoulder. Hard. The Pokémon Master looked shocked as he reached for the affected spot, while Elizabeth giggled at her mother's action.

"What was _that _for?" Ash cried.

"_That's_ what you were screaming bloody murder about?" Misty seethed. "Finding a _gray hair?_"

"Not so loud!" Ash pleaded.

"Why not?" Misty rolled her eyes. "There's no one here!"

"Lizzie," Ash answered softly. "Lizzie is here."

"So?" Misty raised an eyebrow.

Frowning once again, Ash set his eyes on Elizabeth's happy being and shrugged his shoulders back. "I don't want to feel old. Our baby girl…I don't want her to think I'm too old to be able to play with her and do all of the fun things that I do with her."

"I don't think that Elizabeth will ever think that about you," Misty smiled.

"Why?"

"I just have a feeling," Misty shrugged.

"But Misty, this is a _problem,_" Ash stressed. "I'm only 30 years old! So why do I have a gray hair?"

"Because we had kids when we were 21," Misty answered easily. "That takes a lot out of you. I mean, if you think about it, that means that we've been running after little kids and dealing with all of their messes and temper tantrums for almost 10 years now."

"But I'm still so young," Ash fretted. "I shouldn't have _any _gray hairs!"

"Oh please, do you know how many gray hairs I probably have?" Misty planted her hands on her hips. "I bet I have more than you. You can only see yours because your hair is so dark!"

"Daddy, you have black hair!" Elizabeth called out suddenly.

Misty turned around, while Ash once again set his sights on the little girl, who was once again smiling as her perfect face let off a delicate glow. "What did you say, baby girl?"

"Your hair," Elizabeth pointed towards Ash's head. "It's black! Not gray."

"Little Lizzie knows her colors," Misty giggled lovingly.

"Of couwse I do!" Elizabeth huffed before folding her arms across her chest. "I'm not a baby!"

"That's very sweet of you, Lizzie," Ash chuckled nervously. "And you're right, my hair _is_ black. But…there are some tiny parts that are turning a different color."

"So?" Elizabeth blinked.

"So, what?" Ash didn't quite understand what Elizabeth was getting at.

"Don't be dumb, Daddy," Elizabeth stated plainly.

Misty started laughing hysterically, while Ash's formerly pale cheeks turned a rather impressive shade of red. "Elizabeth! Don't call me that! It isn't nice!"

"No one cawes what color your hair is," Elizabeth continued, saying it as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "That's silly."

"See?" Misty glanced at Ash. "She could care less about your gray hairs. You're still her Daddy, no matter what."

"I guess you're right," Ash nodded just once.

"I want to play, Daddy!" Elizabeth raised one of her hands. "Play with me!"

"Yeah, she's _really _concerned about you getting old," Misty grinned sarcastically.

Suddenly, Ash felt much better. Yeah, he had a gray hair hidden away in his messy raven mane, and yes, more were going to show up eventually. But Misty and the children were the most important people in Ash's life, and if they didn't care about what was going on with his hair, then Ash realized that he shouldn't either.

"Okay, pumpkin," Ash smiled, walking over to Elizabeth to gather her into his arms and give her a hug. "I'll play with you."

"Yay! Thank you, Daddy," Elizabeth wrapped her arms around his neck.

"No problem, sweetheart," Ash kissed the top of her head. "You know I would do anything for you!"

Before leaving the bathroom, Ash was stopped by Misty, who had grabbed onto the collar of his shirt without warning.

"Ah, Misty, what are you-"

"I don't mind if you have a few gray hairs," Misty whispered in Ash's ear, causing the Pokémon Master to raise a curious eyebrow. "I think they add character."

With an airy little giggle, Misty pressed a kiss against the bottom of Ash's jaw before pulling away and giving him a sly, mischievous grin.

Ash just watched in captivation as Misty skirted past him, his eyes wide and shining as she waltzed right out of the room.

Yeah, he could live with a few gray hairs.


	31. Family Friendly Gossip

**Guys, when I said I couldn't stop thinking of one shots...I meant it. They're literally bombarding me and begging to be written. I'm trying so hard to work on my regular stories, but I can't get these one shots out of my head DX You all seem to enjoy them, though!**

**Anyway, this one is based off of crazy family friends. We all have them. So, this one should be fun for those of you who have experience in the subject :P**

**Elizabeth: 2 months old**

* * *

><p><strong>Family Friendly Gossip <strong>

"Oh, look at how _tiny _she is!"

"I've never seen such a little thing before."

"Well, she's adorable."

"Oh, of course! But all of my babies were so much bigger…"

"As were mine."

"There's nothing wrong with her being so small. But I thought she was going to be so much bigger! Misty certainly wasn't small while she was pregnant."

"You're right, she was _big!_"

"I think she just overate. There's no way she could've been that big and had such a little baby."

Elizabeth scrunched up her nose and stared at the two women hovering over her. She was settled in her stroller, dressed in a long sleeved cream shirt with ruffles at the end of the sleeves and soft lilac pants with a light pink blanket draped delicately over her body.

She loved it when her Mommy took her for walks in her stroller. Especially when her Mommy would look down at her and smile, or talk quietly to her. But now, her Mommy had gone off somewhere, and these two ladies, who her Mommy had been talking to before, were now staring down at her.

"Her hair is so lovely," the first of the ladies commented, reaching down to brush her fingers against Elizabeth's short, soft locks.

"It's such a unique shade of red," the second of the ladies agreed. "Dark but still bright. It must be because her father has such dark hair."

The first woman, who had wavy, aqua colored hair and blue-green eyes, kept touching Elizabeth's hair. The baby pouted and kicked up one of her legs, but the women only perceived it as the little girl being cute.

"Lena, look," the second woman, who had curly, dark blonde hair and violet eyes cooed, "she's trying to be a little ballerina, I think."

"I think you're right, Merida," Lena giggled.

Elizabeth whined and put her foot down, wiggling her toes in her little cream colored socks. She wondered where her Mommy went, and when she was going to come back.

"Look at her face," Lena continued, finally taking her hand away from the baby's hair. "Do you think that she looks just like the Pokémon Master?"

Merida leaned in closer to the infant and studied her young face. Elizabeth, meanwhile, frowned and stared right into the strange lady's purple eyes.

"Yes…I do!" Merida beamed, standing straight up again.

"I see it in the shape of her eyes," Lena noted, "and especially in that little mouth of hers! Did you see her smiling before? It was like looking at her father!"

"She doesn't have his nose, though," Merida mused.

"No, you're right," Lena studied the infant's little nose, which she had un-scrunched awhile ago. "Her nose looks just like Misty's. Isn't that just precious?"

"She's such a beautiful baby," Merida sighed.

"And so adorable!" Lena squealed. "She may be tiny, but she's still got those sweet, chubby little cheeks!" Reaching down, she gently pinched the baby's cheek, and at that point, Elizabeth had had enough.

She let out a scream, which caused both Lena and Merida to jump back. The little red head began crying hysterically, wailing as she threw her head around, looking desperately for her mother.

"Oh, what is it?"

Misty came running right over, peering into the stroller to catch sight of her sobbing daughter. Frowning, Misty reached in and took the baby out, holding the little thing against her chest and gently bouncing her up and down.

"How strange, she was behaving so well just a minute ago," Merida held a hand over her heart.

"Perhaps she's just tired," Lena shrugged.

"It's alright, sweetheart," Misty pressed her lips against Elizabeth's head and murmured quietly to the baby. "Mommy is here now. I won't go anywhere else, okay?"

Elizabeth stopped crying and let out a few small whimpers as she buried her face into Misty's chest. Giggling, Misty hugged the infant very gently and continued to rock her back and forth, hoping it would soothe the little girl even further.

"Misty, your baby girl is just darling," Merida informed the gym leader. "I can't believe how much she looks like your husband!"

"Yeah, she really does look like Ash," Misty smiled. Elizabeth looked up at Misty, now completely calm, and cooed softly. Grinning, Misty rubbed her nose against the small girl's and softly trilled, "Hello, sweet baby! Mommy loves you!"

Elizabeth made a happy baby sound and put her head back down, silently listening to the sound of her mother's heart beating. Misty just smiled to herself, knowing how comforting it was for the fairly newborn.

"Your mother certainly wasn't lying when she said that you and Ash made the cutest babies in the world," Lena noted with a smirk.

"Mom _would _say something like that," Misty sighed.

To be honest, Misty wouldn't consider herself close friends with Lena and Merida. They were the gossips of the city, and spread rumors and information like it was nobody's business. But they had been childhood friends of Misty's mother, Lynne, so naturally they were considered very good family friends. In fact, Merida was Daisy's godmother, while Lena was Violet's. Truth to be told, Misty would probably know them even if they weren't family friends. They made it a business to befriend everyone in the city.

"So, how are you feeling?" Lena continued. "You only had her two months ago."

"_And_ you had a c-section," Merida added. "That must've been so hard."

"I feel fine," Misty shrugged. "The incision has already stopped hurting, which is good. And I was upset at first that I couldn't have her the way I wanted to, but I understood afterwards that it would've been too dangerous any other way. Her health and safety is more important than my happiness."

"What a good Mommy you are!" Merida giggled. "How sweet!"

"Well, I certainly hope that Ash has been helping you out," Lena grinned. "Running around after such an extensive operation isn't any good for you."

"Ash is extremely helpful," Misty nodded. "He'll do anything I ask him to, for the most part. He's a very good husband and father."

Elizabeth whined and began to squirm in her mother's arms. Blinking, Misty looked down at the baby and realized that she was getting rather fussy.

"I think you're tired, baby girl," Misty smirked. "Let's try to get you to take a nap."

Gently placing the antsy Elizabeth back in her stroller and covering her little being up with the blanket, Misty slowly moved the stroller back and forth, hoping to rock the baby to sleep.

"It's incredible that you're so young," Lena commented as Misty busied herself with lulling Elizabeth into sleep. "I couldn't possibly imagine having a baby in my twenties, let alone _three!_"

Misty bit the inside of her cheek. She didn't like it when people assumed she couldn't be a good mother just because she was young. She _was_ married, after all, and both her and Ash had stable, and very well paying, jobs. Misty was just as good a mother as any woman in her thirties or forties.

"I know they were surprises, but I love them dearly and I'll do anything for them," Misty answered calmly, keeping her tone level. "Besides, out of my sisters, I was the only one my Mom had when she was in her thirties."

"Ah, very true," Lena nodded. "I always forget that. I think it just always amazes me because you're only a few months older than my oldest son, and he doesn't have a child yet."

Misty grimaced. She thought of Lena's son, Zeke, and how much she'd hated the boy as a child. Misty had been born in July, and Zeke four months later, in November. Lynne and Lena thought it would be absolutely adorable if their children became the best of friends, and one day fell in love and got married. No such thing would ever happen, however. Misty had found young Zeke to be increasingly annoying, so she would find joy in pulling his hair and bossing him around. He deserved it, anyway. He'd had a habit of stealing Misty's toys and teasing her long before she started inflicting her own form of torture.

So, really, Misty couldn't be surprised that Zeke didn't have a kid yet. She wouldn't even be shocked if he wasn't married or even dating anyone. Zeke had always been a pain.

"Yes, and my Thomas is a year younger than both you and Zeke," Merida mused. "He's engaged, but not even thinking about having any babies as of now."

"I love my little sweethearts," Misty smiled, reaching down to stroke Elizabeth's cheek as she continued to move the stroller back and forth. The baby had still been fussing and carrying on until Misty touched her cheek. At that, the tiny red head relaxed and stared up at her mother in adoration.

"You and Ash do make such wonderful parents," Lena trilled. "I've never seen such young parents work so well together! Aside from your parents, of course, although your father _is _older than your mother."

Misty refrained from saying anything about how she thought her parents weren't such great role models as young parents. She knew her mother's lifelong friends would never believe it.

"If you don't mind, Misty, we have to get going," Merida broke in. "Lena and I both have hair appointments, with Cassandra you know."

"Of course," Misty smiled at the older women. They all shared the same hairdresser, and considered themselves mutual friends.

"We have some good rumors to run by her this afternoon," Lena giggled. "Oh, I wish we had time to tell you, Misty! Perhaps I'll call you later and fill you in."

"Oh, sure, if you want to," Misty smiled weakly.

"We certainly have to tell her mother," Merida glanced at Lena. "It's been awhile since we've updated Lynne on the city's going ons!"

"Very true!" Lena agreed. "Perhaps you could have your mother tell you everything!"

"I'm sure she will," Misty smirked.

As the two women waved goodbye and walked off, Misty sighed and took her hand off of Elizabeth's cheek to hold onto the handle of the stroller with both hands. Cooing quietly, Elizabeth opened her eyes and stared up at Misty, very curious as to what was going on.

"Oh, baby girl," Misty sighed, her shoulders sagging as she let out a deep breath. "I know you're still very, very young. But when you get older, you're gonna learn that everyone associated with this family is absolutely _insane_. Trust me, I've already got my fingers crossed for you and your siblings."

Elizabeth just kept her eyes locked on her mother. She had no idea what was going on. All she knew was that she was happy those ladies were gone.

Already, Elizabeth had decided she wasn't too fond of them.


	32. Roses

**GUYS I LOVE ONE SHOTS. Seriously. This might be becoming a problem. I just have so many inspirations right now...sob.**

**And this one is a little different. Because...there are no children in this one! Well, I guess TECHNICALLY there are. But...they're in Misty's belly :P Anyway, this one is so super sweet, and I love it. So, tell me what you think!**

**EDITED to fix the spelling mistakes, since everyone complained about it. Not really my fault, I wrote this late at night the day of getting my driver's lisence...and since Word doesn't recognize Pokemon names, oh well.**

**Misty: 5 months pregnant**

* * *

><p><strong>Roses<strong>

Ash walked into the Pokémon League headquarters with a big smile on his handsome, glowing face. He was a cheerful person by nature, but today, Ash was especially upbeat. Pikachu, who was sitting on the young man's shoulder, looked equally as happy, his ears twitching every few seconds as he looked around at all the people, showing off his glimmering, beady black eyes.

The Pokémon Master skirted right past Lance, the regional champion, who was busy polishing off some of his poke balls. Hearing the younger man being to joyfully hum, Lance looked up and found Ash marching proudly behind him.

"Ash?" Lance raised a curious eyebrow.

The raven haired trainer spun around and beamed at Lance, who only looked further confused upon seeing such a happy face on his colleague.

"Hey there, Lance! Isn't it such an awesome day?"

"Yes…" Lance droned, tilting his head. "Are you feeling alright, Ash?"

"Never better," Ash grinned, Pikachu squeaking in agreement.

"How odd…" Lance murmured.

"Why is it odd?" Ash chuckled, not sounding offended at all. His expression remained just as cheerful as ever, and if possible, his voice became even more airy.

"Well, I know that usually you're quite the chipper young man," Lance tapped his chin, "but today, you are _exceptionally _so. Have you just been invited to some sort of secret, elite tournament that only masters know about?"

"No, it's even _better_ than that!" Ash beamed.

"Even better?" Lance blinked. "Now you've _really_ intrigued me, Ash."

Laughing, Ash sat down next to Lance and leaned into the dragon master. "The reason I'm happy is kind of supposed to be a secret. But…I'm going to tell you what it is. I'm just so excited; I can't keep this all to myself anymore! Promise you won't tell?"

"You have my word," Lance nodded.

"Well, yesterday, Misty and I found out what she's having," Ash whispered brightly. "You know, the babies' genders."

"Yes, and what was it?" Lance inquired.

"A girl and a boy," Ash's grin increased. "We get to have one of each! Isn't that _amazing? _I've never been so excited about anything in my entire life!"

"That's wonderful, Ash!" Lance patted the younger male on his back. "I'm quite pleased for you and Misty."

"Thanks," Ash was still glowing. "I just can't believe how lucky I am! I get to have a little son and a little daughter, all at the same time! And it's all thanks to Misty. I love her so much."

At this point, Ash was blushing slightly, which Lance noticed almost immediately. Smirking, the regional champion laughed boldly and once again smacked Ash on his back, surprising the dark haired male.

"Oh, how very sweet of you!" Lance continued to chuckle. "Misty's got you wrapped around her finger, eh?"

"Of course," Ash's blush only increased. "I'd do anything for her."

"Would you give her a little surprise, then?"

"Huh?" Ash stared at Lance. "What do you mean?"

"Well, she's having the babies that you love so much, right?"

"Uh huh."

"That isn't easy. I'm sure she would appreciate a really sweet gesture from you to show her just how much you appreciate what she's doing."

"You're not trying to trick me, are you?" Ash frowned.

"Why would I do that?" Lance straightened out his brow. "You're one of my closest friends, Ash. And you know that I care deeply for Misty as well. I'm being perfectly serious."

"Okay, just checking," Ash smiled. "I was just asking because guys don't usually talk about this kind of stuff. It's sort of too…touchy feely."

"Well, Ash, I might be tough as nails on the outside, but really I'm quite sensitive to other people's feelings," Lance smirked, holding a hand over his heart.

"Now you really sound like Misty," Ash playfully shook his head. "So, what do you have in mind?"

"As far as showing your appreciation?" Lance prompted.

"Yeah. I mean…she knows I love her. I hope. I always try to do nice things for her, like buy her nice things and take her out to dinner. Sometimes she still lashes out at me, but that's just because she's Misty. I wouldn't ever change her."

"See how sweet you are with her?" Lance punched Ash on the arm. "You _have _to do something to show her how happy you are about this!"

"She knows, I keep telling her," Ash blinked.

"No, Ash. You have to _show _her."

"How?" Ash furrowed his brow.

Thinking for a minute or two, Lance's expression finally softened as he snapped his fingers together and grinned. "I've got a _great _idea! There's no way she won't love it, trust me."

**XXX**

Misty frowned as she looked up at her Gyrados, who was looking rather down. According to her sisters, the monstrous water type hadn't been himself lately. Misty felt like she knew why, and she was working her hardest to make the poor thing feel better.

A couple of weeks ago, Gyrados had been severely confused during battle, and ended up going on a complete rampage. Misty's sisters, who were temporarily put in charge of the gym due to her current condition, couldn't get him under control, and immediately called upon her for help. Misty had tried her hardest, but Gyarados was completely out of it and ended up knocking Misty down, ending with her hitting her pregnant stomach on the ground. There had been a scare after that, as well as a trip to the emergency room. In the end, everything turned out to be fine, and as a little extra, Misty had finally learned that she was actually expecting twins.

The city's Nurse Joy managed to calm Gayardos down after the fact, but he had felt guilty ever since, and refused to do hardly anything: battle, eat, or even sleep.

"Oh, Gyrados, you know I'm not angry with you," Misty sympathetically informed her strongest Pokémon. "You never meant to knock me down those few weeks ago. You were hurt and confused from battle, and you didn't know it was me who was trying to talk to you. Won't you believe me, Gyrados?"

The atrocious Pokémon roared quietly and shook his head. Sighing, Misty stepped forward to stroke Gyrados, but he quickly became flustered and backed away.

"Gyrados, I swear that there's nothing wrong!" Misty pleaded. Pressing her hands against her stomach, she continued, "don't you see how absolutely _huge _I've gotten since then? They're still growing just fine!"

Gyarados still didn't look convinced.

"Did you know that yesterday, Ash and I found out what they are?" Misty smiled warmly at her Pokémon, who just looked down at her with sad eyes. "There's a boy _and _a girl! And they're both perfectly healthy."

All of a sudden, the impressive water type seemed to relax. Giggling, Misty nodded and once again moved closer to the giant Pokémon.

"My little boy is a bit bigger than his sister. She's pretty small. So, it's just like me and Ash! Don't you think that's cute, Gyarados?"

The water type nodded and swam closer to Misty, who beamed and held her hands up towards Gayardos. The sea monster esque Pokémon slowly lowered his head and allowed Misty to pet him, which caused the gym leader to smile boldly.

"Good boy," Misty murmured. "You know that I could never hate you. No."

"Misty!" Daisy's voice called from the lobby of the gym.

Looking up, Misty smiled before turning back to Gyardos, giving him one last stroke before removing her hands and confusing the water type. "I'm sorry Gyarados, but Daisy needs me for something. I'll be back in a little while, okay?"

Walking out of the battle area, the babies in Misty's stomach began to stir, as if alerting her that something was up. Raising an eyebrow, Misty pressed a hand against the bottom of her stomach and tilted her head.

"What's up?" Misty murmured. "Do you guys know something that I don't?"

"Misty, come on!" Daisy whined.

"I'm coming!" Misty snapped, earning a sharp kick for her actions. Sighing, she apologized, "sorry, you two. I know you don't like it when Mommy yells. I'll try to stop."

Stepping into the lobby, Misty was only further bewildered when she found Daisy standing by the front desk, her arms folded with a smirk gracing her lovely face.

"What are you doing?" Misty asked, not bothering to take her hand away from her stomach.

"Nothing," Daisy giggled.

"Yeah, right. That's the same look you have on your face when you're up to no good. It's been that way since we were kids."

"Yeah, but _I_ didn't do anything this time."

"_You_ didn't?" Misty blinked. "Then _who_ did?"

"Your adorable little husband, that's who."

"Ash? What in the world did he do now?"

"Relax, it's not a bad thing," Daisy giggled. "He just…sent this."

Stepping away from the desk, Misty found herself staring at a bouquet of beautiful white roses. They were placed in an aquamarine glass vase that reminded Misty of an elegant stained glass window. In the middle of the pure white flowers were two roses of a different color: one blue and one pink, settled right next to one another.

"A…Ash sent those?" Misty stammered, her eyes flickering from the flowers to Daisy, and then back to the flowers as if to make sure they were real.

"According to the card, he did," Daisy smirked.

"What card?" Misty breathed.

Moving towards the flowers, Daisy reached towards the back of the vase and plucked off a white, oak tag card, handing it off to her youngest sister. "I didn't read it, just so you know. All I saw was the front of it, which said "To: Misty, From: Ash." So I don't know what it says on the inside."

Misty made no movement other than to flip open the card and read its contents. After scanning her eyes over the words several times, Misty's eyes began to fill up with tears, and her lips started to quiver.

"Misty, are you okay?" Daisy asked cautiously.

"Yeah," Misty breathed out shakily, her lips finally bending into a smile, "I'm perfect."

"What does the card say?" Daisy pointed at the thick, folded white paper.

Clearing her throat, Misty read the words aloud:

_Misty,_

_I know that I tell you this all the time, but now I want to show you just how much I mean it. I love you so much, more than anything else in the whole world. Now that we're about to become parents, my love for you has only increased. The white roses are all for you, but the two different roses are for our sweet little babies. The blue rose is for our wonderful son, and the pink rose is for our precious daughter. The love that I have for you is the same love that I now have for our children, and I couldn't be more grateful that you're giving them to me. No matter what, you'll always be my angel, and I will always love you._

_-Ash_

"AWWW!" Daisy's sharp, high pitched tone shook Misty to her core. "Oh, my Arceus, that is the _sweetest _thing I have ever heard in my life!"

"Isn't it cute?" Misty blushed gently.

"I didn't know Ash was capable of doing something so amazing," Daisy sighed. "I mean, I know he's sweet with you, but that note is just so precious and well articulated! Are you sure he wrote it?"

"Daisy!" Misty gasped.

"I'm sure he did, I'm just curious," Daisy quickly clarified. "Maybe he finally found a dictionary!"

"He wrote it, I know he did," Misty smiled once again as she looked over the card. "I can tell when my Ashy is responsible for something, and this is definitely his doing. I love him so much."

"Clearly he loves you just as much," Daisy nodded. "You two are both _very _lucky."

Misty just grinned, knowing that her sister was absolutely correct.

**XXX**

Later that day, Misty returned to Ash's childhood home in Pallet Town, where she and Ash were residing until their home in Cerulean City was completed. She was greeted by the smell of something delicious; obviously Delia's hard work for that evening's dinner.

The older woman heard the door open, and looked over her shoulder from the stove to see Misty slipping in through the front door.

"Hello there, dear!" Delia greeted warmly. "Did you have a nice day with your sisters at the gym?"

"Yeah, I had a lot of fun," Misty nodded. "I love spending time with them. Never thought I'd be saying that in my life."

Giggling, Delia suddenly noticed the bouquet of roses in Misty's hands. "Misty, what are those?"

"Oh," Misty grinned when she realized that Delia was staring at the flowers, "Ash sent them over to the gym today! Wasn't that sweet of him?"

"How adorable!" Delia trilled. "He really loves you, Misty. And why shouldn't he? You're the most lovely woman I've ever met."

"Thank you, Delia," Misty blushed. Her mother-in-law was so complimentary of her. Shaking off the red on her face, Misty held up the bouquet for Delia to see. "Look, he gave me all white roses, except for the blue and the pink."

Delia studied the differently colored flowers before gasping gently. "Oh my goodness, are those meant to be for the twins?"

"Yes," Misty beamed. "Isn't he wonderful?"

"My little boy hasn't done anything this endearing since he was a child," Delia mused lovingly. "He used to give me the most precious Mother's Day gifts. Now he's moved on to showering you. It's absolutely wonderful!"

Misty placed the vase on the middle of the kitchen table and began to care for the gorgeous blooms: fluffing the flowers out, watering them, and just fawning over them.

Roughly an hour and a half later, the door opened again, this time revealing the towering and handsome figure of Ash, who had a sleeping Pikachu on his shoulder.

Catching sight of her husband, Misty squealed and jumped out of her seat, racing over to Ash to give him a tight, bone crushing hug which took the dark haired young man off guard.

"M…Misty!" He choked out. "Be careful! Your stomach! It's-"

"Fine," Misty cut him off, pulling away and rubbing the obvious bump with both of her hands. "No need to be so protective, sweetheart."

"I'm sorry," Ash smirked. "So, how come you're in such a good mood this evening?"

"You know why," Misty giggled airily. Grabbing Ash's hand, she dragged him into the kitchen and motioned towards the bouquet of roses which still sat beautifully on the kitchen table.

"Oh, you got my flowers!" Ash beamed. "Do you like them?"

"I _love_ them!" Misty shrieked, once again jumping at Ash to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss his cheek. "Especially the blue and the pink for our little babies."

"I thought that was cute," Ash chuckled. "Just because they're in your belly doesn't mean that they shouldn't get anything special." Reaching down, he caressed Misty's stomach for good measure, smiling down at the ever growing bump.

"And the card you put with them…" Misty's blush returned. "Did you really mean all of that?"

Ash looked back up at his wife's face with evident surprise. "Of course I did. Why would I make any of that up? You're the love of my life, Mist."

Misty jumped at Ash once again, this time kissing him on the lips. "You are just the _sweetest! _I'm so lucky to have a husband like you!"

"Well, I'm lucky to have a _wife_ like you," Ash touched his nose against Misty's. "I love you, Misty."

"I love you too," Misty buried her face into Ash's chest. At that moment, the babies in her stomach woke up from their naps, and began to roll around and kick happily.

Chuckling, Ash moved his hands around from Misty's back onto her stomach, rubbing it gently as he whispered, "I'm sorry. I love you two also! You were just sleeping, and I wanted to make sure you heard it."

Misty sighed contently and went back to resting her head on Ash's chest as he kept his hands on her belly. She loved her little family. It was beautiful, perfect, and blooming wonderfully.

Just like her bouquet of roses.

* * *

><p><strong>I had to write it. I had to. This idea came to me one night in bed and, yeah...it had to be written :P<strong>

**So, I know in real life there's not really such a thing as a blue rose, but, in the Pokemon world, there is. Remember all those times James held a blue rose in the motto? Blue roses exist in there, people :P**

**And Lance? Yeah, I think he'd be a secret romantic and a good confidant to Ash. The reason Lance is still champion, by the way, is because in my mind, what happens is that Ash became the Champion of Kanto, but once he challenged the master league and became the Pokemon Master, Lance was reinstated as the Kanto Champion, since there's a rule that the previous Champion will take over should the current Champion be promoted to a ranking in the Master League :)**

**So...yeah :P There you have it! Remember to leave a review, because they make me happy ^^ You can also leave some ideas, if you want!**


	33. Hyper Fright

**I wrote another one shot. I am on fireee. And this time I don't feel guilty since I updated "I Think I Like You" before (yay, shameless plug! :P)**

**Michelle: 3 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Hyper Fright<strong>

"Wow Pikachu, you're really looking great!"

"Pika!" The small electric type turned around and grinned at his trainer.

"You're definitely getting better with age," Ash chuckled. "But just to make sure...why don't you try using electro ball against that tree?"  
>Ash pointed at a decently far off tree. Pikachu squeaked and nodded his head, ears bobbing up and down. Spinning back around, the yellow mouse jumped in the air and generated a sphere of electricity on his tail before performing a flip, sending the ball of lightning straight towards the strong trunk of the tree. It connected with an audible "boom," leaving a visible scar in the old bark.<p>

"That was awesome!" Ash cheered.

"Ka," Pikachu blushed slightly.

"Wheee!"

Ash looked over towards the house, where Michelle was sitting in the grass and playing with a blue ball. He smiled gleefully, pleased that his children were easy to entertain and keep busy.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu questioned. "Pika chupi pikachu?"

"Hmm?" Ash blinked before realizing what Pikachu had said. "Oh, yeah! I want you to have a practice battle with Infernape so he can sharpen up his new move. What do you say?"

"Pi!" Pikachu squeaked.

"Awesome!" Ash pulled out Infernape's poke ball. "Come on out, Infernape!"

The giant fire monkey appeared before Ash, yelling out his name before locking his eyes on Pikachu.

"Infernape, I want you to battle Pikachu and practice using your brand new move," Ash instructed.

"Fer!" Infernape nodded.

"Alright, let's get started!" Ash grinned. "Pikachu, thunder bolt!"

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded. "Pi...ka...chu!"

Pikachu unleashed a powerful thunderbolt, which Infernape managed to dodge without Ash even asking.

"That was awesome Infernape!" Ash cheered. "Now that you're fired up, let's try out your new move! Use hyper beam!"

Infernape began to power up the attack, with Ash and Pikachu watching on in absorbed interest. Michelle, who was still playing nearby, was paying no attention to the battle. She was too busy bouncing her blue ball up and down. On one bounce, however, it struck the edge of the nearby patio and began to roll towards the center of the backyard.

"Hey, come back!" Michelle whined. She pulled herself into her feet and began to run after the ball.  
>Just as Michelle had reached her toy, Infernape had built up enough energy and was ready to attack.<p>

"Alright Infernape," Ash grinned, "fire no-wait!"

Ash caught sight of Michelle's little figure standing between Pikachu and Infernape. The fire type, however, thought Ash had told him to fire, so he blasted off the hyper beam anyway.

Michelle looked up and saw the hyper beam barreling towards her. She gasped and let out a terrifying cry, but she was so scared that she was frozen in place.

His paternal instincts kicking in immediately, Ash charged forward and pushed Michelle out of the way of the hyper beam. He ducked down low so that the powerful attack just barely grazed him. He could feel the heat and power against his back, the adrenaline rushing through his body and causing his heart to hammer away in his chest.

Once Ash was certain that the hyper beam had cleared, he sat up and crawled over to Michelle. He had pushed her hard enough that she'd fallen down, and she hadn't moved from that position. She was just laying there, crying hysterically and shaking like a leaf. Ash frowned, his heart breaking at the sight.

"Are you alright, baby girl?" Ash murmured.

Michelle sobbed and shook her head. Sighing sadly, Ash gathered Michelle into his arms and held the young girl against his chest.

"Shhh, it's okay, princess," Ash soothed, gently rocking the child back and forth. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to push you, really. I was only trying to protect you. You know that, right sweetheart?"

Michelle hiccupped and nodded.

"It's okay," Ash hugged her tight, feeling his shirt beginning to soak up her tears. "Please don't cry, baby. You're alright."

Michelle finally began to relax and stop crying. Ash continued to hug her and rub her back until she stopped completely and rested her cheek against his chest.

"Are you okay?" Ash looked down at the little girl.

"Yes," she murmured.

"I'm sorry that I had to push you, and that you were so scared," Ash gave Michelle another hug. "Because I know that what just happened to you was very scary. But…I hope that you learned something from this, Shelly."

"Wh…what?" Michelle sniffled, looking up at her father with tear filled eyes.

"You can't run into the middle of two Pokémon when they're having a battle," Ash explained to Michelle in a very serious tone. "It's extremely dangerous. Because, if you do that, you're going to get hit by an attack, and that will hurt you very badly. That's why I pushed you out of the way. I don't want to see you get hurt, baby girl."

"I was bad?" Michelle asked softly.

"No, you weren't bad, princess," Ash shook his head. "You just have to be more careful, okay? I never want you or me to ever be that scared again."

"You got scawed, Daddy?" Michelle frowned.

"Of course. I saw you about to get hurt, and it really scared me. I just want to keep you safe."

Michelle whimpered again and hugged Ash's chest.

"I'm sowwy, Daddy."

"It's okay, baby girl, I told you that," Ash hugged her back. "I just want you to be more careful."

Michelle nodded once again and wrapped her arms around Ash's body. "Don't let go, Daddy. Hug me."

"I'll hold onto you," Ash assured the still startled child.

Michelle whimpered once more and hugged Ash more tightly. The young father, in turn, gently rocked the girl back and forth, hoping to calm her down some more.

"In…fer…"

Ash looked up and found Infernape standing in front of him, looking extremely guilty and ashamed. Pikachu was right beside the fire type, looking equally culpable.

"Huh? What is it you guys?" Ash tilted his head slightly.

"Fernape," Infernape nodded towards Michelle, who still had her face buried into Ash's shirt. "Infer…infernape."

"Pikachu," Pikachu nodded. "Pipikachu pika pi."

"It's nobody's fault," Ash assured his two Pokémon. "There's no one here that's in trouble. I'm not mad at you two! You were training, just like I asked. Michelle knows that what she did was wrong, and she's going to be more careful from now on. But she's not hurt or anything. Just a little scared. She's going to be just fine!"

"Infernape…" Infernape still didn't sound convinced.

"Come on, Infernape, you would never do anything bad to Michelle!" Ash smiled at his fire type.

Ash felt bad for Infernape. The fire monkey had been much happier and more confident since being taken in by Ash all those years ago, but Paul's mistreatment had still left scars on the Pokémon's life. There were still times where Infernape doubted himself, or feared that Ash might get mad at him for making a mistake. On rare occasions, Infernape would still have outbursts of anger, and Ash would have to work to calm him down. The fire type wasn't perfect, and Ash didn't expect him to be.

"I'm not mad at you," Ash continued to assure the downtrodden Pokémon. "Cheer up, Infernape! Everything is okay!"

Looking away from Ash's body, Michelle noticed that her father's Pokémon looked upset. Thinking for a few moments, Michelle realized it was probably because of her. His attack had almost hit her, after all. But it wasn't his fault…

Crawling away from Ash, Michelle grabbed one of Infernape's paws, causing the fire type to look down at her little being.

"You awe good," Michelle informed the Pokémon. "I did bad, Infewnape. I sowwy. Be happy now! Pease?"

Finally, the fire type cracked a smile and nodded slowly, earning a gentle, innocent giggle from the little girl holding his paw.

"Good Infewnape!" Michelle cheered. Standing up, she scurried over to her ball and picked it up, grinning back over at her father and his two Pokémon. "You can battle again."

"And where are you off to, Shelly?" Ash asked sweetly.

"I'm gonna pway wif my ball inside," Michelle chirped. "It's safe in thewe!"

Ash just watched as the little girl skirted away, bouncy ball in her hands as her hair swayed behind her like a silky, elegant curtain.

"Well," Ash sighed, looking between his two Pokémon, "that didn't take much, did it?"


	34. Mama Bear

**Guys, I really love this one. The idea really came from Aqualion (who writes an awesome Pokeshipping fic called "Responsibilities" which, if you haven't checked out yet, you HAVE to! It's amazing) so I'll throw in some credit where credit is due ;)**

**I've gotten a few requests for fics where the kids are older, so that might be in the next one shot. I just had to write this one first :)**

**Elizabeth: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Mama Bear<strong>

"Look at me, Daddy! I'm so fast!"

Ash nervously watched after his youngest daughter as she ran ahead of him, her dark red hair flying out behind her as she dashed and moved farther and farther away from him.

"Lizzie, don't go too far, okay?" Ash called out.

Elizabeth didn't pay any attention to her father, however, and just kept on running. She swore she could hear her father beginning to run in an effort to catch up to her, but she didn't bother to look over her shoulder to see if he really was. She just went faster herself, enjoying this newfound sense of freedom and independence.

Unfortunately, she was so caught up in this new, unknown sensation that she had ended up running too far and separating herself from Ash.

"Can't catch me, Daddy!" Elizabeth called out laughingly. When she got no response, she finally stopped and turned around, blinking her eyes. "Daddy?"

When she didn't see him, tears immediately filled the child's eyes. She was lost now, and had no idea where her Daddy was! Would she be lost forever? She couldn't be! There was no one to take care of her out here!

Throwing herself down on the ground, Elizabeth drew her legs up to her chest and rested her face against her knees, sobbing as she tried to come to terms with this horrible development.

From out of the bushes, a little Pokémon appeared, staring at the trembling figure of the little girl without understanding.

"Ur?"

The Pokémon scurried forward, continuing to keep its eyes locked on the child. Sniffing her, the young Pokémon finally smiled and tapped Elizabeth on the head with its paws.

"Ursa!"

Elizabeth jumped at the contact, her eyes snapping open in fear. When she saw what Pokémon it was, however, her tears quickly disappeared and her sad expression was replaced with one of disbelief.

"You're…a Teddiursa!" Elizabeth gasped.

"Ur?" Teddiursa asked, tilting its head to the left as it stuck its paw in its mouth.

"It's like living Teddi!" Elizabeth squealed, referencing her dearest toy. Still giggling, she reached out to pet the little bear Pokémon on its head. The baby Pokémon appreciated it greatly, clapping its paws in delight as it smiled and gently mewled its name over and over.

"Wow, you're so cute!" Elizabeth grinned. She had finally opened her body up to show off her light pink, embroidered halter top and knee length denim shorts with an embroidered heart on the left leg. "I wish my Daddy could see you. He loves Pokémon…"

Teddiursa quickly noticed that Elizabeth was becoming sad again. Whining, the little bear cuddled up against Elizabeth, causing the little girl to smile once again.

"You're nice," Elizabeth informed the Pokémon, who looked up at the human girl with intrigue. "And I'm sorry about bein' sad. I just miss my Daddy."

Smiling softly, Teddiursa clutched at Elizabeth's hand with its paw and pulled gently at her arm, urging the young girl with repeated cries of its name.

"What?" Elizabeth blinked. "Do you wanna go somewhere?"

"Ur!" Teddiursa nodded and continued to tug Elizabeth's hand.

"Okay, I'll follow you," Elizabeth smiled gently at the baby Pokémon.

She allowed the little Teddiursa to lead her into the bushes and deeper into the forest. Looking around, Elizabeth saw lots of wild Pokémon residing in the tree tops; flying types and bug types were in great abundance. Some grass types were foraging in and out of the bushes, stopping for awhile to curiously stare after the Teddiursa and her unfamiliar human friend.

"Teddiursa, where are we going?" Elizabeth asked the bear.

"Teddi! Teddiursa!" The normal type replied. Elizabeth didn't understand a word of it, of course, but she pretended to, because she didn't want to upset the cute baby Pokémon.

Eventually, the young normal type led Elizabeth into a decently sized clearing, where a giant Ursaring was busy gathering various berries on a large leaf, arranging the fruits with its nose. Shrieking quietly, Elizabeth froze in fear. She had heard that sometimes, Ursaring could be very scary. They got mad very easily. That's what her Daddy had told her.

"Ursa! Ursa!" Teddiursa called.

The hibernator Pokémon looked up, having heard the urging of its pre-evolved form. Setting its eyes on Elizabeth, the big bear growled and stood up to its full height, only further scaring the young girl.

"Teddi! Ursa!" Teddiursa cried, letting go of Elizabeth's hand and nudging the larger Pokémon in the leg with its head. "Ur…"

Ursaring relaxed its body and raised an eyebrow. "Ursa? Ursaring?"

"Teddi!" Teddiursa nodded, jumping up to its hind legs and turning towards Elizabeth.

The young red head looked up at the towering Ursaring and explained softly, "I…I got lost…I was having fun and got lost from my Daddy."

"Sa," Ursaring lowered itself onto all fours. Picking up Teddiursa by the back of its neck, the big bear crawled over to Elizabeth and dropped the young bear next to her. Sighing, the normal type began to nuzzle both small beings, which bewildered Elizabeth.

"Huh?" Elizabeth looked up at the Ursaring. "What's going on?"

Ursaring chuckled and started to lick Teddiursa's fur, which the young bear moaned despondently at.

"Oh, I get it!" Elizabeth beamed. "You're a Mommy Ursaring! And Teddiursa is your baby!"

"Ring," Ursaring nodded, "Ursaring."

"I'm my Mommy's baby," Elizabeth informed the Ursaring. Frowning, she began to whimper and conceded, "But I might never see her again…"

Frowning, the Ursaring picked Elizabeth up and threw the young human onto her back. Elizabeth shook out her shoulder length red hair and looked down at the hibernation Pokémon, not understanding what the bear's objective was.

Elizabeth continued to watch as Ursaring picked up one of the berries with its teeth and held it up towards her. Blinking, Elizabeth cautiously took the fruit, looking it over before turning her attention back onto Ursaring.

"Can I eat this?" Elizabeth asked uncertainly.

"Ur," Ursaring nodded.

Giving the fruit one last glance, Elizabeth took a timid bite out of it, chewing slowly and quietly studying the taste. Swallowing the small morsel, Elizabeth grinned and cheered, "Wow! This is so tasty!"

"Teddiursa!" Teddiursa agreed, running over to the collection of berries and picking out one for itself.

Leaning her head down, Ursaring allowed Elizabeth to slide off and settle down next to Teddiursa, both young ones eating their berries happily while chattering away to one another. Ursaring sat down and smiled, simply enjoying the sight of her little baby and his new friend having fun with one another.

**XXX**

"Oh man…Misty is gonna _kill _me…" Ash muttered to himself. "Lizzie, where did you run off to?"

Groaning, Ash looked underneath every shrub he came across, wondering if his daughter was trying to be funny by hiding from him. She did that sometimes. In hindsight, he had kind of taught her to do that, and now he regretted it immensely.

When he couldn't find his youngest child under any of the bushes, however, Ash really began to think that he might have lost his daughter for good.

"This sucks…" Ash groaned, burying his face into his hands. "Why does this stuff always happen to _me?_"

"What stuff always happens to you?"

Ash shrieked and whipped around, his eyes wide in terror. When he found himself staring at Misty, he only felt the sense of panic and terror in his chest rising. He really didn't have any luck at all. At least not today.

"Mi…Misty…" Ash stammered.

"What's up with you?" Misty folded her arms. "You're acting so weird."

"Ha, weird?" Ash scoffed, trying to nervously laugh off Misty's accusation. "I'm not acting weird at all!"

Looking down at Ash's feet, Misty raised an eyebrow before glancing back up at her husband. "Ash, where's Elizabeth?"

"Elizabeth?" Ash repeated.

"Yes, Elizabeth," Misty was getting agitated. "You know, our little daughter? The four year old with the short, dark red hair, the bright green eyes, acts an awful lot like you?"

"I know who she is," Ash sighed.

"So where is she?"

"She's…playing…"

"Where?"

Ash didn't have a response for that one. He just watched as Misty's expression remained the same, her arms drop to her sides, and a long sigh escape from her delicate pink lips.

"You lost track of her, didn't you?"

"I…well….I…yes."

"Hmm," Misty took one step forward before swiftly smacking Ash hard on the cheek. He flinched and covered the sore spot directly afterwards, giving Misty a sad look. "You…are an _idiot._"

The slap in the face didn't surprise Ash. What _did _surprise him, however, was how calm Misty was being. Sure, she had called him an idiot and was talking down to him…but she wasn't screaming and going berserk over the fact that he had lost their daughter.

"So…are you not angry?" Ash asked cautiously.

Misty's previously serene expression changed in a split second. She gave him yet another slap, this one harder than the first. "Of _course _I'm angry at you! Our baby girl is out there somewhere all alone! And it's all because of you! You were supposed to be _watching _her, Ash!"

"I didn't mean to," Ash frowned, rubbing his cheek. "Elizabeth just ran off! I was trying to follow her, but she went too fast! I lost track of her!"

"Well then I guess we just have to go out and look for her," Misty seethed. She grabbed a hold of Ash's hand, but not in a sweet, loving way. It was in a harsh, "I'm going to beat you up once we're done with this" kind of way.

"Ow, Misty, you're hurting me," Ash whined.

"I don't want to hear any complaints out of you!" Misty stormed. "You are on my hit list until I find our _child, _mister!"

Misty dragged Ash through the forest, scanning her eyes around the trees and bushes in search of their young daughter.

She followed Ash's suit, peering under all of the bushes and behind every single tree. Ash didn't bother to tell Misty that he had already tried all of that, because he didn't want to be hit or yelled at again. So he just double checked everywhere, and only became more downtrodden when he confirmed that Elizabeth was nowhere to be found.

"Oh, where's my baby?" Misty mournfully whimpered to herself.

"Misty, I-"

"Shut up!"

Ash sighed and closed his mouth.

Still frowning, Misty marched on, still gripping Ash's wrist as she walked. She soon passed by the opening to a decent sized clearing, where the sound of giggling caught her attention. Curiously peering into the open forest space, Misty's eyes widened when she saw the four year old girl she had been so feverishly searching for.

And she was playing with a pair of wild Pokémon.

One of which was taking care of the girl as if it she was the thing's own child.

"I don't think so!" Misty bit, letting go of Ash as she stormed into the clearing.

Elizabeth didn't see her mother coming, since she was too busy being nuzzled by Ursaring and giggling joyfully from the attention. Without a second thought, Misty snatched the girl from right underneath Ursaring's nose (literally) and held her little being close.

Elizabeth looked up at her mother and beamed, hugging the older red's shoulders as tightly as she could. "Mommy!"

"Lizzie, you scared me so badly," Misty sighed, burying her face into Elizabeth's hair. "I didn't know where you were."

"I got lost from Daddy," Elizabeth sulked. Cheering up, she finished, "but now you found me, Mommy!"

Misty smiled at her daughter, but that grin was quickly evaporated by the growling of the Ursaring whom Misty had just separated from Elizabeth. Unfortunately for the big bear, Misty wasn't one to back down from a fight. Especially when it concerned her babies.

"Hey!" Misty snarled. "Don't you growl at me! This is _my _baby, not yours!"

Ursaring growled more loudly.

"Misty, what are you doing?" Ash shrieked, frantically waving his arms around.

"If you mess with my little angels, you're messing with me," Misty narrowed her eyes. "Understand?"

This only made Ursaring more angry.

"Mommy, stop!" Elizabeth whined.

"Ursa! Ursaring!" Ursaring scowled at Misty.

"I'm not afraid of you!" The water type gym leader retorted.

"Mommy, Ursaring is nice!" Elizabeth continued to protest from her mother's arms. "She was just playing with me! Me and her baby are friends!"

"Her baby?" Misty asked in an almost incredulous manner.

"Yeah, Teddiursa," Elizabeth pointed down by Ursaring's feet. Misty peered down and caught sight of the smaller bear, who was whimpering slightly and hiding halfway behind its mother's leg.

"Oh, I see," Misty murmured. Looking back up at Ursaring, who was still very angry, Misty smiled gently and apologized, "I'm sorry, Ursaring. I just got so scared when I saw my daughter out here with a wild Pokémon…I didn't realize that you have your own baby! So, you were just trying to protect Elizabeth?"

Ursaring backed down and her expression softened. With a small puff of air, she nodded to confirm Misty's assumption.

"Thank you," Misty sounded grateful for the normal type's assistance. "I'm sorry for confronting you before, Ursaring. Really. But it's just so scary when you lose track of your little sweetheart…"

Ursaring nodded in agreement and chattered her own name several times. Misty seemed to understand it, however, as she giggled and added, "You understand, right?"

Ursaring roared, but not in an angry fashion this time. Rather, it was like she was agreeing with everything that Misty was saying.

Elizabeth, meanwhile, managed to extricate herself from Misty's arms in order to meet up with the little Teddiursa again, the two young ones laughing and running in circles around their mothers, who watched while they laughed.

At that moment, Ash finally caught up and saw the Ursaring and Teddiursa standing in the clearing.

"Whoa, look at those wild Pokémon!" Ash grinned to himself. "Maybe I should try and catch 'em!" Studying the smaller of the duo, Ash nodded and continued, "That one seems pretty young. I bet I could catch him easy!"

Retrieving an empty poke ball, Ash chucked it at the little Teddiursa. The baby bear didn't see the ball coming, but its mother did, and was quick to bat the sphere away with one of her massive paws. Quickly becoming angry again, Ursaring growled and locked her eyes on Ash, her vision reddening as she prepared to charge.

"Uh oh," Ash whispered, his heart beginning to pound.

With a monstrous roar, Ursaring took off after Ash, who cried out and began to run towards the forest exit.

Elizabeth and Teddiursa just watched in bewilderment, not understanding what in the world was going on. Misty, who had seen Ash standing in the clearing and looking like an idiot, however, understood completely and let out a tired sigh.

"Mommy, what's going on?" Elizabeth looked up at her mother.

"Oh, nothing, your Daddy just isn't very bright," Misty rubbed the back of her neck. "He should know better than to mess around with a mama bear. He lives with me, after all."


	35. Girl Advice

**Ask and you shall reccieve ;) This one is a little different than most of the one shots I put in here...the children are quite a bit older :) I had to think about what to write about involving an older Aiden and Michelle (since I want to write a story about their journey in the future and don't want to give away too much now) but eventually I came up with this :) I think you'll all enjoy it!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 13 Years Old**

**Elizabeth: 7 Years Old**

* * *

><p><strong>Girl Advice<strong>

Aiden was confused, to say the least.

When he was little, he thought that all girls had cooties. Including his sister. After awhile, he realized that the concept of cooties was stupid and that no such thing existed. But he still didn't have much of an interest in girls. He just wanted to catch and train Pokémon, and to dream of one day becoming the Pokémon Master like his father.

But lately, things had been a little different for the young trainer.

He'd found himself rather infatuated with one of Michelle's friendly rivals, Clarisse. The girl was amazingly beautiful, more so than any other girl Aiden had ever seen in his life. She had fair, glowing skin that was like a porcelain doll's. Her hair was platinum blonde, long and flipped out at the bottom, while her eyes were big and bright, a very beautiful hazel in color.

About her, other than physical appearance, Aiden knew this: she was from Celadon City and had started her journey with an Eevee, who had since evolved into an Espeon and continued to be the girl's partner. She was very girly, and loved the colors pink and purple. Aiden had never seen her wear anything other than a dress. He was also aware that Clarisse's goal was become to a top coordinator, and that her idols were May and Dawn, both of whom were close family friends to Aiden.

Aiden sighed. All of this thinking, about a _girl, _seemed absolutely ridiculous to him. How could he think so much about one person? Was this what love felt like? He couldn't answer those questions for himself. He needed help, and there was only one person Aiden could think of getting that help from.

Jumping off of his bed in the Pokémon Center, Aiden made sure to tip toe past the two other beds where Michelle and their travelling companion, Brock's nephew Brandon, were taking a late afternoon nap.

Once he was out of the room, Aiden headed towards the row of video phones and sat down at one, dialing the number of who he needed to talk to. It felt like the phone rang for an eternity, and the entire time, Aiden was trying to think of a way to bring this subject up. He didn't necessarily want to talk about it, he just didn't know what to do, and all of these feelings were conflicting him. If there was one thing Aiden absolutely hated, it was being perplexed.

At last, the screen flickered to life, and Aiden looked up with hopeful eyes. The sight he was met with was not what Aiden wanted, however, and he quickly scowled at the image.

"What're you doing answering the phone, squirt?" Aiden grumbled.

The young red head on the screen huffed before yelling out, "don't call me that! I'm not a squirt!"

"Calm down, I'm just teasing you," Aiden frowned. He didn't really like to rile up his baby sister, but she never seemed to grasp his playful nature.

"I'm still not a squirt," Elizabeth turned her head away.

"Fine, whatever, you're not a squirt," Aiden sighed. "But look, Lizzie, I didn't call to talk to you. Where's Dad?"

"You need Daddy?" Elizabeth asked, turning her head back around so she was facing the screen once again.

"Yeah."

Giggling, Elizabeth tilted her head to the side and chirped, "He's at work right now!"

Aiden's jaw dropped. "L…Lizzie!"

"What?" Elizabeth pouted. "I'm not lying to you! I mean it!"

"Well, when's he coming home?" Aiden seemed a lot more discouraged than he had just moments ago.

"Soon, I think," Elizabeth shrugged. Smiling sweetly, she asked, "Do you want to talk to Mommy instead?"

"No!" Aiden answered quickly, confusing Elizabeth. "Eh, sorry, Lizzie. But I can't talk to Mom about this."

"Why not?" Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "What do you want to talk about? Oh, I know! You can talk to me!"

"No, Elizabeth," Aiden groaned, resisting the urge to hit his head against the desk on which the video phone sat. "I can't talk to Mom about this, and I can't talk to _you _about this. I can't talk to _any_ girl about this!"

"Why not?" Elizabeth pressed again. "Is it a boy problem?"

Sighing, Aiden replied, "yes, Lizzie. It's a boy problem. So you girls can't help me out with it."

"That's true, I'm definitely not a boy," Elizabeth scrunched her nose up. "But David is a boy! Maybe you can talk to him!"

"David?" Aiden furrowed his brow. "Isn't that your little friend from school?"

"He's my boyfriend," Elizabeth nodded proudly.

"Elizabeth, you're 7 years old, you don't have a boyfriend," Aiden shook his head.

"I do too! David is my boyfriend!"

"Okay, well I'm not asking your "boyfriend" for any advice," Aiden rolled his eyes. "I guess I'll just have to call back later when Dad's home."

Just then, Aiden could hear the sound of a door opening in the house. He watched as Elizabeth peered over her shoulder and waited for a second before squeaking and whipping back around to lock eyes with her older brother.

"Aiden! Daddy just came home!" Laughing, she added, "You're lucky, huh?"

"I guess I am," Aiden raised an eyebrow.

"I should go get him and tell him that you want to talk," Elizabeth mused. "Otherwise, he's going to go take a nap, and then Mommy is going to yell at him for being lazy."

"Alright, thanks Li-"

"DADDY!" Elizabeth screamed, causing Aiden to jump in his chair. "AIDEN WANTS TO TALK TO YOU! GET YOUR BUTT IN HERE!"

"Man, Lizzie," Ash walked in behind Elizabeth, rubbing at his ears. "Do ya have to be so loud?"

"I needed to get you, Daddy," Elizabeth answered simply.

"You couldn't just get up and come to me?" Ash frowned.

"No," Elizabeth shook her head. "Now, talk to Aiden! He won't tell me what he wants to talk about. I think it's some kind of boy secret. What do you think, Daddy?"

"I don't know, pumpkin, but I'm sure I'll find out once you let me actually talk to him," Ash smirked.

"Oh, yeah!" Looking back at Aiden, Elizabeth informed him, "I have to go now, because Daddy wants to talk to you. Well…I guess _you_ want to talk to _him. _I don't know!"

"Lizzie, go play with your toys or something," Aiden buried his face in his hands.

"I'm not a baby!" Elizabeth snapped.

"Lizzie, come on sweetheart," Ash picked Elizabeth up off the chair and held her close. "Let me and Aiden talk, alright?"

Elizabeth huffed quietly but nodded, allowing her father to give her a kiss on the head before placing her on the floor and letting her run off.

"I'm sorry, Aiden," Ash apologized as he sat down in Elizabeth's former seat. "She's becoming more and more like your mother every day, I'm afraid."

Aiden smirked at that. "It's fine."

"So, you want to talk about something?" Ash asked, resting his arms atop the desk. "Must be pretty important, since you seem to have quite the aversion to calling your mother and me."

"I just don't like taking time away from my training, that's all," Aiden blushed.

"I know, but a few more calls home won't hinder your performance," Ash smirked. "So, tell me what's up."

Grimacing, Aiden half looked up in a shy manner, quietly prompting, "what does it feel like when…you…well…when you…"

"Aiden, come on buddy, spit it out," Ash flattened out his brow.

"How does it feel when you like someone?" Aiden blurted out, only turning redder after uttering this question.

Ash looked rather surprised by this. He sat up so he was sitting at his full height, and eyed Aiden curiously. "What do you mean, son? Who are you talking about?"

"A…a girl," Aiden murmured. "I'm talking about when you like a girl."

Ash's eyes widened and he leaned back in the chair. He just stared at his teenage son for a few moments, quietly observing the boy's figure and running various thoughts through his head. Eventually, Aiden got sick of the silence and forced his eyes all the way up.

"Dad?"

Clearing his throat and shaking his head, Ash pulled himself away from the back of the chair. "Sorry. I just…uh…wasn't expecting this."

"Me either," Aiden agreed. "What's wrong with me?"

"Nothing!" Ash answered quickly. "Nothing is wrong with you, buddy. There's nothing wrong with liking a girl!"

"You told me you didn't like any girls when you were my age," Aiden narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Because I didn't," Ash responded. "Which was kind of bad…I was too dense."

Ash was really glad that his son wasn't as oblivious when it came to love as he had been. The older male had been so blind to love in his youth that he hadn't been able to pick up on the fact that Misty had a crush on him until he was 16 years old. She had told him after the fact that she'd loved him for a lot longer than that, and truthfully, it pained Ash to know this little fact. He had always loved his and Misty's relationship as friends, but he enjoyed their relationship as lovers even more, and he wished they had been able to start that more serious connection sooner. It was such a special bond, and Ash treasured it greatly. He had to make sure that Aiden was aware of these things and that the younger boy would not make the same mistakes that his father had.

"So…it's not bad that I have a…crush?" Aiden winced.

"No, not at all."

"But…how do I _know _it's a crush?"

Ash chuckled. "Aiden, typically, with a crush, you just know. You don't have to have ever experienced love or anything of the sort to know what a crush feels like. It just sort of…hits you. But, if it'll help, tell me what you're thinking about this girl."

"Well, I think about her a lot," Aiden sheepishly admitted. "And I get really excited whenever we run into her. But it's not the kind of excited I get when we run into any other person. Like…I get excited to the point where I have Butterfree in my stomach and I want to give her a big hug. But I never do…because that would be embarrassing. And those are too girly anyway."

"Hugs aren't girly, son," Ash smirked.

"So, what do you think?" Aiden ignored his father's last comment. "Do I have a crush on her?"

"It sounds like you've got it pretty bad," Ash nodded.

Aiden groaned and pulled his shoulders back, acting as if he had just been giving some devastating, life altering news. At this reaction, Ash couldn't help but to smile fondly. His little boy really was quite grown up.

"I don't know what to do," Aiden grumbled.

"Well…what _do_ you want to do?" Ash inquired.

Aiden just sat there for a few moments and thought. He too leaned back in his chair as he continued to think. Eventually, he just shook his head and sighed, "I don't know, Dad. I really don't know what I want to do."

Twisting his mouth, Ash tried, "do you really like her?"

It took a second or two, but Aiden nodded.

"And you've never felt this way about any other girl before?"

Aiden shook his head this time, and it took a lot less thinking for him to do this.

"Then I think you should act upon it," Ash grinned. "If your heart is telling you to do something, than you have to follow it! Life wouldn't be any fun without taking chances, especially when it's something your heart desires."

"Dad, I don't know how to deal with this," Aiden quickly retorted. "How am I supposed to…impress this girl or whatever? I have no clue."

"I can help with that," Ash promised his son. "Nobody likes to believe it, but I'm a romantic. I'm very good when it comes to your mother. I mean…I wasn't when I was younger, but I am now, and that's all that matters. Either way, I've got your back."

"Then tell me what to do," Aiden was practically pleading.

"First you have to tell me about this girl, so I know what she's like," Ash shook a finger at his son. "Now, is she a trainer?"

"Yeah."

"What kind of trainer? Gym trainer, does she have a type specialty…?"

"She's a coordinator."

"A coordinator?" Ash looked surprised once again.

"What's with that face?" Aiden raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't know that coordinators were your type," Ash smirked. "From the time you were a little boy, your mother and I were always convinced that you would fall for a member of the Elite Four, or at least another gym trainer! Coordinators didn't seem to fit your bill."

"Why would you talk about that kind of stuff when I was _little?_" Aiden seemed disturbed by this idea.

"It was mostly your Mom's doing," Ash smiled fondly. "She thinks about _everything _when it comes to you kids. So, anyway, this girl's a coordinator?"

"Yeah," Aiden nodded. "She's really pretty…she has blonde hair and hazel eyes. And she's also really nice and sweet. Her hometown is Celadon City."

All of this sounded somewhat familiar to Ash. He could've sworn he'd been told about a blonde haired, hazel eyed coordinator from Celadon before…but not from his son. In fact, Ash soon realized that it was his _daughter _who had told him all of this before. His daughter also just so happened to be a coordinator…

"Aiden," Ash blinked, his voice becoming soft, "is this girl…a rival of Michelle's?"

"A _friendly_ rival," Aiden replied quickly, not wanting his father to think that the girl was unkind. Especially to his father's little princess…that wouldn't be good. "She's really nice!"

"I know," Ash assured the frantic boy. "Michelle has told me about her before. Isn't her name…Clara?"

"Clarisse," Aiden corrected.

"Ah, right," Ash smiled. "Well, she certainly sounds like a sweet girl. I think your best bet would be to act like yourself! Genuine girls like her like that kind of stuff."

"Do girls like it when you get them presents?" Aiden asked.

"Yes!" Ash answered immediately. "But don't get anything too lavish, because then they'll get mad at you for spending so much money on them. At least, that's what your mother used to do."

Aiden nodded once again. He still wasn't entirely sure of what to do, but he figured he was going to have to figure most of it out on his own. His father had certainly helped. But every girl was different. Clarisse was not Misty, and Misty wasn't Delia. Aiden would just have to figure out Clarisse on his own.

"Thanks, Dad," Aiden looked up at the screen and smiled. "I feel better now."

"I'm glad," Ash grinned. "So, you're going to go for it?"

Taking a deep breath, Aiden smiled and nodded. "I think so. I really like her, Dad. And even if it takes me a little while to really admit my feelings to her; at least I can start to figure things out."

"That sounds like a plan to me," Ash laughed. "You're really growing up, son."

Aiden blushed at this and chose to ignore the overly sappy observation. "Thanks for the help, Dad. I really needed it."

"I'll always be here to help you, champ," Ash smiled calmly. "Remember that."

"I will," Aiden smirked.

"Especially remember it when girls start to give you trouble and try chasing you around with a wooden hammer," Ash concluded very seriously.

Aiden was puzzled by this strange comment. "Wait…what?"

"Don't worry about it," Ash chuckled. "You'll probably be fine. I love you, buddy."

Aiden was about to grimace, but he stopped himself. He loved his parents fawning over him as a child, but now he hated whenever they did it. But his father was right. They would always be there for him, and they loved him dearly. And Aiden, of course felt the same way.

"Thanks Dad," Aiden repeated. "I love you too."

* * *

><p><strong>I love the fatherson relationship ^^**

**Right, so Michelle wasn't really in this one. That's because she's going to have her own one shot, dealing with the same topic (except with a boy :P And she'll go to Misty instead of Ash) but not exactly the same layout, since Michelle's crush has a different circumstance than Aiden's.**

**I might post other one shots in between this one and the one focusing on Michelle (just one or two, probably) to give some leway. But don't worry, it's coming! :P**

**Anyway, I have to know what you guys think of older Aiden, Michelle, and Elizabeth, so just leave a review and tell me what you're thinking! Until next time! :)**


	36. Boy Advice

**I lied XD I managed to write Michelle's one shot! I'm good :P Like I said in the last chapter, this is the same background as Aiden's (asking a parent for advice on the opposite gender) but Michelle has a different concern than Aiden. You'll find out why, once you read it ;)**

**Aiden and Michelle: 13 Years Old**

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><p><strong>Boy Advice<strong>

"You like him?"

Michelle stared back at her stunned brother with wide emerald eyes.

"Aiden-"

"You can't like _him!_" Aiden spat.

"Why not?" Michelle folded her arms. "Just because _you _have a problem with Jake doesn't mean that I have to!"

"He's a jerk!" Aiden retorted. "And I'm afraid…"

"Afraid of what?" Michelle rolled her eyes.

"I don't want him to hurt you, Michelle!" Aiden growled. "I know that he can, and I don't ever want someone doing that to you! Especially someone like him!"

"Then quit worrying about me," Michelle huffed. "I'm not a baby! Besides, Jake is my _friend. _He likes me, and he would never hurt me."

"You say that now," Aiden narrowed his eyes and pulled his backpack straps further over his shoulders. "You don't know what could happen in the future."

"Can we stop talking about this now?" Michelle whined. Pichu, who sat quietly on her trainer's shoulder, sensed the girl's distress and rubbed their cheeks together in an attempt to comfort her. Smiling meekly, Michelle gently stroked the small creature's ears and continued, "I never should have brought this up with you."

"Why?" Aiden grumbled. "Because I'm your brother?"

"Hardly," Michelle snapped. Sighing, she continued, "You're a _boy. _You don't understand any of this. All you care about is Pokémon and food."

"That's not true!" Aiden gasped. "I also care about sleep."

"You're an idiot," Michelle seethed as she marched ahead of her brother, hoping to get to the house before he did. Sometimes, just to test her, Aiden would tattle on Michelle like they were still little kids just to watch her blow up. And today, Michelle wasn't in the mood to deal with her twin's nonsensical behavior.

Fortunately, the raven haired boy chose not to chase his sister down. Breathing out in a content manner, Michelle opened the front door and stepped into the house, her eyes scanning the room in search of any of her family members.

"Mom? Dad?" Michelle called.

"OH, my baby!"

Before Michelle knew it, she was engulfed in a tight hug and left barely able to breathe as her face was pressed against the familiar woman's chest. Whining discontentedly, Pichu jumped off of Michelle's shoulder and landed skillfully on all fours, shaking out her yellow fur as she settled herself.

"Pika!" Pikachu called, scampering over to Pichu and preening her fur for her. The evolved form of the baby Pokémon had essentially adopted Pichu as his own, and watched over her whenever she and Michelle were home. Ash found it to be adorable, figuring that his partner wanted to take after him.

"M…Mom!" Michelle finally managed to gasp. "Can't…breathe!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Shelly," Misty immediately let go of her daughter and began to smooth out the younger red head's clothes. "I always tell myself I'm not going to react that way."

"It's okay," Michelle smiled weakly, moving a strand of ginger hair away from her eyes.

Misty raised an eyebrow and asked, "what's wrong, sweetheart?"

Michelle looked up in surprise. "Nothing's wrong."

"Don't tell me that," Misty sighed. "I can tell when something is bothering you. I'm your mother, after all."

"Mom, you're just being paranoid," Michelle groaned. She didn't want to deal with this right now.

"No, I'm not," Misty placed her hands on her hips and quickly became very stern. "I know what I'm talking about. Upstairs, young lady, now."

Michelle waited to roll her eyes until she was past her mother. She knew that her mother couldn't stand getting an attitude back, and that if she had seen the eye roll, that there'd be punishment. If she was lucky, perhaps Michelle could get out of this conversation.

As Michelle began to ascend the stairs, Aiden walked into the house, his face looking rather bright as he saw his mother.

"Hey Mom!" Aiden greeted cheerfully.

"Aiden, did you do something to your sister?" Misty demanded.

"Huh?" Aiden looked taken back. "No! Why?"

"Never mind, then," Misty waved a hand before hugging Aiden in the same fashion that she had Michelle, causing the teenage boy to choke. "I missed you, honey!"

"M…me too…" Aiden struggled to get free.

Misty released her son and attempted to tidy his hair up with her fingers, which were quickly swatted away by Aiden's own hand.

"Honestly, Aiden, don't you ever use that brush I put in your backpack?" Misty sighed.

"I lost it," Aiden answered honestly.

"Again?" Misty groaned. "That was the fifth one!"

"Sorry?" Aiden tilted his head.

"Oh, I'll deal with you later," Misty grabbed her forehead. "I've got to talk to your sister first."

"Why?" Aiden attempted to follow his mother. "What did she do?"

"Nothing," Misty shook her head. "We just need to have a little chat, is all."

"She totally did something," Aiden smirked. "I want to know!"

"Aiden, shush," Misty gently chastised her son. "She didn't do anything wrong. I just want to talk to her is all."

Aiden shrugged and headed towards the living room, clearly bored of talking about his sister when she hadn't done anything to get in trouble. Sighing once again, Misty headed up the steps and into Michelle's room, where the girl always went when she was sent upstairs. Just as Misty had expected, the younger red head was sprawled out on her bed, her head resting in her folded arms as she stared off to the side in seemingly deep thought.

"What is it, Michelle?" Misty walked into the room.

"I really don't want to talk about it," Michelle answered honestly.

"Why not?" Misty looked and sounded very clearly disappointed. She prided herself in being able to help her children out with anything, and being the kind of mother who they could come to for anything. So Michelle's resistance not only upset her, but it also concerned her.

"Because I don't," Michelle closed her eyes.

"Michelle," Misty cooed sweetly, approaching her older daughter's bed and sitting down on it beside the young coordinator. "Please. I can tell that something is bothering you. And it's not good to keep something inside that's bothering you. You know that I will never judge you or make fun of you, right?"

"Yeah…" Michelle didn't bother to open her eyes.

"Why don't you sound so sure about that?" Misty raised an eyebrow.

"Because, I don't know about you, but I think that Dad may never want to look at me again," Michelle closed her eyes even tighter.

"Your father loves you, Michelle," Misty grew wide eyed. "He would never, ever feel that way about you. What in the world is going on, sweetheart?"

"It's dumb," Michelle answered quickly. "It's so dumb."

"I bet it's not," Misty refuted. "Just tell me, Michelle. Please."

Groaning, the girl finally opened her eyes, but looked further away from Misty. "I have a crush…"

Misty didn't understand why Michelle was getting so worked up. "Is that why you think that Dad is never going to want to look at you? Michelle, you know him telling you that you can't have a boyfriend until you're 30 is just a joke, right?"

"That's not why," Michelle finally opened her eyes and sat up. "It's not the crush itself! It's the _person _that I have a crush on! Dad will…he won't…I can't…"

"Michelle, who do you have a crush on?" Misty asked softly.

Michelle frowned and wrapped her arms around herself. "Jake."

"Jake?" Misty repeated. "Where have I heard that name before…?"

"His Dad, you know his Dad," Michelle lowered her head.

Misty twisted her mouth and thought back to all of the people she knew who had children. Jake…who had a son named Jake…? Misty's eyes widened yet again. Uh oh. No way.

"Paul's son?" Misty whispered.

Michelle shamefully nodded her head.

"Sweetheart," Misty breathed, gently touching her daughter's shoulder, "your father isn't going to disown you just because you like his ex-rival's son. Don't be silly, he loves you too much!"

"He'll hate me," Michelle shook her head now.

"He could never hate you, baby," Misty hugged Michelle. "None of us will ever hate you."

"I can't be with him, it won't work," Michelle whimpered. "Even if you guys won't hate me, you'll all hate him, just because you don't like his Dad. But Jake is different, Mom. He's really nice, he's just so misunderstood. You know he doesn't have a mom?"

Misty sighed and nodded. "I do know that, Shelly."

"Do you know why?" Michelle asked softly.

"That I don't," Misty conceded.

"She left them," Michelle frowned. "Jake doesn't know why. Not even his dad knows. They just woke up one day and she had left. Jake only grew up with a father, he never had a mom. That's why he seems so harsh at first. But once you get through to him…he's really sweet."

Misty toyed with her daughter's hair. "I believe you, sweetheart. And Dad will too. Trust me."

"But Aiden never will," Michelle scoffed.

"Why not?" Misty blinked.

"He and Jake don't like each other," Michelle explained. "They're rivals, just like Dad was with Jake's dad. They seem to hate each other just the same, but Jake doesn't abuse his Pokémon or release them just because they're weak. He treats his Pokémon really well. Aiden just hates him because Dad didn't like…Paul. And sometimes, I think that's the only reason Jake feels the same way about Aiden."

"It's possible," Misty agreed. "Your father has always had quite the influence on your brother."

"What am I supposed to do?" Michelle looked up at her mother.

"Honey, you can't let anyone else's opinions dictate what you do," Misty informed her daughter. "This isn't their life, it's yours. If Jake makes you happy, and you really like him, then that's all that matters. And the people who really love you will respect that."

"But I'm afraid of disappointing people," Michelle stressed.

Breathing out softly, Misty wrapped her arm around Michelle's shoulders and told the girl, "You know that a lot of people weren't happy to find out that your Dad and I were dating?"

"Really?" Michelle sounded genuinely surprised.

"Oh, some people were _ticked,_" Misty smirked at the thought. "There were people who thought your Dad was stupid to have chosen me, and there were some people who thought _I_ was stupid to have chosen your father. And then there were people who just didn't like the idea of us as a couple. Your Dad and I couldn't understand why. We were happy together, and that's all that mattered to us."

"But weren't you afraid of all of those people judging you?" Michelle inquired.

"No," Misty answered truthfully. "I didn't care what they thought. Nobody had ever loved me the way your Dad did, and still does. All I wanted was him. As far as I was concerned, everyone else could just forget themselves."

Michelle looked conflicted on the matter. She was a tough girl, but not on certain subjects. Not like her mother.

"But that won't happen to you," Misty assured her child. "You and Jake aren't famous like your father and I." Smirking, Misty added, "not yet, at least, my future top coordinator."

Michelle blushed and reluctantly smiled at this.

"All you have to worry about is your family and friends," Misty continued. "And, trust me, Michelle, your family and friends are a very loving and supportive group of people. All we want is your happiness."

"So…Dad won't hate me?" Michelle sounded hopeful.

"No, of course not," Misty shook her head. "He will love you all the same. He knows how important love is. And if you really feel this way about Jake, then he and I both know that you have to do what you feel is right. Understand?"

"Yes, Mom," Michelle nodded.

"Good," Misty kissed Michelle atop her head. Smiling, she finished, "now come downstairs so your brother and I can tell me all about what's been happening. I'm dying to know."

Michelle giggled and jumped off of her bed. "Sure, Mom. You know that I can tell you anything!"

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><p><strong>Yep, Michelle is infatuated with Paul's son. The difference between her and Aiden is that Michelle KNOWS she has a crush (unlike Aiden, who wasn't certain and didn't know how to deal with it) she just doesn't know how to approach the fact that it might not be accepted. But Misty, of course, is a loving mother and helps her daughter out :)<strong>

**The older one shots seem to be pretty popular! Don't worry, I'll keep writing one shots where the kids are younger (I can't resist :P) and older, but definitely not any older than out of their teenage years. No adult Aiden, Michelle, and Elizabeth here. It's soo hard for me to imagine! XD**


	37. First Cold

**I have a one shot problem, and I admit it. I need to stop...I have AP tests XD This will probably be the last one for a little bit. Because I seriously have to study...let's see if I can actually stick to that XD**

**Oh, and I've reccieved alot of questions about a sequel to Here We Go Again (since so many people wanted Ash and Misty to have another child.) I'm not gonna lie...I've been trying to write the new story, and I've been having alot of problems with it :/ It's just because I've only written about Aiden, Michelle, and Elizabeth for SO long, and I came up with them a really long time ago, that adding another kid isn't sitting right with me. Everytime I start that story...I don't like the way it's coming out. So I'm going to keep trying, but for now, just be patient :) I have to be happy with my writing! I'm not going to publish something I'm not satisfied with ^^**

**Michelle: 2 Months Old**

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><p><strong>First Cold<strong>

"Uh, Misty…"

"Ash, I just got back from having a battle. Can't you take care of Michelle for five minutes?"

"That's not the problem…"

"Then what is it?"

"Um…her snot is all over me…"

Misty raised her head from out of her folded arms and furrowed her brow. "What in the world are you talking about, Ash?"

"Exactly what I said! It's _everywhere!_"

"How is her snot getting everywhere?" Misty rolled her eyes.

"Because her nose is running…"

Misty's eyes widened. "What? No, no, no!" She jumped out of the kitchen chair she was sitting in and ran into the living room, her face looking absolutely frantic. She locked her eyes onto Ash, who sat on the couch with the couple's 2 month old daughter against his chest.

"Is it bad that her nose is running?" Ash frowned.

"If it's running that much, yeah," Misty hurried over to Ash and leaned in to look at the baby's face. Michelle looked right back at Misty, although her face was more pale than usual. Her nose was completely red, and, just as Ash had said, running like a faucet.

"Is she sick?" Ash gasped.

Almost immediately, Michelle began to cry, reaching a tiny little hand out towards Misty as she sobbed.

"Oh, my poor little baby!" Misty wailed. She took the infant into her arms and held her close, not caring that the baby was rubbing her face against her body and getting snot all over her shirt. "You're a sick little thing, aren't you? This isn't fun, I know."

Michelle kept crying, squirming in Misty's arms as she struggled to get comfortable with this illness overtaking her.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Ash's face looked frantic. He jumped up and gently touched Michelle's back with the tips of his fingers, hoping to help soothe the young child.

"It's probably just a cold, so I think so," Misty frowned. "But she's still only two months old, and because of her weaker lungs, I'm a little worried. I think we should take her to the doctor just to be safe."

"Good idea," Ash sighed. "Do you want me to call him?"

"Yeah, I've gotta get Michelle to calm down," Misty nodded, kissing the top of her still hysterical daughter's head.

Ash nodded and walked into the kitchen, leaving behind his young wife and even younger daughter. Michelle let out a few more tortured cries, which only broke Misty's heart even further.

"Arceus, I hate to hear you cry like this," Misty whined as she rocked the baby back and forth. "You sound like you're in pain…my poor, beautiful baby…please, it's okay."

Misty continued to pace the floor, gently bouncing her daughter up and down. Michelle moaned and gripped Misty's shirt in her fist, squeezing it as she uncomfortably squirmed in her mother's arms.

In the kitchen, Ash had picked up the regular phone and dialed the number of Dr. Neal, the pediatrician who Dr. Aaron had suggested to the young parents. He waited impatiently for the physician to pick up, nervously drumming his fingers against the counter top as the sound of his baby girl wailing in the other room caused his heart to drop repeatedly.

"_Hello?"_

"Oh, Dr. Neal!" Ash sighed. "Thank Arceus you picked up."

"_Ash?"_ Dr. Neal questioned. _"What is it? Has something happened with one of the babies?"_

"Yeah, Michelle is a little sick," Ash frowned. "Misty thinks it's a cold."

"_Could you give me some of the symptoms that Michelle is experiencing?"_

"She has a really runny nose, and she's been crying a lot more than usual. That's all that I can think of."

"_Has she had a decrease in appetite?"_

"Now that you mention it, yeah," Ash's eyes widened. "Michelle is usually a picky eater anyway, but she's been getting better. This morning, though, when Misty was trying to feed her, Michelle didn't really seem to want any of it. She ate for a few minutes, but then she stopped, and every time Misty tried to get her to eat more, it only made Michelle upset."

"_Any sneezing?"_

"A few times, yeah."

"_And does she have any signs of a fever?"_

"I didn't check, so I guess it's possible…let me check," Ash lowered the phone and covered the speaker, calling out, "Misty! Can you feel Michelle's forehead and tell me if she's warm?"

Misty took one of her hands and pressed it gently against Michelle's small forehead. The baby whined unhappily and gripped Misty's shirt more tightly. Gasping quietly, Misty walked swiftly into the kitchen and stared at Ash in horror.

"She's warm," Misty whispered.

Blanching out in shock, Ash uncovered the phone and shakily informed the pediatrician, "yes. She seems to have a little bit of a fever."

"_This definitely sounds like a cold," _Dr. Neal confirmed. _"But since she is younger than 3 months old, I have to make sure that it hasn't decimated her immune system yet. How long has she had these symptoms?"_

"I think since last night."

"_So definitely not a week?"_

"No."

"_You said before she had a lack of appetite. Is she refusing to nurse completely?"_

"No."

"_Is she bluish around the lips or nose with any trouble breathing?"_

"No, thankfully," Ash sighed. He had been very concerned about that, since Michelle's lungs were still rather weak.

"_Good. That means that right now the cold isn't in danger of becoming pneumonia."_

"Uh…pneumonia?" Ash murmured.

If he had glanced over at Misty, Ash would've seen the ultimate look of horror cross his wife's face. The gym leader looked like she was about to burst into tears, or hyperventilate, or both. Eventually, he did peer over at her, though, and saw the terror. Gasping, he shook his head and mouthed the word _no _to her. Misty sighed and held the baby more tightly, stroking the back of Michelle's soft, orange hair.

"_Right. In very young children, an untreated cold can end up turning into something a lot more serious such as pneumonia. But you called for help soon enough that it more than likely won't become something like that."_

"Thank goodness," Ash sighed tiredly. "So, what do we do now? How are we supposed to help Michelle?"

"_Well, I would like for you to bring her in for an examination," _Dr. Neal continued. _"While I'm positive it's just a cold, Michelle's underdeveloped lungs give me some cause for concern. I'm not saying she'll have any extra problems or be put in danger, but I want to be on the safe side with her."_

"I agree," Ash nodded. "What's the closest appointment we can get?"

"_I'm free today at 2. You can bring her in then, if you want."_

Ash glanced at the clock. It was just past 1, meaning they had a little less than an hour to get ready and go. "That sounds good."

"_Great. Until then, you might want to moisten the air in your house, or at least a single room, with a humidifier. That will clear up Michelle's sinuses to some extent. You can also use saline and a suction bulb to clear up her nose."_

Ash grimaced at this. It sounded terrible, but he was really sick of all the mucus and drool…he didn't realize just how messy babies were.

"And that's it?" Ash asked.

"_For now. I will determine what else can be done upon examining her."_

"Thanks doc," Ash rubbed his eyes. "We'll see you soon."

Hanging up the phone, Ash put it back on the receiver and turned towards Misty, who was still holding Michelle against her chest. The baby had calmed down to a degree, but she was still whining and occasionally letting out a small sob here and there.

"Well?" Misty breathed. "What did he say?"

"The doctor said that more than likely, it's a cold," Ash rubbed the back of his neck now. "But he still wants to examine Michelle just to be sure. We have an appointment at 2."

"That's in less than an hour," Misty noted.

"Mmhmm," Ash nodded.

"Okay, we have to get Michelle ready," Misty continued to bounce the baby, who hadn't calmed down anymore. "It's cold outside, so we have to make sure she stays nice and warm when we take her out."

"And what should we do with Aiden?" Ash bit his lip.

"My parents are home," Misty replied. "Can you call them for me and ask if they'll come over to watch Aiden for just a little bit? I'll get Michelle ready while you're doing that."

"Sure thing," Ash took possession of the phone once again, watching as Misty nodded and headed towards the stairs, the still miserable infant beginning to wail in her arms.

**XXX**

Ash groaned and rubbed his temples. "Misty…I feel _really _bad for Michelle, and I wish there was _something _I could do to help her, but all of this crying is starting to give me a headache."

"Ash, I can't stop her," Misty sighed. "I've been doing everything I possibly can to calm her down: holding her, rocking her, bouncing her, rubbing her back, I've even tried to feed her! But none of it is working. Not even the ride in the car calmed her down! She just feels really, really sick and it's hard for her, the poor little thing."

Michelle was still sobbing in her carrier, staring up at her mother as she wailed. Misty felt miserable. It was as though the baby was begging her mother for help, to make the illness go away, and there was nothing Misty could do to make everything all better. As a mother, it was awful.

"I know, baby," Misty murmured, lowering the hood of the bright pink wool coat that Michelle was wearing. "You feel icky. I'm so sorry, little girl. Mommy is going to do everything that she can to help you."

Michelle screamed, and in response, Ash further buried his face into his hands. Frowning, Misty quickly took off the light pink blanket that covered Michelle's small body and unstrapped the girl, lifting her out of the carrier in order to bounce her up and down once again.

"Try taking her coat off," Ash glanced up at Misty. "Maybe she's too hot now that we're inside."

Nodding, Misty gently slipped off the jacket and left in the carrier, leaving Michelle in only her yellow fleece footed pajamas printed with purple stars. Humming softly, Misty kissed the baby's head and held her against her chest.

"Please, sweetie," Misty begged, "no more crying. Mommy hates it so much when you cry."

Still wailing, Michelle looked over at her father and held a small hand out towards him. Frowning, Ash gently rubbed her fingers, which led the young girl to squeak in the midst of her sobs and grab hold of her father's index finger.

"Calm down, princess," Ash murmured. "This can't be good for you when you're sick! Mommy and I are right here…we're going to help you, baby."

Michelle hiccupped and finally stopped crying. She still had some tears slipping out of her eyes and falling down her cheeks. She was red in the face and still breathing heavily, but otherwise she appeared to have calmed down.

"She really does listen to you, Ash," Misty smiled up at her husband.

Chuckling, Ash just shrugged and replied, "I don't even think she knows what I'm saying. I've just noticed that if you're really gentle with the babies, like you talk calmly to them and don't act too crazy, they tend to relax and listen to you. If only because you sound so nice."

As Ash continued to quietly comfort his daughter, Dr. Neal emerged from the back and called Michelle's name, causing Ash and Misty to look up.

"Hi doc," Ash grinned, trying to free his finger from Michelle's hand. It didn't work, however, as Michelle just squeezed tighter and stared at her father with an expression that, if Ash was correct, seemed to read _just what do you think you're doing? I need that._

"Sorry princess," Ash whispered, smiling at the baby. He stood up, making sure to keep his arm lowered so Michelle could continue holding onto his finger. Giggling, Misty got up as well, holding onto Michelle's carrier on her free right arm.

The young parents followed the doctor into an examination room, where Misty, who was used to visiting the pediatrician at this point, put Michelle down on the smaller table that was meant for babies. Michelle began to whine immediately once she was put down, concerning Misty once again.

"Come on, baby," Misty sighed, playing with the infant's hair. "No more fussing!"

"Has she been exceptionally cranky?" Dr. Neal smirked as he closed the door.

"Like you wouldn't believe," Ash moaned. "Screaming and crying and wailing…it never seems to end!"

"She cried the whole way here," Misty added.

"Yes, that sounds like a sick baby to me," Dr. Neal nodded sympathetically. "Poor thing. I'm just going to give her an examination to make sure that my suspicions are correct."

As soon as Dr. Neal stepped into Michelle's view, the baby lost any composure she had regained and started to scream her little head off. She flailed her arms, kicked her feet, and yelled just as loud as she possibly could.

"I'm gonna need to take a whole bunch of pain relievers once we get home," Ash grabbed at his head.

"Ash, how could you be so insensitive to our little girl?" Misty bit, making sure to keep her hand on the baby's head in an attempt to soothe her.

"I'm not, I told you how bad I feel!" Ash frowned. "I wish she wouldn't cry so much, but there's really not much we can do about it!"

Misty opened her mouth to respond with an even angrier comment, but Dr. Neal cut her off before she could speak. "Yes, a baby's first illness can be very stressful on the parents." Misty turned to look at the pediatrician, who simply smiled at her. "It's alright. Especially because Michelle is so young! This isn't something easy to cope with."

Smiling sadly, Misty continued to stroke the baby's hair. Moving closer to Michelle, Dr. Neal undid the Velcro on the front of Michelle's pajamas and put his stethoscope buds in his ears before placing the metal circle on the baby's chest.

At the contact, Michelle screamed again, and Misty was beginning to become completely unnerved. Looking over at Ash, she pleaded, "Ash, please help me."

"Huh?" Ash looked up and raised an eyebrow.

"You calmed her down before," Misty motioned her head towards Michelle. "Could you try and do it again?"

Ash seemed taken aback by the request, but either way, he nodded and stood up, approaching the small examination table and covering Michelle's very tiny hand with his much larger one. Still wailing, Michelle looked up, locking her tearful eyes onto her father.

"Hey there, baby girl," Ash smiled sweetly at his daughter. "Sorry, but Daddy doesn't like it much when you scream. It hurts my heart to see you so upset! It hurts my ears too…"

Michelle whimpered but ceased her screams of pain and discomfort. She cooed up at her father, no longer caring so much that the doctor was giving her an examination. Ash chuckled and gently played with the small girl's fingers, causing her to turn her head and watch his every move.

"You're curious about what I'm doing, right?" Ash whispered. Michelle babbled and relaxed her body, breathing more gently which, in turn, made the doctor's job much easier. Misty, meanwhile, just watched Ash in amazement. He was completely natural with the babies, whether he wanted to admit it or not.

"It's just as I thought," Dr. Neal pulled up and took the buds out of his ears. "A cold. Her lungs seem to be pretty clear, which is good."

"Thank goodness," Misty breathed out shakily. "So, what can we do for her?"

"Not much, unfortunately," Dr. Neal sighed. "Since she's only 2 months old, she can't take any medication yet. You'll just have to use a humidifier to moisten the air in her room, clean her nose out, and feed her less often. I would also try and keep her away from Aiden, since a cold is highly transferrable."

"And the fever?" Misty inquired.

Retrieving an ear thermometer, Dr. Neal checked the baby's temperature, who still didn't fuss at the contact thanks to her father. Once the instrument beeped, Dr. Neal examined the screen and smiled gently. "It's a very mild fever. Just barely at 99. I would only be considered if her temperature was at 100.5."

"Okay," Misty felt so relieved. She was still upset that her baby had a cold, but she knew that it was bound to happen eventually, and there was really nothing she could do to prevent it. There were just too many viruses floating around in the air.

"You can bring her back at the end of the week for a follow up," Dr. Neal suggested. "Hopefully by then she'll be feeling better."

"Thank you doctor," Misty smiled at the older man. Leaning down, she fixed the front of Michelle's pajamas before walking away from her to fetch the carrier.

"Misty?" Ash raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you going to pick up Michelle?"

"I think you should carry her," Misty trilled, holding onto the carrier as she approached Ash and laid a hand on his strong bicep. "You seem to be the perfect medicine for our sick little princess."

Laughing, Ash nodded and reached down to gather his young daughter into his arms. He cradled her tiny body, beaming as she stared up at him with wide, curious eyes.

"Mommy thinks that you need a big dose of snuggles from Daddy," Ash cooed. "What do you think, beautiful?"

Michelle made no sound, but tilted her head until it gently bumped against Ash's chest.

"Alright then," Ash rubbed his nose against Michelle's much smaller one, which was red from all the sniffling she'd been doing. "One prescription of love and hugs coming right up!"

"You're so cheesy," Misty laughed, walking towards the door of the room.

Twisting his mouth, Ash peered down at the baby once again and asked, "Do you think I'm cheesy?"

Michelle stuck her little tongue out, but still made no other noise.

"See? You love me," Ash grinned. "Mommy is right! I _am _the perfect medicine for you!"


	38. The Festival Queen

**I CAN EXPLAIN. *Clears throat* Okay, sorry, but this one shot was like...done already...it just needed a few more lines...and can you relly study for AP Literature anyway? I've written so many essays and annotated so many poems that my head might explode. Besides, english is my best subject! It's Government we've got to worry about...**

**Sorry, I trailed off. Ignore me. I'm a crazy woman. Enjoy the one shot :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 Years Old**

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><p><strong>The Festival Queen<strong>

"Waah! I completely forgot!"

Ash, who had been filling Pikachu's bowl with food, looked up at his wife, who was sitting at the table with a look of panic on her face.

"What's wrong, Mist?" Ash got to his feet and wondered whether or not he should begin to panic himself.

"I completely forgot about the Water Festival," Misty moaned, burying her face in her hands.

"What about it?" Internally, Ash was relieved. He had been afraid that there was something wrong with Misty.

"The Queen," Misty muttered miserably. "I'm supposed to be the Queen."

"And you will be the Queen," Ash raised an eyebrow. "Nobody is stopping you."

"Wrong," Misty sagged her shoulders, "_I'm_ stopping me."

"Wait…what?" Ash now looked genuinely surprised. "But Misty…you know that the Cerulean City gym leader is supposed to be the Queen of the Water Festival!"

The Water Festival was a weeklong celebration that took place in Cerulean City every August. It started on the first of the month and went for an entire week. The festival was a long standing tradition in the city, and had basically been celebrated since Cerulean's inception. There were carnival games and street performers who created beautiful combinations and displays with their water type Pokémon. Stands full of snacks and food were set up all over the place, and battles between water Pokémon took place in the parks or on clear streets.

The ultimate symbol of the Water Festival was the "Queen of the Water." The role of the Queen was typically played by the Cerulean City gym leader, since it had been deemed many years ago that the gym's leader was the ultimate representation for Cerulean City.

With that in mind, Misty had been playing the role of the Queen since she was 12 years old. She took the job very seriously, and although Ash had teased her about it at first, he quickly realized just how important this festival was to not only Misty, but all of the inhabitants of Cerulean City. He had been living there steadily for six years now, and got just as excited for the festival as anyone else in the city. Of course, it also could've been because their children had been taught by Misty at a very young age to greatly appreciate the event, and they counted down to it each and every year. Their sweet innocence tended to rub off on Ash, since he was kind of a kid himself.

"Ash, there's no way I can be the Queen this year," Misty looked at her husband as though he was crazy. "I'm almost nine months pregnant."

"So? You'll make a cute pregnant Queen," Ash reasoned with the water type specialist. "Besides, you did it when you were pregnant with the twins."

"But I was only four months along then," Misty shook her head. "They didn't have the potential to be born at any minute. Not like this one does."

Ash couldn't help but to smirk and kneel down in order to rub his hands against Misty's extremely obvious baby bump. "Aw, she can be the Princess of the Water Festival!" Ash leaned forward and gave his wife's belly a sweet kiss.

"According to the old festival legend, any baby born in Cerulean City during the week of the festival will do something incredible with their life," Misty mused lovingly. Resting her cheek on her hand, she asked, "Do you think it's true?"

"Maybe," Ash smiled against her stomach. "But I kind of hope she isn't born during the festival. It'll be so crazy…not to mention a little too early for her to come out."

"You never know," Misty shrugged.

Pulling away from Misty, Ash looked up at his wife and returned to the previous subject. "So, seriously, you're not going to be the Queen?"

"I don't see how I could possibly do it," Misty sighed, folding her hands over her protruding belly. "There's no way I'm going to fit into that costume. Besides, most of the time I'm too tired to do anything. I can barely _walk _at this point. You think I want to stand on a balcony in front of everyone who lives in Cerulean and then some? To give a whole speech and pretend to be all cheery while our unborn daughter is trying to kick her way out of my stomach? It's not possible."

"But it's only for a few minutes," Ash twisted his mouth. "And I bet you could find a pretty dress that would fit you. No one will notice if the costume is different for a year."

"Ash, have you ever stopped to think that maybe I'm a little bit self conscious about how I look right now?" Misty was beginning to lose her patience with the master. "I'm doing a pretty good job of resembling a Wailord, you know."

"Don't talk about yourself that way, Misty," Ash stood up and hugged his wife. "I think you look beautiful!"

"That's nice," Misty smiled for a split second before returning to her hostile glare, "but I don't agree with that viewpoint at all. In my eyes, I look terrible, and I'd rather not put myself on display."

"But the twins will be so disappointed if you don't play the role," Ash continued to plead with Misty. "You know that aside from all of the sugar and games that those two just love seeing their Mommy dressed up like a beautiful Queen!"

"They'll understand, they're a big boy and girl," Misty haphazardly waved her hand.

"Well…who's going to play the Queen if you don't?" Ash frowned.

"That's the next problem," Misty sighed. "The legend of the festival clearly states that if for whatever reason, the gym leader is unable to perform her duties as the Queen, then someone else in the family must play the role."

"So…Daisy, Violet, or Lily?" Ash questioned.

"They would be next in line, but they're not going to be here for the opening of the festival," Misty shook her head. "And the first day is when the Queen appears."

"Well, where are they?" Ash pressed. "Can't they come back?"

"No, they're all vacationing in Johto, visiting Dorian's family. They'll be back around the third day of the festival, but that doesn't do me any good."

"What about your Mom?" Ash tried.

"She's not here either," Misty winced as the baby got a good jab at her bladder.

"And Dakota, Vanessa, and Lola are all with your sisters, right?" Ash bit his lip, referring to his and Misty's three nieces.

"Of course."

"There's no one left to be the Queen, then!" Ash's eyes widened. "Unless, of course, you go with Michelle."

"Michelle is too young to be the Queen of the festival," Misty refuted.

"Why? The first time you did it, you were 12."

"She's 5, Ash, it's hardly the same thing," Misty rolled her eyes. "I think you're forgetting that the Queen has to read a speech. Michelle is _just _starting to learn how to read, and unless the whole speech is full of words like "happy," "sad," "angry," or various colors, she's not going to be able to read it."

"Right," Ash muttered, clearly disappointed that none of his ideas were feasible.

"I feel so bad," Misty sulked. "The festival is going to be ruined all because of me. I'm such a terrible gym leader."

"Misty, you're an _amazing_ gym leader," Ash assured his wife. "It's not like you're just giving up the job for this year because you're bored. You and I both know that you would love to play the Queen just like you do every year. But we've got a beautiful baby girl on the way, and it's only a matter of weeks before she's here. You need to rest, and the people of Cerulean City will be able to understand that."

"But I still feel like I'm letting everyone down," Misty didn't sound any happier than she had before. "The Queen of the Water is the most important part of the festival and its legend! How can they have the festival without a Queen?"

Ash didn't have a response for Misty as far as that was concerned. He didn't know what to say to her. She was clearly against playing the Queen. Their daughter was too young, Misty's sisters were out of the region, as were their own daughter. Even her mother was off somewhere.

Looking up slowly, Misty blinked and murmured, "Wait…"

"What is it?" Ash raised an eyebrow. "Did you get an idea or something, Mist?"

"I did…" Misty nodded. "I think I might know who can play the Queen…"

"Who?" Ash leaned in, obviously curious about whatever Misty's new idea was.

"Well…I don't really think you're gonna like it…" Misty blushed slightly.

"I'm sure it's fine!" Ash shook his head. "I care about saving this festival just as much as you do! Just tell me who you're thinking of to play the Queen. I bet I could help you to convince her, if she's a little hesitant! I've got a certain persuasive charm, you know."

"Yeah, about all of this "she" stuff, Ash…"

**XXX**

"How in the _hell_ did you talk me into this?"

Misty smiled at her husband's less than amused expression. "Because you love me and can never say no to me. Especially when I'm _super_ pregnant with your babies. It makes me all the more irresistible to you!"

"I know that I love you more than anything else in the world, but I still don't know how you convinced me to do…this," Ash motioned down at his body, which was outfitted in the familiar water Queen costume. "Because I'm ready to tear this dress off right about now and just forget the whole thing."

"Ash, you can't!" Misty begged. "You know that if I can't play the Queen, someone in relation to me has to do it! But with all of the immediate female members of my family away…you're the closest thing I have."

"But we're not even blood related!" Ash protested. "We're only related through marriage!"

"Which is good enough when you don't have any blood relatives around," Misty refuted. "My husband is the closest thing right now to my mother or sisters."

"I really don't want to do this," Ash whined.

"It's only for a few minutes, Ash!" Misty sighed, continuing to try and zip the back of the dress up. "Besides, aren't you used to cross dressing by now?"

"That's not funny," Ash grumbled.

"I'm just saying, you seem to do it disturbingly too much…even though I've only witnessed it once, Brock has told me stories, you know."

"Misty, every single one of those instances was not my choice!" Ash groaned. "And that includes _now!_"

Misty finally managed to zip up the dress before stepping back to examine her husband. "Is it weird of me to say that this dress looks nice on you?"

"Considering I'm a _guy, _and you just told me you think it's weird that I apparently have a "habit" of cross-dressing?" Ash asked rhetorically. "Yeah, just a little!"

"Oh, relax," Misty sighed, rolling her eyes as she laid a hand on her stomach. "It's still pretty creepy. But if I _had_ to pick a dress for you to wear, this one isn't terrible. I can see your really attractive muscles."

"Which don't look so attractive when you're trying to make me resemble a girl," Ash deadpanned.

The silky, floor length gown had a mermaid silhouette: tight fitting around the chest, torso, and legs, and flaring out at the very bottom. The layers at the bottom alternated in color: the even layers cerulean colored along with the rest of the dress, and the odd layers teal. Around Ash's shoulders wrapped two teal taffeta strips of material. On Misty's shoulders, they draped elegantly and floated when she walked. Since Ash had much bigger and more muscular arms, however, they hugged his shoulders tightly and didn't hang at all. A jeweled piece decorated the middle of the sweetheart neckline, dotted with teal gemstones around silver plating. The neckline was very flattering on Misty's figure and revealed just the right amount of skin. On Ash, it barely fit and put half of his impressive chest muscles on display.

Ash turned around, slowly and with great struggle, to study himself in the full length mirror. Instantly, he cringed and tried to pull his shoulders back, which he found he couldn't do due to the tightness of the material around his shoulders. "I look ridiculous!"

"Oh, just be grateful that I'm not making you wear the heels," Misty breathed.

"Yes, because your dainty little shoes will fit _my _feet," Ash bit sarcastically. "You wouldn't be able to squeeze those things on if you tried."

Twisting her mouth, Misty moved closer to Ash and held his face as she examined it. "You might need a little bit of mascara, maybe some lipstick…and a hint of blush wouldn't hurt either."

"Uh, no!" Ash tore himself away from Misty, falling over onto his butt due to the tightness of the dress restricting his movement. "I'm not wearing make up! No way, no how!"

"But you look way too manly without it," Misty pouted.

"Because I'm a _man!_" Ash cried. "Besides, your make up isn't going to help me look like a pretty little princess! I think my muscles give away the fact that I'm not a girl!"

"Maybe you're just a woman with too much testosterone!" Misty retorted.

"I wish you would stop reading all of those pregnancy books," Ash muttered. "I know that's where you get all of this weird health information from."

"Ash, get up," Misty sighed as she rubbed her temples. "I'm starting to get a migraine from all of your whining. Do you know you complain more than the twins do?"

Rolling around, Ash inched about like a Caterpie before managing to get to his feet and clumsily pull himself up. "Misty, if I give you like…$100 to spend on baby clothes, can we forget about all of this?" Ash motioned to the dress he was wearing. He knew his wife had an obsession with baby clothes, and he was going to use this vital piece of information to his advantage.

"That's a lousy bribe," Misty commented in a guileless tone. "If I want to spend money on baby clothes, I'll just take your credit card myself."

"Not if I hide it," Ash threatened.

"I'll find it," Misty sighed. "I always do."

"Misty…" Ash groaned.

"The quicker you cooperate with me, the sooner this will all be over with," Misty shrugged. "So if you just close your mouth and let me finish the job, you'll be out of that costume before you know it."

"What else is there for you to possibly do?" Ash folded his arms, wincing at how tight the material was on his body.

"I need to give you a wig," Misty stated in an obvious manner. "You look too much like a guy right now."

As Misty walked (more like waddled at this point) over towards her closet, the sound of small feet pounding against the floor grew louder and louder, causing Ash's heart to leap, and not in a good way. He and Misty had been trying to get this done before the twins got up so they wouldn't have to their parents were up to.

Unfortunately for the Pokémon Master, it was too late. The children were up, and there was no putting them back to sleep now. Or even out of their room. Misty, in fact, was so busy in her closet that she hadn't even heard the twins coming.

The young children burst into the room, wide smiles on their faces as they searched for their parents. They became confused when they didn't see their mother, however, and even _more _confused when they saw their father wearing a dress.

"Daddy?" Michelle called. "Are you and Mommy playing dress up?"

Ash blushed. "Uh…I guess you could say that…" Looking down, Ash realized that Aiden's eyes were wide and his jaw was dropped. The poor boy looked absolutely shocked. "Aiden, buddy, this is a lesson for you. Never do what your Daddy is doing, okay?"

Aiden tilted his head slightly. "Do what, Daddy?"

"Wear…this," Ash sighed. "I never want you to do this, okay?"

"So…how come you're doin' it?" Aiden asked.

"Because your Mommy has ideas," Ash shuttered. "Very _bad_ ideas."

"I heard that!" Misty leaned out from the closet and glared at her husband. Her eyes were quickly drawn to the two young children standing by her husband's feet, and she gasped softly. "Aiden, Michelle, what are you doing here?"

"We woke up!" Michelle chirped.

"It's the first day of the festival, Mommy!" Aiden added brightly.

"I know, sweetie, but Mommy can't go to the festival this year," Misty frowned.

"Why, Mommy?" Aiden pouted.

"The baby is too close to being born," Misty finally emerged from the closet fully, holding onto a dark wig. "It's not a good idea for me to go. But don't worry, Daddy will take you to the festival if you want to go."

"Can I feel her?" Aiden smiled.

"She's asleep right now, but you can in just a minute," Misty grinned back at her young son. Moving closer to Ash, she pulled the wig over his head and straightened it until she deemed it to be in the perfect position.

"There!" Misty grinned. "All finished!"

Ash didn't even want to look at himself in the mirror. Aiden and Michelle climbed atop their parents' bed to better study their father, both children giggling at the sight.

"Daddy, you make a pretty girl!" Michelle beamed.

"Hardly," Ash smacked his palm against his face.

Misty groaned and threw her head back. "I'm exhausted. This was too much work for me." She sat down on the bed and sighed tiredly, although she smiled lovingly once Aiden and Michelle jumped off of their feet to sit down on either of her sides and place their hands on her stomach.

"Misty…I _seriously _don't want to do this," Ash rolled his eyes.

"Ash, you have to," Misty narrowed her eyes.

"Why?" Ash was exasperated at this point.

And at the same time, Misty just so happened to get a brilliant idea. She turned away to hide her growing smirk until she managed to bend it down into a frown, at which point she turned her face back around so Ash could see her pout.

"Ashy…" Misty whimpered, "Don't you know how much this means to me?"

Ash's expression softened. "What?"

"The festival," Misty threw in a sniffle for good measure. "I've been going to this festival since I was a little girl…and I've been the Queen since I was 12…and this year I _can't _be the Queen, and I can't even _go _to the festival! It's breaking my heart, Ash!"

Now it was Ash's turn to frown. "Misty…I'm so sorry…I didn't know how important the festival was to you."

"It practically means the world to me," Misty covered her eyes with her hands and let out a quiet wail. "And I just don't want to let the wonderful people of Cerulean City down…just because _I _have to be so sad and relegated doesn't mean that everyone else should too!"

As the final piece of resistance, Misty began to move her shoulders up and down, to make as if she was really crying.

And, just as she had hoped, Misty was breaking her husband's heart.

"Oh, Misty, please don't cry!" Ash begged. "You know that I hate to see you cry! Oh…I'm so sorry, angel! Here, look, I'm heading downstairs right now! I'll go and play the Queen, and then I'll take the twins to the festival later, and I'll take pictures for you, and everything will be wonderful!"

Misty still didn't look up.

"Okay, I'm going right now!" Ash shuffled out of the room, his legs being severely restricted by the tight material they were encased in. "I'm going! Right down the stairs! Don't worry, sweetheart!"

With their father out of the room, Aiden and Michelle stared up curiously at their mother. They were unsure of what to do. It was very, very rare to see their mother cry…they had only seen it once or twice before. Should they try to comfort her? It wasn't very nice to watch her cry…it made the twins very sad.

"M…Mommy?" Michelle gently nudged her mother's arm.

Misty stopped moving her shoulders and separated her fingers, peering out from in between her long, slender appendages. Seeing that Ash was nowhere to be found, Misty giggled and lowered her hands, looking in between her twin 5 year olds.

They, in turn, were even more stunned than they were before. Their mother's face was not red; there were no tears on her cheeks. She wasn't sobbing or wailing or even hiccupping.

"Mommy, were you crying?" Aiden asked uncertainly.

"No, baby," Misty smiled and shook her head.

"But…we thought you _were,_" Michelle furrowed her brow.

"Oh, that's just a trick I use on your Daddy to get him to do some things for me," Misty waved her hand. "Don't worry, my little darlings. I'm perfectly happy!"

"So…you tricked him?" Aiden pressed.

"Yes," Misty smiled in an almost guilty fashion. "I know it doesn't sound so nice, but…oh, you two will understand when you get older. I promise."

"When I get older, will I understand why Daddy is wearin' a dress?" Aiden blinked.

Misty laughed at that one. "Maybe you will, sweetheart! This _will _be a good story to tell, after all…"

* * *

><p><strong>Cross dressing Ash is fun. I just like to torture the poor guy. As any Pokeshipping writer will tell you, it's impossibly easy...<strong>


	39. First Mother's Day

**Guys, I don't want to study for Government anymore :( It's boooring. I don't even care anymore, how sad is that? It would figure that the weather decides to get nice when I have a big exam coming up. Really, it's lovely **

**Well, today is Mother's Day, so I had to write a Mother's Day one shot, of course :P There already is a Mother's Day one shot in here, but hey, I can write a bunch of different one shots on the same subject! I'm good like that :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 months old**

* * *

><p><strong>First Mother's Day<strong>

Misty was trying to sleep, but she was suddenly finding it rather hard. Ash was being gentle with her, kissing her cheek and running his fingers through her silky orange hair. While Misty treasured her sleep, she didn't find this innocent teasing to be bothersome. It was relaxing and made Misty feel happy. Part of her wasn't falling back asleep because she didn't want to stop feeling this way.

"Are you awake?" Ash's low voice finally floated into Misty's ear. She felt his warm breath against her skin, and a grin appeared on her young face.

"Maybe," Misty whispered whimsically.

"You're gorgeous," Ash complimented the gym leader, resting one of his hands against her flat, well toned stomach. Misty let out a ticklish laugh and drew her legs up slightly, turning her head in towards Ash and halfway opening her eyes.

"That was random," Misty quipped.

"But it's true," Ash shrugged, his own smile warming Misty's heart with a sense of love and security. "I have the most beautiful wife in the whole world. I'm so lucky."

"You're making me blush," Misty murmured, turning her head away from Ash so he wouldn't see her reddened cheeks.

"I'm sorry for waking you up," Ash continued.

"I don't mind," Misty replied honestly.

Silence once again set in between the couple. Misty rolled her head back to its original position, so she was facing the ceiling. She felt Ash's fingers intertwining with her own, and yet another smile graced her delicate pink lips.

Almost as soon as they had tangled, Ash's fingers separated from Misty's. She whined at the loss, frowning and slowly opening her eyes. Ash stopped her with another gentle kiss on the cheek, however, and a murmur of, "I'll be right back."

Misty was confused, but didn't bother to ask. She felt the mattress rise as Ash climbed off the bed, and suddenly felt quite lonely. It was sad, in a way. When had she become _this _dependent? Misty swore she would never be like this. Then again, she _had _made that promise before Ash had reciprocated her love.

She was so happy with where her life was right now; everything was perfect. Her relationship was stable and the best thing Misty had ever experienced. The gym was going well, Misty's rank as gym leader just kept on rising, and her Pokémon continued to get stronger every day. None of this seemed to top the best thing in Misty's life, however. What she was most proud of and most treasured.

Before she could continue her thoughts, Misty heard the sound of footsteps re-entering the bedroom, and her mind stopped running immediately. Subconsciously, she held her breath and waited for Ash's return, secretly hoping for another kiss or twirl of her soft hair.

She didn't feel him get on the bed again, however. Instead, she felt two warm forms being placed against either of her sides, squirming and breathing gently against her. Smiling, Misty opened her eyes and looked down at both of her sides, finding a baby against either one.

"My little angels," Misty sighed contently.

As if understanding her mother, Michelle cooed and opened her eyes, tilting her head back to stare at the woman in fascination. She kicked her little legs up, brushing one against Misty's taut stomach, and slowly raising her arms towards her head.

"Good morning, princess," Misty whispered to the tiny girl. "How are you?"

Michelle, of course, didn't respond. But she did smile at her mother and clap her hands together several times, which brought Misty a whole new wave of joy.

"What about you, my little man?" Misty smirked as she looked over at Aiden. He too was just beginning to wake up, although he was much groggier than his sister. Aiden whined unhappily and raised his hands to his face, covering his eyes and whimpering continuously.

"Oh, my poor baby," Misty breathed. She scooped Aiden up into her arms, hoping to soothe the upset infant who was curling up as he moaned. She shushed and rocked the baby, smiling as he began to relax. Slowly, Aiden unfurled his body and moved his hands away from his face, looking up curiously at his mother as he grew quiet. "You're not a morning person, huh, sweetie?"

Aiden grumbled and reached one hand up for his mother. Misty leaned her head down and kissed his tiny fingers, smiling against them as he tried to stick them in her mouth.

"They love you so much," Ash smirked. "Must be why they got you a present."

Misty's smile dissipated as she looked up in considerable shock. "A…a present?"

Ash nodded and stepped into his closet, Misty watching after him the whole time. When he disappeared, Michelle began to fuss, also wanting to be held by her mother.

"I'm quite popular with you two, aren't I?" Misty giggled. She moved Aiden so he was now sitting up in her right arm, and picked up Michelle with her left arm. Both babies were sitting up now, playing with her longer than usual hair, threading the strands through their fingers and gently pulling at the soft locks.

As they toyed with her hair, Misty fixed the short, puffed sleeves of Michelle's cotton footed pajamas: white with thin pink, purple, and blue horizontal stripes. She then rubbed her nose against Aiden's, looking down at his own soft, cotton sleepwear: short sleeved footed pajamas that were green with thicker blue horizontal stripes.

"Ah!"

Misty raised her head and looked towards Ash's closet, where the cry had come from. Even Aiden and Michelle looked in that direction, confused as to what all of the fuss was about.

"Ash, are you alright?" Misty called worriedly.

"Y…yeah…" Ash stepped out of the closet, rubbing his head and wincing. "Some stuff just fell on me is all."

"I've been telling you to clean up your closet for months!" Misty accused. "Since I was pregnant, in fact."

"I've been busy," Ash frowned. "It's not easy being the Pokémon Master and having two little babies around. When I'm not off battling, I'm bathing them, and when I'm not giving those really boring lectures, I'm feeding them-"

"You don't feed them nearly as much as I do," Misty accused, narrowing her eyes at the thought.

"Yeah, I guess not," Ash blushed. "But that's why you're their Mommy! Because you can do everything for them, and it's the most amazing thing in the whole world."

Misty was taken off guard by this sweet and unexpected comment. She blushed furiously, and couldn't say anything in response. She was so busy blushing and looking away in such a sheepish state that she didn't notice Ash moving towards the bed, a rectangle box wrapped in bright blue paper held in his hands.

Chuckling, Ash climbed onto the bed, moving close to Misty and tapping her on the shoulder with the gift. Raising an eyebrow, Misty finally turned her eyes back onto Ash, and noticed the box that had just been touching her shoulder.

"Ash?" Misty asked quietly.

"This is the present that the babies got you," Ash beamed as he held out the gift.

"_They _got it?" Misty asked incredulously, a little smirk gracing her delicate lips.

"Okay, well _I_ picked it out," Ash rectified. "But I showed them the picture to make sure that they liked it too! When I showed it to Michelle, she made this happy little noise, and when I showed the picture to Aiden, he grabbed it and tried to put the paper in his mouth. So I guess that means he thought it looked pretty good."

"Yeah, pretty tasty," Misty giggled as she took the box from Ash. The babies looked down at it with interest, reaching out to touch the present and feel the smoothness of the wrapping paper. Smiling, Misty sat the babies down on the bed so it was easier for her to hold the gift and asked the young children in her high pitched baby voice, "Do you two want to help Mommy open her present? I would like that very much!"

Aiden reached out for the present again. Misty moved it closer to him, watching as the little boy took the box with both of his hands. Staring at the present, Aiden shook it a few times before opening his mouth and chewing on the corner of the box.

"He's not very helpful, is he?" Ash chuckled.

"Well, he's either hungry or got some teeth coming in," Misty smoothed back Aiden's hair before gently taking her present back, prying it from his mouth. Aiden whined just once and stared up at Misty, wondering why she had taken away his chew toy.

"We don't eat presents, baby boy," Misty tapped him on the nose. "Unless someone gives you a fruit basket. Then you can eat that."

Aiden still looked confused. Smirking, Misty began to tear the paper off of the box, realizing that the twins were still too young to understand her. Michelle did take some of the discarded paper to play with, however, while Aiden grabbed the other side and began to chew on it.

"Gah, Aiden! No!" Ash pulled on the paper. "You can't put all of this stuff in your mouth! It isn't food, little guy!"

Misty smiled and lifted the top off of the box. Looking inside, her eyes widened and she gasped quietly. After a few seconds, she slowly looked up at Ash, who now had the babies sitting on his lap and reaching up to pull at his hair.

"Ash…" Misty breathed.

The Pokémon Master smiled at her, nodding his head towards the box. "Well, what do you think? Do you like it?"

It was a silver chained necklace with two connecting hearts made of tanzanite; the twins' birthstone. Both hearts were bordered by tiny diamonds, and all of the gemstones sparkled in the early morning sunlight.

"I…I love it…" Misty just kept staring at the necklace.

"Here, let me put it on you!" Ash reached over and took the necklace out of the box, unhooking the clasp and threading the chain around Misty's neck. He hooked the back once again and leaned back to admire the piece of jewelry on his wife. "Perfect! It looks better on you than I even imagined."

Misty blushed once again. "You're too sweet, Ash."

"I just wanted to show you how important this is to me," Ash grinned bashfully.

Misty tilted her head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"This," Ash motioned his head towards the babies he was holding. The little ones made some happy baby noises and managed to inch off of their father's lap, choosing instead to longue in between him and Misty while holding onto her leg and staring up at her in awe. "Our little babies. You carried them and gave birth to them…it's the most amazing thing in the world. I love you so much for all of that. You really are the most incredible person I've ever known."

"I think that might be an overstatement," Misty shook her head, although her cheeks were burning a brilliant shade of red.

"I mean every word," Ash didn't miss a beat. Misty thought he might have been kidding, until she noticed his deathly serious expression. "Misty…you are amazing. Not only did you bring our children into the world, but you're _such _a good Mom! You love them so much, and you take such good care of them. You would do anything for our babies."

"But so would you," Misty smiled. "That's completely natural."

"Misty, stop trying to make it seem like it's no big deal," Ash whined. He leaned forward and gave her a kiss right on the lips, which also took Misty by surprise. She appreciated it, however, and relaxed in order to enjoy the kiss. When Ash pulled away, he placed his hand on her cheek and kept their faces in close proximity. "I love you, Misty. I love everything that you've done for me, for you, for the babies, over the past 14 months. Today is your day, and it's the first of many that I'm going to make sure you remember for the rest of your life."

She didn't want to cry. It made her seem weak, and too sentimental. But, here she was, with tears in her eyes and a big smile on her face. One tear managed to escape, which Ash swiftly wiped away with his thumb.

"Thank you," Misty murmured, her eyes shining thanks to the tears that had pooled in them.

"I love you," Ash repeated, resting his forehead against Misty's. Grinning, he titled his head up and kissed the soft, milky skin of her forehead, resting his hand against the back of her head.

"Happy Mother's Day, Misty."

* * *

><p><strong>I'm also still trying to work on I Think I Like You. The next chapter is close to completition (yay!) I just always end up writing a little bit and then getting distracted by something else, like a one shot, reading, or studying. But soon, I promise!<strong>

**And who heard that Misty is going to be in BW2? AMAZING. Dawn is going to be in the anime too, so fingers crossed for a Misty appearance! I will not be satisfied until we see Misty again :P**


	40. Battle Baby

**NO. MORE. TESTS. Heh heh, finally :D Feels good!**

**I think this one is really cute :3 Not to mention, I ended up creating two OC's who I ended up really loving...which is kind of cool :P I might have to bring them back in the future!**

**In this one shot, Misty is 5 months pregnant with Elizabeth.**

* * *

><p><strong>Battle Baby<strong>

"Ah, finally I can take a break."

Misty sighed happily as she put her head down on her folded arms, which rested atop the wooden desk that sat in the gym's lobby, right near the entrance. The rolling chair was positioned close to the desk, and Misty could feel her growing stomach gently bumping against the edge of the counter. She had been sent an inordinate amount of paper work from the league that morning, all of which had to be completed by that night. Misty hated doing paperwork enough when she _wasn't _pregnant, but having an unborn baby jumping around in your stomach while you worked was certainly a distraction. It made Misty a lot more impatient than usual.

Just as Misty felt herself beginning to doze off, however, the gym's bell rang, causing the red head to grimace and look up towards the front of the gym.

Through the glass doors, she could see a young boy glaring at a girl of similar age, who appeared to be telling him off. Tilting her head, Misty pressed the button that was imbedded into the desk and continued to watch in curiosity as the glass doors slid open.

"Don't you _know _how foolish this is of you, Lucas?"

"Shut up, Kiara! I'll do just fine!"

"Um, can I help you two?" Misty called out to the children, trying her hardest not to smirk. It was failing her, however. She couldn't help but to be reminded of herself and Ash when they were young.

"No, because he-"the young girl, who appeared to be named Kiara, began to talk, but was abruptly cut off when her companion threw a hand over her mouth.

"Yes you can!" Grinning, he continued, "my name is Lucas, and I'm here to challenge you to a gym battle!"

"Really, now?" Misty asked sweetly. "How many badges do you have?"

"Uh…" Lucas sweat dropped, finally lowering his hand from Kiara's mouth.

"And _now _the truth comes out," Kiara sighed before shrugging her shoulders. "You're a hopeless case."

"Nuh uh!" Lucas growled, glowering at Kiara. Turning back to Misty, he carried on in a determined tone, "I've just started out on my journey, but I already have three Pokémon, and I'm ready to battle for my first ever gym badge!"

"You are quite the strong willed young man, aren't you?" Misty sounded rather wistful.

"Uh…what's that mean?" Lucas tilted his head.

Giggling, Misty beamed and added, "oh, you really are just like my husband! How sweet."

"Yeah, I guess…" Lucas seemed a little embarrassed, while Kiara soon began laughing herself. Glaring at the girl, Lucas turned towards Misty once again and pressed, "so, do you accept my challenge?"

"Sure," Misty shrugged. "That nap _did _sound really nice, but I have a job to do. So be it."

Misty pushed herself up from the chair, protectively resting one hand against her swollen stomach as she stepped out from behind the desk. Upon seeing her full frame, both Lucas and Kiara gasped, earning a bewildered look from Misty.

"What is it?" Misty looked between the two young trainers.

"You're having a baby?" Kiara asked softly.

Misty smiled and looked down at her belly, nodding just once. "Yes. A little girl. Four months from now."

"Is it okay for you to battle like…like that?" Lucas kept his light brown eyes locked on Misty's obvious baby bump.

"Of course it is!" Misty giggled. "I'm _very _tough. The Cerulean City gym leader never backs down, not even while she's carrying a baby!"

Kiara's ice blue eyes began to shine. "Wow, that's amazing! I think you're probably the coolest gym leader I've ever seen…uh…what's your name?"

Misty blushed slightly, surprised that they didn't know her from being married to the Pokémon Master. Then again, she supposed that to the younger generation of trainers, Ash and his _career _were the main focus, not his personal life.

"Misty," the red headed gym leader supplied the younger brunette with her name. She would've thrown in the 'Ketchum' just to watch the kids freak out, but unfortunately for Misty, league rules prohibited her from using her last name while working in relation to the gym.

"My name is Kiara," the brunette decided to properly introduce herself, although Misty already knew her name thanks to the arguing that had been going on before between her and the boy. "I'm training to be an ice type specialist!"

"And I'm Lucas," the male of the duo added. "I want to be the next Pokémon Master!"

"Pokémon Master, huh?" Misty smirked. "That's quite a tough level to achieve."

"I'll get there one day," Lucas grinned. "And you're my first test!"

"If you insist," Misty hummed, confusing Lucas and Kiara to some extent. "Follow me to the battle area."

She kept her hand on her stomach the entire time, appreciating the fact that her daughter had decided to take a nap a while ago. It was much easier to do what she needed to do while housing a sleeping baby, and not one who thought her mother's organs made for a suitable trampoline.

Leading the young trainers into the battle room, Misty took her place on the far left platform, finally removing her hand from her belly in order to adjust the tight, form fitting white jacket that she wore over her sky blue sundress edged with white lace.

Following Misty's example, Lucas stepped onto the other available platform, staring at the water type gym leader all the while. Kiara, on the other hand, settled herself down on the bench that sat against the wall behind Lucas' side of the pool, preparing herself to watch the gym battle.

"Alright, Lucas," Misty announced angelically, "this battle will be a 2 on 2, with no substitutions. Whoever knocks out both of the other's Pokémon first wins. Got it?"

"Got it," Lucas affirmed with a single nod.

"Excellent," Misty smiled, reaching into the pocket of her jacket to grab one of her poke balls. Enlarging it, Misty tossed the sphere and called, "Corsola! Let's go!"

The pink and white coral Pokémon appeared on the floating platform in front of Misty, beady black eyes already narrowed in determination. Sure, Misty could've been rather evil and sent out Gyrados or Vaporeon, her two strongest Pokémon and the ones she considered her partners. But Misty felt partial towards the boy, perhaps because he reminded her so much of Ash when he was a child. It was also because, for whatever reason, Misty felt much gentler towards other people, especially young gym challengers, while she was pregnant. She assumed it was her just her maternal instincts kicking in.

"This should be interesting," Lucas mused as he held his own poke ball. "Squirtle, it's time for our first gym battle!"

Before the blonde boy materialized a small blue turtle, who, if Misty was correct, was nothing more than a baby. Its skin was still slick and shiny, it's overall stature small and it's eyes wider than a full grown Squirtle's.

"Aw, it's so cute!" Misty trilled.

"Thanks!" Lucas seemed rather proud of the young water type. "He's my partner."

"Well then, you and your partner can have the first move," Misty smiled encouragingly at the boy.

"Alright then, Squirtle, use tackle!" Lucas ordered.

The blue turtle jumped off of his own platform, shooting towards Corsola with his head aiming for the coral Pokémon's small body.

"Dodge it, Corsola!" Misty commanded.

As soon as she made the call, Corsola not only jumped up in the air and avoided the tackle attack, but the baby residing in Misty's stomach jolted awake, seemingly rocking back and forth inside of her mother.

"Whoa," Misty breathed, holding onto the side of her belly.

Lucas noticed Misty's sudden action and raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay?"

"Just fine," Misty smiled. She wasn't lying. "Corsola, spike canon!"

"Cor!" Corsola, who had landed back on the platform, began to glow a bright white as she fired off a series of equally brilliant spikes from her body.

At the same time, the baby began to kick frantically, leading Misty to now place both of her hands on her ever growing stomach.

"Why are you so hyper all of a sudden?" Misty murmured to her midsection.

"Are you _sure_ you're fine?" Lucas called.

Misty looked up to find the boy with an almost concerned expression on his face, much to the gym leader's surprise. She was expecting him to be aggravated with her. Smirking, she nodded but kept her hands on her stomach, even though the baby had already settled down.

"I'm more than positive," Misty giggled, her bright eyes shining at the young boy standing across from her. "When you get older and one day have an expectant wife, you'll understand."

"Blegh, never!" Lucas shook his head, trying to get the image out of his head. From behind him, Kiara just smirked, folding her arms and watching her friend as he freaked out. "Squirtle, come on, try tackle again!"

The turtle nodded and repeated the same action he had just attempted moments ago.

"That must be the only physical attack that Squirtle knows," Misty commented to Corsola, who turned around and nodded at her trainer. "Alright, well, we're not going to get anywhere if we keep on dodging. Use your bubble beam attack!"

Corsola complied, and the baby started to kick again.

"Really?" Misty was beginning to get frustrated with the kid. Once again addressing her stomach, Misty grumbled, "You know, it's really hard for me to concentrate when you start kicking every time I call…an…attack…wait…"

Out of the corner of her eye, Misty saw Corsola take Squirtle down with her bubble beam. Ever the resilient young thing, Squirtle jumped right back up, his dark eyes narrowed in a mix of determination and frustration.

"Oh my goodness," Misty giggled. Patting her belly, she cooed, "You like it when I battle! When I call attacks, you get _so _excited! Isn't that just the cutest thing?"

"Bubble!" Lucas ordered.

Glancing up, Misty was rather surprised when she saw the tiny turtle Pokémon spitting out a stream of bubbles.

"I could've sworn tackle was the only physical move that Squirtle knew!" Misty scratched her head.

"Cor! Corsola!" Corsola looked over at her trainer.

"Don't worry, Corsola, I've got it under control," Misty smiled. Cradling her bump, Misty whispered in an affectionate manner, "You're going to _love _this, little girl!" Looking back up at Corsola, Misty's voice strengthened and she demanded, "Corsola, use mirror coat!"

Just as Misty had expected, the unborn baby began to bounce around once again. She did that for the entire battle, even after Misty eventually lost to Lucas and his surprisingly strong Pidgeotto.

After sending the victorious trainer and his female companion away bickering, Misty smiled softly to herself and pressed her back against the wall, resting as she enjoyed the momentary peace and quiet that surrounded her.

"Ah, there's my beautiful angel!"

Misty lifted her head up and opened her eyes, smirking at the familiar voice that had just floated into the room.

"Back from work, are we?" Misty asked as Ash stepped in front of her, taking her hands into his own.

"Of course," Ash chuckled softly, leaning forward to press a kiss against Misty's lips. She was happy to return the action, but eventually pulled away, resting her hands on Ash's broad shoulders.

"Ash," Misty giggled just once.

"What is it?" Ash breathed, his eyes still closed.

Grinning mischievously, Misty informed Ash in a teasing manner, "your daughter is a little trouble maker, mister."

Ash slowly opened his eyes and stared back at Misty, looking rather bewildered. "Michelle?"

Misty shook her head and moved Ash's hands down to her stomach. Laughing, he rubbed his hands in circles against the sides of her belly and cooed, "Aww, this innocent little thing? What could she have possibly done?"

"I'll tell you what she could've done," Misty tapped Ash's nose, "she acts _just like you. _Even in my belly!"

"Why?" Ash was grinning like a maniac, clearly thrilled by the idea that his baby girl was already taking after him.

"I was battling a challenger today," Misty snaked her hand around to rub up and down Ash's back, "and she woke up in there and started having a party or something! It was almost distracting how much she was jumping around and moving."

"So she likes battling?" Ash's smile grew even wider.

"I'm going to assume so," Misty shrugged; her own lips bending upwards as she saw the sheer joy on her husband's face.

"Well…that's the best thing I've heard all day!" Ash kissed Misty on her forehead. "If she gets _that _excited over a gym battle, can you imagine how crazy she'd get if you were at one of my elite tournaments?"

Grimacing, Misty rubbed a hand across her stomach and concluded, "Yeah…let's not find out."


	41. Covering the Bases

**Yaaay, I've wanted to write a father/son one shot for a while. And this one is about baseball, which just so happens to be my second favorite sport ^^ It should be easy to underdstand for anyone, though. I didn't make it complicated or anything :P And this one even has a special guest!**

**Aiden: 5 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Covering the Bases<strong>

"And if a ball comes flying at me, I'll catch it with my glove!"

"I'm sure you will, son."

"But what if it hits me in the face?"

"Don't think like that, Aiden," Ash smirked, "we Ketchum boys are naturally gifted with extreme athletic ability. You'll be perfectly fine with something as simple as catching a baseball."

"Yeah!" Aiden cheered, adjusting his Starmies cap. "I'll catch it. I will!"

Ash smiled down at his young son, who was bubbling with anticipation and wonderment. Aiden had never been to a live baseball game before, but Ash figured that now was the perfect time. Five years old seemed like a good age to introduce Aiden to the sport; he was able to grasp things much more easily than when he was younger.

"Do you remember some of the positions I told you about?" Ash asked, hoping to test the child's knowledge.

"Yes!" Aiden replied proudly. "There's a pitcher, and a catcher too. Oh, and there are people on base too! Three bases. Right?"

"That's right," Ash nodded, "and the three outfielders, and the shortstop. Do you think you can remember all of that while you watch the game?"

"Of course," Aiden rolled his eyes while he smiled, "I'm smart, Daddy."

"Oh, you are now, huh?" Ash's voice was teasing, but Aiden must've missed the hint because he glared up at his older counterpart. "What's the name of our team, little buddy?"

"The Starmies," Aiden's mouth bent back into a grin, "they're the best!"

"And what team are they playing today?"

"The Electabuzz," Aiden narrowed his chocolate brown eyes. "We don't like them."

"Ah, you _are _a smart boy!" Ash laughed. "I would never doubt you, champ."

"I hate the Electabuzz," Aiden continued, his eyes shining like russet fire. "We'll beat them, we'll beat them good! The Starmies are _much _better!

"Okay Aiden, don't get _too_ excited now…" Ash laughed nervously.

"But it's true, Daddy!" Aiden cried. "The Electabuzz are bad. They're losers. They're…"

"_KETCHUM!_"

Both Ash _and_ Aiden whipped around at that. They shared a last name, after all, so it wasn't quite obvious which Ketchum was being referred to. Although, most likely, it was Ash. Aiden was just a little boy; no one called him strictly by his last name.

Marching towards the father and son pair was a young woman, someone who seemed quite familiar to Ash. Long purple hair, dark brown eyes, a ridiculously over the top Electabuzz get up…

"Casey?" Ash squinted to make sure he was seeing things correctly.

"Who's that?" Aiden pointed at Casey, his eyebrow arching curiously.

"Uh…she's an old friend of mine…" Ash started to explain.

"_Old?_ I am far from _old_ Ketchum!" Casey retorted, waving a plastic yellow bat at the Pokémon master. Aiden looked highly confused by the woman's actions, but Ash seemed to be taking everything in stride.

"I should've known I would see you here Casey," Ash grinned, completely ignoring the ticked off look on the younger woman's face. "Nothing can keep you away from an Electabuzz game, huh?"

"Daddy," Aiden whispered as he tugged at his father's pants, "she's crazy…"

"Hm?" Casey's eyes un-narrowed as she set them on the younger boy. Suddenly, a bright smile appeared on her face as she clasped her hands together, frightening the child even further. "Oh my gosh! Is this your little boy?"

"Yep," Ash answered proudly as he set his hands on his hips, "this is Aiden. He's my little buddy."

"Oh he looks just like you!" Casey cooed, kneeling down to Aiden's height. "_What_ a cutie!"

"Say hi to Casey," Ash laughed ruffling Aiden's hair. In turn, the child moaned quietly in displeasure as he dashed behind his father's legs.

"Aw, is he a shy little thing?" Casey giggled.

"No, not usually," Ash raised a confused eyebrow. Looking over his shoulder, Ash beckoned, "come on Aiden. Casey is my friend. She just wants to say hi is all!"

Aiden whined again, but this time peered out from behind Ash. Running his dark brown eyes over the fanatical girl, Aiden mumbled a quiet, "hello" before retreating once again.

"Oh boy," Ash sighed, a little chuckle escaping from his lips.

"He's so precious!" Casey squealed. Aiden cautiously peeked out again, looking up at Casey with more curious eyes. She smiled down at him, and feeling more relaxed, the young boy finally stepped out from behind his father's legs, although he kept one hand on the man's thigh as a security mechanism.

"Are you goin' to the baseball game too?" Aiden murmured.

"Oh, yes, I am!" Casey folded her arms. "I'm the world's biggest Electabuzz fan! I never miss a game, even if I have to listen to it on the radio."

Looking down, Ash noticed a mischievous shine in Aiden's eyes, and he knew at that moment he should've stopped Aiden from uttering the words that had formed in the child's head.

"The Electabuzz are bad!"

"Aiden!" Ash scolded, while Casey looked absolutely shocked.

"They are," Aiden glanced up at Ash and scrunched his nose. "We don't like them, Daddy! You said so!"

"Ah, but…no! I never said that, silly boy!" Ash was laughing nervously and rubbing the back of his neck, while Casey looked rather ticked off.

Turning his attention back onto Casey, Aiden informed the woman, "I like the Starmies. They're cool. I came to see them win!"

Slowly looking up to Ash, Casey tilted her head and slowly inquired, "Ash, did you teach your son all of this?"

"Huh? No way! I can't help it that we live in Cerulean City! They were the easiest team to teach him about!"

"Nonsense, no friend's son of mine can like the _Starmies!_" Casey wildly shook her head.

"Why?" Ash frowned.

"Because the Starmies are the biggest rivals of the Electabuzz, duh!" Casey seemed frantic. "It's like…impossible for me to be friends with someone who likes the Starmies!"

"I like the Starmies!" Aiden repeated with a smile. He enjoyed seeing this fairly odd lady freaking out. To him, it was amusing. Little did he know that his father was sweating bullets and fearing a beat down by Casey's plastic bat.

"Aiden, we get it champ, you like the Starmies," Ash buried his face in his hands.

Turning her attention back onto the child, Casey's lips bent back into a smile as she sweetly asked the boy, "Have you ever played baseball, Aiden?"

"Brandon likes to play baseball," Aiden replied, referring to Brock's young nephew who was nearly a year older than him. "I've played with him and other boys before."

"I see," Casey's smile grew even wider. "So, Aiden, how would you like to play baseball with real, _professional _baseball players?"

Aiden's eyes widened. "Really _real_ baseball players?"

"Yep!" Casey nodded wildly. "When I was younger, I happened to help out the Electabuzz's star pitcher, and he and I have been friends ever since! He's introduced me to all of his teammates, and I bet they would love to play some baseball with an adorable little boy such as yourself!"

"Really?" Aiden's face, if possible, became even brighter.

"Of course!" Casey held her hand out towards the child. "Now, do you want to come with me and meet the team?"

"Yeah!" Aiden grabbed onto her fingers with his own and allowed her to lead him towards the stadium. Looking over his shoulder, he giggled and called, "bye Daddy! I'll see you later!"

"What the…Aiden!" Ash flailed his arms. "You're leaving me all alone?"

"I want to meet baseball players, Daddy!" Aiden grinned.

Groaning, Ash smacked his forehead. His son was too easily swayed.

And Casey was still completely insane.

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah, I kind of think Casey is insane. But then again, that's how I act with my favorite hockey team. So, there. We're both insane, psycho sports fans XD<strong>


	42. Father Daughter Dance

**This one is fluffy, fluffy, fluffy, fluffy. I also went a little overboard with the descriptions XD Let's just say a saw a picture of an absolutely stunning wedding dress (one that I thought would be perfect for May) so I had to describe it in ultimate detail :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 1 month old**

* * *

><p><strong>Father-Daughter Dance<strong>

Ash sighed inaudibly as he watched May and her father dance in the middle of the room on the hardwood floor, May smiling happily as her father, who looked just as joyful, gently swayed her back and forth.

"Doesn't May look absolutely beautiful?" Misty leaned forward to whisper in her husband's ear.

Looking the brunette coordinator up and down, Ash studied her ivory wedding dress: a mermaid gown with Chantilly lace appliquéd to the very form fitting bodice, and a dramatically flared skirt made of basket weaved organza that trailed behind her as she swayed. Her hair had been pulled back into a large, high bun, with a soft ivory headband wrapped around and featuring flower shaped crystal embellishments. May's make up was perfect, made up of natural colors like nude and a light, blushing pink. Hanging from her earlobes were crystal accented chandelier earrings, which perfectly matched the elongated, teardrop shaped necklace that was draped around May's neck. Her short, blusher style veil that had been trimmed with Chantilly lace to match the bodice of her dress had been taken off right before the dance began, and was currently being held by May's mother.

"Yeah, she looks amazing," Ash glanced over his shoulder at Misty and gave her a delicate smile. "Reminds me a lot of you on _our _wedding day."

Misty grinned and used her fingers to gently stroke Ash underneath his jaw. He chuckled quietly and turned his attention back to the dance floor, light brown eyes following May and Norman, the Petalburg City gym leader, as they shared their dance together. His heart beat slowly, a strange feeling taking over him as he observed the scene. May's ever growing smile, the blush on her cheeks as Norman held her close and tight, a silent assurance that he would never let her fall, even if she was all grown up and now a married woman.

Ash's eyes followed Norman's hand as he raised it to brush at May's hair. Her blue eyes narrowed playfully as she swatted his fingers away, and looking at her lips, Ash could see her whispering the words "I'm fine" to her doting father. Norman, in turn, smiled sheepishly and nodded, lowering his hand to instead grip May's bare, delicate shoulder.

From out of the corner, Drew stepped onto the dance floor causing both May and Norman to turn their heads. May's eyes lit up instantly, while Norman seemed perfectly content in the young man's presence. The green haired coordinator asked Norman a question, which Ash couldn't decipher since he didn't have a clear view of the young man's face. He did see Norman grin and reply "of course," however. Loosening his grip on May's body, Norman pulled her close and gave the brunette a kiss on the forehead before gently taking her hand and holding it out for Drew to take.

"So sweet," Misty breathed from behind Ash. He secretly turned his eyes onto her, taking note of her sparkling emerald eyes and wide smile. She glanced at him and noticed his own stare before he could turn away. Giggling, Misty rested a hand on Ash's thigh and inquired, "don't you think this is precious, honey?"

Ash let out a shaky breath and nodded, no words coming out of his throat. Misty was a little confused by this response, but didn't bother to question it. Though it was strange, since Ash wasn't the kind of guy who got overly emotional at weddings.

Once Drew had accepted May's hand from her father and began to dance with her, Norman stepped away, the smile still on his face although his eyes were beginning to shine with tears. Caroline approached her husband and laid a hand on his shoulder, giving him a sweet kiss on the cheek before turning the man around and circling her arms around him.

Other couples soon made their way to the dance floor, and it took Ash a moment to process that. Shaking his head, Ash turned around in his chair to face Misty, who was still watching the dance floor. Feeling Ash's eyes back on her, Misty set her own eyes onto her husband and waited for him to say something.

"Do you want to dance?" Ash sounded rather bashful.

Misty smirked, amused by the fact that her own husband could still act a little skittish around her. Giggling amusedly, she grabbed a hold of Ash's hand and whispered, "I thought you would never ask."

Ash stood first, holding Misty's hand the entire time as he gently pulled her up next to him. He looked down at her bridesmaid's dress: a short, royal blue dress made of crinkle chiffon with a ruched, sweetheart neckline and a front cascading layer of chiffon that gave the dress some dimension and flow.

Holding her hand tightly, Ash felt the center diamond of Misty's own engagement ring digging into his palm. It made him feel good, to know that he had this beautiful woman who belonged to him and him alone. Stepping onto the floor, Ash wrapped his arms around Misty, who in turn held onto his arms and looked up at him with an innocent face.

"Do you remember how to dance?" Misty asked ingenuously.

"Of course," Ash leaned forward and gave Misty a deep kiss, throwing the young gym leader for a loop. She returned the action, not wanting to upset her husband, but when he pulled away, she gave him a more confounded look than before.

"What was that, Ash?" Misty's voice was airy and curious.

"I love you," Ash replied as though it was obvious.

"You seem a little…spaced out," Misty noted. Tilting her head, she continued, "Is everything okay, sweetheart?"

Ash nodded, although he didn't speak.

"Well, that's a lie," Misty huffed.

"I'm fine," Ash finally spoke up, his voice soft and only halfway honest.

"You're being much too quiet, Ash Ketchum," Misty lightly scolded. Ash just continued to move back and forth and side to side with her in his arms, but Misty was far from giving up on this. "What's going on with you?"

"I'm fine," Ash repeated, just as calm as before.

"Do you feel sick?"

"No."

"Tired?"

"No."

"Hungry?"

"Yeah, but that's got nothing to do with it."

"You're so frustrating," Misty furrowed her brow. "I want to know what's up with you. Why can't you give up your pride for just a minute and answer my question?"

Ash sighed. He knew Misty was right. As usual. Smirking, Misty wrapped her arms around Ash's neck and stared at his face with completely undivided attention. "I'm listening," she informed him in a gentle manner.

Closing his eyes, Ash explained softly, "the dance before, between May and Norman."

"It was sweet," Misty smiled, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink. "Didn't I say so?"

"You did. And it was very sweet."

"So what's that got to do with your mood, then? Did it make you upset because you don't…you know…have a father?"

"Not a bit," Ash halfway opened his eyes. "It more has to do with my life now. What I _do _have."

Misty leaned in closer to Ash. "Which is?"

Ash smiled lovingly. "A daughter."

"Michelle?" Misty asked breathlessly.

"My little baby girl," Ash nodded, the grin on his face stretching even wider. "I love her more than life itself. And, when I was watching May and Norman dance, I realized that he probably feels the same way about May."

"I bet he does," Misty rubbed the side of Ash's neck with her thumb.

"I'll get to dance with Michelle like that one day," Ash mused after a few moments of silence. "When she's older, of course."

"When she gets married?" Misty smirked.

Ash blushed, but nodded to affirm Misty's question.

"I thought you said Michelle is never allowed to date," Misty hummed. "How is she supposed to get married if she isn't allowed to date?"

"I…I don't want to think about it!" Ash whined in a very childish manner. "She's only a baby, Mist. I want her to stay this way forever. Don't make me think about her growing up."

"Alright, I won't," Misty rested her head against his chest. "It's very sweet of you, you know."

"What is?"

"To get all sentimental when you see the relationship between other fathers and their daughters." She pulled herself away from Ash's chest and beamed up at him. "It's like you all have something in common and you can empathize with them."

"Yeah, I guess I can," Ash smiled. "It's pretty awesome!"

"Aw, I love you," Misty tweaked Ash's nose.

"I love you too," Ash chuckled, giving Misty yet another passionate kiss on the lips. This time, the red headed gym leader was ready for it.

**XXX**

The couple returned home much later that night, both of them completely exhausted from the full day.

"Welcome home, you two!" Lynne greeted sweetly as Ash and Misty walked into the house. "How was the wedding?"

"It was wonderful," Misty smiled at her mother. "May looked absolutely beautiful, and the whole thing was really very nice. But now I'm _so _tired…I can barely stand up anymore."

"Not surprising," Lynne nodded. "This is the first time that you and Ash have gone out since the twins were born. You're used to being more relaxed now than doing anything else. Going to a wedding, especially when you're part of the bridal party, will take a lot out of you."

"I want to see my babies," Misty frowned, "but I'm so fatigued…"

"Go to sleep, sweetheart," Ash held onto Misty and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "The babies will still be here in the morning. I'll go check on them for you."

"But what if they need to be fed?" Misty fretted.

"I've been bottle feeding them all night," Lynne waved a haphazard hand at her daughter. "I'm sure they won't mind being fed that way a few more times."

"Your mother is right," Ash stroked Misty's hair. "I've got this! You can trust me with the babies, Mist."

"But aren't you tired too?" Misty sounded like she was full of guilt.

"Yes, but I can guarantee that you're much more tired than I am," Ash smirked. "You've overexerted yourself. I don't want my beautiful girl to be so weak! Please, go to sleep, honey. I'll take care of everything."

"If you insist…" Misty trailed off.

"I do," Ash gave her a chaste kiss on the lips. "Go on, now."

Nodding, Misty gave her mother a hug before slowly climbing up the steps, leaving the darker red haired woman alone with the Pokémon Master.

"So, did the babies behave for you?" Ash smiled at his mother in law.

"Yes, they are just precious!" Lynne gushed. "Wonderfully behaved little things. Aiden slept most of the time; he only woke up when he wanted to be fed or needed to be changed."

"Sounds like my little boy, alright," Ash chuckled.

"Michelle was a little trickier, but nothing that I couldn't handle!" Lynne continued. "Sometimes, she would get really fussy, and it was hard to calm her down. But eventually, I figured out something that worked like a charm!"

"What was it?" Ash was eager to find out, since he often faced the same problem with his baby daughter.

"I just put one of your battles on the TV," Lynne giggled in a fashion much similar to her daughters. "Hearing your voice calmed Michelle down faster than I could believe! It was quite cute."

"Wow…really?" Ash blinked.

"I'm completely serious!" Beaming, Lynne added, "She adores you, Ash."

Before he could reply, a high pitched wail sounded from upstairs, which caused Ash to jump. It normally didn't, he was used to the babies crying. But since he'd been out all day, he had almost forgotten what their cries sounded like.

"I'd better go take care of that before Misty does," Ash murmured. "I just know she's gonna try to defy me."

"Sounds like my little Misty alright," Lynne laughed softly. "I'll leave you to it, then!"

After bidding a quick farewell to his mother in law, Ash hurried up the stairs, hoping to beat Misty to the nursery. He did, fortunately, and once in the room, was able to determine that the baby crying was in fact Michelle.

"Hey, hey, hey," Ash murmured, leaning over the edge of his daughter's crib. "Don't cry, baby girl! Look who's back! It's me, Daddy! Don't ya recognize my voice, little princess?"

Michelle hiccupped and looked up at her father. Her tear filled emerald eyes widened slightly as her sobs came to a halt, dwindling down to nothing more than a series of sad whimpers and occasional moans.

"Atta girl," Ash smiled, reaching into the crib and gathering his baby up into his arms. "You're so good! Yeah, you are."

Once cradled in her father's arms, Michelle calmed down completely, still staring up at the dark haired man in total absorption. Ash assumed the baby was trying to memorize, or at least recognize, his features. At this stage in her life, she only recognized him by his voice. His face never startled her, though. He guessed she was able to connect it with his voice. So, in Ash's mind, his baby girl was a pretty smart kid.

"You know where I was tonight, cutie?" Ash murmured to the baby in his arms. Michelle breathed out softly and blinked her large eyes. "A wedding! It was for May. You know, your godmother! Well, one of them anyway. It was nice. Your Mommy is more into weddings than I am, so I guess you will be too. Unless you become a little tomboy, which, trust me princess, wouldn't bother me at all! A lot of your pink stuff makes me nervous, you know."

Michelle rolled her head into Ash's chest. It seemed as though she was listening to him, though Ash couldn't be sure of that. She was too young to know anything for certain.

"There was one part of the wedding where I really thought about you," Ash continued talking to the baby. "It was when May danced with her Dad. I thought about you, princess, because, well, I love you! It'll be nice to dance with you like that one day. Don't you think so?"

Michelle let out a small yawn, but otherwise kept her eyes wide open. She really was transfixed by her father and everything about him. His voice, his appearance…everything. It made Ash happier than anything else in the world.

"Maybe we can dance now," Ash murmured quietly. Holding the back of Michelle's head, he readjusted the baby so she was now sitting up in his arms, her head resting against his chest since she was too young and weak to hold it up on her own.

Breathing out gently, Ash held Michelle close to him and began to gently sway back and forth. The young girl cooed softly and inched one of her hands out towards her father's arm, holding onto the sleeve of his tuxedo jacket as tightly as she could with her little fingers.

Ash stroked her thin, silky locks, feeling the softness of the strands against his fingers. He kissed the top of her head and continued to sway, using the late winter breeze blowing outside the window and the chirping of nocturnal Pokémon as his music. Michelle, meanwhile, was beginning to fall asleep in her father's embrace, tiny hand falling down his arm to rest right underneath his elbow.

"I love you, baby girl," Ash whispered to the young child against his chest. "I'll never let anything happen to you. I'll always be here for you. I promise."

He nuzzled her head and continued his swaying, closing his own eyes as he let himself get carried away by the natural rhythm and comfortable feel of the dance.

From the doorway, cleaned of makeup and dressed in her pajamas, Misty watched the two in action, smiling sweetly at the sight. She had decided to check on the twins, despite Ash's protests, but now, she didn't want to interrupt this beautiful moment between the Pokémon Master and his tiny daughter.

It was too special for her to disrupt.


	43. Festival Fun

**Remember the one shot a few chapters back about Misty being the Queen in the Water Festival? I decided to write a one shot about the actual festival, because I really liked the idea :) This one is just cute fluff, mostly about the family dynamics ^^ Enjoy!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Festival Fun<strong>

"Mommy, do you think my outfit for the festival is cute?"

Misty smiled down at her 4 year old daughter, who was staring up at her in serious questioning. The little girl was wearing a ruffled front tank top, the colors alternating between ocean blue and white. Her bottoms were pair of white shorts, while her choice of footwear was a pair of sparkly blue sandals.

"I think you look _adorable!_" Misty beamed.

"Do I look like you, Mommy?" Michelle pointed at the Queen costume resting on Ash and Misty's bed.

"Yes, once I put that costume on, you and I will look very much alike!" Misty giggled. "Does that make you happy, my beautiful little water princess?"

"Yes, Mommy!" Michelle squealed, lunging at her mother's legs to hug them. Smiling, Misty gathered the child into her arms and gave the young girl a hug before carrying her over to the bed and sitting her down next to the dress.

"You stay right there, Shelly," Misty ordered sweetly, "I have to get into my costume now."

"Okay!" Michelle chirped, her emerald eyes shining as she crawled over to the head of the bed and threw her small body against the pillows where her parents rested their heads at night.

"You're a little rough with yourself," Misty smirked, taking hold of her familiar Water Queen dress. "Just like your Daddy, huh?"

"I love Daddy," Michelle replied with an innocent smile.

"I know you do," Misty laughed gently.

"Do you love Daddy?" Michelle tilted her head.

Walking towards the closet so she could get changed, Misty looked over her shoulder and replied to her daughter, "yes. Of course! I love Daddy very much."

Rolling onto her stomach, Michelle smirked and waved her feet in the air. "Is that why you guys kiss?"

Misty hummed in an amused fashion before disappearing into her closet. "Yes, baby girl, that's why we kiss."

Michelle continued to watch after her mother until she was completely out of sight, at which point Michelle sighed and turned her head towards the bedroom door, watching the hallway in hopes of catching something interesting.

She didn't get much, although she did manage to see her father walk into the room, a big smile showing up on his face when he realized that his daughter was looking right at him.

"Hey, Michelle!" Ash greeted warmly, pressing his hands against the bed as he leaned down to be at nearly eye level with the child. "How's it going?"

"Good," Michelle crawled over to him and sat up on her knees, poking her nose against his. "Mommy's gettin' changed, you know."

"Is she, now?" Ash smirked.

Furrowing her brow, Michelle wrapped her arms around her father's neck and gave him a very serious look, to which Ash chuckled.

"Don't laugh, Daddy," Michelle sounded just as stern as she looked.

"Why can't I laugh, princess?" Ash inquired.

"Because…I said so," Michelle shrugged, although her facial expression showed no sign of changing.

Not saying anything else, Ash pried his daughter's arms away from his neck and gently pushed her down on the bed, tickling the girl's sides and watching in amusement as she howled with laughter and frantically kicked her legs, clearly not knowing what else to do with them.

"D…Daddy!" Michelle roared, her face turning red as she laughed and gasped for air. "S…stop!"

Having compassion for his daughter, Ash removed his hands from her body, watching with a smile on his face as the girl slowly calmed down from her laughing fit. Once she had caught all of her breath, Michelle sat back up and stared at her father, bringing her knees into her chest as she hugged them.

"What are you up to now?" Ash asked.

"Nothing," Michelle answered artlessly.

"A whole bunch of nothing, huh?" Ash smirked, throwing himself down on the bed next to Michelle. The little red head giggled and crawled onto his chest, happily settling herself there. "We're going to the Water Festival, aren't we?"

"Yes!" Michelle beamed. "Because Mommy's the Queen!"

"That she is," Ash stroked his daughter's hair. "And you and Aiden have lots of fun at the festival, don't you?"

Michelle nodded, pressing the side of her head against Ash's strong chest so she could listen to his steady heartbeat. It relaxed her, and made her feel safe.

"So, what are we going to do at the festival?" Ash wrapped his arms around Michelle. "Eat?"

"All you do is eat," Michelle commented simply, not even bothering to look up at the raven haired man.

"Okay _Mommy,_" Ash teased the child. At this, she finally raised her eyes to look at him, the emerald orbs holding a distinct look of uninterest.

"Mommy says you're not funny," Michelle deadpanned.

"Nah, she only says that when she's mad!" Ash chuckled. "She totally thinks I'm funny most of the time!"

"I don't know, Mr. Pokémon Master, I think I agree with Michelle on this one."

Ash tilted his head back and found Misty leaning over him, a mischievous smirk set on her beautiful face. Gasping, he jolted up, holding onto Michelle the whole time so she wouldn't slide off of him.

"Misty!" Ash's eyes were wide. "You scared me!"

"I'm good at that," Misty smiled.

Ash looked Misty up and down, realizing that she was now sporting her Water Queen costume: a silk mermaid gown that was body hugging everywhere except for the bottom of the skirt, which flared out elegantly in layers. The color scheme of the dress, cerulean and teal, really brought out the beautiful shade of green that her eyes were. The sleeves were made of taffeta, and hung loosely around Misty's arms. The sweetheart neckline of the dress was accentuated by a silver and jeweled piece that sparkled in the light.

"Wow, you look beautiful!" Ash complimented his wife, who blushed in response. "Like…wow. Really, _really _beautiful."

"You say that every year," Misty's blush intensified.

"Because I always forget how stunning you look in that costume," Ash chuckled. "Man, this city really lucked out getting you as their Queen."

"Michelle, will you go get Aiden for me?" Misty turned towards her daughter. "It's time for us to get going."

"Okay, Mommy!" Michelle jumped off the bed and ran straight out of the room, eager to leave for the festival.

"I could've gotten him, you kn-"

Ash's comment was cut off by Misty pressing her lips against his own, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding on as if her life depended on it.

**XXX**

Aiden and Michelle beamed as they stood behind their mother on the white marble balcony that hung out from the front of Cerulean City Hall, where the opening ceremony for the Water Festival took place every year. Ash was kneeling down besides the children, Pikachu perched happily on his shoulder, as all four watched Misty deliver her famous speech to the citizens of the city, dressed as and assuming the role of the festival's Queen.

"Daddy, Mommy looks so pretty!" Michelle squealed.

"Doesn't she?" Ash chuckled.

"She's a Queen," Aiden looked up at her father.

"Yeah, but Mommy is always _our _Queen!" Ash winked at his son, who simply smiled back at the older male.

The sound of a mass applause broke Ash and his children out of their quiet banter. They looked back up at Misty in order to see her lowering her silver scepter, which held a cerulean blue glass orb, and bowing to the crowd. Standing up straight once again, Misty turned around, and was immediately lunged at by her two young children.

"Mommy!" They cheered, happy that their mother was finally done with her duties as Queen.

"Hey, guys!" Misty giggled, lifting both children into her arms so she could give them hugs and kisses. "Did you like my speech?"

"Yeah!" Michelle nodded. She reached up and touched Misty's silver and crystal tiara, which matched the gym leader's necklace, earrings, and the jeweled design on the front of her dress. Michelle herself was wearing a similar crown, given to her by Misty before the speech so she could be the festival's "Water Princess."

"Mommy, can we play games now?" Aiden gently tugged at the strip of taffeta that was draped around Misty's slender upper arm.

"Yes, we can play games," Misty rubbed her nose against Aiden's. "But I think I should get out of this dress first! I'll look a bit silly walking around the city in it, don't you think?"

Aiden nodded in agreement, causing Misty to laugh. Ash approached her and held out his arms, offering, "I'll take the kids from ya. I'll bring 'em down to the game booths now, if you want, and you can just meet us there."

"That'd be great, thanks Ash," Misty smiled gratefully as she handed the twins over to their father. "It shouldn't take me too long to change out of this costume. I'll meet you down at the games."

Ash and Misty kissed before separating, leaving Ash with just the twins. "So, what game do you guys wanna' play first?"

"The rubber Ducklett game, Daddy!" Michelle cried excitedly.

The rubber Ducklett game involved a pool full of rubber Duckletts, all of which had a symbol printed underneath each one. The player picked a Ducklett and flipped it over, revealing the symbol that was printed underneath. Each symbol represented a different kind of prize, so it was more of a luck game than anything. But it was Michelle's favorite, so Ash wasn't going to say no to his little princess.

"Alright, the rubber Ducklett game it is!" Ash grinned. "Aiden, you can pick the game we'll play after that, alright?"

"Okay," Aiden nodded happily.

Ash carried his children outside of City Hall and onto the street, where the festival was already in full swing. There were blue streamers of diverse shades hung everywhere: from building to building and lamppost to lamppost. Game and food booths were set up on the sidewalks, in bright, various colors with signage, balloons, and other decorations advertising whatever they were selling. The street was ridiculously crowded, with children and Pokémon running around and adults congregating in social circles. Ash was not going to let go of the twins for _anything._

Maneuvering through the throng of festival goers, Ash eventually found his way to the rubber Ducklett game stand and put Aiden and Michelle down in front of him, making sure to stand right behind them and block off both children with his legs to keep them from wandering off anywhere.

"Ah, Master Ketchum! How lovely to see you here!"

Ash locked eyes with the woman running the game stand. Recognizing her as Camellia, the woman who owned and ran the flower shop in Cerulean City, he smiled and greeted her just as warmly, "hey, Camellia! Nice to see you, too!"

"Oh, look at the little doll babies," Camellia giggled, gazing down at Aiden and Michelle who were already silently debating which Ducklett they should each pick. "They're getting so big!"

"Yeah, it's kind of crazy," Ash laughed. "I still think of them as my little babies, though!"

"Daddy," Michelle tugged at her father's pants, "I wanna' play!"

"Alright, you can play in just a second," Ash reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, removing a dollar and handing it to Camellia. "You can both go now!" Ash gently nudged the twins with his foot. "Pick out a good one, 'kay?"

"'Kay!" Aiden and Michelle replied simultaneously, reaching over the small pool to try and figure out which Ducklett to select.

"Look at Michelle's little tiara," Camellia cooed. "Is she trying to look like Misty?"

"Yeah, Misty's been calling her the Princess of the Water Festival ever since she was a baby," Ash smiled. "Michelle really loves the idea. She even picked out that outfit because she thought it looked like Misty's Queen costume."

"So she really looks up to Misty, huh?" Camellia trilled.

"Michelle is Misty's little clone in every way possible," Ash beamed down at his precious daughter.

"And I bet that Aiden just dreams of becoming a Pokémon Master," Camellia smiled knowingly.

"He's my little buddy," Ash reached down to ruffle his son's hair. Aiden grunted in slight annoyance, but otherwise wasn't deterred from his little game of concentration. "We do everything together! The older he gets the better understanding of Pokémon he has. He's a quick learner."

"Well, they're absolutely precious," Camellia grinned at Ash. "And so well behaved! You and Misty must be very proud."

"We are," Ash nodded in conferment.

"Daddy, look what I got!" Michelle held up her selected Ducklett and showed Ash the symbol printed on the bottom of the toy.

"It's a star," Ash noted. "What's that mean, Shelly?"

"Cami," Michelle turned towards the woman, using the name she called the florist by since she couldn't pronounce 'Camellia', "what do I get?"

"A star means that you can pick out one of these stuffed Pokémon!" Camellia showed off the plush toys to the little red head. "Which one would you like, Michelle?"

The young girl carefully studied the prizes before pointing at a Luvdisc. "This one!"

Camellia handed the toy to Michelle, laughing quietly as she trilled, "there you go, darling!"

"What do you say, princess?" Ash folded his arms with a smirk.

"Thank you!" Michelle chirped.

"What about you, champ?" Ash knelt down next to Aiden. "What did you get?"

Aiden showed his father the rubber Ducklett that he had picked out of the bunch. Ash flipped the toy over and observed the circle drawn on the bottom.

"You got a circle!" Ash grinned at his son.

"What does _that _mean?" Aiden scrunched up his nose, which actually made him look more like Misty than Ash.

"I…don't know," Ash chuckled nervously, rubbing behind his neck.

"Aiden, a circle means that you won a figurine!" Camellia gently informed the young boy. "And I have a perfect one for you!"

"What is it?" Aiden turned back around to face Camellia and began jumping up and down.

Holding out the plastic toy towards Aiden, Camellia giggled and asked, "isn't Squirtle your favorite Pokémon?"

"Yeah!" Aiden cheered, taking the model of the water starter from the florist. "Thank you, Cami!"

"Oh, don't mention it, cutie!" Camellia smiled sweetly at the boy.

"No way! It's the Pokémon Master!"

Aiden and Michelle both turned around, clutching their toys as they scanned the crowd in front of them. Ash turned as well, having heard his title being awed by what sounded like a fairly young voice. Two young boys came running up to Ash, their eyes gleaming with excitement. Michelle whimpered just once and hugged her father's leg. The young girl sometimes got nervous around strangers, and usually held onto Ash or Misty when that happened. Smiling, Ash reached down and gently toyed with Michelle's bright red hair to relax her.

"Hello there!" Ash greeted the boys warmly. He could tell that they were older than Aiden and Michelle, but definitely not 10 years old yet.

"So, it's really you?" The blonde boy asked in an awed fashion. "The real live Pokémon Master?"

"Of course," Ash chuckled. "The one and only!"

"Master Ketchum I the coolest Pokémon Master ever!" Squealed the brown haired boy, who appeared to be slightly older than the blonde. Turning towards his companion, the taller boy added, "he's the youngest Pokémon Master ever!"

"You can just call me Ash," Ash laughed, appreciating the boys' admiration. "But thanks for all of the compliments!"

"Can I call you Ash?" Aiden looked up at his father.

Ash raised an eyebrow and looked down at his son, who looked half mischievous and half genuinely curious. "No, you can call me Daddy."

The two boys seemed surprised by this and turned their eyes onto Aiden, realizing that the young boy looked quite a bit like the Pokémon Master. This led them to the conclusion that the child was the Pokémon Master's son, and that the little girl attached to his leg was his daughter.

"Ash," the younger blonde boy piped up, his silver eyes shimmering with glee, "could I please have your autograph?"

Ash laughed happily and nodded. "Of course!"

"Daddy…" Michelle whined, frowning up at her father.

"Michelle, honey, don't fuss," Ash whispered to the little girl. "I'm not ignoring you, sweetheart. We'll play in a minute."

As the blonde boy handed Ash a notepad and a pen, Michelle continued to whimper and tug at her father's pants.

"Michelle," Ash sighed.

"Daddy…" Michelle reached up for him, the Luvdisc plushie still in her hand. Groaning, Ash sat down on the pavement, much to the confusion of the young boys standing in front of him. Crossing his legs, Ash pulled Michelle down onto his lap and rested his head atop her own, putting the notepad down in front of her.

"Better?" Ash asked his daughter in an exasperated voice.

"Yes," Michelle nodded. Sighing, Ash clicked the top of the pen and began to sign the notepad, with Michelle watching carefully the entire time. "Daddy, what are you doing?"

"I'm signing something," Ash answered.

"Work?"

"No, baby, this isn't for work."

"Why?" Michelle tilted her head back to look up at him.

"Because sometimes people want Daddy to sign things for them," Ash replied. Once he finished scrawling out his signature, he handed it back to the blonde boy, smiling the entire time. "There you go!"

"Thank you so much, Ash!" The boy's eyes were shining.

"No problem," Ash beamed, standing up and keeping Michelle in his arms. "Happy to do it!"

The two boys walked away, and Ash was left with a squirming child in his arms, kicking and whining as he restrained her in his hold.

"Michelle, calm down!" Ash hissed quietly. "What's up with you today, huh?"

"I want Mommy," Michelle frowned, throwing her arms down in frustration.

"She's coming," Ash bit his lip, not sounding so sure of himself. Misty had said she was getting changed quite a while ago. In truth, she should've been back by then.

"I want her now, Daddy!" Michelle griped.

"Relax," Ash sounded a little more stern now. "Do you want something to eat? Would that help?"

"No, I want Mommy," Michelle shook her head.

"Ugh!" Ash threw his head back. "Misty, hurry up already!"

"Cool it, I'm right here!"

Ash lowered his head and found himself staring into Misty's emerald eyes. "Oh…there you are."

Michelle relaxed and grinned, holding her arms out towards her mother. "Mommy!"

"Hello there, little princess!" Misty beamed, taking Michelle from Ash's arms. "Oh, you're so cute."

Misty had changed into a more comfortable outfit: a blue and white striped top with one ruffled shoulder, a pair of very short denim shorts with frayed patches, and white flip flops with blue jeweled embellishments.

"What took you so long, Mist?" Ash tilted his head.

"People kept talking to me," Misty shrugged. "A lot of little kids wanted my autograph. And you know how I feel about children!" Misty nodded towards Michelle and Aiden, referring to her love for her own offspring.

"I know, you're very good with kids," Ash smiled.

"So are you, though," Misty smirked.

"More games, Mommy!" Michelle requested.

"Yeah, games!" Aiden agreed from next to Ash's feet. Grinning, Ash gathered Aiden into his arms and hugged the child against his body.

"I think we're best with _our_ kids," Misty giggled.

"I agree," Ash nodded. Peering down at Aiden, he cooed, "come on; let's play the water gun game. I'm totally gonna' beat you, little man!"

"In your dreams," Aiden narrowed his eyes, "I'ma kick your butt."

Ash looked back up at Misty with wide eyes. The gym leader, in turn, simply broke out into laughter and began to skip away.

"Yeah, _definitely_ awesome with our kids!" Misty trilled airily.


	44. Runaway Girl

**I got a few requests for a one shot like this, so I decided to go ahead and do it. I think it came out pretty good! It's a cute one, too :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Runaway Girl<strong>

Michelle stood behind the chair in which her father sat, busily working on something. The little girl wasn't entirely sure of what, but all she knew was that it was keeping him away from her, so she didn't quite like it. She wanted to play with her Daddy, and instead he was doing something that looked boring.

Marching up to the chair, Michelle decided to finally make her presence known. She looked up at her father and beamed, holding her hands behind her back as she tried to look as sweet and innocent as possible. Her father didn't take notice, however, which led Michelle to change her tactic. Instead, now, she stood on her toes, reached up with her small but long fingers, and tapped her father on his thigh.

This seemed to do the trick, as Ash finally looked down at his little girl with tired russet eyes. Sighing, he asked in a quiet voice, "what is it, Michelle?"

"Daddy, I want to play," Michelle blinked her big emerald orbs.

"I can't play," Ash shook his head.

"Why not?" Michelle frowned.

"Because I'm doing work," Ash stifled a yawn behind his hand.

"But that looks boring," Michelle scrunched her nose up.

"It is," Ash confirmed. "But I have to do it. Otherwise I get in trouble."

"No, you don't have to," Michelle shook her head. "I won't tell! It'll be a secret! Then no one will know."

"That's very sweet of you, Michelle," Ash smiled sadly, "but unfortunately, the Pokémon League isn't going to accept my sweet little girl's excuses."

"Why not?" Michelle pouted. "I'm cute."

"Yes, you are," Ash agreed, "but your adorableness isn't going to save me from getting fired."

"You can't get fired," Michelle refuted.

"I don't know if that's true," Ash mused. He really wasn't sure if they _could _fire the Pokémon Master or not. Either way, he wasn't going to take any chances.

Still frowning, Michelle began to climb up Ash's legs in an attempt to sit on his lap. Ash furrowed his brow and observed Michelle for a short second before groaning and easily picking up the child to put her back down on the floor.

"Daddy!" Michelle whined, not liking the fact that her father had stopped her attempts to cuddle up to him.

"Michelle, I told you no," Ash sighed.

"But Daddy, I want to play!" Michelle whimpered.

"And I told you I can't," Ash's tone was becoming _very_ stern.

"Daddy, please!" Michelle begged.

Completely out of patience, Ash slammed his pen down on the table and yelled, "Michelle, no! I've told you no like…fifteen times already! I _cannot _play with you! So quit bothering me and let me finish doing this work!"

The expression on Michelle's face was one of absolute horror. She had never, _ever _heard her father yell like that. _Especially _at her! Why, Ash rarely ever even raised his voice to her. So to say that Michelle was shocked, and even horrified, was an understatement.

Whimpering, the little girl darted away and upstairs, leaving Ash to sigh and tiredly return to his work. He was, in fact, so tired, that he wasn't even able to process the fact that he had just screamed at his young daughter, and startled her completely.

Michelle, meanwhile, had run all the way to her room, jumping onto her bed and sobbing heavily into her pillow as a sense of great fear coursed through her veins. When her father had burst out screaming, Michelle had actually been afraid that he might _hit _her. She had never seen her father so angry…it was scary. Perhaps he really was sick of her, and didn't want her around anymore. Maybe her Daddy would be happier if she wasn't around.

Her sobs finally stopping, Michelle continued to sniffle as she slid off of her bed and wandered into her closet, pulling out a blue and purple backpack and throwing it onto the floor. Hurrying over to her dresser, Michelle began to open up the drawers and pull out various shirts and pants to stuff into the backpack. She also threw in a pair of pajamas, her hairbrush, and a stuffed Pikachu.

Deeming that suitable, Michelle slipped on her blue strapped shoes and pulled the backpack on, tip toeing down the stairs and skirting over to the back door. Michelle quietly slipped out into the night, glancing shortly over her shoulder for one last look into the house before softly closing the door and running off.

**XXX**

Shortly after, Misty came lightly down the stairs, smiling sympathetically from behind her hard working husband. Approaching him, Misty placed a hand against his back and rubbed in soothing circles, causing Ash to let out a tired sigh and slightly lower his head.

"Why don't you take a break?" Misty asked softly, leaning down to kiss the side of his warm neck.

"That might be a good idea," Ash sighed, putting his pen down and rubbing his eyes.

"My poor baby," Misty cooed, wrapping her arms around Ash's chest. She rested her cheek against the back of his neck and murmured, "I want to make you feel better."

"Could you drown all of this stupid paperwork?" Ash held up one of the pieces of paper. "I think it's going to make my brain explode."

Rubbing his chest, Misty plucked the paper from Ash's hands and studied it with her own green eyes. "Pokémon report?"

"I have to detail all of the training I've done with my Pokémon in the last month," Ash explained, placing his own hand atop Misty's to gently stroke her fingers. "The different methods I've been using, the strategies, any new attacks they've learned…it's terrible. I can barely remember what I had for _breakfast _this morning! How am I supposed to remember everything I did over the past month?"

Misty ran her hand along Ash's chest, sliding it out from underneath his own as she stalked over to the seat next to him, pulling it over closer and sitting down. Placing the paper on the table, Misty took one of Ash's hands into her own and held it tight. "I really think you need to take a break."

Ash thought about this for a moment before nodding and folding his arms, putting his head down in them and closing his eyes.

"At least Aiden has been playing with Pikachu and burning off his energy," Misty smiled sweetly. "Now you won't have to worry about either one falling asleep tonight!"

Ash nodded, but didn't pick his head up.

"And where's Michelle?" Misty asked. "She's been quiet tonight."

Finally, realization hit Ash. He had yelled at her. Oh, Arceus…he had _yelled _at her. Groaning, Ash buried his face in his hands and slumped his shoulders.

"Ash, what's wrong?" Misty blinked.

Lowering his hands, Ash revealed his very pale face, which took Misty by surprise. "I…I yelled at her…"

Now Misty looked even _more _shocked. "What?"

"I yelled at her," Ash repeated more strongly. He looked and sounded incredibly guilty, and his heart was hammering away in his chest. "Misty…I screamed at our daughter. I _screamed _at her…what the hell did I do?"

Misty shook her head; she just couldn't believe what she was hearing, and where it was coming from. "Ash…what do you mean you _yelled _at her? Why?"

"Because she kept asking me to play with her," Ash sounded like he was going to cry, "over and over and over again, and I was so tired from all of this work, and I knew I had to get it done, and she just wasn't listening…so I yelled at her. How could I have done that?"

"She's been way too quiet," Misty jumped up and ran for the stairs, muttering frightfully, "Michelle, what did you do?"

Ash followed right after her, the guilt overwhelming him. They both hurried up the stairs, with Misty going straight for Michelle's door and swinging it open.

"Michelle?" Misty called, looking frantically back and forth. When there was no response, Misty gasped sharply and burst into her daughter's room, searching everywhere from inside the closet to underneath her bed. "Michelle! Come out, come on!"

"I…I don't think she's in here…" Ash commented numbly.

"Where would she go?" Misty stood up, her eyes wide and filling with tears. "She has nowhere to go, Ash! Where in the house could she be?"

"Pikachu!" Ash called, his hands balling into fists at his sides.

The yellow mouse came bounding out of Aiden's room, with the little raven haired boy following behind curiously.

"Daddy, why did you call Pikachu?" Aiden blinked. "We were playing!"

"Sorry, champ, but I need Pikachu for something," Ash breathed.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu tilted his head.

"Pikachu, Michelle is missing," Ash bit his lip. "I need you to pick up her scent; find her for me. You can do that, can't you?"

"Pika!" Pikachu quickly nodded. Lowering his nose to the floor, Pikachu began to sniff out Michelle. Finding her scent, Pikachu followed the trail down the hallway, down the stairs, and all the way to the back door, at which point his nose bumped against the door and pushed it open. "Chaaa…" Pikachu cried out, rubbing his nose with his paws.

"Did you find anything, Pikachu?" Ash appeared behind Pikachu, with Misty and Aiden not far behind.

"Kachu," Pikachu confirmed, standing up on his hind paws and pointing out the open door. "Pipikachu pi pikachu!"

"Her scent goes outside?" Ash mumbled.

"Pi," Pikachu nodded.

"Can you still follow it?" Ash sounded incredibly desperate.

"Pika!" Pikachu twitched his ears and scurried outside, once again putting his nose to the ground and sniffing out Michelle.

The electric type continued this all the way from the back of the house to the front, and down the sidewalk until they reached the end of the street, where the family caught sight of Michelle standing at the corner, looking fairly upset and bewildered.

"Pipikachu!" Pikachu called out to the girl.

Michelle gasped quietly and whipped around, locking her eyes on Pikachu. The mouse Pokémon scurried over to Michelle, jumping up onto the girl's shoulder and rubbing against her cheek. "Pika…"

"Don't be worried, Pikachu," Michelle murmured. "I was just leavin' was all."

"Michelle!"

The child turned her head up and found her mother running right towards her. Before Michelle could react, Misty grabbed her wrist and pulled her close.

"Mommy!" Michelle cried in surprise.

"Michelle, what are you doing?" Misty sternly asked her daughter.

"Let go!" Michelle barked, greatly taking Misty off guard. "I have to go!"

"Michelle, the only place you have to go is back to the house!" Misty reached for Michelle to pick her up, but the girl would have none of it, struggling to make sure that Misty couldn't pick her up. "What's going on with you?"

"You don't want me!" Michelle cried.

"Sweetheart, that's nonsense, of course I want you!" Misty pulled Michelle into a hug, although the girl was still trying to get free. "Why would you ever say that?"

"Because Daddy yelled at me!" Michelle retorted. "He got mad, and he never gets mad like that! He hates me!"

Ash's heart completely broke at this. Hurrying forward, he stressed, "Michelle, baby, I don't hate you! Why would you think that?"

"Because you _yelled at me!_" Michelle repeated strongly, her eyes looking frantic.

"Princess, I'm sorry that I yelled at you," Ash knelt down in front of Michelle and grabbed her shoulders. "I really shouldn't have done that. I was just so frustrated and tired from all of the work that I had to do…I snapped. But that doesn't make it right. You didn't do anything wrong. It's my fault, and I'm sorry."

"You yelled, Daddy," Michelle sniffled, tears starting to fall down her cheeks.

"I know, and I'm sorry," Ash wrapped his arms around Michelle, holding her close. "I won't ever yell at you again. Please, _please _forgive me, Michelle. Please know that I love you more than anything in the entire world!"

Michelle looked up at her father and noticed that his eyes were shining. Not from joy, but from the tears that were collecting in his chocolate brown eyes. Frowning, Michelle hugged her father back and buried her face into Ash's chest, rubbing her cheek against him.

"It's okay, Daddy," Michelle whispered. "I love you, too."

"Pika," Pikachu squeaked happily, licking Michelle's cheek to clear away the remaining tears.

"Don't ever run away again," Ash ordered playfully. Lifting Michelle up into his arms, he added, "You scared us half to death."

"I'm sorry, Daddy," Michelle sounded genuine. "I was just sad."

"I know you were," Ash nodded. "And I was sad, too, when I realized that you were gone."

"No more sad," Michelle smirked at her father.

"That's right," Ash chuckled. "No more sad!"

"And no more yelling?" Michelle asked warily.

Smiling sweetly, Ash hugged Michelle again and assured, "yes, baby girl. No more yelling."


	45. Birthday Surprises

**I meant to publish this on Ash's birthday (May 22nd) but then I got busy and distracted by other stories and yeah. It's still a cute one :P Just pretend it's actually May 22nd! Easy enough :P**

**This one is from Ash's POV.**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 months old**

* * *

><p><strong>Birthday Surprises<strong>

I feel old.

I'm only 22 as of today, but for some reason, I don't feel as young and spritely as I did yesterday. Physically, I look the same. Is there even that much of a difference between 21 and 22? I don't think there is. So why do I feel different?

Still lost in my thoughts, my brain slowly started to defog as I felt a pair of arms wrap around my upper body. Blinking, I turned my head to the right and stared at my beautiful wife, who was just waking up. Her emerald eyes were slowly opening, but they sparkled just as bright as when she was fully awake. Giggling just once, and very quietly, she leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek, which brought a gentle pink to my face.

"Happy birthday, Ashy," Misty murmured.

"Thank you, angel," I sighed happily, resting my hand atop her head as I stroked her soft, bright hair.

"I love your birthday," Misty cooed, hugging me more tightly.

"Why's that?" I chuckled.

"Because without it, you wouldn't be here with me," Misty moved her head down and rubbed her cheek against my shoulder. "It means that 22 years ago today, you were born. And now, 22 years later, you're here with me."

I bit my lip there. She noticed and frowned immediately, reaching for my face to hold it in her hands. "Oh, sweetheart. What's wrong? Did I say something bad?"

"No, of course not," I shook my head. "I like when it's my birthday, and it makes me happy to know that you love it too. But sometimes…I think about my birthday and it makes me a little upset."

"Why?" Misty's eyes widened slightly.

Lowering my voice, I looked away from my wife in slight shame and replied, "Because I was a mistake. Sometimes I really think that I ruined my Mom's life."

"Oh, honey," Misty breathed, kissing me on the cheek. "There's no way you ruined your Mom's life. She loves you so much, and she gave you such a good life. Besides, you weren't a mistake. Don't ever call yourself that. You were a surprise."

"I think I was more of a mistake," I scoffed.

"Well, I don't," Misty narrowed her eyes. "You should never refer to yourself as such a thing."

"Why?" I tilted my head, genuinely curious as to why Misty was so adamant about this.

"Because…I wasn't exactly planned either," Misty answered slowly. "But I would never call myself a mistake, even if I felt like it sometimes."

A look of surprise crossed my face. "You weren't planned?"

"Of course not," Misty laughed dryly. "Think about it. I have three older sisters, who were all born within a year of each other. Then you have me, the awkward one who is _several_ years younger than all of them. My sisters were very meticulously planned, and when it came to me…let's just say my parents had a little too much to drink at dinner one night."

Now it was _my _eyes widening at this. "Misty…you know that for sure?"

"That's a true story," Misty giggled airily. It confused me, how she could take this all in stride.

"That doesn't bother you?" I asked softly, reaching out to gently stroke her smooth cheek.

"It did more when I was younger," Misty shrugged. "Now that I'm older, I don't care as much. I know that my parents love me just as much as my sisters, even if it doesn't always feel or even seem that way. Besides, if I had never been born…that I would've never gotten to be friends with all of the people that I love so much, and I never would've been married to you…my best friend!"

"That's true," I grinned at that.

"And I never would have become a…" Misty trailed off, her eyes glinting as she stared off into space.

"A what?" I prodded, confused as to why Misty had just stopped in the middle of her sentence.

"A mother," Misty finished quietly, her eyes lowering back down onto me.

"Yeah…and I guess I wouldn't be a father, huh?" I glanced at Misty with questioning eyes.

Misty shook her head wordlessly and reached up to stroke my hair. "No, you wouldn't. But maybe…hmm…I have an idea."

I shot Misty a bewildered look as she rolled off of the bed and right onto her feet, walking quickly out of the room. The sound of my gentle breathing was all that remained, filling my ears as I somewhat impatiently waited for her return. I honestly had no idea what Misty was up to. She was a pretty feisty thing, and I think that's part of the reason I love her so much. I had before thought of what my life would be like if I had married a girl who was much calmer, more quiet, and more relaxed. It didn't take very long at all for me to come to the conclusion that I would be terribly bored that way, and nowhere near as happy. As strange as it may sound, I really love how hectic Misty can make my life at times. It makes things more exciting, and I think that we all know by now that I'm anything but a boring person. For me, it's fun and adventure all the way, even if I'm living in a house with a wife and two kids.

Speaking of which…

Misty came skirting into the room during that very thought, holding onto both of our babies with a very sweet smile on her face. They were squirming around a lot in her arms, which I figured must be frustrating for a pair of kids who couldn't even crawl yet. They seemed to be pretty active, which wasn't surprising considering Misty and I are their parents, but unfortunately didn't have much of an outlet to release their energy. The best they could do was roll around and kick their legs.

"Did you two know that it's your Daddy's birthday?" Misty asked the babies as she sat back down on the bed. They stared at her with genuine interest, and I figured they must've realized just how beautiful their mother was. That's what I liked to think, anyway. "You two should be very happy about that! If Daddy hadn't been born, you guys wouldn't have been born!"

"Well, I'm _very _happy that I got to help create such adorable little things!" I trilled, leaning forward to gently tickle both babies. They giggled happily and turned their heads to look at me, the smiles on their cute little faces making my heart leap.

A knowing smile appearing on Misty's own face, she casually mentioned, "you know, our babies weren't planned either."

"I know that," I nodded, looking up from the aforementioned children.

"But we love them dearly, don't we? Even if they weren't planned and we didn't exactly want children right away?"

"Of course!" I responded quickly, fearing that anyone would even believe that I didn't feel that way about the two best things that I'd ever done.

"So, obviously, our parents had to have felt the same way," Misty's smirk became more mischievous as she reached her point. "Right?"

I stopped and stared up at the ceiling, suddenly realizing that Misty had used her seemingly sweet and innocent act as a teaching moment. Oh, she was _good. _Definitely my better half!

"You're…right," I reluctantly admitted, a delicate smile growing on my lips.

"There, so we're all surprises," Misty beamed down at the twins and giggled. "We all belong perfectly together! Don't you agree?"

"That I do!" I chuckled heartily.

"Good," Misty grinned, holding the babies out towards me. "Now take our little surprises and shower them with hugs and kisses!"

_That _I had no problem doing. Eagerly taking both infants, I held them close and alternated between each one's small face, pressing kisses against their soft, smooth skin and feeling them squirm enthusiastically against my chest.

"Hello, little surprises," I whispered to the babies. "I love you both so, so much. You're the best surprises I ever could've gotten."

As I paid special attention to my little babies, I felt Misty slip an arm around my shoulders to lean in and stare at the children herself, admiring their cuteness. Forming my own smirk, I looked up and found myself nose to nose with her. Silently, I closed what little space there was between us and caught her lips in mine, waiting until she blissfully closed her eyes to do the same.

She pulled away when she needed air, but I was quick to make sure our lips stayed in contact. I could feel her breathing against my mouth, to which I smiled against her own pretty pink lips and murmured what seemed to have become the word of the day:

"Surprise."


	46. The Ultimate Question

**Okay, I've been dying to write this one FOREVER. I'm so happy I finally got it done :P This one is really funny, I think. It's a pretty standard issue for most parents, so hopefully you guys will find it amusing :)**

**Elizabeth: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>The Ultimate Question<strong>

"Whoa!"

Ash chuckled when he saw his little 4 year old daughter with her nose pressed against the aquarium glass in the Cerulean City gym. The child absolutely adored Pokémon, and could probably spend all day watching them. She and Ash were in the gym, waiting for Misty to finish her morning session of training in order to have a family lunch together.

"Daddy! Daddy, look!"

"What's got you so interested today, baby?" Ash asked sweetly, kneeling down to kiss his daughter on the cheek.

"I'm watchin' Luverin and Caserin," Elizabeth turned her head and smiled at her father.

"Are they doing their little dance again?" Ash chuckled. The two romantically linked Pokémon had a habit of performing a cute "love dance," as Misty had dubbed it, and Elizabeth loved to watch the Pokémon swim so gracefully around one another.

"No," Elizabeth giggled excitedly. "They have an eggy!"

Ash continued to smile lovingly at his daughter until her words finally hit him. Eyes widening, he gasped and raced up next to Elizabeth, who had gone back to watching the two Pokémon. Looking into the aquarium, Ash found the two rendezvous Pokémon to be cuddling a pale pink egg, confirming Elizabeth's prior squeal.

"Elizabeth, do you know what's going on here?" Ash cautiously eyed his daughter, fearing the answer that he would receive.

"Yeah!" Elizabeth beamed, causing Ash's eyebrows to crawl up. "They had a baby, Daddy!"

A thousand different curses started racing through the Pokémon Master's head. He had been hoping and praying to every single legendary he could think of that Elizabeth would never, ever ask _that _question. Aiden and Michelle never had, because they just didn't seem interested enough in the topic, and by the time they became old enough to really think of questioning it, Misty had become pregnant with Elizabeth, and that satisfied what little curiosity the twins had.

"Uh…yeah…" Ash backed away from the glass slowly, Elizabeth too absorbed in the scene in front of her to notice. "I'm gonna' go…talk to Mommy…"

Ash made a dash for the battle area, skidding to a halt when he saw Miltoic and Vaporeon crashing their bodies against one another, engaged in a seemingly fierce practice battle. Turning his eyes, Ash caught sight of Misty standing at the center edge of the pool, her hands on her hips as she watched the battle dutifully. When both Pokémon landed, she raised her arm, preparing to call another attack for each creature. Ash, however, saw this as the perfect opportunity to catch his wife's attention.

"Misty!" He called.

The gym leader turned around, sensing the urgency in his voice. Ash silently noted that Misty was wearing nothing but a pure white, one piece swimsuit that fit her body perfectly. He quickly shook those thoughts out of his head, however, knowing that there was an entirely different task at hand that needed to be taken care of.

"Ash, what is it?" Misty blinked. "I'm almost done training. Are you and Lizzie really that hungry?"

"No," Ash shook his head, "sorry, Mist, I'm not trying to rush you through your training. It's just that, well, Elizabeth is watching Caserin and Luverin and…they…well…"

"Ash!" Misty scolded, wanting her husband to get to the point.

"They had an egg," Ash finally spat it out.

Misty rubbed the side of her head, a little giggle escaping her lips. "Oh, that makes sense! Luverin has been acting so strange the past few days, but I didn't really think anything of it, since Caserin was still letting me near her. And they haven't really had any eggs for awhile now."

Caserin and Luverin had produced offspring before, and Ash quickly came to the realization that Misty was missing the point of what he was trying to express. In her defense, he hadn't done a very decent job of explaining it.

"Yeah, but there's more than that…" Ash rubbed the back of his neck.

"Right, I have to put them in a separate tank!" Misty beamed at her husband, as if silently thanking him for somehow reminding her of that small, yet pivotal, detail. "And I'll just call Nurse Joy to come over and give the egg a checkup. No problem!"

"Yes, problem!" Ash finally blurted.

Misty looked taken off guard, pulling back slightly at Ash's outburst. "What do you mean?"

"Elizabeth's watching them cuddle with the egg," Ash explained, his cheeks reddening as he elucidated. "I asked her if she has any idea what's going on and…she knows it's a baby, but she doesn't really know…you know…_why?"_

"So you think she's going to ask?" Misty inquired quietly.

Biting his lip, Ash conferred, "I _know _she's gonna' ask."

Misty couldn't disagree with her husband. Elizabeth was a very curious little girl, and she was at that precocious age where she had just about a million questions for everything in the world. All she could do was hope that the potential inquiry would slip her daughter's mind.

"Well, I guess I can cut training short for today!" Misty put on a fake smile, causing Ash to raise an eyebrow. Walking over to the metal rack where she kept all of her poke balls, Misty complimented her two battle partners before returning them to the sanctuaries of their spheres.

Ash carefully eyed his wife as she skirted back over to him, a small amount of anxiety washing over him. "Misty, are you gonna' put anything on over that bathing suit?"

Misty looked down at her one piece and giggled, scurrying over to the hooks near the doorframe and pulling off a shirt and pair of shorts to tug over her body.

"Right, sorry Ashy!" Misty cooed, gently pinching the Pokémon Master's cheek as he groaned miserably. "I forgot that you don't like other boys looking at me."

"Of course I don't," Ash huffed indignantly, folding his arms over his chest as he turned his head away. Still laughing airily, Misty gave a tiny jump in order to press a kiss against her husband's cheek.

"Love you!" Misty winked.

Ash finally showed off a smile as he lowered his arms to his sides and nodded. "Love you too."

Misty slipped on her pale blue flip flops and walked out of the battle area, finding Elizabeth in the exact same spot that Ash had only minutes before: pressed up against the glass while watching Caserin and Luverin fawn over their newest addition.

"Elizabeth!" Misty called, hoping to gain her daughter's attention. It worked like a charm, with the young red head spinning around and beaming at her mother.

"Hi, Mommy!" Elizabeth waved.

Walking over to the girl, Misty gathered the young child into her arms, showing her a very loving smile and silently praying that the girl didn't ask any startling questions. "Are you hungry, baby girl?"

"Yes, Mommy," Elizabeth nodded.

"Do you want lunch?"

"Yes, Mommy!" Elizabeth's eyes sparkled at the prospect.

"Okay!" Misty hugged the child and began to walk towards the gym entrance. "Let's go get something to eat."

As she moved, Misty gazed at Ash over her shoulder and threw him a hopeful look. Ash returned the expression, both of them really beginning to believe that they had successfully distracted their daughter from the undoubtedly awkward inquiry.

"We're good," Ash whispered to his wife, who nodded in agreement.

**XXX**

"Mommy, Daddy, where do babies come from?"

The question came during dinner that very same night.

Ash and Misty dropped their utensils simultaneously, Elizabeth shifting her bright emerald eyes between both adults with a look of curiosity set in them. She had no idea how inflammatory this question was.

"Uh…well…" Ash cleared his throat. "Babies…babies…that's a very good question, sweetheart."

"It is?" Elizabeth beamed.

"No," Misty muttered, covering her eyes with her hand.

"Lizzie…" Ash tried again, "babies come from…the Delibird. He delivers little babies to people's houses!"

Elizabeth seemed intrigued by this scenario. Misty, meanwhile, lowered her hand and shot Ash a hostile glance. The whole "Delibird bringing babies" was the biggest cliché in the book, and perhaps unfortunately for the two parents, Elizabeth was pretty smart for her age. There wasn't a chance in the world that Elizabeth would buy that stupid story.

"Really?" Elizabeth's eyes widened.

"Yes!" Ash nodded, becoming more sure in his lie. Even Misty was surprised that Elizabeth seemed to be buying into the little story. "Delibird all over the world are responsible for bringing babies to Mommies and Daddies who are ready to have them!"

"Eggs too?" Elizabeth blinked.

"Yep!" Ash nodded.

Misty tried to hide the astonishment on her face, but it was pretty hard to do. She just couldn't believe that Ash had successfully sold off that truism to their highly precocious daughter! Ash caught sight of Misty's expression and smirked haughtily, earning an eye roll from the gym leader. Feeling that this conversation was finally good and done, Ash reached for his glass and took a sip of water, as if to formally end the matter.

"So, if Delibird brings babies, how did I get inside Mommy's tummy?"

Ash's eyes widened and he spit his water out, practically all over his wife who sat across from him.

"ASH!" Misty stormed, her eyes burning like fire. Elizabeth, meanwhile, simply giggled, finding her father's spit take to be fairly amusing.

"Elizabeth," Ash choked slightly, patting his chest to try and ease down the stray water that had gone down his windpipe, "what are you talking about?"

"I was in Mommy's belly!" Elizabeth pointed at her mother, who blushed considerably at the notion.

"No, pumpkin," Ash tried to laugh it off, "Delibird bring babies, remember?"

At this, Elizabeth adopted a rather stern expression. "I was in her tummy, Daddy. I sawded pichures."

"Um…well…" Ash tried to come up with yet another fictitious story to cover the previous one, "what happened was the Delibird brought you…and then you went inside Mommy's belly."

Misty smacked her forehead, while Elizabeth looked almost frightened by this little "revelation."

_Nice job, Ash, _Misty thought bitingly. _You had it, and then you lost it._

"Mommy _ate _me?" Elizabeth practically shrieked.

"No, Elizabeth!" Misty answered quickly, not wanting Ash to try and resolve any more of his convoluted tales. "I didn't eat you, sweetheart. Your Daddy is just a dolt."

Ash growled at this, while Elizabeth giggled once again. Her mother's words soon resonated with her, however, and she looked up curiously at her mother. "So…does the Delibird _not _bring babies, Mommy?"

"Uh…" Misty clutched awkwardly at her elbow.

"Yeah, Mommy," Ash smirked deviously, "is that not true?"

"Stuff it, Ash!" Misty snarled at her husband. "I'm not the dumb one making up stories here!"

"I knew that wasn't true!" Elizabeth gasped. "Delibird bring presents with Santa, _not _babies!"

"Well…that was nice while it lasted," Ash sighed, slumping down in his seat.

"Daddy, you lie," Elizabeth narrowed her eyes, causing Ash to gasp in shock. Ignoring her father, Elizabeth turned towards her mother and asked, "Mommy, where do babies _really _come from?"

Misty froze. She honestly had no idea how to answer this. She knew she couldn't tell the truth…not in this case, to a four year old!

"Oh, sweetheart," Misty sighed, staring right into the beautiful emerald eyes of her precious little daughter. "Babies come from…they come from…when a Mommy and a Daddy want-"

Misty's explanation was cut off when the bell rang, causing her to take a _huge _sigh of relief, unbeknownst to Elizabeth.

_Saved by the bell, _Misty thought with a delicate smirk as she got up from her seat to answer the door.

"Mommy!" Elizabeth cried, running after her mother. Misty stopped in her tracks and looked down at Elizabeth, who had managed to reach Misty's side once the gym leader had stopped moving. "You didn't finish tellin' me where babies come from!"

"Sweetheart, it'll have to wait until later!" Misty giggled, clearly happy to be free from the task of explaining this to her daughter. "It isn't appropriate to talk about this kind of stuff in front of guests."

Elizabeth pouted, but continued to follow after her mother. She figured that perhaps if she bugged the gym leader enough, she would receive an answer to her burning question.

Reaching the door, Misty pulled it open to reveal the figure of Gary Oak, smirking proudly and dressed in his regular work clothes sans the white lab coat.

"Gary?" Misty sounded genuinely confused. "What are you doing here?"

"Nurse Joy called me and asked to check on that newly laid Luvdisc egg you have," Gary informed the red headed woman. "She's backed up at the Pokémon Center, and asked if I could help out. That alright with you?"

"Of course," Misty smiled at her husband's former rival. "Follow me to the gym!" Looking down at Elizabeth, Misty gently requested, "Lizzie, you stay here with Daddy, alright?"

"No, I wanna' come!" Elizabeth protested.

"Elizabeth…" Misty sighed.

"I like Gary," Elizabeth frowned.

Breathing out nosily, Misty turned back towards Gary and asked, "Do you mind?"

"Not at all," Gary chuckled.

The trio headed next door to the Cerulean City gym, with Misty leading the other two towards the separate tank where she had placed Caserin, Luverin, and their egg in order to separate them from the rest of the gym's aquarium Pokémon.

"I should probably go tell Ash where I am," Misty mused. Peering down, she inquired, "Would you like to come with me, Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth shook her head and added, "I wanna' stay with Gary."

"I don't want you bothering him," Misty groaned.

"Ah, don't worry about it!" Gary waved his hand. "She's a good kid. She won't give me any trouble, I'm sure of it."

Misty folded her arms over her chest and shook her head, but finally conceded, "If you insist." Turning her attention back down to Elizabeth, Misty gently demanded, "You behave for Gary, alright?"

Elizabeth nodded wordlessly and then watched as her mother walked away and out of the gym. Once she was sure her mother was gone, Elizabeth looked up at the Pokémon researcher who was standing above the small, separated aquarium and inquired, "Gary, can I ask somefin?"

Chuckling, Gary continued his work but replied to Elizabeth with a caring, "of course, mite!"

Elizabeth giggled at the adoring nickname that Gary had always called her by. Her emerald eyes widening as much as they could, Elizabeth innocently asked the brown haired man before her, "where do babies come from? Mommy and Daddy won't tell me!"

At this, Gary smirked. Oh, how absolutely _perfect!_

"That's quite the question there, mite," Gary guffawed. "No wonder your Mommy and Daddy don't want to tell you."

At this, Elizabeth pouted and folded her arms.

"No need to make such a sad face, little mite!" Gary grinned. "I'm much cooler than your boring old parents. I'll tell you where babies come from."

"Really?" Elizabeth's face brightened just as quickly as it had clouded over.

"Sure thing!" Gary confirmed. Climbing off of the ladder he had been perched atop, the researcher kneeled in front of the young red head, who had a very serious look on her face as she awaited Gary's explanation. "You see, mite, when a Mommy and a Daddy love each other _very _much, a little sparkle will appear in the Daddy's eye."

"A sparkle?" Elizabeth awed.

"Yes," Gary smiled. "And when the Mommy sees the sparkle in the Daddy's eye, it makes a baby!"

"Like magic?" Elizabeth tried.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. But the sparkle only appears if the Mommy and Daddy are really, truly in love. So, the magic in the sparkle is really just a whole bunch of love!"

"Can other people see the sparkle too?" Elizabeth was genuinely curious about this process. She liked the way it sounded, however.

"Of course!" Gary nodded. "That just shows everyone how much the Mommy and Daddy love each other."

"Did you ever see me?" Elizabeth was showing off such a sweet smile that even _Gary_ was sure his heart would melt. "When I was a sparkly?"

"I sure did!" Gary ruffled the child's hair. "You were a really bright! One of the prettiest sparkles I've ever seen."

Elizabeth gasped quietly, keeping the cute little grin on her face. Finally, she'd gotten her answer! Elizabeth couldn't really understand why her Mommy and Daddy hadn't bothered to simply tell her about the sparkle before.

At that moment, Misty came striding back into the gym, a peaceful smile set on her beautiful face. Elizabeth went running up to her mother, eyes gleaming as she approached the gym leader at full speed.

"You seem so full of energy, baby girl!" Misty giggled. "What's got you so happy?"

"Mommy, Gary told me where babies come from!" Elizabeth beamed.

"What?" Misty shrieked, her heart flying up into her throat.

"Yeah!" Elizabeth nodded, not at all sensing her mother's panic. "I get it now! Daddy gave me to you! Because you love each ofher!" Misty just stood there with her jaw dropped. Giggling, Elizabeth ran out of the gym to go back to the house, calling over her shoulder, "I'm gonna' tell Daddy! Bye, Mommy!"

Finally regaining some of her composure, Misty shook her head out and glared at a smirking Gary, who, upon seeing Misty's incredibly angry face, quickly sunk into submission and tried backing away.

"Misty…" Gary's voice sounded shaky as he stepped backwards.

"You told my _four year old _where _BABIES _come from?" Misty stormed, her eyes clouding over to display her sincere anger.

"No, it's not what you think!" Gary waved his hands in front of himself.

"You told her that Ash _gave her_ to me!" Misty shouted. "So I'm thinking that's _exactly _what it means!"

"No, not like that!" Gary's back hit the wall, and he knew he was going to have to come out with the truth. There was no getting away from Misty otherwise. "I told her that she was a sparkle in Ash's eye, and _that's _how babies are made!"

The anger on Misty's face evaporated and she pulled herself back, causing Gary's breathing to relax.

"Wait…so…you didn't tell her where babies come from?" Misty blinked.

"Of course not!" Gary was exasperated. "I gave her a false story. I told her that babies are made when the Mom sees a sparkle in her Dad's eye. So, that's what she meant when she told you that Ash gave her to you. She thinks that you saw her as a sparkle in Ash's eye, and that's how she was born."

A smile reappeared on Misty's face, and Gary took a very noticeable sigh of relief.

"Oh, Gary, that's actually so cute! A _much_ better lie than what Ash was trying to pass off to her."

"Ha, thanks!" Gary straightened himself out. "I'm glad you like it!"

"So maybe when she gets older and finds out that's not actually true, you can tell her the _real _story," Misty smirked, causing Gary to break out in a sweat.

"Don't push your luck," Gary huffed, looking away indignantly as Misty giggled airily.


	47. Cry It Out

**I come up with these one shots SO easily. Literally. I see or read something and I come up with about 20 different ideas. It's a love hate relationship, with me and these one shots :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 months old**

* * *

><p><strong>Cry It Out<strong>

It had become common practice at this point for Ash and Misty to be woken up several times a night by their baby twins. Typically, one baby would cry and be settled down by either Ash or Misty, and then the other baby would be awoken by the other one's sobs and begin to wail themselves. As a result, Ash and Misty were up far more often than parents with just one baby.

Needless to say, both were beyond exhausted and more often than not, irritable.

Ash, however, had a tendency to be alleviated in the morning when he saw the smiling faces of his little babies and heard the sweet giggles coming out of their mouths. Misty, while she loved the children just the same and was also pleased to see them so happy, was not as easily allayed. She hated feeling tired and groggy, and not being able to properly take on challengers at the gym. Eventually, she decided that enough was enough, and that she couldn't go another day without a proper night of sleep.

So, that morning, she approached Ash with a proposition, one that Ash could hardly believe he was hearing.

"You want us to _what?_" Ash's jaw practically dropped.

"Cry themselves to sleep," Misty answered as though it meant nothing.

Ash looked down at Michelle, who was standing shakily on his legs as he held her by her sides. The baby girl squeaked and gazed up at her father. Upon seeing his eyes locked on her, Michelle squealed and grinned just about as wide as she could, wiggling in her father's grip and reaching her hands out towards his face.

"But…they're so cute," Ash turned his attention back onto Misty.

"I know they are," Misty still wasn't deterred. "But I'm _exhausted, _Ash, and I know that you are too."

"No I'm not!" Ash quickly tried to refute that very idea.

"Ash," Misty frowned, "you have huge, dark circles underneath your eyes."

The Pokémon Master huffed. He knew it was true, but he refused to admit it. He just didn't like the idea of having his precious babies crying themselves to sleep. It sounded so sad.

"It's really not so bad," Misty smiled reassuringly at her husband. "My parents did it with my sisters and I when we were babies. Even at a young age, it taught us to be self sufficient. We were sleeping through the night by the time we were 6 months old, and once we were toddlers and moved into beds, we never once tried to sleep in our parents' bed."

"I don't think my Mom ever did that with me," Ash frowned.

"Either way, I think it's what we should do," Misty shrugged. "You and I are both in desperate need of some sleep. I'm willing to try anything. So, what do you say?"

Ash didn't say yes. He didn't even nod. He just threw Misty a sad, almost pleading look, and for whatever reason, she seemed to take this as an acceptance to try the method.

Now Ash was dreading bedtime more than ever.

**XXX**

That night, after successfully putting down an already sleeping Aiden, Ash and Misty stood over Michelle's crib, staring down at the little baby girl who was looking right back up at them. The young parents knew it would be harder with Michelle, who was a very big cuddler and didn't enjoy being separated from them.

"Misty, I don't like this," Ash glanced at his wife, making his voice sound as stern as possible. It was cracking slightly, however, revealing the true emotion he had regarding this situation.

"I know, honey, but we have to do it," Misty sighed. "It's just a way to potentially get more sleep. And it will make her more independent. This is good for all of us."

Still, Ash couldn't agree.

Smiling sadly, Misty reached down into the crib and gently stroked Michelle's cheek, cooing, "Good night, little princess. Mommy and Daddy love you very, very much. You'll be okay."

Michelle squeaked and tilted her head to the side, locking her big, wide eyes on Misty. The gym leader suddenly felt a sense of overwhelming guilt for doing this to her little daughter, but she knew it was the only way. Biting her lip, Misty withdrew her hand and cleared her throat, once again throwing the infant a melancholy grin.

If Misty could be considered as being bothered by her guilt, then Ash was best described as being eaten _alive _by it. He could hardly stand just being next to his daughter's crib, staring at the baby and leaving her to fend for herself. She wasn't even crying yet, but as soon as she did, Ash knew things were not going to be good.

"Shelly," Ash whispered to the baby. She turned her head to look at him, a little smile gracing her delicate pink lips as soon as Ash was in her vision. Whimpering quietly, Ash reached down and lightly held his hand against the side of Michelle's head. She continued staring at Ash before turning her eyes to look at his hand, studying it carefully and raising one of her own tiny hands to touch her fingers against the back of her father's hand.

"Ash, come on," Misty murmured, gently tugging at her husband's shirt. She felt bad, but she knew if she didn't take Ash away from Michelle now, he would never leave.

"Okay," Ash muttered miserably. Keeping his hand on Michelle's face, he leaned down into the crib and gave his young daughter a kiss on the forehead. At the contact, Michelle squealed delightfully, and watched her father as he stood back up and removed his hand from her cheek.

_She has no idea what we're going to do to her, no idea, _Ash thought miserably. _I can't handle this! My poor baby…but Misty's almost always right. This _has _to be good for Aiden and Michelle! Doesn't it…?_

**XXX**

It was okay, at first.

Michelle didn't cry when her parents left. In the near hour they spent getting ready for bed, she didn't even cry. Slowly, Ash began to feel better about this plan. Maybe Michelle had sensed that this would happen. Babies apparently sensed everything, according to Misty. Just like Pokémon!

This all changed as soon as they actually got into bed, however.

Within the first 10 minutes, one of the babies started to cry, and just hearing it through the monitor, both Ash and Misty knew it was Michelle.

"Misty…" Ash whispered, his lips bending into a frown.

"No, Ash," Misty shook her head, turning away from the monitor and pulling the covers over herself. "She's going to cry it out. It'll be okay."

Ash watched Misty settle herself down, wondering how in the world she could be so calm about this. In reality, Misty was going crazy inside and questioning her sanity. Ash would never know this, however.

Following in his wife's lead, Ash laid down on his side so he could stare at her. He watched as her eyes closed and her breathing evened out. It seemed to him that she was out like a light. Ash, however, was nowhere near such peace.

Rolling over onto his back, Ash stared at the ceiling, trying to block out the horrifying sound of his daughter's wails. They grew louder and more desperate with each passing moment, and Ash could've sworn his heart was being torn right in half. He had to lay there and listen to the screeches blaring through the monitor, feeling his eyes tear up as the baby became more and more frantic.

He listened to it for nearly 10 minutes, just about ready to lose his mind.

_She's gotta' calm down, right? _Ash tried to convince himself. _She's gonna' get tired! It'll put her right to sleep, no problem! _

Suddenly, the most terrifying scream Ash had ever heard came out of his daughter's mouth. It was so loud, and so horrifying, that it literally sounded like she had just been stung by a thousand Beedrill.

"I'm not doing this!" Ash hissed through his teeth.

Ash jumped out of bed, but was instantly pulled back down by Misty. Ash cried out and landed back on the bed, grunting in slight pain as he rapidly shook his head. Turning his eyes onto Misty, Ash narrowed the chocolate brown orbs and snapped, "Misty, what the hell!"

"She's going to cry it out," Misty reiterated.

"I can't let her do this!" Ash tried to shake himself free. "Do you hear her _screaming_ like that? I'm going to go insane! Let me go! My baby needs me!"

"She's _our _baby," Misty sternly corrected. Her voice softening, she whined, "and we can't. We just can't. We have to do this."

"Misty…" Ash shook his head.

"No, we _can't,_" Misty sounded more like she was trying to convince herself at this point. Trying to create a sense of finality, Misty threw herself back down onto the bed and closed her eyes, trying to drift off to sleep.

Ash just stared at his wife's figure for a few moments, trying to figure her out. This was, quite literally, torture. Ash couldn't stand just laying in bed and listening to his precious baby daughter scream and cry, probably assuming that she was no longer loved.

This time, he slunk quietly out of bed instead of jumping up and drawing attention to himself. It worked, as Misty didn't budge this time. Biting his lip, Ash tip toed out of the room to continue to keep quiet. When Misty still didn't follow him out, Ash made a dash to the babies' nursery, hoping to get there as quickly as possible.

Once there, he was surprised to find that Michelle's ridiculously loud screams hadn't woken up Aiden. Hurrying over to Michelle's crib, Ash looked down at the baby girl and took notice of her red face and frantic movements. He had never felt so guilty in his whole life.

"Oh, baby," Ash whispered, reaching down to gather the screaming infant in his arms. He held her close to his chest and gently rubbed her back, running his hand against the soft cotton of her light blue pajamas, printed with tiny pink flowers.

She wasn't going to calm down very easily, however, and Ash could sense it. He made his way over to the rocking chair in the corner of the room and sat down, rocking back and forth while still holding Michelle against his chest.

"Please, little princess, no more crying," Ash begged quietly. He rubbed the top of Michelle's tiny hand with his finger, brushing against the pink edge of her pajama sleeve every now and again. "Daddy is so sorry he did this to you, baby. I'll never listen to Mommy again, no I won't."

At long last, Michelle began to calm down. Ash wrapped both of his arms around her and nuzzled the top of her head, showering her in kisses and quiet apologies. He just felt so bad; he'd be amazed if the baby ever forgave him. That didn't seem to be a problem, however, as Michelle was soon cooing and squirming against Ash, looking up at him and blowing bubbles while she crawled her hands up his chest.

"You're so happy," Ash breathed with a gentle smile, "I'm so glad to know that you're not scarred, princess!"

Michelle babbled and moved her left foot up on Ash. He moved his hand down and gently rubbed her pajama covered foot. In response, Michelle squealed and kicked at Ash's palm, causing him to chuckle and give her a kiss on the forehead.

At that moment, more cries were heard. Ash looked at Michelle, but she was still happily wriggling in his arms.

"Oh no, Aiden," Ash sighed. Looking down at Michelle, he murmured, "sorry, baby girl. But your brother needs me now."

Getting up, he placed Michelle back in her crib, causing her to emit a tiny squeak of displeasure. Moving to the other side of the room, Ash picked up Aiden, who was thrashing himself around and clenching his little fingers into tiny fists.

"Hey, little buddy!" Ash cooed, rocking the boy in his arms. "It's alright! I'm right here!"

Aiden moaned and threw his arms around, tilting his head back to stare at Ash and let out a few more sobs.

"No more crying, baby," Ash murmured, bouncing the boy up and down.

Aiden calmed down fairly quickly and turned his head into Ash's chest, reaching one small hand out to tug at his shirt. Ash chuckled and lifted the boy up, causing him to shriek. Grinning, Ash lowered Aiden and gave him a kiss on the nose before lifting him up once again.

"You're so handsome!" Ash marveled. "Yes, you are!"

Aiden smiled and let out a few tiny giggles.

"Okay, back to bed, champ," Ash gave Aiden another kiss before lowering him back into his crib. Once Aiden was down, Ash decided it was time for him to head back into his own bedroom, and hoping that Misty wouldn't try to kill him for soothing the babies.

On his way out the door, however, Ash was taken off guard by the sound of crying. Blinking, he turned around and shifted his eyes between Aiden and Michelle's cribs. Walking back, he soon realized it was Michelle who was once again crying.

"Oh, are you upset again?" Ash asked simply. Michelle continued to sob and uncomfortably squirm around. Sighing, Ash gathered the girl into his arms and went back to work on trying to relax her. In the middle of doing this, Aiden himself started to wail again, causing Ash to sigh and shrug his shoulders forward. "Man, I guess I see why Misty wants them to cry themselves to sleep, but I just can't do it!"

Moving over to Aiden's crib, Ash managed to move Michelle into his left arm and scoop Aiden up with the right. Now he was holding not one, but _two_ hysterical babies, and feeling somewhat overwhelmed. He was used to having Misty to help him out with at least one of the babies, but since she was sticking to her plan of having them cry it out, and had no idea that Ash was defying her, he was in this by himself.

Ash once again took up the rocking chair, rocking back and forth while holding both babies against his chest. He knew he couldn't sing to them like Misty did, because he had a terrible voice. What he _could _do, however, was tell them a bunch of interesting stories. Ash highly doubted they understood the tales, but the sound of his voice seemed to be enough to calm them down.

"Hey," Ash murmured to the sobbing infants, "do you guys wanna' hear a story? I have lots of 'em! I can tell you one about me and Mommy. Would you like that?"

Aiden and Michelle both whimpered but began to settle down, gathering fistfuls of Ash's shirt while occasionally staring up at him with curious eyes.

"Okay," Ash smiled, coming up with a good story to tell, "well, I remember once, when your Mommy and I were on the way to the Orange Islands, we got caught in one of Team Rocket's traps. They put us in a cage, and they teased us. They called us a couple of love birds…"

Aiden and Michelle both cooed, resting their cheeks against Ash's chest while continuing to gawk up at him.

"Your Mommy and I were so embarrassed," Ash chuckled quietly, "but now I think it's kind of cute. I didn't then, though. Because I didn't realize how much your Mommy meant to me. I loved her as a friend, but I didn't love her as anything more than that yet. But now I do. Your Mommy means the world to me. And you two do, also. You three are my favorite things in the whole wide world…I love all of you."

The twins yawned and snuggled deeper into Ash's chest. In turn, Ash could feel _himself _getting equally sleepy. Letting out a yawn, Ash leaned back in the chair and began to close his eyes.

"Yeah, it's funny how things work out…" Ash murmured, his head falling to the side, "but I like it…I love everything that's happened. I'm so happy…"

And with that, he fell right asleep; out like a light.

**XXX**

Back in his and Misty's room, the remaining gym leader was sitting up in the bed, holding the now silent baby monitor in her hand.

"Damnit, Ash," Misty hissed with a smile, "I was going to kill you for disobeying me…but I can't. Not after that."

Thinking to herself for a few moments, Misty finally made a decision. Putting the monitor back down on her nightstand, Misty slipped out of bed and quietly made her way to the babies' nursery. Still grinning softly, she skirted over to Ash, who was fast asleep in the rocking chair and still holding the snoozing babies against his chest.

Giggling very quietly, Misty kneeled down by Ash's side and put her arms and head down on his legs, snuggling in and letting out a content sigh.

"I love you, too," Misty murmured.

Suddenly, she felt a hand touch her back. Peering up, she saw that Ash was now holding both babies with one arm and was using his free right hand to hold against her back. A delicate smirk had grown on his face, and he looked even more content than he had before.

_Alright, Ash, you were right, for once, _Misty thought airily, _but I'll never let you know that…_

That night, Ash and Misty felt asleep much more easily than they ever could have done in her own bed, knowing that in the end, they had both made the right decision as parents.

And the babies? Well, they didn't wake up once all night long.


	48. Fireworks

**It's the 4th of July! Do you know what that means? Fireworks! Everywhere! No, seriously, that's all I've been hearing and seeing from my house. I like them, though, so I'm not complaining! It makes me feel like I'm in Disneyworld :P**

**So, I decided, let's do a one shot about fireworks! Because I can. And it's pure fluff. Which is pure fun :P Haha...I'm so lame.**

**Aiden and Michelle: 3 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Fireworks<strong>

_**BOOM.**_

"Mommy!" Michelle whined, covering her ears.

Misty sighed and gathered the little three year old into her arms, kissing her on the head as she hugged her close.

"Too loud," Michelle complained, looking up at her mother.

"I know, baby, they're pretty noisy," Misty smiled at the toddler. "But aren't they so pretty?" She pointed at the sky, and Michelle looked up to where her mother was motioning.

Explosions of color were bursting into the night sky, in all different shapes and hues. Some of them just burst into big sparkles, while others formed hearts or even Pokémon. Michelle _did _find them pretty; she just wished they wouldn't make so much noise!

Aiden, of course, just _loved _the fireworks that were shaped like Pokémon. They were his absolute favorite. Not only because they looked like Pokémon, which were Aiden's favorite thing in the entire _world, _but because he could try and name every single Pokémon that was shown in a firework, and his Dad would get so proud of him. After all, the only thing Aiden loved more than Pokémon, it seemed, was making sure that Ash was proud of him.

Sitting atop his father's shoulders, Aiden's eyes gleamed when another Pokémon shaped firework exploded in the nearly pitch black night.

"Daddy, it's a Mudkip!" Aiden pointed at the shape.

"Yeah, great job, champ!" Ash grinned, tilting his head back to look at the boy.

"Am I smawt, Daddy?"

Ash chuckled and answered, "Yes, buddy. You are the smartest little guy I've ever met!"

At this, Aiden grinned wildly and buried his face in Ash's messy raven locks. Ash laughed at this and turned his head to look at Misty. His smile disappeared, however, when he realized that Michelle was holding her ears.

"Mist, what's wrong with Michelle?" Ash motioned his head towards the little girl.

"The fireworks are too loud for her," Misty stroked the young girl's hair. "She doesn't like all of the noise."

"Here," Ash lifted Aiden off of his shoulders and instead held him in his left arm.

"Why down, Daddy?" Aiden tilted his head.

"You'll see," Ash smiled. He took Michelle from Misty with his right arm and sat down in the grass, both children nestled in his lap. He pried Michelle's hands off of her ears, causing her to shriek and look up at her father in displeasure.

"Daddy, no!" Michelle whined. "Too loud!"

"It's okay, baby," Ash smiled against her temple. "They're not gonna' hurt you."

Another set of fireworks exploded, and Michelle let out a wail, once again trying to cover her ears. Ash was still holding her little wrists, however, and with him being obviously much stronger than a little three year old, she couldn't accomplish that.

"It's okay!" Ash laughed softly. He lowered his lips to Michelle's ear and whispered, "Really, it's okay." Michelle whined and buried her face in Ash's chest as another set of fireworks decorated the night sky. Ash kept his head down by Michelle's and kept murmuring sweetly to her. Misty lowered herself next to Ash and watched carefully, her emerald eyes darting between Michelle's fearful expression, and the calm smile set on her husband's handsome face.

"They're just a little loud," Ash whispered to Michelle, "but that's all! Nothing scary. Here, look up at them."

Michelle looked up at the sky, the fireworks reflecting in her bright, young eyes.

"Pikachu!" Aiden yelled excitedly, pointing up at the bright yellow replication of the electric mouse Pokémon that was glittering in the air.

"Yeah, see?" Ash nudged Michelle. "It's Pikachu! Isn't it cute?"

"Uh huh," Michelle replied softly, nodding her head very slowly.

"Why's all the noise scaring my brave little princess anyway?" Ash smirked. "You watch my big, _loud _battles all the time!" Michelle just looked at her father's face and blinked. He laughed and kissed the top of her head before turning his attention back onto Aiden. "Tell me, little buddy, what other Pokémon are we seeing up in the sky?"

Michelle looked at her brother and waited for him to say something. The young boy had his own eyes locked on the bursts of color in the sky, waiting for some more Pokémon shapes to appear. Michelle too looked up in the sky, wondering if she could name the Pokémon just as well as her brother.

At that moment, a familiar blue Pokémon popped up in the sky, causing both Aiden and Michelle to gasp in full acknowledgement.

"Squirtle!" They yelled simultaneously.

Ash and Misty both laughed, finding their children's sheer joy to be absolutely precious. There was nothing either one loved more than seeing the twins happy.

"Yeah!" Ash hugged the children. "Awesome! I've got two super smart little cuties on my hands!"

Somehow, this little game seemed to calm Michelle down and distract her from the fact that the fireworks were loud. She and Aiden continued to call out the names of the Pokémon that appeared, making Ash genuinely proud and causing Misty's smile to grow wider and wider by the minute.

After awhile, this seemed to tire them out a bit, as they sat more silently in Ash's lap. Occasionally, they would still call out the name of whichever firework replicated Pokémon had appeared in the sky, but for the most part, they were calm and silently watching the show.

Ash kept his attention on the fireworks, but was brought out of his trance by the feeling of a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head to the right and found Misty smiling sweetly at him, which he was happy to return.

"You're such a good Daddy," Misty murmured to the Pokémon Master.

"I think you've told me that one before," Ash chuckled.

"Because I mean it so much," Misty took her hand off of Ash's broad shoulder and replaced it with her head, "you're the best Dad I've ever seen, and I'm so happy that it's _our _children who benefit from it."

Ash just smiled at this and hugged the twins more closely to his body. He loved the children dearly, and it made him feel completely confident when someone complimented his parenting skills. _Especially _when it was Misty who was doing the complimenting.

The young parents watched the fireworks display in comfortable silence for the next few minutes, happily snuggled up to one another while the twins sat contently on Ash's lap. Misty continued to get closer to Ash's neck, which led him to look down at her and grin sweetly. Misty turned her eyes up to Ash and giggled quietly, happy to be under his loving gaze. They leaned in close, preparing to kiss, when Michelle's happy, high pitched voice broke their near contact.

"Mommy, Daddy! Look! Heawts!"

Ash and Misty gazed up into the dark sky. Indeed, bright red hearts were bursting across the skyline, fading into scarlet sparkles while more hearts arose behind them.

"Yes, baby," Misty smiled and stroked the top of Michelle's hand. "Hearts!"

When she lifted her head back up, Ash surprised her with a delicate kiss on the lips. After a few seconds, Misty pulled away, her eyes sparkling just as brightly as the fireworks in the sky.

"You're a very good Mommy," Ash noted, Misty smiling jovially at the notion.

And with that, they kissed again, the heart shaped fireworks bursting high above their romantically linked heads.

* * *

><p><strong>Michelle's sort of suppoused to be like me when I was little. I absolutely HATED the sound of fireworks. I hated any loud noises, so fireworks were pretty bad for me. Now I don't mind them. But I'm still scared of balloons for that same reason. Maybe because one popped in my face when I was little...?<strong>

**I'll shut up now :P Thanks for reading! And if you love me (or not...that's fine too XD) leave a review! Because they''re awesome.**

**HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!**


	49. The Bike Rescuers

**Okay, so there's a reason this one is so long but was finished so fast. See, I was working on A New Era, A New Adventure (which you guys should all go read and review because you're all awesome and that's what awesome people do) and I had written this as a filler chapter to give a glimpse at what was going on back home while Aiden and Michelle were on their journey. But then I decided it was kind of pointless, especially since there's SO much stuff I have to write into that story. So, I decided to axe the fillers.**

**But I already had this WHOLE thing written, so I figured why delete it? That would just be really dumb. So, here it is. It makes a cute, non connecting one shot that focuses on: A) the relationship between Misty and Elizabeth, B) some of their friends in Cerulean City, and C) Misty kicking ass.**

**So, enjoy! :P**

**Elizabeth: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>The Bike Rescuers<strong>

"Ash, Elizabeth, I'm going out to run some errands! I'll be back-"

Before she could finish, Misty's young daughter came racing in, skidding to a halt right in front of her.

"I want to come Mommy!" Elizabeth grinned.

"Lizzie, why don't you stay here and play with Daddy?" Misty smiled sweetly, "it's not very often he gets a day off, you know."

The four year old girl frowned and shook her head, "I like coming with you when you have to do things around the city. Everyone loves me!"

"Of course they do," Misty giggled, "you're adorable!"

"And because I'm your baby!" Elizabeth pointed excitedly at her mother, "They all love you too, Mommy."

"That's true."

"So can I come?" Elizabeth clasped her hands together, "please?"

Misty sighed deeply and looked into the little girl's face. Her big, pleading green eyes, the pout that was so reminiscent of Ash's…

"How can I say no to that face?" Misty smirked.

Elizabeth clapped joyfully and hugged her mother's leg.

"Alright," Misty giggled, "let's go sweetheart!"

Elizabeth was correct in her statement that the people of Cerulean City loved her. In fact, they _adored _her. With Misty being the apple of the city's eye, her children were just as loved, if not more. The citizens were even apprehensive of Ash at first, wanting to ensure that their beloved gym leader would be eternally happy with him. Of course she was, however, and after showing them that he was the love of her life, the people grew to love him as well.

Maybe it was because Elizabeth loved to be the center of attention (a trait surely inherited from her father), but the fact that people would often give her little treats didn't hurt either. At the bakery she'd be given a cookie, at the flower shop a pink rose. Misty, of course, was delighted that everyone loved her children so much. They knew that if anyone ever did anything to her three offspring, Misty would quickly take advantage of her fierce, "mother Ursaring" instincts and possibly become lethal.

But a distinct change had taken place in the tomboyish mermaid's personality in the past few weeks. Despite still appearing quite happy with Ash and Elizabeth, she seemed to do everything else in a trance. Not a single gym battle had been won, and everyone in town had become quite concerned. No one, however, was more worried than her husband. And it was his intention to talk to her about it, once she had time and stopped purposely bringing up errands in order to avoid any form of deep conversation.

"Where do we need to go today, Mommy?" Elizabeth's cheerful voice broke Misty out of her intense thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, today we'll go to the market, and the cleaners. But first, we'll go to the bike shop."

"Why there?" Elizabeth furrowed her young brow.

In reality, Misty was just stalling for time. She really didn't want to face Ash, who she knew was trying to make her express her feelings. It was probably because she was stubborn, but even though he was her husband, Misty always hated sharing her deepest thoughts. Why couldn't anyone just let her be? Of course, she wasn't going to tell her little daughter that, however.

"I love the bike shop," Misty smiled gently; "I got my very first bicycle there when I was a little girl."

"Is that where you got the one that Daddy ruined?" Elizabeth giggled.

"As a matter of fact, yes," Misty gave a single nod.

"Why did he do that Mommy?" Elizabeth blinked, "he loves you! Why would he break your stuff?"

"Well, we hadn't even really met then," Misty mused, "Pikachu was very hurt, and Daddy needed to help him. He kind of just took it. We had hardly talked. So we didn't love each other yet."

"You didn't?" Elizabeth practically gasped. Looking down, Misty could tell her daughter was a little shaken by this fact, causing the older red head to smile reassuringly and place a hand on the top of her child's head.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, we love each other _very _much. Just because we didn't then, doesn't mean we'll ever go back to that. We'll always love each other, no matter what."

"Good," Elizabeth sighed in a relieved fashion. Looking up, the young girl caught sight of a string of shops, and began to try and read their signs. She was very smart and precocious for a child her age, and adored reading, no matter what it was. "Mommy," Elizabeth grinned as she pointed at the center store, "that's it! See? It says Cycle Shop!"

Misty looked forward and smiled, "yes, it does. Good girl Lizzie!"

"So that's where we have to go?"

"Yep," Misty nodded affirmatively.

"Okay!" Elizabeth charged forward, racing towards the shop.

"Elizabeth, stop!" Misty's heart began to race as the girl ran off, straight across the clear street. From the parallel sidewalk, Elizabeth smiled back at her mother, whose eyes were wide with horror. Quickly looking from left to right, and noting that it was safe to cross, Misty hurried over to the opposite sidewalk, eyes still blazing.

"Elizabeth Dilynne Ketchum!" Misty scolded, hands on her hips as she glared down at her young daughter, "don't you _ever _run off like that! Especially across a street!"

"But there wasn't anything there Mommy," Elizabeth frowned, "it was safe."

"You always have to look, Elizabeth!" Misty sighed angrily, "a car could come out of nowhere, and you could get seriously hurt, or…"

"Mommy, I'm okay," Elizabeth hugged her mother's leg tightly, "please don't be upset. I'm sorry Mommy. I won't do it again."

Misty groaned inwardly. What her daughter had just done was very bad, but there was no way she could ever stay mad at the child. She just loved her too much. Misty kneeled down and pulled the girl into her arms, pressing a kiss atop the four year olds head.

"Thank you baby," Misty whispered.

"Let's go into the bike shop now!" Elizabeth grinned, pulling away from her mother's body. Misty giggled softly and followed after the excited young girl. Elizabeth jumped up and down, desperately trying to reach the door handle, but she was just too small.

_See Misty, she's still _very _little; _Misty smiled as she thought reassuringly. The older red head leaned forward and pulled the door back with ease, causing her daughter to place her hands on her hips and look up unhappily.

"I would've gotten it Mommy!"

"I'm not so sure about that sweetie," Misty winked.

"I would've!" Elizabeth cried, flailing her arms, "I'm a big girl! I can do things on my own!"

"Go on inside," Misty gave a little nod of her head, smiling. Elizabeth frowned, clearly displeased that her mother didn't agree with her, but she marched on regardless. Misty walked in right after Elizabeth, and gasped at what she saw.

"There are no bikes here Mommy," Elizabeth blinked.

"I…see that," Misty scratched her head.

"But…this _is _the bike shop," Elizabeth walked over to an empty rack and shook it, as though a bicycle would appear out of thin air.

Misty walked over to the counter, looking over her shoulder to keep an eye on Elizabeth. She certainly didn't want the adventurous little girl running off again.

"Misty?"

The woman whipped her head around, ginger locks flying around her face. When she saw the source of the voice, she smiled sweetly.

"Oh, hello, Danny!" Misty giggled softly as she greeted the young, brunette boy. He was nineteen years old, and the youngest child of the shop's owner.

"Is that Lizzie?" The boy blinked, peering over Misty's shoulder. She turned around and smiled at the little girl, who was still shaking the empty bike racks.

"Yeah," Misty nodded fondly, before calling out, "Lizzie, come here sweetheart." The four year old raised her head curiously, but grew visibly happier at the sight of Danny. The girl had harbored quite the affinity for Danny, ever since she was a baby, really. Misty assumed that Elizabeth probably had a little crush on the older boy.

"Hiya Danny!" Elizabeth squeaked, skipping towards the teenager.

"You've certainly gotten bigger girlie," Danny chuckled, much to the child's delight.

"Yeah, I'm a big girl! I can do lots of things on my own!"

"I see. Does that mean you plan on taking your Mom's place as gym leader?" Elizabeth nodded feverously, and Misty blushed strongly at the action. _She's so much like Ash, _Misty sighed inwardly.

"Mommy," Elizabeth looked back up at her mother with shining eyes, "can I ask you a questy?"

"You mean a question?" Misty corrected mischievously. Danny smiled at the two's little banter.

"Yeah," Elizabeth gave a nod.

"Ask away."

"Can I have a bicycle?" Misty grew wide eyed, and Danny went pale.

"Why do you want a bike all of a sudden, baby?"

Elizabeth simply shrugged, and Misty smacked her forehead. Getting direct answers from her daughter was more difficult than getting them from her husband.

"Uh…we might have a problem with that…" Danny suddenly interjected, nervously rubbing the back of his head.

"Hm?" Misty looked back towards him, "why's that?" Danny opened his mouth to answer, but Elizabeth was quick to jump in.

"Where's all the bikes, Danny? I want a pink one!"

"Heh, well, you see Lizzie…"

"Hey, what's wrong?" Elizabeth tilted her head, "why do you look all nervy?" Danny momentarily relaxed, obviously perplexed by the girl's question.

"She means nervous," Misty smiled kindly.

"Oh," Danny tensed up again, "well, you see…all of our bikes, they were…uh…"

"Stolen!"

Danny looked over his shoulder, Misty blinked, and Elizabeth fearfully ran behind her mother's legs. Appearing suddenly from the store's back doorway was the shop's owner, Felix.

"Wh…what do you mean stolen?" Misty blinked rapidly.

"When I opened up the store this morning, all of my merchandise was gone!" Felix roared while Danny nodded sadly.

"That's so strange!" Misty gasped, "who do you think could've done it?"

"Obviously some kind of thief," Felix huffed.

"I don't get it," Misty scrunched her nose up in a way that Ash always found adorable, "what would someone even need _all _of those bikes for?"

"Yeah, I don't even have _one_!" Elizabeth huffed from behind Misty.

"Hm?" Felix raised his eyebrows, "is that little Lizzie?"

"Yes, it is," Misty giggled as she looked down at her daughter, "why don't you come out and say hi honey?" Elizabeth looked up and shook her head. "Why not?"

"Dad, you scared her!" Danny accused his father.

"How'd I do that? I didn't even know she was here!"

"You came out of nowhere yelling!"

"Is that true Elizabeth?" Misty asked. Elizabeth nodded slowly.

"Oh, I'm sorry little girl," Felix frowned, "I really am. I didn't mean to frighten ya'! Won't you come out and say hi to me?" Elizabeth contemplated this for a moment, but finally stepped out from behind her mother's toned and slender legs to look up at the older man.

"What do you say Lizzie?" Misty smiled sweetly.

"Hello," Elizabeth greeted softly.

"My my," Felix chuckled, "you're not a baby anymore, Miss Lizzie!" This caused the little girl to light up, and she finally smiled at the shop owner. "How old is she now, Misty?"

"Four," Misty answered proudly.

"I remember when you were just a little baby," Felix grinned at Elizabeth. "Heck, I remember when you were still in your Mommy's tummy! You're growing up very fast, little darlin'."

"Thank you," Elizabeth beamed. Tilting her head slightly, she frowned and continued, "mister, I really want a bike. A pink one! Who took them?"

"I wish I knew, little one," Felix sighed sadly.

"My Daddy could find them and beat 'em up," Elizabeth offered, completely serious.

"Sweetheart, Daddy would never beat anyone up," Misty smirked just at the thought. Ash wasn't capable of hurting a Caterpie…unfortunately.

"No, with his _Pokémon,_" Elizabeth whined, seemingly annoyed that Misty had missed the point of her statement.

"Either way, I don't think we need Daddy to figure out this little mystery," Misty ruffled her youngest daughter's hair. "I've got a friend who's perfectly capable of helping us out."

"Who?" Elizabeth, Danny, and Felix all asked simultaneously, genuinely curious as to what Misty had up her sleeve.

Giggling, Misty pulled a poke ball off of her waist and trilled, "I can't believe you guys don't know!" Tossing the ball into the air, Misty called, "Vaporeon, we need your help!"

The water type materialized in front of her trainer, shaking her shiny body out before sitting down on her paws and meowing softly.

"Vaporeon!" Elizabeth cheered.

"Vaporeon," Misty beckoned. The evolved form of Eeevee turned around, her tail swishing behind her as she spun. "Somebody has stolen all of the bikes from the Cycle Shop. Could you maybe sniff out some of the bikes and track down the thieves?"

"Vay," Vaporeon nodded, skipping over to one of the empty bike racks and sniffing it. She eventually pulled her head away, instead turning her nose to the floor and sniffing herself towards the door. Misty followed after her trusty Pokémon, while Elizabeth, Danny, and Felix kept close behind.

At first, Vaporeon walked slowly, but she soon lifted her head and let out a gentle breath, as though she had just realized something.

"What is it, Vaporeon?" Misty asked.

"Poreon!" Vaporeon charged forward, causing Misty to gasp and race after her Pokémon.

"Mommy, I can't run that fast!" Elizabeth wailed, not wanting to be left behind. Danny scooped her up into his arms from behind, running with her against his chest.

Eventually, Vaporeon skidded to a halt in front of a nearby alley, hissing lowly as she narrowed her cat like black eyes.

"Do you see something?" Misty questioned her partner Pokémon.

"Por," Vaporeon nodded just once.

Peering into the alleyway herself, Misty gasped again and pulled away, grunting in annoyance as she tightened a fist by her side.

"Misty, what's wrong?" Felix questioned.

"I should've known," Misty snarled quietly.

"Who is it?" Danny tried.

Sighing, Misty turned her eyes back towards the alley and muttered, "Team Rocket."

"Did someone say Team Rocket?"

"You'd be absolutely correct!"

Groaning, Misty smacked her forehead and mumbled, "they're such idiots."

From out of the dark alley appeared Jessie and James, the devious duo smirking at the angry Felix and Danny and simply frustrated Misty.

"Those crooks!" Felix growled.

"Hey, we're no crooks!" Jessie huffed. "We're innovators, thank you very much!"

"In fact, I think it's time to show off just how crafty we are," James chuckled. "Allow us to re-introduce ourselves…"

Clearing her throat, Jessie threw her right arm out to the side and sang, "to protect the world from devastation!"

James folded his arms, "to unite all peoples within our nation."

Jessie chimed in yet again, "to defend the evils of truth and love!"

James held his left arm up, "to extend our reach to the stars above."

"Jessie!"

"James!"

Humming, Jessie purred, "Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light."

Grinning, James added, "surrender now, or prepare to fight!"

"Me-oh no ya don't!"

Meowth jumped out of the alley and kicked both Jessie and James in the back of their heads. The two villains groaned and rubbed the sore spots, turning around to glare at their talking feline partner in crime.

"Meowth!" Jessie snarled. "What the heck was _that _for?"

"I'm going to have a headache for weeks!" James whined.

"You two must be crazy!" Meowth frantically waved a paw in the air. "I'm tryin' tah work on our mastah plan, and you two are jumpin' out like a bunch a' lunatics!"

"Th…that Meowth is talking!" Danny's eyes widened.

"Yeah, but all he says is blah blah blah," Elizabeth folded her arms.

"Oh please, what kind of "master plan" could you three dolts _possibly_ be attempting?" Misty rolled her eyes.

"Let's show 'em, Meowth!" James stood up to his full height and pumped a fist.

"With pleasure!" Meowth sneered, suddenly forgetting his anger for his human counterparts. He pulled out a small remote from behind his back and pushed the big red button on the front, sending up the group's easily recognizable Meowth balloon. A large, thick net was attached to the bottom of the dark green basket, and it was filled with all of the bicycles which had been stolen from the Cycle Shop.

"Really?" Misty drawled as she folded her arms. "And just _what _do you need all of those bikes for, exactly?"

"Silly twerpette," Jessie cackled, "it's to power our human generated Pokémon capture machine!"

"That's a bit of a mouthful, ain't it?" Felix looked at Misty.

"It's big words, for them," Misty glared at Team Rocket.

"You little twerpette!" Jessie stomped her feet. "Don't you dare call us stupid! We are far from it!"

"I'm not little!" Misty rubbed her temples. "I'm an _adult! _Ugh, I don't even want to deal with this anymore. Just take care of them, Vaporeon. Use hydro pump!"

Vaporeon opened her mouth and unleashed a powerful shot of water. It knocked the trio backwards, causing them to hit the cement, and hard.

"Yay, Mommy!" Elizabeth cheered from Danny's arms.

Seething, Jessie and James jumped up, looking quite red in the face.

"How dare you!" Jessie screamed. Retrieving her own poke ball, she tossed it and called, "Woobat, air cutter!"

Woobat screeched and flapped its wings, sending the attack out towards Vaporeon. It was a direct hit, and caused the water type to skid backwards with a pained whine.

"Vaporeon!" Misty cried out in concern, hating herself for not reacting sooner.

"Danny," Felix turned towards his son, "we need to get those bikes back. Let's do it while Misty is distracting these clowns."

Danny pulled a determined look and nodded his head. "Right!"

Felix released his Scyther, while Danny called upon his Gligar.

"Scyther, use wing attack on that balloon," Felix ordered.

"And Gligar, you help Scyther with slash," Danny added.

The two Pokémon nodded and flew up towards the balloon, destroying it with their wings. The basket started to fall back towards Earth, with the bikes still attached to the bottom in the net.

"Danny! The bikes will break!" Elizabeth cried, tugging at the teen's collar.

Gasping, Danny screamed, "Gligar! Quick attack! Catch the bikes!"

The bat like Pokémon sped up, and upon hearing Danny's command, Team Rocket whipped around and shrieked at the sight of their destroyed balloon. Gligar, meanwhile, managed to catch up to the net and catch it, though he was struggling greatly to keep it up.

"Scyther, help Gligar!" Felix yelled.

The flying bug reached the net and grabbed the other side, right before Gligar was about to fall towards the ground with the net weighing him down.

"Dem Pokémon are tryin' tah ruin our plan!" Meowth yelped.

"And, unlike you, they're gonna get away with it!" Misty grinned deviously. "Vaporeon, use aurora beam!"

"Poreon!" Vaporeon opened her mouth and released a bright rainbow beam at Team Rocket. It was a direct hit, and after a small explosion, sent Team Rocket flying.

Back down below, Gligar and Scyther brought the bikes to safety, much to the joy of the humans standing before them.

"Gligar, you did amazing!" Danny complimented his Pokémon.

"As did you, Scyther," Felix nodded at his long time partner.

"And you did a wonderful job of getting rid of those three pests," Misty kneeled down to stroke Vaporeon's smooth blue skin. "Good girl!"

"The bikes are saved!" Elizabeth clapped her hands together.

Giggling, Misty stood back up and took Elizabeth from Danny's arms, kissing the girl on the nose before holding her against her hip. "Yes, baby girl, the bikes are saved!"

"Thank you so much, Misty," Felix beamed at the gym leader. "We couldn't have saved 'em without your help!"

"Oh, stop it," Misty blushed, "I'm sure you could have!"

"Not a chance," Felix shook his head, "I don't believe it! Once again, our gym leader proves why she's the best one in the Kanto region."

"I don't know about that one either," Misty's blush increased.

"Nonsense," Felix chuckled. "I want to thank you for your help, Misty."

"You really don't have to," Misty smiled. "I wasn't going to let those three get away with stealing all of your bikes! "

"Either way, I simply must repay you," Felix refused to hear anything else from the red head. "How about I give you Elizabeth's first bike as payment?"

Misty was about to say no, but Elizabeth cut her off with a high pitched squeal. "Oh, yes! Mommy, please? I want a bike so, so badly! _Please,_ Mommy!"

"Elizabeth…" Misty grimaced.

"You can't say no to that pretty little face, can ya'?" Danny smirked.

"No," Misty admitted begrudgingly. "I never could."

"Come on, Lizzie!" Danny took the girl back from her mother. "We're gonna pick out your very first bike!"

Eyeing her object of infatuation with bright eyes, Elizabeth cooed, "it better be pink, Danny!"

"Of course it will be pink," Danny laughed, lifting Elizabeth up onto his shoulders before bringing her over to the collection of previously stolen bikes.

Smiling, Misty let out a quiet sigh and murmured, "I wonder how I'm going to explain _this _errand to Ash…"

* * *

><p><strong>I'm in love with Danny. He's such a cute character, really. I'm going to include him in other one shots and probably in A New Era, A New Adventure also. Because he's cool :P<strong>

**Pleeease leave a review? The ones from last chapter were so awesome! You guys rock :P**


	50. Bed Rest

**I really, really love the relationship between Misty and Aiden. I think it's because he's her only son, so she has a special connection with her one and only baby boy :P And I also love the interactions I get to write between Aiden and Elizabeth. He's such a good big brother.**

**Must be why I love this one shot so much :P**

**Aiden: 5 years old**

**Elizabeth: 3 days old**

* * *

><p><strong>Bed Rest<strong>

"Ash, you do realize that I _can _walk, right?"

The Pokémon Master smiled down at his wife, who he was carrying into the house bridal style.

"Yeah, but you're not _supposed _to. I don't want you overworking yourself! The doctor said you shouldn't."

Misty pouted, leading Ash to laugh and rub his nose against hers. The gym leader turned her head to the side and saw the carrier: predominantly tan in color with quilted material and printed with brown, yellow, light blue, and light pink flowers. Her and Ash's little newborn daughter was strapped safely inside, fast asleep with her head resting on her right shoulder. Misty watched the baby's chest rise and fall with her gentle breathing, her tiny fingers twitching every now and again as she snoozed away.

"Beautiful little Elizabeth," Misty murmured happily.

"I think she's happy in her new home," Ash smiled.

Misty moaned suddenly, pressing a hand against the side of her stomach which, having only had the baby three days ago, still maintained a bit of a bump.

"Are you okay?" Ash asked worriedly, his lips bending into a frown.

"I'm just so sore…" Misty sighed. "I can barely breathe without this stupid incision hurting."

"I should definitely get you into bed," Ash started making his way up the steps. "Might as well get this whole bed rest thing started now."

"Have I told you how much I hate this?" Misty smiled mockingly at her husband.

"I know, I know," Ash's smile, on the other hand, was sympathetic, "lying around in bed all day isn't exactly your idea of fun. But you _did _just have major surgery, Mist. Besides, it's only one week of strict bed rest. Then you only have to take it easy for another few weeks."

"I can't take care of Elizabeth this way," Misty frowned. "Or Aiden and Michelle, for that matter."

"Of course you can," Ash chuckled lovingly. "I'll make sure of it. For the next week, I'm your personal servant."

Misty sighed happily and rubbed her cheek against Ash's strong chest. She felt so safe and happy with him…he was such an amazing husband, to be so willing to take care of her that way. Reaching the bedroom, he very gently placed Misty down on her side of the bed, stroking her hair for a few moments as he pulled the covers over her body.

"How's that?" Ash asked sweetly.

"Nice," Misty smiled, her cheeks turning slightly pink.

Suddenly, the sound of crying pierced the air, causing Misty to gasp and turn her anxious eyes onto Ash.

"The baby…" Misty murmured painfully.

"I'll go get her!" Ash jumped up, smiling reassuringly at Misty. He hurried out of the room, leaving behind a fairly miserable Misty. _She _wanted to be the one running to get their daughter! Misty felt completely useless just lying in bed.

It didn't take long for Ash to return, holding the upset little newborn in his arms. He was gently bouncing her up and down, making eye contact with Misty the entire time as though she would attack him if he didn't.

"Let me see her," Misty held her arms out, her lip quivering slightly.

Ash knelt down and placed Elizabeth in Misty's arms, watching as the infant continued to wail and squirm in her mother's arms.

"Shh…it's alright," Misty whispered to the baby. "Mama's right here…don't cry, my little sweetheart."

Ash was completely transfixed by the infant. She was only 3 days old, so she was about as small and delicate as she could possibly be. Her eyes were almost always sealed shut; the bright sunlight was typically too much for Elizabeth's still sensitive eyes to handle. Her red hair, dark, thin, and wispy, stuck up in places, the soft little tufts appearing surprisingly neat for such a tiny, squirmy little thing. The baby's cheeks held a constant rose tint, which made her appear healthy and warm.

"Oh, Ash, I think she's cold!" Misty came to realization, holding the baby a little closer to her.

"Huh?" Ash shook himself free of his thoughts. "Sorry, Mist, what was that?"

"Elizabeth, she's cold," Misty rubbed up and down the infant's bare arm to try and warm her up. It was August, so Ash and Misty had brought her home in white cotton footed pajamas with short, ruffled sleeves, edged in pink with three pink satin bows tied down the front. Despite it being the summer months, however, babies had a tendency to be colder than most people, and preferred to be kept warm.

"Oh," Ash frowned, suddenly feeling very badly for his baby. He knew all she was only cold, but he didn't want his little sweetheart to be uncomfortable at all! "What should I do for her? I'll do anything!"

"Ash, it's not a big deal," Misty giggled. "Just get her blanket!"

"Uh…right!" Ash chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. He darted out of the room, leaving behind Misty who continued to tend to the upset baby.

He hurried down the stairs, to the bags he had packed for Misty and Elizabeth while they were in the hospital. Opening up the smaller bag, which contained Elizabeth's things, Ash pulled out the pink receiving blanket that Elizabeth had first been wrapped in after she was born.

Before he could go back up the stairs, Ash felt something attach itself to his legs. Raising an eyebrow, Ash peered down and realized that it was Aiden who had latched onto him.

"What's up, little buddy?" Ash asked, eager to bring the blanket to his wailing newborn daughter.

"Where's Mommy?" Aiden giggled.

"Champ, don't you remember?" Ash frowned. "Mommy has to stay in bed for the next few days. We talked about this yesterday when we were fixing the house up for her."

"Oh, yeah," Aiden sulked.

Feeling badly for his son, Ash smiled sympathetically and asked, "do you want to come see her?"

Aiden perked up at this. "I'm allowed to?"

"Of course you are!" Ash chuckled. "Just because Mommy has to stay in bed doesn't mean we can't be with her!"

Clearly happy to hear this, Aiden followed after his father, his face lighting up as soon as they entered the bedroom and he caught sight of his mother sitting up in the bed.

"Here's Elizabeth's blanket!" Ash smiled, holding up the pink material.

"Thank you, Ashy!" Misty giggled sweetly.

Elizabeth was still crying and wiggling, causing Ash to coo and once again kneel down.

"My poor little pumpkin," Ash kissed the top of her head. "Are you cold, baby? I brought you your blanket!"

"Here, let's wrap up our little cutie pie," Misty smiled, trying to spread out the blanket with one hand while holding the baby in her other arm.

Aiden saw his mother struggling to do both, and instantly wanted to help her. Climbing up onto the bed, Aiden crawled over to his mother and spread the blanket out for her.

"Oh, Aiden!" Misty cooed, beaming at her young son. "Thank you so much, sweetheart! You're such a big help!"

Aiden simply smiled and nodded, happy that he was able to help his mother.

"Here we go, little sprinkle," Misty giggled softly, using her own special endearment for the baby. She placed Elizabeth down in the middle of the blanket, Aiden smiling down at the infant as she continued to squirm and fuss. "Shh…"

Misty folded up the blanket until Elizabeth was wrapped in it. With that done, she picked the baby back up and cuddled her, smiling as the infant quickly calmed down and stopped inching around.

"See?" Misty beamed up at Ash. "I told you she was cold!"

"I believed you," Ash chuckled, looking down at the relaxed baby.

She was even cuter when she wasn't crying. Her eyes were still closed, but her face was no longer scrunched up and red. Her full, pouty lips were set into a very small 'O' shape, and they were moving as if she was sucking on a bottle.

"She's so beautiful," Misty awed.

"She really is," Ash grinned.

Aiden moved closer to his mother, brushing up against her arm as he leaned in to stare at the baby. Misty turned her eyes onto her son and smiled lovingly, moving the baby closer to him.

"Do you love your little sister, Aiden?" Misty asked expectantly.

"Yes!" Aiden nodded rapidly. He leaned forward and gave Elizabeth a kiss, which caused Misty to squeal affectionately. "She's a really pretty baby, Mommy."

Elizabeth finally opened her eyes and let out a tiny squeak, staring right at Aiden. The boy giggled and stroked Elizabeth's hair, Misty watching on contently.

"She loves you, little guy," Misty marveled. "She's only been opening her eyes for you!"

Aiden just continued to smile and run his fingers through the baby's hair. She freed one of her hands from the blanket and reached up, grabbing onto one of Aiden's fingers and holding it tightly.

"Why does she _always _do that, Mommy?" Aiden pouted slightly.

"I told you, sweetie, she knows you're protective of her," Misty beamed. "She feels safe with you, and that's why she always grabs your finger like that!"

"Can I hold her?" Aiden looked up at his mother.

"Sure, she seems to be in a good enough mood," Misty giggled.

"You two have fun hanging out," Ash kissed the top of Misty's head, "I'm gonna' go check on Michelle and see what she's up to."

"Okay, sweetheart," Misty smiled at Ash before he left. Turning back to Aiden, she inquired, "do you remember how to hold the baby?"

"Yeah!" Aiden sounded rather proud of himself as he folded his arms in the way his mother had taught him.

"Good boy!" Misty beamed. She placed Elizabeth in Aiden's arms, watching in amazement as the baby squirmed happily in her brother's hold.

"Hi, Lizzie!" Aiden greeted the baby. "Do you like bein' home?"

Elizabeth pursed her lips and reached a hand up towards the boy's face.

"You make a very good big brother," Misty ran her fingers through Aiden's pitch black mane.

"Thanks!" Aiden's face lit up at the comment. He stopped to think for a moment before putting forward, "Mom, can I ask you somethin'?"

Misty was a little taken back by being called "Mom" instead of "Mommy," but she supposed that was going to become a normal thing with Aiden and Michelle, since they were getting older. With an angelic smile, Misty nodded and replied, "of course, dear!"

"Can I see your scar?"

If Misty had been taken back by Aiden's inquiry before, she was completely _shocked _by this one. What was even worse was the question Misty had to follow up with: "Which scar?"

Admittedly, Misty had more than one scar on her body. Of course, the most recent one was from having Elizabeth, but the other prominent one stemmed from an accident Misty had been involved in as a young girl. Either way, Misty had no idea how Aiden would have any knowledge on _either _scar. He didn't know the specifics of how Elizabeth was born, and he certainly wasn't aware of Misty's childhood mishap.

"The one from havin' the baby," Aiden blinked, thinking the answer was obvious.

"Ai…Aiden…" Misty was quite honestly stunned. "H…how did you know that…that I had a scar from…that?"

"Brock told me," Aiden shrugged.

_Brock! _Misty hissed inwardly. _I'm gonna' kill you!_

She should've known that the twins would've gotten curious, and that Brock would've given in and told them anything after he was sure that she'd be okay.

"You don't want to see that, buddy!" Misty tried to laugh it off.

"Yeah I do!" Aiden beamed.

He knew the scar was from having a baby, of course. But he already planned on telling Sam Oak that his mother had gotten the scar by getting involved in a fierce battle between a school of wild and enraged Gyrados and Sharpedo, with only her Vaporeon to back her up.

Sighing, Misty pulled down the waistband of her shorts, just enough so Aiden could see the bright red, and still very much healing, scar. It spanned several inches on the very lower bottom of her stomach, with dissolving stitches holding it together.

"Whoa, that's awesome!" Aiden looked up at his mother and beamed.

"I think it's a little icky, but I guess that's a boy thing," Misty giggled, putting her shorts back in place.

Elizabeth let out a gurgle, wiggling in Aiden's arms. Misty smiled and held her hand against the top of the baby's head, waiting for her to calm down.

"It's okay, baby Lizzie," Aiden murmured. "You're safe with me!"

Elizabeth calmed down, and Misty's eyes widened. It was as if the child really understood what Aiden was saying to her! Did she?

"I'm so happy that you love her," Misty whispered to Aiden. She hadn't even thought about saying that; it just came right out of her mouth.

"Yeah!" Aiden looked up and nodded excitedly. "I'll always love her, Mommy."

Misty sunk down onto her back, keeping her eyes on Aiden and Elizabeth as she made herself more comfortable. She figured that she had to; she'd be stuck in there for awhile.

"Mommy?" Aiden asked again.

"What is it, sweetheart?" Misty smiled.

"Can I come visit you and Elizabeth every day?"

At this, Misty laughed airily. "Of course, baby! You live here! You can come in my room anytime you want."

"I'm going to take care of you, Lizzie," Aiden rocked the baby. "'Cause I'm your big brother, and that's my job!"

Watching Aiden interact with Elizabeth and listening to his little conversations with and reassurances to her were making Misty's heart soar. This was a little boy who, upon hearing he was going to be a big brother, grew completely irate and wouldn't even acknowledge his parents for an entire month. Now, he was the ideal older brother, holding the baby and treating her like a little princess. Misty couldn't have asked for or even imagined anything better, and watching it was just making everything better.

_Maybe bed rest won't be so bad, _Misty thought with a sweet smile.


	51. Party Pains

**I wanted to publish this yesterday (July 12th) because, in my headcanon, that's when Misty's birthday is. So, yeah, in my world, her birthday was yesterday XD But it's 12:12 AM here, so I'm only 12 minutes late! That's not so bad, right? :P I would've published it earlier if I hadn't been hanging out with people all day and attempting to teach dance and do cartwheels and almost killing myself. Good times.**

**Anyway, enjoy! XD**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Party Pains<strong>

Every year on Misty's birthday, her parents would hold a small party for the young woman at their vacation home in Porta Vista. It wasn't too elaborate; the only invitees were, aside from Misty's parents, her sisters, their husbands and daughters, and Ash's mother. Although Misty's family had a habit of driving her crazy, she did appreciate the party every year, and looked forward to it.

_Especially _this year.

"Oh, I need to lie out in the sun," Misty sighed, leaning her head back against the head rest of the car seat. "It'll be so relaxing."

"Not a good idea, Mist."

The gym leader narrowed her eyes and turned her attention onto Ash, who didn't notice since he had his eyes locked on the road.

"And why not?" Misty haughtily demanded.

"It's hot," Ash replied simply. "I think you should be staying inside."

Misty gave Ash a look of displeasure, even though she knew he couldn't see it. "Would you quit worrying about me? It's getting old!"

"You're less than a month away from giving birth," Ash reasoned with the agitated red head. "I just want you to take it easy."

"Shouldn't that be easy at a _vacation house?_" Misty raised an eyebrow.

"Sure," Ash nodded. "As long as you don't stay out in the sun, go in the ocean, try to help everyone with everything, and run after the kids too much."

Misty grimaced and folded her arms. "You make everything boring."

Chuckling, Ash reached out with one hand and laid it on Misty's perfectly round stomach. "No, I make everything _safe._"

"Which is boring," Misty huffed.

"Yes, it is. But when you're _that _pregnant, safety is important, which means boring is important."

"I hate you," Misty grumbled.

"You don't mean that," Ash smiled.

"I do."

"No you don't."

"Yeah, I do."

"Don't."

"Do!"

"Don't."

"Do!"

"Do-"

"Daddy, are we there yet?"

Ash smirked and raised his eyes to the rearview mirror, where he could see Aiden scowling. "Soon, champ! I promise."

"You said that _forever _ago!" Aiden whined.

"Why is he so impatient?" Ash muttered, finally shifting his eyes onto Misty.

"Because he's a five year old boy," Misty answered easily. "Besides, I remember _you _being just like that when you were, oh, I don't know…_still _being just like that?"

"You're not funny," Ash deadpanned.

"You don't mean that," Misty giggled.

"Turning the tables," Ash sighed. "Well played, beautiful temptress."

"I try," Misty smirked, taking Ash's hand off of her belly and putting it back on the wheel.

**XXX**

"Are we there _now?_"

Misty choked back a laugh when she saw just how red Ash's face was. It was very easy to tell that if he heard that question _one _more time, he was going to absolutely lose it.

"Yes, sweetie," Misty answered for her frustrated husband, looking over her shoulder to smile lovingly at her young son. "The house is right up the road. We'll be there any second!"

"Can I go swimming when we get there?" Aiden asked.

"Of course!" Misty giggled.

"Will you swim with me, Mommy?"

Misty looked sadly at Ash, who didn't respond but looked rather stern. She probably would, just to defy the handsome Master and watch him go absolutely berserk, but she couldn't say it right in front of him.

"We'll see, baby boy," Misty replied innocently.

Just as she had promised her son, they pulled up in front of the lavish white and brown house only a minute or so after he had last asked when they would be arriving. His happy squeals made Misty giggle as she unbuckled her seat belt and stretched her arms out.

"Out, Mommy!" Aiden cried, struggling in an attempt to slip out of his booster seat.

"I'll be there in just a second, little guy," Misty breathed. "I can only move so fast…"

She opened the door and slid off of the seat, groaning as soon as she got on her feet. The car ride wasn't terribly long, but it had been enough to make Misty rather stiff. Rubbing her back, Misty made her way over to the side of the car where Aiden was. Opening the door, she found the boy to be squirming and whining, still trying to fight his way out of the seat.

"Relax, sweetie," Misty leaned in to unbuckle the child, "you'll be out in a minute."

It was hard for her to lean in, however, which caused Misty to become quite frustrated. Aiden was still fussing, and as a result, nearly kicked Misty in the stomach.

"Aiden!" Misty gasped, immediately grabbing her belly for protection. "Please, be careful! You almost hit my tummy."

Aiden's eyes widened, and he looked undeniably guilty. "I'm sorry, Mommy!"

"Don't be, little guy," Misty stroked his hair, "you didn't mean to."

She finally leaned in enough to unbuckle Aiden's seatbelt, freeing the boy from his booster seat. Now able to move liberally, Aiden crawled to the edge of the back seat and gave Misty's pregnant belly a kiss, murmuring, "I'm sorry, baby."

"She's okay, honey," Misty beamed down at her son, finding his action to be completely adorable. "But I'm sure she appreciates the kiss!"

"Baby sister likes kisses!" Aiden laughed, pressing his hands against the sides of his mother's swollen stomach.

"Yes, she does," Misty smiled. "Why don't you hop out of the car now? Do you need Mommy to hold your hand?"

"No, I can do it!" Aiden climbed out of the car and jumped down onto the ground, grinning up at his mother.

"Good job!" Misty held her hand down close to Aiden. "High five!"

The boy giggled and jumped up, hitting his palm against his mother's. Normally, Misty would've lifted Aiden out of the car herself, but being 8 months pregnant and discouraged from lifting anything heavier than Pikachu, she couldn't do that. Fortunately for her, Aiden was an adventurous, fearless little boy, and in the past few months had learned to jump out of the car on his own to save his mother the trouble.

"Don't go anywhere, sweetie," Misty held the boy's hand, "come with me, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy!" Aiden chirped.

Misty waddled her way over to the other side of the car, Aiden jumping at her side with his hand still in hers. She wondered what was taking Ash so long to get Michelle out of the car, but understood when Ash pulled himself out of the car with a sleeping Michelle in one arm and a slumbering Pikachu in the other.

"Aw, she fell asleep?" Misty cooed.

"They both did," Ash motioned towards Pikachu. "He was sleeping on Michelle's lap."

"Let's get them inside," Misty decided. "We can put Michelle down on a bed where it'll be more comfortable for her to sleep."

Ash agreed and walked ahead of Misty, not being able to move as slowly as his heavily pregnant wife. He reached the door first and rang the bell, listening to the melodic chime as he covered Michelle's ear, fearing that the sound would wake her up.

Fortunately, his mother in law opened the door rather quickly, and beamed at the sight of her son in law holding her granddaughter in his arms.

"Hello there, Ash!" Lynne greeted. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Ash smiled.

"And just look at my little grandbaby," Lynne cooed. "The poor thing must be exhausted!"

"She fell asleep in the car," Ash chuckled. "She always did get sleepy on car rides!"

"Here, I'll take her," Lynne held her arms out, "I'll put her down in the downstairs guest bedroom."

Ash handed his daughter off to her grandmother, who bustled lovingly and gave the child a kiss on her head.

"Lynne, would you mind taking this too?" Ash held a tote bag out towards his mother in law. "You could just put it in the room with Michelle."

"Of course, dear!" Lynne took the bag and marched out of sight towards the guest bedroom.

Smiling, the Pokémon Master turned around to look out for his wife. He chuckled softly, bringing a very angry expression to Misty's face.

"What in Arceus' name are you laughing at?" Misty snarled.

"I love the way you walk," Ash chuckled. "It's so cute!"

"If I wasn't pregnant, I'd beat you up," Misty sounded quite serious about this threat.

Aiden let go of Misty's hand and charged up the front steps of the vacation house so he was standing right next to his father. Misty groaned and held onto the railing as she made her way up the steps.

"Mommy, need help?" Aiden frowned.

"N-no, honey," Misty smiled sweetly at her son, "I'm going to be just fine…really…"

Aiden wasn't convinced, and neither was Ash, although the older male was more vocal about his concerns. "Mist, seriously, do you need me to help you?"

"No, I can do this on my own!" Misty insisted. "It's just climbing some stairs…"

When she reached the top, however, Misty was completely out of breath. She tried refilling her lungs, but just standing was making her tired at this point. She nearly fell over, but Ash grabbed her and held her up, one arm wrapped around her back and the other around her belly.

"Are you okay?" Ash gasped, his eyes wide in fear.

"I…need to sit down," Misty finally admitted, her cheeks slightly red.

Lynne returned at just that moment, causing Misty to curse under her breath. She didn't want everyone worrying about her; she was pretty sick of it at this point. Misty wasn't the kind of girl who liked to be fawned over. She preferred to be left alone and independent.

"Misty, dear, what's wrong?" Lynne gasped.

"It's nothing, Mom," Misty shook her head, "I'm just really tired. It's not easy having all of this extra weight on."

"Here, let's sit down on the couch," Lynne ushered her daughter inside. "You'll put your feet up and relax. You really do too much for a pregnant woman, sweetheart."

"What?" Misty furrowed her brow. "No I don't!"

"Oh, yes you do," Lynne sat Misty down on the couch and propped her legs up. "When I was pregnant with you and your sisters, I didn't _once _think of battling in the gym. Are you even on maternity leave yet?"

"Yes, Mom," Misty sighed. "I went on leave last week."

"Still too late," Lynne's shoulders fell. "You're going to rest today, darling." She leaned down and kissed Misty on her head. "My sweet birthday girl."

At this, Misty blushed but smiled appreciatively at her mother.

"Grandma!" Aiden called, wanting some attention from his grandmother.

Lynne looked down at Aiden and gasped before grinning at the boy, "oh, little Aiden! Did you think that I forgot about you? Of course not! How could I forget about my sweet, one and only little grandson!" Kneeling down, she held her arms out and called, "come give me a hug, darling!"

Aiden laughed and ran towards Lynne, giving her a hug and rubbing his cheek against her shoulder. Both Ash and Misty were surprised by this, seeing as Aiden typically wasn't big on hugging and snuggling. It was when Lynne gave him a kiss on the cheek, however, that Aiden reacted negatively and rubbed furiously at his skin, throwing in a "blegh! Gross!" for good measure.

"That's my little boy," Ash chuckled, ruffling the boy's hair.

"Still don't like kisses, huh, Aiden?" Lynne cooed.

"No," Aiden shook his head. Pointing at his shorts, he asked, "Do you like my swimmy shorts, Grandma?"

Lynne observed the green swim trunks that were printed with white stars and featured a pocket on the side, adorned with a yellow tab and fastener button.

"Yes, they're very cute!" Lynne commented.

"Mommy said I could wear 'em now so I could go swimming right away!" Aiden grinned. "Can I go swimming, Grandma?"

"I'm perfectly fine with it," Lynne nodded. "But I think you should make sure it's okay with your Mommy and Daddy first."

Aiden looked between his father and mother. "Can I?"

"It's alright with me," Ash looked towards Misty, who, in his mind, always had the final say when it came to what the children did.

"Of course you can go swimming, little guy," Misty smiled at her son.

"You'll have fun in the pool!" Lynne chirped. "Dakota, Vanessa, and Lola are already in there, and I'm sure they would love to play with you!"

"Okay," Aiden beamed.

"Here, little buddy," Ash kneeled down and pulled Aiden close. "Give me your shirt and your shoes. Then you can go." Ash gently pulled off the boy's dark blue t-shirt printed with a stylized poke ball and gray and blue sandals. Once they were off, Aiden laughed happily, causing Ash to smirk and ruffle his hair.

"Come with me, little buddy!" Lynne trilled. Aiden nodded and hurried after her, eager to get in the pool and start playing.

Ash sighed, standing up to his full height and eyeing Misty in an adoring fashion.

"What?" Misty quipped, still sounding a little exacerbated.

"Come on, baby," Ash cooed, "You can't possibly still be mad at me for commenting on the way you walk."

"Yes I can," Misty huffed.

Ash sat down on the couch next to Misty, snuggling up against her. He rested his head on her shoulder and rubbed his hand against her belly, fluttering his eyelashes at the pretty gym leader as he put on his most adorable pout.

Misty tried to ignore it, but she really couldn't. Not with the face that Ash was pulling. And she knew that was _exactly_ whyhe had pulled it.

"Fine, I forgive you," Misty murmured.

"Yes!" Ash leaned his head up to kiss Misty on the cheek. "Thank you, beautiful!"

"Enough of the sucking up," Misty bit.

Ash lowered his lips to Misty's ear, kissing it and very gently biting her cartilage. Misty, alarmed by the action, nearly jumped off the couch, but Ash was holding her down by her stomach. He moved his mouth down, instead nibbling on her ear lobe and hugging her closer.

"What are you doing?" Misty moaned breathlessly.

"You said enough of the sucking up," Ash whispered in her ear, causing Misty's heart to flutter. "So I decided to bite you instead."

Misty rolled her eyes. Ash was so lame. But she _did _love him…sighing, Misty just cuddled closer into Ash so he could wrap his entire arm around her belly. She felt him smile against her ear, taking his left hand and rubbing it against the underside of her stomach.

"I love you…" Misty muttered, her eyes beginning to close as Ash continued to chew at her ear.

"Wow, you two are already working on baby number four? The third one hasn't even popped out yet!"

Ash and Misty separated very quickly, a bright red blush taking over both of their faces. They both looked up into the nearby kitchen, where Violet, the source of the teasing, was now standing, pouring some wine into a glass.

"And you're teasing _me?_" Misty rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time that day. "It's like…one in the afternoon and you're drinking!"

"It's just wine," Violet waved a haphazard hand at her youngest sister. "And I wouldn't tease you and Ash if you two would just get a room."

"That wasn't even that bad!" Misty narrowed her eyes now. "What are you? Five?"

Before Violet could respond, Daisy came skirting back into the house, her eyes widening at the sight of Ash and Misty on the couch.

"Hi, baby sister!" Daisy greeted warmly, running over to Misty and bending down to give her a hug. Misty obliged, returning her oldest sister's embrace. Standing up, Daisy ran her eyes over Misty's figure and murmured, "Although you're more baby than sister."

"DAISY!" Misty snapped, fuming at the blonde's comment.

"I'm sorry, Misty!" Daisy genuinely apologized. "I'm just…surprised. You weren't this big the last time I saw you! You look like you're about to burst."

"You guys are seriously making this one _awesome _birthday," Misty drawled sarcastically.

"I'm sorry," Daisy apologized once again, this time with an endearing smile. Kneeling down, she began to rub Misty's stomach and continued, "Besides, you know I don't mean any insult. Really, I'm just surprised by how big my little _niece _got. Not you!"

"Nice save," Ash nodded.

Misty whacked Ash over the head, causing him to whine and cringe as he pressed a hand over the sore spot.

"Let's not talk about that anymore," Daisy tried to save whatever shred of credibility she had left with her youngest sister by changing the subject. "Your dress is so cute!"

Misty looked down at her olive green dress, covered by a white floral print and a rounded, layered ruffle neckline, with an empire waist and ending just above her knees.

"I think she looks so pretty in it," Ash agreed, rubbing his cheek against her shoulder.

"Oh, no, you've already pushed your luck over the edge," Misty shoved Ash off of her before sitting up and getting onto her feet, sighing tiredly once she was up.

"I was being serious," Ash blinked. "And where are you going?"

"The bathroom," Misty lied right through her teeth.

She shuffled out of the living room and into the nearest guest room, where Michelle was curled up on the bed, still sleeping. Misty smiled at her daughter's slumbering figure, making her way over to the child and slowly lowering herself down so she was sitting on the side of the bed.

"My sweet little girl," Misty whispered, gently stroking the girl's bright red locks. "Sometimes, I just _love _being pregnant, and then its times like these where I absolutely _hate _it. Right about now, the only positive side of it is that I get another beautiful girl, just like you."

Michelle moaned quietly and her eyelids fluttered open, her bright emerald eyes raising to look at her mother.

"Mommy?" Michelle murmured.

Misty giggled and moved her hand down lower, rubbing the young girl's cheek. "Well, hello there, darling! Did you have a nice nap?"

Michelle nodded, sitting up and stretching her arms up. She was wearing a white, terry cover up dress, the hood of which had gotten bunched up during her nap. Reaching her hand back, Misty fixed the hood and straightened out the ruffled cap sleeves so the girl didn't look as mused.

"I wanna' go swimming, Mommy," Michelle rubbed her eyes, trying to get the remaining sleep out of them.

"Mommy does too," Misty smirked. "How about we go get changed into our bathing suits?"

"Mine is under my dress, Mommy!" Michelle giggled.

"Yes, it is!" Misty laughed along with the girl. "But you still need to take your cover up off. And I have to get changed into _my _bathing suit!"

"We can go together," Michelle held her hands out for her mother.

"Yes, baby," Misty hugged the girl and kissed the top of her head. "Come along, now."

She stood up shakily, while Michelle jumped off the bed with complete ease. Misty would be lying if she said she wasn't jealous of the spritely little five year old standing next to her. Reaching down, she grabbed the child's hand, picked up the tote bag that was resting in the corner, and led her out of the room, down the hallway in order to cautiously peak out into the living room. Ash was busy talking to Daisy and Violet, and surely wouldn't notice Misty and their daughter sneaking out of the front door.

"Where are we goin', Mommy?" Michelle squeaked.

"Shh!" Misty looked over her shoulder and held a finger against her lips. "We have to be super quiet, Shelly."

"Why?" Michelle whispered.

"Because Daddy can't see us going outside," Misty smirked. With a wink, she added, "it's our little secret!"

"Okay!" Michelle beamed. She liked the idea of sharing a secret with only her Mommy.

Her face glowing, Misty scurried as quickly as she could to the front door, Michelle holding onto her hand the entire time. They successfully made it out the front door without Ash or either of Misty's sisters noticing.

Walking around the front of the house, they made it to the back, where Misty took Michelle into the shower cabana that sat several yards away from the spacious pool where Aiden and his three cousins were splashing around, Lynne and Lily watching on.

Inside the spacious bathhouse, Misty put the tote bag down on the long wooden bench and turned her attention onto the five year old standing in front of her.

"Okay, first we'll take off your cover up," Misty smiled at her daughter. She tried bending over to unzip the terry dress, but was quick to realize that it wouldn't work. At all. She couldn't even _begin _to bend over, not with the stomach that she had. "Okay, new plan…" Misty laughed nervously. She next tried kneeling down, but that proved to be just as unsuccessful as bending over. Standing up, Misty groaned and pressed both hands against the sides of her belly, scowling down at the bump, "okay, you need to come out soon, little girl. Mommy is a _little _bit sick of being as big as a Wailord."

"Mommy!"

Misty looked up, blinking her green eyes as she caught sight of Michelle standing atop the wooden bench.

"Michelle, how did you get up there?" Misty inquired.

"I climbed!" Michelle grinned. "Now you don't hafta' get stuck!"

Misty laughed at this. "Thank you, Michelle! You're so sweet." She only had to bend _very _slightly, which was just possible for her to do. Although her bulging belly still got in the way, Misty managed to zip down Michelle's cover up and pull it off, revealing the girl's swimsuit; a halter strapped, light blue one piece printed with very tiny, sparkling, darker blue diamonds.

"My bathing suit is pretty!" Michelle looked down, holding her hands against the material.

"I knew you would love it," Misty kissed the girl's forehead. "I saw it in the store and thought it was just _perfect_ for my little baby girl!"

"I'm not the baby girl anymore," Michelle quipped as Misty walked back towards the tote bag. "Baby sister is!"

"Hmm…I suppose you have a point there!" Misty giggled, lifting up the tote bag to pull her bathing suit out of the bag. "But you know that Daddy and I might still call you baby girl. _Especially _Daddy!"

Something seemed to connect in Michelle's brain, however, as she raised an eyebrow and cautiously eyed her mother. "Mommy?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Isn't Daddy going to be mad at you for goin' swimming without askin' him first?"

"Probably," Misty sighed, a small smile etching its way onto her face. "But Daddy has to realize that I can do whatever I want. He's not in charge of me."

"What if he yells at you?" Michelle asked quietly.

At this, Misty laughed. "Oh, sweetie, have you _ever_ heard Daddy yell at me?"

"No," Michelle answered quickly.

"Right," Misty pulled the straps of her swimsuit over her shoulders. "So he won't yell at me now!"

Michelle had to agree that was true. There was no one her father was sweeter to than her mother, except for perhaps her and Aiden. But even he could get upset with them if they misbehaved. For whatever reason, her Daddy never seemed to get upset with her Mommy.

"Okay, let's go to the pool!" Misty beamed at her daughter. Michelle nodded happily and jumped off the bench, running to the door of the cabana and pushing it open. Squealing, she skipped out into the sunlight, with Misty following slowly behind.

Michelle's giggles quickly caught the attention of Lily and Lynne, who were still lounging around the side of the pool.

"Well, look who it is!" Lynne beamed. "You're up from your nap, huh little darling?"

"Yeah!" Michelle pointed at the pool, where Aiden was busy splashing his older female cousins as they whined for him to cut it out, save for Lola, who was splashing right along with him. "I want to go swimming now!"

"Go right ahead," Lynne laughed airily. "They're having a lot of fun in there!"

As Michelle made her way towards the stairs that led into the pool, Misty's presence became known by her mother and sister, who both looked a little shocked by the fact that the gym leader was in a bathing suit.

"Misty, I told you to rest," Lynne was using her best "stern mother" voice.

"I got bored of resting," Misty shrugged. "I'm fine, Mom."

Lily raised her white sunglasses and rested them atop her head. "Oh, happy birthday, Misty!"

"Thank you," Misty smiled after a moment, taking her a minute to process the fact that her third oldest sister was actually being nicest to her for a change.

Smirking, Lily added, "Although I _am _surprised that you chose to even get into a bathing suit! Good for you."

Misty glowered at the pink haired woman, resting a hand on her stomach. She knew Lily's "kindness" was too good to be true. "Oh, please, it's not like I'm out here in a bikini!"

Lily eyed Misty's floral printed one piece, nodding as she added, "that's true. I give you credit, sis. When I was pregnant, you wouldn't have caught me _dead _in a swim suit!"

Misty kept her glare focused on the three years older woman, lounging on her pool chair and wearing a blue and white stripe dyed bikini. It barely covered her, and you could see just how toned and well built Lily was. It really wasn't fair, Misty decided.

"Lily, be nice to your sister," Lynne finally broke in.

"I'm going in the pool," Misty scoffed. She sat on the edge and slid in, not even bothering to use the ladder or stairs. Sighing, Misty leaned back and submerged her hair in the water, floating on her back as the sun beat down on her. As Misty floated, the baby in her stomach began to squirm and kick, causing Misty to giggle.

"What are you laughing about, dear?" Lynne blinked.

Misty sat back up, her hands finding their way to her belly. "The baby finally woke up! She's been sleeping ever since we left Cerulean. I was beginning to get worried."

"She was just sleepy is all," Lynne giggled.

"She can tell when I'm in the water," Misty lowered herself so the water came up above her shoulders. "And then she gets very excited. I'm happy to know she already seems to enjoy swimming!"

The back door slid open, a laughing Violet and Daisy slipping outside. As soon as they saw Misty floating in the pool, their giggling stopped as their eyes widened in shock.

"What?" Misty blinked.

"Misty…Ash is going to _kill _you," Violet reasoned.

"Why does everyone think that?" Misty sighed. "I know Ash. There's not a chance he even _yells_ at me!"

"What am I gonna' yell at you for?"

Misty raised her eyes, finding Ash to be wandering outside, his arms full of brightly wrapped boxes that were stacked so high they blocked his face, and therefore his vision. Huffing, Misty sucked in as much breath as she possibly could and sunk underneath the water.

"Thanks for bringing Misty's presents outside, Ash!" Daisy giggled, taking some of the boxes from the Pokémon Master.

"No problem," Ash sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"This is exactly why we need strong men around here," Violet giggled.

"Tracey, William, and Dorian are hardly strong," Lily commented from her longue chair.

"You certainly _are _on a tear today, aren't you, dear?" Lynne sighed.

Misty popped back up from underneath the water, pushing her bright red hair out of her face. This did not go unnoticed by Ash, whoever, and saying he was less than pleased to see his wife in the pool was an understatement.

"Misty, what the-"

"Uh uh!" Misty cut her husband off, motioning her head towards the children playing behind her.

"You told me you were going to the bathroom!" Ash's eyes looked like they were on fire.

"I lied…" Misty practically whispered, trying her best not to laugh. She knew Ash didn't find it funny, but she kind of did. She liked pushing his buttons.

"Misty, it isn't funny!" Ash barked, able to tell that his wife was holding back a fit of giggles. "Why can't you just listen to me?"

"Because you're lame," Misty rolled her eyes.

"You sound like a bratty teenage girl," Ash complained.

"But I'm not," Misty continued to play dumb with her clearly frustrated husband. "As of today, I'm 27!"

"Get out of the pool," Ash ordered as gently as he possibly could with his patience coming down to the wire.

Misty simply shook her head in defiance.

"Misty…" Ash's face grew a little more red, "out."

"No," Misty vocalized it this time, her tone calm and level.

"Don't make me take you out of the pool myself," Ash sighed tiredly.

"I dare you," Misty smirked, sinking under the water once again.

Growling, Ash marched over to the edge of the pool and kneeled down, waiting for Misty to come up above the surface again. As she emerged, Ash held his hand out to grab onto her. Unfortunately for him, however, Misty had a quicker reaction time than he did. Giggling like a little girl, she grabbed Ash's hand and yanked him by his arm, causing the Pokémon Master to yelp as he went tumbling into the water.

This created a very noticeable splash, which distracted the five children in the pool from their playing. They all looked over towards Misty, who was laughing hysterically as Ash came up from underneath the water, his drenched hair covering his eyes and his t-shirt soaked to the point where it was clinging to the muscles on his torso.

"That was _so _funny!" Misty continued to giggle behind her hand.

"Daddy, you're supposed to take your shirt off before you go in the pool," Aiden commented.

"Thanks, buddy," Ash sighed, burying his face in his hands.

"Come on, you know you want to laugh," Misty teased her still aggravated husband.

"No, I don't," he muttered from behind his palms.

"Well, look at it this way," Misty beamed, pulling his hands away from his face and instead pressing them against her stomach, causing him to smile when he felt the baby girl moving underneath, "you were a pain in the neck to _me _before, so now it was my turn to be a pain in _your _neck!"

"Turning the tables," Ash sighed, the smirk remaining on his face as he watched Misty's expression grow brighter by the second. "Well played, beautiful temptress. Well played."

* * *

><p><strong>Teehee, see how Ash used the same line he used in the beginning? Misty really is his beautiful temptress ;)<strong>

**And if you're wondering where Tracey, William, Dorian, and Michael were, they were out getting food for the party. They didn't ditch Misty. I just couldn't find a good spot to fit that into the story. So, there you go. It's like a little backstage secret or something XD**


	52. Sprinkle

**Remember a few one shots ago, when Misty called Elizabeth "sprinkle"? Well, that's her special nickname for the little girl, and this chapter will explain how that nickname came about ^^**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 years old**

**Misty is 3 months pregnant with Elizabeth**

* * *

><p><strong>Sprinkle<strong>

"Aw, our baby is so cute."

"What are you lookin' at, Mist?"

Misty looked up to find Ash peering over her shoulder, a delicate and curious smile set on his handsome face.

"The picture of our new baby from the ultrasound today," Misty held the black and white print up towards her husband. "Isn't it adorable?"

"Of course it is," Ash leaned down so his head was resting on Misty's shoulders and his arms wrapped around her only slightly bloated belly. "Our babies are always adorable!"

"And it's _so _tiny!" Misty giggled, taking another look at the picture. "Such an itty bitty little thing."

"Mommy!"

Misty turned her eyes down, finding Aiden and Michelle running up to her with excited sparkles in their young eyes.

"What is it, you two?" Misty smiled sweetly at her children.

"We wanna' make cupcakes!" Aiden beamed.

"Cupcakes?" Misty asked.

"Please, Mommy?" Michelle was making the cutest face she possibly could. "It'll be fun!"

"Sure," Misty agreed to it, the children getting excited and running around the kitchen as she giggled.

Misty knew she should be taking things easy, but making cupcakes really wasn't all that strenuous. Besides, bringing a new baby into the family was going to be a big change, especially for Aiden and Michelle. She wanted to make sure that the twins knew they were still going to be loved and treated just the same they were now. Misty didn't have any younger siblings, but she did have three older sisters, and she had long heard the stories about how jealous and upset they'd been when they learned she was going to be born. As a result, Misty was going to go out of her way to make sure Aiden and Michelle never felt that way.

Standing up, Misty walked over to the cabinets and opened them up, pulling out the cupcake pans.

"Okay, you two," Ash asked the twins, laughing softly as they jumped up and down next to his legs, "what flavor cupcakes should we make?"

Misty smiled to herself. She was so happy that Ash agreed with her belief in making the children feel the same as they always had. He hadn't had any siblings at all, but Ash felt exactly the same as Misty when it came to making sure the children were well adjusted to a new sibling. He had assured her he was going to help in any way possible, and so far he had made good on his promise.

"Chocolate!" Aiden suggested brightly.

"What do you say, Michelle?" Ash looked down at his daughter.

"I like vanilla," Michelle answered softly.

Shrugging, Ash pulled out two boxes of cupcake mix and decided, "Alright, we'll just make both!"

The children cheered and hugged Ash's legs, clearly loving the idea he had come up with. Sighing, Misty looked over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow at her husband, which did not go unnoticed by the Pokémon Master.

"What did I do?" He innocently asked.

"Really?" Misty sighed. "_Two _different kinds of cupcakes?"

"How hard can it be?" Ash scoffed, walking over to Misty and putting the boxes down on the counter top.

"Well, you wouldn't know, since you can't cook anything," Misty placed a hand on her hip as she leaned the rest of her body against the kitchen counter.

"Oh, yeah, okay," Ash rolled his eyes. "_That's _why."

"Don't get sarcastic with me," Misty gave Ash a small slap on his bicep, which, not surprisingly, didn't hurt the man due to his strong muscles, "you can barely use the microwave."

Grinning mischievously, Ash groaned and complained, "You know, you try to make popcorn _once _and the microwave gets a _little _overheated, and your wife won't let you forget it."

"A little overheated?" Misty's jaw practically dropped. "Try _burst into flames._"

"_Small _flames," Ash muttered sheepishly.

"Yeah, whatever you say, sweetie," Misty gently pinched Ash's cheek, cooing to him in a way that she had done to their children when they were babies. Giggling, her voice returned to normal as she drawled sweetly, "why don't you just stick to _decorating _the cupcakes with Aiden and Michelle? That's much more at your skill level."

Growling, Ash grabbed Misty's wrist and pulled her hand away from his face, biting back, "I'm not a baby!"

"No, but you lack the ability to _cook,_" Misty sighed. "And now that you've gotten the twins all excited about having chocolate _and _vanilla cupcakes, that's just more work for me."

"I'm going to help," Ash separated the pans. "It can't be that hard!"

Groaning, Misty turned around and pressed both of her palms against the counter, quietly begging, "Please don't help me…"

"Uh, uh, uh," Ash clicked his tongue, lifting Misty's head with his fingers. "I'm going to help. I should learn after all, right? You're not going to be able to run around the house too much over the next few months. I want to become much more sufficient!"

Misty's static expression was soon replaced by one of displeasure, her eyes narrowing as she prompted, "Are you insinuating that I'm going to get too fat to move around?"

"No," Ash replied quickly, kissing Misty on the lips before turning back to the baking materials before them. "So…what do we do first?"

Misty rolled her eyes, but knew there would be no way to get Ash away from the ingredients. Once Ash put his mind to something, he wouldn't stop until he'd succeeded…or at least tried. "First you have to pour the cake mix into a bowl. Since we're making two different flavors of cupcakes, you have to use two separate bowls."

"No problem," Ash's eyes sparkled. Looking down at Aiden and Michelle, Ash smiled as he gently inquired, "Would you two like to get me the bowls?"

"Sure!" Aiden and Michelle both opened the cabinet doors, searching through the various pots and pans until they found two mixing bowls to hand off to their father.

"Wow, thanks you guys!" Ash beamed. "Great job." Placing the bowls on the counter, Ash grinned at his wife and prompted, "now what?"

"You pour the mix into the bowls, vanilla in one and chocolate in the other," Misty instructed. "I'll get the other ingredients. Don't touch anything else until I come back."

Twisting his mouth, Ash bent down and gathered Aiden and Michelle into his arms, sitting them on top of the counter.

"You guys are gonna' help make the cupcakes," Ash opened the boxes and handed one to each of the children: chocolate for Aiden, and vanilla for Michelle. "You each have to pour the powder into a bowl."

The children did just that, Misty smiling at them as she returned with the other necessary ingredients for the cupcakes. "Wow, you two are so helpful!" Misty giggled, putting down the eggs and water.

"I wanna' crack the eggs, Mommy!" Aiden cried, holding his hands out.

"You have to be very, very careful when you do that," Misty warned. "You can't get any eggshells in the bowl, because then the cupcakes will be crunchy. That's icky!"

"I'll be careful," Aiden's eyes widened.

"How about Mommy _helps _you crack the eggs?" Misty asked, holding a hand against the middle of her stomach. Ash took notice of this and raised an eyebrow, but didn't question it.

"Okay," Aiden sighed, not seeming thrilled with the idea.

Misty's smile faltered for a second as she rubbed her hand across her very tiny bump, but it was quick to return, albeit not as strong as before. Picking up one of the eggs, she walked over to where Aiden was and handed the egg to him, which he held carefully between his fingers.

"Good," Misty nodded. She took the boy's wrists and moved his hands towards the bowl, very gently tapping the egg against the rim of the bowl. "This is how you want to crack it, okay? We don't want to hit it too hard, because then the egg will go everywhere and make a big mess."

"I like messes," Aiden giggled, looking up at his mother.

"Oh, I know you do," Misty smirked. "But Mommy doesn't, and she's _definitely _not in the mood to be cleaning one up."

Guiding Aiden's hands, Misty helped the young boy to tenderly crack the egg open, which excited him greatly.

"I did it, Mommy!" Aiden cheered, looking up at Misty with bright eyes and a wide smile.

"You sure did, sweetheart," Misty let go of Aiden's wrists and pressed both hands against her belly. She began to look a little flushed, and it was finally enough to evoke a question from Ash.

"Mist, you doing okay?" Ash blinked.

"Yeah, I'll be just…" Misty trailed off and took a breath in, confusing Ash even further. "You know what; can you just watch the kids for a second?"

Before Ash could respond, Misty walked swiftly away, just a pace or two below running.

"…sure," Ash squeaked lamely.

Aiden and Michelle looked up at Ash, a cross between confusion and concern plastered on their young faces.

"Where did Mommy go, Daddy?" Michelle inquired.

"I think the baby is making her tummy hurt again," Ash smiled sympathetically at the young girl. "Mommy will be back in a few minutes, I'm sure."

"How come the baby hurts her tummy?" Michelle frowned. "Does the baby hate her?"

"No, of course not," Ash chuckled, stroking his daughter's locks. "It's not her fault; she's growing in there! And sometimes, that just makes Mommy's tummy hurt."

"Does Mommy get mad at the baby for doing that?" Michelle really seemed to get the idea that there was resentment involved with morning sickness.

"Mommy could never be mad at the baby," Ash smirked. "Just like you and Aiden! She doesn't like getting sick, of course, but she knows that it's not the baby's choice for her to be getting sick."

Michelle nodded, smiling at Ash. She was happy to know that her Mommy wasn't going to come back in a bad mood, or be mad at the baby. Michelle loved her little brother or sister, and she didn't want anyone to be mad at it.

Ash turned his eyes back onto Aiden, and nearly fell on the floor when he saw what the young boy was doing.

"Aiden!" Ash cried, grabbing his son's arm as a reflex. "What are you doing?"

The five year old looked up at Ash, seemingly unaffected by the question. "I'm crackin' the rest of the eggs!"

Ash's heart shot up into his throat. Peering into the bowl, all of Ash's fears became reality when he saw the tiny pieces of white shell scattered on top of the cupcake mix.

"Aiden…" Ash held his head in his hands, "you should've waited for Mommy!"

"I did good, Daddy," Aiden frowned. "I cracked three eggs, like Mommy said!"

"Yeah, but you got pieces of shell in the bowl," Ash sighed.

As if things couldn't get any worse for Ash, the sound of footsteps caused him even more panic than when he'd realized that Aiden had been cracking the eggs on his own. Running over to the sink, Ash began to wash his hands as quickly as possible, drying them off and running back over to the counter. As soon as he reached into the bowl to begin the task of removing the eggshell fragments, however, Misty stepped into the room, the color returned to her face that was now displaying a fairly aggravated expression.

"Ash, what in Arceus' name are you doing?" Misty shook her head.

"I…uh…I…" Ash stammered. He didn't know how to respond. Misty hated lying, but at the same time, the truth would get him cracked just like the eggs his son had decimated.

Growing frustrated, Misty stomped forward and peeked into the bowl, where Ash's fingers were just floating above the now dampened mix. Catching sight of the tiny white pieces, Misty cocked an eyebrow and raised her head to stare at Ash, a look of pure aggravation set in her deep emerald eyes.

"Really?" Misty deadpanned.

"I didn't do it," Ash defended himself. "Aiden did it."

"Hey!" Aiden cried.

"Oh, very nice Ash, tattle on your five year old son," Misty's voice was dripping with sarcasm. "Great example of being a role model!"

"But I…I…oh, never mind," Ash slapped his hand over his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Mommy," Aiden apologized, a definitive frown set on his cute face.

"Oh, it's alright, sweetheart," Misty hugged the boy against her. "Mommy will just pick the pieces of shell out…"

As Misty went to work on removing the fragments of eggshell, Ash leaned over and whispered into her ear, "Are you alright?"

Misty rolled her eyes and turned her attention onto Ash, hissing, "What do _you _think?"

"Was it morning sickness?" Ash continued just as softly.

Misty didn't respond for a few seconds, until she finally caved in and gave a small nod to confirm Ash's inquiry.

"Poor angel," Ash rubbed Misty's back.

_This is why it's so hard to stay mad at him, _Misty thought begrudgingly. She wanted so badly to ignore Ash and be completely and undeniably furious at him. But she couldn't. He was far too sweet and loving…that had always been the problem. Misty may have gotten mad at him frequently, but what people didn't understand was that this anger never lasted for long. It couldn't. Not when the object of your annoyance was someone as wonderful as Ash.

It had always been this way, and it would _continue _to be this way.

Sighing, Misty wrapped her left arm around Ash's waist and pulled him in closer to her, so they were side by side. Smiling to himself, Ash kissed the top of Misty's head and reached his hand around to rub her growing belly. With his other hand, Ash reached into the bowl, leading Misty to turn her eyes up to the Pokémon Master once again.

"What are you doing?" Misty asked slowly.

Ash grinned into Misty's fiery red hair, all but melting the gym leader's heart. "I'm helping you," Ash answered simply. "I'm becoming sufficient."

**XXX**

It took much longer than Misty would have liked, but at long last, the cupcakes had been finished. All of the ingredients had been mixed, poured into the pans, and baked. While they cooked, Misty took the opportunity to lie down across Ash's lap and allow him to rub and caress her tiny baby bump. While Ash did this, he watched Aiden and Michelle play on the floor, laughing and having fun with one another. Having twins, in Ash's mind at least, had always been a blessing. It gave the children an automatic playmate, so they were never lonely. And even though they fought sometimes, Ash just loved it when they got along and played together. It was too cute for words.

"I like being a Dad," Ash softly informed his wife.

Misty rolled her eyes up to look and smile at Ash. "I know you do."

"Thank you for giving me our babies," Ash continued.

"You're welcome," Misty's smile grew wider at this.

The timer for the oven sounded, alerting the young family that their cupcakes were done baking. Overcome with excitement, Aiden and Michelle both jumped up and ran into the kitchen, their happy squeals easily being heard from the family room.

"Don't you two go and open that oven door!" Misty warned, sitting up and getting to her feet in order to make her way to the kitchen. "I don't need to be tending to any burns today."

At this, Ash chuckled and followed behind his wife, eager to see how their treats had turned out. He watched as Misty gently shooed the twins away from the hot appliance, assuring them that they'd be able to see the cupcakes once she got them out of the oven. Once the pans were safely removed, Misty left them on the kitchen table to cool, laughing to herself as she watched the twins scramble onto the chairs in order to get a glimpse at their freshly baked indulgences.

"They look so tasty, Mommy!" Michelle squealed.

"Can we decorate 'em now?" Aiden was jumping up and down on the chair.

"Not yet, they're still very hot," Misty shook her head. "But we can start to pick out what you want to decorate them with! What do you guys think would taste good on the cupcakes?"

"Frosting!" Michelle called.

"That one is pretty obvious," Ash agreed. "We have some in the fridge. I'll go get it."

"What about sprinkles?" Aiden asked.

"I like sprinkles on cupcakes," Misty nodded. "I think that would be perfect! We should have some…"

Misty walked over to the higher cabinets, opening the door and scouring through the various containers that had been stored within the cupboard. Beaming, Misty found the plastic bottle filled with colorful sprinkles, taking it into her hands and bringing it over to the table.

"Here are the sprinkles!" Misty announced, smiling as the twins got excited and began to pick out their favorite colors in the candy: red for Aiden, and light blue for Michelle.

"Wow, look at all the frosting we have!" Ash laughed, placing three containers down on the table. "There's chocolate, vanilla, _and _strawberry! And you two can decorate them however you want!"

"You and Mommy have to help, Daddy," Michelle smiled at the raven haired man.

"Huh?" Ash was surprised by this. "Us?" He pointed between Misty and himself.

"Uh huh!" Michelle nodded.

"We can't decorate all these cupcakes by ourselves!" Aiden laughed at the idea.

Once Misty deemed the cupcakes cool enough to touch, Aiden took over the pan of chocolate cupcakes, while Michelle commandeered the pan of vanilla.

"What kind of cupcake do you want, Mommy?" Michelle asked.

"Well…I like chocolate cupcakes the best," Misty smiled.

Aiden took one of the cupcakes out of his pan and handed it to Misty, who thanked the boy for giving it to her. Looking up at Ash, Aiden smiled and prompted, "what do you want, Daddy?"

"I'm the opposite of Mommy," Ash smirked. "My favorite cupcakes are vanilla."

"Yay!" Michelle clapped her hands together and gave her father a vanilla cupcake. "You're like me, Daddy."

"Yep!" Ash agreed.

After they all had frosted their cupcakes, it was time to decorate the small treats with the colorful sprinkles. After Misty had showered them onto her own cupcake, Ash took the bottle and poured some sprinkles onto his own cupcake. Observing the colorful little candies, Ash chuckled quietly to himself and plucked one with his fingers, observing it for a quiet moment.

"What are you doing?" Misty blinked.

Ash held the sprinkle in front of Misty's face. He had picked a green one, knowing that was Misty's favorite color.

"Look at how tiny it is," Ash marveled.

"Well, yeah, it's a sprinkle," Misty laughed just once. "Sprinkles are tiny."

"Tiny things are cute," Ash commented, his chocolate brown eyes twinkling at the observation.

"Like our baby?" Misty showed off a playful smirk. Suddenly, her words hit her like a train. Tiny…just like the little baby growing inside of her. Her sweet little miracle. It was just like a… "Sprinkle."

"Huh?" Ash glanced back up at Misty. "What did you say, Mist?"

"Sprinkle," Misty held onto her belly. "This is our sprinkle."

Ash raised an eyebrow. "I don't understand."

"Our baby is just like a sprinkle," Misty giggled. "Tiny and sweet."

"Oh, I get it," Ash smirked. "You're going to nickname our baby "sprinkle" now, aren't you?"

"I think it's a very cute nickname," Misty rubbed her belly. "Sprinkle." She pulled out the sonogram image of her unborn baby, holding it next to the cupcake that was covered in colorful sprinkles.

"I think it's cute," Ash agreed, taking a bite out of his cupcake. "Nice work, Mist!"

"Thanks," Misty giggled. "I didn't know I was so good at coming up with nicknames!"

"Oh…" Ash looked away awkwardly.

"What?" Misty searched Ash's face for a hint of why he was acting so sheepish.

"I was actually complimenting you on these cupcakes…they're really good."


	53. Aiden's First Word

**Hello, everyone! So, I've come up with a little three shot set that I'm going to put into this story: each one revolving around Aiden, Michelle, and Elizabeth's first words. It's gonna be cute and fluffy, I promise you all ;) They'll go up in order (first Aiden, Michelle in the middle, Elizabeth last) so, first, we'll start with: Aiden!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 7 Months Old**

* * *

><p><strong>Aiden's First World<strong>

"Ma! Ma!"

"Oooh!" Misty squealed, clasping her hands together. Looking over her shoulder, she chirped, "do you hear that, Ash?"

"Hear what?" Ash, who was kneeling down by Pikachu, raised an eyebrow at his wife's inquiry.

"Your Mom told me that Aiden and Michelle should be saying their first words very soon," Misty smiled. "And Aiden's been saying "ma" nonstop! I think his first word is going to be "Mama", without a doubt!"

Huffing, Ash stood up, Pikachu jumping onto his shoulder. "You're dreaming. Aiden's gonna' say "Dada" before he says anything else!"

Aiden tilted his head and blinked his big, chocolate brown eyes, uttering the syllable, "da?"

"Listen to that," Ash smirked, walking over to Aiden and gathering the baby in his arms. "He's getting ready to say it! What a great little guy."

"Ma," Aiden babbled, smiling at his father as he was held in the air.

"Yeah, that sounds like "Dada" alright," Misty rolled her eyes and took the baby away from Ash. Cooing, she held him close and rubbed their noses together. "My handsome little man is going to say "Mama," I know it. Isn't that right, sweetheart?"

"Ma!" Aiden giggled.

"Oh please, you heard him say "da" before, and he says it all the time," Ash shook his head. "He's not going to say "Mama," you silly girl."

Growling, Misty retorted, "well _you're _the one who's dreaming if you think Aiden's first word will be "Dada"! So you'd better be prepared for when his very first word is "Mama," because it's coming!"

"Da?" Aiden squeaked, his eyes shimmering. "Ma?"

Sighing, Ash eyed the baby and muttered, "Now you're just teasing us, champ."

Aiden started to clap his hands together, jabbering, "baba ya! Bababa."

"Hey, did he just say "bottle"?" Ash's eyes widened. "I think he said "bottle"! That's Aiden's first word?"

Ash was visibly saddened by this, but Misty was quick to roll her eyes and gently yank at Ash's ear. "He didn't say "bottle," you dunce. He's saying "baba". Just a bunch of syllables strung together."

Aiden suddenly whimpered, bringing Ash and Misty's attention back to him. He was squirming in Misty's arms and looking fairly unhappy, which was a huge change from the joyful little smile that had just been on his face moments ago.

"Aw, what is it, darling?" Misty asked the baby, stroking his cheek. "Did Mommy and Daddy upset you?"

Aiden continued to frown for a few minutes before relaxing, his big eyes blinking as his lips turned back into a very tiny smile. "Ma!"

"Oh, you are _so _precious!" Misty hugged the infant. "I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful baby boy."

Ash screwed his mouth and leaned in closer to Aiden, who turned his head to observe his father. Squealing, Aiden reached out and patted Ash's cheek, causing the young father to laugh lovingly.

"Silly boy," Ash chuckled. His eyes flickering, Ash moved his head closer to Aiden and muttered, "wait a minute…"

Peering down, Misty cocked an eyebrow and inquired, "Ash, what in the world are you doing?"

Picking his head up, Ash stared at Misty and informed her, "I know why Aiden was acting all weird and frowny before."

"Why?" Misty tilted her head.

Pointing downwards, Ash stated, "he needs to be changed."

"Huh?" Misty raised Aiden into the air, causing him to giggle and hang his arms down towards her. "What happened, munchkin? You had to go?"

Aiden opened his mouth and stuck one of his hands in, still staring down at Misty with his sparkling eyes.

"I'm not lying to you, Mist," Ash folded his arms across his chest. "Aiden's in need of a fresh diaper."

Misty lowered Aiden and felt the back of his diaper, cringing as she grasped it. Aiden must've found this funny, because he giggled as she did so, resting his head against her shoulder.

"Daddy's right," Misty sighed. "Someone does need to be changed."

"I have to get it every once in awhile," Ash shrugged.

"No problem," Misty stroked Aiden's hair. "I'll fix you right up, yes I will!"

"Can ya' check on Michelle while you're up there?" Ash called as Misty began up the stairs. "I think she's still napping, but she was pretty upset when I put her down a little while ago."

"Of course," Misty nodded, continuing up the steps.

Turning his head to look at Pikachu, Ash showed his partner Pokémon a foolish grin as he prompted, "so, Pikachu, how about we go outside and begin setting up our little surprise for the twins?"

"Ka!" Pikachu nodded enthusiastically, his ears bobbing up and down.

It was nearly the middle of July, and the weather was certainly sweltering. Misty had been taking the twins into the pool since they were just 2 months old, holding onto them the whole time, of course. She wanted to get them used to the water and to fall in love with it, just like she was. Misty would tell them how nice the water was, and gently swim around with them in her grasp.

That had always been in the gym pool, however, so now that it was the summer, Ash had the perfect idea that he was sure Misty would just love.

Stepping out into the backyard, with Pikachu still riding on his shoulder, Ash approached the side of the house and pulled down a big round object with a hollow middle.

"Pikapi, pikachu pikachupi?" Pikachu looked at his trainer.

"That's right, a kiddie pool!" Ash chuckled. "See?" Ash kneeled down and stuck his hand in the empty pool. "It's nice and shallow! It's really just for the babies to splash around in. They can't really go swimming in it."

"Ka," Pikachu's ears twitched as he examined the pool. It was cerulean blue in color, made of plastic and not even capable of being filled with a foot of water. There was even a small slide on the inner side of the pool, with two little steps leading up to it. "Kachu?"

"The slide?" Ash asked. "Yeah, I guess they can't really use it by themselves now. But Misty or I could just slide 'em down it. I'm certainly not letting the babies be in here on their own."

Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder and into the empty pool, peering over the edge with his bright black eyes. Chuckling, Ash stroked behind Pikachu's ears, causing the little mouse to "cha" in delight.

"That pool is a good size for you, too!" Ash laughed. "I bet the twins would love to go swimming with you."

Hopping out, Pikachu's tail shifted back and forth as he looked up at Ash, questioning, "pikapi, pikachu pika pikachuchu?"

"Oh yeah, good question," Ash closed his eyes. "How am I gonna' fill this thing up? With a hose?"

The two sat there in silence for a few seconds before bursting out into laughter, barely able to contain themselves.

"Yeah, right," Ash muttered sarcastically. Pulling a poke ball off his belt, he tossed it and called, "Squirtle, come on out!"

The blue turtle appeared before his trainer, shaking himself out in the process.

"Squir?" Squirtle looked over his shoulder.

"Squirtle, could ya' use water gun to fill up the kiddie pool?" Ash asked.

"Squir, squirtle!" Squirtle nodded. Puffing out his cheeks, the water type unleashed his signature move, filling up the pool just about halfway. "Squirtle?"

"Yeah, that should be a perfect amount for the twins to swim around in!" Ash grinned. "Thanks, Squirtle!"

"Squirtle!" The Pokémon puffed his chest out proudly.

"Now, you two stay out here while I get Misty and the kids," Ash smiled at his two Pokémon. They both nodded and stood by the pool, staring at their reflections in the water and carrying on a light conversation.

**XXX**

Back inside the house, Misty was just finishing up changing Aiden's diaper. She had checked on Michelle before going to clean up her brother, and found that she was still asleep. That left her free to change Aiden in peace. Once he had a new diaper on, Misty lifted him up in front of her and once again rubbed their noses together, which always made the baby laugh hysterically.

"Who's my handsome little man?" Misty cooed. "Who is?"

"Ma!" Aiden reached out past her face.

"No, _you _are!" Misty giggled. "Can you say "Mama," my beautiful darling? Say "Mama," sweetheart!"

"Da!" Aiden giggled.

Groaning, Misty shook her head and responded, "no, Aiden, we don't want you to say "Dada" first. We want you to say "Mama" first! It'll be much cuter."

"Ya?" Aiden himself looked confused by his mother's statement, even though Misty was sure he didn't understand it.

Suddenly, a piercing wail broke through the air, causing Aiden's eyes to widen, and Misty to sigh.

"Well, sounds like your sister is up," Misty showed her little son a delicate smile. "Let's go pick her up, huh?"

She wandered over to the opposite side of the room, where Michelle was laying in her crib and bawling her little eyes out, occasionally thrashing her tiny fists against the mattress in a fit of rage.

"Whoa, someone is cranky!" Misty gathered the little girl into her free arm. Brushing her lips against the baby's cheek, she murmured, "and for someone who just woke up from a nap, too!"

Instantly, Michelle calmed down and began to coo, making throaty baby noises and reaching out towards Aiden. The little boy giggled and reached out his own arm, grabbing onto Michelle's arm and shrieking happily.

"Such friendly babies," Misty giggled. "How wonderful!"

"Hey, Mist!"

The gym leader turned around and found Ash running into the babies' nursery, a big, hopeful smile set on his handsome face.

"Well, you certainly look happy," Misty drawled before smirking. "What have you done?"

"Nothing bad," Ash chuckled. "But I have a surprise for you downstairs! Well…you _and _the twins."

"I'm scared," Misty replied honestly.

"Don't be scared!" Ash laughed. "Why would I ever hurt you or the kids? I love you three more than anything! It's a _fun _surprise. But we have to put the twins in bathing suits first."

"Bathing suits?" Misty repeated. "I'm still scared."

Without another word, Ash took Aiden from Misty and brought him over to his dresser. Michelle whined softly in her mother's arms, seemingly not pleased about being separated from her brother.

"No more fussing, sweetheart," Misty kissed the top of Michelle's head. "We'll get you into your swimsuit, and then you Aiden will play together!"

It was easy for Ash to change Aiden. He just reached into the drawer and picked the first bathing suit he pulled out, which happened to be a pair of swim trunks that were gray on top with three thicker stripes of color on the legs: orange, navy blue, and red.

For Misty, however, it took a little longer. She adored baby clothes, especially bathing suits (she was a water type specialist, after all) and, even if it would only be seen by her and Ash, Misty was insistent on having the twins look absolutely adorable and well dressed. After much thought (and a little aggravated probing by Ash), Misty selected what she thought was the perfect swimsuit for her mood: a predominantly sky blue one piece with four thick ruffles on the front: sky blue on the top and bottom, with yellow and light green in the middle.

"Great, let's take them outside!" Ash cheered when Misty was finally done dressing Michelle.

The young parents carried their children into the backyard, led of course by Ash. Misty was still concerned; she knew Ash always meant well, but sometimes his efforts were a little less than half baked. As soon as she stepped into the backyard, however, Misty's fears were quelled, and instead a huge grin broke out on her beautiful face.

"Oh, Ashy, you bought the twins a kiddie pool?" Misty beamed at her husband.

"Sure did!" Ash nodded. "I know you usually take the twins into the gym pool with you, but its summer now, so I figured it would be fun for them to go swimming outside! Plus, in here, you don't have to go in and hold onto them. The water isn't deep at all. They can just sit in there and splash around!"

Misty looked completely overjoyed, which was exactly the reaction that Ash had been hoping for. He _could _do things right every once in awhile, after all.

"Ma!" Aiden squealed, reaching a little hand out towards the pool.

"Yes, Daddy bought that for you and your sister to play in!" Misty giggled. "Should we go try it out?"

"Ma…" Aiden babbled.

Misty skirted over to the pool and kneeled down, sticking Aiden into the water. The boy just sat there for a few moments, confused as to what he was supposed to do.

"Here, Aiden," Misty patted the water, causing it to splash up. "Hit the water! Can you splash around, like Mommy?"

Aiden smacked the water just once, causing it to splatter. Misty gasped, and Aiden let out a delightful, shrieking laugh, clearly amused by what he had done.

"Ba! Ba! Ba!" Aiden yammered as he smashed his hands against the surface of the water, creating a torrent of water around him.

"Good boy!" Misty laughed. "Isn't that fun?"

Aiden looked up and reached his hand out towards Misty, opening and closing his fingers. "Hee…"

"It's funny, isn't it?" Misty giggled, grabbing Aiden's hand and holding onto it.

Chuckling, Ash knelt down beside Misty and kissed Michelle on the nose, informing her, "Why don't you splash around with Aiden, Shelly? It'll be fun for you, too!"

He placed Michelle in the pool next to Aiden, watching intently to see if she would play along with him. Michelle was a healthy, and typically happy, baby, but sometimes she shied away from playing, even if it was with Aiden.

"Hee!" Aiden looked at Michelle, his eyes shining.

Michelle just blinked and stuck her hand underneath the water, lifting it up and watching as the cool liquid slipped between her fingers. Despite being in fine health, Michelle didn't seem to be as developmentally up to speed as Aiden. While he was constantly sounding out syllables and preparing to say his first words, Michelle rarely ever did. Occasionally, she would say "ma" or "da," but not much else. Ash and Misty weren't sure if they should be concerned or not, but Michelle seemed happy enough, so they never really voiced their concern unless it was to each other.

"Hee!" Aiden splashed the water again. Michelle shrieked and began to giggle, joining Aiden in his actions.

"Aw, look at that!" Misty giggled. "They're splashing together! That's so precious."

"Hee! Hee!" Aiden squealed.

"That seems to be Aiden's new favorite thing to say," Ash chuckled. "He's been saying "hee" over and over again!"

"Pi!"

Ash looked over at Pikachu, who was now standing on his back legs with his ears twitching.

"What's up, Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"Pika…" The yellow mouse scampered towards the front of the house, not even responding to Ash's inquiry.

"Uh…okay…" Ash blinked.

"Pikachu probably senses something, you know he's like a little guard Pokémon," Misty assured her husband with a small giggle. "I'm sure he'll be back in a minute!"

"Gah…"

Misty turned her attention back to the pool, where Michelle had turned around and was now crawling towards the tiny slide that was built into the side of the pool.

"Oh, how cute, there's even a little slide in there!" Misty beamed at Ash. "I didn't notice that before."

"Ma!" Michelle made her way over to the slide, sitting on her knees as she patted her hands against the slide.

Misty's face lit up as soon as she'd heard Michelle utter that simple syllable. She felt better every time Michelle said it.

"Do you want to go down the slide, little princess?" Misty crawled over to the other side of the pool. Michelle looked up at her and smiled, instantly melting the gym leader's heart. Leaning over, Misty gathered the baby girl in her arms and carried the child over to the slide, sitting her atop it and gently sliding her down, holding onto the baby's sides the entire time. "Whee!"

Michelle giggled wildly as Misty slid her down, clearly enjoying the ride. When she reached the bottom, landing back in the water, Michelle continued to laugh and once again looked up at her mother, babbling a simple, "ma!"

"Do you want to go again?" Misty's eyes were bright.

"Ma!"

"Okay, sweetie, let's go again!" Misty pulled Michelle out of the water and once again placed her at the top of the slide.

"Pikapi!"

Ash, who had been gently splashing Aiden, looked over his shoulder and found Pikachu darting back to him, a smile on his furry yellow face.

"Hey there, buddy," Ash smirked. "Everything alright out there?"

"Hello there, Ash!"

The Pokémon Master's head shot up, finding his mother to be walking into the backyard beaming at him.

Shaking off his surprise, Ash grinned at his mother and greeted, "hi, Mom!"

"Hee…" Aiden cooed.

"Oh, look at those two in their little pool," Delia gasped, covering her heart with her hand. "What little darlings!"

"Hi, Delia!" Misty welcomed, bringing Michelle down the slide and back into the water. "What're you doing here?"

"Well, I had something to do in the city, so I figured I would drop by and pay you all a visit!" Delia giggled. "I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all," Ash shook his head. Looking down, he cooed to Aiden, "Look, champ, it's Grammy! She came to visit you!"

Delia kneeled down next to Ash, stroking the baby's hair and murmuring, "well, hello there little sweetheart!"

"Hi!" Aiden chirped.

And then, silence set in amongst everyone in the backyard. Ash and Misty both stared at one another with wide eyes, while Delia kept her gaze transfixed on the baby boy in front of her.

Unaffected by the adults' shock, Aiden giggled and held his arm out, trying to touch Ash with his fingers. "Hi!"

"Ash…" Delia finally broke the silence, turning her focus onto Ash, "was that…Aiden's first word?"

"Yeah…it was…" Ash blinked. He was trying to hide the fact that tears were filling his eyes. Not tears of sadness, mind you. Aiden's first word not being "Dada" didn't hurt Ash in the way he thought it would. Not at all. Instead, Ash's eyes were swelling with tears of happiness. His little son, who was just a tiny thing, half of him and half of Misty created by their love, and he had just said his _first _word. He was beginning to _talk. _"Aiden…"

"Hi!" Aiden repeated, laughing after he said it. He was clearly having fun saying this strange new word over and over again.

Misty herself was experiencing the same reaction that Ash had. Her joy was unspeakable; she had never felt so proud in all of her life. Her baby boy had just talked, and it was more beautiful than Misty could have ever imagined.

"Oh, Aiden!" Misty gathered Michelle into her arms, not caring that her shirt was getting soaked as she scurried over to the other side of the pool. She kneeled down and hugged Aiden with her free arm, wildly kissing the top of his head. "My little boy, so smart and wonderful! Your first word…it's so perfect!"

"Hi?" Aiden squeaked.

"Yes, hi, baby," Misty sniffled, rubbing her eyes with her hand. "You can say "hi"! That's so good…"

"Ma…" Aiden turned around and began to crawl around the pool, occasionally lifting his hands out to hit the water and make a splash.

"He's completely unaffected," Ash chuckled, still trying to make it appear that he hadn't been on the verge of tears.

"Aiden doesn't understand what it means," Misty smiled shakily at her husband, jubilation still rushing through her veins. "But we do."

* * *

><p><strong>Like it? Leave a review! Michelle's up next :)<strong>


	54. Michelle's First Word

**Part 2 of the three shot "Fist Word" series! This one, of course, focuses on Michelle :)**

**Alot of you said that Michelle's first word would be "Dada." Are you right? Well...I'm not telling! Read and find out, you sillies ;)**

**Aiden and Michelle: 8 months old**

* * *

><p><strong>Michelle's First Word<strong>

"Hi! Hi! Hi!"

Ash and Misty both couldn't help but to laugh. It had been just over a month since Aiden had uttered his first word. It hadn't been "Mama" or "Dada" like Misty and Ash had, respectively, hoped, but rather, it had been the simple "hi" that won precedence as the boy's first spoken word. And now he couldn't stop saying it.

"You know that Aiden doesn't realize what "hi" means, right?" Misty asked her husband.

"But…he says it to everyone," Ash reasoned.

"Yeah, but that's just because he likes saying it," Misty shrugged. "He doesn't know that "hi" means you're greeting someone. He just sort of thinks it's a funny little sound he's making."

"Are you sure?" Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Positive," Misty nodded. "Just watch." She picked up one of Aiden's toys: his Chimecho rattle. Shaking it in front of the boy, she cooed, "Aiden, would you like to play with your rattle?"

"Hi!" Aiden held his hands up towards the toy, happily taking it from his mother and shaking it while he laughed.

Turning around, Misty showed off a knowing smirk, remarking to Ash, "See what I mean?"

"Yeah, you're right," Ash sighed. "Oh well. At least he's speaking."

"Michelle hasn't yet," Misty frowned, knowing exactly where Ash was going with this.

"I'm really getting worried, Mist," Ash rested his head in his hand. "She and Aiden are nearly eight and a half months old, and Michelle doesn't even seem _close _to speaking!"

"The doctor _did _tell us that she might be behind Aiden in development, but that doesn't make me feel any better," Misty agreed.

"I wonder if it says anything about talking in the baby book…" Ash muttered. "What do you think?"

"It has to, that book seems to have the answer to everything," Misty folded her arms across her chest. "I'll go get it and see what it says, if anything."

She walked out of the kitchen and made her way upstairs, leaving Ash in the room with Aiden. Watching Aiden play with his rattle brought the smile back to Ash's face, who pulled his chair over to sit in front of Aiden, who was seated happily in his high chair.

"Hi, buddy!" Ash greeted brightly.

"Hi," Aiden looked up at his father, causing the older male to beam. It was fun to do that, even though Aiden didn't really know what "hi" meant.

"You like that toy, huh?" Ash folded his arms on the table and rested his head on them.

"Da," Aiden held the rattle out and tapped Ash with it.

"Yes, I'm Dada," Ash grinned. "Can ya' say that yet, bud? You're certainly good at saying "hi," but can you say "Dada"?"

"Da," Aiden repeated.

"Close, but say it twice. Like this: "Dada." How about that? Can you do that?"

Aiden pulled the rattle back, staring down at it as he muttered, "hi, da."

"Not quite," Ash sighed.

"Oh, Ash, stop telling the boy how to speak. He's not going to listen to you."

Ash raised his head and found Misty coming back down the stairs, the thick and ever familiar baby book in her hands. It had basically become her and Ash's survival guide when it came to raising the twins. Almost any question they had, the book managed to answer. It was good, because they both felt bad calling their parents every time they were confused about something involving the babies, _especially _at the beginning.

"I was just giving it a try," Ash shrugged. "Shouldn't he start saying some more words soon?"

"Probably, but right now I'm more concerned about Michelle," Misty frowned. "She hasn't even said _her_ first word yet. Let's see what the book says…"

She opened it up and browsed the index, eventually finding the heading "Developmental Milestones" and the corresponding page for "Talking." Turning to the page, Misty flipped through a few until she reached a section that was entitled "Talking: When to Be Concerned."

"Oh yeah, that's a reassuring headline," Ash drawled sarcastically.

Misty ignored Ash's quip and scanned the page until she found the paragraph that concerned babies who were 6 to 12 months old.

"Well, according to the book, we should only be concerned if Michelle isn't making any sounds or eye contact with us-"

"Which she does," Ash jumped in.

"Or stopped babbling around the age of 6 months," Misty finished, raising her eyes to look at Ash.

"She didn't really _stop, _though," Ash bit his lip. "She was never a big babbler in the first place. Michelle is a pretty quiet baby."

"So, according to the book, we have nothing to be worried about," Misty sighed, leaning back in her chair. "Michelle is still babbling and saying her syllables every now and then. I guess it's just taking her longer."

Ash didn't seem thrilled with the idea of this, however. He was _really _afraid that something was wrong with his daughter. She had already been born with weak lungs, after all. Those had strengthened, and she was healthy now, but she had always been smaller than Aiden and behind him in development. What if something was really wrong with her?

His thoughts were interrupted by the loud screech of the baby girl at hand, who had been upstairs sleeping.

"Michelle's up," Misty sighed.

"Let me get her," Ash cut Misty off before she could get up. "You were just upstairs."

Misty stared at Ash in awe, but didn't say anything in response. The Pokémon Master got up and ruffled his infant son's hair on his way to the stairs, causing the baby to giggle.

"Your Daddy loves you, sweetheart," Misty smiled at her and Ash's young son.

"Hi," Aiden squeaked, hugging his rattle against him.

**XXX**

Ash took in a deep breath before cautiously opening the door to the babies' nursery. He knew full well what Michelle did when she woke up in such a seemingly bad mood, and had walked in on it one too many times to be tricked by it again.

Stepping inside, Ash stood in place for a second, locking eyes with his volatile baby daughter. She was standing up in the crib, her tiny hands gripping the top of the bars as she glared at her father, still red in the face with tears filling her glaring emerald eyes.

"Hey there, princess," Ash murmured gently. "Were you trying to tell me you're up?"

"Ka!" Michelle screamed, smacking her hand against the top of the bars.

Ash looked at the floor in order to confirm his qualms. Just as he had suspected, a small collection of toys was scattered in front of the crib, clearly having been thrown out by the baby.

"Michelle, it isn't nice to treat your toys like that," Ash smirked. "Hasn't Daddy told you that before?"

Letting out an almost ear shattering scream, Michelle threw herself down in the crib and grabbed another toy, chucking it over the side of the crib to join the others that had gathered on the floor.

"Okay, guess you don't care…" Ash blinked. He hurried over to the crib and leaned over, gathering Michelle in his arms and bouncing her up and down in an effort to soothe her. It seemed to work like a charm, because it only took a second for Michelle to stop crying and instead cuddle her cheek against Ash's neck and shoulder.

"Da…" Michelle cooed.

Ash beamed and held Michelle in front of him, watching as the child held her hands out towards him and stuck her tongue out of the side of her mouth.

"I would love to hear you say your first word, little girl," Ash told the baby. "Can you say "Dada"?"

Michelle stopped making any noise, her tongue going back into her mouth and her hands retreating back to her. Ash frowned, wondering why Michelle seemed to become so hesitant when it came to talking. Maybe there really _was _something wrong with her development.

"Wait…" Ash mumbled to himself, "I _think _I know someone who could help us!"

Holding the girl closer to him, Ash wandered out of the room, making a mental note to pick up Michelle's thrown toys later. He made his way down the stairs and back into the kitchen, where Misty was still sitting at the table and playing with Aiden.

"Mist, I've got an idea!" Ash beamed.

Misty glanced up and beamed at her baby girl, who instantly began to babble and hold her arms out for the gym leader.

"You can tell me once you give me my sweet little girl," Misty cooed.

Ash handed the baby off, who squealed in delight once she was in her mother's arms. Misty giggled adoringly and kissed the top of Michelle's head, bouncing the infant up and down on her lap before turning her towards Aiden so the two could interact.

"Hi!" Aiden shrieked, causing both Ash and Misty to laugh heartily. Michelle, however, did not seem as pleased, as she leaned away from her brother until her back was against Misty's body.

"How about we take the twins to Professor Oak?" Ash suggested to his wife. "He seems to know lots about babies!"

"Ash, he's a _Pokémon_ professor, not a _baby_ professor," Misty raised an eyebrow. "How will he be able to tell us if something is wrong with Michelle?"

"He may not be a baby expert, but he's really smart about a lot of stuff," Ash reasoned. "He always seems to be able to help us out with baby questions."

"I guess it couldn't hurt," Misty looked down at Michelle, who, sensing this change in her mother's attention, titled her head back and made eye contact with the older red head, grinning widely at her. Misty, of course, melted at this, and gave the baby a gentle hug as she returned the happy smile.

"The Professor loves the babies anyway," Ash chuckled. "So, even if he can't help us, at least the kids will have fun!"

**XXX**

"Ma…da…ka…ba…ya…"

Ash glanced down at the babies, who were being pushed by Misty in their double stroller. Since it was such a nice, mid August day, the young parents had decided to take the ferry to Pallet Town and then walk to the Professor's lab from there. Aiden had been babbling practically the entire time, squeaking out every last syllable that he knew.

"What a smart little guy," Misty giggled.

Michelle, on the other hand, still seemed to be pretty grouchy. She hadn't been overly happy all morning, save for when Ash and Misty had first cuddled her. She had been making a very angry face during the entire ferry ride, and now that they had arrived in Pallet Town, she was still sporting that same miserable expression. Misty, of course, didn't like to see her little baby in such a disposition, so she had been trying her hardest to cheer the girl up.

"Coochie coochie coo!" Misty squealed, tickling the infant's cheek. Michelle, in turn, had kicked her legs up and flailed her arms, letting out a series of displeased whimpers simultaneously.

"I don't think she wants to be touched, Mist," Ash frowned.

"Hey, I'm trying to cheer her up here!" Misty barked.

Michelle started to cry, her arms and legs settling down as she simply focused on wailing. Misty deepened the glare she had set on Ash before taking Michelle out of the stroller and holding her against her chest, shoving the stroller into Ash's possession.

"Take it," Misty seethed.

"Alright, alright," Ash sighed. Pikachu, who had been sitting on Ash's shoulder, jumped now onto Misty's, peering down at the crying baby with curious black eyes.

"Hush, little baby," Misty whispered to her daughter, hugging her close and rubbing her back. "It's okay, don't cry! Why are you so upset today, little darling?"

Pikachu tilted his head down and poked his nose against the top of Michelle's head, muttering a simple, "pika?"

Michelle gazed up at Pikachu, her face red from crying so violently. The little mouse just smiled and continued to rub his nose against Michelle's face, squeaking, "pika, pika, pika. Pikachu!"

Much to Ash and Misty's surprise, Michelle began to giggle and reach up for the electric type, the tears in her eyes evaporating just as quickly as they had appeared.

"Pa…" Michelle murmured so quietly that no one heard her.

"Hey, great job, Pikachu!" Ash complimented his partner.

"Yeah, thanks so much," Misty smiled at the electric type.

"Kachu…pi," Pikachu blushed, rubbing the back of his neck. _No problem…heh._

**XXX**

Aside from Michelle's sudden outburst of tears and screaming, the trip to Professor Oak's lab was an easy one. Misty had decided to carry Michelle the rest of the way, since she didn't want to deal with anymore crying from the baby girl.

When they finally reached the door, Ash lifted Aiden into his arms and decided to leave the stroller outside. Misty rang the doorbell, with Michelle reaching out to try and do the same exact thing.

"Ma…" Michelle babbled.

"Well, well, look at you," Misty cooed to the baby. "You've been chattering up a bit of a storm since Pikachu calmed you down!"

"Ma," Michelle repeated.

The door then opened, Professor Oak coming into view. Michelle looked up at the older man and formed a little 'O' shape with her lips, a tiny squeak accompanying the slight change in expression.

"Hi!" Aiden chirped, his eyes sparkling.

Professor Oak was obviously surprised by Aiden's greeting, as he glanced down at the child with wide eyes. Aiden simply giggled in response, leaning against Ash as he stuck his fingers in his mouth.

"Well, I see that Aiden learned his first word," Professor Oak grinned.

"He sure did!" Ash was clearly proud of the fact. "Although he doesn't actually know what the word "hi" means."

"He just says it constantly," Misty added. "Although, you must admit that his timing is pretty impeccable."

"Hi," Aiden laughed, his fingers still in his mouth.

"It's lovely to see the two of you," Professor Oak beamed at the young parents. "Please, come inside! I just made a fresh pot of tea, it's a new kind I'm trying out. It just shipped in from Sandgem Town. Professor Rowan recommended it to me."

Ash and Misty followed him inside, Michelle still reaching up to poke her fingers at Pikachu. Professor Oak took notice of this and chuckled.

"What's up, Professor?" Ash blinked.

"Your daughter is a curious little thing," Professor Oak motioned towards the baby. "She's certainly interested in Pikachu!"

Ash turned his own eyes onto the baby, smiling at the sight. "Yeah, she likes Pokémon, just like me! I show her and Aiden them all the time. Michelle really seems to be attached to Pikachu, though."

"Pika," Pikachu squeaked, his ears twitching.

"Pa!" Michelle babbled.

Professor Oak led them into his living room, where Ash and Misty put the twins down in a fenced off corner that was usually set up for Gary's son. Ash followed Professor Oak into the kitchen to discuss his concern, while Misty stayed behind to watch the twins in the enclosure.

"What's troubling you and Misty, my boy?" Professor Oak asked Ash as he walked over to the steaming teapot on the stove top.

"We're afraid that Michelle might have a developmental delay," Ash bit his lip. "After the whole ordeal with her lungs when she was born, everything sort of freaks us out."

"Understandable," Professor Oak smiled sympathetically. "Now, what makes you and Misty think that she's not developing properly?"

"Michelle doesn't even seem close to saying her first word yet," Ash explained. "It's been over a month since Aiden said his, but he was babbling all the time and super expressive. Michelle babbles, but not nearly as much as Aiden. It's like she's not even trying! And Misty and I keep hearing that babies should say their first word at or around 7 months old."

"Hmm, I see," Professor Oak nodded. "To be honest, I wouldn't be too concerned that Michelle hasn't said her first word yet."

Ash was surprised by this answer. Relieved, but surprised. "Really?"

"Oh, yes. You see, I've been observing the twins ever since they were born. I'm always fascinated by the development of multiple children, human _or _Pokémon. It's amazing that, although the offspring grew in the same space at the same exact time, and are born at the same time and raised the same way by the same parents, they turn out to be completely different individuals."

"So, you've noticed that with Aiden and Michelle?" Ash inquired.

"Ever since they were newborns," Professor Oak confirmed. "Even then, I could tell that Aiden was going to be a very happy, energetic child, while Michelle would be more quiet and reserved. As they got a little older, it became apparent to be that Aiden's development was ahead of Michelle's, which really isn't uncommon in twins."

"It's not?" Ash breathed.

"Not at all," Professor Oak chuckled. It was easy to tell that Ash was very nervous. "Between the weaker lungs and her always being smaller than Aiden, it was pretty easy to tell. But rest assured, my boy, your daughter is a perfectly healthy child. There's nothing wrong with her."

"Not even with the lack of speaking?" Ash murmured.

"Absolutely not," Professor Oak laughed gently. "My oldest didn't say his first word until he was 9 months old, and he was always a quiet one. But my youngest said her first word at 6 months old and learned them rapidly. It really just depends on the child."

"What a relief," Ash sighed, holding his hand over his heart. "I can't wait to tell Misty."

He was blushing, which led the Professor to clap a hand over Ash's strong shoulder. "You don't have to embarrassed, Ash. The twins may be nearly 8 and a half months old, but everyday with them is still a new experience for you and Misty. And your concern for your baby girl is very touching."

Ash smiled sheepishly and slowly nodded his head. "Thanks Profess-"

"ASH!"

The Pokémon Master and Professor locked eyes, both wide with horror at the sound of Misty's cry. They both ran into the living room, finding the gym leader to be holding a screaming Aiden in her left arm and keeping her right hand on Michelle, who was still sitting in the enclosure.

"Misty, what the hell is going on in here?" Ash gawked.

"Michelle bit Aiden!" Misty yelped, looking over her shoulder at Ash and displaying a frantic expression on her face.

"What?" Ash gasped.

"I don't know," Misty fretted, "Michelle started to pout again, and Aiden must be sensitive to his sister's feelings because he tried to play with her. He was picking up different toys and showing them to her. I thought it was cute, and Aiden was babbling the whole time happy as could be. Out of nowhere, Michelle just grabbed Aiden's arm and _bit _him!"

"Oh dear," Professor Oak frowned.

"But…that doesn't sound like Michelle at all…" Ash looked extremely troubled.

Aiden was wailing very loudly, so Misty took her right hand off of Michelle in order to encircle the crying baby boy in both of her arms. "Oh, my poor baby," Misty kissed him on the head. "Let Mama see your arm…" She held up the child's injured arm and studied the spot where Michelle had bit him.

Ash marched over to the enclosure and leaned over, giving the baby girl a harsh glare. She looked fairly calm, and his angry gaze wasn't doing much to change that. Ash knew he couldn't yell. Michelle was only a baby, and in reality, she probably didn't realize what she'd done wrong. Still, though, he couldn't go on and pretend that she hadn't done anything.

"Michelle…" Ash's voice was stern. "That was bad. _Bad._"

The baby girl let out a quiet squeak, simply staring back at her father.

"You _can_n_ot _bite your brother," Ash made sure to say every word slowly and clearly so it wasn't strange for the baby to hear. He couldn't be sure she even understood him, but he had to make an effort. "That's _wrong._"

"Pa?" Michelle crawled over to the partition and stood up, gripping her hands to the top of it and staring up at Ash with her wide, emerald eyes.

Ash could feel his heart melting, but he knew he couldn't give into it. Michelle would never learn that way. He had to be tough with his baby. So, narrowing his eyes, Ash shook his head and added, "no, Michelle. You were bad."

"Pa!" Michelle repeated.

"Ash, could I perhaps suggest something?" Professor Oak's voice floated back into Ash's ears.

He looked over his shoulder and found the older man standing with a contemplative expression on his face. Misty had noticed this as well, even as she was busy bouncing a now calm Aiden up and down.

"Uh…sure," Ash blinked.

"This may sound a little strange, but I think that Michelle might be jealous of Aiden," Professor Oak mused.

"Jealous?" Ash and Misty chimed together.

"Babies are much smarter than most people give them credit for," Professor Oak continued. "They understand one another. Michelle may sense that Aiden is more outgoing than her, and that might frustrate her. Not to mention, since Aiden _did _just say his first word and everyone is fawning over him for it, she might be getting upset over the fact that she isn't receiving the same attention and praise."

With his mouth still agape, Ash looked down at Michelle and murmured, "I never thought of that."

"Most people wouldn't," Professor Oak smirked. "Babies are underestimated."

"Pa…" Michelle squeaked.

Twitching his ears, Pikachu jumped into the enclosure and pawed at Michelle's leg. "Pika, pika, pika."

Michelle looked down at the electric mouse and watched him intently, as if she didn't know how to react.

"Pikachu always gives Michelle lots of love and attention," Misty giggled. "He's very protective of our little girl."

Looking up at her parents, Michelle let out a tiny giggle. Deeming that he had done his job, Pikachu climbed up the gate that separated Michelle from her parents and perched himself back onto Ash's shoulder.

"Nice work, buddy," Ash smiled at his partner.

"Pika!" Pikachu cheered happily.

Michelle reached her hand out towards Ash, wiggling her tiny fingers as she held her arm out. Ash noticed this and chuckled lovingly, patting the girl's head.

"What is it, Michelle?" Ash asked.

"Pa…pika!" Michelle squealed.

Ash's eyes widened, although he kept his hand on Michelle's head. Misty and Professor Oak were equally as shocked, but instead of staring at Michelle, they all stared at the little yellow Pokémon on Ash's shoulder.

"Michelle's first word…" Misty murmured.

"And it's for…Pikachu?" Ash turned his own enlarged orbs onto the electric type.

"Pi…pika?" Pikachu pointed at himself.

Cooing, Michelle reached closer to Pikachu, crying out excitedly, "pika!"

The mouse Pokémon blinked a few more times before bursting out into a huge grin and jumping back into the fenced off corner with Michelle, rubbing himself against her leg. "Pipikachu! Pikachu pikapi!"

Michelle threw herself down and babbled happy nonsense, petting her father's prized Pokémon and completely ignoring the adults who were gathered in front of the gate.

"Well, there's something I've never seen before!" Professor Oak laughed heartily.

"I can't believe it…" Ash smacked his forehead. "Aiden didn't say "Dada," and Michelle didn't say "Dada." I got nothing. _Pikachu _got more than me!"

"Oh, relax, he got more than I did, too," Misty scolded her husband.

"I've lost out to a Pokémon," Ash groaned.

"Kakaka," Pikachu laughed at his trainer's misfortune. Michelle squealed and joined Pikachu in his giggling. She enjoyed doing whatever the Pokémon was doing.

"Thanks, Pikachu," Ash grumbled. "Thanks for laughing at my misery."

"Pika!" Michelle chirped.

Ash sighed and allowed his shoulders to fall. Sometimes, he just felt like he'd never win.

* * *

><p><strong>Nope, it wasn't Dada! Poor Ash :P It's just too easy with this guy, I swear. So yeah, he lost out to a Pokemon for Michelle's first word. Hurts a little bit, no? ;) He'll get over it.<strong>

**Last but not least is Elizabeth! Any guesses at her first word? Leave it in the reviews! I would love to know what everyone thinks :P See if we're going in the same direction, teehee.**


	55. Elizabeth's First Word

**Here we are, the third and final installment of this three shot series! It is, of course, Elizabeth's first word. I have to say that this one is my favorite of the three. Hopefully you'll all like it too. Alot of you thought Elizabeth's first word would be either Aiden or Michelle's names. Were you right? Read and find out!**

**Elizabeth: 7 months old**

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><p><strong>Elizabeth's First Word<strong>

The Pokémon Master. Married to Misty with three children. Living in a gorgeous house in Cerulean City that was more often than not covered in toys.

For some _crazy _reason, Ash hadn't quite imagined his life to be like this by the time he was 27 years old.

Of course, he wasn't complaining about it.

He _would, _however, complain freely about having to clean up his children's messes. Ash didn't understand why _he _had to be in charge of tidying up the twins' toys up just because they had gone out with Misty's sisters and their daughters for the day. All of that on top of watching after Elizabeth while Misty was in a gym battle.

"Can you believe this?" Ash asked the baby girl in his arms. "I'm supposed to be the head of this house, and instead I'm the one doing everyone _else's _work."

Elizabeth smiled and reached up with her little hand, rubbing a finger against the tip of Ash's nose.

Sighing, Ash returned the infant's grin and concluded, "well, I guess it's just you me, little pumpkin. That's fine by me, I like hanging out with you. You're a pretty cool kid."

"Da!" Elizabeth shrieked, her light pink cheeks glowing as her smile widened.

Ash breathed out and admired his daughter's beauty. She may have been just a baby, but she was absolutely _gorgeous. _And Ash definitely wasn't saying that just because it was _his _baby. She really was stunning; like a living doll.

Not only was Elizabeth beautiful, but she was always happy. Sure, there were times when she could get a little cranky, but for the most part, Elizabeth was all giggles and smiles. Not to mention, now that she was older, Elizabeth was always babbling and making plenty of joyful noise.

Making his way down the stairs, Ash eventually entered the living room, sighing as soon as his eyes caught sight of the sea of toys that had covered the floor.

"Man," Ash groaned. He knew he wouldn't be able to get anything cleaned up if he kept Elizabeth in his arms, as much as he loved carrying the baby around. Sighing for what already felt like the millionth time that morning, Ash walked over to the pink and tan playpen sitting in the corner of the room and placed Elizabeth inside, kissing her on the head before walking away.

There were plenty of toys for Elizabeth to play with in the enclosure, but she didn't much feel like doing that. Instead, she chose to pull herself up and stand with her little hands gripping the side of the playpen, watching her father with a charming little smile on her face as he cleaned up her older sibling's mess.

As Ash was gathering several poke dolls in his arms, he turned around for a split second and noticed this, grimacing slightly at Elizabeth's happy, angelic little face watching him from the playard.

"You're having fun with this, aren't you?" Ash deadpanned.

"Geeee," Elizabeth slurred, tilting her head and lowering it until her cheek was resting against the top of the enclosure's front.

"Aww, you're way too cute to be mad at!" Ash let out a heartwarming laugh. He continued picking up the twins' toys, well aware that Elizabeth's eyes were following him around the room. After gathering a stuffed Mudkip into his hands, Ash decided to have a little fun with his chore. Smirking, he walked over to Elizabeth and held the toy in front of her, causing the baby's smile to turn into a little 'O' shape.

"Ma?" Elizabeth asked, pointing at the Mudkip.

"Yeah, close," Ash smiled at the baby. "This is a Mudkip. A water type."

"Ma…" Elizabeth grabbed the toy Mudkip by its face and tried to pull it out of Ash's hands.

"Don't be rough!" Ash tapped his daughter's hands. She released the toy and stared up at her father with wide, curious eyes. "Be gentle. Pretend this is a real Pokémon."

"Da?" Elizabeth blinked.

"Pet," Ash stroked the toy's head. "Look, Daddy is being _gentle _with the toy. I'm being _nice._ Can you be _nice _to the toy Mudkip, too?"

Elizabeth lowered her eyes from Ash onto the Mudkip, and then back up to Ash. Once again reaching out towards Mudkip, Elizabeth stroked the stuffed Pokémon's face with her fingers, glancing at the toy as she stroked it.

"Good girl!" Ash beamed. He couldn't believe how smart his baby daughter was. "That's exactly it! We treat things nicely."

Elizabeth turned her eyes back up to Ash and let out a delightful, squeaky laughter that brought a joyful smile to Ash's face. He just loved his little girl so very much.

"Da…" Elizabeth let go of the Mudkip toy and instead reached out for her father.

"Yeah, I'm Dada," Ash held Elizabeth's hand. "Are you introducing yourself?"

"Da," Elizabeth repeated.

Sighing, Ash gently played with Elizabeth's fingers and rambled on, "it would be so amazing if your first word was "Dada." I was really happy when your big brother and sister said their first words…I was so proud of them. But neither of them said "Dada." I would really love it if you did. You love me lots, don't you, pumpkin?"

"Da," Elizabeth cooed.

"Yeah, of course you love me," Ash smiled sweetly. "And I love you, too!"

Elizabeth let go of Ash's hand and instead touched his face, moving her hand towards his mouth and pulling at his lips with her little fingers. Ash just let her play for a little bit, grinning as well as he could with her pulling at his mouth. She giggled and squealed, greatly amused by her father's face.

"Okay, okay," Ash chuckled, prying Elizabeth's fingers away from his mouth. "Daddy's gotta' finish cleaning up your big brother and sister's mess. But don't worry, we'll play more after!"

"Da?" Elizabeth squeaked, watching after her father as he walked away.

Sighing, Ash continued to gather up toys, throwing them in the nearby basket where they all belonged. At least when he got done with this lame chore that shouldn't have even been his he could play with Elizabeth. He wondered what they would do. She was happy no matter what you did with her.

_Maybe I'll teach her more about Pokémon, with all of her poke dolls, _Ash thought, _she likes that. Or I could show her those little baby movies she likes so much. With all of the colors and the little characters that sing songs about-_

"Dada!"

Ash snapped out of his thoughts and dropped one of Aiden's toy cars on the floor. Slowly turning his head, Ash stared at Elizabeth with wide and shocked eyes, his heart pounding so loudly he could hear it in his ears.

_Did I just hear what I _think _I just heard? _Ash thought in disbelief.

He kept staring at the baby, waiting to see if she would do it again. Smiling, Elizabeth let out a soft giggle and continued to stare at Ash, acting as if nothing had happened.

"Elizabeth?" Ash asked, as if the baby would respond.

But, she did.

"Dada!" Elizabeth squeaked.

Ash raced over to the playpen, beaming at his youngest child. His smile was probably the widest it had ever been, his eyes filling up with the happiest tears Ash had never known.

"Oh, Elizabeth!" Ash lifted the baby into his arms and gave her a big hug. "I'm so, so proud of you, little pumpkin! You said your first word! And it was "Dada"! One of you finally said it as your first word! I'm so happy!"

"Dada!" Elizabeth shrieked.

Ash snuggled the baby and kissed her over and over atop her head. He was just so happy, he could hardly believe it!

"Oh, just wait until Mama hears your first word!" Ash cooed to Elizabeth. "I'm finally gonna' get a victory over her! I just knew I was your favorite, Lizzie."

"Why are you her favorite?"

Ash looked up and grinned mischievously. Misty had just walked through the door, her arms folded across her chest as she eyed her husband and daughter.

"Hi, honey," Ash greeted her in a sickeningly sweet voice. "How was your gym battle? Did you win?"

"No," Misty shrugged, "but it's alright. Part of being a gym leader, after all." Looking down at Elizabeth, Misty let out a small gasp and cooed, "and how is my beautiful little baby girl?"

"Baby Elizabeth is just perfect," Ash beamed at the infant, who was now reaching out for her mother. "She's been watching me clean up Aiden and Michelle's toys from her playpen, giggling and smiling the whole time."

"Yeah, you're a happy little angel!" Misty held her hand out for the baby to grab. "My precious little sprinkle."

"Oh, and there is a little something else that our baby girl did," Ash smirked.

Standing up slightly, Misty stared Ash in the eyes and asked, "In her diaper?"

"Huh? No," Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Then what did she do?" Misty inquired.

Beaming, Ash kissed the top of Elizabeth's head before informing his wife, "she said her first word."

Misty's jaw dropped before a frown graced her delicate pink lips. "And I missed it?"

"Don't be sad, beautiful," Ash chuckled. "Elizabeth will just say it for you now!"

Raising an eyebrow, Misty responded, "Ash, she's a 7 month old baby. She's not going to speak just because you told her to."

"Maybe not, but she's a good little girl," Ash held the infant out towards Misty. "Come on, Lizzie, tell Mama what your first word was!"

Elizabeth stared at her mother with wide, emerald eyes. Misty giggled airily and rubbed Elizabeth's cheek, murmuring, "its okay, baby. You can tell me whenever you're comfortable with it! You don't have to say it just because Daddy wants you to."

"Hey, that's not why!" Ash pouted.

"Elizabeth doesn't like to be pushed," Misty smirked.

"Is that supposed to be a joke?" Ash asked seriously.

"What do you mean?" Misty blinked.

"She wasn't born naturally," Ash explained. "They had to cut her out."

Misty made a _really? _face at Ash, which caused him to chuckle.

"You're not funny, Ash," Misty sighed, although the corners of her lips were beginning to tug upwards.

"Yeah, you think I'm funny," Ash showed off his lopsided smile. "Don't lie to me."

"Whatever," Misty huffed, playfully rolling her eyes.

Elizabeth let out a strange little noise, one that wasn't quite a giggle but certainly not a whimper. She was still holding her hand out towards Misty, and her brow was slightly furrowed.

"What's up, baby girl?" Misty frowned. "Is something bothering you?"

Suddenly, Elizabeth smiled and let out a sweet little giggle that warmed Misty's heart.

"What a cutie!" Misty beamed.

"Mama!" Elizabeth chirped.

Misty's happy expression snapped into one of complete shock. Ash was just as shocked, but he also couldn't help but to feel a little…betrayed.

"Oh…my gosh…" Misty breathed.

"Mama," Elizabeth repeated, smiling at Misty.

Misty grinned and snatched Elizabeth out of Ash's grasp, holding her close and showering her with tons of adoring kisses. "I can't believe it! My beautiful baby's first word was "Mama"! Ash, why didn't you just tell me that?"

His eyes as wide as could be, Ash stammered, "b…because that wasn't her first word! El…Elizabeth's first word was "Dada"! She said it before!"

Eyeing Ash over the baby's head, Misty rolled her eyes and gently chided, "now, Ash, don't get jealous! I know you're upset that none of the kids said "Dada" first, but that doesn't mean you have to make things up."

"I'm not making it up!" Ash cried. "She said "Dada" before you ever came in here! And she said it, like…5 times!"

"Mama," Elizabeth spoke from Misty's arms.

Smiling, Misty hummed, "that doesn't sound like "Dada" to me."

Ash grabbed at his hair and nearly yanked it out. He couldn't believe this! Elizabeth's first word _had _been "Dada"! He'd heard it himself, and he wasn't crazy! All of a sudden, Elizabeth had decided to learn her _second _word, and now Misty thought it was her first. _Of freaking course._

"Oh, this is just incredible!" Misty kissed Elizabeth's head. "I have to call my sisters and show them that their baby niece's first word was me! They'll all be so jealous. Their daughter's first words were all "Dada"!"

"But…Elizabeth's first word _was _"Dada"!" Ash continued to argue. "She's saying "Mama" because that's her _second _word!"

"Ash, honey, I told you, there's no need to get so worked up over it," Misty smiled reassuringly at her husband. "In due time, Elizabeth will say "Dada." I promise."

"I…but I…she can say "Dada" already!" Ash wailed. "Just wait for it. She'll say it!"

Misty glanced down at Elizabeth and tilted her head. Sensing her mother's eyes on her, Elizabeth looked up with her own emerald orbs and let out an adorable little giggle. "Mama?"

"Oh, you're just the cutest thing!" Misty held her daughter up in the air before lowering her to kiss her on the nose. "I have to fix myself up before I call my sisters. That battle disheveled me a little, and I know my sisters will just make some obnoxious comments about it. Watch Lizzie for me, won't you?"

Ash furrowed his brow and didn't respond. Giggling, Misty simply handed the baby over to Ash, smiling as the infant squealed in delight. With that, the gym leader turned on a heel and darted up the stairs, her fiery red hair flying out behind her.

Once Misty was out of earshot, Ash sighed noisily and glanced down at his daughter. "Lizzie, what in the world was that?"

"Dada?" Elizabeth tilted her head.

Gasping, Ash looked up the stairs and yelled, "MISTY!"

Within seconds, the gym leader came running down the steps, her face looking clearly panicked. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Elizabeth said it again!" Ash's eyes were wide. "She said "Dada"! I swear!"

Misty glanced down at Elizabeth, who was wiggling around in Ash's arms. "Ash, she's not saying anything."

"Just wait, she'll say it," Ash's voice was determined.

Elizabeth looked off to the side, into the living room, her little hands rising up into the air while she furled and unfurled her tiny fingers. "Mama…"

"What?" Ash was frantic. "N…no, Lizzie!"

"That just gets more and more adorable every time she says it!" Misty squealed before skipping back up the stairs.

Ash groaned and smacked his face with the palm of his hand.

Giggling, Elizabeth began to clap her hands together, happily crying out, "Dada! Dada!"

"You've gotta' be kidding me," Ash slumped forward.

Cooing, Elizabeth reached up with her hand and brushed her fingers against the bottom of Ash's jaw. "Dada!"

Ash moaned and complained, "I should've recorded you saying it…"

"Dada."

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><p><strong>The only people who know that "Dada" was Elizabeth's first word is Ash and all of us :P Misty think it's "Mama," and everyone else is just going to be conflicted XD Or not, depending on who gets to them first: Ash or Misty :P<strong>

**Were you guys surprised? I hope so. Elizabeth's a tricky little one, even as a baby! Leave a review and let me know. I'm DYING to know what you guys thought about this one :P**


	56. Okay

**New one shot for you guys! I'm really cranking these out, huh? It's easy to do when you're not doing anything else...this is my laziest summer ever, I'm loving it :P**

**This one focuses on the relationship between Ash and Misty. The twins are in it, but juuust barely. So enjoy some cute Pokeshipping fluff ;)**

**Aiden and Michelle: 1 month old**

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><p><strong>Okay<strong>

She was shaken from her sleep by the sound of crying.

Misty raised slowly, her body weighed down by lingering exhaustion and slumber. Her eyes were heavy, but she managed to will them open, adjusting to the darkness of her bedroom. She turned her head to the right and stared down the baby monitor perched atop her nightstand. It didn't take long for her to process, however, that the crying was not coming from that small device.

It was coming from her left. The other person in the bed.

"Ash?" Misty whipped her head around.

The young man was sitting on the edge of the bed, his back facing Misty. He was slumped over, his shoulders visibly shaking and his hands over his face.

"Ash…" Misty sighed, getting up on her knees and crawling over to her husband. She placed a gentle hand on his back and peered over at his covered face, frowning when he barely acknowledged her. Without another word, Misty swung her legs over the edge of the bed and slowly rubbed Ash's back, resting her head against his shoulder. He would come around, eventually.

And, just as Misty had expected, Ash took his hands away from his face and turned his head to look at her, his eyes sparkling in the moonlight thanks to the tears that filled them.

Misty felt his gaze on her and looked up into his handsome face. It sounded strange, but the first thing Misty thought of was how adorable Ash was. Even when he was crying, although it broke her heart, Misty found the young man to be completely gorgeous. Ash wasn't an "ugly" crier; his eyes never became red and puffy, his nose never ran or darkened. He just looked like a very sad little boy, and it was enough to break down the guard of the toughest person.

"What's wrong?" Misty asked, her voice light and airy.

Ash sniffled and rubbed his eyes with the back of his palms. "It's…nothing."

"If it was nothing, you wouldn't be sitting on the edge of our bed at two in the morning _sobbing,_" Misty stressed, bringing a slight blush to Ash's cheeks. Misty knew it wasn't because he was embarrassed; it was because she had read him like a book. "Tell me."

Sighing, Ash once again lowered his hands so they were resting on his knees. Taking a quick glance at Misty, he murmured, "I'm just…worried, I guess."

"About what?" Misty tilted her head slightly.

There was silence for a moment. Ash bit his lip and moved his fidgety hands from his knees onto the side of the bed, gripping it tightly. And finally, he answered in a weak, shaky voice:

"Michelle."

Misty frowned and wrapped her arms around Ash, giving him the tightest and most comforting hug she could possibly give. "Oh, Ashy. I understand that you're worried. I am too. But…she's going to be okay."

"What if she's not?" Ash closed his eyes tightly.

"She will be," Misty replied strongly.

Ash didn't respond, didn't move. He just sat there, his eyes screwed shut and his fingers desperately gripping the side of the bed. Misty watched the sheets bunch up beneath his palms, the muscles in his arms tensing as he squeezed.

"Ash, please," Misty whispered tearfully. It killed her to see him so distraught. "Don't beat yourself up over this. It's not our fault…it's not."

In reality, Misty was trying to convince _herself _of that fact. She did feel that Michelle's weak lungs were her fault. She was the one who had carried them for nearly 9 months, after all. It had to have been something that she'd done. Dr. Aaron and even the twins' pediatrician had assured Misty that she had nothing to do with Michelle's condition. Those reassurances didn't help Misty to feel any better, and she wondered if Ash silently blamed her as well. Those thoughts were a major part of what had led Misty to her post partum depression, however, so she tried her hardest not to dwell on it.

Sighing, Misty pulled Ash down until his head was beneath hers, her chin resting atop his head. She cuddled him and rubbed his arm, feeling the muscles lose their rigidity as he relaxed under her touch. Misty propped his head up with her fingers and kissed him on the cheek before resting her nose against it, breathing out gently on him and tickling the Pokémon Master's skin with her breath.

And then, all of Misty's seemingly successful attempts to calm her husband down went out the window.

A cry, far more shrill and high pitched than Ash's previous sobs, pierced the air, and before Misty could even _think_ to react, Ash had jumped right out of her arms, onto his feet, and into the hallway. Biting her lip, Misty hurried after the young man, knowing exactly where he was going.

Stopping in front of the babies' nursery, Misty peered in and found Ash leaning over the crib on the right side of the room. His expression was one of obvious concern, but as soon as he'd gathered the tiny, red headed baby in his arms, it transformed into one of sympathetic relief.

"Hi, baby girl," Ash whispered to the infant. "Please don't cry…it isn't good for you."

The baby just continued to cry, but Ash wasn't deterred. He started to pace back and forth, keeping a determined face as he cradled the child close to his chest. Misty just watched in agony, her heart all but shattering. Ash's desperation for the baby to be healthy and well was so apparent…he was going to run himself ragged over the poor little girl.

"Ash, honey, its okay," Misty walked into the room, holding her arms out. "Let me take her."

"No," Ash answered quickly, his eyes appearing frantic. "I'm fine, really. I'll stay with her. You can go back to bed if you want, Mist."

"Ash…" Misty frowned.

"She'll be fine, I'm going to take care of her," Ash stroked Michelle's cheek.

Misty didn't want to leave, but she could tell that Ash was being persistent. Nodding her head, she walked out of the nursery and back to her own room, sitting on the bed but not even attempting to lie down.

"Pi…pikachupi?"

Misty raised her eyes and found Pikachu, who had previously been curled up in a ball and sleeping on Ash's pillow, staring up at her with his beady black eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry Pikachu," Misty frowned, "did I wake you up?"

"Pi," Pikachu shook his head and unfurled his body, scurrying closer to the gym leader. "Pikachu?"

"I'm just worried about Ash," Misty drew her knees into her chest and sighed sadly. "I'm just as concerned about Michelle and her health as he is, but poor Ash is stressing out over it _so _much. I've caught him crying about it a few times already, but tonight was the first time that I actually confronted him about it."

"Chu," Pikachu's ears fell. He seemed to sympathize with his trainer's wife.

"He's going to drive himself crazy," Misty buried her face in her hands. "I know Ash, and I know that he'll spend all night with the baby if I don't find a way to get him back in here."

"Pi," Pikachu agreed.

Misty wanted to ask Pikachu what to do, but he was just a Pokémon. And as close as the little electric mouse was to his trainer, Misty wasn't sure if even _Pikachu _could help with what was going on. Frowning deeply, Misty settled herself down and pulled the covers up over her shoulders, trying to go back to sleep.

"Pika," Pikachu murmured, moving closer to Misty and snuggling up against the young woman.

"Thanks, Pikachu," Misty stroked the Pokémon's fur until she felt her eyes fall.

**XXX**

Unfortunately, Misty didn't stay asleep for long.

She woke up just about an hour later, feeling rather restless. Pikachu remained asleep, however, and Misty made it her goal not to wake the little Pokémon up. Glancing over to the left, she was discouraged to see that Ash _still _hadn't returned to bed. Sighing, Misty slid out of bed and tip toed out of the bedroom, down the hallway and into the babies' nursery.

Just as she had suspected, Ash was sitting in the rocking chair in the corner of the room, staring down at Michelle with a somber, indomitable expression. The baby girl was finally asleep, although it was obvious that she was still having a bit of a hard time breathing.

"Ash," Misty whispered, approaching her husband, "you have to go to sleep."

"No, I don't," Ash didn't even look up at Misty. "I won't go to sleep until Michelle's breathing evens out. I'll stay up all night with her if I have to."

"There's nothing we can do, Ash," Misty frowned. "You remember what Dr. Neal said. We can't do anything that will help Michelle to breathe easier. Her lungs will just have to strengthen on their own."

"But maybe…if she knows I'm here for her…maybe it'll be easier," Ash's voice was cracking. "I don't know, I just want to do _something, _Misty."

Misty reached out and pressed her hands against Ash's cheeks, leaning into his face to kiss him on the lips. Finally, Ash looked up at his wife and found her look to be extremely sympathetic and quite sad.

"I understand, honey," Misty murmured. "You don't know how much I understand. I spend so much of my day trying to figure something out, but I can't. I just _can't. _And it hurts. But…she'll be fine. Her lungs will get stronger. Michelle's a strong little girl."

Ash's lip quivered as he stared Misty right in the eyes and questioned softly, "how do you know?"

Giggling, Misty stroked Ash's cheek and responded easily, "Because she's _your _daughter. You're the strongest person I know."

Ash's brow bent as he reached out to touch Misty's wrist. Breathing out quietly, Ash lowered Misty's hand and stood up, walking over to Michelle's crib and lowering the baby into it. Still frowning, Ash leaned over to graze the infant's cheek with his finger tips, ending his gentle touch with a loving kiss on the forehead.

"You're a good Dad," Misty rested her chin atop Ash's shoulder.

He turned his head and smiled lightly at his wife, returning a simple, "thanks."

Her lips bending into a frown, Misty tilted her head slightly and pressed, "Could I ask you something?"

Ash seemed a little confused by Misty's sudden timidity, but never the less, he responded, "of course."

Looking up at her husband, Misty's breath fell short for a moment before she finally built up enough courage to ask the question that had been eating away at her for weeks: "do you blame me for Michelle's health problems?"

Ash no longer seemed bewildered, and his expression softened to one of pure compassion. Turning around, he swiftly picked up a surprised Misty and carried her over to the rocking chair, sitting down with the pretty gym leader in his lap. Misty blinked and wrapped her arms around Ash's neck, staring the Pokémon Master straight in the eyes.

"I would never, _ever_ blame you for that," Ash began, his voice sounding more strong and sure than it had all night. "It's _not _your fault, Misty. Believe me…it's not. I'm crushed that she has to deal with this, but I've never once thought that it was your fault." Hugging Misty, he added with finality, "It's not your fault."

Misty relaxed in Ash's embrace, her heart fluttering slowly as she was silently reassured by her husband. After a few minutes, Misty turned her eyes back up onto Ash and informed him, "We should really go back to bed now. It's almost four in the morning."

Ash nodded and allowed Misty to climb off of his lap, getting to the floor and brushing her hair behind her ear. He got up onto his own feet and, before following after Misty, made sure to stop by Michelle's crib in order to check on the baby.

"Ash, come on," Misty sighed, fearing that the young father would get stuck in the same spot all over again.

A big smile suddenly appeared on Ash's face, and he looked up to show it off to his wife. "Misty, come here!" He whispered urgently.

Misty blinked but followed Ash's command, stepping back into the room and peering over the side of their daughter's crib. Observing the baby, Misty eventually realized just what Ash was so happy about: Michelle was breathing more easily. Her chest wasn't rising and falling as dramatically, and no tiny squeaks were escaping her full, pouty lips.

"Her breathing evened out," Ash respired.

"Yeah," Misty beamed.

"She's going to be okay," Ash determined strongly.

Glancing at Ash, Misty giggled softly and added, "We're _all _going to be okay."


	57. A Festive Birth

**Guess what, guys? Elizabeth's birthday is August 5th. Guess what today is? August 5th. That means...special Elizabeth one shot! Yay!**

**This one is a little different than what I usually do; Ash and Misty aren't really the main focus. You'll see what I mean as you read; it focuses on another one of Misty's special relationships ;)**

* * *

><p><strong>A Festive Birth<strong>

Danny was bored.

He _did _like the water festival, really he did. He'd loved it ever since he was just a little boy. But this year, it was lacking. Maybe that was because Misty wasn't around. The gym leader was an important part of the festival, as per its tradition, but Misty was ridiculously pregnant, and had decided that it wouldn't be a good idea to partake in the festival that year. Granted, it _had _been rather amusing to see Ash dressed up as the Queen (blushing and stammering like mad while delivering the annual speech to the citizens of Cerulean) but it wasn't the same without the fiery, red headed gym leader.

The store owners of the city were the ones who ran the game and food booths at the festival. Danny's father, Felix, thought it would be fun to run the cotton candy stand, so they had ever since Danny could remember. Now that he was older and had returned from his Pokémon journey, however, Danny helped out at the stand with his mother, father, and three older sisters. They all took shifts so everyone had an opportunity to walk around and experience the festival. At the moment, Danny was running the stand with his third oldest sister, Chloe.

The 15 year old boy glanced over at his 17 year older sister. She had her eyes locked onto her phone, seemingly uninterested in anything else.

"Chloe," Danny finally piped up, "do you have a…weird feeling?"

Chloe scoffed and took her eyes away from the phone screen to instead stare at her brother. "No. What in the world are you talking about?"

"I don't know," Danny rested his head in his hand, allowing his hazel eyes to wander. "I just feel like something is off."

"You're just being weird," Chloe replied simply, tucking a strand of dark blonde hair behind her ear. "When do you think Alexis and Gianna will be back?"

Alexis and Gianna were the siblings' oldest sisters: Alexis being the oldest at 22, and Gianna following her at 20. They had left their shift awhile ago so Alexis could hang out with her boyfriend and Gianna could meet up with a group of her friends.

"I don't know, but they _have _been gone for too long," Danny grumbled.

Suddenly, his poke gear buzzed, alerting the teenage boy. Reaching to his waist, Danny pulled off the red and black device, scrutinizing the screen to see what had caused the noise. Danny's silence caught Chloe's attention, causing the dark blonde girl to look up and furrow her brow.

"What's up?" Chloe asked.

"I just got a text message from Misty," Danny murmured.

Now Chloe was _really _interested. She'd admired Misty as a child; the gym leader was the reason that Chloe had chosen an Azurill, now a Marill, to be her partner.

"What does it say?" Chloe prodded.

Danny opened the message and scanned his eyes across the words. Instantly, they widened to an almost comical size, a gasp escaping from his throat as his head shot up. The brown haired boy was staring at his sister in disbelief, which concerned the older girl to an extent.

"What is it, Danny?" Chloe was on edge.

"Misty is in labor," Danny breathed.

Chloe's face lit up. "Aw, the little baby! She's gonna' be the cutest thing in the whole wide world! Aiden and Michelle are."

"Chloe," Danny reached out and grabbed his sister's arm, "don't you remember the legend of the festival?"

"Which one?" Chloe blinked. "There are lots."

"The one about babies born in Cerulean City during the first week of August," Danny's eyes were still wide.

"Oh, yeah," Chloe breathed in realization before repeating the well known myth, "any baby born during the water festival will do something great with their life."

A huge smile broke out on Danny's face. "Misty's baby will be special. Everyone's going to go _crazy _when they find out her baby is coming now!" He made a break for it, ready to go tell everyone about Misty's condition, but was quickly stopped by Chloe, who had grabbed onto the back of his shirt and halted him completely. "Hey!"

"You shouldn't go and tell everyone that Misty's having her baby," Chloe chastised her brother. "It isn't right!"

"But they'll all find out eventually," Danny argued softly.

"Look, I know Misty is a very good friend of yours, and you're excited that her baby is about to be born," Chloe sighed, "but something like that should be left up to her or Ash."

"How can Misty do it?" Danny raised an eyebrow. "She's in _labor._"

"Reason enough not to get on her nerves," Chloe sighed.

"What in the name of Arceus are you two talkin' about?"

Chloe and Danny both looked up to find their father staring at them, one eyebrow raised with a curious look on his face. Standing next to him was his wife and the siblings' mother, Mary, who looked just as inquisitive as her husband.

"Mom, Dad, Misty is in labor!" Danny informed his parents with a bright expression.

"I told you not to tell anyone, dimwit!" Chloe smacked her forehead.

"It's just Mom and Dad," Danny mumbled.

"Oh, how exciting!" Mary beamed, her golden blonde ponytail swaying behind her. "Misty's little girl is going to be so beautiful."

"That's exactly what I said!" Chloe giggled.

"A lucky baby, too," Felix clicked his tongue. "Born during the festival."

Mary gasped and shot her husband a surprised look. "Oh my goodness, I completely forgot about that! This is unbelievable! Misty is giving birth to the water princess!"

"This city is gonna' explode when they hear about it," Felix shook his head. "I always knew Misty was somethin' special."

**XXX**

Although Danny hadn't gone and spread the news of Misty's imminent delivery, the media had, and the city was now even livelier than it had already been. The city usually packed in the festival around 11 at night, but not on this night. They were determined to stay up until their gym leader welcomed her newest child into the world.

Of course, to the media and most of the world, _Ash _was the bigger deal in the story. Misty was, essentially, just the "lucky one" who had been chosen by Ash to have his Pokémon Master babies.

In Cerulean City, however, it was an entirely different story.

Misty was the one who was loved and revered by these fair citizens. _She _was the big deal here; not Ash. It had always been that way, and it always would be.

While everyone else was gathered around televisions, waiting for the latest word on the gym leader, or talking amongst themselves in small groups, Danny was leaning over the edge of his family's booth, staring down his poke gear with attentive eyes. He was waiting for something from Misty…_anything. _

"She's not going to text you, Danny," Gianna warned her brother.

"Why wouldn't she?" Danny looked over his shoulder, glaring gently at the older girl.

"Because she's having a _baby,_" Gianna drawled slowly, to prove her point that it was the most obvious thing in the world. "She's a little busy right now to be texting a little kid."

"I'm not a little kid!" Danny argued.

"Either way," Gianna sighed, "she won't be texting you while she's busy doing that."

"I meant _after _she has the baby," Danny narrowed his eyes. "She told me she would in her last message! The one she sent me all those hours ago when she first got to the hospital."

"Like she'll remember _that_," Gianna rolled her eyes. "She's going to be much too busy with the new baby, Danny. It's an overwhelming experience."

"How would you know?" Danny bit. "You've never had a baby."

Placing a hand on her only brother's shoulder, Gianna continued more softly, "I'm only telling you this because I don't want you to be upset if you don't get a message. You may very well first hear about it on the TV, just like everyone else."

Danny grunted but didn't respond with any words. He knew Misty would stay true to her word. They were good friends, and Misty had never let him down before. She certainly wouldn't start now.

**XXX**

It was nearly half an hour past 1 AM when the citizens of Cerulean City had heard what they'd been waiting for.

Misty had given birth to a healthy daughter at 1:05 in the morning via c-section. There was no other information other than that, but even that small amount of data was enough to send the citizens into a fervent celebration.

Danny, however, was more worried than elated. He still hadn't gotten a text message from Misty. Had something gone wrong with her? They'd said the baby was healthy, but nothing had been reported about Misty. Was she okay?

"Danny, what's up?" Alexis called, finally realizing that her brother was halfway hanging over the edge of the booth.

"I'm worried," Danny stood up straight, locking eyes with his oldest sister. "Misty still hasn't sent me a text message."

The teenager couldn't help but to be concerned about Misty. She was one of his best friends, and had been ever since he was young. They had been able to bond over the fact that they were both the youngest siblings. It was especially easy for them since they both had three older sisters. Misty was 12 years older than Danny, but they were still close. She considered him a younger brother; one who wasn't annoying.

Giggling, Alexis shook her head and reassured the younger boy, "Danny, relax. I'm sure Misty is just fine! She could be asleep for all we know."

"But what if she's not?" Danny mumbled.

Alexis smiled sympathetically at the boy and pulled back her long, dark brown hair. "I'm positive she is, Danny. Everyone wouldn't be so happy if there was something wrong with Misty."

Danny nodded despondently and went back to staring at his poke gear…waiting.

**XXX**

Inside Cerulean City Memorial Hospital, still early that morning, the city's beloved gym leader sat up in her bed, holding the newborn girl in her arms and showing the tiny thing off to her older siblings. Beside the bed sat Ash, his head resting his hand with his elbow propped up on the bed, watching the sweet scene before him with sparkling eyes.

"I'm so happy that she finally has a name," Ash glanced down at the baby.

"Me too," Misty agreed.

"I named her!" Aiden beamed.

"Yes, you did, sweetheart!" Misty giggled.

Sighing contently, Ash cocked his head and mused, "I wonder how excited everyone is now that she's here. They've all been waiting for her just as anxiously as we have."

Gasping, Misty's eyes widened as she remembered, "oh, Ash! The water festival! I almost forgot about it!"

"What?" Ash blinked.

"Today is the fifth day of the festival," Misty murmured.

"And our daughter was born," Ash breathed, realizing where Misty was going with this.

Her smile broadening, Misty's face lit up as she squealed, "the legend! Our baby is special! I can't _believe _that I had a baby during the festival! I never could've imagined that, not in a million years!"

The infant in her arms whined, clearly not pleased with all of the noise that was being made. Looking regretful, Misty raised the newborn to her face and nuzzled the child, hoping to relax her.

"I bet this means a lot to everyone, huh?" Ash was still smiling.

"Yeah," Misty nodded rapidly. "No gym leader has ever had a baby during the festival. I'm the first one."

"I think we should allow the citizens of Cerulean City to meet our beautiful daughter before anyone else in the world," Ash smirked. "Don't you think?"

Misty seemed to understand the true meaning behind Ash's words. She grinned lovingly at him, agreeing, "yes, absolutely!"

"Let's do it," Ash chuckled, jumping off the bed and walking towards the door.

Aiden and Michelle shot their mother highly bewildered looks, to which Misty giggled and assured, "don't worry. You two will see what Mommy and Daddy are up to soon enough. But before we do that…will one of you give me my poke gear, please?"

Michelle, who was closest to the edge of the bed, crawled over to the nightstand and retrieved Misty's blue and white device, handing it over to her mother.

"Thank you, little princess," Misty smiled at the child, making a few selections on the screen before holding the blue and white object over the baby's face.

"What are you doing, Mommy?" Michelle squeaked.

"Just keeping a promise," Misty giggled. "That's all."

**XXX**

In downtown Cerulean, the festival was starting up again, although it had never really ended from the day before, thanks to Misty giving birth. Many people had been there all night long, and now the festival had become a huge celebration for the gym leader's new child.

Danny was excited, but still worried about Misty. The only thing that was remotely distracting him was the banter between his mother and three sisters going on behind him, all of them debating over what the new baby's name would be.

"Every time I saw Ash, he would just go on and on about the name Kate," Mary stated. "He wanted to name Michelle that! I think he'll finally get that name in."

"Nah, I kept hearing Misty talk about naming her Cora," Gianna refuted. "It's supposed to sound like coral."

"Cora Ketchum?" Chloe stuck her tongue out. "I hate the way that sounds."

"I can't imagine Misty giving her daughter a name like that," Alexis agreed.

"Ariel is a pretty name," Chloe sighed dreamily.

"It sounds too similar to Aiden," Mary commented.

"Good, because that's what I want to name my future daughter," Chloe giggled.

"Maybe a name similar to Misty's grandmother," Alexis guessed. "I remember how much she loved her. Something like Amelia, maybe."

As Danny secretly listened in to their conversation, his poke gear buzzed, alerting the teenager to a new message. Glancing at the screen, Danny saw that the message was from none other than…Misty!

Gasping, he opened the message and stared at the screen, taking in what had been sent to him by the gym leader.

Just as Danny busied himself with that, the large video screen that hung high above the festival came to life, the image of Ash, Misty, and their two older children appearing. Aiden and Michelle weren't looking in the camera; they appeared to be busy playing with some toys instead. In Misty's arms was a little pink bundle; clearly the new baby. Her face wasn't towards the camera, however, so it wasn't visible to the festival goers. All they could see was tufts of her dark red hair and one of her little hands, which was resting against Misty's body.

"Hello, everyone," Misty greeted warmly. It was obvious that she was tired; her eyelids looked heavy and she was wearing barely any makeup. Despite this, she was still exceedingly beautiful. "I'm terribly sorry that I've had to miss the festival this year." Motioning towards the baby in her arms, she let out a soft giggle and added, "I was a little busy with something."

Danny looked between the screen and his poke gear in awe. He couldn't believe it. That little baby in Misty's arms…she was really here.

"Misty and I are really excited that she was born during the water festival," Ash added, with Misty nodding in agreement. "We know that you guys are, too!"

"That's why we thought you should all be introduced to Miss Elizabeth Dilynne Ketchum before anyone else," Misty's airy voice informed the citizens, everyone gasping and then cheering at the reveal of the newborn's name.

"Elizabeth? What an adorable name!" Mary exclaimed.

"It's so classic and beautiful," Alexis agreed.

On the screen, Ash nuzzled Misty's cheek, causing the gym leader to giggle before once again addressing the citizens of her city, "thanks, everyone! I hope you're all enjoying the festival. I'll see you all there next year with our beautiful new water princess right here!"

At this, Michelle gasped and whipped around, crying out, "Mommy! _I'm_ the princess!"

"Uh…" Misty glanced nervously into the camera before looking at her older daughter, "you are, sweetheart! You're both princesses!"

"Daddy!" Michelle stormed. "I'm the princess! I'm your princess! Tell her!"

All of Michelle's yelling woke up the baby, who began to cry quite loudly, which then led Aiden to cover his ears and complain to his parents, all culminating towards a clearly flustered Ash running over to the camera to turn it off.

With the gym leader and her family off of the screen, all of the festival goers began to talk excitedly amongst themselves, about the baby's name, how Misty appeared to be doing, and what Elizabeth's face probably looked like, since they hadn't been able to see it.

Danny, however, didn't have to wonder. He knew what she looked like; and she was, as expected, a gorgeous baby.

Pulling out his poke gear, Danny opened the message once again, smiling at the image of baby Elizabeth's sleeping face accompanied by text:

_Don't worry, Danny, I didn't forget my promise! This is Elizabeth Dilynne. You're the first person in Cerulean to see her and know her name! I know she's excited to meet you; I'll bring the real thing to you as soon as I can :)_

* * *

><p><strong>I really like Danny, okay. He's a cool character. You'll definitely be seeing more of him later on. But yes, he and Misty are very good friends. Have you ever noticed how well she bonds with the youngest siblings, like Sakura and Max? It's the same thing with Danny :) She's quite a bit older than him, but they're still very good friends ^^<strong>

**Also, notice how I tied this in with one of my previous one shots? Teehee, Ash in the Queen costume :P**


	58. Freckles

**This is one I've wanted to put up for awhile. I had written it somewhere else, but finally typed it up. Enjoy!**

**Michelle: 2 and a half years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Freckles<strong>

"Where is Michelle?" Misty muttered to herself, eyes scanning the empty living room. "She's been _way _too quiet this afternoon."

Biting her lip, Misty walked up the stairs, still searching for her daughter. It concerned her when the twins were too quiet, because they just weren't quiet kids. They had taken after Ash in the fact that they had a lot of energy and were hard to contain. The house was usually full of energy, since there were two children that rarely sat still. But this afternoon had been different. Aiden was out, on some sort of excursion with Brock and Brandon. Ash was out in the backyard training, and Michelle…well, Misty hadn't seen the girl in a little while.

"Michelle!" Misty called.

"Mama…"

Misty's head snapped up. That was her daughter's voice, alright. But where was she? Misty, in her head, tried to figure out where the girl's voice had come from. Her bedroom? The attic? Misty really hoped not the attic.

As she walked down the hallway, peeking her head into every single room, Misty eventually realized just where the young girl was: in the bathroom.

Much to Misty's horror, however, the child was sitting atop the counter, staring into the mirror and poking at her face; right above her nose.

"Michelle, how did you get up there?!" Misty hurried into the bathroom, lifting the young girl off the counter and into her arms.

Wordlessly, Michelle pointed down at a light blue plastic step, perched right against the front of the counter. Narrowing her eyes, Misty made a mental note to kill Ash for buying the stupid thing.

"Mama," Misty tugged at her mother's shirt, causing the gym leader to turn her attention onto her daughter. "I has stuffs on my face."

"What do you mean, little princess?" Misty raised an eyebrow.

"What's these?" Michelle pointed a finger at the small, very light marks that dotted the bridge of her nose.

"Those are freckles, sweetheart," Misty smiled at her daughter. Michelle made a scared face, causing Misty to giggle lovingly. "They're perfectly normal!"

"Feckles?" Michelle repeated.

"Close," Misty smiled. "Freckles."

Michelle, however, didn't seem to care how it was pronounced. She was more absorbed in their purpose. "Why awe they thewe?"

"You were born with them," Misty answered simply.

"I hads them when I was a baby?"

"Uh…no, sweetheart," Misty shook her head. "They showed up when you got a little older."

"I never seen them," Michelle shook her head.

"Because you weren't looking closely enough!" Misty tapped the child's nose.

Michelle seemed to contemplate this a little more. Looking back in the mirror, she continued to poke at the marks, confusing Misty to some extent. Finally, Michelle tilted her head back and glanced up at her mother, a frown set on the child's face.

"Can we take 'em off?" Michelle asked very seriously.

Misty's eyes widened, surprised by her daughter's question. "No, baby, we can't. Why do you want to get rid of your freckles?"

"They make me ugly," Michelle scowled.

"Nothing could ever make you ugly, sweetheart," Misty cooed.

"I don't like 'em," Michelle whined. "I don't like my feckles, Mama."

"I do!" Misty turned Michelle around so she was facing her. Rubbing her finger over the bridge of Michelle's nose, Misty commented softly, "they're so cute."

Michelle looked just like Misty in almost every single way: the same hair and eye color, the shape of their eyes and nose. There was no denying, however, that Michelle had inherited her father's mouth, if only a little more full. They had the same exact smile, which always warmed Misty's heart. The other prominent feature that Michelle had inherited from her father, Misty assumed, was the freckles. No one in her family had freckles; Misty certainly didn't. But Ash had those precious markings under his eyes that were so distinct and charming. She had been expecting their son to be born with the same marks, but he hadn't. Neither had Michelle, though Misty hadn't expected the girl to. But once she'd turned about 18 months old, Misty had noticed small, very light freckles forming on the bridge of the baby's nose. As Michelle grew into a toddler, the freckles became slightly darker, and a little more noticeable. It then made Misty realize that the freckles had probably come from Ash.

"Mama," Michelle really seemed bothered by this, "they awe ugly."

"No, they're cute," Misty shook her head. "And they make you Shelly! Who would you be without those adorable little freckles?"

"Shelly," Michelle answered simply. "But wifout feckles."

"We're keeping your freckles, baby girl," Misty smiled sympathetically at the child.

"No one has feckles but me," Michelle frowned.

Smiling sweetly, Misty stroked Michelle's cheek and softly reasoned, "what about Daddy? He has stuff on his face, doesn't he?"

Michelle nodded before asking, "Why?"

"He was born with them," Misty answered with a smile, "just like you and your freckles! I think those marks he has are _very _cute. I can't imagine Daddy without them!"

"Me too," Michelle agreed.

"See?" Misty beamed. "Your freckles are an important part of you! I think they're adorable, just like your Daddy's marks!"

"No," Michelle shook her head.

Biting her lip, Misty lowered her head rather quickly, hair flipping out over Michelle and curtaining the back of the girl, who looked up in confusion. Smiling, Misty turned her eyes down to her child and asked, "how about we go talk to Daddy? I bet he can change your mind!"

"Nuh uh," Michelle shook her head.

"Uh huh," Misty countered rather cutely, kissing her daughter on the head as she stepped out of the bathroom, back down the stairs and all the way out into the backyard.

Once outside, Michelle pressed her hands against her mother's shoulders and pulled herself back, looking over her shoulder to see what was going on behind her. What she saw was her father, his back turned towards her and her mother, busy giving two of his Pokémon commands while they battled fiercely in front of him.

"Ash," Misty called sweetly.

The Pokémon Master turned around without hesitation, a big grin on his handsome face at the sight of his wife and daughter. Pikachu and Donphan, the two Pokémon Ash had been practicing with, stopped sparring and looked up at their trainer, wondering what had distracted him.

"Hey there, Mist," he greeted warmly. Glancing down a little, he made eye contact with his daughter and sweetly acknowledged, "Hi, baby girl!"

"Hi, Daddy," Michelle waved at her father, smiling feebly at him.

"I know you're in the middle of training, but could you talk to Michelle for a few minutes?" Misty asked her husband.

"Why?" Ash's smile disappeared. "Is something wrong?"

"Not really," Misty shrugged. "But she's been looking at her freckles, and she's decided she doesn't really like them."

Gasping playfully, Ash placed his hands on his hips and turned his eyes back onto Michelle, who suddenly looked a little sheepish. "What? My princess doesn't like her freckles?"

"No," Michelle shook her head.

"Aw, come here, sweetie," Ash walked over to Misty and took the little girl out of her hands. He gave her a hug, holding his hand against the back of her head while the child giggled.

"Do _you_ think Michelle's freckles are cute?" Misty asked her husband.

"Of course I do!" Ash cooed, moving his hand from the back of Michelle's head to hold her face. "They're so unique and adorable! Perfect for my precious baby girl."

"No, Daddy!" Michelle frowned. "They ugly."

"Of course they aren't," Ash smirked. "Now, would you have been given those freckles if they made you ugly?"

Michelle shrugged.

"No way!" Ash laughed. "They're special, baby."

"I want to get rid of 'em, Daddy," Michelle pouted. "Pease?"

"No way," Ash shook his head. "I don't ever want you to ever change anything about yourself, sweetheart."

"Can we paint 'em?" Michelle tried. "Wif make up like Mama has!"

"No, princess," Ash said a little more sternly. "You're too special to hide who you are."

Michelle didn't seem to understand what her father meant, although she nodded slowly in response. She was still just a toddler, after all, so the world was still a mysterious place to her. Ash readjusted the girl so she was held the way she'd been as a baby: cradled in his arms. Michelle giggled excitedly; especially when her father bent his head down to kiss her on the nose.

"I love you, baby," Ash murmured sweetly.

"Love you, too," Michelle reached up and poked one of Ash's under eye markings with a tiny finger.

"Hmm?" Ash hummed curiously. "What was that for, princess?"

"Mama says dose is cute," Michelle squeaked, "like my feckles."

"Heh, she sure seems to think so, hm?" Ash glanced over at Misty, who returned an embarrassed little grin.

"Why do we has 'em, Daddy?" Michelle frowned once again. "Wh…why we get stuffs on ouw faces?"

"Because…you and I, we're special," Ash beamed. "That's why I have my marks, and you have your freckles. A special Daddy and baby girl."

"Weally?"

"Yes," Ash hugged the girl to his chest, "really."

Peeking up, Michelle giggled once again and wrapped her arms around Ash's neck, tightly hugging it and nearly choking him in the process. "Yay, Daddy!"

"Y…yeah…yay," Ash choked out.

Without sensing her father's distress, Michelle let go and beamed up at the Pokémon Master. Ash returned the grin, happy to know his daughter no longer felt insecure about her freckles. That was the last thing he wanted.

"Ready to go back to Mommy?" Ash asked the child.

"Yes," Michelle nodded.

Walking over to Misty, Ash handed the girl over and slyly inquired, "So, you got a thing for my eye markings, huh?"

Misty blushed and stammered, "I, well…I…maybe?"

Chuckling, Ash winked at the gym leader before turning around and announcing in an airy voice, "we'll talk more about it later!"

"Something tells me we're not gonna' be doing so much talking as something else," Misty muttered, a mischievous smirk on her beautiful face.

"What you say, Mama?" Michelle tilted her head.

"Oh, nothing, baby!" Misty giggled nervously. "Come along, now. Let's go decide what to have for dinner."


	59. Aiden's Accidents

**I swear I'm not coming up with these things and writing almost 5,000 words in one day! This is another one I already had written somewhere else and decided to type up (because I was kinda bored today, lol) Since the last one was about Michelle, enjoy this one about Aiden!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 3 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Aiden's Accidents<strong>

"M…Mommy…"

Misty slowly opened her eyes, yawning as she stretched out her arms. She was only 24 years old, and to be woken up by her own child was a little crazy for her to face. She never would've thought that, at the age of 24, she would have not one, but TWO toddlers to care for. Really, though, she wouldn't have it any other way. Rolling over onto her side, Misty caught sight of her little boy, who looked fairly upset.

"Aiden, honey, what's wrong?" Misty frowned.

"I…I had an accident, Mommy," Aiden lowered his head in clear shame.

"What?" Misty sat up fully and drew her shoulders back. "Where? In your bed?"

Aiden nodded and sniffled. Right away, Misty could feel her heart breaking.

"Oh, sweetie, don't cry!" Misty climbed out of bed and lifted the little boy into her arms. "It's okay; you just couldn't get up fast enough. It's alright, Mommy isn't mad. Let's go change your sheets, hmm?"

Aiden nodded and buried his face in the crook between his mother's neck and shoulder. Misty kissed him repeatedly and rubbed his back as she walked into his room, turning on the lights so she could properly see her son's bed. There was a fairly gracious wet spot on the sheets, causing Misty to sigh. It had taken awhile to potty train him and Michelle, and Aiden had been much more of a challenge. Boys usually were, or so Misty had read and heard. Aiden still had difficulty aiming, but he'd never had a nighttime accident before.

"Mommy is going to fix it," Misty assured her upset son. "Can I put you down, little guy?"

Aiden sniffled but nodded. Misty gave him another kiss before putting the child back down on the floor. She quickly pulled the sheets off his bed and left them on the floor. She would go and put them in the wash later, but first she needed to get new sheets on Aiden's bed and put the little boy back to sleep. Going into his closet, Misty got a fresh set of red and blue striped sheets and pulled them onto Aiden's bed.

"There," Misty placed her hands on her hips and turned to look at her son, "isn't that all better?"

Aiden sniveled yet again and whined quietly.

"Are you still upset, baby?" Misty frowned.

"I'm still wet…" Aiden whimpered before bursting back into tears.

Misty was confused by Aiden's statement until she looked down at his pajama pants and saw the wet spot.

"Oooh," Misty murmured.

Aiden began to sob more loudly, and Misty just felt so bad for the poor child.

"Come on, honey, it's okay! Mommy is going to fix you up, alright? Not a problem, let's go into the bathroom. I'll bring you new jammies, and we'll get you all cleaned up. Don't cry, baby boy."

Aiden nodded, although tears were still running down his face. He wouldn't leave the room without Misty, so she hurried in picking out a new pair of pajamas and bringing the young boy into the bathroom to wash up.

As she cleaned up the toddler and continued to comfort him, Misty wondered if she should have Aiden wear a pull up. Suggesting such a thing would probably just upset the boy even further, however, and Misty just assumed this was an isolated incident. It certainly wasn't unheard of for a young, newly potty trained child to wet the bed on occasion. It had never happened before, and Aiden hadn't been out of pull ups for long, so Misty wasn't too concerned.

Once Aiden was clean and dressed in dry pajamas, he was beginning to fall asleep in his mother's arms. Just grateful that her son was now calm, Misty carried him back into his room and tucked the half asleep young boy into bed, kissing him and taking the damp sheets before turning off the lights and leaving the room.

**XXX**

"Mist, did you get out of bed last night?"

Misty looked at her curious husband with a sad expression. "Yeah, Aiden had a little problem."

"A nightmare?" Ash blinked.

"No."

"Did he not feel well?" Ash tried again.

"That wasn't it either," Misty shook her head.

"Then what happened?" Ash folded his arms.

"He wet the bed," Misty lowered her voice to a whisper as she sat down across from Ash.

"An accident?" Ash raised his eyebrows. "That's never happened before!"

"I know, I don't understand," Misty sighed.

"I thought we potty trained him," Ash frowned.

"We did, but I guess he couldn't get up fast enough to use the bathroom," Misty shrugged.

"Guess you're right," Ash twisted his mouth in thought before taking a sip of his coffee.

"Mommy! Daddy!"

Ash and Misty looked towards the doorframe and found Aiden running into the kitchen, a big smile gracing his cute face.

"Good morning, baby boy!" Misty beamed. "How are you?"

"Good," Aiden scurried over to Ash and looked up at the man. Chuckling, Ash lifted his son into his lap and hugged the child close to him. Misty, meanwhile, was just relieved that Aiden didn't seem to be dwelling on the previous night.

"You are becoming such a big boy!" Ash tapped the child's head. "How big do you think you're gonna' be, little guy?"

"As big as you, Daddy!" Aiden turned and grinned at his father.

"That's my man!" Ash laughed as he raised the toddler into the air.

Both Ash and Misty knew they'd have to keep an eye on Aiden throughout the day to make sure he didn't have another accident. He never did, though, and even went through the night without having another one. The young parents came to realize they had nothing to be concerned about.

**XXX**

Or so they thought.

Two nights later, Misty was again awoken by a crying Aiden at her bedside.

"Baby?" Misty asked, reaching down with her hand to touch the boy.

"I…I had a accsy…"

"You had another accident?" Misty frowned. Aiden nodded and kept crying. Sighing, Misty got out of bed and cuddled the boy until he calmed down. "Don't cry, baby, it's okay," Misty whispered. "It's just an accident. We'll just change your sheets again. It's alright, sweetie."

Misty repeated the actions of two night prior; replacing the wet sheets and pajamas after cleaning up Aiden. Afterwards, he slept through the night once again, and woke up happy. Again, Misty didn't think too much of it. Little kids were bound to have accidents, that was just a fact.

But then it happened again the very next night. And the night after. And then the night after that.

Four consecutive nights of bed wetting.

"Ash, what are we going to do?" Misty fretted the morning after the latest incident.

"I don't know, maybe he's just not quick to get up, like you said," Ash suggested.

"But five nights out of seven?" Misty raised an eyebrow. "You think he'd have learned by now."

"Just too tired?" Ash shrugged.

"I really feel like we should put him back in pull ups for the night," Misty shook her head.

"Aiden won't go for that," Ash immediately rejected the idea. "He knows that big boys don't wear pull ups to bed."

"But I don't know what else to do!" Misty cried. "I can't keep getting up in the middle of the night to change his sheets and clean him up. I need sleep, Ash! And so does he. It's bad that Aiden gets woken up almost every night by these accidents. He's a little boy, and he needs his sleep."

"I'm not sure," Ash sighed as he massaged his temples, clearly frustrated with the situation himself.

"Maybe we should take him to the doctor," Misty murmured.

Ash's head shot up. "Why would he need to go to the doctor?!"

"Because I think this is a problem," Misty blinked.

"He doesn't have a problem," Ash huffed.

"Okay, where did this sudden attitude come from?!" Misty folded her arms.

"Sorry," Ash rubbed his face with his hand, "I just…it's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Something is up with you," Misty raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing is up with me," Ash shook his head.

"Yes there is," Misty rolled her eyes. "Spit it out."

"It's just…" Ash squinted his eyes, recalling the past, "when I was little, I had a habit of wetting the bed a lot. My Mom thought there was a problem with me, but I knew there wasn't. Honestly, I wasn't really embarrassed about wetting the bed. I didn't care because I was too lazy to get up."

"So…you basically wet the bed on purpose?" Misty seemed disturbed by this.

"Yeah, but I didn't want to tell my _Mom _that," Ash sighed. "Anyway, she thinks I'm dying or something, and drags me to the doctor. I'm not going to go into detail about what went down that day, but I _will _tell you it was a thousand times more embarrassing than me peeing in the bed."

"Aiden DOES get embarrassed by his accidents, though," Misty stressed. "He doesn't wet the bed on purpose…" Misty made a bit of a disgusted face.

"Okay, I didn't _always _do it on purpose," Ash rectified. "Most of the time, it really was an accident. I wasn't embarrassed, though."

"Yes, but Aiden isn't _you!_" Misty groaned.

"He's fine, Mist," Ash smirked. "Just wait and see."

**XXX**

Misty had no idea what the hell Ash was getting at, because that night, Aiden ended up having another accident. And crying over it.

"Not an accident my ass," Misty muttered as she changed Aiden's sheets. "I'm taking this kid to a doctor whether Ash approves of it or not."

The next night, however, Aiden didn't wet the bed. He didn't the night after, either, or the night after that. Soon, Aiden had gone the entire week without wetting his bed.

Misty was confused, to say the least. All of a sudden, her little boy seemed to be cured of his bed wetting issues. He never brought it up, and woke up happy every morning. Really, Misty knew she should've been relieved, but really, she was just even more concerned.

At the end of his whole week without an accident, a chipper Aiden was busy playing with Michelle in the living room, the two young children using building blocks to create different structures.

"Aww, look how cute our babies are, playing together," Ash chuckled.

"Yeah, it's sweet," Misty gave a half hearted smile.

"What's wrong, honey?" Ash frowned.

"I'm just worried about Aiden is all," Misty sighed. "I just can't shake the feeling that something is wrong."

"Nothing's wrong," Ash shook his head. "Look at how happy he is!"

"I know, but…" Misty trailed off.

"Here, I'll prove to you that everything is fine!" Ash jumped up.

"How?" Misty raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to sneak up on Aiden and give him a tickle," Ash grinned. "That'll just show you how happy he is!"

Crouching down low, Ash quietly entered the living room, positioning himself right behind Aiden. Reaching his hands out, he gently grabbed the boy's sides and called out, "gotcha, little buddy!"

Aiden yelled in surprise and fear when his father grabbed him. Accompanying the yelp was something that no one was expecting:

An accident.

"Uh oh…" Ash gasped, taking his hands off of Aiden. The little boy took notice of the wet patch on his pants, and immediately broke out into tears.

"What happened?!" Misty hurried into the room.

"Uh…Aiden wet himself," Ash whispered.

"What?!" Misty gasped and jumped to the ground. Aiden looked at her, still crying and still VERY red in the face. Right away, Misty could tell he was embarrassed.

"Oh, my poor baby," Misty picked Aiden up and rushed him upstairs. "It's okay! Oh, my little sweetheart. Don't be embarrassed! No one is going to make fun of you! My little baby."

Aiden continued to wail as he buried his face into Misty's chest. Sighing, Misty stroked the small child's hair and kissed the top of his head, bringing him into the bathroom and sitting him up on the counter. When Misty headed towards the bath to turn the water on, Aiden let out a small shriek and reached out towards her.

"I'm not going anywhere, sweetie!" Misty quickly turned the water on before going back to Aiden and holding onto his shoulders. "Look, I'm right here. Mommy isn't going to leave you. Please, don't cry, baby boy. I hate it when you cry! I like it when you're happy!"

If anything, this just made Aiden cry even harder. Sighing, Misty hugged the boy once again, rubbing his back in an effort to soothe him.

While Misty was busy tending to the child, Ash walked into the bathroom, his eyes switching between his wife and son.

"Is he okay?" Ash asked Misty, agony clear in his voice.

"The red headed gym leader looked up at her husband and smiled sadly. "Yeah, he's okay. Just pretty upset and embarrassed."

"This is my fault," Ash groaned, his shoulders slumping. "This wouldn't have happened if I hadn't snuck up on Aiden."

"You didn't know that would happen," Misty shook her head. "And you certainly didn't mean for it to happen."

"I still feel so awful," Ash rubbed his face.

"I have to check on the bath and see if the water has warmed up," Misty glanced at Ash. "Could you take care of Aiden for me?"

"Uh…yeah," Ash's heart sank. He couldn't believe how badly he'd hurt his own son. What if the damage was irreversible? Approaching Aiden, Ash put his hands on either side of the boy on the counter and leaned down to be at nearly eye level with the child.

"Hey there, little guy," Ash greeted softly. "I'm really, really sorry that I snuck up on you. I didn't know you would get that scared."

Aiden just sniffled in response.

"I'm really sorry, champ," Ash apologized again. "Could you ever forgive me?"

Aiden looked up at Ash with tear filled eyes, nodding slowly as he took in his father's clearly pained expression. Ash breathed out shakily and showed off a tiny smile before wrapping just one of his strong arms around Aiden's little body.

"Thank you, buddy," Ash kissed the boy's cheek. "Daddy will never, ever do that again."

"Okay, the bath is ready," Misty returned to the counter and stroked Aiden's cheek. "Let me bathe him so he'll be nice and clean."

Ash nodded and let go of Aiden. Misty turned the boy towards her and began to undress him. Looking over Aiden's head, she eyed Ash and quietly instructed him to, "Call the doctor."

This time, Ash was not going to argue with her.

**XXX**

"Mommy, why am I hewe?"

Misty smiled down at her little son. He was just so cute, she couldn't help it. "Because the doctor is going to look at you," Misty gently informed her son.

"I'm not sick," Aiden blinked.

"No, you're not."

"Am I getting a shot?!" Aiden wailed.

"No, baby, there are no shots," Misty assured the boy. "I promise."

"What's he gonna do?" Aiden frowned.

"I'm not sure," Misty admitted, "but I promise that he's not going to hurt you. Why don't you go play with the toys over there?" Misty pointed at the corner of the room full of children's toys. "You might get bored just sitting here with me and Daddy."

Aiden nodded and jumped off his chair, scurrying towards the toys. Just as Aiden left, Ash returned with a clipboard which he was looking over in a bewildered fashion.

"You have no idea how to fill that out, do you?" Misty sighed.

"Why does it matter how much he weighed at birth?" Ash asked. "Shouldn't they know all of this stuff already?"

"Oh, just give it to me," Misty held her hand out for the forms.

"How am I supposed to know what medicines he's allergic to?" Ash scratched his head. "I've never even heard of half of these!"

"Ash, hand it over!" Misty nearly snapped. "Just let me take care of it."

"Better you than me," Ash shrugged as he forfeited the clipboard.

"Yeah, well there's a reason I'm the Mommy," Misty mumbled as she began to fill out the forms.

"Where's Aiden?" Ash questioned.

"He's playing with the toys over in the corner," Misty didn't look up from the clipboard. "I suppose we could've brought Michelle with us…"

"It's okay, you know my Mom loves watching her," Ash chuckled. "Besides, we're going to be discussing Aiden's accidents. I don't want to embarrass him again. I still feel guilty about last time, even though he forgave me."

"That's true," Misty agreed. Sighing, she frowned, "I'm a little worried about what the doctor might find."

"It probably won't be anything serious," Ash tried to assure his wife.

"I hope you're right," Misty fretted. She finished filling out the forms and handed them back to the secretary. After another ten minutes of waiting, the pediatrician emerged, calling for Aiden.

"Come here, sweetheart," Misty beckoned to her son as she and Ash got up. Aiden put down the toy cars he'd been busying himself with and ran over to his mother. Giggling, Misty picked him up and held him against her hip, the doctor smiling at the young boy.

"Hello there, Aiden," the slightly older man greeted warmly. "How are you?"

"Good," Aiden replied softly before burying his face into the side of Misty's neck.

"Strange, he's not usually shy," the doctor gave Aiden a look over.

"I know," Misty frowned. "He's been acting so odd ever since these accidents began."

"Well, why don't we go into the examination room and talk about it?" The doctor suggested.

"That sounds good, thank you, Dr. Neal," Misty nodded.

The young family followed the doctor into one of the examination rooms. Misty placed Aiden on the padded examination table against the wall and went to sit down in a chair next to Ash, but was stopped by Aiden, who was holding onto her wrist.

"What is it, baby boy?" Misty frowned.

"Stay," Aiden whimpered quietly.

"I'm not going anywhere, sweetie!" Misty smiled encouragingly. "I'm just going to sit down next to Daddy."

"No," Aiden shook his head. "Up hewe."

"What?" Misty raised an eyebrow.

"Sit wif me," Aiden pleaded.

"Oh, okay," Misty took a seat next to Aiden.

"Now, what seems to be the problem with little Aiden?" Dr. Neal smiled at the small boy.

"He's been having a lot of accidents," Misty explained. "They mostly happen at night, so I kind of thought maybe it wasn't such a big deal since he's so newly potty trained. But then yesterday, Ash was trying to be playful by sneaking up on Aiden and tickling him. When he did that, Aiden ended up wetting himself."

"I see…constant accidents," Dr. Neal scribbled it down on his chart.

"I still feel bad about that," Ash sighed.

"I wouldn't," Dr. Neal reassured the Pokémon Master. "You couldn't have known. This is likely something that Aiden has no control over." Turning back to the little boy, Dr. Neal cautiously asked, "Aiden, does it upset you when you have these accidents?"

Aiden nodded slowly.

"Okay. Do you know when you're about to have one?"

Aiden shook his head.

"What happens when you have an accident at night? Do you know that you have to go and you just don't get up?"

Again, Aiden shook his head.

"So, when you wake up, it's already happened?"

Aiden nodded.

"I think the accidents wake him up," Misty helped. "He doesn't sleep through them. At night, he'll come crying to me after it happens."

"This does sound to be completely out of his control," Dr. Neal mused. "I'm going to give him an ultrasound to confirm my diagnosis."

"Mommy!" Aiden gasped, looking up at Misty with frightened eyes.

"No, baby, an ultrasound isn't going to hurt you," Misty shook her head.

Whimpering, Aiden crawled onto Misty's lap. The gym leader sighed and hugged the boy, trying to comfort him.

"We can head over to the tech room now," Dr. Neal gathered Aiden's chart. "Just follow me."

Ash and Misty trailed behind the doctor, while Aiden continued to softly whine in Misty's arms.

"I promise this won't hurt, Aiden!" Misty snuggled the boy. "Don't you believe your Mommy?"

Aiden whimpered again.

"Come on, Aiden, these are cool!" gently patted his son's head. "You know, this is how Mommy and I used to see you and your sister when you were in her tummy!"

Aiden glanced up at his father. "Weally?"

"Yeah! They don't hurt at all."

Once in the room, Misty once again put Aiden down on an examination table, but this time placed him lying down on his back.

"I can't sit with you this time, little buddy," Misty stroked Aiden's hair, "but I'll hold your hand, okay?"

Aiden nodded before turning his attention onto the doctor and asking, "Why do I have this?"

"Just so I can know exactly what's going on inside of you," Dr. Neal smiled comfortingly at Aiden.

"I don't have a baby in my tummy," Aiden commented very seriously.

"Aiden!" Misty shrieked, covering her face with her free hand.

"What do you mean there, little guy?" Dr. Neal chuckled.

"Uh…that's my fault," Ash blushed as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I told Aiden that we used ultrasounds to see him and Michelle before they were born…I guess he thinks you're looking for a baby."

"Oh, no no, silly boy!" Dr. Neal laughed as he ruffled Aiden's hair. "I'm not looking for a baby in there. You can use this little machine for a lot more than just looking at babies while they're in their mommies' bellies, you know."

"What awe you lookin' for?" Aiden blinked.

"I need to take a look at your insides," Dr. Neal pulled Aiden's shirt up. "You know, your organs!"

"Like my heawt?" Aiden inquired.

"Yes, that is one of your organs, but not what I'm looking for," Dr. Neal smiled. "I'm going to examine your kidneys and your bladder!"

"Mommy, what awe those?" Aiden scrunched his nose up.

"You don't have to worry about it, sweetie," Misty giggled very softly. "They're just some of your insides!"

"Now, Aiden, I'm going to put this gel on your tummy," Dr. Neal showed Aiden the tube. "It might be a little cold, but it won't hurt."

Aiden nodded. The doctor squeezed some gel onto Aiden's small midsection, and right away he shrieked and began to squirm.

"M…Mommy!" Aiden squealed, frantically twisting his body as if trying to escape.

"Shh, it's okay," Misty squeezed Aiden's hand. "Relax, baby, I know it's very cold, I know. But it doesn't hurt, right?"

Aiden shook his head, but was still left squirming.

"You're going crazy there, little man," Ash placed his hand atop Aiden's head. "Chill out a little, champ!"

Aiden finally managed to calm down. The doctor rubbed the gel in and then took the wand, turning on the screen and running it across Aiden's stomach.

"I'm going to check on your kidneys first," Dr. Neal informed the young parents, who instantly became concerned.

"That's my insides?" Aiden pointed at the black and white shapes on the screen.

"Yes, baby," Misty answered numbly. She was scared. A dysfunctioning kidney was a very serious condition…she was afraid of Aiden having to go through all of the awful treatments that came with that. Ash saw that Misty was trembling slightly, so he hugged her against his side and gently squeezed her hip, hoping to comfort the gym leader.

"His kidneys are just fine," Dr. Neal announced before moving the wand.

"Thanks Arceus," Misty sighed, subconsciously squeezing Aiden's hand more tightly.

"Mommy?" Aiden piped up.

"Yes, baby?" Misty looked down at the boy.

"Why awe you happy?"

"Because your kidneys are very important," Misty smiled shakily. "We don't want there to be anything wrong with those."

"That's good," Aiden commented with a sweet smile.

"Yes," Misty agreed, "it is."

"I'm taking a look at his bladder now," Dr. Neal murmured, "and it seems to be…just as I thought."

"What?" Misty's heart began to race. "What is it?"

"Do you see his bladder right here?" Dr. Neal pointed at a round, almost oval shape on the screen. Both Ash and Misty leaned in to look at the image and nod.

"It's underdeveloped," Dr. Neal concluded. "Weak and too small for a child Aiden's age."

"Is that serious?" Ash turned white. The last time he and Misty had heard the term "underdeveloped" used in relation to with their children, it had to do with Michelle's lungs, and it had been nearly life threatening.

"No, not at all," Dr. Neal shook his head. "Underdeveloped bladders are extremely common in young children, even more so when they're a twin. The problem just isn't solved typically until the child is around this age, since the diapers and pull ups come off and the accidents that come with a deformed bladder begin."

"So, he was born with this?" Misty frowned.

"Yes."

"Will he ever get better?" Misty sighed.

"Oh yes. Most certainly," Dr. Neal nodded as he turned the screen off and began to clean Aiden up. "Over time, his bladder will strengthen and reshape itself. This isn't anything that has to be closely monitored. I might give him a follow up in a few months, but you have nothing to be worried about. Let's head into my office. I'll give you some tips on managing this."

Aiden reached up towards Misty with both arms, indicating that he wanted to be picked up. Misty bent over and lifted Aiden, holding him close as she and Ash followed the doctor out of the room.

"Am I okay, Mommy?" Aiden glanced up at Misty with big brown eyes.

"Yes, sweetie, you'll be okay," Misty replied quietly as she rested her head atop Aiden's.

Ash noticed that Misty was a little shaken by the diagnosis. Reaching out, he stroked Misty's back, causing her to look up at him.

"You okay?" Ash kindly asked his young wife.

"I don't know," Misty answered honestly, once again cuddling Aiden.

"Misty, this isn't your fault," Ash frowned, knowing exactly what was going through his wife's head.

"I feel like it is," Misty furrowed her brow. "It's a development problem, _again. _Just like with Michelle's lungs. He grew inside of me. It all comes back to me."

"You couldn't know how he was developing in there," Ash shook his head. "This is such a minor, common problem. He grew so big and strong in your belly that something this small just went unnoticed. And that's okay. You heard the doctor. Aiden will be fine."

"I still feel so bad," Misty whimpered. Aiden felt his mother's breathing become more erratic, and it worried him. He wrapped his little arms around Misty's neck and buried his face into her chest, right near her heart. Misty looked down and saw her young son holding onto her and cuddling.

"Aiden can tell you're freaking out," Ash observed. "He's trying to comfort you."

"Oh, my sweet boy," Misty cooed, rubbing her cheek against the top of Aiden's soft hair. "I'm so lucky to have such a sweet baby."

The parents entered the doctor's office, where he was sitting behind his desk looking through some files.

"Take a seat, you two," Dr. Neal motioned towards the two chairs in front of his desk, which Ash and Misty silently took. "So, like I said, nothing serious. His bladder will grow. But for now, there are some preventative steps you can take to control the accidents."

"Like what?" Misty finally piped up.

"Limit any liquids before bed," Dr. Neal began. "An hour before you put him down, stop giving him anything to drink."

"Okay," Misty nodded.

"Try to make sure he doesn't get too excited or startled," Dr. Neal continued. "That could also trigger an accident."

Misty glanced at Ash, who blushed under her gaze. She really was beginning to feel better. Everything would be okay.

"And, at nighttime, have him sleep in pull ups," Dr. Neal finished. "That will absorb any accidents and keep him from waking up."

"NO! MOMMY!" Aiden screeched.

Well…at least _one _problem had been solved.

* * *

><p><strong>Review, please? :3<strong>


	60. Odd Creatures

**So, I've been rewatching Hoenn (probably my favorite saga!) and I just love how well defined the personalities of all of Ash's Pokemon are. So, I wanted to write a one shot where Ash's (very varied) Pokemon interact with the strange new baby humans their trainer has :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 2 weeks old**

* * *

><p><strong>Odd Creatures<strong>

Ash beamed lovingly at his newborn babies; two perfect things. They were so tiny and cute, spending most of their time sleeping or eating. Ash liked to hold them and listen to the little noises they each made; little grunts or throaty moans. For now, they were sleeping in their carriers, Pikachu perched protectively between the two seats.

"You love them too, don't you, buddy?" Ash smiled.

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded emphatically.

It had been two weeks since the twins' birth, and Ash was finally going to do something he had been waiting nine months to do: introduce the babies to his Pokémon.

"Ash, are you ready to go?"

The Pokémon Master chuckled quietly and got to his feet, showing his wife that he was fully dressed in his black wool coat. "Of course! I was just waiting for you, sweetheart."

"I'm not in the mood to be all sweet," Misty groaned, walking over to the coat rack and pulling off her white pea coat. "I'm so tired."

"Aw, I know, Mist," Ash pulled the young woman into him and kissed the top of her head. "You're still a little weak from all your body's been through. But don't worry, this will be fun!"

Since the young family was still staying in Ash's childhood home with Delia, they were very close to Professor Oak's lab. Misty was probably happiest about this, since she didn't want to be walking around for too long. She was getting fatigued way more easily than usual, and it was driving her crazy.

It only took them a few minutes to reach the lab, and Professor Oak, who had been expecting them, answered the door with a big smile.

"Ah, Ash, Misty, there you are!" Professor Oak greeted warmly. Peering down at the babies, he chuckled and asked, "how are the twins doing?"

"They're awesome!" Ash grinned. "I can't wait for my Pokémon to meet 'em!"

"They're all waiting for you," the Professor motioned, "right this way!"

Ash and Misty followed the Professor into the heated habitat where the Pokémon stayed during the winter. Knowing exactly what would happen to him when his Pokémon realized he was there, Ash handed Michelle's carrier off to Misty, wanting to keep the baby girl out of the way of any potential danger. Unbuttoning his coat, Ash threw it on the ground, several feet away from him, before calling out, "hey, guys! Did ya' miss me?"

At the sound of their trainer's voice, all of Ash's Pokémon whipped around and, without a second thought, charged towards the raven haired young man. Ash didn't bother to jump out of the way, allowing his faithful creatures to tackle him to the ground as they cheered happily.

"Those Pokémon sure do love him," Misty giggled, exchanging a knowing glance with Professor Oak.

"Guys, guys, come on!" Ash was laughing wildly as his Pokémon nuzzled him. "I have a surprise for you! Well…two surprises."

This news only further excited the Pokémon, causing them to suffocate their master even further. He sputtered, trying to get air into his lungs. Sensing his trainer's distress, Infernape jumped over the other Pokémon, dragging Ash away from them.

"Uh…thanks, Infernape," Ash smiled up gratefully at his fire type Pokémon.

"Fer," Infernape nodded.

Standing up, Ash dusted himself off and folded his arms across his chest, beaming at the creatures in front of him. "So, do you guys wanna' see what my surprise is?" The Pokémon cheered yet again, causing Ash's face to light up. He was happy that some of his closest companions were so excited for his special reveal…even if they didn't know exactly what it was. Looking over his shoulder, Ash smiled sweetly at his wife and beckoned, "come 'ere, Mist."

The gym leader returned her husband's smile and stepped forward, placing the two carriers in front of her feet. Removing her coat and holding it behind her back, Misty giggled as she asked the Pokémon, "notice anything different about me?"

The Pokémon all studied Misty's figure, trying to figure out what she meant. She looked just as pretty as she usually did, with her bright emerald eyes and fiery red hair.

"I don't think they get it, Mist," Ash smirked.

Gasping playfully, Misty raised an eyebrow and inquired, "what? You guys don't see that I no longer have a beach ball for a stomach?"

Taking notice of her now relatively flat midsection, the Pokémon became excited and beamed up at the gym leader, chirping and cheering in their perspective languages. Giggling, Misty blushed slightly and smiled at her husband's dearest friends, feeling a bit more confident in herself.

"That's because she had the babies," Ash's face was glowing. "Do you want to meet them?"

Again, the Pokémon cheered, causing Ash to chuckle. Kneeling down next to the babies' carriers, Ash motioned for the Pokémon to come closer to him, which they did. Smiling, Ash lowered the hoods of the infant's carriers and whispered to the creatures, "guys, this is my son, Aiden, and my daughter, Michelle. They mean the world to me."

The sound of sobbing alerted Ash, causing him to look down from the Pokémon to his children. Neither one was crying, however. In fact, both of them were still asleep.

"Uh…Ash…" Misty giggled sheepishly. Ash glanced up at her, and Misty pointed at the crowd of Pokémon. Staring back at his Pokémon, Ash laughed warmly when he realized it was _Torkoal _who was crying endlessly. "Looks like Torkoal is overjoyed to meet the twins!"

"Yeah, those are definitely happy tears!" Ash smiled.

"Scra?"

Scraggy had wandered over, standing to the side of Aiden's carrier. The shedding Pokémon leaned over, staring curiously at the slumbering baby boy.

"What do you think, Scraggy?" Ash asked kindly.

Without another word, Scraggy thrashed his head down in an attempt to headbutt the baby. Fortunately, Ash managed to push the carrier out of the way just in time, leading Scraggy to instead smash his head against the ground.

"Scrag!" Scraggy whined, rubbing the sore spot on the front of his head.

"Scraggy, no!" Ash chastised the Pokémon. "You can't headbutt the babies. You'll hurt them! They're really fragile."

Misty breathed out in exasperation, holding her hand over her heart. She knew that nearly hurting Aiden wasn't Scraggy's intention, but it certainly didn't scare her any less. Misty was fiercely protective of her babies, after all.

"Totototo!"

Totodile was now jumping up and down in front of the babies, clearly excited over the infants' presence. Hopping closer, he leaned over and grabbed Michelle's carrier, happily spinning the tiny girl around in circles. Disturbed by this, Michelle's little lips twitched as her face contorted. After that little display, it didn't take long for the tiny girl to burst into tears, screaming and wailing as her face quickly grew red.

"No, Totodile!" Ash gasped, pulling the little blue crocodile away from the infant. Reaching into the carrier, Ash lifted the baby into his arms and gently rocked her, cooing quietly and hoping to calm the child down. It took a little while, but eventually, Ash managed to relax the infant. The Pokémon watched the whole scene in awe. They had never seen their trainer act so _gentle _before; murmuring quietly and holding such a tiny thing to his chest. Sure, he took wonderful care of all of them, but this…this was very different.

As Ash cradled the now calm baby, gently stroking her smooth, rosy cheek, Glalie floated over, hovering above Ash and the small girl. Glancing up, Ash smiled at the ice type and turned his body so the Pokémon could get a clearer view of baby Michelle.

"What do you think, Glalie?" Ash asked. "Isn't she wonderful?"

Glalie nodded emphatically before firing his ice beam at Ash. Misty reacted like lightning this time, snatching Michelle from Ash's arms as the Pokémon Master became a life sized ice sculpture.

"I'm sorry, honey!" Misty apologized to her frozen solid husband. "I had to save Michelle! I couldn't get both of you out of the way…"

"It's…alright…" Ash managed to grind out from his frozen teeth.

Quilava sauntered over to his trainer and used flamethrower on low power in order to thaw him out. It worked rather quickly, causing Ash to take a big breath of air in.

"Man…" Ash sighed before grinning at the fire type. "Thanks, Quilava!"

"Quil," Quilava nodded.

From inside his carrier, Aiden began to whimper and fuss. Misty looked down in concern, her eyes flashing with worry.

"Uh oh," Misty murmured.

"Aiden!" Ash gasped, kneeling down and gathering the baby boy into his arms. He held the child up in the air, the small being's head in his hands as his body lied along Ash's strong arms. "What is it, champ?"

Aiden turned his head to stare at the Pokémon who, in turn, were staring right back at him. He let out a high pitched scream, frantically waving his arms around as he tried to turn his head away.

"He's scared, I think," Misty observed. "Aiden isn't used to so many people, err-Pokémon, looking at him."

"Krook!"

The young parents turned their heads to see that Ash's Krookodile had stepped forward, grinning down at the baby in his trainer's grasp.

"Krookodile can sympathize with our little guy on that," Ash chuckled. "He can be pretty timid, too!"

Nodding, Krookodile removed his red sunglasses and instead put them on the baby. Aiden let out a series of displeased shrieks, but once the glasses were on, he relaxed and instead chose to calmly kick his legs as he stared up at his father.

"Looking good, buddy!" Ash smirked.

After that, most of the Pokémon were calm with the babies. Bulbasaur tickled the small humans with his vines, while Ash's four bird Pokémon: Noctowl, Swellow, Staraptor, and Unfenzant brushed their soft, feathery wings against the infants' faces to bring them comfort. Leavanny had even sewn leaf clothes for the twins upon observing them. Ash laughed softly during it all, but his amusement was soon cut off by a tug at his pants.

"Cor! Phish!"

Glancing down, Ash smiled sympathetically at his water type, apologizing, "I'm sorry, Corphish. You can't see the babies, right?"

"Cor," Corphish puffed indignantly before nodding.

"Here, you can see them," Ash and Misty both knelt down, holding the children out towards Corphish. Both babies were awake now, staring up at the crustacean Pokémon with wide, curious eyes. Glowering, Corphish turned away in a huff, looking rather irritated.

"Oh…is he…jealous?" Misty turned her eyes onto Ash.

"Corphish, don't be jealous the babies," Ash scolded very gently. "I still love all of you! But you have to understand that my babies mean a lot to me."

Still Glowering, Corphish hit Ash over the head with his claw before creeping away, still not happy about the whole situation.

"Corphish is like having another kid," Misty smirked at her husband.

Sighing, Ash stared down at the newborns and added with a delicate laugh, "I'm hoping these two are a little better behaved!"

"Your Pokémon aren't bad," Misty giggled. "They all just have very different and unique personalities!"

"I know they aren't bad," Ash smiled, "but sometimes, their personalities can get a little out of hand!"

Looking up, the young parents saw Corphish and Bayleef huddled together, pouting and looking rather miserable while Pikachu tried to talk them down.

"Oh boy," Ash groaned.

Giggling softly, Misty turned to her husband and informed him, "Looks like you've got some work to do."


	61. A Little Star

**Guys, did you see the new cover for this story? Do you love it? I drew it! I suck at drawing, by the way. I traced it, actually. But I'm not trying to be an artist here, so take it for what it's worth. At least now you guys have an image of the kids (I drew-traced them at my favorite ages for them: Aiden and Michlle are 5/6, and Elizabeth is a baby :P) But enough about the cover. Enjoy the new one shot :P**

**Elizabeth: 5 months old**

* * *

><p><strong>A Little Star<strong>

Ash just loved cradling his baby girl in his arms.

She was so beautiful; a warm and cuddly little creature. Elizabeth, especially, was a happy baby, who didn't cry often and preferred to remain quiet and observational. She liked looking around at people and other things with her big, emerald eyes.

The girl was now 5 months old, and since Misty was so big on reading about the baby's development week by week, she had learned of what Elizabeth's next advancement would be, and it made her nervous.

"_Stranger anxiety," Misty had told Ash._

"_Huh?" Ash gave Misty a confused look. "What's that?"_

"_It's one of the first major emotional milestones for a baby," Misty explained. "It shows up during the fifth month of life, but it's not exactly a positive one."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Well, according to the baby book, stranger anxiety means that she may become uncomfortable around people she doesn't know," Misty sighed. "It creates a sense of anxiety. If a stranger comes near her too suddenly, she may start to cry and become extremely nervous."_

"_So…like when she was born?" Ash raised an eyebrow._

"_I guess you can say that," Misty shrugged. "But that only lasted for the first 24 hours. Did you notice that? Ever since then, Elizabeth has been perfectly content with people."_

"_Yeah, you're right," Ash nodded._

"_That could change now, though," Misty bit her lip. "We'll have to be careful. I don't want her to feel anxious. Stress can't be good for such a tiny thing."_

"_Agreed."_

"_Although, the book did say it's good to get her used to socializing…" Misty tapped her head. Groaning, she slumped her shoulders and muttered, "Why doesn't that stupid book make up its mind?"_

"_I'm sure we'll figure it out," Ash chuckled. "This isn't our first baby, after all!"_

"_Yes, but every baby is different."_

"_We'll be just fine," Ash assured. "I feel it with this one. Elizabeth is a good baby, and I don't think she's gonna' change too much anytime soon."_

Ash had been right, so far. Elizabeth was just as happy as she'd always been, save for the first 24 hours of her life when she'd been exceptionally cranky. He had heard horror stories of how, around the age of 5 months old, many babies began to reject their fathers for a period of time, and much preferred to be with their mothers. They would scream and cry just at the sight of their Dad, and it discouraged many fathers. Ash knew if that happened to him, his heart would break. He just loved his baby too much to stay away from her.

And maybe that was what was saving him from that seemingly horrible fate.

Elizabeth was just fine in Ash's presence. In fact, she seemed perfectly happy. Ash knew that could change in a heartbeat; babies were very fickle. But for now, Elizabeth was a cheerful little girl when she was with him, so Ash wasn't going to question it.

The family was currently taking a vacation on the Seafoam Islands. Misty, who had been a bit more irritable than usual since she was only five months removed from giving birth, had finally had enough of the cold weather of Cerulean, and demanded to go somewhere warm where she could go swimming outdoors and wear shorts all day. It was Elizabeth's first big vacation, so Ash was busy showing her around the island while Misty went swimming with the twins back at the hotel.

"You're cute," Ash informed the baby, tickling her stomach. The infant squeaked and cooed, wiggling her legs in the air. Her bright green eyes were wide open, pink lips forming an undeniable smile as she giggled happily.

Pikachu, who had been riding on Ash's shoulder the entire time, stared down lovingly at the baby, his ears twitching as he observed her. The electric mouse was fascinated by the baby. He adored her just the same, however, and would do anything to protect the young girl. Much like his trainer.

Ash's stomach suddenly growled, loudly enough to catch Elizabeth's attention. The infant squeaked and looked around curiously, wondering where in the world that sound could've come from.

"Oh, sorry," Ash laughed sheepishly. "I guess I'm a little hungry!"

"Pikapi," Pikachu muttered.

"Heh, it'll be fine," Ash blushed. "I think there's a little restaurant up there. I could get some lunch! I bet Lizzie is hungry too. Aren't you, baby girl?"

Elizabeth babbled and reached up with one hand. Smiling, Ash offered his index finger to the baby, who shrieked and happily took the finger into her grasp. He raised her closer to his face and kissed her on the forehead, leading the baby to let out some happy, throaty noises.

Ash stepped into the small diner, walking over to the counter and waiting for the hostess to notice him. She seemed to be doing something, and Ash didn't want to interrupt her. Eventually, the girl turned around and caught sight of Ash, gasping as she did so.

"Oh my gosh," she breathed, "You're the Pokémon Master!"

"Yeah," Ash chuckled calmly. "Do you have a table available?"

"Yes…of course," the hostess still seemed star struck. "Is it…just you?"

"Yep!" Ash nodded. "Well, unless you count my little pumpkin right here." He motioned his head towards his baby daughter, who was still busy staring up at him.

"Oh my gosh, that's your baby!" The hostess squealed. "She's so completely adorable! Hi there, cutie!"

She waved at the baby, Elizabeth watching curiously. The baby seemed transfixed by the woman, not frightened like Ash was afraid she might be.

"Oh, she's so precious," the hostess sighed. "Do you need a high chair for this little angel?"

"Yeah, that'd be great!" Ash grinned.

The young woman led Ash to a small booth, setting the high chair down at the end of the table. Ash thanked her as she skirted away, clearly stunned over the fact that she had just seated the world famous Pokémon Master. Chuckling, Ash held Elizabeth under her arms, up in the air: the infant's turquoise dress with flutter sleeves, ruffled hem, and yellow-green floral embroidery coming into full view.

"Aw, who's my baby?" Ash cooed.

Elizabeth reached down and babbled, smiling the entire time. Returning the action, Ash lowered the baby and gave her a small kiss on the lips before sitting her down in the high chair. Elizabeth whimpered for a few seconds, reaching up for her father as she was put down. Ash leaned his head down and kissed the baby's ear, which seemed to relax her. With Elizabeth settled, Ash slid into the booth, Pikachu hopping down to sit beside his trainer.

"There, all set!" Ash beamed. He kept his eyes on Elizabeth, watching as the baby reached up with her tiny hands to grab at the turquoise bucket hat she was wearing on her head. Misty had warned Ash before taking the baby out that he'd better put the hat on her head. Babies, as she constantly reminded him, had very sensitive skin that needed to be protected from the sun. "Oops, sorry, pumpkin! Let Daddy take that off of you."

He removed the hat, Elizabeth seeming a bit more cheerful once it was removed. Gathering his backpack, Ash stuffed the hat into the side pocket, figuring he wouldn't need it again until they left the restaurant. Hearing the eager cries of his baby, Ash smirked and unzipped the back of the backpack, reaching in to fetch something else.

"Aw, you're a hungry little baby?" Ash asked. "Don't worry, Daddy has some tasty food for you right here!"

He put down a jar of baby food in front of her; mashed peas, and a little spoon with a purple rubber end. Reaching back into his backpack, Ash fetched the last thing he needed to feed the baby: her pink and white bib.

"Mommy would kill me if you got that pretty little dress all dirty, wouldn't she?" Ash chuckled as he put the bib on the girl.

Elizabeth babbled and clapped her hands together. She was happy, Ash knew. He didn't know what for, but was that such a bad thing? It was fun to have a baby would just find joy out of absolutely nothing. Much better than having one who would constantly scream for no good reason, Ash believed.

He easily removed the top from the jar of food and spooned some out, holding it in front of the girl's mouth. Elizabeth opened up without any further prodding and ate the food, experimentally gumming it before swallowing the green mush.

"Wow, good girl!" Ash cooed, spooning out some more to feed to the baby.

Unbeknownst to the Pokémon Master, a group of young women were sitting nearby and watching him feed the infant, quietly cooing at every move he made. It was, of course, a very attractive quality in a man; loving and caring for children, especially infants.

As Ash continued to spoon feed his daughter, a waitress came by to take Ash's order. The Pokémon Master blushed and nearly stammered; he had been too busy with Elizabeth to even open the menu. Fortunately, Ash was a simple man and ordered the easiest thing possible: a cheeseburger.

With that settled, Ash went about his business of feeding Elizabeth, until Pikachu began to murmur and nudge at his leg.

"What's up, buddy?" Ash looked down at his partner.

"Chu," Pikachu opened his mouth and pointed at it.

"Oh, I got it, you're hungry too," Ash smirked. "Sorry, Pikachu, I should've realized! I've got some food for you in my backpack, too."

Ash left the spoon inside of Elizabeth's jar of food to retrieve the can of food he had packed for Pikachu. From behind, he could hear the baby muttering happy nonsense, causing him to smile as he pulled the lid off of Pikachu's food and handed the Pokémon his lunch.

Elizabeth had started to audibly shriek, causing Ash to whip around. His eyes widened as he caught sight of the little girl banging the spoon against the table, splattering her pureed peas across the surface.

"Oh, no no, little girl!" Ash very softly chastised, taking the spoon out of his baby's grasp. "We can't make a mess here." Elizabeth squeaked and stared up at her father in awe. Smiling, Ash took a napkin and cleaned the table, informing his daughter, "Sorry, that was my fault. I know I shouldn't take my eyes off of you, pumpkin!"

With the table cleaned, Ash took the spoon back into his grip and began to feed the baby once again. He was so focused, in fact, on giving the child her sustenance that Ash didn't take notice of the women who had been observing him moving closer to the table.

After swallowing more of her food, Elizabeth squealed and beamed up at her father, who was more than happy to return the action, cooing, "Yeah, isn't it tasty?"

"Oh, it's just so precious!"

Ash blinked and looked up at the women who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. He was confused, while Elizabeth hadn't taken notice at all, still smiling and cooing quietly at her Daddy.

"Uh…hi?" Ash was a little flustered.

The woman who had first spoken, a pretty blonde with gray eyes, knelt down and smiled at the baby girl, who had finally taken notice of the unknown woman. "Is this your baby?"

"Yes…" Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, she's adorable!" The blonde rubbed Elizabeth's head, running her fingers through the infant's soft red hair. Ash froze in fear when he saw an unsure look cross his daughter's face. He was afraid that Elizabeth was about to scream and cry, throw some kind of fit, just plain freak out. The look on her face wasn't a promising one.

"Thanks," Ash murmured, lifting Elizabeth out of the high chair and holding her on his lap. The baby stared up at the women, studying each one very carefully. There were only three, but Elizabeth had never seen any of them before, so it was interesting for her.

There was the blonde one, who had just touched her head and seemed to be the leader. To the left was a woman with purple hair and blue eyes, and to the right a woman with auburn hair and hazel eyes. Elizabeth scrutinized each and every one, deciding in her little head that none of them were as pretty as her Mommy. Her Mommy had such a nice face to look at.

"Oh my gosh, Audrina!" The purple haired woman nudged the auburn tressed one. "That's the Pokémon Master!"

Audrina, as she seemed to be named, observed the raven haired man before gasping, "you're right, Gia! So that means the little girl is his baby daughter, Elizabeth!"

The blonde woman leaned over and picked Elizabeth up, right out of Ash's lap. He was stunned, so much so that he couldn't even think to argue. Giggling, the blonde held Elizabeth in front of her face and cooed, "Hello there, little darling! My name is Julie; it's so lovely to meet you!"

Elizabeth smiled and giggled, reaching out to grab a fistful of the woman's locks. Audrina and Gia squealed in delight, watching the baby girl play with their friend so innocently. Eventually, Audrina reached over and gently poked Elizabeth's cheek, leading the baby to shriek in joy. Gia, meanwhile, busied herself with talking to the infant in a baby voice while stroking her feathery red locks.

Ash watched the whole scene with wide, disbelieving eyes, while Pikachu simply laughed at his trainer.

"Yeah, she's _real _afraid of attention," Ash muttered, smacking his palm against his face. "Elizabeth is a bigger celebrity than _I _am…"

* * *

><p><strong>Teehee, Elizabeth is a little scene stealer! Yep, she's more popular than her Daddy :P<strong>

**Hopefully there aren't any spelling mistakes. My old laptop broke so I've been adjusting to my new one (that I got for college) and the keyboard is different, so YAY adjusting! I hate changes, lol.**

**Anyway...review, please? :3 I'd love to try and get up at least one more one shot before I leave for school!**


	62. Sibling Bonding

**A while ago, I had a request for a one shot that involved the three children without Ash or Misty making an appearance. Well, I really liked that idea! So, here it is. I think I might write more like this :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 6 years old**

**Elizabeth: 6 months old**

* * *

><p><strong>Sibling Bonding<strong>

"Aiden, wake up!"

The little raven haired boy whined and reached his arm up, swatting his hand at whatever was trying to get him out of bed. He definitely didn't appreciate their efforts.

"Aiden, come on!"

"Go away," Aiden grumbled, rolling over onto his front and folding his arms so he could rest his head there.

Aiden couldn't see it, but from behind him, Michelle rolled her eyes and yanked him up by the back of his pajama shirt, causing the boy to shriek in displeasure. He threw his hands down on the bed and whipped around, his chocolate brown eyes narrowed in anger at his twin sister.

"Hey!" Aiden barked. "What was that for?!"

"Shh!" Michelle slapped a hand over her brother's mouth. "Be quiet! We can't wake up Mommy and Daddy."

Aiden continued to glare at Michelle. "Why not?"

"Because we have to surprise them!" Michelle sounded aggravated that Aiden had forgotten.

"Why?"

"Cause it's their aversary!"

"Aversary?" Aiden repeated.

"Yeah, you know, the day they got married!" Michelle's face lit up. "So we have to celebrate."

"Okay," Aiden threw the covers off of him, now more content with being woken up. He slid out of bed, standing in his gray and red race car pajamas. The young boy's black hair was exceptionally messy, sticking out in every which way, but otherwise he looked quite happy and well rested.

"You go into the kitchen and start finding things to give Mommy and Daddy for breakfast," Michelle instructed the boy. "I'll get Lizzie."

"Okay!" Aiden nodded, running past his red headed sister.

With Aiden gone, Michelle skipped out of his room and back into the hallway, all the way to Elizabeth's room. She opened the door slowly, just in case the baby was still sleeping, but at this time of morning, she was typically awake. Elizabeth just tended to stay extra quiet.

Stepping into the water type themed room, Michelle was pleased to see that Elizabeth was, in fact, awake. The baby was standing up in her crib, tiny hands gripping the side as she stared at Michelle, a smile appearing on her face as soon as she saw it was her big sister.

"Hi, Lizzie!" Michelle quietly greeted the infant.

"Ma!" Elizabeth reached out and flexed her fingers.

Giggling, Michelle scurried over to the crib and placed her own hands on the side, staring right back at the younger girl. With a happy gurgle, Elizabeth poked a finger at her older sister's shirt, glancing up at the older girl as she did so.

"Do you like my pajamas?" Michelle asked, looking down at her sleepwear: a bright pink, long sleeved top paired with light blue pajama prints that featured pink, purple, dark blue, green, and white polka-dots.

"Ba," Elizabeth squeaked, leaning her head down to bite on the crib's railing.

"Well, I like your pajamas, too!" Michelle beamed.

Elizabeth, as if she understood what her older sister had said, looked down at her own pajamas: light pink fleece footed pajamas edged in much darker pink and printed with dark pink cupcakes, tiny cherries, and tiny hearts.

"Come on," Michelle walked to the corner of the room and picked up a step stool, placing it in front of Elizabeth's crib so she could climb up and gather the baby into her arms. "We're going downstairs to make a surprise for Mommy and Daddy!"

Elizabeth squealed and wrapped her little arms around Michelle's neck, pressing her cheek against the older girl's. Being cautious, Michelle descended the stairs, holding tightly onto Elizabeth the entire time. Once they were down the stairs, Michelle walked into the kitchen, where Aiden was busy digging through the refrigerator. Already, a small collection of food items had been gathered on the counter, mostly from the pantry. There were boxes of cereal, peanut butter, bread, cookies, and bananas.

"Good job, Aiden!" Michelle beamed.

"Thanks," Aiden grinned, clearly proud of his work. "I know Mommy and Daddy don't like us to use the stove and the microwave and stuff, so I found all kinds of things that we don't have to cook!"

"Ma!" Elizabeth shrieked rather loudly, starling her older siblings.

"What was that for?" Aiden grumbled.

Elizabeth whimpered quietly and began to pull gently at her lips with her little fingers. Michelle silently observed the girl before gasping and coming to the realization that, "Elizabeth is hungry."

"Uh…" Aiden stammered, unsure of what to do.

"It's okay, I can feed her!" Michelle smiled.

The older red head scurried over to the baby's mint green high chair, placing her in the seat before gently patting her on the head.

"Ma?" Elizabeth questioned.

"Don't worry, baby, I'm going to give you breakfast!" Michelle giggled.

The girl skipped over to the fridge, pulling open the doors and searching for something to feed Elizabeth. While Michelle searched, the younger girl sitting in the high chair began to fuss, whining and banging on the tray in front of her as she carried on.

"Hey, chill out, Lizzie!" Aiden frowned. He hurried over to his younger sister, trying to play with and distract her while Michelle searched for the infant's breakfast. Eventually, Michelle found a jar of food that she believed was suitable for the younger girl to have: pureed banana.

"I have something!" Michelle cheered, bringing the food over to her baby sister. Elizabeth giggled at the sight of the jar, knowing that it contained something tasty for her to eat. Michelle tried to twist the top off of the glass container, but found that it was more difficult than she had anticipated.

"Gimme!" Aiden held his hand out for the jar. Holding it in both hands, he hit the top of it against the edge of the counter, creating a loud banging noise. Michelle grimaced and covered her ears, but it didn't seem to bother Elizabeth, who giggled and clapped her hands together at the loud sounds. After a sixth strike, the top of the jar broke off, landing with a clatter on the floor and rolling underneath the stove. "There! Got it!"

He handed the food back to his twin, who smiled thankfully at the action. "I'll feed Lizzie, and you start getting Mommy and Daddy's food ready."

"Okay!" Aiden nodded, running over to the nearby cabinet to fetch some bowls.

Pushing the jar of food onto Elizabeth's high chair tray, Michelle pulled open the small, top drawer if the counter to pull out one of the baby's special spoons: a smaller pink and purple one made of rubber so it wouldn't hurt when Elizabeth would undoubtedly chew on it.

"Alright, Lizzie," Michelle spooned out some of the food and held it in front of the baby's mouth, "open up!"

Elizabeth cooed curiously, staring at the yellow mush in front of her. Michelle pushed the spoon forward until it was pressed against the baby's lips. Elizabeth whined and turned her head away, causing some of the banana to wipe off on her cheek.

"Don't make a mess, Elizabeth!" Michelle scolded very gently, sounding quite a bit like her mother.

The baby faced forward once again, still staring at the spoonful of banana and silently debating whether or not she should actually eat the stuff. Michelle once again moved it closer to the infant, and beamed once the girl finally decided to eat the mush.

"Good girl!" Michelle cooed.

Elizabeth gummed at the food, some of it spilling out of her mouth as she ate. Michelle continued to feed the baby until some of the food dripped out onto Elizabeth's pajamas, causing Michelle to utter a simple, "oops."

"What happened?" Aiden raised an eyebrow as he turned to look at his twin. He was currently pouring cereal and milk into two bowls; the first was practically overflowing, and the second must have completely overflowed, since the bowl was sitting atop a large splash of milk with scattered cereal pieces.

"Elizabeth got food on her pajamas," Michelle folded her arms and gave the baby a warning glance. Elizabeth didn't seem to mind, however, just giggling and kicking her feet in exuberance. "It's kinda' my fault, though. I forgot to put a bib on her."

"Maybe you should do that," Aiden suggested.

Michelle nodded, knowing that her parents kept back up bibs in the same drawer with Elizabeth's spoons. "Watch her," Michelle told Aiden.

The by grumbled and walked over to the baby, who at this point was holding the jar between her two tiny hands. Lifting one hand, Michelle stuck her fingers into the food, causing Aiden to gasp and pull at her wrist.

"No, Elizabeth, we don't do that!" Aiden scolded.

"Ma…" Elizabeth whimpered.

"No," Aiden said it more gently and slowly this time.

Fortunately for the boy, his sister was fairly quick in returning with a white bib decorated with purple trim and hearts. She put it around the baby's neck and resumed feeding the younger girl, who now seemed more than happy to eat, although it was still in a mess fashion. By the time Elizabeth had finished the jar, more of the food had wound up _on _her than _in _her.

"You spit out too much food," Michelle informed the baby, who had mashed banana all over her mouth and cheeks.

"Gah," Elizabeth didn't seem to mind.

Using the bib, Michelle cleaned up Elizabeth's face, instead choosing to dirty up the bib. She was sure her mother wouldn't mind; it was what she did when she feed Elizabeth, after all.

With the baby (mostly) cleaned up, Michelle decided to help Aiden finish preparing breakfast for their parents. He had finished with the overflowing bowls of milk and cereal and was now contemplating what to do with the bananas. He knew his parents would be mad if he used a knife, so he couldn't cut them up. Shrugging, Aiden gathered two paper plates and placed a banana on each, as is.

"What else are you gonna' put with the bananas?" Michelle raised an eyebrow.

"I'll put some cookies with 'em," Aiden decided, grabbing the box and opening it up, spreading crumbs over the counter. Reaching in, Aiden pulled out 6 cookies, placing 3 on each plate. "There!"

"And this?" Michelle held up the jar of peanut butter.

"Sandwiches!" Aiden was beaming. He tore open the bag that contained the loaf of bread and pulled out 4 slices.

"But we can't use a knife," Michelle reminded her brother.

"Oh, yeah," Aiden screwed his mouth in deep thought. His eyes widening, Aiden smiled at his sister and informed her, "We can use a spoon!"

Michelle didn't look so certain, but Aiden was. He thought his idea was _brilliant. _Pulling open the drawer, Aiden picked up a spoon while Michelle twisted the top off of the peanut butter jar. It was much easier than opening Elizabeth's jar of mushy bananas. Using the spoon, Aiden scooped up some of the light brown spread and tossed it onto a slice of bread. Trying to spread it with the spoon, however, proved to be more of a challenge. It dented the delicate bread and even tore into it a bit. Aiden didn't mind, however. He kept scooping on more and more peanut butter, globs of it ending up on the counter and the floor.

While Aiden was busy making the sandwiches, Michelle decided to pour some juice for their Mom and Dad. Since the glass cups were too high up for her to reach, Michelle gathered two of the plastic cups that she and Aiden typically drank out of: red for her Daddy and light green for her Mommy. She next retrieved the carton of orange juice from the fridge and then tried to steadily pour it into the cups, not doing so well for herself. On the red cup, she missed completely and drenched part of the counter. Moving the cup over, Michelle managed to pour the juice into it this time, although once she finished she ended up spilling some on the floor. She had better success with the light green cup, although she had ended up overfilling it and causing the juice to spill.

"Oops," Michelle murmured, staring into both cups. The green one was much fuller than the red one. Shrugging, Michelle carefully picked up the green one and poured some of its contents into the red cup, still spilling some on the counter.

Aiden, meanwhile, was just about finished making his peanut butter sandwiches. He had decided to add jelly (since everyone knew just a peanut butter sandwich was gross) but just used the same spoon, mixing the two ingredients together in the jelly jar. The jelly, Aiden discovered, was harder to manage than the peanut butter. He got a good amount of it on the floor, the counter, and by some odd mishap, his face. By the time Aiden was done, the jar of jelly was essentially empty.

"Perfect!" the little boy cheered, pressing the slices of bread together. The fillings greatly outweighed the bread, which was now splitting under the pressure. The cookies and bananas were now coated with peanut butter and jelly as well.

"Are you all done, too?" Michelle asked her brother.

"Yep," Aiden nodded. He was clearly proud of himself.

"How are we gonna' bring all of this to Mommy and Daddy?" Michelle observed their handiwork.

Aiden started to think. It was a good question; there was a lot of food on the counter. He and Michelle certainly couldn't bring all of it up on their own, and Elizabeth was much too small to help.

_That's it! _Aiden thought, a big smile appearing on his face. _Elizabeth!_

"Uh oh," Michelle frowned, "that look means trouble."

Giggling, Aiden scurried into the living room, leaving behind a confused Michelle and a happily babbling Elizabeth. Aiden returned after just a moment, holding in his hands the portable white bassinet that May had gotten for Elizabeth before she was born.

"What are you doing with that?" Michelle asked warily.

"We're gonna' use it to carry the food upstairs," Aiden grinned at his sister. "Mommy and Daddy put Elizabeth in it all the time and they carry her up and down the stairs, so if it works with a baby, it has to work with food, right?"

"I guess…" Michelle looked and sounded hesitant.

Aiden looked for a clean spot on the counter, which, at this point, was a near impossible task. Eventually he found a dry patch of surface and set the basinet atop it, gathering the food in his arms and storing it inside the baby basket. He tried to keep from spilling any milk or juice onto the ruffled pink bedding that adorned the basinet, and was pleased to find that he had only spilled the _tiniest _(in his opinion, anyway) amount.

"Okay, the food is ready!" Aiden beamed. Michelle was surprised that her brother had managed to succeed in his plan. It was a pleasant one, at that.

"Good," Michelle smiled calmly at the boy. "You carry the food, and I'll carry baby Lizzie!"

Standing at the side of the mint green high chair, Michelle managed to pull Elizabeth out, forgetting to take off her messy bib. The banana that had spilled onto her pajamas remained as well, but it didn't seem to be bothering the baby.

Chuckling, Aiden started to slowly make his way towards the stairs, leaving behind the muddled counter and not noticing the milk and juice occasionally spilling onto the basinet's pink bedding and soaking it.

"Mommy and Daddy are going to be _so _surprised!"

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah, real surprised. But...not in a good way, Aiden :P<strong>

**See? I wrote another one shot! It's a good stress reliever, good thing I'm taking creative writing first semester! Remember to review, let's see if I can get another one shot or two out before I go ^^**


	63. Babysitting: Brock

**I'm really, really stressed. That's why this story has been updating like crazy. I write when I'm stressed. And I mean, I'm about to run myself into a wall. So, my pain is your gain, I suppouse :P This is the only way I can keep myself calm, lol.**

**Anyway, this is going to be the first in a few one shots I'm going to put throughout here (sort of like the first word ones, but these will be more spread out). They will focus on Ash and Misty's friends babysitting the kids and having various misadventures while they babysit. So, for the first one, we have Brock! Enjoy!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Babysitting: Brock<strong>

"Brock, are you sure you can handle this?"

The Pokémon Doctor gave his best female friend an incredulous look, which led her to show him a displeased expression. "Misty, come on, I've babysat these kids since they were just a few months old. They love me, and I know how to take care of them."

"But this time is different," Misty sighed.

"How is it different?"

Shifting her eyes around the room, Misty answered firmly, "They're 2 years old now."

"…so?" Brock wasn't getting it.

"The terrible twos," Misty groaned, throwing her head back in exasperation. "They're going through _that _stage! And it's the worst!"

"I went through that with my siblings, and then Brandon," Brock didn't seem at all bothered by such a thing. "It's a piece of cake for me."

Misty raised an eyebrow and folded her arms across her chest. "Are you forgetting that these are mine and Ash's children?"

"But they don't really act like you guys," Brock chuckled, "those two are nothing but sweet to me!"

"Oh, you're in for a shock tonight," Misty muttered under her breath.

Brock could not decipher whatever it was that Misty had just quipped. He was sure it was snarky, however. This _was _Misty, after all. She may have been the sweetest mother Brock had ever seen, and she may have softened considerably after having them, but she was still Misty. There was plenty of fire left in the gym leader.

"NO, DADDY! NO!"

"Mi-Michelle…calm down! I'm coming back, I promise!"

Ash walked into the living room, looking completely flustered. He carried a screaming and crying Michelle in his left arm, while trying to fix his tie with his right hand. The little red head was busy wiping her tears onto Ash's shoulder, dotting his dark gray suit jacket with noticeable wet circles. Her nose was red from crying, and she had the most absolutely miserable look on her sweet face.

"Ash, you know full well you can't hold Michelle _and _fix your tie at the same time," Misty sighed, walking over to Ash and adjusting his necktie for him. "You can barely work a tie when you're _not _trying to soothe a fussy 2 year old."

"Normally I'd argue back, but you're right," Ash conceded guiltlessly. With his tie fixed, Ash encircled his right arm around Michelle so he was holding the girl in both arms. She was still crying, but at least now she had ceased the screaming. "Please don't be upset, baby girl. Daddy is coming back!"

Michelle whined and shook her head, bright red ponytails bouncing. She reached up and wrapped her arms around Ash's neck, burying her face in his chest. "No, Daddy."

"Uh, Michelle, you're getting my suit all wet!" Ash groaned. Smiling sympathetically, he murmured sweetly, "What are Daddy's friends at the Pokémon League going to think when he shows up with his little princess' tears all over him, huh?"

Looking back up, Michelle sniffled and answered quite seriously, "dat you weft me."

"No, everyone knows that I love you too much to ever leave you!" Ash tapped her nose, causing the girl to reluctantly giggle. "I'm a lucky Daddy to have such a cute baby."

Michelle smiled, her tears finally beginning to dry. Convinced he had done an excellent job, Ash kissed the girl on her head and rubbed her back, moving over to the couch and standing the small girl up on the cushions.

"All better?" Ash asked, crossing his arms.

Michelle nodded sadly. Brock approached the girl and toyed with her bouncy ponytails, softly assuring her, "don't you worry, Michelle. You and I are going to have so much fun!"

The young girl didn't seem too eager to respond. Instead, she chose to stare down at her gray, long sleeved shirt decorated with purple polka dots and a light green, silky flower on the left chest, using her tiny fingers to toy with the three layered ruffles that made up the bottom of the shirt.

"Ash, where's Aiden?" Misty asked her husband, brushing her side swept bangs out of her bright emerald eyes. She had her hair pulled back into an elegant up do, and was wearing a short, low cut, skin tight black dress with short lace sleeves.

"He was upstairs in his room playing with Pikachu, last time I checked," Ash answered simply.

"Oh, Ash, you shouldn't leave Aiden alone!" Misty groaned, her white heels clicking loudly against the floor as she stomped towards the stairs. "Not now!"

"He's not alone, he has Pikachu," Ash thought that was a perfectly acceptable response.

Sighing, Misty looked up the steps and called in a very sweet voice, "Aiden!"

The little boy came hopping out of his room, Pikachu sitting atop the boy's head. "Hi, Mommy!"

"Hi, baby boy," Misty smiled lovingly at the child. "Will you come down here, please?"

"Am I in twouble?" Aiden frowned.

"No, sweetheart," Misty giggled. "I just want to say good bye to my little man before I leave!"

Aiden made a face, but nevertheless teetered down the stairs, keeping Pikachu on his head the entire way down. Once he reached the bottom step, Misty leaned down to kiss the boy's face before straightening out the collar of his shirt: a navy blue polo with orange and white stripes and gray long sleeves to give it a layered look.

"Mommy, stop!" Aiden whined, stomping his feet as Misty continued to fuss with his collar.

"Okay, I'm sorry," Misty let go of the boy's shirt. Still pouting, Aiden jumped off the step and approached Brock, giving the Pokémon Doctor a gentle smirk. "Hi!"

"Hey there, little guy!" Brock held his hand out. Aiden knew exactly what that meant, laughing as he gave the man a high five.

"I guess we should get going, Mist," Ash called to his wife, still toying with his black tie after giving a disgruntled Aiden a hug and a kiss. "We don't want to be late."

"No, we don't," Misty agreed, walking over to the couch in order to give Michelle her own kiss on the cheek. "Bye, sweetheart!"

Reaching up to play with her mother's pearl necklace, Michelle frowned and murmured, "You come back, Mommy?"

"Of course I'm coming back, darling," Misty hugged the girl before stroking her ponytails. "I'll be back before you know it!"

After both adults bid farewell to Pikachu as well, they were out the door, leaving Brock alone with the electric type and two young children.

"I guess you guys are pretty hungry, huh?" Brock asked, getting to his feet. "How about I go make some dinner for all of us?"

"Yeah!" Aiden cheered, jumping up and down all over the room. Brock just laughed, taking note of how energetic the young boy had become.

"Great!" Brock grinned. "Let's head into the kitchen, then!" Aiden ran into the other room like a little rocket. Pikachu flew off the couch and followed right after the boy. Brock started to walk away, but was quickly stopped by the screeching cry of Michelle. Turning around, Brock frowned and asked in a gentle voice, "what's wrong, Michelle?"

"I…I can't get…off," Michelle hiccupped before continuing, "hewe."

"You can't get off the couch?" Brock cooed.

Michelle sniffled and shook her head. Brock found that to be rather odd, seeing as Michelle was able to walk, run, and jump now, not to mention that the couch wasn't that high off the ground. But Brock didn't like to see the little girl crying, and it wasn't a big deal to pick her up and put her on the floor. So, he did just that, making sure to give her a kiss on the head as he picked her up. Once Michelle's feet hit the ground, she had stopped crying.

_I guess she was just being a little overdramatic, _Brock thought with a smile. _Mini Misty._

"Bwock, hold my hand?" Michelle held up her little hand.

"Sure thing, pretty girl," Brock smiled as he took the child's hand and led her into the kitchen. Walking into the room, they found that Aiden was bouncing up and down on one of the kitchen chairs, his charcoal gray pants rustling as he leapt.

"Aiden, buddy, get down from there," Brock cautiously warned the boy. "You're going to get hurt."

Aiden pouted, but followed Brock's request. He jumped right off the chair, landing skillfully on his feet while staring up at his godfather with an expectant look.

"What do you guys want to eat?" Brock asked. "I can make stew, rice bowls, buttered-"

"I wan' macawoni an' cheese!" Aiden interrupted, beaming at the man.

"Oh, uh…okay," Brock blinked. Looking down at Michelle, he asked the little girl, "is macaroni and cheese okay with you, Shelly?"

Michelle nodded her head wordlessly.

"Alright, then, macaroni and cheese it is!" Brock shrugged, chuckling as he approached the stove to turn it on. "At least it's easy."

Aiden lifted Pikachu off of his head and held the mouse out in front of him, squeaking, "let's twain, Pikachu!"

"Pipika…" Pikachu sounded wary.

Placing Pikachu down on the floor, in front of his feet, Aiden pointed out a small finger and commanded, "Pikachu, use thundew!"

"Ka…" Pikachu looked over his shoulder at Aiden and pouted.

"Pikachu, go!" Aiden called again.

Pikachu shook his head so rapidly that his ears bobbed from side to side. With a timid squeak, Pikachu hopped out of the room, causing Aiden to gasp before chasing after the Pokémon.

"Aiden, don't run through the house!" Brock warned from the stove.

"Pikachu, electwo ball!"

"And no attacks in the house, either!"

As Brock began to boil the water in a pot, Michelle began to cry yet again, causing the Pokémon Doctor to sigh and run a hand through his dark brown hair. Glancing down, Brock raised an eyebrow and asked sweetly, "why are you crying now, sweetie?"

"I…mi-miss…Mommy," Michelle sniffled, "a-and…Daddy."

"Aw, but you know they're coming back!" Brock reassured the little girl.

Michelle continued to sob, her shoulders shaking as she wailed quite loudly. Sighing, Brock knelt down and picked the girl up, holding her in his left arm much like Ash had before he'd left. The little red head continued to whimper for a short while, resting her head on Brock's shoulder while he gently bounced her up and down. It wasn't the easiest thing in the world: cooking while holding a miserable 2 year old, but Brock was able to manage just fine.

Once the macaroni was done cooking, Brock placed Michelle down at the table before calling for Aiden. It took a few minutes, but the boy responded and reappeared, returning with Pikachu sitting on his shoulder.

"What?" Aiden asked innocently.

"Dinner time, buddy," Brock smiled. "Go sit down next to your sister."

The little boy nodded and climbed up into his chair, swinging his legs back and forth as he waited for Brock to serve him his macaroni and cheese. After separating the meal into three bowls, Brock placed two of them in front of the twins, and one in front of the chair he would occupy.

"Pika-chu…" Pikachu muttered, staring at Brock with an almost pained expression.

"Oh, sorry Pikachu, you must be hungry too!" Brock grinned. "Lucky for you I brought some of your favorite homemade Pokémon food!"

Pikachu's ears twitched excitedly at this. Without a second thought, he jumped off of Aiden's shoulder, causing the boy to whine in disappointment. Sitting expectantly in front of his blue bowl, Pikachu let out a happy "chaa" as Brock took out a canister emblemized with a lightning bolt an poured the contained food into the Pokémon's bowl.

"I wanna' eat wif Pikachu!" Aiden shouted, his anger undeniable. "Why did he weave?!"

"Pikachu has to eat too, little guy," Brock smiled sympathetically the child. "He's hungry, just like you are!"

Aiden was still pouting and hitting his hands against the table, his cheeks slowly becoming a fierce shade of red. Brock knew what was coming, and he had to think of a way to stop it before-

"I WANNA' EAT WIF PIKACHU!"

Happened.

"Aiden," Brock spoke in a very calm manner, "it's _okay, _little guy. You and Pikachu can play all you want after everyone is done eating. That's not so bad, right?"

"I WANNA' EAT WIF PIKACHU!"

Aiden _really _wasn't willing to back down on this one. _Stubborn, _Brock thought irreproachably, _just like Ash._

"How about we compromise?" Brock asked.

"I don't know what dat means," Aiden finally lowered his voice, although he still appeared to be quite angry.

"It means we both get a little something in the end," Brock smirked. "How about this? Pikachu can't eat sitting on your shoulder, but he _can _eat sitting at the table. Would that be alright with you, Aiden?"

Aiden screwed his mouth, but finally conceded in a low tone, "I _guess _so."

"Great!" Brock beamed down at the yellow mouse. "What do you say, Pikachu? You wanna' eat up here with us?"

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded. Brock moved the electric type's food bowl onto the table, while Pikachu skillfully jumped up onto the chair, and then onto the table in order to eat his food.

The rest of dinner went smoothly for the group. Everyone finished their meals completely in due time, leaving Brock to clean out the dishes once they were empty. As he did his chore, it was brought to Brock's attention that the twins had become quite hyper after eating. They were now chasing each other all over the house, screaming and pouncing and running into things. It wasn't a good situation.

"Guys, come on!" Brock called from the sink. "Running around the house like this is dangerous!"

The clattering sound of _something _falling to the floor indicated to the Pokémon Doctor that the children were not listening to him. He needed to figure out a way for the kids to blow off their steam…they were in serious need of some form of physical activity that didn't involve running around Ash and Misty's perfectly nice home and breaking things.

"What do you think would tire out the twins, Pikachu?" Brock glanced at the electric type, who was sitting on the counter and drying off the plates with a dish towel. "You live with them, so I figured you might have an idea."

"Pi pika pipi chu," Pikachu answered easily.

"Take them for a walk?" Brock reiterated.

"Pika," Pikachu nodded.

"That's not a bad idea," Brock looked outside, where the sun was just beginning to set, "it's a petty warm day for February."

"Chu!" Pikachu was beaming.

"And I suppose you want to come along?" Brock smirked.

"Pika!" Pikachu squeaked.

"Alright, then," Brock handed the last plate off to Pikachu. "A walk it is!"

**XXX**

Surprisingly, the twins liked the idea of going for a walk. The only reason Brock had been taken off guard by such a fact was because the twins really had been acting much differently than usual. Brock had been bracing himself for a full-fledged argument, but the children were happy with the idea of going for a nice, post dinner stroll around Cerulean City.

With the twins gathered by the door, Brock was able to dress them in their winter coats and shoes: Michelle in a heavy, navy blue coat dotted with multi colored polka dots and adorned with a pink zipper and lining along with her light green ballet flats with an elastic strap going across the top to keep them securely on her small feet. Aiden, meanwhile, was sporting his black puffer jacket with two thick white and red bars on top, and his favorite navy blue sneakers with red shoelaces.

"Is everyone ready to go?" Brock asked cheerfully, fastening the last button his forest green wool coat. The twins both cheered happily, and soon the small group was off, including Pikachu, who was skipping in front of the children's feet.

Aiden, however, was still proving to be quite the handful. He had a habit of running ahead of Brock, hiding behind bushes, and attempting to climb trees. The Pokémon Doctor found himself constantly pulling the boy down from trunks and branches, once it was established that he could climb the trees on his own but was unable to get down without assistance.

Part way through the walk, Michelle started to cry once again; she still missed Ash and Misty. Brock tried to comfort the child, but this time, his words didn't carry much weight. Instead, Michelle chose to sit down on the sidewalk and refused to move, preferring instead to just sit there sobbing and shaking her head every time Brock opened his mouth. Eventually, this led him to pick Michelle up and carry her the rest of the way.

After much strife, the group of three plus Pikachu finally reached downtown Cerulean, the brightest and most bustling part of town. With it being a February evening, there weren't as many people out as usual. This seemed to give Aiden the_ fabulous_ idea to try and scale lamp posts, much to Brock's horror.

"Aiden, get down from there!" Brock cried, prying the young child off of the black, cast iron pole.

"No! I can do it!" Aiden whined.

Brock held back the squirming child in his right arm, since Michelle was still occupying the left. Aiden let out a loud, displeased whine and gave Brock a smack on the shoulder.

"Hey!" Brock scolded. "Aiden, it isn't nice to hit people."

"Mommy says dat," Aiden replied.

"Well, your Mommy is right. You should listen to her."

Pointing at the lamppost, Aiden quipped, "lemme go again!"

"No, Aiden."

The boy shrieked and started to kick at Brock, clearly not happy with the response. Brock just sighed and took the blows; he was used to it from watching his nephew all the time. Michelle, meanwhile, was still letting out an occasional whimper or sniffle, just to keep reminding Brock of the fact that she missed her parents.

Looking down the street and up at all the shops, Brock tried to find a place where he could take the twins and placate them. Aiden was acting wild, and Michelle was just plain miserable. There had to be _something_ he could do to get the children to behave like the sweet ones he'd gotten to know over the past 2 years.

"Pika-chu."

Brock stared down at Pikachu, whose tail was swishing back and forth in a calm, knowing manner.

"You've got an idea, don't you, Pikachu?" Brock asked the Pokémon.

"Ka."

"Well, tell me."

Pikachu pointed a little paw at a small shop on the right side of town. Brock's eyes followed Pikachu's paw and landed on the mint green and pink sign hanging from the front of the building.

"Ice Cream Parlor?" Brock asked.

"Kachu."

"Oh, I get it!" Brock grinned before looking between the two young children in his arms. "Hey, guys, do you want to go get some ice cream?"

"YEAH!" Aiden yelled, his eyes and smile widening all at the same time.

"Okay," Michelle murmured sadly.

"It'll be fun," Brock started to walk towards the shop, with Pikachu dutifully leading the way. "You two can get any flavor you want! I bet they'll have lots of tasty ones!"

**XXX**

Their time at the Ice Cream Parlor went well.

All three humans had gotten cones: Aiden had mint chocolate chip, Michelle chose cotton candy (mostly because of its pretty light blue and light pink color scheme), and Brock went for rocky road. Even Pikachu had been granted with a treat: a vanilla cone.

Brock was happy. His plan had worked. The entire time they were in the shop, Aiden sat calmly and Michelle didn't once fuss. Brock knew how to work his charm when it came to taking care of kids.

With women? Not so much, as had been evidenced when he'd attempted (and then immediately failed) to flirt with the girl behind the counter.

Even on the way home, Aiden and Michelle were calm. Michelle had even asked to be put down, and she instead chose to walk alongside her brother, the two young children occasionally setting chase after Pikachu.

After reaching the house, Brock removed both children's coats, but was then greeted by a not so welcoming sight: Michelle had spilled ice cream on her purple leggings.

"Uh oh," Brock sighed, "Michelle, you got your clothes dirty."

The little girl looked down at her leggings and then back up at Brock, shrugging. Glancing at the clock, Brock decided it was probably a good time to put the twins in their pajamas anyway. They also, at this point, probably needed to be changed as well.

"Come on, you two," Brock motioned towards the stairs, "let's get into pajamas!"

"No!" Aiden argued.

"Aiden…" Brock sighed.

"I no wanna'," Aiden continued before darting off into the kitchen. Throwing his head back and groaning, Brock calmly followed the boy into the kitchen. Being left alone in the living room, Michelle teetered over to the little box full of toys and began to take them out one by one, scattering them all over the floor.

In the kitchen, Brock was still attempting to get his hands on Aiden, who was laughing wildly and hiding behind chairs to keep the Pokémon Doctor away.

"Aiden, come on," Brock spoke slowly and calmly, "its pajama time."

"NO!" Aiden knocked over one of the kitchen chairs, creating a noise loud enough that it startled both Pikachu, who must have jumped about 5 feet in the air, and Michelle, who started to cry once again. With the chair now out of the way, Brock was able to gather Aiden in his arms, once again getting kicked and screamed at by the little 2 year old boy.

His next mission was to fetch Michelle, and that, as Brock was dismayed to see, was not a good situation either.

Michelle was sobbing, but the living room floor was now covered with toys, as far as the eye could see. There were crayons rolling around, stuffed animals hanging off the couch, Aiden's toy cars laying dangerously in the center of the room…getting to Michelle would not be easy, and cleaning up the mess would be even worse.

"Michelle, what's wrong now?" Brock was grimacing. He couldn't help it. All Michelle had done all evening was _cry. _It was like she was a baby again.

"L-loud noise…" Michelle whimpered.

"Okay, but it's over now," Brock hushed. "It's okay. Look, we're going to get into pajamas, and then we're going to clean up this big mess…okay?"

Michelle frowned and shook her head. "No cwean."

"But we have to," Brock reasoned with the child. "Mommy and Daddy won't be happy to see all of these toys lying around when they get home."

Michelle screamed, leading Brock to hop over the toys as well as he could to grab hold of the little girl. On the way, he stepped on a toy block, which dug into his foot and created a significant amount of pain. Trying to ignore it, Brock leaned down and scooped up Michelle, who stared at him with her wide, tear filled emerald eyes.

"Michelle," Brock asked slowly, "why did you make this big mess? And why won't you clean it up?"

"Mommy an' Daddy," Michelle replied softly. "They cwean wif me."

"You want to clean it up with Mommy and Daddy?" Brock shouldn't have been surprised by the answer, but he was. Michelle nodded in conferment, causing Brock to sigh and smile sadly at the little girl. She was just having some serious separation anxiety. "Okay, then. You'll clean it up with Mommy and Daddy, then."

Michelle seemed to be settled after that. Bringing both children upstairs, it was easy for Brock to change Michelle's diaper and then dress her in her fleece pajamas. He had just finished pulling the ice blue empire waist top over the girl's head and adjusting the heart printed blue, pink, and purple ruffle bottomed pants on her when he turned to Aiden and informed the boy, "okay, bud, time to change you!"

"I no wanna'," Aiden stuck his tongue out.

At least _this _was nothing new. Aiden had never liked having his diaper changed. Brock could handle this one. "But Aiden, you'll feel much better if I change you!"

"No," Aiden shook his head.

"Come here, I'll show you," Brock reached for Aiden. The boy stepped forward and allowed his godfather to undress him, but before Brock could even attempt to change the child, Aiden laughed and ran right out of the room. "Aiden!"

"Bye!" Michelle called out the door, waving her little hand.

"This boy's gonna' be the death of me," Brock muttered, gathering Michelle in his arms before chasing after Aiden. Michelle giggled as Brock ran with her, clutching onto her pastel pink Girafarig plush.

Aiden was laughing wildly, running away from Brock dressed in nothing but his diaper. Brock, meanwhile, was in hot pursuit of the boy, but didn't seem close to catching up anytime soon.

As soon as the little boy reached the living room, the front door opened, Ash and Misty walking in and laughing over something that one of them must have said. Their chuckles stopped, however, as soon as they saw their young son standing in front of them wearing just his diaper.

"Hi!" Aiden greeted.

Misty shifted her eyes into the room and gasped, seeing the mess of toys that covered the living room.

"Mommy!" Michelle cried excitedly, holding her arms out towards Misty. The gym leader sighed and dropped her anger, smiling at the girl and taking her from Brock in order to give the child hugs and kisses.

"Brock, what's going on?" Ash blinked.

"The terrible twos," Brock muttered. "That's what's going on."

**XXX**

"There. Now, was that so bad?"

Aiden was grinning up at his mother. Within 10 minutes of returning, Misty had managed to change Aiden's diaper and dress him in his navy fleece pajamas printed with fire trucks. All without a single complaint from the little boy.

"Misty really knows how to get through to Aiden," Ash chuckled, glancing at Brock. The Pokémon Master was cradling his toddler daughter, who, after becoming overjoyed to be reunited with her father, was falling asleep in his arms.

"I just…don't understand," Brock hung his head. "They've always been so good and sweet…"

"Oh, relax, it's just a phase," Misty smirked, lifting the young boy up into her arms. He yawned and snuggled against her, causing Misty to smile and kiss the top of his head. "They'll get over this eventually."

"Guess you're right," Brock sighed.

"What was that?" Misty raised an eyebrow. Ash bit his lip to try and stop himself from smiling. He knew _exactly _what Misty was up to.

"What was what?" Brock blinked.

"What did you just say?" Misty asked airily.

"I said you were right," Brock answered, not getting it.

"Oh, I'll never get tired of hearing those words," Misty breathed, beaming down at her little son who giggled in response. "Mommy is _always _right!"

A light chuckle finally escaped Ash's lips, causing Brock to turn towards his younger friend and glare. Feeling the Pokémon Doctor's eyes on him, Ash smiled sympathetically and reasoned, "Hey, _I'm _usually the one having to admit she's right. Let me enjoy this moment."

"You'll have to forgive Ash," Misty smirked mischievously at her husband. "He's going through the terrible 23's."

"Not funny, Mist."

* * *

><p><strong>I wrote Aiden and Michelle so both were exhibiting different signs that come with the terrible twos. Aiden was testing vaious emotions (mostly anger) and expressing his newfound desire for independence, while Michelle was going through seperation anxiety and seeking attention :)<strong>

**I can almost gaurantee I'll have another one shot out before I leave. Don't quote me on it, but I'm definitely feeling it. In the meantime...review please? :3**


	64. Concession Caper

**I WROTE SOMETHING! I have actually had no time to write since I've been here, guys. I've been socializing like crazy (which I didn't do at home, lol) I have people in my dorm like...every night. And now classes started, and I understand why people say college is so time consuming. I actually had to drop a class today because I couldn't handle them all! But...here's an update for you guys. I worked super hard on it! :)**

**Aiden and Michelle: 3 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Concession Caper<strong>

"Man, how do we always get stuck sellin' snacks at dese tings?"

"Because we're always in such desperate need of money. At least I was able to get Nanny and Pop-Pop to watch over the children for the day."

"True. Hey…wait just a minute…where's Jessie?"

James scanned the arena with his bright green eyes. He couldn't spot head or tails of his and Meowth's magenta haired teammate, and to be honest, it concerned him. More often than not, Jessie did not take their concession jobs as seriously as James and Meowth did. The last thing the trio needed to do was be fired from this gig, James knew that was true. They needed money to build new robots that would help them to snatch other people's Pokémon for the boss. Well, for that _and _for cute clothes that Jessie could dress Jason and Jewel up in. She seemed to think of the two young children as her own personal dolls.

Little did James know, however, that Jessie was, in fact, working hard on selling the snack foods and beverages she had been so strenuously lugging throughout the stadium. She was on the opposite side of the building from him and Meowth, yelling out all of the offerings she had to the audience.

"Popcorn! Soda! Candy!" Jessie cupped her hands around her mouth, shouting in the sweetest voice she could manage.

"I'll take some soda!"

"I'd like some popcorn!"

Jessie grinned mischievously to herself as she handed out the snacks and pocketed the customers' money. This wasn't the most glamorous job, but she certainly made a great amount of cash from it. And there was nothing better, in Jessie's mind, than making money! Well, maybe except for food and shopping…and sleeping.

"Lady, can I has cotton candy?"

The villainess smiled and cooed, "of course, darling!" Looking down, however, she gasped and nearly stumbled backwards when she saw the figure standing before her.

A small girl, with straight, bright red hair hanging just below her shoulders. Bright, piercing emerald eyes stared right back up at her, accompanied by a delicate, upwards curve of the child's pink lips. She wore a sleeveless sundress, made up of tropical colored tiers alternating between a floral pattern and plaid, accessorized with floral appliqué flip flops and a pair of floral printed sunglasses sitting atop her amber locks.

_It's the twerps' kid! _Jessie thought in a panic.

"Michelle!"

The young girl turned her back to Jessie, smiling at her mother who was running towards her. "Hi, Mommy!"

"You can't just run off like that, sweetheart," Misty sighed, holding a hand over her heart. "You scared me."

"Sowwy, Mommy," Michelle frowned.

Jessie scowled at her longtime nemesis' wife. She was still so young, and she didn't at all look like the mother of two children. The light blue strapless top and mini shorts she was wearing just added more fuel to the fire. Inside, Jessie's stomach lurched. She hated that stupid, red headed gym leader with all of her might.

"I'm sorry my daughter just came running up to you like that," Misty smiled at the seemingly unfamiliar woman. "She can get a little excited when it comes to things like food."

Quickly wiping the glare off of her face, Jessie gave Misty a fake smile and assured, "oh, it's quite alright! She's…quite adorable."

"Mommy, I wan' cotton candy," Michelle patted her mother's leg. "Pease?"

Smiling, Misty cooed, "Oh, I can't say no to my little girl when she asks so politely!" Reaching into her bag, Misty pulled out her wallet and opened it to take out money to pay for the cotton candy. Temporarily forgetting her dislike for the twerpette, however, Jessie realized she had a prime opportunity in front of her. One she couldn't possibly pass up.

_I can finally nab this kid for the boss!_

"Oh, no, this one is on the house!" Jessie giggled, handing a stick of the sweet, light blue fluff off to Michelle, who squeaked in delight.

"Are you sure?" Misty was surprised by this.

"But of course! How could I possibly make the Pokémon Master's wife pay for food for your darling daughter? It wouldn't be right at all!"

"It really isn't a problem," Misty felt guilty.

"No, no, don't mention it!" Jessie waved a haphazard hand at Misty. "It's perfectly fine!"

Misty grimaced for a few more seconds, but that eventually melted into a sweet smile, which she promptly directed down at her daughter. "Shelly, what do you say to the nice lady?"

"Tank 'ou!" Michelle beamed up at the disguised Jessie.

"You're welcome, precious!" Jessie giggled.

"Thank you," Misty threw in her own appreciation, still sporting that bright smile that made Jessie want to go on a rampage.

"Err…right!" Jessie nodded quickly before rushing away, eager to tell James and Meowth of her plan.

"Well, she's certainly in a hurry…" Misty blinked.

"Mommy, she gaveded me a blue one!" Michelle waved her cotton candy in the air.

"I see that," Misty grinned. "I know it's your favorite!" Holding down her hand, Misty beckoned, "come along now, sweetheart. Let's go back to the box. You can eat your cotton candy there."

Michelle was more than happy to take her mother's hand and allow the woman to lead her back to the private seats they had in the stadium. She was just excited to have some cotton candy to eat!

**XXX**

"Hey! There she is!"

"Oh, pipe down, Meowth."

The cat Pokémon was glaring at the woman who was just approaching him and James. James, meanwhile, was just confused. Jessie had returned to them seemingly out of nowhere.

"Jessie, where have you been?" James asked calmly.

"Probably tryin' tah ruin everytin' we've been workin' on," Meowth sighed.

Jessie growled and smacked the talking Pokémon in the back of his head, causing him to yelp in pain. "Oh, who asked you, you filthy feline?!"

"Then if you weren't out trying to sabotage our concession jobs, then what _were _you doing?" James was genuinely curious.

Beaming, Jessie leaned into James' face and marveled, "you'll never guess who I caught sight of!"

"A legendary Pokémon?" James' eyes were sparkling.

"No, better!" Jessie shook her head.

"What could be bettah than a legendary Pokémon?" Meowth asked, still massaging the back of his afflicted head.

"Try the twerps' little girl!" Jessie squealed. "She's here, and she ran right up to me, like we belonged together!"

"Or it could just be because you're selling the kind of sweets that little children like her just love," James muttered.

Growling, Jessie shoved James away from her and continued valiantly, "what I'm _trying _to say is we should totally kidnap the kid and bring her to the boss!"

"That's actually not a bad idea," Meowth marveled. "And ya' know what, if da little goil is here, I bet the boy's not too far behind!"

"I suppose the boss could _still _make do with the child," James tapped his chin. "But how do we get her away from her mother?"

"The same way I got the girl to come to me before," Jessie grinned mischievously. "With sweets!"

**XXX**

"Those two really enjoy watching their father battle, huh?"

Misty looked at Scott and giggled. She had both children sitting on her lap, with Michelle kindly sharing the blue cotton candy she had been given with Aiden.

"Yeah, now that they're older," Misty nodded. "They know he's the best trainer in the world. It just makes them want to watch even more."

"Whatever keeps them off my back is fine by me," Scott gave Misty a thumbs up, causing her to smirk mischievously.

"Mommy, my hands are all sticky," Michelle complained, holding up her dyed blue fingers to show her mother.

"Oh, Michelle, why do you have to be such a messy eater?" Misty sighed. Michelle simply shrugged before reaching for her mother's hand, transmitting the sticky cotton candy to Misty's skin in the process. The gym leader grimaced at this, but didn't complain aloud. She'd been raising these two for 3 years now; she was used to all the messes.

"I don't like sticky," Michelle commented.

"Well, why don't we go wash your hands?" Misty suggested.

"I can do it myself, Mommy!" Michelle slid off of Misty's lap and scurried towards the bathroom that was in the family's stadium suite. "I'm a big girl!"

"Okay, I'll wait for you right here," Misty called over her shoulder, smiling at the child as she made her way to the bathroom.

Michelle managed to just barely reach the sink by standing on her tippy toes. She successfully washed the sticky residue off her hands and dried them on a paper towel, the young child feeling rather proud of herself for washing her hands on her own. Right when she was about to run back to her mother to show off her newly washed hands, Michelle was compelled by a voice echoing outside the suite.

"Candy! Popcorn! All of that wonderful, tooth rotting sweet stuff!"

Michelle's eyes lit up as she ran outside of the suite. The still disguised Team Rocket was coming down the hallway, still holding their boxes full of stadium goods.

Giggling, the little girl ran up to them, her emerald eyes sparkling at the prospect of getting more free candy. The trio, meanwhile, exchanged sneaky glances before feeding into Michelle's innocent trust.

"Hello again, precious!" Jessie greeted brightly. "Back for some more?"

"Yes, pease!" Michelle nodded enthusiastically.

"We've got lots more than cotton candy, you know!" James chimed in. "Would you like some popcorn this time? Or maybe a nice cold soda?"

"I want gummy Pokémon!" Michelle smiled.

"Of course!" Jessie giggled. "Anything for you-"

"Shelly!"

The trio gasped, but then returned their villainous looks. They couldn't believe their luck! The twerps' other child, their little boy, had just teetered out of the suite, staring at his sister with his big brown eyes.

"Aiden!" Michelle grinned at her brother before pointing at the "vendors" before her. "This lady gave me cotton candy before! They have candy!"

Aiden's face brightened up as he scurried up next to his twin. He loved sweets just as much as she did, so the prospect of having some was enough to get him completely excited. Jessie leaned down, showing off her tray of goods. "Go ahead! Take whatever you'd like!"

Just as both Aiden and Michelle reached forward, the items in the tray exploded, causing both children to cry out in fear. The tray turned into a cage, which flipped right side up and captured the twins. Laughing maniacally, Jessie picked up the cage and showed it off to her teammates.

"We caught the little twoips!" Meowth cheered.

"It's a battle tournament miracle!" James chimed in in a sing song voice.

"Mommy!" Michelle wailed, tears falling down her cheeks.

"Help!" Aiden chimed in, kicking the cage with his feet as he snarled.

"Hey, pipe down you two!" Jessie scolded the young children. "We didn't catch you for you to create a bunch of noise!"

"What in the world is going on out here?" Scott stepped out of the suite, his sunglasses almost falling off of his face when he realized that the twins had been captured. Misty followed right behind, but her look was not one of shock.

It was one of absolute _fury._

"What are you doing with my babies?!" Misty stormed, her hands tightening into fists.

"Run fer it!" Meowth yelled. The three took off down the corridor, Aiden and Michelle still crying out from inside the cage.

"Those three morons are going to get it," Misty ran right after them, her eyes narrowed as she charged. To Misty's surprise, Scott was following right behind her, in hot pursuit of the villains who had taken her children.

"Where do you think they're going to go?" Scott asked.

"I'm not sure," Misty grumbled, "but if Ash sees them…they're going to be even sorrier than if _I _get my hands on them."

**XXX**

In the lower bowl of the stadium, Ash sat alongside Lance, the Kanto Champion who had organized the entire battle tournament. They were friends, so Ash enjoyed his company when it came to watching such things. But still, he was kind of bored. Ash wanted to be playing with his children right now; he didn't think he got to do that enough, although Misty always assured him that he did plenty.

Pikachu was slouched on his trainer's shoulder, looking even more bored than the raven haired man the electric type used as a perch. Suddenly, however, something caught his attention, causing the mouse to perk up and twitch his slender ears.

"Chu?" Pikachu squeaked.

"What's up, Pikachu?" Ash asked his partner, Lance becoming curious as to what was going on between the two friends.

"Pika…" Pikachu growled.

"Good afternoon, battle people!"

Ash, Lance, and Pikachu, along with most everyone else in the stadium, looked up towards the sky, with Ash and Pikachu groaning at the sight.

"Why are _they _here?" Ash muttered.

Jessie, James, and Meowth were looking over the edge of their balloon's basket, evil grins adorning all of their faces. Ash didn't like the looks of it; he knew for sure they were up to no good, like always, but those expressions made him fear something _really_ bad was going down.

"We'd love to recite the motto for you, but we're in a bit of a hurry," Jessie drawled, her bright blue eyes glimmering with a sense of evil.

"Yeah, places tah go an' people tah see!" Meowth chimed in.

"But thank you for your little gifts," James smirked as he held up the cage that contained a screaming and crying Michelle and a clearly flustered Aiden. "They're going to make an excellent surprise for the boss!"

Ash gasped sharply, muttering "Aiden! Michelle!" The fear over washing him quickly turned to anger as Ash snarled and yelled up at Team Rocket, "You three morons get away from my kids! Give them back _right now!"_

"Aw, listen to the little Daddy twerp whine and fuss," Jessie waved a dismissive hand at the Pokémon Master. "It's like he thinks that we actually care."

Snarling, Ash jumped over the box that he and Lance were sitting in, the dragon specialist watching after him in shock. With an infuriated look on his face, Ash pointed up at the balloon and demanded, "Pikachu, use thunder bolt!"

Pikachu was charging up his electricity, until Jessie's taunting voice floated down to the little mouse, "are you _sure _that's such a good idea? You'll end up shocking these little cuties!" She held up the cage that contained the twins, both children looking utterly frustrated and defeated.

Whimpering, Pikachu stopped his charge up and frowned at Ash. The Pokémon Master shot his partner a sympathetic look, knowing that the little electric mouse would never try to hurt the twins. That didn't mean Ash was about to let Team Rocket get away with the children, however. Reaching to his belt, Ash pulled off a poke ball and called upon one of his old friends for assistance.

"Noctowl, use air slash on Team Rocket's balloon!" Ash commanded.

The owl Pokémon nodded and flew up towards the villians' trademark form of transportation, raising its wings until a blue ball of energy was formed and thrown at the Meowth shaped balloon. The balloon tore and began to let all of its air out in a quick gush, causing Team Rocket to let out a shriek as they began to fall towards the ground. The cage containing Aiden and Michelle slipped out of Jessie's grasp and started to tumble towards the ground.

Ash started to sprint, Pikachu digging his claws into the Pokémon Master's shirt in an effort to hold on. The raven haired young man kept his chocolate brown eyes on the cube the entire time, his heart beating wildly in his ears. When he saw that the cage was about to hit the ground, Ash made a desperate last attempt; sliding across the battle field like he was a professional baseball player.

The action worked, however, as Ash managed to catch the cage in his arms. He was nearly crushed under the weight of it, but he didn't care. All Ash cared about was that his children were safe and sound, which they certainly appeared to be now that they were back with him. Grinning almost deliriously, and clearly relieved, Ash pulled open the top of the cage and lifted his children out of the box, holding them close and giving out reassuring, tight hugs.

"Are you two okay?" Ash murmured.

"Yes, Daddy," both children chimed together, wrapping their arms around their father's neck.

Sighing, Ash frowned at the children and asked them, "Why would you guys talk to Team Rocket? You know they're bad!"

"Daddy, we didn't know it was!" Aiden cried. "They was disguised!"

"But you should know it's them," Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Mommy doesn't," Michelle huffed.

"Huh?" Ash blinked.

As if on cue, Misty and Scott appeared on the scene, chagrining onto the battlefield like it was nobody's business. When they reached Ash and saw him holding the twins, however, they realized that Team Rocket was nowhere in sight.

"Where did those three crooks go?" Scott puffed.

"Noctowl took care of 'em," Ash smiled at his shiny Pokémon, who came floating down to him with a quiet _hoot._

Taking a sigh of relief, Misty took Aiden and Michelle from Ash and cuddled them, cooing, "oh, my babies. You're okay! Mommy was so worried…"

Aiden and Michelle sighed and snuggled into Misty's chest, clearly happy to be reunited with their mother. A slight growl from Ash caught Misty's attention, causing her to look up in confusion. "What is it, Ash?"

"How could you not realize those disguised people were Team Rocket?" Ash demanded.

"Shut it, Ash," Misty narrowed her eyes. "You can't tell when Team Rocket is in disguise, either! Don't make me out to be some kind of idiot."

The twins peered up and moved their eyes back and forth as their parents argued. They were confused by it, but accustomed to the happening.

It was just another average day.

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><p><strong>Yeah, I poked fun at Ash and Misty's failure to recognize Team Rocket in disguise, and to show that Aiden and Michelle have inherited that same density :)<strong>

**I'm gonna try to update as much as I can, but I can tell it's gonna be a LOT more limited than it's ever be :/ But if you guys could leave me a review, I would love that! It gets sad and dreary here in school sometimes T_T**


	65. The Look

**This one's more like a drabble. It's very short. But I had to write it because it's mentioned in the next longer one shot that I'm planning. Also, the children are mentioned in this one (very briefly) but don't appear. So for ages? Use your imagination :)**

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><p><strong>The Look<strong>

It always showed up when Ash asked something that he wasn't supposed to ask.

He knew it by heart, that very simple, yet very telling, expression. It didn't have a name, nor a definition. It wasn't angry, but it certainly wasn't happy. It wasn't stern, yet it wasn't approving.

Over the years, Ash had simply come to know it as…_the _look.

He got it when he asked Misty if she was going through her time of the month without being provoked. He got it when he asked her about what kind of presents he should be expecting from her for his birthday. He got it when he asked Misty if he could buy unwarranted presents for the children.

_The_ look was distinct; Ash knew when it was coming on. He could tell just by the changes in Misty's beautiful, angelic face.

Her brow, first, would furrow ever so slightly. It was almost like a twitch; happening so quickly that without a trained eye, you wouldn't see. Her eyes followed in a similar fashion, narrowing just the smallest amount in order to scrutinize the raven haired man standing before her. Her nose would wrinkle ever so slightly, lips pressing together and forming some strange mix between a smirk and a frown.

Ash hated _the _look.

But he got it a lot, and Ash knew he did. It wasn't his fault. He forgot what kind of questions brought it on. How should he know that Misty was going to pull that little face when he asked a seemingly simple and unintrusive question such as, "would your parents mind it too much if we swam naked in their pool?"

All _the _look did was confuse Ash.

He wondered if Misty would ever stop giving it to him. It was a good question, Ash thought. So, one day, he went up to his wife wearing a completely innocent face, trying not to let on to anything. She'd smiled at him and greeted him sweetly; followed by an inquiry of if he needed something from her. Ash responded that he did, and he asked his burning question:

"Are you ever going to stop giving me _the _look?"

And Ash, much to his chagrin, got a quick, wordless response from his sly, red headed wife:

_The _look.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm not used to writing something so short. I kind of wanted to try my hand at a more drabble type addition. Like it? I don't know, 'cause I've never written one like this before, so leave me a review and let me know!<strong>


	66. Great Grandma

**Look, I wrote something! I know I need to update A New Era but I really haven't had any time to do that. I've mostly just been finding time to write some one shots and stuff like that. I'm going to try and get on working on A New Era, though! I'm getting more adjusted to being here, it's just the work that can sometimes be hectic. I feel like I never have enough time in the day anymore...**

**Anyway, I like this one a lot, it's really sweet and touches on Misty's family background :)**

**Michelle: 3 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Great Grandma<strong>

"Mama, what's dis?"

Misty looked down at her daughter, who was pointing at a printing of her name. More specifically, the young girl's small finger was poking at the name that came between the first and last; the ones she most commonly heard.

"That's your middle name, sweetheart," Misty answered airily, a gentle smile gracing her lips.

"How you says it?" Michelle turned her eyes up onto Misty, still pointing at the unfamiliar name.

"Well, your middle name is Aimi," Misty explained gently, "and so, you say it like this: eye-me. That's how we pronounce it."

"Nounce?" Michelle murmured innocently, finally taking her finger away from her printed middle name and placing it on her lip. It sort of made her look like a little Teddiursa, Misty noted to herself with a playful smile.

"Yeah, that just means how people say it," Misty nodded.

"Why's that it?" Michelle blinked.

This question confused Misty. Since Michelle was still young, she wasn't very good at enunciating or properly putting words together. As a result, it was sometimes difficult to understand what Michelle was saying or asking for; even for her parents.

"What do you mean, baby?" Misty inquired.

"Why's dat my name?" Michelle asked the question a little more clearly.

"Oh," Misty giggled softly. "Because I picked it, sweetheart! I wanted it to be your name."

"Why?"

Misty smirked. This really _was _the age when all of the questions came out. She and Ash had both had long winded conversations with the twins, trying their best to be as simple as possible when the children asked "why?" about every last thing.

"Because I named you after somebody," Misty murmured, brushing some of Michelle's hair behind her little ears. "Someone very important to me."

"Who?"

"My Grandma," Misty's voice was quiet.

"Where's she?" Michelle's brow furrowed ever so slightly.

Sighing, Misty shook her head and informed the young child, "She's not here. Not anymore."

"Not whewe?" Michelle was looking around the room as if the woman at hand would jump out of nowhere. "Hewe?"

Misty bit her lip. She didn't know how to explain death to a 3 year old. It was a delicate subject, and for such a young child, it was a complex one as well. Michelle had never even met her great grandmother…Misty wasn't sure what to do.

"Mama?" Michelle patted her mother's leg. "Whewe?"

Leaning over, Misty gathered Michelle in her arms before sitting the girl down in her lap and smoothing out the small child's hair. "Well, sweetie, sometimes people have to leave…where we are. Things happen that can take away people that we really love. And that's what happened to my Grandma."

"Wha' happen?" Michelle glanced up at Misty.

"She got sick," Misty frowned. "Very sick. And her body couldn't fight it."

"When did dat happen?" Michelle leaned against her mother.

"When I was a little girl. I was older than you were, though. I was 9 years old."

"Did you love her, Mama?"

"Yes, very much. My Grandma was my very best friend. She took care of me and my sisters."

Michelle twisted her mouth; she seemed to be thinking all of this over. Misty watched her daughter, taking notice of the child's bright green eyes flickering as she processed what she was being told.

"Are you having trouble understanding this, sweetie?" Misty hugged the girl.

Michelle shook her head before continuing, "no. But Mama, I has a questy."

"What is your question?" Misty understood that little word misstep.

"What's she?"

"What do you mean, princess?"

"She's youw Gwandma," Michelle explained. "What's she fow me?"

"Oh," Misty understood now. "She's your Great Grandma, baby girl."

Frowning slightly, Michelle continued, "Would she love me?"

Misty would be lying if she said that question didn't make her tear up slightly. Just the thought of such a thing was enough to make her heart quake. "Of course she would have loved you, Shelly. She would have loved you and Aiden _so _much. But I think she knows you're here."

"How?" Michelle tilted her head.

"I'd like to think that my Grandma watches over me," Misty answered whimsically. "That she knows what's been going on around here since she's been gone."

"She watch me, too?" Michelle's eyelashes fluttered.

"Of course she does," Misty smiled and nodded. "She watches all of us; me, Daddy, Aiden, and you."

"What abou' Pikachu?" Michelle seemed genuinely curious about such a thought.

"Yes, I suppose she watches over Pikachu, too," Misty giggled. "My Grandma loved Pokémon."

"She did?" Michelle's eyes widened.

"Oh, yes! She was the gym leader before my Mom was. Your Great Grandma loved water types, just like me."

"Wha' was her favowite?" Michelle loved talking about Pokémon.

"Lapras," Misty smiled at the memory. "My Grandma had such a pretty Lapras that was her partner Pokémon. They started to go extinct when she was a little girl, but they had always been her favorite Pokémon. She found one in Johto that was very shy and badly injured, and nursed it back to health. It was just a baby at the time, so it learned to trust my Grandma and allowed her to raise it. They had been partners ever since."

Michelle giggled once her mother was finished recanting the tale. "Good stowy, Mama!"

"You liked it?" Misty smirked.

"Yeah."

"I have lots of stories about your Great Grandma," Misty stroked her daughter's cheek with her thumb. "She was so amazing."

"Tell me mowe, Mama!" Michelle pleaded with an angelic smile on her young face.

"You want to hear more?" Misty's eyes were shinning. Wordlessly, Michelle nodded emphatically and settled herself against her mother for another anecdote about her Great Grandmother.

Misty told her daughter all about the water Pokémon the woman had trained, how she'd grown up with 3 older brothers, the different things they would do together when Misty was just a child…Michelle loved every single story her mother had to tell.

After a while, however, Michelle started to yawn and slouch against her mother. Misty took notice of this change in her daughter and smiled at the child, giving her a hug and gently rubbing up and down her arm.

"Is my little girl sleepy?" Misty asked.

"Nuh uh," Michelle refuted, shaking her head. Misty knew better, however, as Michelle's head began to bob tiredly.

"I will still have plenty of stories to tell you when you wake up," Misty reasoned with the girl. "They're not going anywhere."

Michelle sat up more and wrapped her arms around Misty's neck. The young mother, in turn, kissed the side of her daughter's head and held her in her arms, standing up to bring the child to her bedroom.

"Mama…" Michelle muttered sleepily.

"What is it, princess?" Misty whispered.

"I love Gweat Gwandma, Mama," Michelle yawned again before snuggling her head against her mother's chest. "I'm gonna' dweam about Gweat Gwandma."

"Okay," Misty smiled gleefully. "You dream about her, darling."

"And she'll watch me sweep?"

"Yes, sweetheart. She'll watch you sleep."

"Okay," Michelle sighed. She fell asleep right in Misty's arms, not even having to be put down in her bed to doze off. Still smiling, Misty laid the girl down and pulled up her covers, giving the young child a kiss on her head before walking out of the room and beaming up at the ceiling.

"She loves you, Grandma. And I know you love her, too. I told you I would never forget you."

* * *

><p><strong>I want to write more with Misty's Grandma. She's one of my favorite OCs, even though she's passed away.<strong>

**Review, please? :3 **


	67. Tea Party

**LOOK I WROTE SOMETHING! And it was already half written on my iPod from awhile ago. So I still don't have much free time, as you can tell...**

**I don't have much time for a long author's note, either, I have to leave for a cheerleading meeting in 2 minutes! So...enjoy!**

**Elizabeth: 3 years old**

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><p><strong>Tea Party<strong>

"Pikachu? Where are you, buddy?"

Ash was looking confusedly around the house, wondering where in the world his most loyal Pokémon could have gone. Since Pikachu wasn't as young as he used to be, he often just napped on Ash and Misty's bed when he was playing with the children or training with Ash. He even had his own little beds stationed around the house that he would occasionally snooze in. But Pikachu wasn't in any of those places, and Ash was beginning to worry.

"Pikachu!" Ash called. "Answer me! Pikachu!"

"Do you want mowe tea, Miss Fwuffy?"

Ash raised an eyebrow, hearing the little squeaky voice.

"Ka…"

His eyes snapped open at that. It had been Pikachu, Ash was sure of it!

"Miss Fwuffy! You'we hat is slipping! Lemme fix it!"

Moving a little more quickly, Ash peered into his youngest child's room, and gasped quietly at the sight. Elizabeth was sitting at her little tea table, surrounded by several poke dolls and one _real _Pokémon: Pikachu.

The electric type looked fairly miserable, wearing a floppy pink sunhat with a big, white flower on the brim.

"Lizzie…baby…" Ash called, nearly in a stammer. Elizabeth looked up and beamed at her father, waving crazily to him with her little hand.

"Hi, Daddy!" Elizabeth chirped.

"Hi, pumpkin," Ash blinked. "What're you up to…?"

"Tea pawty!" Elizabeth grinned. "Wanna pway?"

"Uh…maybe…" Ash looked down at Pikachu once again. The poor mouse looked like he was being tortured. "Why did you dress Pikachu up like that, sweetie?"

"Pikachu is my guest!" Elizabeth grinned. "'Cept, hewe, she's Miss Fwuffy!"

"She?!" Ash recoiled.

"Yeah!" Elizabeth nodded again.

"Lizzie…honey…" Ash blushed before explaining, "Pikachu is a boy."

"No," Elizabeth shook her head.

"Yeah, sweetie, he's a boy. He doesn't want to be dressed like a girl."

"Why is he a boy?" Elizabeth tilted her head.

"Well…just…he just is," Ash shrugged.

"What's diffewent from a boy an' a giwl?" Elizabeth squeaked.

Ash's blush exploded all over his face. "Uh…stuff?"

"What kinda' stuff?" Elizabeth was persistent in her questioning.

"Stuff stuff!" Ash's blush actually managed to intensify.

"What stuff?" Elizabeth would not give up.

"It's nothing important," Ash lied through his teeth, trying to give his answer a sense of finality.

"Okay!" Elizabeth gave up on the subject fairly easily, much to Ash's surprise. "Want tea now?"

"Who?" Ash blinked before pointing at himself. "Me?"

"Of couwse you!" Elizabeth laughed. "Silly Daddy!"

Ash didn't want to play tea party, he _hated _playing tea party. But…he also hated to see his little girl be sad, and he knew she would if he turned down her offer.

"Sure," Ash smiled at his youngest child. He walked into the room and sat beside Pikachu, who shot him a pleading look.

"Pikapi…" Pikachu whined.

"Oh, sorry, buddy!" Ash removed Pikachu's feminine head wear, causing the little electric mouse to squeak happily.

"Daddy, NO!"

Ash whipped his head around, surprised by Elizabeth's sudden outburst and the look of dismay on her face. "What's wrong, Lizzie?"

"Pikachu has to have the hat!" Elizabeth pouted.

"Sweetie, I already told you, Pikachu doesn't want to wear it," Ash tried to explain this as gently as possible to his daughter.

"No," Elizabeth repeated, narrowing her eyes ever so slightly. "This is _my _tea pawty. And at _my _tea pawty, you hafta be dwessed up!"

"But I'm not dressed up," Ash reasoned with the young girl.

"I know!" Elizabeth whined slightly before jumping off of her small pink chair and running over to her dress up chest. Ash watched in horror as the little red head pulled out a rainbow tulle skirt and a headband decorated with silky pink roses. "I have somefin' for you!"

The last thing Ash wanted to do was wear that…ridiculous outfit. The fact that he was even "attending" this tea party was bad enough! He loved his daughter dearly, but she really did live to torture him. And he wanted to say no, he _really _did.

But he just couldn't.

So, Ash was forced to wear the pretty skirt and the beautiful headband, his impressive frame barely fitting on the _very _tiny pink chair he had to use. He had to keep his legs bent with his feet on the floor; otherwise his legs would end up stretching beyond the table. Even sitting like this, his knees were well above the circular white table everyone was seated at.

"Pikapi," Pikachu muttered, clearly unhappy with his situation.

"It's not like I have it much better than you do," Ash muttered to the aggravated mouse.

Holding up her small pink tea pot, Elizabeth grinned at her two live guests and asked as sweetly as possible, "Mistew Fwuffy, Pwincess Daddy, want mowe tea?"

Turning his head to glare at his partner Pokémon, Ash huffed, "scratch that. I have it _worse _than you."

At least Pikachu was finally laughing.

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><p><strong>Torturing Ash is my favorite pasttime. Review? :3<strong>


	68. Babysitting: May and Drew

**It's the second babysitting centric one shot! This time, it's little Aiden and Michelle being watched by May and Drew. So, fair warning, this one is VERY Contestshippy. Like...very. It's probably my second favorite Pokemon ship ^^**

**Aiden and Michelle: 2 and a half months old**

* * *

><p><strong>Babysitting: May and Drew<strong>

"May, calm down! It's fine!"

Ash furrowed his brow. He had just walked into the house, coming home from his day at the Pokémon League Headquarters, and was greeted by Misty's exasperated tone. Stepping towards the kitchen as quietly as possible, Ash perched himself behind the doorframe that connected the kitchen to the front foyer, peering in just enough to see Misty talking on the video phone to none other than May.

"I can't do this, Misty," May sounded like she was on the verge of a panic attack, "I'm not ready to do this!"

"You sound a lot like me about 11 months ago," Misty smiled sympathetically at the coordinator. "And I'm doing just fine, right?"

May let out a small whine, but nodded.

"So I know that you can do it," Misty murmured comfortingly.

Ash bent his brow in deep thought. 11 months ago? What was 11 months ago? Not anything he could remember.

"But what if I can't?" May sounded desperate.

"May, I _know _that you can," Misty pressed.

"And what about Drew?" May was certainly on the verge of tears. "I can tell he's terrified…what if he leaves me?!"

"Drew would never do that to you," Misty shook her head. "He loves you too much."

Ash leaned in further, trying to hear more of the conversation between Misty and May. Unfortunately, he lost his footing and slipped, landing harshly on his side and creating an audible thud. Misty looked over her shoulder and narrowed her eyes at her husband, who was simply staring up at her from the floor.

"May, I have to call you back," Misty sighed, turning he attention back onto the brunette. "Ash needs to be punished."

"Oh, fun!" May giggled, her mood lightening to a noticeable degree.

"Not like that, May," Misty shook her head before ending the call. Getting up from her chair, Misty folded her arms and walked over to Ash, glaring down at him with a look of pure irritation.

"Uh, hey Mist," Ash smiled sheepishly at his wife. "What's up?"

"You're 21 years old, shouldn't you know better than to eavesdrop on someone's phone conversation?" Misty cut right to the chase.

"Uh…yeah..." Ash screwed his mouth.

"So why were you doing just that?"

"I didn't want to interrupt," Ash replied softly.

"Of course that's why," Misty muttered, walking away with seemingly no interest.

Clambering to his feet, Ash scurried over to Misty and asked in as calm and level a voice as possible, "so what were you and May talking about?"

Misty turned her head to give Ash _the _look. Ash gulped as soon as he saw it. He could not stand _the _look.

"Mist…" Ash whined.

"You know you shouldn't be asking those kinds of questions," Misty chastised the young man.

"But May is my friend, too," Ash reasoned, blinking his wide brown eyes. "Why can't you tell me? You know I won't tell anyone else."

"Because it isn't right," Misty rolled her eyes. "She didn't tell me to tell you!"

"Misty, I'm not gonna' tell anyone," Ash gripped Misty's shoulder, pouting at his pretty wife. "Please? If something is bothering May, I want to help her, too."

Sighing, Misty flicked her emerald eyes upwards and stared at Ash for a good couple of seconds before slowly and steadily revealing to him, "She's pregnant."

At this, Ash's eyes widened. "Like you were?"

Misty groaned and stomped away to check on the running dishwasher. "Yes, Ash, _just _like I was! With a human baby and everything!"

"Well, you had two babies," Ash mentioned, earning yet another _the_ look. "Oh, come on, that one wasn't even a question!"

"No, but it was a dumb comment," Misty smirked.

"So why is May all upset about having a baby?" Ash continued, leaning on the kitchen counter. "Didn't she learn from us that it's not so scary?"

"It's still very overwhelming when you first find out," Misty shrugged. "Besides, she and Drew weren't planning to have a baby so soon after they got married. It's just like you and me."

Ash nodded. He could understand completely. Finding out Misty was pregnant just 3 months after their wedding had been very shocking, and to discover it was twins had been a whole different level of surprise. But now that they were almost 3 months old, Ash had gotten very used to having his babies around. He loved them dearly.

As if they had heard their father's thoughts, both babies awoke with loud cries, causing Ash to jump. Giggling, Misty skirted towards the stairs and called over her shoulder, "come on, Daddy, the babies are up!"

Ash smiled warmly and followed after his wife, eager to see the twins. The young parents stepped into the half blue, half pink nursery, the two splitting up to opposite sides of the room in order to get the fussy infants out of their cribs. Ash was in charge of gathering Michelle in his arms, which the new father was more than fine with. She was a real Daddy's girl.

"Good morning, little princess!" Ash cooed to the baby. She continued to cry, however, which was confusing the Pokémon Master. He didn't understand it; Michelle loved him. So why wouldn't she calm down? "What's up, huh? Why are you cranky?"

As he stroked the baby's hair, Ash turned her so she was resting against his chest and he could hold her behind her legs. Doing this tipped him off as to why Michelle was so upset, however, and he raised his eyes to glance at Misty, who caught sight of his wide brown orbs.

"What is it, honey?" Misty asked, holding Aiden in a similar fashion. He, however, was nice and calm now.

"Michelle needs her diaper changed."

Sighing, Misty walked over to Ash and switched babies with him. As hard as he tried, Ash wasn't very good with changing the babies. He would really only do it if Misty or someone else more capable than him wasn't around and he had no other choice. In fact, Misty was sure that _Brock _had changed more of the twins' diapers than Ash had.

While Misty busied herself with that task, Ash played with Aiden, poking the boy's nose and causing him to giggle. He couldn't stop thinking that soon, Drew would be in the same position as him; playing with a little baby and loving it unconditionally.

For some reason, Ash was having a hard time picturing the green haired coordinator doing just that.

"May and Drew are going to have to get used to taking care of a baby," Ash pondered aloud.

"Yeah," Misty agreed, "they really don't have any experience at all. At least I had my nieces before Aiden and Michelle were born."

Staring into Aiden's brown eyes, Ash began to formulate an idea in his brain. Watching his father intently, Aiden eventually let out a quiet laugh, reaching up to brush his tiny fingers against Ash's jaw.

"Hey, Mist, I have an idea," Ash beamed at his wife.

"That's dangerous," Misty shot her husband a serious look.

"I mean it," Ash chuckled.

"I mean it too," Misty smirked.

"Misty!" Ash whined.

"Alright," Misty's expression became one of genuine curiosity and playfulness, "tell me what your idea is."

"Maybe we should have May and Drew babysit the twins," Ash suggested, still sounding very thoughtful on the matter. "It would really help them get used to what they're going to have to do."

"That's actually a pretty good idea," Misty finished rebuttoning Michelle's pajamas before giving the now happy baby a kiss. "I think we should do that! I'll call May later and let her know."

"See, not _all_ of my thinking is dangerous," Ash beamed at his wife.

"No, but a majority of it is," Misty stuck her tongue out playfully, causing Ash to sigh and jokingly roll his eyes in response.

**XXX**

When Misty opened the door for May and Drew one week later, the apprehensive look on both coordinators faces was blatantly obvious. Neither one could even attempt to hide the fear that was showing on their faces.

"Hey, you two!" Misty greeted jovially, trying to make the young couple feel a bit less nervous. "Please, come in!"

She moved out of the way to make a clear entranceway for the two, but they still seemed to be shell shocked. Both nodded and walked in wordlessly, leaving Misty to stare after them with a confused glance. Once they walked past her, Misty closed the door and followed May and Drew into the kitchen, still smiling at them the whole time.

"So, May, how are you feeling?" Misty tried to strike up a conversation.

"Uh…okay, I guess," May shrugged. "I really don't have any morning sickness…I'm just kind of tired."

"You're so lucky," Misty sighed. "When I was pregnant, the first three months were a _nightmare. _I used to have to spend hours at a time in the bathroom. It was horrible."

"I bet Ash ran away from that," Drew muttered, finally sinking back into his normal self if for only a moment.

"No, not at all," Misty smiled at Drew. "He took care of me. Ash would hold back my hair or rub my back. He was so sweet. I could tell he didn't like being around…that, but taking care of me was more important to him than the fact that he was uncomfortable."

As if on cue, Ash came down the stairs, beaming at May and Drew once they came into his eyesight. "Hey May, Drew! What's up?"

"Not much," Drew answered breezily, which set May right off.

"Oh, yeah, because I'm not _pregnant _or anything!" May snarled. "Not about to bring a child into the world, right? Yeah, _NOTHING _is happening!"

The room went silent after that. Ash couldn't decide whether he wanted to stare at Misty's shocked face, Drew's horrified expression, or May's burning glare. It was truly a complex decision.

"I…I'm sure he didn't mean it that way, May," Misty tried to comfort her brunette friend.

May didn't look convinced, however, and it still appeared that she was ready to kill her husband. Trying to smile, Ash decided it was his job to lighten the mood and get May's mind off of murder.

"May, Drew, why don't you come see the twins?" Ash prompted. "They're awake!"

Drew eagerly ran over to Ash, trying to escape from any potential harm that May might inflict on him. She seemed to have calmed down rather quickly, however, sighing as she followed right after her grassy haired husband. Still smiling shakily, Ash led the young couple upstairs, straight to the twins' nursery.

He gathered Aiden in his arms first, grinning down at the squirmy baby before walking over to Drew, who had a confused look on his face.

"What?" Drew blinked.

"Wanna hold Aiden?" Ash offered the 2 and a half month old to the coordinator. "You're gonna have to do it when we're not here, so you might as well test it out now!"

Drew seemed hesitant, but nevertheless, he took the baby from Ash with obviously tense fingers. Holding Aiden underneath his arms, Drew eyed the baby with trepidation. Aiden, in turn, was making quite the face; it appeared that he was angry.

"Is he about to puke on me or something?" Drew asked Ash warily.

"Nah," Ash chuckled. "Sometimes, Aiden just makes those kinds of faces! He likes seeing what he can do with his face now that he's a little older."

Drew stared down at Aiden's pajamas; the baby was outfitted in blue, red, and white striped fleece pajamas with a Pikachu face sewn on the front. They were overly adorable and made Drew feel strange.

"Aww, just look at this beautiful little girl!"

May, on the other hand, didn't seem to have a problem interacting with the infants. She was cradling Michelle, tickling the baby's stomach and causing her to giggle. The little red head was sporting pajamas that Dawn had given to her parents as a gift: light brown fleece with a shiny Buneary patch on her right chest and the feet designed to look like the shiny normal type as well, complete with the fluffy pink ears.

"They're in a good mood tonight, which is fortunate for you two," Misty smiled at her friends. "They shouldn't cause too much trouble for you!"

"So…how are we supposed to take care of them?" Drew asked. He was still holding Aiden, who was now squeaking and kicking his legs eagerly.

"It's not so hard," Misty smiled. "The most complicated thing is feeding them, because they're on different schedules. Aiden eats consistently every 2 hours. I nursed him about half an hour ago so you still have another hour and a half before he'll want to eat again. Michelle is trickier. She can go anywhere from 3 to 4 hours without eating. I fed her almost 2 hours ago, so you just have to keep an eye out for that."

"How will we know when she's hungry, then?" May frowned.

"She'll just start to whimper," Misty answered. "If she starts to cry, that could be it too, especially if you miss the whimpering. I have milk in the fridge, all you have to do is heat it up. Just make sure it isn't too hot before you feed it to them."

"Sounds pretty complicated to me," Drew muttered.

"Feeding is the worst part," Ash assured the coordinator. "Especially when Misty's doing it. I might need her for something, but she can't do it because she's got a baby on her. At least you two won't have that problem with them."

May turned her eyes onto Misty, who just smirked and shook her head. "Other than that, the most important thing you'll have to do is change their diapers. Otherwise, they'll just sleep or want to be cuddled. Easy!"

"I think we can do that," May smiled encouragingly at her husband, who didn't look quite as convinced.

**XXX**

"Never mind!" May shrieked, holding a screaming Michelle at arm's length. "I don't think we can do this!"

Drew, who was sitting beside May and covering his ears, complained, "She's been crying for almost 20 minutes!"

"Yeah, I _know _that!" May replied snappily. "But she's not hungry, we already tried feeding her and she wouldn't eat!"

"I wonder if Misty is gonna' be mad that we wasted her milk," Drew mused.

"Well, now's not really the time to be worried about that," May grumbled. "We've gotta' get Michelle to stop crying."

Drew got to his feet and started pacing the floor, holding his hands behind his back as he thought up possible ways to calm the baby. May, meanwhile, lowered Michelle into a cradling hold, gently rocking the baby back and forth as she continued to sob.

"Uh…what about a toy?" Drew asked. "Maybe if you showed her a toy, it'd cheer her up!"

"That's actually a good idea," May smiled encouragingly at her husband. "Could you go get one of Michelle's toys?"

The green haired coordinator nodded and hurried up the stairs to fetch a toy. Once in the nursery, he leaned over Michelle's crib to grab a toy. After a few seconds of deliberation, Drew decided on a pink and purple stuffed rattle. Before he left the room, however, Drew heard the sounds of Aiden babbling in his crib, and felt bad for just leaving the boy behind. Sighing, Drew shuffled over to the crib and watched as Aiden smiled up at him, grabbing at his feet and pulling them towards him.

"You're gonna' come with me," Drew informed the baby, "but…I'm kind of afraid to hold you, so…"

Looking around the room, Drew smiled as soon as he caught sight of a cuddly blue blanket folded over the end of Aiden's crib.

"Perfect!" Drew grinned.

**XXX**

"Okay, hush baby girl, oh why are you crying so much?"

May frowned as she rocked the baby in her arms, staring down at the innocent child's bright red face. No matter what she did, Michelle would just _not _stop wailing. Had she broken the baby? Was that a possibility?

Sighing, May rubbed a hand across her slightly bloated belly and murmured, "Please don't be like this, baby."

Just then, Drew came down the stairs, a blue blanket being held by the ends in his hands. May raised an eyebrow in confusion, but kept silent as her husband walked cautiously over to her.

"Okay, I got a toy to try and calm down Michelle," Drew announced brightly.

May smiled and was about to respond, but stopped abruptly when she heard a wave of happy giggles. Looking down, however, she was greeted by the sight of a still screaming and crying Michelle. Now peering over towards the blanket being held in Drew's hands, May separated the ends of the material and found Aiden to be lying inside the blanket, cooing and wiggling around.

"Drew!" May hissed. "How could you carry Aiden down the stairs that way?!"

"I was afraid to hold him!" Drew argued.

"Putting him in a blanket like that is a lot more dangerous than just holding him in your arms!" May fought back.

"Not if I had dropped him it wouldn't!"

"Yeah? And what if he had fallen out of the blanket?"

"Then…I…don't know?"

Sighing, May narrowed her eyes and continued, "You see, Drew, this is the problem. You don't think things through, and the-UGH!"

Drew furrowed his brow, not understanding May's sudden outburst. When he looked down at her, however, he realized exactly why she had yelped, and his eyes widened in shock.

Michelle's eyes were scanning the room, and she had finally stopped crying. This had come at the expense of the brunette coordinator who was holding her, however; May's nice blouse was now covered in baby spit up.

"Oh, _that's_ why she was crying," Drew awed in realization. "She must have had an upset stomach!"

"DREW!" May shrieked, looking just about ready to cry herself.

"Okay, okay, give me the baby, you can go wash up," Drew put down the blanket that contained Aiden and instead held his arms out for Michelle. May had no problem handing the baby over, not even caring that Drew was visibly shaking as he took the infant. Once his wife had stormed up the stairs, Drew took a seat on the ground, feeling that it was safer to sit while holding the girl. "I can't really drop ya' this way, huh?" He asked the baby.

Michelle cooed softly, staring up at Drew with curious emerald eyes. Aiden then began to babble again, leading Michelle to glance over at him and hold out one of her little hands. Drew watched in inquisitiveness, wondering if the children really knew what they were doing.

His question was answered when a big smile grew on Aiden's face, and he reached out for his sister. Gawking, Drew lowered Michelle so she was lying down next to Aiden. The raven haired boy kept on smiling as he rolled onto his side, squealing as he set his eyes on Michelle. The red head, in turn, giggled and touched her brother's face. Drew was fascinated as he watched the children interact. He couldn't believe that two such small, young things could know exactly what was going on, and play that way with one another.

At that moment, May came back down the stairs, head down as she brushed some hair out of her face. Drew watched her approach him, noticing the static expression on her face and the lack of any attempted conversation. She sat down next to him and just stared ahead of her, cheeks flushed and eyes a little red.

Looking down, Drew realized that he didn't recognize the top May had changed into: a mint green, V-neck t-shirt that was obviously too tight on her chest area.

"Where did you get that shirt from?" Drew finally piped up.

"Misty's drawers," May answered quietly. Tugging at it, she added in an uncomfortable manner, "but she's smaller than I am."

Drew just continued to silently watch May as she didn't once look at him. And then, seemingly out of nowhere, May burst into tears. Drew nearly fell over, and for a few moments, had absolutely no idea what to do. He felt so flustered, watching his wife sobbing. But finally, Drew reached out and started to rub May's back, causing her to sniffle and look up.

"Hey," Drew murmured in a comforting manner, "what's wrong?"

"I can't do this, Drew!" May wailed. "_We _can't do this!"

"Do what?"

"Raise a baby!" May started to cry even harder. "Look at what a terrible job we're doing with Ash and Misty's kids! We couldn't figure out that Michelle had an upset stomach, you're too afraid to even _hold _a baby…and I freaked out when I got thrown up on!"

"Well, that's understandable," Drew comforted.

"No it isn't!" May refuted. "Babies _do _that kind of stuff! And I can't freak out when _our _baby does something like that!"

"You won't, May," Drew whispered. "I believe in you."

That didn't seem to do anything to make May feel better, however. Twisting his mouth, Drew glanced back down at the babies and suddenly got a brilliant idea. Smiling at his wife, Drew laid a hand on her shoulder and nudged her, causing the female coordinator to look up at him. "What?"

"Take a look at the babies," Drew motioned his head towards the infants.

May did just that, taking in the sight of the two babies squealing innocently as they touched one another's faces and played with the other's fingers.

"What about them?" May muttered, trying to keep the smile from creeping up on her face.

"They're happy," Drew stated simply.

"So?"

"They don't know that we're screwing up," Drew smirked. "Only _we _know that. They seem to think we're doing just fine."

"Yeah," May murmured, finally letting the smile appear on her face, "I guess you're right."

At that moment, Aiden began to whimper, drawing his hands away from Michelle so he could tighten them into tiny fists. Drew didn't understand why this was, at first, but May was quick to figure it out.

"He's hungry."

Drew smiled at his wife and nodded. "I think you're right." Leaning down, he cradled the baby in his arms and walked into the kitchen. "Come on, little guy, let's get you a bottle!"

May stayed behind, still grinning as she gently poked Michelle's stomach, causing the infant so squeal with delight and squirm like crazy on the blue blanket.

"Drew is right," May whispered to no one in particular. "We'll be just fine."

* * *

><p><strong>It came out fluffier than I expected. I originally wanted it to be more funny than fluffy, but...it sort of just wrote itself :P<strong>

**I have an idea on who will be the focus of the next babysitting one shot. If you guys have any ideas on who else should have a babysitting one shot centered around them, just let me know in the reviews! I'm definitely open to all suggestions.**


	69. Badges and Tables

**See, this is the difference between me being at home and me being in college. I'm home for the weekend, and I banged this one shot out in less than 24 hours. Because I had the time and no distractions. I really hate college, guys...**

**Anyway, yeah. This one is kind of just random. And fluffy. And cute. I love it :3**

* * *

><p><strong>Badges and Tables<strong>

Ash beamed as soon as he saw his reflection in his now shining Freeze Badge. Pulling the cloth away from his little prize, Ash smiled to himself and murmured in a satisfied voice, "just one more to go!"

A miserable groan caught Ash's attention and caused him to look up from his silver badge case. What he found was Misty leaning against the side of the door frame, her hands pressed against her back and her face looking fairly miserable.

"Hey, babe," Ash crooned sweetly, looking back down at his badge case, "what's up? You okay?"

"I feel gross," Misty whined.

"You don't _look _gross," Ash smiled without glancing back up.

"I don't care how I look. I care how I feel."

"Well, that's a first."

"Shut up."

Chuckling, Ash motioned his head to the side, the grin still on his handsome face. "Come sit down next to me! I'll make you feel better."

Misty rolled her eyes, but followed Ash's order anyway. She had nothing better to do. Slumping down next to him on the couch, Misty sighed and placed a hand on her round stomach, staring down at the bump with intent eyes.

"They bothering you?" Ash asked.

"Of course, they're your children," Misty smirked at her husband.

"Yours too," Ash replied airily. Misty was surprised by how easy his comeback came. And Ash seemed to sense this shock, because he laughed warmly right after he said it. "I think they just want to come out is all."

"Not yet," Misty murmured, poking at the side of her swollen midsection. It felt weird, to be so…big. She looked and felt weird, and her center of balance was completely off. Misty felt like she was in an entirely different body.

Turning her head to the left, Misty watched as Ash continued to polish off his eighth and final badge in the silver case. Once he deemed it to be fully shined, Ash held up the case and admired his handiwork.

"You really do love those badges," Misty sighed in exasperated fashion.

"Of course I do, I worked hard for them," Ash reasoned.

"You certainly polish them enough."

"Well, I want them to look good."

"Why don't you want your closet to look good?"

Now it was Ash's turn to roll his eyes, and Misty's turn to giggle. Ash threw his wife a sideways smile, which she was more than happy to reciprocate.

"You sound like my Mom," Ash grumbled playfully.

"Well, I'm going to be a Mom, so I'm just practicing," Misty teased. She leaned in closer to Ash as he lowered his badge case, much to the Pokémon Master's bewilderment. "Where are those from?"

Ash scanned the eight shining badges before smiling warmly at them and then his wife. "Unova."

Misty pressed her lips together and looked over each and every badge with bright eyes. Pointing a finger at the first badge in the dual fold case, Misty commented gently, "this one is very pretty."

"That's the Trio Badge," Ash educated his wife. "From Cilan's gym, actually. In Striation City."

"I like the different colors," Misty nodded.

Ash closed the case, not wanting his newly polished badges to be mucked up so soon after being cleaned. He first looked down to the left and frowned, realizing there wasn't much room to put down the case. His other badge cases were there, and he didn't want them to get mixed together. Moving his eyes to the right, where Misty was seated, Ash surveyed her bulging stomach, twisting his mouth in a studious manner.

Misty eventually picked up on this look, and adopted her own look of bewilderment. "What're you doing, Ash?"

Without another word, Ash placed the badge case down on Misty's stomach, causing her to furrow her brow and give him an incredulous stare.

"I'm using your belly as a table," Ash announced as though it were the most normal thing in the entire world.

"Why?" Misty didn't look at all placated.

"That way I know which badges I've polished and which ones I haven't."

"Why is this the only thing you're obsessive about?" Misty smacked a hand against her forehead.

"My badges are very important to me," Ash replied almost statically, picking up the next badge case he had lying in the pile; this one a lake blue colored octagon. He flipped open the top, Misty once again leaning in to examine the badges that rested upon a dark blue velvet interior.

"These are from Sinnoh," Ash moved them closer to Misty so she could get a better view. "Which one of these do you like the best?"

Misty let out a quiet noise of interest, studying all eight badges. She was pressed right up against Ash's side, her warmth rubbing off on him in the most comforting fashion possible. Finally, she pointed at two separate badges; the second one which was forest green in color, and seventh one, an icy blue and silver prize. "These two are both really pretty. I love the colors of them."

"The green one is called Forest Badge, and the blue one is the Icicle Badge," Ash smiled.

"Ugh, where are all of the water type badges?" Misty whined playfully.

"I'll get to them eventually," Ash chuckled, once again picking up the cloth he used to shine his badges.

Sighing, Misty drew her legs up as much as she could which, at this stage in her pregnancy, wasn't much. "You turned me into a Wailord."

"I did not," Ash refuted.

"Yes, you did." Holding her stomach, Misty narrowed her eyes as she stared at Ash and accused, "_you _did this."

"All I did was make you cuter," Ash argued.

"You're stupid."

"No, I'm not."

"Uh huh."

Chuckling, Ash once again looked up from his badges and gently chastised, "now now, little Misty. It's time to act like a big girl."

"I'm big enough, thank you very much," Misty teased.

Once Ash finished polishing his Sinnoh badges, he closed the case and placed in right next to his Unova badge case on top of Misty's stomach. She stared down at the cases and twisted her mouth in silent thought. "I don't know how I feel about my belly being used as a table."

"It's a good thing," Ash leaned over to give Misty a kiss on the cheek. "It's useful!"

"Yeah, for you," Misty leaned her head back. "It gives you a place to put your badge cases. How is it supposed to be useful to _me?_"

"You could use it as a table too," Ash reasoned. "Put your drink on there or something."

"I don't think you're funny," Misty complained.

"I'm being serious."

Wrapping her arms around her belly, Misty murmured softly, "polish your Kanto badges next."

"Why?" Ash raised an eyebrow. "You know what all of those badges look like."

"I wanna' see them!"

Ash feigned a frightened look, causing Misty to laugh. His lips forming a delicate smile, Ash picked up the cobalt blue case where he stored his Kano badges. Since he had pinned them in his jacket while traveling through Kanto, Ash hadn't had a badge case for them. Eventually, Misty gifted him with the dark blue case so that the badges would fit in with all of the others that already had their own cases.

Opening the top, Ash smirked to himself as he separated one of the badges from the red velvet lining of the case. Misty tried to see which badge it was, but Ash was doing a very good job of hiding it from her. Once he had the little charm firmly in between his fingers, Ash held it up for Misty to see, a big smile growing on her face as she saw what it was.

"You're so cute," Misty giggled.

"Yeah?" Ash asked, placing the blue water drop in his palm so he could examine it more closely. "I think that this badge is my favorite one of them all."

"You didn't deserve it," Misty grumbled.

"Wow, and here I thought I'd get some sort of sweet response for that," Ash's eyes widened. "Instead, I get your sass."

"You will _always _get my sass," Misty taunted, "and I'm being completely serious. You shouldn't even have that badge."

"I saved the gym that was proof enough that I was a good trainer," Ash sounded rather pleased with himself.

"Yeah, but that's not how you win a gym badge," Misty narrowed her eyes. "You win a badge by beating the gym leader. You didn't beat me, _darling_."

Ash stuck his tongue out slightly after Misty's impish drawl of her final word. Flipping the badge around so he could study the back of it, Ash stared at the tiny silver pin on the back for a few seconds before placing his badge case down on his lap and moving his now free hand over to Misty's stomach.

"What are you up to now?" Misty asked as Ash ran his fingers over her belly. It was as though he was looking for something. She watched curiously as he rubbed his fingertips over certain spots. Misty loved the feel of Ash's hand on her stomach; it was so strong and held so much power, the skin soft yet still a little roughed over from all of the hard work Ash did. Finally, his fingers stopped in a certain location; close to the bottom of her left rib.

"Got it," Ash murmured quietly, smiling to himself.

Misty didn't ask any other questions. She just watched as Ash undid the blue badge's pin and attached it to her shirt, right in the spot he had stopped his touch at. Once the Badge was fastened, and Ash took his hand away, Misty felt a small but firm kick right beneath the shining water drop.

"Oh, so _that's _why you were roaming my belly," Misty smirked at her husband.

"I'm teaching them," Ash very gently pressed down on the Cascade badge, causing one of the babies to kick right back. Leaning down, he pressed his lips against Misty's stomach, right next to the badge, and spoke, "babies, that's the Cascade Badge you're kicking. It's what you get if you beat Mommy at the gym. It's very special to her…to both of us."

Another kick hit against the blue symbol, causing Misty to giggle lovingly. Pressing her fingers underneath the badge, Misty added, "Yes, but that still doesn't mean your Daddy deserves to have it. Don't let him tell you both otherwise."

Frowning, Ash looked up at Misty and whimpered, "Why do you have to downplay my accomplishments?"

"Because not winning a badge properly isn't an accomplishment," Misty gently flicked Ash in the forehead, causing him to yelp and grab at the afflicted area.

As Misty giggled at Ash's pain, the front door opened to reveal Delia, who was just returning from the Pallet Town market with ingredients to make dinner. Mimey was following dutifully behind, carrying some gardening supplies that she had picked up while in town. Upon stepping into the house, the first thing Delia saw was Ash's badge cases resting on Misty's stomach, which caused her to narrow her eyes at her son.

"Ash!" Delia called sternly. The raven haired young man looked back at his mother, smiling sweetly at her; completely oblivious to her less than pleased tone.

"Hi, Mom!" Ash greeted warmly. "What did you get for dinner?"

"That's not important right now," Delia gave her son a disapproving look, which finally caused him to look questioningly at her. "Why are you treating Misty like an object?"

"I'm not," Ash didn't understand what his mother meant, and she could tell right away.

"She's pregnant, not a table," Delia motioned towards Misty's stomach.

"That's what I was saying!" Misty agreed laughingly.

"I'm just playing around with her, Mom," Ash sighed. "I don't think of my wife as an object. It's not my fault her stomach makes a great table!"

"I don't think your little babies would like to know they are being used as a surface for your gym badges," Delia shook her head.

"Nah, they're fine!" Ash patted the side of Misty's belly. "They're behaving so nicely."

Just as Ash said it, one of his badge cases went flying off of Misty's stomach, landing with a quiet _thud _at her side on the couch. He looked rather horrified, while Misty just burst out laughing, her cheeks reddening with how hard and quickly she was chuckling.

"What in the world was that?" Delia was just as wide eyed as her son.

"The babies just kicked at the same time, right at the badge cases!" Misty's voice was still laced with giggles as she tried to settle down. "I think your Mom is right, Ash. I don't think the babies like stuff being put on my belly!"

"No way," Ash shook his head. He leaned over Misty and put the badge case back on her stomach. Not even a second later, it went flying off again, followed by the second case shortly after.

"What is it?" Misty cooed to her stomach, rubbing her hand up and down. "You don't want Daddy to use me as a table anymore?" She was hit in the hand by a kick, causing Misty to smile once again. "I'm going to take that as a yes."

"Mist, there's no way the babies know what I'm doing, they're just getting a little feisty is all!" Ash picked up his water bottle and leaned over to put it on Misty's stomach. "Look, I'll show you."

"Ash…" Delia warned steadily, "I wouldn't do that if I were you…"

He settled the container on Misty's stomach, beaming at how well it sat for him. "See, perfect?"

Just a second later, the water bottle went flying and landed on the other side of the couch, water spilling out onto the cushion from the open top. Misty burst out into another fit of laughter, while Ash turned bright red. He slowly turned his head to glance at his mother, who now had her arms folded across her chest and looked less than amused.

"Uh…I can fix that…"

* * *

><p><strong>Stupid Ash :P<strong>

**Don't use your babies as a table, folks. He learned the hard way.**


	70. Checkup

**That's right. I wrote 3 one shots in 3 days. I really like being home, if you couldn't tell. Going back to school is actually going to be the worst thing to happen to me in forever. I'm gonna miss having writing time T_T I've been really making up for it the last 3 days.**

**Aiden and Michelle: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Check Up<strong>

"Nuh uh, there's no way I'm coming."

"Ash, come on! Please?"

"No way! I know how this whole thing works! _I'm _gonna' end up being the bad guy in all of this!"

At this, Misty twisted her mouth in a displeased fashion. "Oh, I get it. So _I _can be the bad guy, but _you _can't?"

Frowning, Ash backed away slightly and murmured, "I don't want them to hate me."

"So you think I want them to hate me?" Misty pointed at herself in an incredulous manner. "They're not going to hate _anybody _after this."

"Yes, they will. They say it every time afterwards!"

"But you know they don't mean it. They're just little kids who don't know how to express themselves."

Wordlessly, Ash shook his head in a frantic manner, and that was just about enough for Misty. She let out an aggravated puff of air and pushed past Ash, muttering, "You're so stupid."

"I am not!" Ash retorted in a whiny voice.

Looking up the stairs, Misty cleared her throat and called, "Aiden! Michelle! We have to go now! Come downstairs, please!"

It didn't take long for the two young children to come clambering down the steps, beaming up at their mother. It was very apparent to the two adults in the room that the twins had no idea where they were going.

"There are my beautiful babies," Misty cooed. "Come along, now. Let's put on your jackets and get going!"

"To where, Mommy?" Michelle asked curiously.

Misty put on as innocent an expression as possible and purred calmly, "oh, you'll see, sweetie!"

"Tell me," Michelle tried again.

"No, it's a surprise!" Misty smiled at her daughter. She pulled the twins' coats off of the hooks near the front door; Michelle's an orange wool toggle coat with a faux fur collar and ruffled hem, and Aiden's a blue plaid heavyweight jacket with orange fleece lining.

The twins were already out the door by the time Misty had pulled on her own forest green pea coat. Just as she finished fastening the last enamel button, Ash leaned in for a parting kiss, to which Misty reciprocated by covering his lips with her hand and giving him a light smack on the back of the head.

"Nice try," Misty smirked as she stepped outside, leaving behind a pouting Ash. "But you've already pushed your luck for today."

**XXX**

The twins had been rather chatty the whole way to their destination, but as soon as the big, glass paneled building came into their sights, they quieted down. Misty bit her bottom lip, anxiety washing over her. She had a feeling that the twins realized this building was familiar, but weren't entirely sure of what was inside. Once they actually got inside, however, Misty knew that Aiden and Michelle would figure out where they had been taken, and that a meltdown would occur not long afterwards.

Trying to appear calm and collected, Misty smiled over her shoulder at the nervous children and beckoned, "alright, you two, let's go inside!"

They were obviously hesitant, but Aiden and Michelle followed their mother anyway. Hoping to give them an added sense of security, Misty held both of the children's hands and led them into the building. The walk to the elevator seemed excruciatingly long, and the ride up was just as bad, if not worse. Once they reached the third floor, the silver doors slid open, revealing an empty hallway to the young family.

Misty, at this point, was practically dragging the twins out of the elevator. They were still completely silent, but she could see the scrutiny in both children's eyes. They were checking this place out like they were detectives looking for a big clue to solve a mystery.

With her heart beating steadily, Misty and the twins eventually reached the last door in the hallway: a brown wooden slab with a few shining name plates plastered on the front that Aiden and Michelle couldn't even begin to decipher. Sucking in a deep breath, Misty laid a hand on the silver door handle and pushed it down, allowing the door to open. From behind her legs, Aiden and Michelle peered into the room, wide eyes blinking as they took in their new surroundings.

Misty was happy to see there weren't many other people around. Just a couple both slightly older than her with a baby, and a father with his son who was clearly older than Aiden and Michelle. Just in case the two suffered a breakdown, at least there wouldn't be too many people to witness it. They seemed to be doing okay for now, though, and not questioning anything.

Smiling down at her children, Misty piped up, "Why don't you two go play with that fun looking toy in the corner?" Misty then motioned towards it so they could see what she was talking about. "Mommy has to go do something very quickly."

The twins nodded and ran over to the wooden cube that was bigger than the both of them, planting themselves down on their knees as they examined the plaything sitting before them. With that out of the way, Misty walked over to the front desk, giving the receptionist a sweet smile.

She could feel everyone's eyes on her back, save of course for her own children. They all knew she was the Pokémon Master's wife; it was certainly obvious enough. Misty had a distinct look as it was, so she never did really manage to blend in. It had been uncomfortable at first; being stared at everywhere you went with people muttering about who you were right in earshot. Misty had grown used to it now, however. Her biggest concern was protecting Aiden and Michelle. She knew that everyone staring at her was also staring at the children playing in the corner. They were oblivious to it all, however, and Misty was just fine with that.

Once the receptionist checked her in and handed her a clipboard of forms to fill out, Misty turned on her heel and walked over to where her children were. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see everyone silently averting their gazes, and Misty couldn't help but to smile. She didn't understand why people had to be so shy about it. She knew they had all been staring at her, and that they'd all do it again once she sat down and her back was to them.

As soon as she was in her seat and about to fill out the paperwork, Misty felt a pair of small hands touch her thigh. Smiling, she looked down and found Michelle to be staring up at her with her wide, emerald hued eyes.

"What is it, darling?" Misty asked.

"Mommy, take my coat," Michelle replied.

"What's the magic word?"

"Please."

"Good girl," Misty bent down to undo the three toggles that ran down the front of Michelle's coat. Once they were unfastened, Misty removed the child's outerwear so she just remained in her jeans decorated with orange, pick stitched bows at the bottom leg hems and floral printed top. "Aiden, come here, sweetie, let me take your coat off, too. Otherwise you'll get too hot."

Aiden reluctantly teetered away from the toy and allowed his mother to remove his jacket. Misty gently smoothed out his navy blue, argyle printed rugby shirt until the child protested, at which point she giggled and allowed him to go back to playing.

Once the forms were all filled out and handed back in to the receptionist, Misty found the time to watch her children play, smiling feebly as they intently worked on moving the colorful, differently shaped wooden beads up and down the bright, thick metal wires to try and create some sort of pattern. Misty loved seeing her children so happy and playful…she was just afraid of it all being destroyed in a matter of moments.

A young woman dressed in colorful scrubs emerged from the back of the office and called out Aiden and Michelle's names. They looked up curiously at their mother, who gave them a small smile and held her hand out towards them. "Come along, you two."

They held their mother's hand, not wanting to go anywhere without her. The young woman who had called the twins' names smiled at this and led them all to the back of the office, into an examination room.

_This _is when the twins realized what was going on.

"MOMMY, NO!" Michelle screamed, letting go of her mother's hand and trying to make a run for it. Misty sighed and managed to grab Michelle before she could run off, restricting the mightily squirming child in her arms.

"Michelle, honey, I'm so sorry!" Misty had to practically shout over the girl's screams. "But I couldn't tell you and Aiden where we were going! I knew this would happen, and I didn't want you both to get upset!"

Aiden was a little calmer than his sister, but it was still obvious that he was also beginning to get upset. Freeing one arm, Misty picked Aiden up before he could attempt anything similar to Michelle's antics and sat down with them on her lap on the examination table. Michelle was screaming and on the verge of tears, while Aiden was just letting out a few whimpers every few seconds.

"Shh, it's okay!" Misty hugged both children. "Don't get so upset, now."

The young nurse knelt down in front of Misty so that she was at eyelevel with the twins. Smiling, she informed the children in a soft, calming tone, "there's no need to be afraid of me! I'm not going to do anything bad to you. I promise."

Sniffling, Aiden finally spoke up, "you won't give me a shot?"

"No, I won't be giving you any shots!" The nurse shook her head. "I'm going to do a bunch of easy stuff that won't hurt you at all."

"Like what?" Aiden muttered. He didn't sound so sure.

"Well, first I'm going to look into your ears, eyes, and mouth to make sure everything looks okay," the nurse pulled out a silver tool, pressing a button on the back so a bright light went off. "Will you let me do that?"

Aiden nodded slowly. Smiling gently so the boy wouldn't get upset again, the nurse walked over to the side of Aiden's head and turned the light on her examination tool so she could look in his left ear.

"Wow, do you know what I see in here?" The nurse asked.

"What?" Aiden was curious.

"I think I see a little Pikachu running around using his thunderbolt," the nurse giggled. "That means you're very bright!"

His eyes widening, Aiden looked up at the nurse and practically shouted in excitement, "my Daddy has a Pikachu!"

"Yeah, I know that! It's his best Pokémon."

Aiden seemed even more surprised by this. "You know my Daddy?"

"I've never met him before, but I know who he is," the nurse nodded. "He's very famous!"

Aiden seemed to calm down a lot after this. He let the nurse do the rest of her examination without complaint, including checking his temperature and reflexes, the latter of which was deemed beyond perfect.

"He has some of the best reflexes I've ever seen on a child so young," the nurse marveled to Misty.

"I think he gets that from his father," Misty smirked. "Quick to react, not so much to think. I'm hoping Aiden will use his head a little bit more than his Dad."

Michelle was next to be examined, but she was still a bit touchier than her brother. Every time the nurse came near her, Michelle would whine unappreciatively and hug Misty's side, trying to hide from the troublesome doctor's assistant.

"Michelle, baby, you saw what she did with Aiden, she didn't hurt him at all," Misty nudged the girl, who in turn just shook her head.

The nurse leaned in closer to Michelle, smiling kindly at the young girl as she commented, "I really like the headband you're wearing!"

Slowly, Michelle pulled away from her mother and stared the kind nurse right in the eyes. Raising a small hand, Michelle poked at the headband that was pulling back some of her hair: it was yellow in color with three bows going up the left side, each one pick stitched in orange thread.

"What do you say, Michelle?" Misty giggled.

"Thank you…" Michelle's voice was unusually quiet.

"Could I please take a quick look into your ears?" The nurse held up her tool to show Michelle that it really wasn't so scary. "I promise it isn't going to hurt."

Michelle still didn't look convinced, so Aiden decided to jump in and try to make his sister feel better. "Yeah, Shelly, it's okay! Let her! She's nice!"

"Aw, thank you, Aiden," the nurse giggled at this.

"No…" Michelle murmured. She sounded so terrified that it broke Misty's heart.

"Hold my hand!" Aiden held one of his arms across Misty's body. "It's okay."

Michelle stared down at her brother's hand in uncertainty for a few seconds before reaching her own out and taking it. At this, Aiden gave his twin an encouraging smile and kept his watchful eyes on her the whole time she was being examined by the nurse.

Now that Michelle had calmed down, it didn't take long for the nurse to finish her checkup. As soon as she was done, the nurse beamed at the young red head sitting before her and cooed, "thank you so much, Michelle! That wasn't so bad, was it?"

The child smiled gently and shook her head, not bothering to let go of Aiden's hand.

"Thank you," Misty gave the nurse an encouraging grin.

"Don't mention it," the young woman returned the action. "Dr. Neal will be in shortly to finish the checkup."

As the nurse left, Aiden looked up at his mother and gave her one of the sweetest smiles she had ever seen. Showing off her own loving grin, Misty held Aiden under his face and crooned, "that was _so _sweet of you, dear! I'm very proud of you for making your sister feel better."

"Thank you, Aiden," Michelle added to her mother's praise.

"You're welcome!" Aiden beamed.

Misty was happy to see her children in such a better mood than when she had first brought them into the room. She especially loved to see them getting along so well and helping one another out. Grinning from ear to ear, Misty wrapped her arms around both children and gave them each a kiss on the head.

After that, it didn't take long for Dr. Neal to walk in, beaming at the sight of Aiden and Michelle sitting on either side of their mother.

"Wow, look at these two!" Dr. Neal marveled. "They just get bigger every time I see them! What in the world are you feeding these kids, Mommy?"

Aiden and Michelle giggled at this, as did Misty who laughingly replied, "I don't think it's me! They're both such good eaters, I think that just helps them to shoot up."

"Well, I don't want to keep you three here for much longer," Dr. Neal was looking over his chart. "Both Aiden and Michelle are looking very healthy! All I need to do is give them each their shots."

The composure that Aiden and Michelle had finally achieved was beginning to fade away, and fast. As soon as the word "shots" left Dr. Neal's mouth, the twins had both let out frightened squeaks, and Misty's heart had started to pound.

"How many shots are we talking about?" Misty practically murmured.

"You haven't heard of the "Four for Four"?" Dr. Neal seemed surprised.

"No…" Misty could already feel all of the color draining from her face.

"For the four year checkup, there are four vaccines in total that a child needs," Dr. Neal explained. "They're all very important immunizations."

"So…they're getting four shots each?" Misty tried to whisper it so the children couldn't hear her, but that wasn't much use. They had heard it, and they were now both on the verge of having a crying fit.

"I'm afraid so," Dr. Neal gave Misty a sympathetic look.

Misty bit her lip and glanced down at the two children sitting beside her. With the looks on their faces, Misty couldn't tell if they were about to scream and cry, or murder someone with their little bare hands.

**XXX**

Ash was having such a quiet, pleasant afternoon.

And then Misty returned with the twins.

As soon as the door opened, the sound of screaming and shouting and wailing caused Ash to jump to his feet, and Pikachu to fall harshly off the couch.

"Uh oh…" Ash muttered.

"Pika…" Pikachu agreed.

The twins came running into the living room, their faces red and expressions completely panicked. Ash gazed down at the children and realized that both had the long sleeves of their shirts pushed up, showing off two band aids on each of their arms for a grand total of four for both kids.

"Jeez…" Ash whispered. He wasn't expecting it to be _that _bad.

"Daddy, Mommy made us get four shots!" Michelle wailed.

"We hate her!" Aiden added angrily.

"Aw, guys, that isn't nice to say about Mommy," Ash frowned.

"Daddy, my arms hurt!" Michelle was beginning to sob all over again. His heart breaking, Ash hurried forward and gathered his daughter in his arms, kissing her all over her face before turning his attention onto her arms.

"Wow, but at least you guys got cool band aids!" Ash pointed at the top one of Michelle's left arm. "Check it out; this one's got Azurill on it!"

"I don't care," Michelle muttered, "it _hurts."_

Ash frowned. He felt so bad for his poor babies; all covered in puncture holes from a bunch of pesky needles. It really wasn't fair to his little munchkins, not at all.

"I want to make you guys feel better," Ash shifted his eyes between the two children, "how about I take you both to get some ice cream and new toys? Would that make you feel better?"

This perked the twins up instantly, causing them to cheer excitedly as they ran back towards the door, straight past their clearly frazzled mother. Seeing the twins so happy confused Misty, who looked up and gave Ash a questioning stare.

"I can't believe they got four shots," Ash shook his head.

"I didn't have a choice!" Misty complained. "That's what happens at the four year old checkup! I didn't know that!" Groaning, Misty buried her face in her hands for a moment before looking back up and asking, "why are they in such a good mood all of a sudden? On the way back here, they were so mad that Aiden kicked me about ten times."

"Oh, I told them I'd go get them ice cream and toys," Ash replied nonchalantly.

Misty glared at him after receiving this response. "Are you kidding me?"

"What?"

"You had me go to the doctor's without you and they end up getting four shots! So I'm the one who makes sure they get stuck with a bunch of needles, and _you're _the one who swoops in and spoils them!"

"Misty, I'm sorry," Ash sighed, "I just can't help it. You know I can't stand doing that to them! I like to make them happy."

Narrowing her eyes, Misty poked a finger into her husband's firm chest and threatened, "you'd better watch your back, Ketchum."

As Misty stormed away, Ash let out a sigh of relief, looking down at a concerned Pikachu.

"Wow. It sure is a good thing that I looked up the whole "Four for Four" thing when Misty brought up the appointment, huh?"

* * *

><p><strong>Did you know that's actually true? When I was trying to figure out which shots a 4 year old would get, I looked it up and learned that at a 4 year old's checkup, they get FOUR shots. At once. Yikes.<strong>

**I liked torturing Misty this time, not gonna lie :P**


	71. Closet Monsters

**...yeah, I wrote another one shot, so what? It's all I've wanted to do since I've been home from school! Other than eating decent food, sleeping in my own bed, and hanging out with my family :P**

**Aiden: 8 years old**

**Elizabeth: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Closet Monsters<strong>

Elizabeth was such a happy little girl. Nothing ever bothered her, really. She was such a warm, loving child who seemed completely oblivious to most of the darker things in life. In that sense, she took after her father.

So, one night, after she had been read her bedtime story, Elizabeth simply couldn't fall asleep. She had been trying, really. But all she could do was toss and turn in her bed, throwing her little body around with a scowl on her cute face. She didn't like not being able to sleep. Huffing, Elizabeth threw covers off of her and jumped onto the floor, grabbing Teddi before scurrying out of her room and into the one across from hers.

Even in the dark covering of night, Elizabeth could just make out the dark blue walls of the bedroom. Hugging Teddi close to her, Elizabeth shuffled over to the bed in the corner of the room, tugging at the red comforter that adorned the top of the mattress.

"Denny…" Elizabeth whispered. She got no response, causing the girl to frown and tug a little bit harder. "Denny!"

That seemed to do the trick. A figure rose from the bed; clearly that of a child. His raven hair was exceptionally unruly, sticking out all over the place. With a quiet groan, the boy turned around so he was facing the rest of his room instead of just the wall. Peering down, he caught sight of his little sister standing beside his bed, staring up at him with emerald eyes so bright that they stood out in the darkness.

"Ugh, what do you want, Elizabeth?" Aiden grumbled. He loved his baby sister dearly, but right now he was so sleepy. He didn't want to be bothered.

"Denny, I can't seep," Elizabeth murmured.

"Why not?"

"I don' know," Elizabeth muttered, holding Teddi in front of her mouth. Sighing tiredly, Aiden got out from underneath the covers and leaned down to pick Elizabeth up. Once the girl was in his arms, Aiden settled her on his bed, folding his arms across his chest to stare his youngest sibling.

"Aren't you tired?" Aiden complained. He could think of nothing else to say.

"Uh huh," Elizabeth nodded.

"So go to sleep."

"I can't, Denny!" Elizabeth whined.

"Why not?!"

"I'm twying," Elizabeth frowned. "It won' wowk."

Aiden grumbled nonsense to himself. This was ridiculous. It was late at night, and he was _tired. _Right about now, he didn't care if Elizabeth couldn't sleep. _He _could, and he wanted to do just that. So, Aiden decided, in order for that to happen, he had to get the girl out of his room.

"You probably can't sleep because of the monsters that live in your closet," Aiden replied coolly.

This caught Elizabeth's attention immediately. A curious noise escaped her lips as her already big eyes widened a little more. "M…monstews?"

"Yeah, you didn't know about the monsters in your closet?" Aiden energized his voice so he didn't sound quite so tired. Elizabeth shook her head frantically, and Aiden continued, "Well, they've been there forever. Your room has always had monsters in the closet. That's why Shelly and I never slept in that room. But when Mommy had you, there was nowhere else in the house to put you. So, you had to be put in the room with the monsters."

Elizabeth whimpered and hugged Teddi closer to her. "But…Daddy woulda got rid of the monstews."

"No, he couldn't get rid of them," Aiden shook his head. "He could fight them, but they'd always live in your closet. He was just hoping that they would never get hungry enough to eat his little baby. But now that you're bigger, you're just the right size to make a perfect meal for them!"

Letting out a miserable squeak, Elizabeth covered her face with Teddi and started to tremble, unbeknownst to her big brother.

"But, I'm sure you'll be fine," Aiden waved a haphazard hand before throwing himself back down on his bed and covering himself with his sheets. "Night, Lizzie!"

Still shaking, Elizabeth slipped off of Aiden's bed and ambled out of the room wordlessly. Sill holding Teddi against her mouth, Elizabeth shuffled back into her own bedroom, eyeing her closet with obvious trepidation. The sliding door was half open, and Elizabeth couldn't remember if it had been like that when she first left her room.

Clutching Teddi a little more tightly, Elizabeth made her way over to the closet, taking deep and shaky breaths as she prepared to peer inside. She did it just barely, too afraid to stick her whole head into the dark cavern. Scanning her eyes around, Elizabeth didn't really see much. It was too dark to. As she turned her head to the right for one final look, however, something brushed against the top of Elizabeth's head, musing her hair slightly and sending a terrifying shiver up the child's spine.

Elizabeth let out a petrified whine and stumbled backwards, keeping her eyes glued on the closet. The moon had come out a little bit by now, as some lanes of moonlight were now stretched across the child's room. She could see small hints of her closet now, and that was really only making things worse. Elizabeth could see shadows appearing, stretching out from inside the closet onto her bedroom floor. Looking back up into the closet, Elizabeth saw all kinds of strange shapes that were unfamiliar to her, and…had something in there just _moved?!_

Gasping sharply, Elizabeth broke out into a sprint, charging from her bedroom, down the hall, into her parents' bedroom. Still whimpering, Elizabeth grabbed frantically at the sheets on the bed, trying her best to climb up onto the bed with Teddi in her arms. She was having great difficulty with it, however, and this only proceeded to work Elizabeth up even more.

"Mommy, Daddy, help!" Elizabeth cried, still tugging at the comforter. With a loud snivel, Elizabeth threw Teddi onto the bed and, without the stuffed Pokémon intruding her grip, managed to climb up onto the mattress.

Her parents were sound asleep, her mother lying right on top of her father. He had his arms wrapped firmly around her body, mouth open as he snored lightly, an occasional grunt interrupting the snores. Misty, on the other hand, was quieter, although she would occasionally moan softly and cuddle her head deeper into Ash's chest.

Not being able to take it any longer, Elizabeth let out another yell and jumped on top of her mother, hugging her tightly. This woke Misty up right away, causing her to shriek and roll off of Ash. Elizabeth let go of her mother before she could be squished, however, which was lucky for the child. Gasping, Misty sat up, and Ash _sprang _up, his eyes wide and frantic.

"Elizabeth!" Misty breathed out, covering her wildly beating heart. "You scared us!"

The young girl reclaimed her poke doll and hugged it against her chest, whimpering as her eyes filled with tears.

"Mist, she's really scared," Ash murmured, pulling his hands out from underneath the covers so he could pick up their daughter. Holding her close, Ash gently bounced her up and down before looking at his wife and murmuring, "she's _shaking._"

Frowning, the gym leader crawled closer to her husband and peered down at their youngest child, watching as Ash rubbed up and down her arm and silently willed the girl to calm down.

"Elizabeth, baby, what's got you so startled?" Misty brushed some dark red hair away from her daughter's face.

Whining, Elizabeth looked up at her mother and cried, "There's monstews in my closet, Mommy! And they awe goin' to eat me!"

"Monsters?" Misty furrowed her brow and looked up at Ash, who seemed just as confused. "Elizabeth, sweetie, there's no such thing as monsters!"

Elizabeth lowered Teddi so he was sitting in her lap, revealing her purple pajama top with short, poufy sleeves, printed on the front with pink and white bows. "Yes thewe awe! And…they awe goin' to eat me."

"Elizabeth…" Misty sighed, rubbing at her temples.

"Daddy, check!" Elizabeth whined, looking back at her father. "Fight the monstews."

Ash nodded and slid out of bed, adjusting his light blue boxers as he kept Elizabeth in his arms. "Wanna come, Mist?"

"Do I have to?" Misty groaned.

"Pwease, Mommy…" Elizabeth held her arms out, though her hands were still clutching Teddi. Knowing she wouldn't be able to resist her daughter's pleads, Misty slipped out of bed, making sure she was completely covered by her ice blue satin nightgown.

The young parents walked down the hall to their youngest child's room. Once inside, Ash turned the lights on and placed Elizabeth down on her bed. The next step was to take a look in her closet, which caused Elizabeth to emit a nervous squeak. Misty smiled and started to rub Elizabeth's back, letting the child know she was safe with her there.

"I don't see any monsters in your closet, baby girl," Ash turned around to look at his youngest daughter.

"But, Daddy, I looked!" Elizabeth frowned. "Somefin' was on my head."

"It touched your head?" Ash twisted his mouth.

"Yes," Elizabeth muttered.

Ash tried to think of what that possibly could have been, but Misty seemed to beat him to it. "Ash, I'm pretty sure I know what touched Elizabeth's head."

"What, Mist?"

Skirting over to her daughter's closet, Misty reached up and tugged at a light pink sweatshirt, the sleeve of which was dangling down at Elizabeth's height.

"Sweetie, I think this is what was touching you," Misty pulled the sweatshirt out of her closet and held it up to show Elizabeth. "Just a sweatshirt, not a monster!"

Elizabeth looked a little more relaxed at this piece of information. She quickly became worked up once again, however, when she remembered, "But…somefin was _moving _in there!"

"You saw it?" Ash asked.

"Uh huh," Elizabeth squeezed Teddi.

Ash dug deeper into his child's closet, searching for some form of life. As he looked through Elizabeth's clothes, Ash's eyes widened when he realized that some of Elizabeth's hung up dresses were being moved around. Separating the girly frocks, Ash smirked and let out a small chuckle when he found the "monster."

"There's nothing to be scared of, Lizzie," Ash calmly assured his daughter. "The thing moving around in your closet was just Pikachu!"

Elizabeth looked quite surprised as the little electric type poked his head out from between two of Elizabeth's dresses, blinking his beady eyes until he was no longer seeing double. Setting those black orbs on Ash, Pikachu quickly narrowed them and muttered, "Pika, pikapi."

"I know, I kicked you out of our room," Ash sighed, looking towards a blushing Misty. "But you know why that was."

"Pi pika pikachu."

"Oh sure, that's _your _opinion."

Shaking her head at her husband, Misty looked down at her littlest child and asked, "Are you okay now, sweetie? You can sleep knowing there are no monsters in your closet?"

"Yes," Elizabeth nodded.

"I'm glad," Misty smiled. "I don't know why in the world you would even think there were monsters in your closet! That's such a silly idea for such a smart little girl."

"Denny told me so," Elizabeth glanced up at her mother.

Upon hearing _this _little piece of news, Misty's eyes narrowed as she pressed, "wait just one minute…_Aiden _told you there were monsters in your closet?"

"Yes," Elizabeth cradled Teddi in her arms, staring down at her favorite stuffed toy. "I had twouble seeping, Mommy, so I went to Denny, and he towd me about the monstews! He said they were gonna' eat me."

"He did, did he?" Misty folded her arms across her chest, giving Ash a knowing glance. The Pokémon Master was rolling his eyes at his son's antics, but as soon as he saw Misty's devious expression, he returned the look and marched promptly out of the room, confusing Elizabeth.

"Mommy, where Daddy go?"

"Oh, you'll see in just a minute, beautiful," Misty smiled warmly at her child.

"Hey! Dad! Put me down!"

Ash came back into the room, Aiden slung over his shoulder as though he weighed nothing. The younger boy was grumbling and struggling in an effort to be put down. Reaching the side of Elizabeth's bed, Ash hauled the boy off of his shoulder and stood him up next to the toddler's bed. Aiden was shooting his father daggers, but Ash was not at all bothered by it.

"What's the big idea?" Aiden grumbled. "I was trying to sleep!"

"Well, I don't know if you heard this little rumor, but apparently, there have been _monsters _living in your little sister's closet," Ash replied smartly. At this, Aiden shut up right away, his face turning bright red. "Now, I checked in there just to make sure, and luckily, there's nothing living in the closet."

"That's good…" Aiden muttered.

"Yeah, but I think it's a good idea to keep an eye out just in case," Ash smiled. "After all, the last thing I want is for my beautiful baby girl to be afraid! So, you're going to stay in here tonight and be on the lookout for anything spooky."

"WHAT?!" Aiden bellowed.

"You'll be fine," Ash patted his son's head before walking closer to where Elizabeth was sitting. Pulling the covers up over the girl, Ash leaned down to give her a loving kiss on the head. "Good night, pumpkin."

"Night, Daddy!" Elizabeth waved at her father. Misty bid Elizabeth another good night as well before turning the lights off, grabbing hold of Ash's hand, and following him out of the room.

Aiden continued grumbling to himself as he sat down on the side of Elizabeth's bed. He turned his head to stare at the little girl, who was currently cuddling Teddi and falling into a quick slumber. Sighing, Aiden rolled his eyes and turned his head in the other direction to stare at Elizabeth's closet.

_Stupid monsters lie…_ Aiden thought begrudgingly to himself, _I can't believe I'm being punished for it! There's no such things as monsters!_

Suddenly, a rustling noise came from inside the closet. Aiden hedged slightly and leaned back on his hands, glaring at the dark closet. The quiet noise soon stopped, and Aiden managed to relax. Just as he let his guard down, however, two long shadows stretched across the moonlight on the floor, twitching every few seconds accompanied by a long groan; "kaaa…."

Aiden let out a yelp and ran out of Elizabeth's bedroom; straight into his parent's room instead.

* * *

><p><strong>All I do is torture my characters, I swear.<strong>

**This may seem out of character for Aiden, but trust me, it's not. Aiden does love Elizabeth dearly, and is very protective of her, but still, they're siblings. There are times when Aiden gets jealous of her (I'm trying to work on a one shot concerning that topic) and there are times where he'll tease/taunt her about things, like the monsters. He's a big brother, it's what they do :P**


	72. Fishing

**College sucks. Get me out of here.**

**But I wrote another one shot, so there's that. I want to work on A New Era sooo badly, and I don't have any freaking time. Also, being here is lame and suckish and everyone is a jerk face, mostly.**

**That is all. Enjoy the one shot :P It's from Misty's POV; haven't done one of those in a while.**

**Aiden and Michelle: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Fishing<strong>

"Mommy, where are we going?"

I looked down at my precious four year old daughter and gave her a charming, excited smile. "I told you, princess. We're going to Cerulean Cape!"

"What're we going there for?" Aiden grumbled. He wasn't in the best of moods today.

"It's a surprise!" I giggled. "But I promise that you're going to love it, sweetheart."

Cerulean Cape was my favorite place in the whole world. It was so peaceful; I had always run off to the cape when I was younger to escape from my life for just a little while. It was a beautiful and romantic place, especially at night when the distant city lights would shimmer off the water. Ash and I had gone to Cerulean Cape many times for a romantic outing. It had been a dream of mine to live in one of the gorgeous sea cottages that dotted the cape, but Aiden and Michelle came along very quickly and that dream was instantly squashed. A cottage was absolutely too small for a set of parents with two young children and _plenty _of potential to have more.

But I love my babies more than anything and could care less about not having my own sea cottage. As long as I could still venture out to the cape and enjoy myself, I was perfectly happy.

The walk to Cerulean Cape from our home next to the gym really isn't a very long one. It does seem a bit lengthier when you have two small children with you, however. Especially when one is being exceptionally grumpy. I don't know what had gotten into Aiden today. I was assuming it had something to do with Ash going to a big battle tournament and refusing to bring Aiden along, despite our son's best pleads and efforts.

That's why I was hoping this little trip would brighten his mood to some extent. It was something I had wanted to do with the twins for a long time anyway. And now I felt that they were old enough to grasp what I had so wanted to teach to them.

Once we reached the cape, Aiden and Michelle were instantly drawn to the water, bringing a smile to my face. Being a water type gym leader, I was more than thrilled that my children were so receptive to the water. I had tried my hardest to adapt them, and it had obviously worked out very well.

"You two picked out a great spot!" I complimented, causing the little ones to whip around and give me confused stares.

"Mommy, why are we here?" Michelle pressed. She was obviously very eager to find out what I had in store.

"I thought I would teach you guys something very fun," I beamed at the two. "Something that I've always loved and that I think you'll really love too!"

"What is it?" Aiden's eyes were shifty.

"Fishing," I finally answered, my eyes bright with excitement.

After that announcement, the twins just stared at me like I was insane. They didn't look bored with the idea, but they didn't look totally sold on it either. I was going to guess that they were just a little bit confused by the concept. But that's what I was there for; to teach them!

"It's not so hard," I took a seat on the ground, Aiden and Michelle turning around so they could keep looking at me. "Sit down right here, babies. Mommy will teach you everything about it!"

The twins still seemed hesitant, but nevertheless, they sat down in front of me and kept their watchful eyes locked on my figure. With a quiet giggle, I reached into the bag I had brought with me and pulled out three fishing rods, two of which were a little bit different.

Holding the rods up before my children, I informed them, "These are fishing rods. It's probably the most important tool you need in fishing. Without it, well, you wouldn't really be doing much fishing at all!"

I put down my rod so I could hand off the two unique rods to the twins. What was different about them was the size; they were smaller and specifically made for children so they were easier to hold. The fact that Michelle's was light blue and Aiden's was red only made them happier to be holding the things. Colors always worked on those two like a charm.

"Now, aside from the rod, the most important thing you'll need in fishing is a lure," I continued to teach the children. They weren't really listening, though. I could tell that, at this point, they were much too absorbed in their new, shiny rods to care about what I had to say. "Maybe it'll be easier if I just show you…"

I reached into the bag again, this time to pull out a glossy, light blue box. This new item finally caught the twins' attention, causing them both to squeak and put down their rods. They crawled up to me, gazing down at the box and even daring to poke at it a few times.

"What's in here, Mommy?" Aiden asked.

"I'll show you!" I laughed, opening up the box. Both children peered in, eager to see what was being held inside. They let out a little puffs of bewilderment, reaching in to pull out some of the contents for further examination. "Do you two know what those are?"

"Toys?" Michelle asked, holding up a piece that was bright red in color with yellow stripes running across it.

"Not quite," I smiled. "Those are called lures. They help to catch the Pokémon's attention and bring them over to your rod!"

"We need them?" Aiden pointed at himself.

"Yes, you do, but I have special ones for my little darlings!"

This seemed to excite Aiden and Michelle. They were jumping up and down on their knees and grinning at me, so happy seemed to be the right emotion to me. Returning the smile, I retrieved the two special lures and held them out towards the twins in my outstretched palm. Upon seeing the lures, the twins both grinned from ear to ear and grabbed the pieces, examining them with intent eyes.

Just as I had done for myself when I was younger, I had made the twins lures in their likeness. I thought they would find it fun, and apparently they very much did.

"Aren't they cool?" I beamed at the two. "You're both so cute that those lures will work like a charm! No water type will be able to resist those adorable faces!"

"I love it, Mommy!" Michelle clasped the lure between both of her hands and held it over her heart. "I'll love it for always!"

"Put it on!" Aiden whined, trying valiantly to attach the lure to the end of his rod.

"Here, let me show you how," I coaxed the boy, gently taking the red stick and shiny new lure from his hands. "It can be a little difficult when you first try, so I'll teach you how to do it."

I showed both Aiden and Michelle how to attach the lure to the end of the line. I was surprised by how dutifully they were paying attention, but I wasn't about to question it. I was happy that the twins seemed so interested in learning the fine art of fishing!

"There, all set!" I handed Aiden his fully prepared rod. "Would you like me to do yours too, Shelly?" Michelle nodded eagerly, and I couldn't help but to let out a delicate laugh. She was so cute…they both were.

Once her line was all set up like her brother's, I went to work on my own fishing rod. Since I didn't have to demonstrate anything, it took me less than a minute. Setting up the line was easy for me, since I had been doing it for nearly all of my life. With that settled, I inched closer to the edge of the cape, Aiden and Michelle cautiously following my every move.

"Don't get too close to the edge, now," I stopped my shuffling, holding the twins back a little bit so they wouldn't go too far. "We don't want to fall into the water!"

"How do we catch Pokémon, Mommy?" Aiden was definitely eager to lure something in. I saw that determined glint in his eyes…it was definitely something he had inherited from Ash.

"You have to cast your line," I readied the rod in my hands, "all you have to do is pull back your fishing rod, and then throw the line into the water!" I did just that, feeling the twins' eyes on me the whole time. "After that, you just have to be patient."

"I wanna' try!" Aiden copied my actions, throwing his line into the water. He sat with the most brilliant grin on his face, and it made me want to run around in sheer joy. I had really managed to brighten Aiden's spirits _and _teach him something I'd always wanted to!

Unfortunately for me, however, that joy would be washed away in a matter of only ten minutes.

"Mommy, this is _boring!_"

I sighed and rested my head in my hand. "No it isn't, Aiden."

"There's no Pokémon!"

"Because you've only been trying for ten minutes, dear. Sometimes it takes a little while to actually get a Pokémon your line."

"If I battled a Pokémon, it'd be caught!" Aiden argued. "Fishing is dumb!"

I groaned and hung my head. Aiden was literally _just _like Ash. I had suffered through this same argument with him when we were just kids, and now I was having the same exact problem with our son! It really wasn't fair.

"You can't rush them, Aiden," I kept my voice level. "Eventually, you'll find a Pokémon."

Just as those words left my mouth, Michelle let out a small cry. Whipping my head around, I found my young daughter gripping her light blue fishing pole as tightly as possible, trying to pull it back with all of her might.

"Michelle, did you get a bite?" I asked, my eyes wide with surprise.

"Uh huh!" Michelle seemed a little frantic.

Laying my rod down, I jumped up and grabbed Michelle. She had started to skid across the grass, and the last thing I wanted was for my daughter to be pulled into the water. In my arms, she continued trying to pull back the rod, but it wasn't working too well. Whatever had bitten was obviously stronger than her. The rod ended up flying out of her hands, but I managed to grab it before it could be dragged into the water.

"Get it, Mommy!" Michelle cried urgently.

I ground my teeth together and yanked at the rod, not willing to get whatever Michelle had caught get away. Aiden and Michelle were running around excitedly, both of them shouting and yelling encouragement at me. The muscles in my arms burned as I continued to pull the rod back with all of my strength. It was no wonder little Michelle couldn't reel it in…_I _was convinced that I would end up in the water!

Fortunately, that never happened, and I managed to pull out whatever had been lured to Michelle's rod. The twins were shrieking with excitement, and even I had a big smile on my face. It was so exciting to see what Michelle's first catch had been! And, as it would turn out, my sweet little daughter had caught a…

Teapot?

"Huh?" I blinked.

"That's not a Pokémon!" Aiden shouted, pointing at the old, rusted metal ware.

"No, it isn't…" I was still wide eyed.

"Aw," Michelle pouted, "I wanted to catch a Pokémon!"

"I know you did, sweetie," I smiled lovingly at her, "and you will. Come on, let's put your line back in and try again!"

Michelle still had the pout on her face, but nevertheless, she sat back down on the grass and once again gathered the fishing rod in her hands. I went to join her, but stopped when I realized that Aiden was nowhere to be found.

"Michelle," I asked slowly, "have you seen your brother?"

"No," Michelle shook her head. She was too busy staring out at the water.

Tuning around, I gasped and started to run. I had managed to catch sight of Aiden, but unfortunately for me, it was the sight of Aiden running away from the cape, fishing rod still in his hands.

"Aiden, get back here!"

"I'm gonna' fish for Pokémon in the grass, Mommy!"

"It doesn't work that way!"

* * *

><p><strong>Yep, Aiden thinks fishing is boring, like Ash did in "The Totodile Duel." One of my favorite episodes!<strong>


	73. Costume Crazy

**My life. Lol. I wrote this one shot special for Halloween, and I was thinking "oh, I can upload this on Halloween, it'll be so much fun! Yay for specialness!"**

**And then some giant ass, deadly hurricane decides to show up. It hasn't hit us yet, but I'm hearing it's gonna be bad, and we might lose power for quite some time. So, in the event that I do and cannot upload this on Halloween, I'd rather do it earlier. So, enjoy!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 years old**

**Elizabeth: 2 months old**

* * *

><p><strong>Costume Crazy<strong>

"Mommy, I know what I want to be for Halloween!"

Misty's eyes widened as she leaned back against the couch. She had been sitting there nursing Elizabeth, and the next thing she knew, Aiden's face was two inches away from hers.

"Aiden, honey, not so close," Misty blinked. "You can tell me without being in my face."

"Okay!" Aiden chirped, settling himself down next to his mother. Folding his hands in his lap, Aiden continued in quite the mature manner, "this year, I want to be a Pokémon Ranger!"

"Wow, Aiden, that's a very cool idea!" Misty beamed at her son. "I think that would make a great costume."

Grinning, Aiden nodded excitedly, clearly happy that his mother liked his idea just as much as he did. "So…I can be that for Halloween?"

"Sure you can," Misty giggled. Her son was so cute.

Still smiling, Aiden leaned over his baby sister, who was busy eating and not really paying any attention to him. "It's Lizzie's first Halloween."

"Yep, it is!" Misty nodded.

"What's she gonna' be?" Aiden looked up at his mother.

"I don't know…" Misty murmured. "Elizabeth is a little too young to go trick or treating, sweetie."

"Yeah, but she can still get dressed up!" Aiden wasn't at all deterred by such a problem. "Can we dress her up Mommy? Please?"

Misty sighed and gazed down at her baby daughter. The little girl was staring right back at her mother, perfectly content and showing hardly a care in the world. Misty watched as Aiden held a hand out, allowing the still feeding baby to grab his index finger and hold it tightly, as she loved to do.

"Yeah," Misty shrugged, "I guess we can dress her up. If you want, when I'm done giving Elizabeth her lunch, we can go out and look at costumes for her!"

"Okay!" Aiden freed his finger from Elizabeth's grasp and jumped off the couch. "I'll go tell Daddy and Michelle to come with us!"

**XXX**

In order to try and find Elizabeth a good first Halloween costume, the Ketchum family had headed to Cerulean City's famed Holiday Shop. It was a huge store in downtown Cerulean that changed its merchandise depending on the upcoming holiday. With Halloween coming up, the store was filled with spooky decorations, various candies, and a wide variety of costumes. Basically, it was a giant dream come true for the older children in the family.

Ash chuckled when he heard the gasps emitting from Aiden and Michelle's mouths as soon as they had stepped into the store. Misty was just as amused, smiling as she watched her twins run from item to item, gushing over every last thing they found.

"Okay, you two, we can look for cool stuff after we look at the baby costumes," Misty giggled. "We need everyone's help to find a perfect costume for Lizzie!"

From inside her stroller, the baby cooed, as if she understood it was her that was being talked about. Laughing, Ash leaned into the stroller and lifted the infant out, holding her up underneath her arms and kissing her cheek.

"Such a cutie!" Ash was using his baby voice, which only made Elizabeth giggle even more. "Such a pretty baby!"

Elizabeth gurgled and pressed her head against Ash's chest, squishing the big, pink and black brocade bow attached to a pink headband into his shirt. With the baby muttering happy nonsense in her father's arms, Misty led her family towards the costume section, where they could begin to scope out costumes for the little girl. Once some costumes had been gathered by each member of the family, Misty took Elizabeth out of her cute outfit: the aforementioned pink and black bow headband, black layered tulle skirt with a little pink bow on the left, footed pink tights with white and black stripes, and a ruffled sleeved white t-shirt with a pink bow embroidered on her right shoulder.

"Alright, who wants Elizabeth to try on their costume first?" Misty asked, covering the baby with her pink receiving blanket in the meanwhile.

"Me!" Michelle waved her hand in the air wildly. In her free hand she held a sparkly blue dress, which she was obviously eager to have the baby try out.

"Alright, let's see how this looks on Elizabeth!" Misty took the costume from her older daughter.

Once Elizabeth was fully outfitted in the costume, it became more apparent what the baby was supposed to be. The light blue dress had a short, glitter overlaid skirt and three layers of translucent taffeta hanging off the straps, along with a pair of silver wings on the back.

"It's a fairy!" Michelle squealed. "Baby Lizzie makes a cute fairy!" Elizabeth giggled along with her big sister and started to kick her legs up happily.

"Elizabeth sure seems to like the costume," Misty smiled.

"It's too girly!" Aiden complained.

"Well, buddy, Elizabeth is a girl," Misty reasoned with her son. "Her costume will be girly than yours."

"No, I picked out a cool costume that isn't girly!" Aiden argued.

"Really?" Misty sounded genuinely intrigued. "Let's see it, then!"

As it would turn out, the costume that Aiden had selected for his baby sister was a fireman costume. The baby cooed softly as she reached for the red plastic hat that sat atop her head, the matching red outfit making a delicate _swooshing _noise as she moved her arms.

"Aiden, dear, it's a little too boyish for your sister," Misty rubbed the back of her neck.

"Why?" Aiden pouted. "Girls can be firemen!"

"I know they can," Misty smiled sweetly at her son. "But for a Halloween costume, mostly boys like to be stuff like this. Elizabeth is just a little baby, so people might end up thinking she's a baby boy."

"I liked it," Aiden muttered dejectedly.

"Hey, Mist, why don't we try a costume I picked out next?" Ash suggested.

"Sure," Misty gave her husband an encouraging nod.

And, as soon as the costume was on, Misty regretted that decision.

_Ash's_ costume of choice was a fuzzy Spinarak, which led to Misty chasing Ash around the store with a witch's broom.

"Misty, come on, it was a _joke!_" Ash cried.

"How dare you dress my adorable baby up as a filthy bug Pokémon?" Misty stormed. She might have been mad, but Elizabeth didn't seem to mind. She was lying on her back, cooing quietly as she played with the fuzzy yellow legs of her bug type costume.

Once Misty had managed to settle down and stop chasing her husband around wielding a Halloween decoration as a potentially lethal weapon, the family went back to work on trying to find a suitable costume for their youngest member. Since the first three costumes hadn't done much for anyone besides the people who had picked them out, it was time for round two.

Michelle's second selected costume for her baby sister was a Little Red Riding Hood outfit, consisting of a red and white dress and a red hooded cape. She was quite pleased with it, but Elizabeth wasn't as giggly as she'd been in the fairy costume.

"Lizzie doesn't like it!" Aiden chanted in a sing song voice, throwing in a laugh for good measure.

"Who asked you!" Michelle yelled, slapping Aiden on the arm.

"Michelle, don't hit your brother," Misty scolded.

"Why?" Michelle frowned. "You tried to hit Daddy."

"She's got a point there, Mist," Ash smirked.

"Shut it!" Misty held a fist in front of Ash's face.

With the Little Red Riding Hood costume out, Aiden's next choice was up for Elizabeth's costume. Unfortunately for his mother, it was a Sharpedo costume that made it look like the baby was being eaten by a plush version of the water type.

"This one scares me a little…" Misty admitted.

"Because it looks like our kid is being swallowed by an evil shark Pokémon?" Ash seemed to agree.

"I think you're forgetting that I was almost eaten by a Gyrados as a baby," Misty grumbled. "This costume is bringing back too many vivid memories."

And so _that _costume was quickly eliminated. This led to Ash's second selection: a fairly ridiculous looking cupcake costume.

Misty twisted her mouth and folded her arms as she stared down at her little baby. The costume had a pink tulle top decorated with colorful "sprinkles" while the bottom was made to resemble a blue wrapper. The little cherry hat on the top of her head just confused Misty all the more.

"What's wrong?" Ash frowned. "You call her sprinkle. It's cute!"

"You don't think she looks a little ridiculous?" Misty muttered. "Look at that cherry on her head!"

"Mist, I think you're being a little too picky," Ash reasoned with his wife. "You weren't even gonna' dress Elizabeth up until Aiden wanted to!"

"Well, if my baby is going to be put into a costume, I want her to look cute!" Misty argued.

"Pikachupi!"

Misty glanced down at her feet and saw Pikachu standing next to her, a package held between his little teeth. Misty pursed her lips before giggling and asking, "Oh, Pikachu, did you find a costume for Elizabeth, too?"

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded.

"Looks like _everyone _is getting involved," Ash smirked.

Smiling sweetly, Misty knelt down and took the plastic packet from the small Pokémon, adding, "I'll try anything! I want Elizabeth's costume to be perfect for her, so it can't hurt to look at a bunch of stuff."

As it would turn out, Pikachu's costume of choice for the little baby was a ketchup packet. Elizabeth was content enough in it to wave her arms in the air and smile softly, but Ash and Misty weren't as amused as the tiny girl.

"Seriously, Pikachu?" Ash deadpanned, glaring down at his partner.

"Cha…" Pikachu sighed tiredly. He had tried his best.

With the ketchup packet idea shot down, Misty began to feel that they would never find the right costume for Elizabeth. She knew she probably shouldn't be so picky when it came to a two month old baby's costume, but she was. Misty couldn't help that it was in her nature.

As she stood brushing the cheek of her squirmy little daughter, Misty was surprised by Ash and the twins running up behind her, a new costume being held in Ash's hands.

"Oh, what did you find_ this_ time?" Misty was almost dreading it.

"It's cute, Mommy!" Michelle's voice was bubbling with excitement.

"Yeah, it's perfect!" Aiden added.

Misty had a soft look when it came to her children, but as soon as she raised her eyes to look at Ash, the gentle expression turned into one of slightly harsh judgment.

"What?" Ash's eyes grew wide. He didn't understand why he was getting such a look.

"If it's another bug Pokémon, Ash Ketchum, I swear…"

"It's not!" Ash was quick to defend himself. "I learned my lesson the first time, Mist."

Rolling her eyes, Misty sighed and relented, "alright, let's put it on the baby and see how it looks."

As soon as the young girl was put into the costume, however, Misty could practically feel her eyes sparkling. It was absolutely _perfect _for her baby!

Elizabeth had been outfitted in a fuzzy Teddiursa costume: a fuzzy, brownish-orange body suit, her feet and hands covered and with tiny claws at the end of each one. There was a hood that pulled up and featured two round ears, and a short, puffy tail on the back.

"Now she looks like Teddi!" Aiden beamed at his mother.

"Oh, she looks so precious!" Misty squealed. Elizabeth let out a happy giggle and waved her "claws" in the air, bouncing along to her mother's laughter.

"And it's nice and soft!" Michelle added, petting the hood of her baby sister's costume.

"This reminds me so much of the first costume you two had," Misty smiled at her twins. "Daddy dressed you both up as Pichu! The costume was a lot like this one."

"Hey, you're right!" Ash marveled. "Maybe that's why I was so drawn to it."

Giggling softly, Misty grinned down at Elizabeth and asked in her baby voice, "What do you think, huh? Do you like this costume, Lizzie?"

Elizabeth started to giggle, a newfound fascination of hers. She reached her hands up towards Misty, who laughed back and held the child's little hands in her own.

"Great work, everyone!" Ash chuckled and crossed his arms across his chest. "We succeeded in picking out Elizabeth's first Halloween costume."

"Yeah!" Aiden cheered, lifting Pikachu off the floor and holding the electric mouse up in the air. "Now let's go find Pikachu a costume!"

"Pika…" Pikachu whined miserably as the twins ran off, giggling the entire time.

"Guys, wait!" Ash cried, throwing his hand out. There was no stopping the giggly children, however. They were much too determined to listen to their father.

"Looks like they got a little costume crazy," Misty giggled, hugging the Teddiursa-dressed Elizabeth against her. "Right, my beautiful baby bear?"

Elizabeth gurgled and stuck one of the plush claws in her mouth; just like a real Teddiursa would.


	74. Electrifying Love

**Hello all! So, I got this suggestion from an anonymous reviewer and I thought it was awesome! So I decided to start writing it, and I couldn't stop! So...this one is for you, anon!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Electrifying Love<strong>

"Daddy! Daddy, look!"

Ash's head snapped up from where he'd been conversing with Pikachu. Coming towards him was Michelle, riding a shiny new bicycle with a big grin on her pretty little face.

"Hey, nice bike, princess!" Ash beamed at his daughter.

"Thanks!" Michelle halted in front of her father, showing off her sparkling emerald eyes. The bicycle was just Michelle's style: sky blue in color with white handles and wheels, along with a white wicker basket attached to the front of the bike, decorated with silver stars, and a pair of silver streamers hanging the end of the handles. "I picked it out myself!"

"Well, you did a great job," Ash complimented the child, a small chuckle escaping his throat. Michelle squealed again and pedaled away, the streamers blowing in the wind as she biked.

Getting back to his feet, Ash locked eyes with Misty, who was walking towards him. Aiden was by her side, riding his own brand new bicycle.

"What's the occasion, babe?" Ash motioned towards the shiny red bike that his son was now in possession of. "I thought you said we couldn't spoil them without reason."

"I wasn't spoiling them, and I had a reason," Misty folded her arms. "They both needed new bikes because they're too big for their old ones! You can only make use of a bike with removed training wheels for so long."

"That's true," Ash nodded. "I was just teasing ya', Mist!"

"I know," Misty giggled softly, allowing Ash to embrace her and give her a kiss on the head.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Aiden protested. "No!"

Laughing, Ash twirled Misty away from his body and instead pressed her against his side. "Sorry, champ. I always forget you don't like lovey stuff. That's a real cool bike Mommy got you! Did you pick yours out like your sister did?"

"Uh huh," Aiden nodded. His bike was not as feminine as his sister's, instead sporting a bright red paint job with black racing stripes, along with black handles and tires.

"I like it," Ash grinned. "Only a big boy like you could ride a bike like that!"

That comment seemed to lift Aiden's spirits even further, as if they weren't already sky high. With a parting smile, Aiden rode off on his bike, following after his twin sister with great fervor. Misty let out a delicate sigh of contentedness, causing Ash to turn his eyes onto the red head. Smiling to himself, Ash pulled the woman in front of him and wrapped his arms around her, resting his head atop her own.

"They're cute, aren't they?" Misty asked with an impish grin, turning her eyes up towards her husband.

"Of course they are," Ash murmured, "otherwise we wouldn't keep making 'em."

As he said this, Ash pressed his hands against Misty's stomach in a loving and protective fashion. She was just the tiniest bit bloated, but this little telltale sign wasn't apparent to anyone who wasn't aware of Misty's condition or searching intensely for it.

Squealing gently, Misty turned around so she was freed from Ash's arms. Instead, she chose to lace their fingers together and stand up on her tippy toes in order to give the handsome Pokémon Master a kiss on his nose.

"You are so precious," Misty murmured, her eyes shining with pure, uninhibited love.

"Thanks, but you're more precious than I am," Ash smirked, pressing his lips against his wife's. After a few moments, the two separated, both of them panting as they tried to catch their breaths.

"You're also _crazy_," Misty smirked, resting a hand against Ash's strong chest.

"Thanks, hon," Ash rubbed her back for a few moments before announcing, "I have to go back to training now. I've got that big showcase in a few weeks and I want Pikachu and me to be totally ready!"

"I understand," Misty smiled warmly at her husband. "You should! Go ahead now; I'll leave you to it. I'm going to go inside and feed this little sprinkle in my belly."

Humming amusedly, Ash patted her stomach and asked, "He or she's a little hungry, huh?"

"A little, no," Misty raised an eyebrow. "A _lot? _Absolutely."

"Well, that makes sense," Ash smirked. "It's my kid! Feed it something good."

"Will do," Misty giggled as she skirted towards the house.

With his beautiful and distracting wife out of the picture, Ash turned his attention back to his fuzzy yellow partner, the electric mouse Pokémon snoozing lightly in a nearby patch of shade.

"Come on, buddy, it's time to wake up!" Ash called. "We've gotta' get back to training!"

Pikachu grumbled in a displeased fashion, but nevertheless, he got back onto his claws and shook out his fur before trotting over to Ash, still rubbing his beady black eyes in an attempt to get the sleep out of them.

"Let's get you fired up a little bit," Ash decided, rubbing his chin in thought. Smiling to himself, Ash pointed to nothing in particular and commanded, "alright, Pikachu, warm up by using electro ball!"

"Pi!" Pikachu jumped up into the air and did a flip while a ball of electricity formed on his tail. Once it was fully powered, Pikachu used his tail to toss the ball, the attack exploding in midair.

"Nice work!" Ash complimented his longtime Pokémon. "We've got to get your body ready to work, too. So, let's do quick attack!"

Pulling his small body back, Pikachu stored up energy in his legs and took off like a rocket, streaks of white following behind as the small mouse dashed from rock to rock.

"You're the best," Ash chuckled, folding his arms across his chest as Pikachu came to a halt in front of him. "Let's get down to business, huh?"

Nearby, Aiden and Michelle were busy laughing and chasing after one another on their brand new bikes. It was obvious that the children were having the time of their lives as their happy shrieks filled the air.

"Hey, Shelly, I'm thirsty," Aiden called, stopping his bike as he looked over his shoulder at his twin.

"Me too!" Michelle agreed, riding up next to Aiden. "Let's go inside and get some juice."

"Okay!" Aiden hopped off his bike before yelling, "Race you to the kitchen!"

Michelle gasped before roaring with laughter as she leapt off her own bike and chased after her brother, bright red hair flowing behind her.

On the other side of the lawn, Ash was still busy training with Pikachu, commanding the electric type to use different attacks in all different fashions.

"Alright, Pikachu, now the ultimate test!" Ash yelled. "Use thunderbolt!"

Pikachu jumped up in the air and unleashed his signature attack: a rush of bright yellow electricity. The thunder cracked through the air, making the day even brighter than it already was. Ash watched with a smile, pleased that Pikachu was just as strong as ever.

Unfortunately for the Pokémon Master, he wouldn't be smiling for much longer.

The powerful thunderbolt attack managed to hit Michelle's bike, illuminating the brand new, sky blue plaything and creating a loud, sizzling sound.

"AH! Pikachu, stop!" Ash cried frantically. The mouse stopped the flow of electricity, landing on his paws and furrowing his brow.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu grumbled.

Letting out shuttered, horrified breaths, Ash ran over to where the twins' bikes were parked. Aiden's was still in pristine condition, red paint glimmering in the bright sunlight. Michelle's bike, however, was an entirely different story.

Her formerly light blue bike was now burnt to a crisp: black in color and steaming like food that had just been taken out of the oven. The sparkly streamers had crumbled into ashes, and the basket actually had _holes _burned into it.

"Pika!" Pikachu was clearly panicked, freezing in place.

"I can't believe we wrecked Shelly's brand new bike!" Ash gasped, his voice sounding dry.

"Ash, I can't find the chocolate chips, did you-ASH!"

The Pokémon Master whipped around, his eyes wide in terror. His wife was leaning out the window, and she was staring right at Michelle's now destroyed bicycle.

"Mi…Misty…" Ash stammered, his heart pounding away in his chest.

Without so much as another sound, Misty dashed away from the window. She quickly reappeared at the back door, which was slid open without hesitation as she continued her rush over to the raven haired man. When she stopped directly next to him, Misty finally let out a shocked, staggered breath, not taking her eyes off of the charred bike.

"Misty, I didn't do it on purpose!" Ash wailed. He didn't know what else to say.

Turning her head to stare at her husband, Misty started slowly, "first, you destroy _my _bike."

"On _accident_…"

"Then you wreck May and Dawn's bikes…"

"I didn't mean to!"

"And now you've sunk so low as to actually barbeque our _daughter's brand new bicycle,_" Misty shook her head in a disapproving manner.

"Misty, I didn't fry Michelle's bike on purpose!" Ash looked ready to cry. "I would _never _do that! I would never want to hurt our daughter in any way! You have to believe me!"

"Pikachupi, pika! Pikapi pi pikachu!" Pikachu was just as upset as his trainer.

Sighing, Misty gave the two a melancholy smile and soothed, "it's alright. Don't get so worked up. All it means is that you love her!"

Ash's panicked expression melted away rather quickly, instead replaced by one of bewilderment. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, you destroyed May and Dawn's bikes, and they're two of your best friends," Misty explained. "My bike was the first one you wrecked, and we're married. You love us all, right?"

"Of course," Ash nodded. "Especially you, Mist."

"_Especially_ Michelle, right?" Misty smirked.

"Of course," Ash murmured, "she's my baby girl."

"Well then, that explains it!" Misty shrugged. "Destroying Michelle's bike just proves that you love her."

Ash couldn't help but to smile. Misty _did _have a point. He had never thought of his streak of destroying girls' bikes in that manner before. Wrecking Michelle's, who he loved more than anyone else in the world, seemed to solidify that theory.

"MY BIKE!"

Ash and Misty spun around, finding a horrified looking Michelle standing behind them. She was staring at her charred bicycle and whimpering. Ash started to move towards the girl, knowing exactly what he was in for. After a few more seconds, she burst out into tears, sobbing heavily as she continued to look at her ruined bicycle.

"I'm sorry, princess!" Ash embraced his young daughter and held the back of her head. "It was an accident, I am so sorry!"

"Y-you broke it!" Michelle wailed, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Th-that was m-my b-bi-bike!"

"I know, and I'm sorry," Ash soothed his child, snuggling her against his body. "But all it means is that I love you!"

Michelle sniffled and looked up at Ash, not at all understanding what her father meant. He was just giving her a delicate and loving smile, although that didn't seem to be comforting to the child at all.

"Daddy," Michelle seethed, her expression quickly becoming angry, "you owe me a new bike!"

"Trust me, sweetie, I know."

* * *

><p><strong>Oooh Ash. You and your habit of destroying bikes.<strong>


	75. Midnight Madness

**This one is pretty funny. I got the idea from a TV show, and kind of just added onto it. I hope you all like it ;)**

**Elizabeth: 3 months old**

* * *

><p><strong>Midnight Madness<strong>

"Come on, baby girl, stop crying! _Please!_"

Ash grumbled as he paced the floor, holding his screaming three month old daughter in his arms. She had been going at this for about 20 minutes now with no signs of holding up, and Ash was beginning to get frustrated.

"Don't you get tired from all this screaming and crying?" Ash theoretically asked the baby in a weary fashion. His eyelids were falling…he was _exhausted. _But it was his turn with the baby, so unless he could get her to relax and then put her down before she started crying again thus making it _Misty's _turn…he was stuck with the fussy infant.

Nevertheless, the baby continued to wail, and Ash knew he wouldn't be getting back to bed any time soon.

"Well, since we're up, I might as well get something to eat," Ash shrugged. He made his way into the kitchen, letting out another yawn as he opened the door to the refrigerator. The bright light emerging from the stainless steel appliance seemed to irritate the baby even further, for once it covered her, she let out an even shriller cry than usual.

"Oops, sorry pumpkin," Ash gasped in realization. He readjusted the infant so she was resting against his chest with her head lolling on his shoulder. "I got ya', baby."

Elizabeth's screaming ceased, at least in its severity. She was still crying, however, her tears now staining Ash's white pajama shirt. Sighing, the young father pulled out a piece of chocolate cake that seemed to just be calling out his name and placed it on the table. Elizabeth kept up her whimpering, causing Ash to twist his mouth in deep thought.

"Are you crying because you're hungry?" Ash wondered aloud. "I thought Mommy fed you the last time you were up. But I guess it wouldn't be unheard of for you to want some more…"

Elizabeth kept on with her blubbering, squirming unpleasantly in her father's hold. Biting his lip, Ash reopened the fridge and picked out the special formula prescribed to the baby from the doctor. It was meant to be a supplement with her milk in order to help the infant gain some weight, since she was a bit small and underweight for a baby her age.

"You seem to like this stuff," Ash shrugged, bringing the bottle over to the microwave in order to heat it up. "Maybe I can get you to stop crying _and _get you a little chubbier!"

Even Ash's soothing voice didn't seem to be calming down the baby. Rolling his eyes, Ash just continued to bounce the baby up and down, waiting for her supplement formula to finish heating up. As soon as the microwave beeped, Ash threw open the door and pulled out the bottle, nearly burning his hand in the process.

"AH!" Ash yelped, tossing the bottle onto the table. "Okay, that hurt…"

Elizabeth turned her head over her shoulder and stopped her crying to instead let out a few hiccups and coos. It was quite clear that Ash's pain had intrigued and distracted her.

"Gee, thanks, baby girl," Ash grumbled, walking back over to the table to retrieve the bottle. It had cooled down substantially, even after only a few seconds. First dropping some of the supplement on his arm to test its temperature, Ash decided that it was at a degree where Elizabeth wouldn't burn her mouth on the stuff.

Sitting down at the table, Ash placed the baby into her high chair, where she proceeded to break out into tears again. Moaning in frustration, Ash picked up the bottle and held it in front of Elizabeth's mouth, but the baby simply made a face and turned her head away.

"Come on, it's yummy," Ash waved the bottle in her face. "Yummy! You eat this stuff all the time!"

Elizabeth whined and looked away even further. Ash once again positioned the bottle by her mouth, and when Elizabeth realized her head wouldn't turn any further, she instead tilted her face down so her lips were pressed against her shoulder.

"So…what?" Ash deadpanned. "You're not hungry?"

Elizabeth's wails grew a little louder, which led Ash to give up on trying to feed the baby. Sighing, he placed the bottle back down on the table and muttered, "well, Misty's not gonna' be too happy to find out I wasted some of your special formula…"

Sitting down in his seat, Ash started to eat the slice of chocolate cake he had picked out, but Elizabeth's cries were proving to be pretty distracting. And, worst of all, heart wrenching…

Frowning, Ash put down his fork and turned his eyes onto his miserable daughter. "Come on, pumpkin, Daddy doesn't like to see you this way! And he's trying to eat, too…"

Elizabeth stuck her fingers in her mouth and continued to sob, her face turning red as she bawled. His shoulders dropping as he let out an exhausted breath, Ash reached over and pulled Elizabeth out of her high chair, instead choosing to hold the child in his lap. This seemed to calm Elizabeth down a little bit, as she let out an unhappy gurgle but stopped her crying.

"There we go," Ash bounced the infant on his lap, "good girl!"

With the baby somewhat content, Ash continued to eat his cake. Things became a little difficult, however, when Elizabeth thought it would be fun to reach out and try to grab the fork he was eating with.

"Hey, come on!" Ash held the fork away from his daughter. "I need that to eat!"

With the utensil out of her reach, Elizabeth let out another miserable noise before starting her torrent of tears again. Wincing, Ash put the fork back down to where it had been, quickly ceasing Elizabeth's cries and leading her to once again try and grab for the utensil. It was rather irritating, but Ash really had no choice but to try and eat his after-hours desert with Elizabeth's tiny hand in the way.

Once he was done, Ash brought the empty plate over to the sink, holding Elizabeth in his free arm. The baby started to get upset again, whining as she kicked her legs.

"Come on, Lizzie, this is getting old," Ash grumbled. Her back was against him, so fortunately she wasn't hitting him with her legs. Either way, he was getting pretty tired of listening to her crying. There had to be _some _way to get her to stop crying completely!

Gasping, a small smile grew on Ash's face as he muttered, "I got it!"

Carrying the baby into the living room, Ash laid her down on her play mat, where a bridge of stuffed toys dangled over her small being. Leaving her father's grasp only made Elizabeth cry harder, but Ash was not at all deterred. Smiling gently, he tickled her belly, covered by the yellow fleece pajamas with white dots she was dressed in.

"Coochie coochie coo!" Ash blabbered nonsensically, hoping his foolishness would make the infant laugh.

Elizabeth didn't seem to care about her father making a fool out of himself, however. She just kept on screaming, tensing her body up as she carried on.

"Hey, look at these!" Ash decided to go for a different approach, smacking the toys that hung above her so they would sway. "Check out these cool toys! Wanna' hit them, Lizzie? You like doing that, right?"

Elizabeth sniffled and looked away from the toys that her father was smacking. She clearly had no interest in that either. Ash was trying to emphasize the overly cute and happy sun in the middle, but it wasn't catching the baby's attention. She just kept looking off to the side and screaming.

"Okay, so clearly the play mat isn't your thing either," Ash sighed. He lifted the child off the mat and once again held her in his arms, bouncing the baby up and down. He was _so _desperate at this point…and completely wiped too.

"I guess I'm not going to bed tonight," Ash grumbled, walking towards the couch and taking a seat on it. Elizabeth just kept on wailing, so Ash continued to hold her, knowing that nothing else he could try was going to work. Instead, he reached for the TV remote and turned on the screen, wincing as the dark room was lit up. He went flipping through the channels, trying to find something decent to watch. Or at least to fall asleep to.

Eventually, he came across one of his favorite movies, which actually succeeded in bringing a smile to Ash's face. Unfortunately, it was a fairly violent and bloody horror movie that he was almost positive that he shouldn't be letting such a little baby see.

"Oh, maybe I should change it…" Ash mumbled, glancing down at Elizabeth. As soon as those words left his mouth, however, the baby stopped crying and set her eyes on the TV, cooing softly. "Huh? What's up?"

Elizabeth was staring at the screen and giggling like crazy. Peeking up, Ash realized it was the part of the movie where the psycho killer was cutting one of his victims in half with a chainsaw.

"Lizzie, no!" Ash scolded, covering the child's eyes. Upon her vision being restricted, Elizabeth began to whimper once again and unhappily flail her arms. Humming curiously, Ash uncovered his daughter's eyes and watched in amazement as her cries once again ceased in order to make way for laughter.

"So…you like _Saws of Doom_, huh?" Ash winced. He couldn't help but to feel that allowing his baby to watch this movie was bad…but she _had _stopped crying. So maybe it wasn't such a bad idea after all!

"Ash, what in the world are you doing down here?"

The Pokémon Master turned his eyes onto the stairs and saw Misty staring down at him with bewildered eyes. Ash pressed his lips together, not entirely sure of how to reply to his wife.

"Uh…just trying to calm down baby Lizzie…" he finally managed.

Crossing her arms across her chest, Misty reasoned, "She seems pretty calm to me."

"Well, that's just because…uh…she…"

A scream sounded from the TV, causing Elizabeth to laugh again. Furrowing her brow, Misty turned her attention onto the television screen just in time to see a burst of blood appearing on camera. Her eyes widened and she turned them onto Ash, her expression becoming one of disbelief.

"Ash Ketchum!" She breathed.

"It's not my fault!" Ash cried. "Watching this was the only way Elizabeth would calm down!"

Misty stormed down the stairs and took the baby out of her husband's arms, hugging the infant against her chest as she kissed the child's head, cooing, "Oh, is my baby okay? My poor sweetheart."

"Misty, she _likes _this movie," Ash groaned, "I wasn't torturing her!"

"You were showing a three month old baby _Saws of Doom, _I consider that torture!" Misty accused.

"She doesn't know it's a horror movie!" Ash groaned. "She just likes the colors!"

"Of blood?!" Misty shrieked. Elizabeth once again turned her head towards the TV and cooed at the sight.

Shrugging, Ash got to his feet and replied, "She's your daughter too. Only half of what she has is mine." And with that, he walked over to the stairs and started to make his way up the steps.

"Where are you going?" Misty blinked.

"Back to bed," Ash smiled. "I got Elizabeth to calm down. My turn with her is officially over!"

Misty raised an eyebrow as he scurried up the stairs. Once he was gone, she sighed and retrieved the remote, looking at Elizabeth and murmuring, "Okay, pretty baby, time to go to sleep!"

She turned the TV off, and as soon as the screen turned to black, Elizabeth burst out into tears. Slightly panicked, Misty began to bounce Elizabeth up and down, hoping to soothe the baby. That didn't do the trick, however, causing Misty to bite her lip.

"Why are you so upset, Lizzie?"

The baby gurgled sadly and continued her wailing, staring up at her mother with tear filled eyes. Misty sighed and started to rub the baby's back, trying to come up with a way to calm her down.

"Are you hungry? Is that it? Let's try feeding you!"

* * *

><p><strong>Yep, they're just gonna' go in circles all night long. The main idea behind this one was Elizabeth being calmed down by a horror movie :P She just likes the colors!<strong>


	76. Recording Trouble

**This is another idea I got from a TV show. Literally all I do in this freaking dorm is watch TV XD There's nothing else to do! Besides writing fanfiction, of course :P**

**Elizabeth: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Recording Troubles<strong>

"Tada! Here's our little ballerina princess!"

Ash chuckled as Misty held out their two year old daughter, dressed up in a pink leotard and tutu with white tights and ballet slippers.

"Wow, Lizzie, you look beautiful!" Ash beamed, leaning down so he was at eye level with his young daughter.

"Fank 'ou," Elizabeth smiled sweetly at her father, who chuckled and held the back of his daughter's head so he could give her a kiss on the forehead.

"Doesn't she look precious?" Misty cooed, giving Elizabeth a hug. "She has her first ballet class today! Elizabeth is such a little girly girl that I think taking ballet is something that she'll just love!"

"Great idea, Mist," Ash chuckled, giving his wife a wink. "I bet Lizzie will have a great time!"

Suddenly, the sound of the doorbell ringing caught Ash and Misty's attention. Blinking, Misty turned towards Ash, as though he was expecting someone at the door. He combatted this, however, by shaking his head.

"That's weird," Misty murmured. Twisting her mouth, she held out Elizabeth and asked, "Will you watch her while I get the door?"

"Of course!" Ash smiled. He took Elizabeth from Misty and held the girl against his hip while he watched his wife skirt away. Glancing down at the girl, Ash tickled her and asked, "Is my baby girl excited to become a little ballerina?"

"Yes, Daddy," Elizabeth giggled, twisting her body around as she was tickled.

"I challenge you to a gym battle!"

Ash took his hand away from Elizabeth and put on a face of concern. Elizabeth stopped laughing and stared up at her father, wondering why he had stopped playing with her so suddenly.

"Uh oh," Ash mumbled.

He moved towards the front door, still holding onto Elizabeth. Peering past the wall, he saw Misty's back facing him, her head tilted down slightly as she stared at a young boy standing in front of her. He looked rather determined, but even from behind his wife, Ash could tell that Misty wasn't exactly feeling the same way.

"Uh…I was actually about to go somewhere," Misty finally spoke up, as though she'd just recovered from shock, "could you maybe come back _tomorrow _and challenge me?"

The boy's eyebrow twitched as he replied valiantly, "no! I've waited a long time for this gym battle, and I've trained really hard for it, too! I have to have this battle _now!_"

His eyes wandering downwards, Ash realized that Misty's hand was beginning to ball into a first by her side. Gasping quietly, he ran forward and yanked the red head away by her shoulder, throwing out a weak "excuse us" to the young trainer in the doorway. Once they were out of the boy's sight, Ash spun Misty around, and was met with a _very_ angry expression on the gym leader's face.

"Mist-"

"I'm gonna' punch that little brat right in the face!" Misty hissed.

"I know, I saw the fist," Ash motioned towards her hand. "But you're not allowed to punch trainers, even if they _are _brats. You wouldn't be a very reputable gym leader if you went around knocking out challengers, now would you?"

"I don't care at this point," Misty whined. "I'm supposed to take Elizabeth to her first ballet class!"

"Misty, it's no big deal," Ash smiled reassuringly at his wife, "I can take her to ballet class!"

"But…I wanted to watch my little baby dance," Misty pouted.

Glancing up at her mother, Elizabeth placed her index finger on her lower lip and asked, "Mommy sad?"

Forcing her lips into a smile, Misty stroked her youngest child's cheek and cooed, "No, baby. Mommy is just fine. Don't worry about me!"

Chuckling quietly, Ash soothed, "Misty, I promise that little Elizabeth will be just fine with me. There will be other ballet classes you can watch!"

"But this is her _first _one!" Misty protested.

"I know it is, but sometimes-"

"Wait!" Misty cut him off, causing the Pokémon Master to become slightly frustrated. "I have an idea! Don't move!" She ran past Ash, the raven haired man blinking in confusion as she soared on by.

"…I wasn't going to…" Ash murmured. Elizabeth laughed at this. She always seemed to find amusement in her father's misfortunes, which was a bit concerning for the 29 year old. Then again, Elizabeth was Misty's daughter, too. She had just inherited quite a bit of the gym leader's…_unique_ personality.

Within a few moments, Misty was back, finally showing her husband a delicate smile. This relieved him to an extent, because Ash didn't like to see his beautiful angel so upset. He was also concerned, however, because that smile meant that Misty had a plan. And sometimes, Misty's plans were dangerous.

"I'm frightened," Ash managed to admit in a soft voice.

"Oh, don't be, it's not a big deal," Misty waved a haphazard hand at the man before holding up a silver video camera. "All you have to do is record Elizabeth's first dance class! That way, I'll still be able to see it. Just later today."

Ash groaned, but Misty wasn't about to back down. Oh no, she was going to have her way. And Ash knew it too. Misty _always_ got her way. She didn't even have to argue with the man; just shoot him an icy glare that might have sent him sixty feet underground had it actually been lethal.

"Yes dear," Ash murmured, his voice barely audible.

"Thank you, sweetie!" Misty thrust the camera into Ash's free hand before leaning forward to give him a kiss on the cheek. Moving over to his other side, Misty held Elizabeth's face in her hands and gave the toddler he own kiss, this one on the girl's forehead. "Mommy has to go battle, but Daddy is going to take you to ballet class! Okay, Lizzie?"

"Kay, Mommy," Elizabeth smiled at her mother.

"You have fun, okay?"

"Kay."

"Mommy loves you," Misty gave Elizabeth another kiss on the head before standing at full height to smile at Ash. "Take care of her."

"Mist, seriously?" Ash rolled his eyes. "I _know _how to take care of kids!"

"You know what I mean," Misty tapped him on the head before striding away. "Watch her!"

Ash let out a huffy breath before turning around to move towards the back door, where he would leave from. "I take good care of you, don't I, baby?"

"Ya."

"Thank you, pumpkin," Ash smiled appreciatively.

"We'come!"

Back at the front door, Misty once again faced the navy haired young boy, but this time, his angry expression was quickly replaced by one of obvious fear as he took a few steps backwards.

"You're making me miss an important milestone in my daughter's life, which means you've awoken the Mama Ursaring," Misty's tone was level, but clearly bubbling with anger under the surface. "I hope you're ready for me to absolutely _destroy _you, little boy."

And with that, the opposing trainer gulped heavily.

**XXX**

The dance studio that Misty had signed Elizabeth up for was right on the outskirts of downtown Cerulean. She had gushed over and over to Ash about how much she _loved _that studio. It was the same one she and her sisters had been sent to by their grandmother in order to learn ballet for their water shows.

As soon as they walked inside, Ash could tell that this was the perfect place for his girly little daughter. The walls in the lobby were painted baby pink, with muted gray carpeting and large decals of ballerina silhouettes plastered on those pink walls. There were silver folding chairs set up for the parents to sit on while their children were in dance class, and large windows curtained by white satin drapes tied back by black ribbon.

"What do you think, Lizzie?" Ash asked his daughter, who was still in his grasp. "Isn't it pretty in here?"

"Uh huh," Elizabeth nodded before pointing at the ground, "down!"

"You want me to put you down?"

"Uh huh."

"Okay," Ash chuckled, standing his young daughter up on the floor. With a little giggle, she ran straight into the open door of the room where she would take her dance lessons. Gasping quietly, Ash hurried after the girl, not wanting her to make a mess of anything. Luckily, all she was doing was standing in front of the mirrored wall in the room, staring at her reflection and making different faces.

"You're a funny little girl, aren't ya?" Ash folded his arms as he walked behind his daughter.

"Uh huh!" Elizabeth giggled profusely. She was such a happy child.

Looking around the room, Ash saw that there were quite a few other girls in the room, and all of them had their mothers with them. _Well, this isn't embarrassing at all, _Ash thought sarcastically. Part of him wondered if seeing this would make Elizabeth upset that she didn't have _her _mother there with her. Elizabeth, however, was much too busy making faces at herself to even care.

Smirking, Ash kneeled down and turned on the video camera, pointing it at Elizabeth. He figured he should practice using the thing now. _It might be a god idea to record some of Elizabeth before class begins anyway_, Ash thought to himself.

"Hey, Lizzie!" Ash beckoned sweetly to his daughter. She finally looked away from the mirror and chose instead to set her emerald eyes on him. "Can ya' spin around for me?"

Elizabeth nodded with a smile and walked easily in a circle. Lowering the camera slightly, Ash smirked at his daughter and reasoned, "That isn't _exactly _what I meant, baby girl."

The toddler was confused by this. Her father had said spin around. That's what she did! Maybe he was just dumb.

"Alright, my little ballerinas! It's time to dance!"

Ash looked over his shoulder to see an older, blonde haired woman entering the room. That, he assumed, must have been the ballet teacher. He wondered if she knew Misty. Well…of course she would, because Misty was the city's gym leader. He was mostly wondering if this woman had been Misty's ballet teacher as well.

The mothers all seemed to be ushering their daughters to the end of the room, so Ash decided to do the same with his own child.

"Okay, Lizzie, why don't you go stand with all the other little girls?" Ash suggested, pointing at the gaggle of leotard and tutu clad toddlers.

"Kay!" Elizabeth yelled, scurrying over to where her fellow ballet classmates all stood.

"Well, that wasn't too hard," Ash sighed laughingly, standing back up.

The older blonde woman walked into the center of the room, smiling kindly at her young students before turning to face the mothers (and Ash) who were still in the room.

"Now, if all the parents could go wait in the lobby, that would be wonderful," the woman was still grinning, but now Ash was doing the exact opposite. "I also ask that you don't look into the window, because it distracts the children."

The women in the room all flocked out, seemingly fine with this rule. Ash, however, was not as content. He had an important job to do! So, walking over to the woman, he managed to pull his lips up into a sweet smile and smoothly greet, "hello!"

The woman spun around, seeming a little startled, but once she saw who it was, her face lit up in amazement. "Oh my goodness! It's the Pokémon Master!"

"Yep, that's me," Ash puffed his chest out slightly, offering the woman his hand, "Ash Ketchum!"

"Gisela Odette," the teacher introduced herself to the famous man. "Your daughter is taking my class?"

"Yeah, Elizabeth," Ash nodded towards the girl standing in the throng of young ballerinas. She was very easy to spot with her unique, dark red hair, even when it was pulled back into a little ponytail.

"Oh, what a precious child!" Gisela beamed. "She looks just like you!"

"Thanks," Ash smirked. "Here's the thing…I know you said all the parents couldn't be in the room, but I'm supposed to record the class…so would it be too much trouble if I stayed in here? I'll be _really_ quiet! I won't say a word, in fact!"

Despite Ash's sweet tone and charming face, Gisela didn't seem to be buying into it. "I'm afraid not, Master Ketchum."

Laughing gently, Ash continued, "but you don't understand. If I don't record Elizabeth's first ballet class, my wife will kill me. _Literally_ kill me."

"Ah yes, Misty," Gisela folded her arms across her chest and smiled at Ash.

Maybe this was his ticket in! Grinning, Ash asked, "So, you remember Misty?"

"Oh, how could I ever forget Misty," Gisela sighed, tilting her head. "Almost every class she ended up terrifying the other students."

Immediately, Ash picked up on Gisela's slightly toxic tone, and he became nervous. Okay, so clearly, Gisela _had _been Misty's ballet teacher. And both women obviously had vastly different memories of the past.

"Uh, she's a little more calm now, not so bad," Ash quickly replied, as if this would make up for his wife being a little terror as a child.

"You just said she'd literally kill you if you didn't do what she ordered, so I'm guessing that's a bit of a lie," Gisela smirked.

Ash just nervously rocked on the balls of his feet and looked down at the hardwood floor. He really had no response for that one because it was, well, true.

"That's what I thought," Gisela whispered before patting Ash's shoulder. "You can just wait outside with the rest of the parents."

Reluctantly, Ash walked out of the room, Gisela closing the door behind him. Whining, he turned around and glared at the closed door like it was his greatest enemy in life. Turning his eyes upward, Ash located the "banned" window that Gisela had been talking about. It was near the top of the door, almost perfectly at Ash's eye line. Smirking, he turned on the video camera and held it in front of the window, crouching down so he couldn't be seen.

Inside of the studio room, Gisela was standing before her young ballet students, talking gently to them about what they were going to do.

"We're going to learn how to do leaps and turns and all of those beautiful things that ballerinas do!" Gisela gushed.

As the woman talked, Elizabeth let her eyes wander towards the window in the door. She could see a camera lens, and right behind it, springs of jet black hair. The locks rose slightly, revealing a pair of dark eyebrows and just a sliver of shining, chocolate brown eyes. At this, a little smile grew on the girl's face.

"So, who's excited to get dancey?" Gisela giggled at herself.

"Daddy!" Elizabeth cried.

Looking confused, Gisela smiled and cooed to the little red head, "no, sweetie, I said _dancey!_"

"Daddy," Elizabeth repeated, pointing at the window.

Gisela whipped around and caught sight of Ash peeking in through the window with the camera. As soon as he saw Gisela start to turn, Ash ducked further under the window and took the video camera with him. Peeking up once again, he saw that Gisela had turned her attention back onto the toddlers, and with that, he returned the video camera to the window.

"Okay girls, let's line up now!" Gisela pointed the children towards the barre.

As they toddled towards the wall, Elizabeth peered at the window again and let out a little squeal, jumping up and down in excitement.

"Daddy!"

Huffing, Gisela spun around once again and was less than amused to see the video camera lens back in the window. Ash was quick to duck once again, practically curling up in a ball behind the door. He followed the actions of just moments prior, waiting a few seconds so Gisela could stop looking again. Once he was sure he was in the clear, Ash put the video camera back and stood up slightly to peer through the glass.

Instead, he ended up locking eyes with Gisela, who looked fairly agitated. Groaning, Ash closed the video camera and slumped back down to the floor.

**XXX**

An hour later, Ash returned home, carrying a rather sleepy Elizabeth in his arms. Misty was quick to meet them at the door, and Ash was sure to put on a fake happy face so she wouldn't catch on to anything.

"Hi, honey!" Misty greeted warmly. "How was Elizabeth's first ballet class?"

"It was fine," Ash responded in a hurry, confusing Misty. "How was your gym battle?"

"I beat that kid to a pulp," Misty sounded rather smug, smirking at her husband as she folded her arms across her chest. Ash looked rather shocked, and a little disturbed, so Misty sighed and clarified, "not _physically, _you moron. I meant in battle."

"Oh, good," Ash sighed in relief before laughing. "Sorry! I just wasn't sure with that look you were giving that kid before."

"I probably could have beaten him up if I wanted to," Misty shrugged. "But I'm a good person, I don't do that."

"Not anymore, at least," Ash muttered under his breath.

"What was that, Ash Ketchum?!" Misty demanded.

"Nothing!" Ash blushed, quickly shaking his head.

Sighing, the smile returned to Misty's face as she continued, "so, I want to know all about my new ballerina baby! Did she have fun?"

"I think so, she's falling asleep," Ash chuckled, motioning towards the girl in his arms. Elizabeth was yawning and resting her head on Ash's shoulder, her eyes half lidded as she snuggled against him.

"Aww, my poor sweetheart," Misty took the toddler from Ash, kissing the top of her head before hugging her. "She needs to be put down for a nap!"

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Ash smiled before trying to hurry away.

"Ash!" Misty called over her shoulder. "Where are you going?"

"Uh…the…back…room….bathroom?"

Furrowing her brow, Misty shook her head and then asked, "Could I have the video camera? I want to watch the class after I put Lizzie down."

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Ash sputtered before running off.

"Hey!" Misty snapped. She was about to run, but realized that wouldn't be a good idea with Elizabeth in her arms. Groaning, she put the toddler down on the couch, patting the girl's head before charging after her husband. She managed to catch up to him rather quickly, jumping on his back with practiced ease. Ash stopped almost instantly, grunting just once as he instinctively threw his arms back to hold Misty in place.

Leaning her head down, Misty brushed her lips against Ash's ear and whispered, "Tell me what you did."

Sighing, Ash tilted his own head back and murmured miserably, "I…got kicked out of the dance studio."

Letting out an unsurprised hum, Misty slid off of Ash's back and walked around him so they were face to face. "So…you mean to tell me you didn't get any of Elizabeth's ballet class on video?"

"No ma'am," Ash droned.

Nodding, Misty walked straight past Ash, back to the living room where she could retrieve Elizabeth in order to put the child in her bed.

"You're taking this surprisingly well," Ash sounded impressed.

"Oh, no I'm not," Misty smiled teasingly at her husband. "I'm just waiting until Elizabeth is out of earshot so I can properly give you what for."

As she marched away, up the stairs, Ash bit his lip and turned around to contemplate what was coming his way. It certainly wasn't going to end well.

"Gisela was right. Misty hasn't calmed down one little bit."

* * *

><p><strong>Elizabeth LOVES her Daddy, but she certainly is good at getting him :P And can't you just picture little Misty being forced into ballet class as a child and chasing the other little girls around in a fit of rage? Because I can XD <strong>

**And, I don't know if anyone noticed, but Gisela called Ash "Master Ketchum." I figured that since he's the Pokemon Master, that's his "official" title, rather than being called Mister Ketchum. It's like a respect thingy :P**


	77. Babysitting: Tracey and Daisy

**A while back, I got a request for one of my babysitting chapters to be of Daisy and Tracey babysitting the kids. So, I ran with that one. I think it came out rather nicely. This one really displays the family dysfunction :P It's also the first babysitting one to have all three kids in it!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 8 years old**

**Elizabeth: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Babysitting: Tracey and Daisy<strong>

"Tracey, Daisy, thank you so much for offering to babysit on such short notice while Ash and I go to this league meeting."

"Don't mention it, baby sister," Daisy smiled sweetly at the red head standing in front of her, Tracey nodding with his arm wrapped around her shoulder. "I just don't understand why this meeting was scheduled so late!"

"I don't either," Misty sighed, adjusting little Elizabeth who was being held against her hip. "They really need to get themselves together."

"Mama?" Elizabeth suddenly asked, staring up at her mother.

"What is it, beautiful?" Misty looked down and smiled at her youngest child.

"I wan' pudding," Elizabeth murmured.

"Oh…well, I'm not sure if Aunt Daisy has any pudding here," Misty raised an eyebrow. "But if she doesn't, I'll give you some when we go back home, okay?"

"Go back now," Elizabeth made it sound so simple.

"No, we can't go back home yet," Misty giggled. "Daddy and I have something to do. But you will have so much fun here with Aunt Daisy, Uncle Tracey, and Dakota! And you have Aiden and Michelle too."

"Denny an' Shelly?" Elizabeth asked. She wasn't able to properly pronounce their full names yet.

"Yes, they're here too," Misty kissed Elizabeth on the top of her head before putting her down on the floor. "They're in the other room with Daddy!"

Daisy realized that Elizabeth was looking rather confused, and even a bit flustered. Smiling sweetly, she knelt down and held the young girl's face in her hands, cooing, "oh, what is it, Lizzie? Is something bothering you?"

"I wan' pudding," Elizabeth replied.

Daisy gave Misty a questioning look. In turn, the red head sighed laughingly and shrugged her shoulders. "She's just like Ash. Once she gets her mind on food, she won't come off it until she's been fed."

"I think I might have something in the fridge for you," Daisy smiled at her little niece. "Want to come with me and check?"

Elizabeth nodded and held her hand out, hoping that Daisy would take it. The blonde grinned and did just that, leading the small girl into the kitchen.

"Elizabeth is such a cutie," Tracey chuckled warmly, Misty beaming in response. "I miss when Dakota was that age."

"She's almost a teenager," Misty murmured, a small smirk appearing on her face. "You're gonna' have to watch out for that one, Trace. She _is _her mother's daughter, after all!"

"Don't remind me," Tracey sulked.

"Remind you of what, Daddy?"

The green haired man let out a rather girlish shriek, causing Misty to laugh. He whipped around and found himself facing his 12 year old daughter, her very dark, wavy blonde hair swaying just two inches below her delicate shoulders.

"Oh, nothing, darling!" Tracey laughed, nervously pressing a hand against the back of his head.

"You could've fooled me with that little cry of yours!" Ash chuckled, now stepping into the room with the two 8 year olds at his feet.

"And where did you all run off to in such a hurry?" Misty asked kindly.

"Uncle Ash was just showing me some of his Pokémon," Dakota answered brightly. "They really are super strong! Though, I'm not sure if any of them are as cute as my Queenie!"

"Purr…" a purple cat Pokémon jumped out elegantly into the middle of the room, responding to her name being spoken. Dakota squealed and ran over to the devious Pokémon, scooping it up in her arms and cuddling the ball of purple fur.

"That's a Purrloin, isn't it, Dad?" Aiden glanced up at his father.

"It is, nice work, son!" Ash nodded, patting the boy on his back. "Purrloin is a native of Unova, so it's almost impossible to find one here in Kanto."

"But I just so happened to come across one when my Mom had to attend the fashion show in Nimbasa City!" Dakota continued to hug her pet. "Queenie is the best Pokémon a girl could ask for!"

"What attacks does she know?" Aiden was obviously excited about knowing such a fact.

"I don't know," Dakota scrunched her nose in disgust, confusing her younger male cousin. "I've never told Queenie to use an attack. I would never let my little beauty get into a battle!"

"But why not?" Aiden folded his arms. "That's what Pokémon are for!"

"Not this one," Dakota replied indignantly. "Queenie is too perfect to be in such things."

Aiden rolled his eyes and didn't bother to ask the girl another question. He thought she was the lamest person in the world. What kind of person kept a Pokémon just because it was cute, and never used it to its full potential? Aiden thought that was just the stupidest thing.

"Alright…" Ash chuckled, trying to break the awkward pause created by Dakota and Aiden, "what do you say, Mist? We should probably get going, right?"

"Yeah, it's probably a good idea to," Misty nodded. She strolled over to her two older children, planning to bid them both a farewell. "You two be good for your Aunt and Uncle, okay?"

"Mom, we're not little kids," Michelle whined. "You don't need to tell us how to behave!"

"I know, but you _do _have Elizabeth around, and you know how impressionable she is," Misty reasoned with her older daughter. "She really looks up to you two. So please, be on your best behavior for _her _sake."

"You know we will," Michelle finally relented, giving her mother an undeniably charming smile. Misty cooed happily and leaned down to hold the girl by her shoulder and give her a kiss on the cheek. With that out of the way, Misty tried to do the same for Aiden, but it was quite obvious that the boy was going to have none of it.

"No kisses!" Aiden complained, holding his hands in front of his face when Misty came near.

"Aiden, come on, just one?" Misty pleaded with him, hoping it would work.

"No, I'm too old for kisses," Aiden grumbled.

"Aiden, let your mother give you a kiss," Ash playfully scolded the child.

"You have to be kidding me," Aiden deadpanned.

"I'm not. _One _kiss, champ! That's all."

Groaning, Aiden uncovered his face and turned his cheek towards his mother. She giggled airily and pressed a kiss against his skin, causing the boy's face to contort as if he had just been punched instead. It lasted all of two seconds, and once it was done, Aiden slowly opened one eye, and then the other, before turning his head to glower at his mother.

"There, not so bad," Misty ruffled her son's hair.

"_MOM!_" Aiden cried, shooing her hands away.

Right on time, Daisy came back in the room with little Elizabeth. She held a small, plastic cup in her hands, its contents being bright red gelatin.

"Hey there, baby girl!" Ash greeted his youngest daughter. "Did Aunt Daisy give you that yummy food?"

Elizabeth nodded her head before explaining, "I wan'did pudding. But…Aun' didn' have. So…I have these!" She held up the gelatin and grinned widely at her father.

"Well, that's a pretty good snack," Ash laughed, picking the little girl up in his arms to give her one last hug and kiss, which caused the small child to let out a delighted squeal. "You're going to be a very good angel baby while Mommy and I are gone, right?"

"Yes," Elizabeth answered spritely.

"Awesome," Ash rubbed the girl's back a few times before putting her back down on the floor. Misty knelt down to give the toddler a hug and a kiss of her own before waving goodbye and walking out the door with Ash.

With her Aunt and Uncle gone, Dakota placed Queenie down by her feet and chose instead to hold Elizabeth in her arms. The toddler was confused, but nevertheless continued to eat her gelatin quite happily.

"You're gonna' come with me, okay, cutie?" Dakota informed her youngest cousin.

"Why?" Elizabeth asked with her mouth full.

"You'll see!" Dakota giggled airily, carrying the girl up the stairs.

"Dakota, be careful with her!" Daisy called after the preteen. "We don't need you dropping her like you did with-"

Tracey quickly covered Daisy's mouth, causing the blonde to whine unhappily. Aiden and Michelle looked highly confused as they exchanged slightly worried looks.

"Why do I have a feeling that Dakota dropped one of us as little kids?" Michelle whispered.

"Because I've got the same feeling as you," Aiden murmured, "and it's _not _'cause we're twins."

Finally moving his hand away from his wife's mouth, Tracey smiled at the twins and asked, "So, what do you two want to do? Your little sister is apparently occupied with Dakota…"

"It's okay, we don't really need her to have fun," Aiden waved a haphazard hand at his uncle, causing Tracey to smirk and give the young boy a knowing glance. "You _could _show me your Pokémon, Uncle Tracey!"

Giggling, Daisy winked at her husband and agreed, "you know how much he loves Pokémon, babe! You guys should definitely go in the backyard and do that!"

"Sounds good to me," Tracey nodded with a smile. "Come on, bud. Maybe I'll get some sketches done while you and the Pokémon hang out."

"Okay!" Aiden cheered, racing towards the backyard without waiting another moment. Queenie, who had been previously placed down by Dakota, purred curiously and chased after the boy.

Chuckling, Tracey looked at Michelle and asked the girl, "do you wanna' come too, Michelle?"

"No thank you," Michelle replied softly, which actually came as a surprise to her aunt and uncle. "I want to stay in the house."

"Alright then," Tracey smiled sweetly at his niece. "If you change your mind, we'll be in the backyard."

Michelle nodded but skipped past the researcher's assistant, choosing instead to sit down on the couch and pull up her sky blue backpack beside her. Daisy and Tracey exchanged bewildered looks, but nonetheless, the blonde sent her husband after Aiden, and silently told him she'd take care of it.

With Aiden and Tracey gone, Daisy smiled and skirted over to the blue upholstered couch, taking a seat next to her red headed niece. Watching the girl's actions, Daisy realized that Michelle had stuffed several books into her backpack, and that she was pulling one out.

"Oh, you like reading?" Daisy asked.

Michelle looked up at her aunt with bright emerald eyes, one tooth pulling contemplatively at her lip. "Yeah. I do. I read a lot."

"What kind of books do you like to read?" Daisy folded her hands in her lap and leaned into the younger girl.

"Stuff like this," Michelle held up a book covered by a black jacket and dotted with silver stars on the front. Daisy leaned in even closer so she could read the title of Michelle's reading material.

"Dusk?" Daisy asked.

"Haven't you heard of it?" Michelle gasped. She seemed truly horrified by the idea that someone hadn't.

"No," Daisy shook her head slowly.

"It's the most amazing book in the whole wide world!" Michelle's face lit up. "It's about this girl who falls in love with a vampire, but she doesn't know he's a vampire at first. They're both Pokémon trainers, and he's a really good one. It's because he's so intelligent and has so many years of experience. He doesn't age, you know. Vampires don't age."

Daisy just gave her niece a blank stare.

"You did know that, didn't you?" Michelle inquired.

"I don't know much about vampires," Daisy replied honestly.

Placing the book in her lap and twisting her mouth, Michelle asked another question, "So…Dakota's never read this book? Or even mentioned it?"

"Dakota isn't much of a reader," Daisy shook her head once again.

"That's so weird," Michelle breathed. "Everyone her age is _obsessed _with this book! It's like…the most popular thing in the world right now!"

"But, Michelle, you're younger than Dakota. So how do you know all about it?"

"Because I read above my age level," Michelle was obviously proud of this fact. "I read all kinds of books that teenagers read!"

"That's…impressive," Daisy's eyes were wide.

"My Mom said it's really good," Michelle confirmed. "She always encouraged me to read because Dad doesn't, and she said that Dad is too dense and slow for his own good. So she wanted me and Aiden to be more proficient than he is."

"Wow, you know some big words!" Daisy sounded genuinely impressed.

"Yeah…" Michelle blinked. She wasn't going to tell her aunt that her mother had also advised her to read because none of her sisters had and, in Misty's own words, were as "dumb as bricks."

"Well, it sounds like a good book!" Daisy giggled.

"Want to read it?" Michelle offered the book to her aunt. "It's okay, I have other books to read!"

"No, it's alright, sweetie," Daisy ran her fingers through the younger girl's ginger locks, "I have some cleaning to do around the house."

"Do you have to clean in here?"

"Yes, I do."

"Why don't you start in here?" Michelle suggested. "I could read the book _to you_ while you clean!"

Grinning, Daisy clasped her hands together and raved, "That's a great idea, Michelle! I love it!"

"Awesome!" Michelle opened up to the first page. "We'll start from the beginning…"

**XXX**

At the same time upstairs, Dakota had placed Elizabeth on her bed while she ran around her room, digging through her closet and drawers in search of numerous things.

Feeling bored, Elizabeth lay down and kicked her legs up in the air. She scanned her bright emerald eyes around the preteen girl's room, taking in her surroundings.

The walls were painted a pretty lilac color. There was also white molding that bordered the light purple walls. Hanging on said walls were various picture frames; all black and white in color. Some held just one picture, while others had multiple images. From what Elizabeth could see, they appeared to be images of Dakota as a child, her family, and her friends. Sitting back up and hopping off the bed, Elizabeth scurried over to Dakota's white dresser, where some more picture frames stood up. She found one with the frame consisting of silver glitter, and the image inside of a familiar looking red headed baby.

"Me?" Elizabeth asked, pointing at the picture.

Dakota finally turned away from whatever she was looking for in order to see which frame Elizabeth was talking about. Smiling, she giggled airily and confirmed, "Yeah, that's you! You were such a cute baby!"

"I'm still cute," Elizabeth pouted.

"Yeah, you are."

"You needs a new pi'chur," Elizabeth informed her cousin.

"I guess I do," Dakota nodded. "Maybe we can take one today."

"Kay," Elizabeth skipped away. She was bored of looking at pictures; she wanted to see what else her big cousin's room had to offer.

Her next stop was at Dakota's white vanity, with a large, glamorous mirror attached. Small collections of makeup were gathered on the vanity top, stored in white holders and boxes. Elizabeth didn't know what any of it was. She had seen some of it in her Mommy and Daddy's bathroom before…only on her Mommy's side, of course.

"Koty," Elizabeth whined, being unable to pronounce her cousin's name, "don' you have toys?"

"No, I don't have toys anymore, I'm not a baby," Dakota laughed. This caused a scowl to form on Elizabeth's face. "Trust me, Lizzie, we can have lots of fun in my room without toys."

"How?" Elizabeth didn't sound convinced. Toys were the most fun things in the whole wide world! It was almost impossible to have fun without them.

"I'll show you!" Dakota giggled, throwing all of the things she had gathered on her bed. The young red head scurried back over, curious as to what her cousin had been so busily collecting. She could see there were sparkles and frilly things, however, so the girl automatically became excited.

"Alright, Lizzie," Dakota picked up the child and placed her on the rolling white vanity chair, "let's get started!"

**XXX**

While all of this was going on inside the house, Aiden was busy fawning over his uncle's Pokémon. The young boy loved the creatures, all of them, really, and getting to interact with Pokémon was the best thing in the world to him.

"Uncle Tracey, your Marill is so cool!" Aiden gushed. He was scratching behind the water type's ears, the aqua mouse squeaking happily as he was paid special attention to.

"He definitely seems to like you, Aiden," Tracey chuckled. He was sitting nearby, sketching the boy and his Pokémon.

"Maybe because he knows I'm friends with my Mom's Azumarill," Aiden suggested.

"That's a very god point," Tracey beamed at his nephew. Continuing his sketch, Tracey's pencil snapped, causing the research assistant to frown dejectedly and sigh.

"What's wrong, Uncle Tracey?" Aiden frowned.

"My pencil just broke…" Tracey got to his feet, still staring at the offending writing, or in this case, drawing tool. "It was the only one I brought outside, too. I guess I have to go inside and get another one."

"I won't move!" Aiden helpfully replied. The older man smiled at the boy before walking towards the house, leaving the child alone with the Pokémon.

Once Aiden was left to his own devices, the mischievous boy set his eyes on Queenie. The devious cat Pokémon was sleeping on one of the cushioned lawn chairs, causing Aiden to huff. The Pokémon was actually so spoiled by her…owner, that she wouldn't even sleep on the ground! There was no way a Pokémon could possibly be happy living that way!

So, making a quick decision in his head, Aiden scampered over to the chair and hovered over the Unovian imported creature, a grin set on his young face.

"Alright, Queenie, time to wake up!"

**XXX**

Back inside the house, Tracey started to race through the living room so he could head upstairs to his drawing room, where he kept his extra pencils. He stopped in his tracks, however, when he found Daisy sitting on the couch beside Michelle, listening to the girl read her book aloud.

"Daisy," Tracey blinked, "I thought you were finally going to get that cleaning done."

"Tracey, shh!" Daisy raised a finger to her lips. "Can't you see that Michelle is reading?"

Tracey raised a wry eyebrow at this one. "You're having Michelle _read _to you?"

"She offered," Daisy pouted slightly, "besides, you know I don't like reading, Trace. It hurts my eyes to read all of those words."

Tracey turned to look at Michelle, wondering if his niece was just as perplexed as he was. Judging by her face, she was.

"Right…" Tracey sighed. "Well, have you at least checked on Dakota and Elizabeth?"

"No."

Tracey's eyes nearly fell out of his head, causing Michelle to snicker. "What do you mean you haven't checked on them?!"

"Tracey, relax, I'm sure they're fine," Daisy rolled her eyes. Her husband could just be _so_ overprotective and paranoid.

"Okay, everyone! I'd like to introduce you to my newest creation!"

Daisy, Tracey, and Michelle all looked up at the stairs, where Dakota's voice had floated in from. Upon setting their eyes on the scene before them, all three inhabitants of the living room gasped in shock.

The dark blonde haired girl was holding onto her much younger cousin, who simply looked confused by what was going on. The child had been taken out of the clothes she had arrived in, and was now wearing a rainbow petticoat dress with a ribbon belt, glittery plastic heels, and a tiara in her short, newly curled hair. Worst of all, it was quite obvious that Elizabeth had makeup on her face; blush, lipstick, and glittery eye shadow. There was glitter sparkling down her arms as well.

"Dakota, what did you do to Elizabeth?!" Tracey sounded horrified.

"I dressed her up!" Dakota was beaming. "Isn't she just beautiful?"

"She's not a _doll, _Dakota!" Tracey shrieked, his face going deathly pale.

"Geez, Dad, why are you freaking out so much?" Dakota rolled her eyes, making her look even more remarkably like her mother. "It's just a little game of dress up!"

"You put make up on her and curled her hair with a _hot iron!_" Tracey was still panicking. "Do you know what your Aunt and Uncle are going to do to me when they see that I let my daughter turn _their two year old _daughter into a living doll?!"

"I sparkle," Elizabeth giggled, a delicate smile playing on her lips. It seemed now that she was enjoying her new look.

"Aunt Misty and Uncle Ash are going to love Elizabeth's make over!" Dakota insisted, not a hint of worry in her airy voice. "She looks absolutely precious! I know what I'm doing, Daddy."

"PURR!"

"A-ha! Finally!"

Now _everyone's _attention was focused on the doorway that led from the kitchen into the living room. Aiden came barging through, a victorious and glowing smile shining on his young face. Chasing after the boy was an infuriated Queenie, frantically slashing her claws in midair as she ran.

Squealing angrily, Dakota demanded, "AIDEN, what are you doing with my Queenie?!"

"I knew she could use attacks!" Aiden cheered as he ran in a complete circle, Queenie still hot on his tail. "Fury swipes! She can use fury swipes!"

"LOIN!" Queenie hissed, still trying to scratch the bothersome boy.

"You're torturing my precious Queenie!" Dakota accused. Placing Elizabeth down on the stairs, she charged down the steps and managed to grab Queenie right before the dark type touched her claws to Aiden's back. In her trainer's arms, the devious Pokémon was still hissing and holding her claws out towards Aiden, who had finally stopped running in order to double over from all the laughter he'd been doing. "It's NOT FUNNY, AIDEN!"

"You're right, it's _hilarious!_" Aiden roared with laughter.

"Denny happy," Elizabeth giggled, clapping her hands together. Groaning, Tracey made his way up the stairs to take hold of the toddler, nervously holding her out in front of him to examine how bad Dakota's "makeover" really was.

"You'd better wash that stuff off of Lizzie before my sister comes back," Daisy advised. "She'll be _livid _if she sees that."

"Dakota should do it!" Tracey whined. "_She's _the one who did this to Elizabeth in the first place!"

"Uncle Tracey, I think Dakota has her own problem to deal with right now," Michelle helpfully threw in. Looking down at his daughter, Tracey's eyes bugged yet again when he realized that the preteen was starting to chase Aiden around the house much like her Pokémon had just been doing.

"This is such a disaster," Tracey muttered.

Just then, the doorbell rang, signaling Ash and Misty's return. Tracey and Daisy exchanged horrified looks, both silently panicking.

Turning the focus back onto her uncle, Michelle suggested, "I would hide Elizabeth upstairs if I were you."

"I'm on it," Tracey nodded, swiftly carrying the happy young child up the stairs.

"And…your brother and Dakota?" Daisy asked uncertainly.

Smirking, Michelle replied, "you really think they're gonna' be shocked that Aiden was being a brat? I don't think so. They'll take care of him themselves."

"I see."

As Daisy got up to get the door, Michelle sighed and leaned back on the couch, wondering aloud, "how come I'm the only _normal _child in this family?"

* * *

><p><strong>Yes, Michelle's book is a parody of Twilight. I am a horrible person.<strong>


	78. Baby Love

**I don't know what this is. Literally. It came out a little differently than I expected. I just wanted to write something, lol.**

**Aiden and Michelle: 3 years old**

**Damien (May and Drew's son): 2 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Baby Love<strong>

"Ash, Misty, it looks like Aiden's found a new little friend to play with!"

The young parents looked up from the food that was set before them and found their son sitting in the sandbox with a girl of the same age, both children seeming to be playing along very nicely.

"Aw, that's so cute!" Ash chuckled. "It's great that Aiden is such a friendly little guy."

"Should we call him over to eat, though?" Misty asked, her brow furrowing slightly. "He might be hungry right about now."

"Nah, he'll come over if he's hungry enough," Ash wrapped his arm around Misty's shoulders. "Why separate him from his new friend if he's having fun?"

"I think Ash is absolutely right!" May, who was the one to first bring Ash and Misty's attention to their son, giggled in agreement. "It's sweet that Aiden's got a new friend. We should just let them play."

"I guess you're right," Misty smiled sweetly at her busily playing son. "It _is _really precious."

Ash and Misty were having a picnic in the park along with May and Drew, as well as their little son, Damien. While Aiden had wandered off to play with the little girl, Michelle had stayed by her parents and chosen to play with Damien, who was just a little less than a year younger than her. Michelle had a habit of being quite shy, and didn't often venture away from her parents or people she was familiar with. Aiden, of course, was an entirely different story.

"Michelle, Damien, are you two hungry?" Drew calmly asked the young children sitting in front of him. They were playing with some of Damien's toy trains; a slightly more boyish activity, though Michelle didn't seem to mind. She had a brother, after all, and was quite used to playing with cars and trains.

"Yes," Michelle chirped, looking up at the male coordinator with bright green eyes.

"Uh huh," Damien agreed.

"Don't worry, you two, I have all different kinds of food here for you to pick from!" May trilled.

"Did Daddy make it?" Michelle's voice grew hesitant. Misty let out a short laugh before covering her mouth after receiving a glare from her insulted husband.

"No, sweetheart, your Daddy _definitely _did not make any of this," May smirked.

"Good," Michelle sighed, crawling over to the food so she could choose what she wanted to eat.

While this was going on, the small blur that was Aiden Ketchum went racing past the stretched out picnic blanket, confusing everyone who was gathered on it.

"What's Aiden up to?" Ash murmured.

"Maybe he finally got hungry and wants some food?" Misty suggested unsurely.

As it would turn out, that wasn't why Aiden appeared to be in such a hurry. Rather, the young boy had raced his way over to a patch of flowers, where he hurriedly picked one with delicate pink petals before darting back towards his new playmate.

"Aiden picking flowers?" Ash raised an eyebrow. "That's not like him at all."

"I like to pick flowers!" Michelle called out before taking a bite of her sandwich.

"Yes, I know _you _do, princess," Ash ran his hand down the child's soft, ginger hair. "But your brother never did."

Just as puzzled as her husband, Misty looked back over to where Aiden had been playing with the girl. May was quick to lean into the gym leader, also eager to see what the boy was up to. As it would turn out, the point of picking the flower had evidently been to give it to the young girl, who seemed rather happy with her gift.

"Oh my goodness!" May squealed, clasping her hands together. "How absolutely beyond adorable!"

Gasping, Misty covered her heart with her hand and cooed, "I think Aiden's got a little crush!"

"His first ever crush, this is so sweet!" May was going absolutely _berserk. _"My heart is going to melt from all the cuteness!"

Ash and Drew, however, were not as enamored as their wives. Drew just let out a sly snicker, shifting his devious eyes onto an utterly perplexed Ash.

"What?" Ash asked, completely innocent.

"Your son is a ladies man already," Drew chuckled. "I told you spending all that time with Brock was a bad thing."

"How do they know Aiden's got a crush?" Ash folded his arms across his chest. "Maybe he's just being nice!"

"Ash, dear, for someone who is a _married adult, _you're still so terribly clueless about love," Misty sighed.

"He's three!" Ash protested. "What does he know about love?"

"Apparently more than his father did at that age," Misty rolled her eyes.

It didn't take long for Aiden to actually come over to the blanket, much to the excitement of Misty and May. Ash wasn't as jubilant as his wife and friend, but he _was _curious as to what his son was really up to.

"Hello there, baby boy," Misty gently squeezed the boy's cheek. "Are ya' hungry yet?"

"No," Aiden replied simply.

"Well then, what brings you back over here?" Misty asked sweetly. "Aren't you playing with your new little friend over there?"

"Uh huh."

"What's her name?"

"Karina."

"That's such a pretty name!" Misty cooed. Aiden didn't have a response this time. Instead, he walked over to the picnic basket, reaching in and taking out a juice box. Before he could scurry away once more, however, Ash managed to grab onto his son's legs and lift him up, causing the boy to laugh.

"Where are you going with that juice box, buddy?" Ash asked.

"Karina's thirsty!" Aiden roared with laughter.

"Karina, huh?" Ash lowered the boy so he would stop giggling.

"Yeah. She's pretty, Daddy!"

At this, Ash's eyes widened. His son had just outright _admitted _that he had a crush. Without, of course, actually using the word itself. Aiden was only three; he probably didn't even know what a crush actually was.

"Oh, Aiden, this is wonderful!" May gave the boy a squeeze. "Do you know how to impress her?"

"Huh?" Aiden blinked.

"May, he doesn't understand what you're talking about," Misty whispered before turning her attention back onto her child. "Aiden, sweetie, you just go and give Karina that juice box. She's really appreciate it if you do!"

Aiden nodded and darted back towards the little girl. May frowned at Misty, who raised an eyebrow in confusion. "We have to give Aiden advice!"

"…dating advice?"

"Yeah!"

"He's _three_, May."

"Yeah, but you should teach him _now _how to treat girls!" May stressed. "It'll make his dating life _so _much easier when he gets older. You don't want to have a little Brock on your hands, now do you?"

"We're really ripping into Brock today, huh?" Ash blinked.

"Yeah, and he's not even here," Drew chuckled.

"You've actually got a point, May…" Misty trailed off as she thought to herself.

"Oh, look!" May tugged at Misty's arm. "Aiden is going to give her the juice!"

Misty leaned forward and watched as her son handed the young girl one of the juice boxes. Karina smiled at Aiden and seemed to thank him as she took the juice box. She was a very cute little girl, Misty noted: tan skin very similar to Ash's, chestnut brown hair, and amber eyes. She was dressed nicely too, in a corduroy dress printed with pink and red flowers and a peter pan collar, cranberry red t-strap shoes, and her dark brown hair tied up into two ponytails with curled grosgrain ribbon holding back each one.

"She and Aiden look adorable together," Misty awed.

"Maybe they'll get married one day!" May suggested brightly.

"Don't you think you're getting ahead of yourself again?" Misty smirked.

"Maybe, but maybe not," May winked. "You can't tell me that you don't think of Aiden getting married one day!"

"Well," Misty began, "of course I do-"

"You think of our three year old son getting married?" Ash broke in.

"When he gets older!" Misty groaned.

"That's weird!"

"No it isn't!" Misty refuted. "It's perfectly normal for a parent to think of their child's future. I _know _you don't do it, because you want to keep Michelle away from males, but I do. It's fine."

"I think red would make a wonderful color scheme for their wedding," May mused.

Ash just stared at the coordinator, while Misty threw in, "that, on the other hand, isn't entirely normal."

"Damien could be his best man, it'd be so cute!" May squealed.

"But what if Ash and I have another son?" Misty prodded.

"Huh?" Ash had clearly spaced out within the last few seconds. "What did she say? More babies?"

Misty rolled her eyes and rested her head in her hand, watching as Aiden and Karina continued to play in the sandbox. Suddenly, a different young boy walked by, this one blonde haired and blue eyed. In an instant, Karina jumped up and hurried after the boy, leaving Aiden alone in the sand box. Misty and May both gasped in shock, while Ash turned to glance at Drew.

"What just happened?" Ash inquired.

"Your son just got dumped," Drew responded quite frankly.

Aiden came shuffling back, a small sense of sorrow reflecting in his chocolate brown eyes. Awing, Misty took the boy into her arms and hugged him.

"It's okay, sweetheart," Misty snuggled the child. "You'll find other little girls!"

"Yeah, who needs Karina anyway," May scoffed. "She's not that great."

"I'm not sad 'cause she left," Aiden muttered, surprising his mother and godmother.

"You're not?" Misty asked, causing Aiden to shake his head. "Then why are you sad?"

"Because she took my juice box!" Aiden whined.

Misty and May exchanged disbelieving looks, while Drew and Ash broke out into laughter.

"That's great!" Drew cheered. "The kid is _just _like Ash!"

"I knew you were my little man!" Ash took the boy from Misty's arms, ruffling his hair and reaching into the picnic basket to hand Aiden another juice box. "There ya' go, champ."

That perked Aiden up right away. His sadness melted as he stabbed the straw into the juice box, happily beginning to drink up its contents.

"Well, at least it won't be so easy to break Aiden's heart," Misty sighed.

"Yeah, unless you take away his food," May giggled.

* * *

><p><strong>Aiden = Ash. In almost every single way :P<strong>


	79. Sweet Dreams

**I actually forgot I had started writing this one a while ago. Just found it again today and decided to finish it. I should be doing homework buuuuut screw that. My school sucks, they deserve nothing from me anyway. Writing is more fun!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 7 years old**

**Elizabeth: 1 year old**

* * *

><p><strong>Sweet Dreams<strong>

_Misty was awoken by an airy kiss on the cheek and a quiet chuckle to accompany it. Yawning, Misty pushed herself up by her hands and stared down to the left, where she caught sight of her very handsome husband sitting up on his side and grinning gently at her._

"_Good morning, darling," Ash greeted in a very proper voice._

"_Morning," Misty replied, a delicate blush gracing her fair cheeks._

"_I hope that you had a peaceful night's sleep," Ash sat up fully, reaching out to gently brush through Misty's hair. "My beautiful, flawless wife deserves nothing less."_

"_Flawless?" Misty questioned her blush intensifying. "I don't know about that…"_

"_I do," Ash grinned. "You are absolutely perfect, dear! And such a wonderful, stunning woman should never have to raise a finger. This is why I have a surprise for you!"_

"_A surprise?" Misty blinked._

"_Yes, my love!" Ash jumped out of bed, smoothing out the sheets on his side before standing up to his full height. "Let me fetch it for you. You just stay here and relax."_

_Misty was utterly confused, but chose not to question her husband's actions as he floated out the bedroom door._

"_That's strange," Misty muttered to herself. Shrugging, she laid back down and closed her eyes, enjoying the unusual peace and quiet that surrounded her._

_After roughly fifteen minutes, Ash returned, opening the door as gently as possible while gliding back into the room, smiling at the sight of his shallowly sleeping wife._

"_Wakey, wakey, my beautiful mermaid!" Ash trilled._

_Misty's eyelids fluttered up once again and she stared innocently at Ash. A huge grin was adorning his handsome face, and he moved closer to Misty, placing something in front of her on the bed. Sitting up, Misty blinked until her vision came back into focus, finding a tray full of food in front of her._

"_What is this?" Misty asked breathlessly, gazing up at Ash._

"_Breakfast!" Ash answered airily. "I made it especially for you."_

"_Why?" Misty tilted her head in a curious manner. _

"_Because you deserve it!" Ash chuckled. "You're such a wonderful wife and mother, it's the least I could do!"_

"_But it's not Mother's Day," Misty reasoned. "Or my birthday…"_

"_It doesn't need to be any of those," Ash sat back down next to Misty and held her shoulders. "I told you, you deserve it!"_

"_If you insist…" Misty muttered, slightly hesitant to eat the food that had been placed in front of her. She cut off a piece of the fruit covered waffles sitting before her and took a cautious bite, chewing and swallowing just as slowly for fear of imminent death. It never came, however. In fact, the food was prepared wonderfully and tasted absolutely delicious. "Ash, this is amazing!"_

"_I'm glad you like it so much, darling," Ash kissed the gym leader's cheek. "I worked hard to make sure that my beautiful wife could have a wonderful start to her day!"_

"_Well, it definitely worked," Misty laughed angelically._

"_Oh, your laugh is so sweet," Ash kissed Misty's neck. "I could listen to it all day, angel!" Leaning away from the woman, Ash patted her knee and continued, "speaking of angels, I really should go check on our angel babies! They should all be awake by now."_

"_Let me come with you," Misty smiled warmly at her husband, sliding the tray of food off of her lap and resting it on the now vacant bed as she got to her feet. "I want to see our little babies, too!"_

"_I'm sure they'll be delighted to see their beautiful mother," Ash nodded. "Come along, my precious darling! Let's go see how our dear children are doing this morning."_

_Ash took Misty's hand and led her out of their bedroom, into the hallway where the doorways leading to the three children's rooms could be found. The sound of collective giggles were all flowing from one singular room, however, and this is what tipped off both parents as to the where abouts of all three of their children. _

_As it turns out, they had all gathered in the bedroom of Elizabeth, the youngest of the three. They were all still in their pajamas, although they hardly looked like a group of young children who had just awoken from a long night of sleep. _

_Aiden was dressed in blue and red plaid flannel pajamas, his hair even more neat than it was on a good afternoon. Michelle was wearing a floor length nightgown, ruffled and printed with pastel toned flowers, her own straight hair shiny with a good brushing. Elizabeth, the smallest and giggliest of the gathered children, wore an identical nightgown to her older sister's. Even being a toddler, Elizabeth's hair was perfectly coiffed and neat._

"_The little sweethearts are so well behaved," Ash sighed, gently tilting his head to the side. _

"_Good morning, Mommy and Daddy!" Aiden and Michelle greeted simultaneously._

"_Hi!" Elizabeth chirped right afterwards._

"_Aw, they're so sweet," Misty cooed._

"_Mommy, did you eat the breakfast that Daddy made for you?" Michelle asked, her voice light and airy._

"_Yes, I did," Misty nodded, "and it was delicious!"_

"_That's good," Michelle beamed. "I think I'm hungry now, too!"_

"_Me too!" Aiden called._

"_Me!" Elizabeth chimed in._

"_Well, fortunately for my little darlings, I made you all breakfast, and its waiting downstairs in the kitchen," Ash grinned. "Why don't you all head down there?"_

_The children nodded calmly and scurried out of the room, much to Misty's amazement._

"_They're behaving so nicely this morning!" Misty marveled._

"_Of course, they're perfect," Ash ran his hands up and down Misty's sides before leaving a kiss against her lips. "Just like their Mommy!"_

_Misty was still taken off guard by Ash's sweetness, but she was certainly appreciating it. _

"_You go ahead and finish off your breakfast in bed, precious angel," Ash gave Misty a tight embrace. "I'll take care of the children before I head off to work!"_

"_Sounds good…" Misty sighed, literally floating out of Elizabeth's room and back into her own, into her soft, warm bed…_

**XXX**

"I think Mommy's havin' a real nice dream!"

Ash gently pressed a hand against his son's mouth, causing the young boy to let out muffled protests from behind his father's palm. They were all standing at the foot of the bed, watching Misty sleep. She had a smile on her face and a delicate pink tint to her cheeks, the woman occasionally letting out a content sigh or breath.

If Misty were awake, she would've seen her husband, still clad in his black t-shirt and red boxers, covered in dry pancake mix and holding onto little Elizabeth, who just so happened to have a hot pink bowl on her head as though it were a hat, and oatmeal all over her fleece footed pajamas. Aiden and Michelle stood next to their father, also covered in powdery mix. Their hair was both a mess, tangled and sticking out in all different directions. The three older inhabitants had trailed the pancake mix onto the floor, leaving a clear path from the kitchen, up the stairs, through the hallway, and finally into Ash and Misty's bedroom.

"Yeah…" Ash murmured, removing his hand from Aiden's mouth, "and if that's the case, then _maybe _we shouldn't wake her up…"


	80. Shaky Bed

**Brb, quitting college to write fanfiction full time because college suuuuucks.**

**Aiden: 5 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Shaky Bed<strong>

"Daddy, help!"

Ash looked up from his busy work of polishing his badges to find Aiden jumping up and down in front of him, the young boy's light brown eyes full of concern.

"What's wrong, buddy?" Ash frowned.

"My bed is shaking," Aiden informed his father.

"Shaking? What do you mean?"

"When I'm on my bed, it shakes," Aiden tried to explain. "It moves, Daddy!"

"Well, that's not good," Ash mused as he put down the badges. "I don't want you to get hurt, little guy. Maybe I should go check it out."

Aiden nodded his head and turned around to bolt up the stairs. Ash assumed the boy was going to his room, and calmly followed after the child. Just as he had guessed, Ash found Aiden in his bedroom, standing by the side of his bed and carefully studying it for any defects.

"If there's anything wrong with the bed, it probably has to do with the legs," Ash murmured, getting on the floor and starting off by examining the leg of the bed that was closest to him.

"My bed has legs?" Aiden tilted his head.

"Yeah," Ash chuckled, pointing at the wooden post. "This is the leg."

"It doesn't look like a leg," Aiden commented, jumping down so he was on all fours next to his father.

"Well, it's not the same kind of leg that you and I have," Ash smirked. "These hold the bed up!"

"My legs hold me up," Aiden blinked.

"Eh, good point," Ash smiled sheepishly.

"Is there something wrong with it?" Aiden pointed a small finger at the leg.

"Let me see," Ash got closer and began to inspect the wood for any cracks or splits; something that would weaken it and give the bed less support.

"Do you see something, Daddy?" Aiden tugged at Ash's sleeve.

"No, not here…" Ash crawled to the end of the bed, next examining the back leg that was closest to him. That piece, however, also showed no visible signs of breakage. "That's weird…"

"What's weird?" Aiden padded next to his father on his hands and knees.

"Your bed looks fine," Ash turned towards the boy. "I don't see anything wrong with the legs, buddy."

"Maybe it's the ones near the wall!" Aiden suggested excitedly, pointing underneath the bed towards the legs that were resting against the wall. "You didn't look at those, Daddy."

"That means I have to move the bed away from the wall," Ash thought aloud. Nodding, he began to pull at the support right in front of him, hoping to drag the bed far enough away from the wall to properly see the legs.

"I want to help!" Aiden squeaked, tugging at the beam of polished wood along with his father.

It didn't take long for Ash (and Aiden would like to think himself as well) to move the bed, since he was pretty strong.

"I helped!" Aiden cried as Ash moved to the other side of the bed.

Smirking, Ash looked over his shoulder and replied, "Yeah, you did. Thanks, little guy!"

"No problem," Aiden beamed.

With the bed now away from the wall, Ash crawled over to the newly revealed legs and examined them just as he'd done to the closer two legs. He still didn't see anything wrong with the bed, however. Sitting up, Ash frowned at his son and reasoned, "Buddy, I really don't think there's anything wrong with your bed."

"But Daddy, it shakes!" Aiden cried.

"I know, you keep saying that," Ash stood up and shook the bed with his hands, but it seemed to stand pretty solid. "But I don't see how it could possibly be so shaky. Everything is fine with it!"

"I'll show you," Aiden climbed atop his bed, Ash watching intently to see if the bed was shaking at all. While the older male kept his eyes on the mattress, the smaller of the black haired boys got to his feet and started jumping on the bed. _That _was enough to make the frame of the bed wobble, causing Ash to gasp and turn his gaze up onto his son.

"Aiden!" Ash yelped.

"See!" Aiden stopped jumping and pointed an accusatory finger at his bed. "It's shaking!"

"It's shaking because you're _jumping _on it…" Ash rubbed his forehead.

"Yeah, that's what I mean," Aiden frowned.

"That's because your bed isn't made for you to be jumping on, champ."

"But…I wanna' jump on it."

"No," Ash shook his head, "if your Mommy sees you jumping on your bed, guess who's gonna' be in trouble."

"Me?" Aiden pointed at himself.

"No," Ash refuted once again, "_me._"

"Why you?"

"I don't know," Ash shrugged, "it's a good question, right?"


	81. The Name Game

**I got this idea because, since Ash and Misty are a famous couple, they'd have to put up with the kind of stuff that regular celebreties do. They're not immune to it, even in the Pokemon world :P**

**Misty is 5 months pregnant.**

* * *

><p><strong>The Name Game<strong>

"So, have you two decided what you're going to name those kids yet?"

Ash and Misty looked from Gary to one another, expressions of confusion flooding their faces.

"What's with the looks?" Gary inquired.

"Why are you asking?" Misty sounded hesitant.

"What? A guy can't just ask his _friends _what they want to name their kids?" Gary scoffed.

"Not when it's you," Misty raised an eyebrow.

"Do you _always_ think I'm up to _something?_"

"Yes!"

Frowning, Gary leaned back in his chair and murmured, "That hurts, Misty. Really. I thought we were friends, but you can only think badly of me!"

"I don't think badly of you," Misty rolled her eyes. "I'm just taking your personality into consideration."

"Well, I wasn't being a troublemaker," Gary assured the gym leader. "I'm genuinely curious as to what you're thinking of naming those babies of yours. Surely you've thought of it?"

"Of course we have," Misty glanced over at Ash, who was still busy glaring at his former rival. Narrowing her own eyes, Misty elbowed her husband in the arm, causing him to grunt in pain.

"Hey!" Ash hissed.

"Ashy boy, you must have a few ideas, huh?" Gary prodded.

"What's it to you?" Ash threw his arm out to the side in order to rest a protective hand against Misty's burgeoning stomach. For some reason, he always felt threatened around Gary, and it had become his instinct to protect the children that were growing inside of his wife.

"Oh, Ash, quit being so defensive," Misty scolded the Pokémon Master. "Just answer him."

Ash's eyes widened as he leaned forward to give his wife a disbelieving stare. "B-but…you were freaking out on him before!"

"Yeah, but I'm tired of listening to him run his mouth," Misty sighed, plucking Ash's hand off of her belly. "I'm sure if you just give him some ideas, he'll stop."

Groaning, Ash locked his eyes onto Gary's, staring down the Pokémon researcher for a while before deciding it was safe enough to say, "I really like the name Kate for our daughter."

Gary sat in silent thought for a while, leaning back in his chair as he pressed his fingertips together. Ash and Misty watched the brown haired man in silent curiosity, trying to figure out what could possibly be going through the man's taunting mind.

"That's not a very good idea," Gay finally piped up.

"Whaddya _mean _that's not a good idea?!" Ash jumped out of his seat, ready to pound Gary with his fists.

Holding his own hands out in front of him for protection, Gary quickly explained, "I mean it's not a good idea because you should be thinking about your children's best interests!"

"And what in the-"Ash stopped himself in his tracks, leaning down to cover the sides of Misty's belly before continuing, "Hell does that even mean?"

Gary raised an eyebrow, to which Misty explained helpfully, "Ash doesn't want the babies to pick up on bad words."

"You would," Gary breathed in mock fascination, his eyes glimmering with mischievousness as a smirk graced his face.

"Shut up," Ash snarled, finally removing his hands from Misty's stomach. "Now, tell me, why is wanting to name my daughter 'Kate' so bad?"

"Well, think about it, Ashy boy, you and Misty are famous," Gary elucidated. "You've gotta' be careful of what you name your kids, because their names will be all over the place, and people are going to judge them."

"What do you mean?" Ash mumbled, suddenly sounding more intrigued.

"I'll give you an example," Gary raised his index finger in the air, preparing to tell the tale. "One of Kayla's modeling friends had a baby girl about three years ago. She and her husband had a name for her that they absolutely loved; Arabella."

"Oh, that's a pretty name!" Misty awed, her own eyes sparkling.

"Well, a lot of people didn't think so," Gary sighed.

"What do you mean?" Misty raised an eyebrow.

"The name got panned once they actually announced the birth of their daughter," Gary explained. "They really ripped into it. Even started coming up with terrible nicknames for it, like 'horrible Arabella'."

"That's so mean!" Misty was obviously offended. "It's just a little baby! And _I _think that's a beautiful name!"

"I think it's a nice name too," Gary agreed, "but that's not going to stop some people from being terrible about it."

"Besides, what do they even care?" Misty continued, now running on a hormonally driven rage that was no longer being incited by Gary himself. "It's not their kid, so the name of the baby shouldn't even matter to them."

"I know, but people make it their business," Gary shrugged. "It's not right, but they do it."

"Alright, so they didn't like the name 'Arabella,'" Ash scoffed. "But you've gotta' admit that name's kinda out there. What's wrong with Kate? That's a normal one."

"There's plenty of ways people could rip into that name," Gary provided in a "helpful" manner.

"Yeah?" Ash's tone was sarcastic. "Like what?"

"Well, there's 'hate Kate,' that's an easy one," Gary mused. "And then there's 'bait Kate,' which is an entirely different matter."

Ash pulled his shoulders back, his face paling slightly. Misty took notice of her husband's quick change in demeanor and reached out to delicately touch his wrist with her fingertips.

"Honey, are you okay?" Misty's voice was gentle.

"B-but…I…love that name…" Ash murmured.

"So?" Misty prodded. "Who said we couldn't name our daughter that?"

"Gary did," Ash was beginning to sound like a petulant child. "He said they'd make fun of the name Kate."

Sighing, Misty got to her feet and took Ash by the hand, smiling sugary sweet over her shoulder at Gary as she crooned, "excuse us for just one moment."

Ash was always stunned by his wife's ability to drag him. She was so much smaller in stature than him. Sure, she was a pretty strong girl, but definitely not as strong as him. Especially now that she was pregnant. She was fatigued most of the time and had a pretty large belly that was still getting bigger. Yet she still managed to tug Ash along like a little pull toy.

Once she deemed they were at a safe enough distance from Gary, Misty let go of Ash and spun around to face her husband, shooting him a look of bewilderment. "What was that about?"

"What?" Ash blinked.

"All of a sudden you're gonna' shy away from a name you _love _just because Gary's making you paranoid?" Misty crossed her arms.

"Mist, I don't want people to make fun of our kids," Ash pouted. "I want to protect them from that kind of stuff!"

"Oh, sweetie, I know you do," Misty softened, reaching out to rub her husband's arms. They were so strong and muscular. "And I want to protect them too! But that shouldn't prevent us from naming our children what we _want _to name them."

"But…what if people make fun of the names we pick?" Ash frowned.

"Unfortunately, I'm sure there are going to be people who mock the names, no matter _what_ we pick," Misty shook her head. "So that shouldn't stop us from choosing names that we think are right."

"But-"

"You do realize that every single name has the capability of being mocked, right?" Misty cut off whatever counterargument Ash had been planning.

"I…I guess…"

"Let's take _my _name for example," Misty held a hand over her heart. "I've been called MISTake _way_ too many times."

Ash's eyebrows crawled up his forehead, causing Misty to giggle sweetly. "That's…terrible."

"Isn't it, though?" Misty laughed, despite herself.

"I would never think of calling you that," Ash ran his fingers through Misty's ginger hair. "You're my _Mist._"

"Yes, and that's because you love me," Misty folded her hands over her growing stomach, the green and white horizontal striped tank top she wore stretched over her midsection. "Anyone who loves me wouldn't call me that."

"I've never heard anyone mock my name before," Ash mused.

"I have…" Misty muttered.

"You have?!" Ash was surprised.

"Yeah…" Misty trailed off, her eyes scanning the floor.

"Come on, Mist," Ash chuckled. "My name is _Ash. _What could they possibly come up with that would make fun of my name?"

"Ass," Misty managed to squeak out before covering her mouth. Ash turned to her in shock, staring at his wife as she pressed her hand over her mouth, trying to stop the sea of giggles from flooding out.

"Seriously?" Ash drawled.

Misty nodded, unable to speak because of all the giggling she was doing.

"Wow," Ash rolled his eyes, causing Misty to laugh even more. This time, she didn't even try to cover it, taking her hand away from her mouth in order to wipe a stray tear away from her eye. "Come on, Misty!"

"I'm sorry, Ashy," Misty cooed, reaching out to gently squeeze the Pokémon Master's cheek. "But you know I'd never call you such a thing! Not to make fun of your name, anyway. I might call you that for _other _reasons."

"Good to know," Ash deadpanned, although he followed up his little bout of sarcasm with a charming smirk.

"See?" Misty stressed. "No matter what we do, someone's not gonna' be happy, and they're going to make some stupid comment. But it doesn't matter. Because we need to do what's best for our children, and that's going to start with us giving them the names that _we _want. As their parents."

"Have I ever told you how smart you are, Misty?" Ash wrapped his arms around Misty's shoulders and pressed their foreheads together.

"You've mentioned it before," Misty laughed airily.

Before they could kiss, an irritated voice called out to them from the other room: "what's taking you two so long? You'd better not be soiling my floors!"

Lips bending into their signature, goofy grin; Ash grabbed Misty's hand and started pulling her back towards the doorway, shouting, "coming, Scary Gary!"

"Or Hairy Gary!" Misty suggested spritely.

"HEY!"

* * *

><p><strong>Always good to have Gary around. That little jerk :P<strong>


	82. Like Father, Like Son

**I need to be studying. Seriously. But I just don't care anymoreee. I hate college, guys. I'm just so anxious. I wanna go home and have real food :( So doing stuff like this distracts me. It's so bad. But it makes me happier, so it's kinda' a good thing. Maybe not for my professors, buuut I don't really like them so it's all good :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Like Father, Like Son<strong>

When Misty was a little girl, she had thought about her future: getting married and having children. Like most little girls did.

Long ago, Misty had made plans that she was going to marry a famous movie star, in the Cerulean gym pool, and then have four or five children with him. All girls. Because boys were trouble, _especially _little boys. They were the trickiest of them all.

Incidentally, that not-so-intricate blueprint hadn't exactly come to fruition. Instead, Misty was married to her best friend, who just so happened to be the world famous Pokémon Master, and had two children with him. A girl…_and _a boy.

Misty loved her little son dearly. She hadn't always wanted a boy, but Aiden was precious and special and all hers. There was no way she couldn't love the child. Sure, Aiden _was_ the typical kind of boy that Misty had feared so badly as a little girl. He was rough and tumble, always getting into things and dirtying up everything within reach. He broke a lot of things. His hair was never neat and he hated baths. But he was also very sweet, and that was enough to placate Misty. She adored her little guy.

What she _didn't _love, however, was the influence of his main objection of infatuation on the child. It only tended to make things more complicated.

Just that morning had proved to be an excellent example. Misty had managed to wrangle the twins into their seats at the kitchen table and gotten them to sit still; a miracle in itself. She was busy making breakfast, and that usually got the children riled up. They seemed to be rather calm that morning, however, and Misty was not about to complain. It made her life so much simpler; cooking a nice meal while her young children sat quietly and patiently. These were the kinds of things that Misty had _dreams _about.

"Morning, Mist."

That garbled greeting, followed by a vivacious, roaring yawn, was enough to snap Misty out of her peace induced trance. She didn't even notice the children perking up, interest piqued at this new arrival.

Raising an eyebrow, Misty gave the man one last glance before returning to her work. "You're up a bit late, Mr. Pokémon Master."

"Sorry, I was super tired," Ash patted Misty on the back before shuffling over to the refrigerator. He was still dressed in his pajamas; a plain white t-shirt and a pair of blue striped boxers. He didn't even have anything on his feet. Misty, meanwhile, was fully dressed for the day; in a yellow, horizontally striped sweater and dark jeans. He looked a tad ridiculous next to her dressed like that.

"And you couldn't get dressed before coming down here either, I suppose?" Misty sighed.

"Nah, it's fine," Ash refuted, pulling out the full carton of orange juice from the open fridge. "Besides, the kids are still in their pajamas, too. You're the only one here that's dressed."

"Yes, they're in their pajamas because they are four years old," Misty rolled her eyes. "I'm going to dress them after they eat."

Ash didn't even bother to respond, because he was too busy opening the juice carton and drinking right out of the container.

"Ash!" Misty chastised. "That's _disgusting!_"

He lowered the carton and smiled cheekily at his wife, earning a rush of giggles from his young son, whose eyes were shining bright. They had been ever since Ash stepped foot in the room.

"Daddy!" Aiden called, once he had stopped laughing at his father's actions. "Can I have orange juice?"

"Sure thing, little guy," Ash beamed, opening the cabinet and taking out a blue plastic cup with Pikachu running around the tumbler.

"For the love of Arceus, Ash, you're going to let our son drink that after you put your mouth all over it?" Misty's voice was laced with disgust.

"Oh, it's fine, we're related," Ash scoffed, putting the orange juice and the cup in front of his young son.

"It's still gross," Misty complained.

"You kiss my mouth all the time," Ash countered.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I'm going to drink any of that juice after you've had the container in your mouth!"

"Mommy? Daddy?" Michelle's voice piped up.

The young parents tuned around and were shocked to see Aiden holding the carton of orange juice between his little hands, tilting it back so he could drink out of the sachet.

"No, no, Aiden!" Misty cried, hurrying forward. She was too late, however, as the orange juice spilled all over Aiden, the table, and the floor. The little boy looked up at Ash and smiled, causing the Pokémon Master to feel a little guilty.

Groaning, Misty picked Aiden up from underneath his arms and handed the child off to Ash, instructing her husband to, "take him upstairs and give him a bath."

"But…he hasn't eaten yet," Ash blinked.

"And he can't eat like _that,_" Misty motioned towards the boy. "He's covered in sticky juice. Just clean him up quick and then he can eat."

"Okay," Ash shrugged.

"No!" Aiden yelled. "I wanna' eat!"

"You can't eat yet, Aiden," Misty wagged a finger at the child, brushing past Ash to fetch a paper towel. "You were naughty and tried to drink out of the juice carton. Now you're dirty."

"I wanna' eat," Aiden repeated darkly.

"It's okay, champ," Ash reasoned. "I haven't eaten yet, either."

"Okay," Aiden calmed down more quickly than either Ash or Misty could have anticipated. With the child no longer fussing, Ash carried him upstairs and into the bathroom, where he proceeded to turn on the bath water.

"Come on, little guy," Ash beckoned to the child as the tub filled up. "Let me take off your pajamas."

"No."

"Why?"

"I hate baffs."

"Buddy, you've gotta' take a bath," Ash sighed. "You're all sticky. Come on, now."

"No."

"Don't make this hard on Daddy," Ash groaned.

"No baff."

Throwing his hands down, Ash smiled encouragingly at the boy as he came up with an ingenious idea. "You know, Aiden, Daddy _loves _taking baths."

At this, Aiden looked up in surprise. "You do?"

"Oh, sure!" Ash was nodding. "I think baths are awesome!"

"So, if I take a baff, I'm like you?" Aiden squeaked.

"Absolutely," Ash nodded.

Aiden got out of his clothes faster than Ash had ever seen. With that done, he was able to put the child into the bathtub without further complaint and wash him up. Ash couldn't wait to get back downstairs and tell Misty that his influence on their son could _actually _be a good thing!

Once the boy was thoroughly clean and redressed in his clothes for the day, Ash carried the child back downstairs so they could both finally get some food into their stomachs. By the time they got back into the kitchen, Misty and Michelle were both still eating. This made Ash smirk. His girls were such dainty eaters.

"Alright, hon, he's all clean," Ash addressed his wife in a slightly teasing tone. Sitting Aiden down in his chair, Ash patted the boy atop his head before taking a seat next to him. He knew if he didn't sit next to the boy, Aiden would throw a fit.

"I left your food on the stove so it wouldn't get cold," Misty informed her boys, placing some waffles on two separate plates and handing them off to the two males.

"Thank you!" They both chimed in unison.

Ash reached for the syrup and poured it all over his waffles, Aiden watching intently. Once he was done, the older dark haired man handed the bottle off to his younger clone, smiling at the child all the while. Returning the grin, Aiden took up the bottle and poured it onto his waffles in the same fashion that Ash had; holding the bottle the same exact way and putting the same exact amount on.

By the time Aiden had finished dousing his waffles; Ash had already started eating his meal. Again, Aiden watched his father and how he worked; from the way he held his fork to the way he chewed his food. Aiden copied Ash's every move, and soon they were eating in perfect sync.

Misty was transfixed by the scene in front of her. Ash and Aiden looked enough alike without the younger boy mimicking his father. When they were doing _that _however, they ended up looking like some kind of sociology experiment. Misty _did _think Aiden's admiration for his father was cute, but there was always cause for concern.

_I hope Aiden doesn't overstuff himself…I really don't need _two _moaning boys in this house._

* * *

><p><strong>Teehee, I really want to write more one shots about Aiden wanting to do every last thing that Ash does. It's so cute :P<strong>


	83. Birthday Cake

**Today is December 7th, which means it's Aiden and Michelle's birthday :D So, they get a special birthday one shot about them!**

**By the way, rest assured, I HAVE been working on A New Era. I swear to you. The problem is the chapters are SO much longer and it takes a lot of time for me to work on them. I don't exactly have a lot of time in this living hell of a college, but I've been trying. I go home next Saturday for FIVE WEEKS (thankfully...too bad I have to come back here. Gross.) and I will be dilligently working on it.**

**So, with that reassured, read on! :D**

**Aiden and Michelle: 1 year old**

* * *

><p><strong>Birthday Cake<strong>

"Ash, I need you to pick up the twins' birthday cake."

Ash's head snapped up, his brown eyes wide as he stared at his wife. She raised an eyebrow in questioning, causing Ash to shake his head wildly.

"Sorry," Ash apologized, stilling his head so his raven locks would stop flying everywhere. "I'll do it. But I thought you were gonna' do that?"

Sighing, Misty drew some hair behind her ear and answered, "I was, but my sisters wanted to go check out the ballroom before tonight, so I'm going with them."

Ash twisted his mouth and watched after Misty as she skirted out of the kitchen. They were throwing a first birthday party for Aiden and Michelle that night, and Ash slightly feared it. Misty had been doing most of the planning, and at this point, he was sure it was going to be more extravagant than his and Misty's _engagement _party.

It was being held in the ballroom of the Shoreline Hotel, the most glamorous and beautiful resort in all of Cerulean City. Ash thought it was a little much, but Misty was deeming it to be the perfect locale. And if there was one thing Ash had learned in all the years he'd known his wife, it was to not cross her.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu squeaked, running up to Ash with a smile on his face.

"Hey there, buddy," Ash smiled at his electric type partner. "You wanna' come with me to get the babies' cake?"

Pikachu nodded and jumped up onto Ash's shoulder, settling himself on his familiar perch. Chuckling, Ash scratched the Pokemon behind his ears, causing Pikachu to mewl happily.

As Ash paid special attention to his Pokemon, Misty walked back into the kitchen, holding the twin babies in her arms. Ash was a little confused as to why, and his bewilderment only grew when the gym leader transferred the children into his own hold.

"What're you giving me the babies for, Mist?" Ash asked.

"They're going to come with you to get the cake," Misty answered as though it were obvious.

"Why can't they go with you to the hotel?" Ash raised an eyebrow.

Gasping, Misty's eyes widened as she rebutted, "why in the world would I let them see their birthday party before it even happens?!"

"Because they're a couple of one year olds, they have no idea what's going on," Ash deadpanned. "You'll bring them to the party tonight and they'll _still _be confused!"

"I don't care," Misty huffed and folded her arms across her chest. "This party is going to be the best surprise, and I refuse to ruin it whether the babies understand what's going on or not. So you _will _take them with you to get the cake. Got it?"

"Yeah, I got it," Ash grumbled, watching as Misty walked away feeling pleased with herself.

As he continued to keep his narrowed gaze on his wife, Ash heard a tiny squeal and then felt something on his face. Looking down, he realized that Michelle was cooing quite happily and rubbing his chin with her hands.

"Gettin' curious again, princess?" Ash smiled sweetly.

"Dada," Michelle blurted.

"Alright, then," Ash chuckled, kissing both children atop their heads, "I guess it's time to go pick up a cake!"

**XXX**

"Wow, dis cake looks amazin'! Don'tcha tink so, guys?"

Meowth blinked and looked around the room when no one responded to him. He was sure that Jessie and James had been there just a moment ago. Letting out an irritated puff of air, the feline Pokemon began to look around for his two companions.

Eventually, he found them in the corner, cooing and hovering over something that he couldn't quite make out.

"Hey, what're ya' two doin' ova here, huh?" Meowth demanded, placing his paws on his hips. "We gotta' finish up dat cake!"

"Oh, hush up, Meowth, we're going to do it," Jessie mumbled.

"Yes, just give us another moment!" James added, his voice much more airy than his female counterpart's.

"Well I wanna' knows what you guys are lookin' at dats so interestin'!" Meowth jumped up onto the humans' backs, knocking their heads together in the process.

As it would turn out, Jessie and James had been leaning over a cardboard box, inside of which two young children resided. There was one boy and one girl, and both appeared to be about the same age. The girl had bright blue hair, wispy but already reaching her shoulders in a very straight fashion. The boy, on the other hand, had bright green hair that was just a bit thicker and undoubtedly messier.

"Did you guys really sneak dem in here?!" Meowth was wide eyed.

"Of course we did, you fleabag," Jessie rubbed at the sore spot on her head. "You know full well that Jason and Jewel are too young to be left alone."

"But you're supposed ta' have someone watch dose two when we're workin'!" Meowth was absolutely frantic.

"Nanny and Pop-Pop couldn't watch them today," James frowned. "And we don't feel comfortable leaving them with any of the Team Rocket nannies. They don't treat any of the young operatives right."

Jewel whined softly as her hand brushed against the side of the cardboard box. It was quite apparent by the look on the child's face, and the irritation set in her deep purple eyes, that she wasn't finding the box to be too comfortable of a sleeping place.

"So you stuffed dem in a box?" Meowth sighed.

"It's all we had!" James sounded guilt ridden. "You know with the money Giovanni gives to all of us mentors; we can only afford to buy them food."

"And barely enough of it," Jessie muttered, getting to her feet and walking back over to where the cake sat on the stainless steel counter. Meowth quickly followed after the woman, but James was not as eager, instead sighing sadly to himself and readjusting the blankets that were stuffed in the box to soften it so they covered the young children's bodies.

"Dada?" Jewel asked in such a delicate voice that it was hard to hear. "Going bye-bye?"

"No, I'm not going bye-bye, darling," James patted the girl's head. "I'll be right back! Mommy and I just have to finish something up. Be good, love!"

The violet haired villain jumped up and hurried over to where Jessie and Meowth were gathered, wanting to get back to the children as quickly as possible. Before Jessie and James had gotten distracted, they'd been working on a cake. It was part of the new job they had gotten, in order to disguise themselves during their latest mission. They had to admit that they were rather good at designing cakes, not to mention it was easy to swipe some of the tasty treats while they worked.

Their current piece of work was a real masterpiece, if they did say so themselves. It was a three tier cake, each layer in a circular shape. The bottom tier, the largest one, had pink and blue alternating stripes. The middle tier was white with pink and blue polka dots, and the top tier was half pink (on the bottom) and half blue (on the top.) Between the first and second tiers was a pink bow made of fondant, and between the middle and top tiers was the same bow but in blue.

"It's certainly a cute cake," James nodded. "How excellent of us!"

"Hello? Is anyone here?"

The trio stopped their celebrating and looked at one another in bewilderment; eyes wide and mouths set into definitive 'O' shapes.

"That voice…it sounds so familiar…" Jessie murmured.

"Could it be?" James inquired.

The three members of Team Rocket peered out from behind the doorframe that separated the bakery's kitchen and lobby, and their eyes all grew wide when their suspicions (and perhaps even fears) were confirmed. Standing in front of the counter was none other than original twerp, now Pokemon Master twerp, Ash Ketchum.

"Tha twoip!" Meowth gasped quietly. Even though Ash was now an adult, and quite obviously so, Team Rocket hadn't abandoned their affinity for calling both him and his equally grown wife "twerps."

"What could he possibly want?" Jessie grumbled, clearly not happy to be graced by the young man's presence.

"Well, we'd have to ask him to find that out," James made a point.

"You offered!" Jessie and Meowth chimed simultaneously, shoving their lavender haired teammate out into the open. He was startled at first, crying out in surprise as he stumbled behind the counter. Eventually, James managed to straighten himself out, coming face to face with the confused looking Ash.

"Er…hello there!" James greeted lamely. Jessie and Meowth slapped a hand and paw over their faces, respectively.

"Hi!" Ash replied, seemingly oblivious to the other man's nervousness. "I'm here to pick up a cake."

"What kind of cake?" James continued shakily. He was afraid that the twerp would figure out his true identity at any moment.

"Um…it's a birthday cake…" Ash wracked his brain, "and I think my wife said it was pink and blue. Which _would_ make sense, since it's for our two little ones!"

James leaned over to the counter to see who Ash was motioning towards. Sitting side by side in a stroller were the offspring that the twerp had created with the original twerpette. The little boy on the left; midnight hair mused with an oxford blue stripe dress shirt and khaki dress pants as his ensemble, and the little girl sitting to his right; wispy amber hair held back by a fuchsia headband, which perfectly matched her same color, sleeveless dress which featured a gathered skirt dotted by rhinestones, and a silver jewel broach attached to the center of the gown's velvet bodice.

"Oh, yes, I know which cake you're talking about…" James blinked, not even looking back up at Ash as he statically began to walk backwards towards the kitchen, "I'll fetch it for you right away…"

Ash was confused by the man's behavior, but didn't question it aloud. Instead, he simply smiled at the "baker" and watched as he was pulled back into the kitchen by a pair of hands and…paws?

"That's weird…" Ash muttered.

"Dada?"

Chuckling, Ash lifted the babbling Michelle out of the stroller and sat her down on the counter, holding the child by resting his hand against her back.

Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, Meowth and Jessie were shooting a flustered James daggers with their eyes.

"What? I didn't do anything!" James fussed.

"I can't believe we made that gorgeous cake for a _twerp!_" Jessie fumed. "We worked so hard on it, and now it's all ruined!"

"But…how is it ruined?" James frowned. "The cake isn't really for the twerp. It's for his babies."

"Yeah?" Meowth's tone was acidic. "And why what a buncha babies need a cake for anyways?"

"I believe it's their first birthday," James supplied softly.

"I don't care what it is!" Jessie stomped her foot. "And I don't care if the cake is for the twerp or his twerpy babies! Either way, it's going into the hands of the twerp! And I won't stand for it!"

"So what do you suggest we do?" James asked in a small voice. He was nervous about whatever Jessie was cooking up in her head.

"We have to destroy that cake," Jessie decided.

"But Jess, if we mess up dat cake, da' baker won't be too happy wit' us…" Meowth was beginning to sound just as unsure as James did.

"He's the least of my concerns right now," Jessie scoffed. "We have bigger problems on our hands now. Like the big, stupid twerp!"

Whining in discontent, James peeked just one eye out from behind the doorframe in order to spy on the twerp, who by now was gazing down at his daughter seated on the counter.

"You look so beautiful in your special birthday dress, baby girl," Ash murmured to his daughter. "You are such a beautiful baby. I'm so lucky to have such a pretty daughter!"

In response, the baby giggled so sweetly and so warmly that James thought he might cry. It brought back memories of when Jewel was that young…so small and so precious. She was still precious, of course, but the age that the twerp's children were at now was such a special one.

Whimpering, James turned back to his teammates and cried, "I can't do it! I can't destroy those innocent babies' birthday cake! It's so wrong!"

"James, we're criminals, destroying a cake is the smallest offense you could possibly make," Jessie shook her head in disgust.

"You know how I feel about children, especially babies," James whimpered. "My morals are screaming at me!"

"What morals?!" Jessie rolled her eyes in dramatic fashion.

As the two villains argued in the back of the store, Ash busied himself with little Michelle, cooing to her and tickling the young child to make her laugh. As he did this, however, Aiden started to fuss, which was unusual for the little boy. Furrowing his brow, Ash knelt down beside the stroller and stroked the infant's soft hair, talking gently to him in an attempt to calm the boy down.

With Ash now distracted by her brother, Michelle cooed softly and started to crawl down the length of the counter, which led to a moving conveyer belt that brought treats in and out of the bakery kitchen. Ash was so busy with Aiden, in fact, that he completely missed little Michelle being carried away by the conveyer belt. By the time he looked up, his daughter was missing.

"Michelle?!" Ash cried worriedly, looking over the counter as his head started to pound. "Michelle!"

All of his yelling alerted Team Rocket, causing them to shove James into the front of the bakery once again. Grunting in annoyance from the others' actions, James turned his eyes up to Ash and inquired, "what seems to be the problem?

"My baby is gone!" Ash cried, his eyes frantic. "She was _just _sitting on the counter, but then my son started to get upset, so I had to take care of him. By the time I looked back up, she was missing!"

James squealed and started looking in every possible crevice behind the counter big enough to fit a small child. She wasn't anywhere to be found, however. At least not behind the desk. James was sure he was going to have a panic attack. Losing the Pokemon Master's beloved daughter would _not_ bring in good business for the bakery!

While he and Ash panicked and scoured the front of the store for any hints as to where the child was, Michelle had made her way into the back of the bakery, thanks to the briskly moving conveyer belt which she had managed to sit on. While riding the belt, Michelle caught sight of a big cake; standing tall with three tiers and decked out in pink, blue, and white. She was absolutely enamored by the big, fancy treat and wanted to get closer. So, as she made her way towards the delectable piece of art, Michelle crawled off the side of the belt and onto the safe, non-moving surface of the counter.

Squeaking in delight as soon as her little palms pressed against the cool surface, Michelle started crawling towards the cake, her eyes bright as she moved closer. Down on the floor, Jewel was still lying in the cardboard box, Jason fast asleep beside her. She heard the sound of giggles and became curious, blinking her wide, purple eyes. Sitting up, the toddler managed to clamber out of the side of the box and teeter over to the counter, peeking up as she held onto one of the low drawers that were installed in the side of the stand.

"Hi!" Jewel cried.

Hearing the voice, Michelle moved closer to the edge of the counter and peered over, locking eyes with the unfamiliar little girl below. Jewel tilted her head to the side and gave the red headed baby an unsure wave. In response, Michelle giggled wildly and continued her trek towards the birthday cake.

Having heard Jewel's voice, James came bumbling into the kitchen, Ash quickly following suit. Jessie and Meowth were not at all pleased about it, but nevertheless they followed after the young father, hoping that maybe they'd get to steal Pikachu away from him in the meanwhile. The sight they were met with was not a pleasant one, however.

Little Michelle was sitting right in the center of where the elaborate birthday cake had just been. She was completely covered in white frosting, the sticky confection stuck in her ginger hair, on her fuchsia party dress, and on her soft, smooth skin.

James cried out in sheer agony, while Jessie and Meowth yelled out in anger. Ash's face was one of fright, his eyes wide and face pale.

"That dress…" Ash muttered, "Misty is going to _kill _me!"

Michelle didn't seem to be bothered by any of this, however. She simply giggled and continued to pat her hands into the destroyed cake, eventually gathering up some of the treat and sticking it in her mouth.

"Well, at least all of Misty's blabbering about them liking the cake was true…" Ash sighed.

"You…you twerp!" Jessie managed to shriek before James covered her mouth. Ash gathered the messy Michelle in his arms and turned around, giving the disguised Jessie a confused look.

Blushing furiously, James covered, "terribly sorry about that. She's just frustrated that all of our hard work was for not!"

"I'm really sorry," Ash frowned. "This wouldn't have happened if I hadn't taken my eyes off of Michelle."

_No kidding, _Jessie thought acidly to herself.

"I'll still pay you for the cake," Ash was obviously very embarrassed. "Although…I don't know what to do about my wife…"

He trudged back to the front of the bakery, a messy Michelle gurgling happily in his hold. With Ash out of earshot, James released his female counterpart and accepted the nasty glare she was shooting.

"What was _that _about?" Jessie fumed.

"You almost blew our cover!" James fussed.

"I don't care! He wrecked our cake!"

"But Jess…didn't you want _us _to wreck da cake anyways?"

"…shut it, Meowth."


	84. First Birthday

**Someone suggested that I do a continuation of the last one shot, so I did! This one is a bit fluffier...it's really mushy :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 1 year old**

* * *

><p><strong>First Birthday <strong>

"…"

"Mist, I can explain!"

"…"

"It was all an accident! I swear!"

"…"

"Have I told you that you look exceptionally beautiful today?"

"Ash _I-so-wish-you-had-a-middle-name-right-now _Ketchum," Misty seethed, "you just _walked through our front door _to show me our daughter completely _covered _in her and her brother's birthday cake. Their _first _birthday cake."

"I know, but-"

"And it's all over her special dress."

"Yeah, but-"

"And in her hair."

"Misty-"

Throwing a hand over her husband's mouth, Misty glared up at the man with burning emerald eyes and demanded, "How could you _possibly _explain _any _of this to me to make it sound okay?"

Sighing, Ash lowered his tensed shoulders and admitted, "I guess I can't."

Rolling her eyes, Misty folded her arms across her chest and marched into the living room, pacing back and forth in an unsettling fashion. Ash watched her for a few minutes before he decided he really couldn't take any more.

"But I am really sorry, Misty," Ash tried, his voice shaking slightly. "Really, _really _sorry."

Misty finally stopped her incessant pacing, turning around to lock her eyes on her sorrowful husband. Now walking towards him, Misty placed her hands on her hips and started slowly, "do you even know how much this means to me?"

"I know it means a lot to you," Ash nodded.

"Yes," Misty sighed. "A _lot. _Like…everything."

"But its okay, honey," Ash assured the beauty standing before him. "We can fix it! Well…maybe we can't fix Michelle's dress, but I'm sure we could get another cake, and it might not be as nice, but it'll still be a cake, and-"

Her head snapping up, Ash now realized that Misty's eyes were full of horror. Why, he had no idea. Had he said something wrong? Ash really didn't think he had. He had been so sure to pick his words extra carefully.

"You think that the party is the only important thing to me," Misty stated, her eyes shimmering with undeniable sadness.

"Huh? I didn't say that…but…"

"But you implied it!"

"Well, doesn't the party mean a lot to you? You've worked so hard on it. That's why you're upset. I understand."

"No!" Misty shouted, alarming Ash. "You _don't _understand! Not at all!"

"What?!" Ash was utterly confused.

"Oh, just forget it," Misty groaned, turning around so she could stomp up the stairs. "Just forget I ever said anything! I just shouldn't try anymore…"

"But, Misty!" Ash called after the woman. His cry was returned with nothing but a definitive door slam, causing the raven haired man to wince. "Man…"

At the same time, the ringing of the doorbell caused Ash's heart to plummet. Now was definitely _not _a good time for visitors! The timing was really impeccable…

Groaning, Ash trudged towards the door and opened it, surprised to be met by the bright russet eyes of none other than his own mother.

"Mom?" Ash blinked.

"Hello, Ashy!" Delia grabbed the young man's face and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "It's so good to see you!"

"Uh…you too…" Ash pulled himself back up, not even flinching when his mother strolled past him, right into the house.

"Where are my birthday grandbabies?" Delia asked, her face glowing with excitement. "And Misty? I have presents for the twins; I figured they could get a few before the party! Which is going to be _fabulous, _by the way. Misty has told me all about it. She's worked so hard!"

"Yeah, about that…" Ash sighed, "I think we should probably drop the party, Ma."

"What?!" Delia was shocked by this. "Why ever would we do that?"

"Because Misty's not really into it right now," Ash replied lamely.

Giving her son an incredulous look, Delia chastised, "now Ash, how could that be possible? Misty has been planning this party for weeks…months even. How could she suddenly not be into it?"

"Because we got into a fight," Ash answered. He got a stern look for this, which caused Ash to quickly amend, "I mean…not really _we. _More like _she. _It's a one sided argument. She's mad…and I don't know why."

"Ash, obviously she's upset for a _reason,_" Delia prodded. "And I think you know why."

"Hardly," Ash let out a short laugh, earning a smack in the back of the head from his mother. "OW! Okay, I have a _small _idea. I took Aiden and Michelle to pick up the birthday cake, and long story short, Michelle got into the cake. She wrecked it and got it all over herself. And she was in her special birthday dress at the time."

Groaning, Delia slapped a hand over her forehead and muttered, "oh, Ash…"

"I didn't mean to!" Ash cried for what felt like the millionth time that day.

"Where are the twins now?"

"Upstairs, taking a nap."

"And what did Misty do with such a messy Michelle?"

"She bathed her and put her in different clothes, for now. I don't think Michelle can wear that dress though. And I feel terrible, because Misty was so in love with it."

"Let me take a look at the dress," Delia requested softly.

Ash nodded and led his mother upstairs into the bathroom, where Misty had hung up her daughter's dirtied dress. Delia stepped forward and took the dark pink frock into her hands, examining the sullied material. Dried icing was the main problem, as well as some well mashed cake.

"I could fix this up," Delia announced, much to Ash's surprise.

"Really?" Ash blinked.

"Sure thing!" Delia beamed. "I know exactly what to do with this kind of material."

"That's amazing!" Ash chuckled brightly before returning to his more downtrodden state. "But…what about the cake?"

"My sweet boy," Delia giggled lovingly, "don't you know I can take care of that too? I'm a master baker!"

"But, Mom, you already agreed to clean Michelle's dress…"

"And I'll bake the cake, too. It's no big deal! Really, Ash, I want to do this."

"Mom-"

"This is very important to me, Ash," Delia interrupted, her voice serious. "Aiden and Michelle are my only grandchildren. They mean the _world_ to me. And today is their first birthday. This means _everything_, and I will do anything in my power to make sure the day goes perfectly."

His mother's words hit him like a train. Ash's eyes were narrowed as a million thoughts ran through his head. The twins' birthdays meant a lot to his mother. A _lot. _It meant everything to her.

_A _lot. _Like…everything._

"Oh," Ash breathed in a near whisper, his eyes opening wide in sudden realization.

"What is it, dear?" Delia blinked.

"I just…I know now why Misty freaked out," Ash slowly shook his head. Looking up at his mother, he began, "would you mind if I-"

"Went to talk to her?" Delia smirked.

Ash was taken off guard by this. "How did you-"

"A mother knows everything, Ash," Delia giggled, taking the dress off the hanger it was hung on and bringing it over to the bathroom sink. "Trust me, Misty does, too."

Ash smiled warmly at his mother and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before running in the direction of his and Misty's bedroom. That was almost always where Misty retreated to when she was upset. Quietly opening the door, Ash was pleased to see he had been right. His wife was sitting cross legged on the bed, her elbows resting on her knees as she hunched over in order to look at two large books which were opened in front of her.

"Hi," Ash greeted softly. Misty looked up at him, but quickly glanced back down without much interest. Frowning, Ash continued into the room and asked, "What are you looking at, Mist?"

Again, she didn't answer. Sighing, Ash pulled up next to his wife and leaned in himself in order to see what she was so busily studying. As it would turn out, it was Aiden and Michelle's baby books.

"Oh, those are my favorite books too!" Ash chuckled.

"That's because you don't read," Misty cracked.

"Well, yeah…but still."

Sighing, Misty turned the pages of the books again, this time reaching completely blank sets. Ash oohed out of curiosity and leaned in further, as if that would help him to decipher the empty pages.

"Hey, how come those pages are empty?" Ash finally decided just to ask, willing to risk getting smacked.

"Because they're for the twins' party," Misty grumbled. "Well…they were."

"I know why you're upset," Ash blurted, causing Misty to glance up at him and give the man a confused look. "I mean…about before. When I said you were upset about the party, and you got mad. I understand now why you got mad."

Misty continued to stare at Ash, waiting for his "ingenious" explanation. Smiling sadly at the young woman, Ash sat down beside her and continued expertly, "it's because it's not the _party _that means everything to you. It's the twins' _actual birthday _that means everything to you."

"You've certainly gotten clever over the last twenty minutes," Misty smirked. It wasn't said in a sarcastic manner, however. She seemed to have actually meant it.

"Their birthday means a lot to you because they're our babies," Ash's voice was soft. "It's been a year since they were born. _That's _why it's so important. Because, a year ago today, our lives were changed. "

"Our babies mean everything to me," Misty slowly shook her head. "I've never loved anything so much. Other than you, of course. That's why I was spending so much time on their party. Not because the _party _was so important. I just wanted to give my beloved babies the most special party I possibly could, because they deserve nothing less. I want everyone to see just how much they mean to me."

"That's sweet," Ash patted Misty's knee, "but you don't _need _to give Aiden and Michelle some big, fancy party to show everyone how much you love them. Just the fact that we're all together is enough to show everyone how strong our family is."

Misty beamed at her husband. He had said something incredibly intelligent…for once. He was right. There was no need for a ridiculous party. Misty knew she loved the babies, Ash knew she loved the babies, and all of their family and friends knew she loved the babies. And most importantly…the babies knew their mother loved them.

**XXX**

That night, the party could not have gone more perfectly in Misty's mind.

Delia, who was practically a miracle worker, had managed to fix Michelle's dress. All of the cake and icing had been successfully washed out, and the baby girl looked impossibly cute in her dark pink dress. Both children were happy after taking their afternoon naps, and now sat in front of the new cake that Delia had also crafted to replace the elaborate one that Michelle had destroyed.

It was much simpler than the first cake; this one just a single tier covered in white icing and dotted with blue and pink balloons. Misty still thought it was perfect, however. She loved it and couldn't stop thanking Delia for making the cake.

Now, all of Ash and Misty's family and friends were gathered around the long table in the Shoreline Hotel's grand ballroom, watching with smiles on their faces as the babies cooed at their special treat. Ash sat to Michelle's side, while Misty sat to Aiden's. As Delia lit the candles on the cake, Ash and Misty leaned over the babies and gave each other a loving kiss. Everyone sang to the babies, and Ash and Misty helped the two little ones to blow out the candles. With that accomplished, Aiden and Michelle both squealed and started smashing their hands into the cake, once again spreading the treat everywhere.

This time, along with their family and friends, Ash and Misty both laughed.


	85. Christmas Card

**Wow, did I just write two one shots in one day? And post them both? I did. Okay, technically I didn't start them both today. But whatever. Look, you get two updates in one day! Fun fun fun.**

**This is a holiday one. Christmas is my favorite time of the year, so I usually get lots of inspiration. I even have a special project coming your way (part of why A New Era has also been a bit delayed...although that's mostly college.)**

**So, enjoy this special holiday one shot!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 6 years old**

**Elizabeth: 4 months old**

* * *

><p><strong>Christmas Card<strong>

"Ash! Let's go! Todd is here!"

The raven haired man came bounding down the stairs, a disgruntled look plastered on his handsome face. Upon seeing the scowl, Misty traded hostile looks with her husband, silently informing him to knock it off.

"I don't understand why _we _have to be on the card, Mist," Ash sighed. "No one cares about us! They just care about seeing the kids."

"Speaking of which," Misty folded her arms across her chest, "where _are _our children, Mr. Pokémon Master?"

Ash was about to respond, but he stopped rather abruptly, drawing in a sharp breath. Misty kept her arms crossed and her expression stern. With a sheepish smile and a nervous chuckle, Ash bustled back up the stairs, causing Misty to sigh and roll her eyes. Turning around, she faced their old friend Todd Snap, who gave the woman a kind but cautious smile.

"I'm sorry, Todd," Misty apologized. "Ash is just as spacey as ever."

"It's perfectly fine," Todd chuckled. "It's why we love him!"

Giggling, her expression softened as she continued, "thank you for agreeing to take the picture for our Christmas card, Todd. You really are the best."

"No need to thank me!" Todd's voice was warm. "You know that I love taking family pictures for you guys."

"Okay! I got 'em now! We're good!"

Misty and Todd both looked towards the staircase. Ash was coming back down the steps, this time with Aiden and Michelle shrieking and jumping in front of him. In the Pokémon Master's arms was the youngest member of the family; baby Elizabeth. She was hanging over his shoulder, babbling happily to herself and moving her head side to side.

"Elizabeth sure is a happy little girl," Todd laughed.

"I think she's trying to sing," Misty beamed, skirting over to her husband so she could take the baby from his arms. Gasping, she held the child up in the air and cooed, "Is that it, baby? You want to sing beautifully just like your Mama?"

Elizabeth giggled and stuck her fingers in her mouth. She was wearing an ivory lace dress with short, poufy sleeves; metallic gold fibers adding a hint of sparkle to the gown. A bright red, satin ribbon sash was fixed around the waist, with a bow on the right side of the sash. Since Misty was holding her up, the baby's matching lace bloomers were visible beneath the dress. Finishing off the infant's sweet holiday look was a pair of red patent leather shoes, and a red satin bow on the left side of the child's head.

Chuckling, Todd walked over to Misty and tickled the baby's cheek, causing her to laugh. "That's such a beautiful dress you're wearing, little girl!"

"Yeah, and when I found out how much Misty paid for it, I almost passed out," Ash muttered.

"Ash, quit muttering, it's not becoming of a gentleman," Misty scolded lightly, causing her husband to roll his eyes.

"Todd!" Michelle called, running up to the photographer. "Do you think my dress is pretty too?"

Michelle was wearing an organza dress; the bodice of which was solid black and sleeveless. The skirt was red with an overlay of a black, swirly print over it. The dress's empire waist was emphasized by a red satin sash, similar to the one on Elizabeth's dress. Instead of a bow on the right side, however, there was a red flower. She wore black strap shoes with small, square heels and a headband with a red flower on the left side of her head.

"Yes, your dress is also stunning!" Todd beamed. "Such beautiful girls in this family!"

Michelle giggled wildly, a slight blush appearing on her cheeks. She might have been a bit of a tomboy, but Michelle still _loved _to be called pretty or any variant of the word. She did have girly tendencies like her mother did as a child, after all.

Still smiling, the brown haired photographer asked Aiden, "want me to compliment you on your outfit too, little guy?"

"No," Aiden scoffed, "cause it looks dumb."

"Oh Aiden, that outfit isn't dumb at all!" Misty refuted. "You look absolutely _precious_ in it!"

Aiden huffed and scowled at his mother. He was wearing a red and blue plaid dress shirt, layered neatly beneath a red sweater vest. A nice pair of navy blue dress pants were his bottoms, while black penny loafers were his shoes.

"Aiden, your mother is right, only because it could be so much worse," Ash shook his head. "You probably don't remember, but three years ago, she put a _bowtie _on you. So that outfit is pretty good looking."

Looking over her shoulder to give Ash her patented "death glare," Misty snarled, "Excuse _you, _but that bowtie was _adorable. _I know how to dress my children, thank you very much. Better than when _you _attempt to do it!"

"Hey, I dress them just fine!" Ash argued.

"Just yesterday you put Elizabeth in a striped shirt with polka dot printed pants," Misty narrowed her eyes.

"And I thought it was pretty classy looking!"

"Ash, everyone knows you don't mix prints! Especially when they're completely different colors!"

"They were both pink!"

"Yes, different _shades _of pink."

"So? It's still pink!"

"Well, when the shirt is baby pink and white, and the _pants _are hot pink with different colored polka dots all over it, I would say it makes a difference."

"And how would you know?!"

"I knew as soon as I felt my eyes burning!"

Todd's eyes shifted back and forth between the arguing couple. They were bickering pretty loudly, and it was odd to see that Elizabeth, who was still being held in Misty's arms, didn't even seem to care. In fact, she was still smiling.

"Mommy and Daddy like to shout," Michelle commented.

"They're good at it!" Aiden added.

Clearly, it wasn't fazing the older kids either. Sighing, Todd folded his arms and calmly intervened, "hey guys, I hate to break this up, but perhaps we should start taking the pictures?"

Ash and Misty stopped fighting almost immediately, turning to stare at Todd. He seemed a little alarmed, but that state quickly dissipated when both adults smiled earnestly and chimed at the same time, "sure, Todd!"

"Well…okay…thanks!" Todd laughed nervously.

Turning towards Misty, Ash asked in a slightly worried tone, "Do I look alright?"

"Yes," Misty giggled, giving a quick adjustment to Ash's red brocade tie with ivory print, "you look very handsome!"

"Thanks," Ash grinned, deciding to quickly fix the collar of his white dress shirt.

"And how about me?" Misty now sounded uncertain. "I know it's hard to tell with the baby in front of me, but-"

Ash quickly silenced his wife with a kiss on her lips. "You look perfect, sweetheart. The most beautiful woman in the entire world, as always!"

"Aww, thank you," Misty cooed, giving Ash his own kiss in return.

"Now they're being gross," Aiden whined.

Raising an eyebrow, Ash asked his son, "Do you like it better when we fight, buddy?"

"Yeah," Aiden nodded quickly. "Better than when you kiss!"

Sighing laughingly, Ash walked over to where his and Misty's older two children waited. Giggling herself, Misty gave the content Elizabeth a kiss on her head before following after the well-dressed Pokémon Master.

"So, Todd, how do you think we should do this?" Ash asked, crossing his arms so his muscles flexed, making the shirt material tight on his skin.

"Hmm…" Todd held his chin between his fingers as he observed the family, thinking through what would look best. "Let's try Aiden and Michelle sitting between you and Misty first. And Misty, you can just hold Elizabeth on your lap."

"Sounds good to me," Misty smiled angelically at the photographer. She took a seat next to Aiden on the couch, and as soon as she was seated, Elizabeth became distracted by her older brother. She _was_ enamored by the boy, but that wasn't going to prove well for taking a picture.

"Hi, Lizzie!" Aiden laughed, gently stroking the baby's hand with his fingers.

"Aiden, sweetie, don't play with Elizabeth right now," Misty advised. "Otherwise she's not going to look at the camera."

"Can I play with her after?" Aiden blinked.

"Of course you can," Misty giggled.

Aiden let go of Elizabeth and once again looked at the camera. Elizabeth, on the other hand, cooed unhappily and continued staring at Aiden, whining and squirming in her mother's lap.

"Elizabeth, shush," Misty gently scolded, trying to get the unhappy baby to settle down. Soon, however, the baby had broken out into full on wails, carrying on and screaming.

"Uh oh," Ash sighed, "my little pumpkin isn't too happy."

Elizabeth's cries definitely weren't going to stop anytime soon, Todd knew that for sure. He _did _know, however, how to fix that. Leaning down, he picked up the stuffed Teddiursa that was always used to get baby Elizabeth to look at the camera. It was _Teddi, _after all. Her favorite stuffed companion.

"Hey, Lizzie!" Todd called, shaking the poke doll in the air. "Look who I have! Look who's dancing!"

Elizabeth finally locked her eyes on Todd and stopped sobbing, instead choosing to let out a little coo as she stared at Teddi. Todd continued to shake the bear, causing Elizabeth to giggle and smile.

"Aw, that's my girl!" Misty smiled, giving the baby a hug.

With Elizabeth now distracted by her favorite plaything, Todd was able to snap a good picture of the family, much to everyone's delight.

"Excellent!" Todd grinned. "Now, let's try a few more like this…"

It only took until the next flash, however, for something _else _to go entirely wrong.

"Ow! Mommy, Aiden pulled my hair!"

"No, I didn't!"

"Yes, you did!"

"Daddy, I didn't pull her hair!"

"Yes, you did!"

"Hey, knock it off, you two!" Ash scolded, glaring at the two children sitting between him and Misty. "No fighting!"

"Yell at him, Daddy!" Michelle demanded.

"Sweetheart, I didn't see him pull your hair," Ash tried to reason with the girl, "so I can't yell at him."

Aiden and Michelle were still glaring at one another, which caused Misty to sigh and gently knock both children on their heads. "Alright, that's enough out of you both. Be good for the next fifteen minutes and take some nice pictures, won't you?"

This seemed to settle the twins down…or so their parents thought.

As soon as the next picture was taken, a yelp from Aiden alerted Ash and Misty, who both glanced down at their young son. He was now rubbing the front of his head and giving the death stare to Michelle, who had her nose up in the air and her arms crossed.

"What is going on with you two?" Misty demanded.

"Michelle pulled _my _hair!" Aiden accused, pointing his finger in his sister's face.

"No, I didn't!" Michelle retorted, grabbing her brother's wrist and yanking his arm down. "Get your hand away from me!"

"OW!" Aiden yelled, obviously being overdramatic.

"Aiden, Michelle, stop," Ash warned sternly.

"She's being mean, Daddy!" Aiden barked. "Yell at her!"

"Michelle-"Ash began, but was quickly cut off by his young daughter.

"No! He's lying! Mommy, tell Aiden to stop lying!"

Aiden stuck his tongue out and licked Michelle's arm, causing the little red head to shriek in displeasure and jump off the couch, running through the house as she continued to scream. Aiden followed suit and ran after his sister, shouting out at her as she continued to screech.

"Ash…" Misty's eye was obviously twitching.

"I'm on it," the Pokémon Master sighed, getting to his feet and trudging off in the same direction that Aiden and Michelle had darted off in.

Misty shook her head and looked up to give Todd a somewhat desperate look. The brown haired photographer simply shrugged and smiled sympathetically at the gym leader. As sad as it sounded…he was used to the family's antics.

Elizabeth, meanwhile, was still seated in her mother's lap, giggling at everything that was going on around her.

"Well, at least Elizabeth is happy now…" Misty hung her head in shame.


	86. Baby Doll

**Hey guys, remember when I said stress makes me write a lot? I do not lie. Here we are again. Stress central. Woop.**

**I got the idea for this one when I was at my roommate's house over the weekend and her little niece got a doll as a birthday present...and one of her Uncles had to help her take care of the baby :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 2 and a half years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Baby Doll<strong>

"There are my two beautiful grandbabies!"

As soon as Delia opened the front door, Aiden and Michelle had both squealed and jumped on their grandmother, giving her tight hugs as they giggled and called out "Grammy! Grammy!" over and over again in pure excitement.

"Aw, I'm happy to see you guys, too!" Delia giggled. Lifting the children up in her arms, she carried them inside and placed them on the couch in the living room. Ash and Misty were following closely behind, smiles on their faces upon seeing how happy their children were to be reunited with their grandmother. The three were never apart for long, but every time the twins got to see her, it was like they hadn't been together for _years._

"Grammy, do you has presents?!" Michelle asked excitedly, bouncing up and down in her seat.

"Michelle Ketchum!" Misty scolded. "You can't expect your grandma to have a present for you _every time _we come over!"

Michelle began to pout, leading Delia to giggle. "Oh, Misty, it's quite alright! Besides, I _do _happen to have a little something for both of my darlings!"

Instantly, Aiden and Michelle's excitement returned to sky high levels. Ash and Misty exchanged apprehensive glances, while Misty's own eyes pleaded for Ash to do something about his mother's spoiling of the children.

"Mom…I thought we agreed that the twins don't get presents unless it's Christmas, their birthday, some kind of milestone, a special event, a-"

"Does _that _list ever end?" Misty narrowed her eyes at Ash.

"What I _meant _was that they shouldn't be getting presents just because it's a Saturday," Ash sighed.

"Oh Ash, they're not just getting these because it's _Saturday!_" Delia shook her head. "What a foolish idea! They're getting these presents because they are my grandbabies and I love them more than anything else in the whole wide world!"

Ash nearly face faulted. His mother really could dance around anything, couldn't she?

"Grammy picked these out very special for you two," the older woman smiled at the children sitting before her as she handed them both one wrapped box each. "I think you'll really like them!"

Aiden wasted no time in ripping the paper off of his own gift. It was a fairly large box, the front of which featured a picture of what was held inside: a plastic basketball hoop that could change height depending on how big Aiden got.

"Whoa!" Aiden marveled, his eyes widening. Despite their displeasure with the twins being spoiled, Ash and Misty just _had _to laugh at their cute little boy.

"Doesn't that look like fun?" Delia asked with a smile. "And look, it comes with a little basketball that's just your size! You can practice playing!"

Aiden just kept smiling, staring down at the box and trying to read what was written on it. Unfortunately for the boy, he couldn't do that just yet.

"What do you say to Grammy, Aiden?" Misty prodded.

"Tank 'ou," Aiden beamed up at his grandmother.

"Don't mention it, sweetheart!" Delia smoothed down the boy's hair. "I thought that was just perfect for you!" Turning towards Michelle, she gently nudged the child and tried, "why don't you open your present next, Shelly?"

Michelle nodded slowly and began to take the wrapping paper off of her gift, doing so much more delicately than her brother. When all of the paper was out of the way, the present was revealed to little Michelle. It was a box with a plastic window cut out, the sweet face of a baby doll peeking out at her. The little girl _oohed _curiously, but Ash's look was one of concern.

"Mom…" Ash gently tugged at his mother's arm, bringing her to her feet, "Michelle is a bit of a tomboy. I don't really think she likes to play with dolls."

Delia opened her mouth to speak, but Misty inadvertently cut her off. "I wouldn't be so sure, Ash. I tended to be a little tomboy, too, but I _loved _playing with dolls. Especially baby dolls! It's fun to pretend being their Mommy."

"She's two and a half years old," Ash narrowed his eyes.

"Get over it," she smacked her husband's shoulder, not hard enough to hurt but enough to leave a sting. "It's _playing pretend. _Using your imagination. Quit being a weirdo."

Rolling his eyes, Ash turned his attention back onto his daughter and inquired, "What do you think of your present, Michelle?"

"I woves her!" Michelle squealed, hugging the box. Ash was surprised by the reaction, but Delia and Misty were not. "Take her out, Mommy. She's scawed in the box!"

"Okay, I'll save her," Misty smirked. She lifted the top off of the box and undid the plastic ties that held the doll down. Once she was free, Misty immediately transferred the toy into her daughter's arms, causing Michelle to coo and hold up the doll in fascination.

The toy baby had painted red hair, with shiny blue-gray eyes that closed when you laid her down. She was wearing a pink, orange, and blue sleeper, printed with paisley and hearts.

"Wow, she sure is a cutie!" Misty smiled, gently stroking the baby's plastic cheek. "What are you going to name her, Shelly?"

Michelle quietly studied the baby for a few moments before smiling up at her mother and announcing, "Baby!"

"Yes, she's a baby," Misty giggled.

"No, hew _name'_s Baby," Michelle shook her head. "Baby!"

"Oh…" Misty blinked before grinning once again and toying with her daughter's hair. "Well, that's a very cute name!"

"I wove Baby," Michelle hugged the doll.

"Michelle, you have to say thank you to Grammy too," Ash informed the child.

"Tanks, Grammy!" Michelle squealed, jumping up to her feet and running over to her grandmother in order to hug the older woman's legs.

"Aw, you're so very welcome, little princess!" Delia patted the child's head. "I'm glad you both like the presents! Now, I'm going to go and finish up dinner so we can all have something tasty to eat!"

"Let me help you, Delia," Misty stood up and followed her mother-in-law into the kitchen. This left Ash with their two children, who were still enamored by their new toys.

"Daddy!" Michelle now ran over to her father, holding the baby doll up towards him. "Baby!"

"Yeah, I see her," Ash chuckled. "She's a cute little girl, just like you!"

"Daddy, you hold Baby," Michelle stared up at her father.

"What?" Ash blinked.

"Baby wants you," Michelle explained.

"Oh…" Ash gently took the doll out of his daughter's hands and held it against his chest. "There. Is she happy now?"

Michelle nodded. "She's hungwy, too."

"Oh, is she?"

Michelle nodded again and scurried back over to the box, taking out the plastic baby bottle that had come with her new toy. She ran to Ash with it, holding the bottle up for him to take.

"Michelle, Baby is your…baby," Ash smirked. "Why don't you feed her?"

"Baby wants you to feed her," Michelle frowned.

"Alright, then," Ash sighed, taking a seat on the couch and cradling Baby in the crook of his arm like a real infant. Curious, Michelle crawled up next to her father and watched as he held the bottle in front of the doll's mouth.

"Good, Daddy!" Michelle hugged her father's side.

"I _do _know how to feed a baby, princess," Ash chuckled nervously.

Just then, Delia and Misty walked back into the living room, laughing about something that one of them must have said. When they saw Ash cradling Michelle's baby doll and feeding her from a plastic bottle, however, they stopped and watched him with quiet, bewildered eyes. Feeling their stare on him, Ash sighed and looked up, slowly shaking his head.

"Don't ask."

**XXX**

As it would turn out, Michelle was completely absorbed in her new baby doll. She brought Baby everywhere with her, and would play with the cute doll all day. She even slept with the doll at night. She also, however, kept _insisting _that Ash take care of Baby. Ash honestly had no clue as to why.

"I already took care of two babies. Why do I have to take a care of a _doll _baby, now?"

"Aw, I think it's cute," Misty smiled at her husband, who was sitting at the kitchen table. "She thinks you're such a good Daddy that she wants you to take care of her own baby!"

Ash gave Misty a displeased look, causing the gym leader to grumble and add, "_Doll._ Baby _doll_."

"But Misty, it's…embarrassing," Ash groaned. "I didn't think I'd ever have to play with dolls! Michelle isn't a girly girl!"

"But that doesn't mean she can't like dolls," Misty smirked. "Besides, it's not embarrassing! It's cute."

"I'm a grown man, I shouldn't be walking around holding a doll," Ash grumbled.

"Does it make Michelle happy?"

"Yeah…"

"And there's nothing you love more than making Michelle happy, right?"

"Well, yeah. Of course."

"So, you have to carry around a baby doll sometimes," Misty shrugged, returning to making her coffee. "It's not really that big of a deal."

"Daddy!"

"Speaking of which," Misty smirked over her shoulder at her husband, who whined in displeasure. He knew full well what was coming.

Michelle came running into the kitchen, a big smile on her face. She was holding Baby in her arms, and was drawn instantly to her father.

"Daddy!" Michelle squeaked, trying to crawl up into his lap.

"Hey there, little princess," Ash greeted, pulling the girl up so she could sit.

Beaming up at her father, Michelle held the doll so Ash could see her. "Look, Daddy, Baby is hewe!"

"Yes, I know, you always have her with you!" Ash laughed.

"Baby was vewy, vewy sweepy," Michelle informed her father in a very serious voice. "We swept fowever!"

"Forever, huh?" Ash smirked.

"Yes," Michelle murmured, putting the doll back down so she could play with its arms.

"Well, you and Baby will have lots of fun playing now that you've gotten lots of sleep," Ash patted his daughter's head.

"You pway too, Daddy," Michelle smiled.

"No, I can't play today, sweetie."

At this, Michelle frowned. "Why?"

"Because Daddy has a very important interview that he has to do," Ash informed his daughter. "So you'll have to play with Baby by yourself for today."

"Mommy…" Michelle whined, looking towards her mother. She figured if anyone could get Daddy to play with her, it was Mommy. Her Mommy made her Daddy do all kinds of stuff, because she could scare him really well.

"I can't force Daddy this time, baby girl," Misty smiled sympathetically at her daughter. "This is _very _important. He doesn't have any choice!"

Michelle pouted. She wanted Daddy to play with her and Baby. He always did, because he was such a good Daddy. He took care of both her and Baby.

"Don't be sad, my beautiful baby," Misty cooed, pressing her hands against Michelle's cheeks and giving the girl a kiss on her forehead. "Mommy will play with you and Baby all you want while Daddy is busy! We can still have lots of fun together."

Michelle, however, did not look convinced. She did love her Mommy, but she wanted to play with her Daddy.

And so did Baby.

**XXX**

"So, Shelly, what kind of food does Baby like to eat?"

Michelle gave her mother an incredulous look. Misty was taken off guard by the action, since Michelle was usually so sweet and attitude free. _Usually._

"Mommy, Baby can only has milk," Michelle sighed, picking up the doll's bottle. "Daddy knows dat."

"Okay, I'm sorry," Misty apologized dutifully. "We can feed her milk then!"

"Baby's not hungwy," Michelle shook her head.

"Then what does Baby want to do?" Misty inquired.

"Sweep," Micelle replied, putting her doll down on the blanket so her eyes slipped closed.

Nearby, Aiden was playing with the toy basketball hoop Delia had given him. He had been having a wonderful time with it, much like Michelle was having with her doll. He loved to run around with the little basketball, bouncing it off the ground and throwing it into the basket.

"You're very good at that, Aiden!" Misty complimented her son, clapping when he got another basket. "You're going to be a very athletic little guy, just like Daddy!"

Aiden smiled and started to bounce the basketball towards his mother. He wanted to show her more of his skills, and how he could be strong just like his Daddy. Unfortunately for the boy, however, he got too close to his mother and sister while bouncing the ball much too quickly. He lost control over the sphere, and it soon went bouncing right towards the two females sitting on the outstretched blanket. The little basketball ended up bouncing right off of Baby's head, causing Michelle to shriek in horror.

Before Misty could do anything, a bawling Michelle gathered the doll into her arms and made a mad dash towards the house, letting out miserable wails as she ran; ponytail swinging wildly behind her. Misty was quick to follow after the girl, but not fast enough to stop her before she made her way into the living room, where Ash was being interviewed for a magazine.

"DADDY! DADDY!" Michelle screamed, her face reddening as she wailed.

Both Ash and the interviewer were visibly shaken by the child's screams, although Ash was much more disturbed. After all, this was _his _daughter, and he was now afraid that there was something wrong with her. Had she gotten hurt?!

"Michelle, sweetie, what's wrong?!" Ash hurried over to the girl and gathered her in his arms, gently bouncing her up and down.

"B-Baby got hurted," Michelle wailed, holding the doll out towards her shocked father. "A-Ai'en hit her wif his ball. She's huwt!"

The interviewer made a quiet noise from behind Ash, and the Pokémon Master could feel his entire face turning red. This was truly the pinnacle of all his embarrassment in life.

"Princess, I can't do this right now," Ash whispered to the child. "Daddy is very busy! Mommy can take care of Baby, she knows what to do."

Michelle whimpered and shook her head. She was obviously very upset about Baby's "injury." And Ash knew he would not be getting his little girl out of the room anytime soon…unless he took care of Baby. Sighing, Ash sat back down, with Michelle on his lap, and took the doll out of his daughter's grasp, cradling it in his free arm.

"It's okay, Baby," Ash whispered to the doll, still feeling absolutely ridiculous. Michelle sniffled and watched her father carefully. "You got a booboo? Is that it?"

"Yeah," Michelle whimpered, pointing at a spot on the doll's head. "Right dere."

"Oh, I see," Ash nodded, playing into his daughter's imagination. "Well, Daddy can fix that! I know just what to do with an ouchie."

"What?" Michelle hiccupped, putting a finger in her mouth.

Ash lifted the doll up and gave her a kiss on the "afflicted" area, smiling at Michelle afterwards. The little girl seemed to be relieved after this, giving her father a happy smile.

"How's Baby feeling now?" Ash asked.

"Much bettew," Michelle took the doll back from her father, hugging it against her. "Tank 'ou, Daddy!"

"Ah, don't mention it, baby girl," Ash gave the child her own kiss atop her head, putting her down on the floor and gently patting her back. "Go back to Mommy, now. You and I can play more later."

"Okay, Daddy!" Michelle ran right back out of the room, as if nothing had ever happened.

Once she was gone, Ash looked back up and gave the interviewer a sheepish smile. The woman looked highly amused, and although Ash was still embarrassed, he decided to make the best out of his situation.

"If you think _that _was good, you should see me when that doll needs her diaper changed."


	87. I Love You

**I love winter break already, guys. And I've been on it for two days. Screw college, THIS is the life :P**

**And I'm working on A New Era. Should be done soon...**

**Michelle: 1 and a Half years old**

* * *

><p><strong>I Love You<strong>

"Who's going to win this battle, Shelly?"

The little girl smiled and giggled to herself, beaming up at her father, who was patiently waiting for an answer to the question that Misty had asked of the child.

"Dada!" Michelle laughed, pointing at her father.

"Is he the best Pokémon trainer in the whole entire world?" Misty gasped, a smile still playing on her lips.

"Yes," Michelle nodded, causing Misty to giggle softly.

"Aw, thanks, baby girl!" Ash knelt down to give the child a kiss on top of her head. "I promise that I'm going to win this battle just for you!"

Michelle once again smiled up at Ash, warming his heart. Even though Michelle was still very young, it was obvious how much she loved her father, even though she hadn't said it yet. She hadn't said "I love you" to anyone or anything as of yet. But she learned new words all the time…almost every day, really. Ash was hoping that, soon enough, Michelle would be able to voice her love for him.

"The next battle will be between Pokémon Master Ash Ketchum and our victory challenger!" A booming voice, belonging to the announcer, filled the stadium. Ash got to his feet and locked eyes with Misty, who was smiling gently at her beloved husband.

"That's your cue," Misty giggled.

Ash nodded confidently. He had that determined gleam in his eyes, too. Misty just _loved _it when her man was ready to take control. It was certainly a turn on for her.

"You'll cheer for me, won't you?" Ash asked, the boyish smirk still playing on his lips.

"I will _always _cheer for you," Misty confirmed as he took her cheeks into his hands. Tilting her head upwards, Ash gave the young woman a kiss before turning on a heel and marching out towards the battle field. He was ready for this, more than ready.

Every year, at this particular battle tournament, Ash was courted to engage in an exhibition battle against the winner of the whole competition. It was not to take his title, of course. That battle took years for a trainer to reach, and it was a very rare occurrence. Ash had not yet had to battle in defense of his title, which he'd already been holding for nearly three years.

The most interesting aspect of this tournament, however, was the fact that Ash was not allowed to watch any of it, or even have any information regarding the participants. They wanted to see how well Ash worked under pressure, and how quickly he could think on his toes. It was all just a test. Fortunately, Ash was perfectly confident in his abilities and not at all nervous to take on this mysterious trainer.

As he took to his side of the field, listening to the roar of the crowd and taking it all in, Misty watched from the sidelines, her heart pounding as she waited for the challenger to appear. Although this battle didn't mean much, and she fully believed in her husband, Misty still got very nervous before every single one of his matches. She couldn't help it; it seemed to be programmed into her brain.

"Up!"

Looking down, Misty found her little daughter standing next to her, hugging her leg and staring up in obvious want.

"Oh, sweetie, can you not see?" Misty frowned. Michelle shook her head, leading Misty to laugh lovingly and lift the girl up into her arms. "There we go! Now you can watch Dada!"

At this, Michelle smiled and started to clap her hands. Misty beamed. Michelle simply _adored _Ash. Everything revolved around him in her little world. He could do no wrong.

"Dada!" Michelle cried, pointing at the raven haired man standing on the battle field. Her excited, squeaky voice had been loud enough for Ash to hear, and with a loving smirk, he peered over his shoulder and winked at the child.

"Well, look at you, getting a wink from that handsome Pokémon Master!" Misty teased. "I think his little fan girls should be more afraid of _you _than me!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the Pokémon Master's opponent!" The announcer's voice boomed yet again, bringing up more cheers from the crowd. From the opposite end of the battle field, the opponent's box became occupied by a familiar figure, with dark blonde hair and steel grey eyes that were void of any emotion.

Ash gasped and nearly stumbled backwards. He could hardly believe who he was looking at.

"T…Trip?" Ash asked, his eyes widening.

"How observant," Trip huffed, his voice completely uncaring.

"I haven't seen you since-"

"You beat me in the Unova League," Trip interrupted, his eyes glazing over in irritation. "There was a reason for that."

"But…I thought we became friends after that," Ash frowned.

"Of course you did," Trip allowed his eyes to wander over Ash's shoulder, where he caught sight of Misty holding onto little Michelle. The gym leader locked eyes with Trip, and the two just stared at one another for a few seconds until Michelle seemed to want her mother's attention, which pulled Misty's eyes away.

"What are you looking at?" Ash asked, genuinely curious.

"Your wife," Trip answered easily, pulling out his teal colored digital camera, "and your…daughter?"

"Yeah, my daughter," Ash blinked.

"I was just making sure," Trip took a picture of the little girl playing with her mother. "She doesn't really look like you."

"She looks like her mother," Ash narrowed his eyes. He didn't like the way Trip had said that…it was as though he was implying that Michelle was not actually his daughter. "My son is the one who looks like me."

"I see. And where is he?"

"At home, with my mother," Ash replied coldly. "He's a little sick."

"That's a shame," Trip clicked his tongue, pulling out a poke ball. "He's going to miss his Daddy getting his ass kicked!"

At this, Ash snarled. He'd had enough of Trip already. Retrieving his own poke ball, Ash threw the sphere without hesitation and yelled, "Emboar, let's go!"

Smirking, Trip countered Ash's call with one of his own. "Serperior, come out!"

The regal and mega fire pig Pokémon stared one another down, their long time rivalry obviously not forgotten. The air in the stadium was tense, and everyone could feel it. Even little Michelle, who was whining softly and snuggling up against her mother.

"You okay, baby?" Misty murmured, hugging the girl.

"Emboar, use fire pledge!" Ash yelled.

At this, Michelle whined again and covered her ears, squeezing her eyes shut tight so she wouldn't have to watch either. Misty sighed and left a kiss in the girl's hair. Michelle was still very young, and despite their best efforts to get her to sit through a battle, both Ash _and _Misty knew that they could still be a little too scary for Michelle to sit through. Aiden was better than she was, in that respect. None of it scared him. But Michelle was definitely antsier.

By the time the little girl had uncovered her ears and opened her eyes, the battle was over. Michelle couldn't exactly tell what had happened. His shoulders were slumped forward, though, and he was returning his Pokémon to its ball.

"Mama?" Michelle squeaked, looking up at her mother. Misty, however, apparently hadn't heard Michelle. She was frowning and keeping her eyes on Ash. Trip had walked away before Ash could even approach him, and that only seemed to be further aggravating to the Master. With a defeated sigh, he trudged back over to where Misty stood with Michelle, the little girl curiously watching her father's every move.

"It's okay," Misty whispered reassuringly, resting her hand on the back of Ash's neck.

"I lost," Ash muttered.

"Yes," Misty nodded slowly, "but it's okay, honey."

"I lost. I lost…to Trip."

He ambled away from Misty, the gym leader turning around and frowning at her husband. Michelle watched too, although she had no idea what was going on. Both girls watched as Ash knelt down, facing the wall and burying his face in his hands. Michelle really didn't understand the situation, but she could feel that her Daddy wasn't happy.

"Down?" Michelle asked her mother, gently tilting her head. Misty wasn't sure if it was such a good idea, but on the other hand, she figured that the only person who might be able to defuse Ash was their little girl. So, she granted the toddler's wish, placing her on the floor and watching after the girl.

Michelle toddled over to Ash, a big smile on her face. Wanting his attention, she made her way over to his side, patting his leg with her little hands.

"Dada!" Michelle squealed, her eyes sparkling.

Ash bit his lip and forced himself to look down at Michelle's smiling face. She was far too beautiful for him to ignore. Sighing, Ash sat down and pulled the toddler into his lap, hugging her for his own comfort. Ash had discovered that nothing felt better when he was upset than snuggling either Aiden or Michelle.

"Thanks, Shelly," Ash murmured, still holding the girl in his arms.

Tilting her head back, Michelle grinned boldly at her father. Ash was surprised; it was quite possibly the biggest smile he'd ever seen Michelle give to anyone. She looked _so _happy.

"Love you, Dada," Michelle murmured, her lips still bent into that impressive smile.

Ash's eyes widened. Had…had Michelle just said those words? He lifted the toddler up from underneath her arms, causing her to giggle. That big smile remained on her face.

"Michelle?" Ash asked, his breath slightly hitched. Had he heard that right? No…Michelle had never said those words to _any one, _before.

"Love," Michelle repeated, once again giggling. "I…love Dada!"

Ash's eyes filled with tears. This time, they were happy. Who cared about that stupid battle with Trip? It didn't mean anything. But Michelle telling him that she loved him?

"Dada loves you too, Michelle," Ash hugged the girl, holding his hand to the back of her head and kissing her forehead.

Well, that meant _everything._


	88. Santa Brock

**Yes, I wrote another one shot. I hate myself. But it's Christmas themed. Still hate myself.**

**Aiden and Michelle: 1 year old**

***Misty's Nieces***

**Dakota: 5 years old**

**Vanessa: 4 years old**

**Lola: 3 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Santa Brock<strong>

The planning for Delia's annual Christmas party was meticulous and long winded. Ash had always hated taking part, because all he really cared about was the food and getting to see all of his friends. He could have cared less about the decorations and other arrangements.

Fortunately for the young man, he now had Brock and Misty's assistance in the planning. Misty just loved this sort of stuff, and do did Brock, given his homey nature. He had a knack for party planning.

"I want to make this year's party extra special," Delia announced, "because it will be the twins' first Christmas party!"

Ash chuckled and peered down at his and Misty's sleeping one year olds. It was true that this would be their first annual Ketchum Christmas party. For last year's bash, Misty had still been pregnant. So heavily, in fact, to the point where she had ended up getting a little too stressed out and given everyone a labor scare. Ash's fainting at the snack table had been especially fun. Or horrifying, depending on who or when you asked.

"Yeah, it'll be great to not be at the party with an over inflated beach ball for a belly!" Misty giggled. "It definitely wasn't easy moving around with all those people in the house."

"It was even harder getting Ash's unconscious body off the floor," Brock chortled.

"I thought we were gonna' stop talking about that!" Ash whined. He still didn't find the ordeal to be at all amusing.

"Oh, honey, relax," Misty leaned over to give Ash a kiss on the cheek. "It was sweet that you were so worried about me."

"But now the babies are here and we don't have to worry about anything like that happening again," Brock smiled. "So, Delia, what did you have in mind to make the party extra special?"

"I thought it would be so much fun to have someone dress up as Santa Claus!" Delia beamed. "So many of your friends all have children now that I thought it would just be delightful for them! Not to mention, Aiden and Michelle have never gotten to meet Santa before."

"Right, they need to get their very first picture with Santa!" Ash beamed.

"I think that's an adorable idea!" Misty gushed. "Who would make a great Santa?"

"I was sort of hoping that Ash would do it for me," Delia grinned at her son. Ash, however, was not about to give in to his mother's wishes, no matter how sweet she may be.

"Nuh uh," Ash automatically refused. "I'm not playing Santa! He's supposed to be fat, and I worked hard for my abs." This earned an eye roll from Misty. "Besides, I want to see the twins meet Santa for the first time, and I can't very well observe that if I'm the one who's actually pretending to be him."

"At least your second excuse was acceptable," Misty smirked, earning a huff from her husband.

"That is a good point," Delia frowned.

"Hey, I've got an idea!" Ash snapped his fingers. "Why doesn't Brock play Santa?"

Raising an eyebrow, Brock turned to Ash and quipped, "are you out of your mind?"

"Nah, it's a great idea!" Ash shook his head. "You're really great with kids, so it'll be easy for you to work with them. And you don't have any of your own, so you won't really be missing much!"

"I'm also not fat," Brock deadpanned. "I have abs, just like you."

"We'll stick a pillow underneath your costume."

"Oh, but we couldn't do that for you?!"

"I don't hear you bragging about your abs, Brocko."

"..."

"Besides, I need to watch the twins meet Santa! Valid excuse, remember?"

**XXX**

The day of the Christmas party came in a flash. Ash couldn't wait for his children to meet Santa. Or, as Ash was affectionately calling him, Santa Brock.

"I hope you know that if you keep calling Brock that, he's going to beat you up," Misty warned. "And I'm not going to stop him."

"It's fine, Mist!" Ash laughed. "Just some playful teasing is all."

"Either way, if he tries to punch you, don't come crying to me. I gave you fair warning."

"Noted."

The young parents were standing outside of Ash's childhood home, having just rang the doorbell and waiting for Delia to let them in. They were all decked out in their winter coats, with their holiday finest on underneath. The twins were both in their carriers, but were now awake, babbling happy nonsense.

Delia was quick to answer the door, assuming it to be her son and daughter in law. Once she saw it was them, she beamed and ushered the young parents inside the house, immediately reaching into the carriers they had in hand and taking out the two babies to hold.

"Oh, just look at my beautiful grandbabies!" Delia marveled. "I swear to you they get bigger and bigger every day! Why, I think they're bigger than when I saw them just about two weeks ago!"

"That could very well be," Misty sighed, a smile etching its way onto her face. "I had a little bit of a hard time getting Aiden into his outfit."

Gasping playfully, Delia rubbed her nose against Aiden's and cooed, "is someone becoming a very big boy? I think you are! Is it because Mommy feeds you so well?"

Aiden gurgled and touched a little hand against his grandmother's cheek. He was wearing a sweater knit cardigan, red in color with gray and black fair isle running across the chest, along with black dress pants and some nice gray shoes.

"Oh, you're too precious," Delia smiled before turning her attention onto Michelle. "And this little cutie! Looking more and more like her gorgeous mother every single day!"

Michelle cooed softly. She, on the other hand, was dressed in a sleeveless, red satin dress with bunches of rosettes on the top. A black, ruffle knit shrug was keeping her warm, and matched the black Mary Janes on her feet. She even had a red head wrap on, decorated with a single rosette.

"These two are just wonderful," Delia sighed, snuggling the babies. They both giggled under her attention. After all, they did love their Grammy.

"Oh my, are those the little munchkins?!"

Delia spun around and beamed at Misty's mother, Lynne, who was now marveling at the twins as well.

"Yes, look how nicely dressed up they are!" Delia handed both children off to their other grandmother. While both women fawned over their grandchildren, Ash approached his mother and leaned in to whisper in her ear.

"Hey, Mom, where's Santa Brock?"

"Oh, he's upstairs getting ready," Delia smiled at her son. "It's going to be so wonderful! The costume is just perfect."

"AUNT MISTY!"

The gym leader beamed down at the floor, where three small figures were running straight up to her. Kneeling down, she gave each one a hug and greeted, "hi there, Dakota, Vanessa, and Lola!" She pulled away to fully examine her three nieces, smiling widely at the young girls.

Dakota, the oldest of the trio, was wearing a poufy party dress consisting of a gold sequined angle cut net shell overlaying light pink tulle. A matching pink satin sash was tied around her waist into a perfect bow. Her golden blonde hair was curled more tightly than usual, with a light pink bow headband adorning her locks.

Vanessa, the middle niece, was wearing a long sleeved dress with a navy velvet bodice and an ice blue skirt with navy glitter plaid overlaying it, and an ice blue bow permanently affixed to the matching ribbon sash. Her bright blue hair was being pushed back by an ice blue headband.

Lola, the youngest of Misty's three nieces, was not exactly like her two older cousins. She was also the only one of them not wearing a dress, but rather a white tunic with velour top and ruffled tiers of tulle over a pair of white velvet leggings, finished off with a pair of shiny silver boots. She even had a tiny silver bow clipped into her short pink locks.

"You three all look so beautiful!" Misty complimented the girls. "I love your special holiday outfits!"

"Aunt Misty, we wanna' play with the babies," Vanessa smiled at the gym leader.

"Oh, you want to see your little cousins?" Misty smiled.

"Yeah!" Lola started jumping up and down. She really loved those two, now that she was a little bit older and could understand what was going on with them.

"Okay, we can go sit on the couch and play," Misty giggled. She walked over to her mother and took Michelle, asking "want to join us on the couch, Mom?"

"I would love to, dear, but Daisy has been calling me, and for what I don't know," Lynne sighed. "I think she wants to show me something with Tracey and the Professor. Delia, would you mind taking Aiden for me?"

"Not at all," Delia smiled, gathering the baby boy into her arms before motioning to the three young girls standing by her feet. "Come along, sweethearts!" The three girls cheered and scurried up onto the couch, so they could busily examine their baby cousins and play with them.

While Misty showed her children off to her very interested nieces, the party went fully underway. All the guests were there, and there were almost too many to count. All of Misty's sisters and their husbands were holed up in the kitchen, trying out the different kinds of wine that had been laid out for the party. Ash was busy talking to Drew and Kenny, since Brock was upstairs and obviously preoccupied. He wished Cilan could have been there, but it was too hard to fly in from Unova, especially when you had three young children. May, meanwhile, was showing off her two month old son to Dawn, who was completely enamored by the little baby.

"Ho ho ho!"

Misty, who had been bouncing Michelle on her lap to make the little girl laugh, gasped and smiled at her baby daughter.

"Who's that?" Misty whispered. The infant didn't seem to care too much.

Down the stairs came Brock, though that was unbeknownst to all of the children in the room. He was fully dressed in a red velvet Santa suit; complete with a beard, hat, and a pillow stuffed underneath the coat.

"Aunt Misty, is Santa having a baby like you did?" Vanessa asked loudly enough for everyone to hear. This caused the costumed Brock to tumble down the rest of the stairs, bringing up laughter from everyone in the room, save for Misty.

"No, Vanessa," Misty sighed. "Boys can't have babies." She didn't know what was worse; being compared to a fat man or being compared to a man _period._

Santa Brock managed to get back to his feet, covered by black boots, and shake off the embarrassing fall. Although still a little dizzy, Santa Brock successfully made his way over to the fancy red and hold chair that had been set up specifically for him to sit on. He gratefully took that seat, glad to be off of his feet and avoiding a possible fainting episode. He didn't want to end up like Ash, after all. Especially since that was the one thing he could still hold over the Pokémon Master's head, even after this whole "dressing as Santa Claus" ordeal.

"Ho ho ho!" Brock repeated, just wanting to play it cool. "Who here wants to come sit on Santa's lap and tell him what they want for Christmas?"

Dakota ran forward, not even having to be asked twice. She jumped harshly onto Santa Brock's lap, causing the man to let out a pained whimper. Nearby, Tracey shot his friend an apologetic look.

"Eh...ho ho ho," Santa Brock spoke with a weakened voice, "you are Dakota, aren't you?"

"Dakota LeighAnne Sketchit, actually," the young blonde corrected.

"Close enough," Santa Brock muttered before clearing his throat, "and what would you like for Christmas, little girl?"

"That's easy," Dakota smirked. "I want a Kanto Girl doll, and a new purse, and that pretty pink perfume, and that real toy convertible you can drive around in, and a new tutu, and those twisty colored pencils, and the light up shoes, and that pretty blue dress I found at the mall, and the green boots with the bows on the back, and the diamond headband, and the dress up trunk that my friend Ally has, and-"

"Ho ho ho, that's a lot of stuff there, little darling!" Santa Brock interrupted. "Why don't you let some of the other kids tell me what they want?"

"Fine," Dakota sighed, flipping a strand of curled blonde hair over her shoulder, "but I'm coming back to you, fat man. There's still more stuff I gotta' tell you to get." And with that, she slid off of Santa Brock's lap and skirted away.

"I see she didn't inherit too much of her father," Santa Brock blinked.

Fortunately for him, Misty's two other nieces were fairly easy. Vanessa had only asked for a toy oven so she could make cakes to sell alongside her lemonade, and Lola's sole request had been for her Aunt Misty to have more babies. It was a flustering one for Brock, since he knew what making babies entailed and he didn't want to picture his two closest friends doing...that. But fortunately, Brock did not have to grant that wish or even tell Ash and Misty about it. He didn't have to anyway, since Lola had taken the liberty of informing her favorite Aunt of what she had asked for immediately after getting off of Brock's lap. Needless to say, it was worse for Misty than before, when Vanessa had compared her pregnant state to Santa Claus.

Brock's next big surprise came from Ash, who sat down on his best friend's lap and smirked at the costumed man, who seemed anything but amused by the action.

"Ash…" Santa Brock started with a growl.

"Yeah, you know my name!" Ash cheered. He could hear Drew chuckle from behind him, and all this did was make Brock roll his eyes. He should've known that the grass headed coordinator was behind all of this.

"Get off my lap, Ash," Santa Brock sighed.

"But I haven't told you what I want for Christmas yet!" Ash whined.

"I'm here for the children," Santa Brock accused, "and having the mentality of a five year old doesn't count."

Ignoring Santa Brock's little insult, Ash continued on his merry little way by requesting, "I would _love _it if for Christmas, Misty would finally wear that pretty green nightgown I bought for her, and we could spend all night-"

"Too much information, Ash!" Santa Brock finally threw a hand over his best friend's mouth before muttering, "if you keep that up, Lola's gonna' get her Christmas wish…"

Ash looked confused, but never the less, he finally got off of Santa Brock's lap and walked over to Misty and his mother, each of whom were holding one of the babies.

"I think it's time for Aiden and Michelle to meet Santa!" Ash tickled both of the babies, causing them to giggle.

"Okay, little ones," Misty took Aiden from Delia and sat them down on Santa Brock's lap. "This is Santa! And he's very excited to meet you both!"

Santa Brock let out a joyful "ho ho ho!" and gently bounced the babies up and down. Aiden was still staring at his parents, not at all interested in whatever was going on. Michelle, however, was tilting her head back, staring up at the seemingly unfamiliar man who was holding onto her.

"Hello there, little Michelle!" Santa Brock greeted joyfully. "You certainly are a very cute little girl, aren't you?"

And, just like that, Michelle burst out into tears, screaming and alarming everyone in the room. Delia frowned and covered her heart, while Ash looked nervous and unsure of what to do. Sighing, Misty leaned forward and plucked Michele off of Santa Brock's lap, bouncing the little girl up and down in her arms.

"Oh, please don't cry, Michelle!" Misty cooed. "That's just Santa! He's not scary!"

Michelle kept crying, however, leading Delia to step forward and pat the baby's back. "Oh, it's alright. Some babies just don't like Santa Claus!"

With both her mother and grandmother paying special attention to her, Michelle managed to calm down; enough to rest her head on Misty's shoulder and coo softly.

"Well, at least Aiden seems to be enjoying Santa's company!" Ash chuckled. Indeed, the little boy was sitting on Santa Brock's lap and smiling.

"Speaking of which, why does my leg feel…wet?" Santa Brock seemed a little horrified.

Blinking, Ash picked Aiden off of Santa Brock's lap and studied the bottom of his pants, frowning as he observed, "oh…it seems that Aiden had a little leak through his dress pants…"

Santa Brock buried his face in his hands and moaned, while Ash couldn't help but to laugh. Not much seemed to go right with them, but it was just fine. That's what made their family so special.

"So, we had one baby cry at the sight of Santa, and we had one baby pee on him," Misty sighed. "Great track record."

"Our track record has never been stellar," Ash nodded, a smirk still playing on his lips. "Especially when we're all together!"

"But being together is always the best part of the holidays," Delia smiled at her son and daughter-in-law.

"That's true," Misty smirked. "I guess we'll just have to live with the dysfunction!"

"Oh, trust me, Mist," Ash winked, "I live _for _the dysfunction!"


	89. Babysitting: Iris and Cilan

**This one was VERY highly requested, so I wrote it up! I don't know if I love it, but it's still a cute one.**

**Aiden and Michelle: 4 and a half years old**

**Basil, Kokum, and Sage: 5 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Babysitting: Iris and Cilan<strong>

"Sage, are you _sure _your Daddy won't be mad about us going into the restaurant?"

Sage laughed at such an idea. "Not at all! My Daddy _loves _it when I show up in the restaurant! Besides, he'll feed us good food! My Daddy is the best cook in the whole wide world. And so are my Uncles!"

"My Grammy is a good cook, too," Michelle smiled. She liked having something in common with her friend. "Should we get dressed up to go to the restaurant?"

"Nah," Sage shook her head. "I hate gettin' all dressed up! My Daddy won't mind."

Michelle shrugged but chose not to question the girl. She and her brother were being babysat by Sage's parents: Iris and Cilan. They were in Unova, on a small vacation. Iris had started gushing to Ash and Misty about a bunch of new attractions in Nimbassa City, and had convinced the two to go on a date.

While Iris was busy feeding her Pokémon, however, Sage had decided it would be fun to take Michelle over to her father and Uncles' restaurant. Since the family lived in Striaton City, on the same street as the building that served as both the city's gym and a five star restaurant, known simply as the Striaton Restaurant. Sage loved going into the restaurant, and her Uncles treated her like a little princess whenever she went, even though the girl was the furthest thing from actually being one.

So, with this plan decided on in her head, the dark green haired girl led her ginger haired friend down the street to the restaurant, without having consulted her mother on the matter. From the outside, the restaurant looked like a beautiful monument of sorts. Made of marble, adorned by pillars, and topped off by a rounded roof made of reflective glass. The symbol of a Unova gym, recognizable on every gym throughout the region, was visible on the front center of the building, to let everyone know that this was not just an ordinary restaurant.

Once inside, Michelle was absolutely fascinated by the restaurant's interior. It was a truly beautiful and elegant setting to dine in; neutral colored walls edged in fancy silver siding that formed various shapes, and well mounted lamps that shed just the perfect amount of light. It was calm, neat, and well put together.

"We don't need anyone's help," Sage informed Michelle, making her way to an empty table. Michelle wasn't entirely sure that they were doing the right thing, but she figured that if worse came to worse, she could just tell Iris and Cilan that it had been all Sage's idea. That wasn't a lie, after all.

The other diners in the restaurant, meanwhile, were all watching the two young girls, amused by their antics. Sage managed to look like a little lady, despite her messy hair and childish outfit of an Irish green t-shirt printed with big yellow and white dots over yellow leggings. The white and green sneakers dirtied with mud and other hints of outdoor play were a nice touch, too.

Michelle, at least, felt a little more nicely dressed than her counterpart. She wasn't dressed up, as she had suggested to Sage, but her outfit was at least a bit cleaner. A tiered knit dress; white and navy blue in color, with stripes of alternating color on the top and the layered skirt a solid blue. The neck and sleeves were outlined by green, and the small pocket on the right side of her chest was printed with a glittery pink heart. Her shoes were ballet flats; sparkly navy blue with a bow at the front and a strap going across to keep them firmly on her little feet.

"Sage…" Michelle murmured. She could feel everyone's eyes on her, and it felt a lot like when she went out with her Daddy. Everyone liked to stare at them, too. But her Daddy would always pick her up, hug her, and assure her that everything was alright. He wasn't around at the moment to do that, and Michelle was getting nervous.

"It's good, Michelle!" Sage comforted her friend. She had already pulled herself up into a chair, and was now motioning to the one right next to her. "Sit!"

Michelle frowned, but she figured that Sage knew what she was doing. It _was _her Daddy's restaurant, after all. The anxious look still on her face, Michelle managed to climb up into the chair, much to Sage's delight. The little green haired girl just _loved _it when other people listened to her; shades of Iris.

"Now what?" Michelle squeaked. She had only gone out to eat with her parents before. Not just another little girl.

"Wait for my Daddy!" Sage giggled. "Or Uncle Cress or Uncle Chili. We just gotta' tell 'em what we want to eat, and then they'll make it!"

Michelle smiled at her friend. That did sound awfully good. She really hoped that Sage's Daddy could make macaroni and cheese!

Looking over her shoulder, Sage smiled as she caught sight of her blue haired Uncle Cress. He was the calmest of the three, so even if they _did _get upset about her and Michelle coming into the restaurant unannounced, at least Uncle Cress would be the least likely to lose it.

Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on who you asked) for the little girl, Cress just so happened to make eye contact with her at that very moment. Blue eyes locked with brown, and while Sage's orbs twinkled, Cress' became full of shock.

"Sage!" He murmured, running over to the table where the two young girls sat.

"Hiya, Uncle Cress!" Sage greeted quite merrily. "Me and Michelle got hungry. So, we came here! Can you make me pasta?"

"Sage…" Cress sighed. He really wasn't sure what to say to the little girl. "Wasn't your mother supposed to be watching you?"

"She was feedin' the Pokémon, so I left," Sage answered easily.

"And you just wandered in here all by yourself?"

"Yeah-huh."

Bowing his head, Cress allowed one of his eyebrows to twitch as he murmured a desolate, "I see."

"Pasta?" Sage repeated, as if saying it a second time would actually get her the food. As much as she loved her Uncle Cress, she wasn't here to talk. Sage was there to _eat._

"Sage? Michelle? What are you doing in here?"

Cress whipped around at the sound of _that _voice. He knew full well who it was, and he was afraid of what would happen. It wasn't exactly in the guy's nature, especially when it came to his daughter, but he _was _protective of their restaurant, too, and didn't want anything to tarnish the place.

"Hiya, Daddy!" Sage waved eagerly to the green haired man standing behind her Uncle. She, obviously, did not have the same concerns as Cress.

Cilan shook out his head, trying to expel the thoughts that were filling his mind. He hurriedly walked over to the table and gathered both Sage and Michelle into his arms. The little red head didn't mind, but her green haired counterpart was not as complacent.

"DADDY!" Sage screamed, much to the horror of the other diners in the room. "PUT ME DOWN!"

"Sage, honey, stop!" Cilan begged, clearly getting nervous. "You mustn't yell like that indoors!"

"I'M HUNGRY!" Sage just kept on shouting.

Not knowing what else to do with his daughter (he had never yelled at the child and certainly wasn't about to start now), Cilan carried the girls outside and placed them both down on the ground, earning a less than pleasing kick in the shin courtesy of little Sage. "Ow!"

"I'm hungry," Sage repeated, this time much more softly and even angrier. "Feed me!"

"Mommy is supposed to be watching you girls," Cilan sighed, still rubbing at his now tender shin. "Where is she?"

"Mommy?" Sage repeated. "She's-"

"SAGE! MICHELLE!"

"Right here!" Sage beamed, causing her father to exhibit a thorough face palm.

Iris came running up to the man and two young girls, her face showing off the worry she had been feeling. Cilan got to his feet, crossing his arms across his chest and giving Iris an unamused look.

"Oh, don't give me that," Iris rolled her eyes. "I was feeding the Pokémon!"

"And you managed to lose track of the girls in the meantime?" Cilan groaned.

"They're sneaky," Iris effortlessly defended herself.

"Sage is also a bit of a mess," Cilan whispered to his wife, not wanting to upset the little girl standing between them. "Her shoes are filthy, and her hair is completely untamed."

"I can't help it that she's so rough," Iris frowned. "She likes being that way! Trying to run a brush through her hair is like trying to get a dragon type and an ice type to get along. It's impossible."

"Couldn't you at least try?" Cilan pushed. "Look at how nice and neat Michelle is! Maybe she could pressure Sage into wanting to be a little more clean."

"I don't know if that's such a good idea," Iris furrowed her brow.

"You just need to keep them busy, at the very least," Cilan begged. "The restaurant is about to enter its busy hour, and I don't need them wandering in there again. Sage really does know how to make quite a fuss. Work becomes rather hard to focus on when she's making such a ruckus!"

"Don't worry about a thing, Cilan!" Iris gave her husband a reassuring wink. "Sage and Michelle are in good hands! I'll make sure they won't wander off again!"

"Very good," Cilan nodded confidently. "And the boys?"

"What about the boys?"

"Where are they?"

"…"

"Iris?"

Without another word to the connoisseur, Iris scooped up both Sage and Michelle and started to run towards the house, letting out a startled shriek the entire way, much to Cilan's bewilderment.

**XXX**

"BOYS! WHERE ARE YOU?"

Michelle raised an eyebrow and managed to roll her emerald eyes up to stare at Iris. At least she knew now where Sage got her incredibly loud voice from.

"We're right here, Mommy."

"Yeah, we didn't do nothin'!"

Two young boys were peeking out at their mother from between the bars that lined the staircase. They had similar faces, although that might have been the only way you could tell that they were related.

The boy on the higher step had light purple hair and piercing green eyes, although not quite as emerald hued as Michelle's. His skin tone was the same color as Sage's; a perfect mix between Iris and Cilan's that came off as a glowing tan, just about a shade and a half darker than someone like Ash.

On the step right below him, the other boy had medium purple locks and green eyes that were lighter than his brother's; almost like peridot in color. His skin tone was the lightest of the three children; just a few shades darker than Cilan but nowhere near as tan as Iris.

"Basil," Iris looked at the boy on the upper step before turning her eyes onto the lower one, "Kokum, where is Aiden? Did you two leave him alone?"

"We were playin' hide and seek," Kokum answered.

"It's Aiden's turn to hide," Basil added.

Iris sighed. At least the boys hadn't created any extra trouble for her while she was gone. It was a bit odd, considering how mischievous the three were, especially when you put them all together. But Iris was not about to push her luck and question it.

"Alright," Iris placed the girls on the floor and waved away the boys, "go find him, then!"

Basil and Kokum both pounded up the stairs, not needing to be asked twice to resume their little game. Kneeling down before her daughter, Iris smiled at the young girl and asked, "Hey Sage, how about we brush your hair, huh? Doesn't that sound like fun?"

"No," Sage replied quite honestly.

"Aw, come on!" Iris was still grinning. "Look at how pretty Michelle's hair is! That's because she brushes it!"

"I don't brush my hair," Michelle supplied. "My Mommy does. I don't like brushing it."

At this, Iris nearly face faulted. The laugh from Sage didn't help much, either.

"See!" Sage squeaked. "Brushing your hair is dumb!"

"Well then, if you're not going to do _that_, what are you going to do?" Iris fretted.

"Nothing 'til I eat," Sage huffed. She would not give up on getting her meal. Michelle, however, just looked very calm and content, causing Iris to smile. She really did wish her own daughter could be so delicate and quiet. Iris loved Sage the way she was, of course, but sometimes the girl could become quite the handful. It was exhausting.

"Okay," Iris sighed, "and what would you like to eat, huh?"

"I want Daddy's food," Sage answered very easily.

"Sweetheart, Daddy can't make you anything right now," Iris groaned. "He's working at the restaurant!"

"Let's go back," Sage pointed at the door.

"No, Sage," Iris' voice was growing more firm now. "We can't go!"

"I want _Daddy's_ food!" Sage stomped her foot. "I want it I want it!"

Gently tugging at her friend's arm, Michelle quietly suggested, "Sage, if you brush your hair and dress nice, maybe your Mommy will let you go."

Iris gave the small red head a gracious smile. Michelle was actually a genius! Nothing got Sage more in gear than Cilan's food. Using that as bait might even be enough to get Sage to tidy herself up!

"Michelle's right, little girl," Iris smirked as she gently tweaked the child's cheek. "If you brush your hair and put on something nice, then we can all go to the restaurant! What do you say?"

Sage narrowed her eyes ever so slightly, as if he didn't trust anyone. After a moment of deliberation, however, she finally nodded her head and said, "alright, Mommy. I will."

"Good girl!" Iris beamed.

**XXX**

When Cilan next saw his daughter, he was utterly shocked. She barely looked like his child, but he knew it was, just based on her beautiful, silky hair and gorgeous face.

Her dark green hair had finally been brushed. No more loose strands or fly aways were sticking up, and no knots were present in her long mane. She had even changed out of her dirty sneakers and mused play clothes into one of the few nice outfits she owned; a dress purchased by Cilan in the hopes that she would one day decide to cooperate with him. It was white and long sleeved, with a tiered skirt and printed with black bows. There was even a red grosgrain ribbon on the right side of the neckline, and a perfect match to her strapped red shoes.

"Sage, darling, you look absolutely stunning!" Cilan gushed over his daughter.

"Thank you, Daddy!" Sage smiled at her father, not even seeming to mind that she was dressed up in such a girly manner. "Food now?"

"Yes, cupcake, anything you desire!" Cilan nodded. He turned his green eyes onto Iris, who looked just as pleased as her husband did. Leaning down, Cilan whispered in Iris' ear, "I can't believe you got Sage to put on a dress!"

"Oh, it wasn't me," Iris blushed lightly. "It was actually Michelle!"

"Michelle?" Cilan questioned, turning his eyes onto the young red head. She was sitting between Sage and her brother, smiling happily and coloring in a book with the green haired girl. Aiden, on the other hand, was busy playing with toy trains with Basil and Kokum.

"Yes, she's really amazing, Cilan!" Iris was beaming. "Such a sweet little girl. And she actually managed to convince Sage to wear that dress and brush her hair!"

"My my, I'm impressed!" Cilan smiled. "She really is a well behaved little girl!"

**XXX**

Later that night, when Ash and Misty returned from their date in Nimbassa City, they were a little surprised to be greeted by nothing but gushing about their daughter from both Iris and Cilan.

"She's such a little darling!" Iris squealed. "I've never met such a well behaved kid in my whole life!"

"It's true!" Cilan agreed. "She was so neat and quiet and absolutely sweet!"

"And Aiden is just as wonderful," Iris went on. "He's a quiet little thing! He just played with Basil and Kokum the whole time. Didn't make a fuss or anything!"

"They're all upstairs playing together now," Cilan looked over his shoulder. "We'll go get them for you!"

As Iris and Cilan both wandered off, Ash and Misty exchanged bewildered looks.

"The most well behaved kids Iris has ever seen?" Ash raised an eyebrow.

"I know we told them to behave, but were they actually _that _good?" Misty was actually finding it to be a little hard to believe. She loved her children, of course, but they could be real troublemakers. Such a glowing review seemed a little odd to her.

"Here are your little darlings!"

Ash and Misty's heads snapped back forward. Iris and Cilan were coming towards them; Michelle in Iris' arms and Aiden in Cilan's. Misty smiled at the sight of her children. She loved spending alone time with Ash, but she always missed her babies when she was away from them.

"Oh, come here, my little darlings!" Misty cooed, taking both children and snuggling them. Aiden and Michelle both whined quietly, causing Misty to giggle and separate themselves. "I heard that you two were so good for Iris and Cilan!"

"Yes, Mommy," they chimed simultaneously, earning another coo from Iris and Cilan. Ash smirked and took the children out of Misty's arms, gently hugging the two of them.

"That's my boy and girl!" Ash chuckled. "Did ya' two say goodbye to Basil, Kokum, and Sage?"

"Yes, Daddy," they both sounded again.

"Good!" Ash kissed the top of their heads.

"So, we'll see you guys tomorrow?" Iris asked.

"Of course!" Misty smiled.

"Excellent!" Cilan beamed. "The triplets will be so excited to see Aiden and Michelle again tomorrow."

"They do all make great playmates," Ash agreed.

As soon as the couples were done bidding each other farewell and the door had been closed, Michelle furrowed her brow and yanked on the hair that hung between Ash's chocolate brown eyes.

"OUCH!" Ash yelped, earning a wide eyed stare from Misty.

"What in the world was that?" Misty blinked.

"Michelle pulled my hair!" Ash blinked.

"Michelle," Misty scolded her unhappy looking daughter, "that isn't nice. You know that pulling hair hurts."

"I'm hungry!" Michelle whined. "Feed me, now!"

"Didn't Iris and Cilan feed you?" Ash frowned.

"I'm hungry again," Michelle muttered.

"Oh yeah," Misty deadpanned, Ash giving her a sideways glance. "_Really_ well behaved."

* * *

><p><strong>Classic case of "kids behave when they're being watched by someone else, but not for their own parents" ;)<strong>


	90. Picnic Panic

**I got this idea this morning while watching Pokemon. Enjoy!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 6 years old**

**Elizabeth: 9 months old**

* * *

><p><strong>Picnic Panic<strong>

Misty just loved spending time with her daughters.

Since Aiden was so obsessed with Ash and followed the man's every move, it very often went that he would also trail Ash when it came time for training and battles. That was the case today, as Ash had gone to train for an upcoming battle tournament near the Indigo Plateau. As soon as Aiden had learned of this, he'd begged his father to let him come along, and of course Ash couldn't say no.

When things like this would happen, Misty would orchestrate a "girl's day" with her two daughters so they could spend their own time together. Michelle certainly appreciated it, and while Elizabeth was just a baby who didn't really understand what was going on, she did love spending time with her mother and sister.

For today, Misty had decided upon having a picnic at Cerulean Park, which was located right near route five. The forest surrounded the park and made it look so nice. Misty knew the more quiet parts of the park and had found a nice, peaceful spot for her and her girls to have their picnic.

She had laid down a blanket and the basket full of their food. In her right arm, she held onto Elizabeth, since the baby was crawling absolutely everywhere. Misty knew if she put the girl down, she'd lose track of her very quickly.

"Michelle!" Misty called, standing up to her full height as she looked around for her older daughter.

"I'm here, Mommy!"

Misty smiled down at the small red head who was scurrying towards her. She was wearing a three quarter sleeve top, printed with thick, light pink, horizontal stripes, and just one stripe of blue at her chest. Her denim capris and pink and blue sneakers matched the top just perfectly, and were made for a day like this one.

"Good," Misty giggled. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes!" Michelle nodded eagerly.

"Alright, let's sit down and eat!" Misty settled down on the stretched out blanket. She sat Elizabeth down on her lap while Michelle took a seat next to her, but the baby didn't seem content with this little arrangement.

"Mama," Elizabeth whined, pointing at the blanket.

"What's the matter, sprinkle?" Misty frowned. "Why are you fussing?"

"Mama," Elizabeth repeated, still pointing her finger down at the blanket.

"Mommy, I think Elizabeth wants to be put down," Michelle informed her mother while she searched through the basket for what she wanted to eat.

"Oh, that _would _make sense," Misty murmured. "I guess I can put you down, baby. But if you start crawling away, I'm gonna' grab you!"

Elizabeth let out a small giggle. Misty was sure it was to torment her. This baby was _so _much like Ash it was almost ridiculous. Smirking, she placed the girl down in front of her legs and fixed the infant's floral printed yellow and white dress, which had gotten bunched up once she was put down. As soon as Misty was done, Elizabeth let out a delightful squeal and started to crawl away, causing Misty to groan and gently wrap an arm around the baby's midsection.

"No, Lizzie," she scolded softly. "You can't crawl off."

Elizabeth made an unhappy sound, but Misty didn't really care. She couldn't just let her baby go. Who knows where she'd end up?

"Mommy, what kind of sandwich is this?" Michelle's voice caused Misty to look over at her. She was holding up one of the wrapped sandwiches that Misty had prepared specifically for the picnic.

"That one is peanut butter and jelly," Misty gave her older daughter a sweet smile. "Your favorite!"

Michelle beamed and put the sandwich down, unwrapping it and taking a happy bite out of the bread. Misty giggled while Michelle chewed her sandwich. She loved seeing her children so happy!

"Do you want juice too?" Misty asked.

"Yeah!" Michelle nodded.

Misty pulled the basket closer to her so she wouldn't have to put Elizabeth back in her lap. She knew doing that would cause the usually happy baby to throw a full on tantrum.

"I have your favorite juice, too!" Misty giggled. Michelle looked up with sparkling eyes, and Misty gave her daughter a playful wink. "Remind me what your favorite kind is, again?"

"Silly Mommy!" Michelle laughed, crawling up to the picnic basket. She reached in and pulled out a green juice box, holding it up so her mother could see. Even Elizabeth cooed and stared up at the box. "It's apple juice!"

"Of course," Misty smirked. "I was just playing with you, princess!"

Michelle unwrapped the straw and poked it into the box, happily sipping her juice as she made her way back to her sandwich.

"Mama…" Elizabeth squeaked.

Leaning down, Misty let go of the baby, and was relieved when the child didn't crawl away, but rather sat down.

"What's the matter, baby?" Misty cooed.

"Huh," Elizabeth babbled, pulling at her lips.

"Ah, you're hungry," Misty's eyes widened. "Okay. I have special food for my little munchkin!"

She turned away from Elizabeth for no more than fifteen seconds in order to gather the strawberry yogurt and bottle of milk, but as soon as Misty faced forward once again, her heart dropped when she realized that Elizabeth had crawled a good ten feet away from the blanket.

"Oh, come on," Misty sighed, getting to her feet and running over to the baby. Fortunately, she was much quicker on her feet than Elizabeth was on her hands and knees, and Misty had managed to catch up to the infant very quickly. "Elizabeth, what did Mama say about crawling away?"

"Gee…" Elizabeth babbled, still trying to crawl away.

"Uh uh, no more," Misty scolded, leaning down to grab hold of the baby. At this point, they were only feet away from the forest that bordered Cerulean Park. As Misty laid her hands on Elizabeth, an ominous sound came from inside the forest, causing a frantic shiver to run up the gym leader's spine.

"Wh…what was that?" Misty murmured.

"Ma?" Elizabeth tilted her head.

The sound started to get louder and louder, and Misty's heart began hammering away in her chest. It was a low, buzzing noise…almost like an audible vibration.

"Mommy?" Michelle came running up behind her mother, emerald eyes wide with worry. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Misty answered in a trance before quickly shaking her head, "I'm fine. Come on, sweetie, let's go back to the-"

"BZZ!"

From out of the trees burst a group of Beedrill. They were all glaring down at the three females with their big, angry red eyes, and were soon sticking their pincers out in a threatening fashion. Immediately, Misty and Michelle let out horrifying screams.

"BUGS!" Misty and Michelle both yelped. Elizabeth, on the other hand, was giggling and reaching a little hand up towards the unhappy bees.

Without so much as a second thought, Misty gathered Michelle in her free left arm and bolted, leaving behind their food and blanket. Misty didn't even care, at this point. She felt that her daughters were in danger, and she was going to protect them no matter what.

Misty managed to run all the way home with the girls in her arms, which was really not surprising considering how afraid of bug types she was. When she reached home, she just so happened to arrive at the same time that Ash was returning from Indigo Plateau with Aiden.

"Daddy?" Aiden raised an eyebrow. "Why's Mommy yelling like that?"

Ash raised his head and saw Misty running towards him, her face red as she screeched. Sighing, he lowered his eyes and murmured, "That's a good question, buddy."

"ASH!"

The Pokémon Master looked up again and now found that Misty was directly in front of him, panting and trembling. Michelle was very much in the same state, but little Elizabeth was simply giggling and clapping her hands together.

"Let me guess," Ash folded his arms across his chest, "some kind of bug Pokémon showed up and ruined your picnic."

"How'd you know that, Daddy?" Michelle calmed down enough to voice her surprised inquiry.

"Lucky guess," Ash pinched the bridge of his nose.

"It's not funny!" Misty bit. "It was a swarm of Beedrill! And they came so close to baby Lizzie!"

Ash now moved his eyes onto the baby girl in Misty's right arm. She was still laughing and smiling.

"Elizabeth doesn't seem very affected," Ash chuckled. He took the baby out of his wife's arm and held her close, tickling the ruffles that ran vertically down the chest of her dress. "So, where's all the stuff you took with you?"

"It's back at the park," Michelle answered for her mother. Ash glanced up at Misty and gave her an unimpressed look.

"What do you want from me?" Misty scowled. "There were _Beedrill._"

"Yeah, I'm aware," Ash sighed.

"Well then _you _go back and get them," Misty huffed. "Because I'm not doing it! Those Beedrill are probably still there."

"Yes, I'm sure they're just _waiting _for you to come back so they can feast on your flesh," Ash smirked.

"DON'T MOCK ME!" Misty gave Ash a knock on the top of his head, causing him to whine in pain.

"Alright," Ash muttered. "Aiden, Elizabeth, let's go to the park and get all the stuff that Mommy left behind in her moment of weakness."

"You're not taking any of them with you!" Misty cried, snatching Elizabeth out of Ash's arms and pulling Aiden close to her. "That's a danger zone."

"But Mist, neither of them are afraid of bugs like you and Michelle are," Ash reasoned with his wife.

"And neither of them sassed me like you did either," Misty narrowed her eyes. "Now, they're going to stay here with me, where it's nice and safe, and _you _will go and get the blanket and basket back."

"Of course," Ash rolled his eyes and set off in the direction of Cerulean Park. "Note to self: don't ever let Misty take anyone to the park again."

"I heard that!"


	91. New Year's Eve

**Hello, everyone! I won't be around on New Year's (I'm going to see Disney World at the holidays, yaaaaay! My dream come true!) so here's the New Year's story for you all now :)**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>New Year's Eve<strong>

This was the year. Aiden knew it. He felt it in his bones, and besides that, he was determined. This year was going to be different. It wouldn't be like before.

This was the year he was going to stay awake until midnight.

When he announced the plan to his parents in the morning, they didn't look so sure. It wasn't their son's determination that they doubted. Not at all. He got that from Ash, and it was as strong as could be. But the truth of the matter was that Aiden was just a five year old boy, and staying awake that late into the night might be physically impossible.

"Aiden, sweetie, are you sure?" Misty frowned.

"Yeah!" Aiden quickly nodded his head. "I am!"

"It's kind of hard to stay up until midnight, champ," Ash's eyes were flickering between his wife and his young son.

"I can do it!" Aiden whined. "I know I can!"

"Aiden-"Misty tried to reason with the boy before getting cut off.

"I'm a big boy, Mommy," Aiden huffed. "I can stay up really late! Just like you and Daddy!"

Misty sighed and turned her emerald eyes onto her husband. Ash didn't look certain, but he wasn't about to jump out of his skin over it either. "Sure, you can give it a try, buddy!"

"I will!" Aiden jumped up in determination and ran out of the kitchen, leaving behind his slightly bewildered parents.

"Ash, do you really think it's such a good idea?" Misty frowned.

"Come on, Mist, it's just a one night thing," Ash smirked. "Everyone stays up 'til midnight on New Year's Eve! Even Pikachu! It won't hurt Aiden just to try. Between you and me, I don't think he's going to make it."

"Yeah, probably not," Misty sighed. "I feel bad. Seeing the ball drop is so amazing! I can understand why Aiden wants to stay up until midnight."

"Eventually he'll be able to stay awake until midnight," Ash smiled at his wife. "Michelle too! But, for now, they're still really little. I'm not gonna' tell him no, though. We'll see how it goes."

**XXX**

New Year's Eve went different every single year for Ash and Misty, or so it seemed.

Before the twins had been born, the two usually attended a big party held by one of their many friends; usually one of Misty's fellow gym leaders. They were fancy affairs, where both Ash and Misty had dressed up and participated in socializing and (admittedly) some underage drinking of champagne.

Now that they were parents, however, Ash and Misty's New Year's celebrations had been considerably toned down. They usually just went to either Misty's parents' house, or to Delia's house in Pallet. Sometimes, their friends came over with their families in order to celebrate together, but it was usually a low key affair.

For this year, Ash and Misty were simply going to celebrate the holiday in Pallet Town with Ash's mother. Misty's parents had gone on a New Year's cruise, Tracey and Daisy were celebrating with Professor Oak and Gary's wife and son at the Professor's villa, Violet and William were attending a Pokémon League hosted party, and Lily and Dorian were spending it with his family in Johto.

Delia had cooked a wonderful dinner, consisting of different kinds of fish and pasta. Ash wasn't the biggest fan of fish, but when it was his Mom's cooking, he'd eat it all. That much was apparent as he stuffed his face at the dinner table and earned two way glares from both his mother _and _his wife.

"Grammy!" Aiden piped up, wanting to catch the older woman's attention. "Guess what!"

Giggling, Delia finally turned her eyes away from Ash in order to give all of her consideration to Aiden. "What, sweetheart?"

"I'm gonna' stay up 'til midnight!" Aiden announced proudly.

"Oh?" Delia smiled weakly. She was having the same exact thoughts that Ash and Misty had when Aiden first brought up his intentions.

"Yeah!" Aiden nodded feverously before stuffing a forkful of spaghetti into his mouth. "If's goin' 'o be s' muf fun!"

"Aiden, don't talk with your mouth full," Misty gently scolded her young son.

Sitting next to Aiden, Michelle raised a wry eyebrow and voiced, "Aiden can't stay up 'til midnight!"

The three adults knew exactly what was coming, and Aiden definitely didn't disappoint. "Yes I can! Why not?"

"It's 'cause we're too little," Michelle huffed. "It's too hard to stay up that late!"

"Well, I'm gonna'!" Aiden was not deterred. "Just you wait!"

"He sure talks a big game, huh?" Ash chuckled.

"He's a very determined little boy," Delia giggled. "Reminds me of another little boy I once knew!"

Ash chuckled before furrowing his brow in confusion and asking, "uh…who's that?"

"Oh, Ash," Misty sighed, smacking her hand against her forehead.

**XXX**

As the night wore on, Aiden's determination to stay awake until midnight only grew stronger. He wouldn't stop stressing that this was the night. He really knew it was.

Misty even had to fight with the boy to put on his pajamas. He argued that putting them on would only make him sleepy, but Misty managed to convince her young son that it would just be easier to put him to bed _after _midnight if they were on. And it wasn't a lie. The last thing Misty wanted to be doing past midnight was trying to wrangle a tired and cranky Aiden into his pajamas.

That had won her the argument, at least. Aiden was now running around the house in his blue and gray race car pajamas, thinking that would be a good way to keep himself up.

"Hey, Aiden!" Ash called after the boy. "Don't run in the house! You're gonna' break something!"

Right after Ash had yelled that, Aiden wound up running into the small, decorative table that Delia used to display an antique vase that Professor Oak had gotten for her. The rose bowl shook a few times, causing Ash to run forward and grab the piece of ceramic, saving it from a shattered fate. Aiden, on the other hand, had fallen onto his butt and was now sitting on the ground, whimpering and holding onto his head.

"See?" Ash sighed. "Now you got hurt!"

Aiden whimpered again, and Ash knew he couldn't stay mad at the boy, even though he _had _warned him about the dangers of running around in the house. Leaning down, he gathered Aiden into his arms and carried the upset boy into the living room, where Delia and Misty were busy giggling and playing with Michelle. As soon as they heard the whimpers, however, they all stopped and looked up at Ash.

"Oh my, what happened?" Delia questioned.

"Aiden was being naughty and running around the house," Ash explained. "He knocked himself right into a table and got hurt."

"Poor baby," Delia frowned.

"Give him to me," Misty held her arms out. Ash handed the boy off to his mother, watching as Misty sat Aiden on her lap and gave him a stern but loving look. "Aiden, what have I told you about running around indoors?"

"Bad," Aiden sniffled.

"Yes, and see what happened? You knocked your head," Misty pushed back Aiden's dark bangs to examine his forehead. "Are you okay, baby?"

"Uh huh," Aiden slowly nodded.

"Do you need Mommy to kiss your ouchie?" Misty smiled.

Again, Aiden sniveled but nodded his head. Leaning forward, Misty pressed her lips against the boy's forehead, kissing right where the small red mark was from where he'd hit his head on the table. "There. All better?"

"Yeah," Aiden murmured.

"Okay," Misty hugged the boy and turned him around so he was facing Michelle. The little red head was smiling at her brother, and blowing on a light blue noisemaker every few seconds. "Hey, that's a great idea, Michelle!"

"I didn't say nothing," Michelle blinked.

"You didn't have to," Misty giggled. "Aiden, I have a much better _and _safer way for you to try and keep yourself awake than running around Grammy's house!"

"What?" Aiden squeaked.

"You can play with these," Misty pointed at the box full of noisemakers. Curious, Aiden climbed off of Misty's lap and peered into the box, reaching in and pulling out a red one. "See? Your favorite color! Just blow into it and make some noise!"

Aiden stuck the noisemaker into his mouth and blew into the tube, creating a loud, squeaky sound that made him smile right away.

"Isn't that fun?" Misty giggled.

"Yeah!" Aiden nodded feverously before continuing to blow into the noisemaker along with his sister.

"Oh yeah, great idea, Mist," Ash groaned as the sharp sounds filled the air.

"Be quiet, Ash," Misty narrowed her eyes. "It's better than having Aiden run into furniture."

**XXX**

By ten o'clock, Michelle had already passed out. She slept soundly in Ash's arms for a while, the Pokémon Master smiling and occasionally pressing his ear against the girl's snug, white pointelle top in order to listen to her heartbeat. He loved to listen to it; it was such a soothing sound.

"Ash," Delia smiled at her son, finally leading him to pick his head up, "I think Michelle might be more comfortable if you put her down in the bed."

"Aww, but I love having my baby girl with me!" Ash chuckled.

Aiden, who was still very much awake at this point, was watching some kind of cartoon on the TV and being very loud while doing so. Obviously part of his attempts to stay awake.

"Well, you might want to put her in bed before all of Aiden's noise wakes her up," Misty suggested.

"Guess you're right," Ash smiled sadly down at his daughter. He never liked being separated from her, even when it was just for her to go to bed. "Come on, little princess." He patted her leg, covered by turquoise fleece printed with white hearts, and stood up in order to bring her into one of the bedrooms upstairs for the night.

"So, Aiden," Misty turned her attention onto her son while Ash was gone. "Are you getting sleepy yet?"

"Nope!" Aiden happily shook his head.

"He seems pretty wide awake to me," Delia giggled.

"I'm not going to sleep 'til _after _midnight!" Aiden stressed once again.

"My little man is so determined!" Misty cooed, kneeling down to gently pinch her son's cheek.

"_Moooommy!_" Aiden whined, causing both her and Delia to giggle.

**XXX**

An hour and a half later, and it was 11:30. Aiden was still awake. Ash and Misty were definitely surprised, to say the least.

"He's really putting up quite the fight, huh?" Ash leaned into his wife.

"I'm impressed," Misty giggled.

She and Ash were sitting on the couch, watching the special New Year's Eve program and waiting for the ball to drop at midnight. Delia was in the kitchen, preparing glasses of champagne for the big moment. Aiden had been on the floor, playing with Pikachu and Vaporeon, but he was now crawling over to the couch, stopping by his parents' feet and staring up at them.

"Hey there, champ!" Ash smiled at his young son. "What's up? You playing with the Pokémon?"

"I was," Aiden let out a small yawn.

"Aw, my little baby," Misty bustled, leaning down and gathering the young boy in her arms.

"I'm not a baby!" Aiden refuted, jolting awake at such a suggestion.

"You'll always be my baby!" Misty smiled into the boy's hair.

"No," Aiden's voice began to grow sleepy again.

"Are you getting sleep there, little guy?" Ash chuckled, rubbing the young boy's back.

"Nuh uh," Aiden shook his head, which he was now resting against Misty's chest. Smiling, Misty started to thread Aiden's midnight hair through her fingers, causing the boy to let out another yawn.

"You've only got ten more minutes, buddy!" Ash commented as he glanced over towards the clock. "Think you can do it?"

"Yeah…" Aiden mumbled, his voice barely audible.

When the one minute countdown to midnight started on the TV, Aiden was still awake. Ash couldn't deny that he was quite proud of his young son. He had set a goal, and he'd completed it! And at only five years old, too.

"He's a genius," Ash beamed at his wife.

"I don't think completing your goals makes you a genius," Misty eyed her husband with a mischievous glance. "Just really determined."

"Guess you're right," Ash blushed, nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

"It's alright," Misty smirked. "He's still a pretty smart little guy anyway!"

Finally, the clock struck midnight. The ball had dropped, and a new year had finally begun. Ash and Misty kissed as soon as it hit midnight; a well-known New Year's tradition. As soon as they separated, both young parents looked down at their son, who still had his head resting against Misty's body.

"You did it, champ!" Ash cheered. "You stayed awake 'til midnight!"

"You sure do know what you're talking about, huh?" Misty giggled.

The only response they got from the boy was a soft little snore. Both Ash and Misty looked down, but couldn't see much because Aiden's face was completely buried in Misty's chest. As gently as she possibly could, Misty turned Aiden's head so they could see his face. What they were met with was closed eyes and a louder snore than before.

"He's…asleep," Misty blinked.

"But he was just awake at 11:59," Ash reasoned.

"He must have fallen asleep in the minute before the ball fell," Misty looked up at Ash, who seemed quite stunned.

"Well, at least he tried," Ash finally smirked.

"Maybe next year, little guy," Misty smiled, leaning back against the couch and hugging her sleeping son more tightly.

* * *

><p><strong>This is probably my last one shot for 2012. I hope you all enjoyed it! I'll be seeing you all again in 2013 with PLENTY more one shots and other stories! So, Happy New Year to all of my readers out there!<strong>


	92. Plane Pain

**My first one shot of 2013! How exciting. I got the idea for this one while traveling to Florida :)**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 years old**

**Elizabeth: 3 months old**

* * *

><p><strong>Plane Pain<strong>

Misty had always hated flying with the twins.

They were both fairly terrible travelers, which both she and Ash found incredibly strange. As children, they had both loved traveling. It had pretty much been their whole lives, after all. Whether it be walking, or riding on a boat, plane, or train, Ash and Misty had plenty of travel experience and had enjoyed it all. Aiden and Michelle were nothing short of the exact opposite.

They hated being in cars or trains. It took too long; they would ask for the entire ride if they were there yet. Walking wasn't much better; they were too big for strollers now and started to whine that their legs hurt if they walked for too long. The worst form of travel with the twins in tow, however, was flying.

There was just nothing good about getting on an airplane with the twins. There were too many obstacles that made the whole ordeal far too stressful on both her _and _Ash. Her husband, however, had recently received word of a big battle tournament in Unova, where his presence was greatly wanted. So, of course, make it Misty's luck that the only efficient way to get to Unova from Kanto was by plane.

And _now, _just to make the situation even worse because that's just how it usually went with Misty, there was a baby to be brought along as well. Elizabeth. She had never flown with Elizabeth before. The small baby was only three months old, so of course she hadn't been on a plane yet…except for when Misty had flown to Sinnoh while she was five months pregnant with the girl. But Misty hardly counted that as flying experience for Elizabeth.

What was even worse about the flying situation was that they _always _sat in first class. Sure, that would be ideal for most people. Misty had _loved _it when there weren't children involved. But now there were. And they screamed _a lot. _The nasty looks from all the rich people on board was enough to drive Misty even crazier. Unfortunately, Scott never heeded her requests to _not _get tickets for first class, because in his mind, it wasn't acceptable for the Pokémon Master to travel coach.

_Of course not. Ash you pain in my-_

"Mommy! Elizabeth's wakin' up!"

Misty, who up until this point had been lost in her thoughts, gasped and whipped her head over her shoulder. Aiden, who was sitting next to the window, pointed down at the tan and pink carrier sitting in the seat between them. Glancing down, Misty groaned when she saw Elizabeth with her eyes wide open.

"Oh, I was hoping you would sleep through this," Misty muttered, unstrapping the baby and lifting her out of the carrier. She bounced the baby up and down in her cradled arms, patting the child's lower back at the same time. If anything, however, this only seemed to liven Elizabeth up even more. She let out a delighted gurgle, her legs kicking away happily in the air. Misty sighed, finally resigning to the fact that nothing was ever going to go her way.

"Mommy, we're going to be up in the clouds," Aiden commented as he pressed his face against the window. "I wonder if I'll see a Ho-Oh!"

"Maybe," Misty replied mindlessly, holding the baby closer against her chest. That didn't do much good, either.

"Daddy, get out! I wanna' look out the window! I can't see!"

"Just a minute, princess!"

"No! Out!"

Furrowing her brow, Misty got to her feet with her knees bent, just so she could see over to the seats in front of her. Ash was hanging over Michelle, who was sitting next to the window in their row. The raven haired man had his face in the window, and was blocking the entire view. Michelle, who was pretty much underneath her father's body, was pushing against his chest with her small hands, trying to get him away from the window.

"Ash Ketchum," Misty warned in a slow voice.

The handsome man looked up and stared at Misty with an innocent expression. Michelle was still pushing him, trying to get him to move.

"I'm already dealing with three kids on a plane," Misty narrowed her eyes, "do _not_ make it four."

Ash opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by a slap against the side of his neck, courtesy of Michelle.

"Ow!" Ash hissed, pressing his palm to the afflicted area. "Michelle!"

In turn, the little girl just laughed, obviously not feeling remorse for her little stunt.

"Michelle, you know that hitting is wrong, but right now your Daddy is ticking me off so I'll let it slide," Misty gave the girl a nod before sitting back down in her seat, still trying to lull Elizabeth back to sleep. Ash, who had apparently taken the slap as his final warning, was now leaning over the back of his own seat, staring down at Misty with curious brown eyes. Eventually, the gym leader felt the gaze of her husband on her and managed to growl, "What now?"

"You don't have to be so testy, you know," Ash calmly informed the red head.

Finally looking up with a deathly glower, Misty bit, "as soon as the twins _and _this baby start crying, I'll throw them all in your lap. Then we'll see who doesn't have to be so testy."

Ash's expression turned into one of fear, and he slowly sunk back into his own seat. Sighing, Misty returned to work on Elizabeth. The plane had started to move, however, and Misty knew she wouldn't be able to get the baby back to sleep before they took off. She bit her lip, trying to remember the ways that she could try and prevent the child from screaming out when the inevitable happened. Then, a great idea popped into the gym leader's head.

_Eating! That's it! That's what's supposed to help keep babies from crying on a flight!_

"Okay, Lizzie, Mommy is going to keep you nice and quiet!" Misty reached into the girl's carrier and pulled out the pink blanket out; the same one that Elizabeth had been wrapped in after her birth. Looking towards the window, Misty was pleased to see that Aiden was still distracted by the outside world. Smirking, she draped the blanket over herself and started to cuddle Elizabeth.

The actual flight itself wasn't so bad. Aiden was busy staring out the window, looking for any rare birds in the sky. Michelle, sitting in front of them, was busy playing with Ash. Even baby Elizabeth was keeping quiet and calm!

And then, the dissent began.

It only took about thirty seconds for Aiden to start complaining, a big frown on his face as he started to whine.

"Mommy, my ears hurt!" Aiden cried.

"I know, baby," Misty patted Aiden's head. "But it'll go away soon! Please, don't cry."

"It hurts!" Aiden's voice began to rise.

"Aiden, don't yell," Misty's tone became a little more stern. "I understand your ears hurt, but it isn't nice to scream on the plane."

Aiden pressed his hands against the sides of his head, covering his ears as he started to cry. Misty sighed and began to rub Aiden's arm, hoping to soothe the boy. At the same time, right in front of them, another set of whimpers sounded, causing Misty to sigh and lean forward in order to peer through the space between the two leather seats.

Michelle, much like her brother, was pulling at her ears and had a considerable frown on her face. But she wasn't the one whimpering. Rather, that was Ash, who had his head down and his shoulders hunched.

"Ash, what is _wrong _with you?" Misty sighed.

"My ears hurt so badly!" Ash grumbled without picking his head up.

"Seriously?" Misty deadpanned. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. He had never pulled this nonsense before. Honestly, it was a little ridiculous coming from a 27 year old man.

The sound of a seat belt unbuckling reached Misty's ears, and before she knew it, Michelle was scurrying into their row, whining and trying to climb into her mother's lap. It was rather difficult to do that when the woman was holding a baby in her arms, however.

"Michelle, honey, you're not supposed to be out of your seat," Misty used one arm to lift the child up. She placed the girl next to her, moving Elizabeth's carrier to the floor so Michelle would have enough room to sit.

"Mommy, my ears hurt!" Michelle was now sobbing _very _loudly. Sighing, Misty held the child close and attempted to bury the girl's face into her side so the cries wouldn't be so noisy. Aiden was now bawling too, however, and he was being even louder than Michelle. He obviously wanted Misty's attention as well, because he was trying to climb over his twin in order to get into Misty's lap. Groaning, she unbuckled her seatbelt and took up the middle seat, shifting Michelle to the seat that was closer to the aisle. By doing this, each twin was able to have one of her sides to hug as they wailed. Normally, Misty would rub their backs or stroke their hair, as that had a tendency to calm them down the smallest degree. With Elizabeth in her hold, however, this would be impossible. And Misty was too afraid to put Elizabeth down in her carrier because for now, the baby was being very quiet. She was happy, in fact, cooing and squeaking and smiling.

Then, the sound of yet another seatbelt unbuckling alerted Misty. She looked down and wondered if Aiden or Michelle had undone hers out of frustration due to the discomfort there were experiencing, but found that her buckle was still intact.

"What the…" Misty muttered before getting her answer. Ash was now inching his way into the row, face scrunched up in obvious pain. "Ash, your seat belt is supposed to be on!"

Picking up Michelle, Ash squeezed in next to Misty and removed her seat belt before re-fastening it around the _both _of them.

"There," Ash whimpered slightly.

"I meant your _own _seat belt!" Misty fumed. "In your _own _seat!"

"Misty, my ears are killing me!" Ash groaned, tugging at his earlobes. "Aren't yours?!"

"No!" Misty dramatically rolled her eyes.

Ash whimpered once more and buried his face into the side of Misty's neck, rubbing his nose against the space between her neck and shoulder. Michelle managed to climb onto Ash's lap in order to once again hug her mother. She was still screaming and crying on top of it. Aiden wasn't doing much better than his twin, getting tears and snot all over his frustrated mother. Sighing, Misty stared down at baby Elizabeth, who in turn smiled up at her mother.

"Why is it that you're three months old, and you're behaving better than two five year olds _and_ a 27 year old?" Misty inquired.

Elizabeth let out a very soft giggle and stuck a fist in her mouth; cheeks tinted a gentle and glowing pink as she continued to express her happiness.

"At least I've got _one _good flyer," Misty smirked, raising the baby to her face so she could rub their noses together. "Isn't that right, my beautiful baby?"

Elizabeth giggled once more, the smile on her face visible even behind her small fist. That was enough to put Misty in a better mood.

"_Misty…_"

"Oh, hush, Ash. Your baby daughter is being more of an adult than you are."


	93. Just Ducky

**I'm really stupid, but this fascinated me. Did you guys know this is my first one shot that starts with the letter "J"? That amuses me. I'm lame.**

**Aiden and Michelle: 21 months old**

* * *

><p><strong>Just Ducky<strong>

"MISTY!"

The tired gym leader groaned and rushed into the battle area, wondering what had happened now to cause such a frantic cry from her sister. It was probably something stupid again, like the discovery of an empty mascara tube or a hard to manage tangle in her hair. So Misty wasn't entirely sure of why she was running. Maybe because this time, it just felt different. Urgent, in a way.

When she finally got into the room, what Misty found was Daisy, standing by the side of the gym pool and staring out at the water with wide, sea green eyes. In the middle of the pool was Misty's injudicious Psyduck, crying out his name repeatedly as he hysterically splashed the water around him.

"Psyduck!" Misty gasped. Without so much as a second thought, she dove into the pool and swam over to her struggling duck Pokémon. Wrapping her arms around the water type, Misty swam over to the side of the pool and returned Psyduck to the safety of dry land. Sighing, Psyduck sat down on his butt and continued to pant, clearly overwhelmed by what he had just been through.

"Psy…psy…psy…."

Groaning, Misty pressed her hands against the floor and pushed herself up so she could haul her body out of the water. Once she was seated next to Psyduck, Misty narrowed her eyes and glared down at the yellow duck.

"Psyduck, what were you thinking?" Misty scolded. "You know you can't swim!"

"Psy…" Psyduck lowered his head in shame.

Turning her gaze up to her older sister, Misty slowly shook her head and asked, "You were in here the whole time, what happened?"

"Psyduck wasn't even _out_ when I came in here," Daisy explained. "I had just come in from the front desk to check something out. I thought I might have left one of your forms in here that the League sent. Anyway, once I found it on the bench, I heard the sound of a poke ball opening. The second I turned around, I saw Psyduck waddling towards the pool. I ran after him, but before I could even reach him, he jumped right into the water. And that's when I yelled for you, because I know that Psyduck can't swim."

Misty pressed a hand against her forehead. She had really thought this would be Daisy's fault. But it wasn't. It was all _Psyduck's _fault. He'd been letting himself out of his poke ball again and causing trouble. It seemed that not a day went by in the gym without Psyduck creating some kind of mess.

"It's been 13 years and Psyduck _still _can't swim," Misty complained. "And no matter how much I've tried to teach him, nothing sticks."

"I know, it's frustrating," Daisy furrowed her brow.

Once again glancing at Psyduck, Misty sighed and folded her arms across her chest. "What am I going to do with you?"

She had an idea, but she wasn't so sure that it was something she wanted to do. But just because she didn't _want _to…didn't mean it wasn't the right thing to do.

**XXX**

"Misty…you want to give Psyduck away?"

"I didn't say that," Misty was giving her shocked husband a sad stare. "I only…suggested it. As an idea. A potential idea."

"This just seems so sudden," Ash blinked. He had been sitting at the kitchen table filling out some paperwork when Misty had approached him with her bombshell of an idea. "What made you think about doing that?"

"I was in the gym doing something and while I was busy, Psyduck let himself out of his poke ball and wound up in the pool," Misty elucidated. "Fortunately, Daisy was in the room at the time and managed to get me. But if there had been no one in there…well, I'd hate to think of what could have happened."

"So you're concerned about Psyduck's safety," Ash concluded. "Well, that's not such a big deal! You can just keep Psyduck's poke ball in the house!"

"No, I can't," Misty shook her head. "That's the problem."

"What do you mean?" Ash frowned.

"Aiden and Michelle," Misty rested her head in her hand. "They're almost two years old. They're getting into that crazy toddler phase. Those two run around _everywhere, _and watching after them is a job in itself. It has been ever since they were born, but with them becoming adventurous little toddlers, it's only getting to become more work. I don't exactly need Psyduck to be a third child. I'm nowhere near ready or up for that."

"Then you might not have a choice, Mist," Ash shrugged. "Psyduck really is a handful. He always has been, and I don't think that's going to change."

Misty stared down at the table for a few seconds before responding, "Maybe it can."

Raising an eyebrow, Ash tapped his pen against his temple and inquired, "You have an idea, don't you?"

"What if I tried to teach Psyduck how to _live_ in the house, like Pikachu and Vaporeon?" Misty asked. "Then I wouldn't have to worry about him falling into the pool, or causing any trouble!"

"You really think that's a good idea?" Ash didn't sound so certain.

"I don't know, but what I _do _know is giving Psyduck away is a last resort," Misty frowned. "He may get on my nerves an awful lot, but he _is _my Pokémon, and I do love him just as much as the others. Giving him away would hurt me so much. So…what do I have to lose?"

Ash bit his lip and lowered the tip of his pen back to the stack of papers that sat in front of him. He didn't want to tell Misty his true thoughts, but Ash had a pretty good feeling that trying to teach Psyduck to be a "house Pokémon" wasn't going to work out. Sure, he had suggested keeping the _poke ball _inside the house, but with the intention of Psyduck staying inside. Letting the yellow duck loose on his own seemed to be even more trouble than what Ash had originally suggested.

He hoped Misty knew what she was getting herself into.

**XXX**

"Mommy! Ball!"

Giggling at her excited young son, Misty held out the red and white sphere and replied, "That's right, baby! It's a poke ball!"

Aiden toddled over to his mother and patted the ball with his small hand. At the tender age of 21 months old, he was already completely enamored by Pokémon. He loved to learn about the different creatures and had already informed his parents that he wanted to be a "Po'mon 'rainer."

"Po'mon?" Aiden asked, glancing up at his mother.

"Yeah, there's a Pokémon inside," Misty nodded. "Should we see which one?"

Aiden nodded his head feverously. Laughing, Misty prepared to press the center button of the ball to open it up, but before she could get her finger on the small white circle, the ball opened up on its own, a bright blue light emerging and materializing into none other than Psyduck.

"Duck!" Aiden grinned. He couldn't say "Psyduck." Not yet, anyway.

"Oh, Psyduck, you're supposed to wait until _I _let you out of your poke ball!" Misty whined.

"Psy-aye?" Psyduck tilted his head, causing Misty to sigh and rub her temples.

"This is going to be a long day…"

"Mommy, Duck go."

"Huh?" Misty looked up and found Aiden teetering towards the doorframe. "Aiden, wait! What do you mean Psyduck is going?"

Aiden stopped in his tracks and pointed out into the hallway. "Go. Duck is gone."

Looking around the room, Misty was less than pleased to realize that Psyduck was, in fact, missing. He couldn't even wait five seconds for her to talk to him! Grumbling, she made her way out into the hallway and caught sight of Psyduck waddling towards the staircase, without a care in the world.

"No, Psyduck!" Misty charged forward and grabbed the confused water type before he could make it onto the steps. "You need to stay away from the stairs!"

At the same time, a giggling Aiden was making his own trail towards the steps, causing Misty to huff and pick the little boy up in her other arm.

"The same goes for you, little guy," Misty cautioned.

With both Psyduck _and _Aiden safe from falling down the stairs, Misty carried them down herself, into the den. She sat Aiden in the corner, with the sea of toys that had been gathered for him and his sister. With the boy distracted, Misty placed Psyduck down in front of her and started to explain to him why he was in the house.

"Now, Psyduck, from now on, I'd like you to live in the house with us, where it's safer," Misty said. "But, it's _only _safer if you behave. And listen to me. Do you think you can do that, Psyduck?"

"Psy?" Psyduck blinked.

"I'll just take that as a yes," Misty giggled.

Without so much as another syllable, Psyduck waddled over to where Aiden was sitting on his plastic sit and spin, laughing and trying to get himself to move around in a circle. Taking notice of Psyduck's presence, Aiden stopped his spinning and shouted, "Duck, play!"

"Psy-aye," Psyduck reached out with his wings and held the red circle in the middle, starting to rapidly spin the toy. Aiden held tight onto the red circle, laughing hysterically. Eventually, however, his fingers slipped and he fell off the bottom blue disk, nearly colliding with the couch.

Misty gasped and ran over to Aiden, gathering the little boy into her arms and fussing immensely over him, her eyes filled with fear.

"Aiden! Sweetie, are you okay?!"

"Yeah!" Aiden chirped, a big smile on his face.

Misty looked the boy over, frantically searching for any scrapes or cuts. When she didn't find any, and was sure that the child was really okay, Misty gave him a kiss on the head and set him free before glaring at the yellow duck standing before her. "Psyduck! That was terrible!"

"Psy," Psyduck lowered his head in shame.

Sighing, Misty picked up Psyduck and continued, "You can't play so rough with Aiden, he's still very little. You're lucky he didn't get hurt! But I guess that's just something you have to learn when it comes to living in the house."

"Duck," Psyduck quacked.

"How about you try playing with Aiden a little more gently?" Misty asked, once again putting the water type near her young son. He was now sitting _next _to his sit and spin, rather than on it, but was still sporting his big grin.

"Duck!" Aiden cheered. "Get on!" He started patting the bottom blue circle of his toy. Psyduck was confused, but nevertheless, he waddled over to the toy and sat down. Once he was seated, Aiden grabbed the center circle and began to spin the toy, just as quickly as Psyduck had before.

"Aiden, don't!" Misty warned, but it was too late. Psyduck was soon flying through the air, much higher up than Aiden had, and the Pokémon ended up knocking into the television, nearly sending the screen onto the floor. "Aiden!"

"Duck did it," Aiden pointed an accusatory finger at Psyduck. "I leawn! I spin fast!"

"Oh boy," Misty grumbled, walking over to Psyduck and lifting the swirly eyed creature off the floor. "How about we take you upstairs, where you might cause a little less trouble?"

"Psy aye…"

"And you, Aiden, you're going to come with me, too," Misty gathered the boy once again.

"Why?" Aiden whined.

"Because I can't leave you down here alone."

"I wanna' pway."

"Can't you play in your room?"

"Yeah…"

"Come on, then," Misty smiled, once again making her way up the stairs and into Aiden and Michelle's shared room. They had been in the same room since they were first born, although Ash and Misty were planning to separate them soon. Probably for their second birthdays. As soon as Misty put Aiden down, he toddled over to his side, picking up some stuffed Pokémon and playing with them. Misty smirked; she found it pretty amusing that no matter where you went in the house, you'd find toys belonging to Aiden and Michelle.

On the pink side of the room, Michelle was still sleeping. It _was _still early in the morning, but Aiden had already woken up. He liked to get up early, it seemed. The fact that he was a very light sleeper didn't help either. Misty usually let Michelle sleep in a little later, but she figured now would be a good time to wake the girl up. While she gently coaxed Michelle out of her sleep, Psyduck stood quietly by the leg of the girl's crib. Once Misty managed to wake Michelle up and pull the toddler out of her crib, she sat her down next to Psyduck, the still slightly sleepy girl perking up at the sight of the Pokémon.

"Ducky!" Michelle pointed at Psyduck.

"Yeah, Psyduck is here!" Misty giggled. "You can play with him while I pick out your clothes for today."

Once her mother had walked away, Michelle smiled and turned towards Psyduck, reaching out for his wings. Psyduck, however, simply followed after Misty, not saying a word as he trailed behind his trainer. Squeaking, Michelle got to her feet and teetered after the water type, still wanting to play with him.

Misty, who was unaware that all of this was going on behind her, made it to the closet on Michelle's side of the room and opened the door, looking through the racks and trying to decide which outfit Michelle should wear for the day. While Misty was busy contemplating, Psyduck managed to sneak past the young woman and into the small space, underneath the clothes that hung on the lowest of the three racks. Smiling, Michelle was quick to follow, also slipping underneath the hanging clothes.

After deciding on a layered sleeve top and a pair of embroidered jeans, Misty turned around to bring the clothes back over to her daughter. She was surprised, however, to see that both Psyduck _and _Michelle were no longer sitting by the crib.

"Psyduck?" Misty called. "Michelle?"

A loud shriek is what alerted Misty and caused her to whip back around. The bottom row of clothes had all fallen down, along with their hangers. The material soon started to move, and muffled sounds could be heard from underneath.

"Michelle!" Misty gasped, kneeling down and throwing the clothes out of the way. With enough of the material cleared out, Michelle managed to pop up, Psyduck at her side. Misty's heart was racing for the second time that morning, and she'd decided that she _really _didn't enjoy it. "Are you okay?!"

"Yes, Mama," Michelle nodded. She, like her brother before her, was not crying or even upset. Rather, she was smiling.

"It's dangerous to play in the closet!" Misty scolded. "Something a lot heavier than clothes might have fallen on you!"

"Mama, Ducky!" Michelle explained, as well as an almost two year old _could _explain. "I fowwow Ducky. He fowwowed you. I wanna' pway wif' Ducky."

Grimacing, Misty glared at Psyduck and asked, "Can't you _ever _stay out of trouble?"

"Psy…duck."

"I'll take that one as a no," Misty buried her face in her hands.

**XXX**

It had been a _very _long day, trying to adapt Psyduck to the life of a house Pokémon. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to be working. The water type just kept getting himself into all sorts of trouble, and practically giving Misty heart attacks over incidents with her young twins. Incidents that were incited by Psyduck himself.

By late afternoon, Misty was relieved that Ash was home and it was time to cook dinner. Now _he _could watch after Psyduck and the twins while she got some time to herself…even if it was through cooking for her family.

When the food was nearly done, Misty called for Ash to start gathering everyone into the kitchen. He got Aiden and Michelle into their seats, and then yelled for Pikachu and Vaporeon to come in as well. Psyduck had already followed Ash into the room, and was standing by the table with a confused look on his face. He just watched as Pikachu and Vaporeon came running in, eager to have some dinner. Chuckling at the Pokémon's excitement, Ash took out three bowls and filled each one with food that had been specially made for each type by Brock. Pikachu and Vaporeon began to eat right away, but Psyduck was not as quick. He just stood there for a few minutes, watching the two other house Pokémon enjoy their meals. Finally, instead of reaching into his own bowl for food, Psyduck took some out of Vaporeon's bowl and stuffed the pieces into his mouth.

Needless to say, this move didn't exactly impress the bubble jet Pokémon.

"Vay!" Vaporeon shouted at Psyduck. "Vay vaporeon!"

"Psy, duck?" Psyduck tilted his head.

"Vay!"

Ash raised an eyebrow and peered down at the three Pokémon. What he found was a bewildered Psyduck being stared down by an incredibly angry Vaporeon, and the two conflicting Pokémon being watched by a concerned Pikachu.

"Pika…"

"What's going on down there?" Ash demanded to know.

"Pika Pikachu pikaka pi," Pikachu explained nervously.

Apparently not getting the hint that Vaporeon was ticked off, Psyduck leaned forward once more to pluck some food from Vaporeon's bowl. This time, both Ash and Misty witnessed it, and couldn't believe what they were seeing.

With a feral hiss, Vaporeon sprang forward and pounced on Psyduck, trapping the incapable duck beneath her paws. He cried out in fear, frantically waving his wings as he tried to escape from Vaporeon's predator hold. Vaporeon, meanwhile, opened her mouth and began to form some rainbow colored energy.

"Misty, Vaporeon is gonna' use aurora beam!" Ash's eyes widened.

"Okay, that's enough!" Misty raced forward and pried Vaporeon off of Psyduck, much to the dopey Pokémon's relief. Vaporeon, however, only became more annoyed, snarling down at Psyduck before continuing to hiss. "Vaporeon, stop! I know you're mad, but attacking Psyduck won't help you get your food back. Now, go back to your dinner."

She placed the eeveelotuion on the floor and blocked the blue skinned Pokémon from getting near Psyduck again. With an audible huff, Vaporeon shot Psyduck one last glare before sitting in front of her bowl once more, with her back now towards the flustered yellow duck.

With an undeniably angry look on her face, Misty bent down and picked up Psyduck, giving the water type a harsh glare. He wasn't even frightened by such a look, instead simply tilting his head and letting out a bewildered, "psy?"

"I can't do this anymore," Misty informed the duck in a sad, dark tone, much to Ash's surprise. "I'm sorry, Psyduck." She reached to her waist and pulled off Psyduck's poke ball, returning the duck to the sanctuary of his sphere. Sighing, she shrunk the poke ball back down and reattached it to her waist. She knew what was going to come next, but she'd have to wait until after dinner to do it.

**XXX**

"Aiden, Michelle, come here, babies. Mommy needs to tell you something."

The toddlers both stopped playing with their toys, instead looking up at their mother. She was now sitting down by their corner full of toys, eyes looking quite sad and sorrowful. There was even a noticeable frown on her face.

"Mama sad?" Michelle asked.

"Maybe just a little," Misty couldn't lie to her children. "There's something very important that you two have to know."

"Wha'?" Aiden squeaked, holding onto a stuffed Pikachu.

"I'm…afraid that Psyduck won't be living with us anymore," Misty explained in a soft, easy way for the twins to understand. "He's going to go away for a little bit."

"Mama, whewe's Ducky go?" Michelle frowned.

"He's going to stay with Nurse Joy for a little while," Misty stroked Michelle's hair. "And then, he'll get a new trainer. It'll be good for Psyduck."

"Mama, why can' Duck stay?" Aiden murmured.

"Psyduck takes a lot of work, he's…a special Pokémon," Misty explained. "But I have you two to take care of now. I don't have nearly as much time to watch after him like I did when I was younger. It's all too much for me, and it's even proved to be a little dangerous. This just isn't the best place for Psyduck to be living anymore, is all."

"No, Mama!" Michelle whined, causing Misty's eyes to widen.

"No what, little princess?"

"Ducky stay," Michelle patted the floor. "Stay hewe."

"I told you, baby, he can't."

"I no wan' Ducky go," Michelle frantically shook her head before sniffling. "No go."

"Oh, sweetie, are you crying?" Misty's heart twisted painfully.

"No," Michelle muttered before rubbing at her eyes. Her frown deepening, Misty gathered Michelle into her arms and hugged the child close to her, hoping to soothe the upset toddler.

"Mama, Duck stay," Aiden echoed Michelle's sentiments. He wasn't crying, however. He was actually beginning to sound _angry._

"Aiden, it's not a good idea, honey," Misty slowly shook her head.

"I wan' Duck!" Aiden yelled now. "Duck's my fwiend!"

"Aiden…"

Crawling forward, Aiden plucked the lone poke ball off of his mother's waist; the one that contained Psyduck. Getting to his feet, he ran out of the room, yelling "Shelly! Shelly!" as he scurried out. Michelle jumped off of Misty's lap and followed after her brother, leaving behind a stunned Misty.

"Aiden, Michelle!" Misty cried, jumping to her own feet and chasing after the twins. "Come back with that poke ball!"

Because they couldn't climb the stairs on their own, Aiden and Michelle sought refuge in the living room, behind the couch. Misty actually lost track of them for a short moment, until she heard the sound of a poke ball popping open, and saw the bright blue light. Quietly, Misty snuck up to the couch and peered behind it, standing a good enough distance from the piece of furniture so that the twins wouldn't see her spying.

What she wound up seeing was Psyduck out of his poke ball, standing with his wings on his head, like usual. Aiden and Michelle had their arms wrapped around him and were holding the Pokémon tight. And then, Misty realized that the two were _talking _to Psyduck.

"S'okay, Duck," Aiden assured the water type. "You stay."

"Yeah," Michelle added. "We won' let Mama…take you. You stay hewe, Ducky."

"Psy…" Psyduck lowered his wings and instead used them to hug Aiden and Michelle back.

Misty bit her lip and stood up to her full height. That was easily the sweetest thing she'd ever witnessed in her life. Aiden and Michelle really did love that dopey duck…it was precious. And they loved him so much that they would go out of their way to protect him and make sure that Misty didn't give him away.

_That was such a terrible idea. I know he's more trouble than he's worth, and he gives me ten times the amount of headaches that _he _gets…but I still love Psyduck. And the twins love him too. Maybe even more than me. They think he's their best friend…_

"Aiden, Michelle," Misty called softly, trying to hold back tears. "Please come back out here."

"NO!" They both cried at the same time.

"You don't have to be upset," Misty got down on her hands and knees and crawled over to where the twins were protecting Psyduck. "Psyduck isn't going anywhere."

"Weally?" Aiden muttered.

"Yes, really," Misty giggled softly before stroking the top of Psyduck's head. "He's part of this family. And he's going to stay right here, with us."

Aiden and Michelle both beamed up at their mother, who was quick to return the action. It was truly amazing how a pair of toddlers could teach her so much more than she already knew. Misty loved every moment of it, and she couldn't wait to learn more from them.

And Psyduck would be around to see it, too.

* * *

><p><strong>Aww.<strong>

**I came up with this idea yesterday, when I was watching Pokemon Chronicles with my friend. We were watching "The Blue Badge of Courage" and I thought "how would Misty be able to put up with Psyduck's nonsense when she has kids?" So...I came up with this :P**


	94. Misty and Cold

**Guys, guess what? HOCKEY IS BACK. I GET MY BOYS BACK, YEEEEAH. I was actually dying since September. I don't know how I survived the past 4 months. Probably through writing for you guys ;) It sure as hell wasn't college, I can tell you that much.**

**Anyway, all of my one shots have been super long lately. So hopefully you guys enjoy the long ones! This one is appropriate for the time of year :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 9 years old**

**Elizabeth: 3 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Misty and Cold<strong>

"A-_choo!_"

Ash groaned in his sleep and turned his back to his wife. He had no idea which one of his children was hanging over them, sneezing their little nose off. Really, it could be any of the three. Either way, he was really tired and wanted some more sleep. He was sure Misty would tend to it, anyway.

"Ah…ah…_choo!_"

Whining, Ash finally opened his eyes and sat up, expecting to come face to face with Aiden, Michelle, or Elizabeth. He didn't, however. In fact, none of the children were on the bed. But he wasn't crazy. He had just heard two very loud sneezes!

"A-_choo!_"

Looking to his right, Ash was shocked to see Misty sitting up with her head facing away from him, nose and mouth buried into the crook of her elbow.

"Misty?" Ash asked softly.

Sniffling, Misty finally straightened her body out and turned her head to face Ash, not even bothering to give him a smile. "g'eah?"

Ash's eyes widened. Her nose was bright red, and the rest of her face was very pale. Her usually bright emerald eyes were glassy as well. And the way she had just spoken…she sounded so strange.

"You're…sick?" Ash blinked. He had meant for it to come out as a statement, not a question. It was just odd. Misty rarely _ever _got sick. It was weird enough seeing her throw up every single day the two times she was pregnant. This was just not commonplace.

"I fink so," Misty sniffled again before raising her arm to her mouth again, this time to cough into her inner elbow.

"You're a mess," Ash frowned, causing Misty to scowl at him.

"Gee, 'anks," Misty deadpanned.

"At least you've still got some bite left in ya'," Ash chuckled. He rested his hands on Misty's shoulders and gently pushed her down, until she was lying back down. Once her head was on its pillow, Misty sniffled again and stared up at Ash with sorrowful eyes.

"Sorfy," Misty apologized.

"For what?" Ash stroked Misty's cheek.

"A-_choo!_" Another sneeze interrupted Misty's answer.

"Shh, it's alright, you don't have to apologize for anything," Ash smoothed out Misty's ginger hair. "Everyone gets sick once in a while. Even the powerful gym leader of Cerulean City!"

Misty smirked before starting up a coughing fit, one strong enough that Ash began to grow very concerned.

"Are you okay?" Ash rubbed her side.

"Mmhm," Misty managed to speak once the coughs died down. "It's juft a cold. Don't worry 'bout it."

"Well, I think it would be best if you just stayed in bed for today," Ash folded his arms before nodding to himself. Yes, that sure was a good plan.

"I can't," Misty refuted, trying to sit up, "I need to make brea'feast for eberyone, and go grofery shopping, and clof' the gym-"

"Uh uh, you'll be doing _none_ of that," Ash smirked, pushing his wife back down. "I can take care of everything, sweetheart. Don't you worry about a thing! I'll go close up the gym right now, so all of those eager little trainers will know they'll just have to wait another day for their Cascade badges."

"You're sure?" Misty sniffled.

"Positive," Ash nodded. "Just leave it to me!"

Ash patted Misty's knee and got up from the bed, walking out of the bedroom with the intention of heading next door to the gym in order to close it up. Misty, who was left lying in bed, simply smiled and closed her eyes, hoping to maybe get some more sleep now that she was ordered on bed rest by her worrisome husband.

**XXX**

Ash had gotten down the stairs, reaching the key hooks by the door and plucking off Misty's key ring, which had the gym key attached to it.

"Mommy!"

A small red head came running into the foyer, looking around curiously for her mother. She was still dressed in her pajamas; a white fleece nightgown printed with pink, black, and gray polka dots and a pink fleece bow applique on the chest.

"Elizabeth, sweetie, Mommy is upstairs," Ash informed his young daughter.

"Okay," Elizabeth replied, toddling over to the steps and preparing to climb them.

"Maybe I should have worded that differently," Ash smirked, walking back over to the stairs and picking Elizabeth up. Once in her father's arms, the child squeaked in surprise, but didn't fight the hold. "Pumpkin, Mommy is a little bit sick. I think we should just let her rest for today."

"Sick?" Elizabeth repeated, a frown forming on her face. "Is Mommy gonna' die?"

"Oh, no baby, of course not," Ash smiled sympathetically at the girl. "It's just a little cold is all! Your Mommy will be just fine."

"Oh, okay," Elizabeth calmed down quite quickly. "Well…I'm hungwy!"

"I'll feed you," Ash assured the child, putting her back down on the floor. "But is it okay if I go to the gym first?"

"Aiden and Michelle are yelling," Elizabeth replied.

"Huh?" Ash blinked. That really didn't answer his question.

"In thewe," Elizabeth pointed at the doorway that led into the kitchen. "Yelling."

Ash blinked again, and suddenly, what Elizabeth was trying to explain to him made sense. He could hear two voices from inside the kitchen, obviously combatting with one another. Over what he couldn't tell, but Ash was _sure _this was a pretty solid fight. He needed to break it up. Sighing, he hung Misty's keys back on their hook and made his way into the kitchen, with Elizabeth scurrying along by his feet.

What he found was Aiden and Michelle, standing in front of the refrigerator and arguing with one another. They were right in each other's faces, with their noses all but touching. Ash furrowed his brow, not even amused at the moment that they looked so much like him and Misty as children.

"Alright, you two, knock it off," Ash sighed. He had a habit of not being very loud with his children, unless he was really at the end of his rope. That warning was enough to stop the children, who backed away from each other and instead began to lament to their father.

"Dad, Aiden wants waffles for breakfast, but _I _want pancakes," Michelle complained. "Tell him he can have his stupid waffles tomorrow!"

"Why don't you tell her that she can have her stupid _pancakes _tomorrow?" Aiden bit.

"Well, neither of you will be getting what you want today," Ash crossed his arms, "because _I'm _in charge of breakfast."

"You?!" Aiden and Michelle chimed simultaneously.

"Your mother is sick," Ash nodded, "so I'm doing everything for her today."

"It's okay," Elizabeth piped up, "Mommy isn't going to die."

Sighing, Ash ran a hand through his dark hair and murmured, "Yes. Thank you, Lizzie."

"You awe welcome!" Elizabeth saluted her father.

"Well, this is terrible," Aiden hung his head. "You can't cook."

"You're darn right I can't!" Ash smirked. "So, cereal it is!"

"I knew I should've stayed in bed today," Michelle grumbled.

**XXX**

After everyone finished Ash's perfectly untarnished meal of cereal and milk, he ordered everyone to get dressed so they could assist him with grocery shopping, the next chore on Misty's "to do" list.

"Why the heck do _we _have to help you?" Aiden motioned to himself and his sisters. "When _Mom _goes grocery shopping, she does it on her own."

"Because I'm not your mother," Ash ruffled Aiden's hair, only because he knew it irritated the boy so much. "And I don't really know how grocery shopping works. I don't know what you guys like."

"I like candy," Elizabeth helpfully supplied, sitting on her knees and hanging over the back of her chair.

"Then maybe I'll buy you some candy at the store," Ash smiled sweetly at his youngest daughter. "But only if you get dressed!"

Elizabeth nodded feverously and hopped off her chair, running up the stairs as quickly as she could. This wasn't very quick, considering how small she was. Really, it was her crawling up the stairs, going hands first and _then _feet.

"Michelle, will you make sure your sister doesn't tear down her room while she's getting ready?" Ash requested. Elizabeth was like her mother; a little bit of a tornado when it came to things like picking out clothes or trying to find something.

"Sure," Michelle shrugged. She was used to being asked to watch after her younger sister. It wasn't a terrible imposition, seeing as Elizabeth was a pretty easy kid to work with.

Ash eventually convinced Aiden to come along with them, but only through bribery. The offer of a practice battle later using Ash's Pokémon was perfect leverage for the Pokémon Master. It got Aiden running upstairs like a Rapidash with a fire lit underneath it. With all of the children on board for the grocery store trip, Ash decided he should follow that same advice and get _himself _dressed. It would probably be a good idea to check on Misty, anyway.

Upon returning to their bedroom, Ash was pleased to see that Misty had fallen back asleep. She looked a little pathetic, with her bright red nose and pale complexion, but she certainly appeared to be sleeping quite soundly despite these setbacks. She was even _snoring, _which the pretty red head usually never did.

"Guess that's what being sick does to ya'," Ash murmured, laughing to himself. He disappeared into his closet, slipping on an easy and casual outfit consisting of a dark blue polo shirt and black jeans. Once he was dressed, however, the trouble was only getting to get reignited.

"DADDY!"

Gasping, Ash looked towards Misty and noticed her brow twitching. She was a light sleeper when it came to the kids…hearing one of them shriek like that was going to wake her up for sure! Quickly, he made his way out into the hallway, where his eyes nearly fell out of his head upon seeing Elizabeth.

She was standing before her father, wearing an eclectic outfit made up of a navy blue, floral printed shirt with pink and white polka dot long sleeves, and a skirt striped in pink, light blue, yellow, green, and white with pink leggings underneath that were printed with white flowers. On her feet was a pair of white rain boots printed with sparkly pink hearts, and on her head was a floppy pink sunhat with an equally pink flower on the side.

You knew it was a bad combination when even _Ash _could tell that the outfit didn't match up.

"Keep your voice down, Lizzie," Ash managed to speak.

"Daddy, Shelly's tryin' to make me change!" Elizabeth pouted.

"Do you blame me?!" Michelle suddenly appeared out of her younger sister's room. "Look at that outfit! It's an eyesore!"

"No, it's _pwetty!_" Elizabeth yelled.

"Elizabeth, inside voice!" Ash hushed.

"I don' wanna' change!" Elizabeth whined.

"Look, Lizzie, sweetie, it really _isn't _the best outfit to wear to the supermarket," Ash slowly tried. "How about we go back into your room and find something else that might match a little bit-"

"Daddy, I picked this!" Elizabeth tugged at her skirt. "And I wanna' wear it! I wanna', I wanna', I WANNA'!"

From back inside his own bedroom, Ash could a quiet, disturbed groan, causing him to grimace and wave his hands in front of himself. "Okay, okay! You can wear that. Just…no more yelling, okay?"

"Okay," Elizabeth nodded before bustling down the stairs.

Michelle gave her father a wide eyed, disbelieving stare before asking, "What in the world was that?"

"I can't have her running around the house screaming like that," Ash frowned. "It'll wake your mother up, and that's the _last _thing I want! If I have to live with taking your little sister out in public in an atrocious outfit like that just to keep her quiet, then so be it."

All Michelle could do was raise an eyebrow before walking into her own bedroom in order to change out of her pajamas. She never _could_ get over how strange this family was.

**XXX**

Having survived the brush with disaster when it came to Elizabeth's outfit induced near meltdown, Ash managed to make it to the supermarket with his three kids in tow. Wanting to keep his terribly dressed three year old out of any more unwanted shenanigans, Ash placed her in the child seat of a shopping cart before walking into the store.

"Okay…" Ash murmured to himself, "What am I supposed to buy?"

"Didn't you bring the list with you?" Michelle asked.

"What list?" Ash blinked.

"Mom always makes a shopping list when she goes to the supermarket," Michelle explained. "That way she knows what she needs to buy."

"I…don't think your Mom made me a list," Ash frowned.

"What?" Michelle's eyes widened once again. "How are we supposed to know what to buy, then?"

"Uh oh!" Elizabeth added.

"Oh, you guys are a bunch of babies," Aiden complained. "It's not that hard! You don't need some stupid list to buy groceries. Just buy stuff that you _think _you need and you'll be fine!"

"But that could be anything!" Michelle argued.

"Dad, come on, it's easy," Aiden narrowed his eyes. "We'll just walk through the store and look at everything. When we see something that we eat or drink a lot of, then we'll buy it! It's not like we don't have the money for it, anyway."

"Aiden," Ash sighed, giving his son a disapproving look, "you know what I've told you about flaunting our money. It isn't right. And it doesn't matter how much we have; I'm not looking to spend money just for the sake of spending it!"

"Either way, you're not gonna' get any food just by standing here," Aiden scoffed. "Come on, let's go look!"

And with that, he ran off through the produce section. Elizabeth looked over her shoulder and waved at her brother, while Ash and Michelle simply exchanged disbelieving looks. Shaking his head, Ash began to push the cart after Aiden, while Michelle followed dutifully alongside.

The rest of the family eventually found Aiden gathering different fruits in his arms: bananas, apples, oranges, and peaches. Once he had collected them all, he brought them back over to his father's shopping cart and dropped them into the large metal basket.

"There," Aiden beamed, "fruit!"

"Do we really need all of that?" Michelle peered into the back of the cart.

"Mom likes fruit," Aiden shrugged.

"Candy?" Elizabeth turned towards her father.

"Uh…we're not up to the candy aisle yet," Ash blinked.

"Let's go!" Elizabeth whined, kicking her legs from the cart's seat.

"Alright, just calm down, pumpkin!" Ash placed his hand on the child's hat covered head. "We'll get there soon enough. Until then, just help me find stuff you think Mommy needs in the house, okay?"

While Ash was trying to soothe Elizabeth, Aiden and Michelle had run off to the vegetables in order to gather some of those. They each came back with a few different things, including broccoli, spinach, and peas. The most interesting choices, however, were the two separate vegetables held by each one: peppers by Aiden, and carrots by Michelle.

"Uh, guys, those two things aren't allowed in the house," Ash blinked, surprised that his children had seemingly forgot this little fact.

"Well, that's why I picked out carrots!" Michelle beamed. "I like them, but Mom never lets them in the house, so I can never have them. Those gross peppers, on the other hand, can stay right here."

"Nice try," Aiden rolled his eyes. "Why don't you put those disgusting _carrots _back? I want to have some peppers! For vegetables, they actually taste pretty good!"

"Something tells me if I buy carrots and peppers, your Mom will kill me," Ash shook his head. "She won't even _touch _them. So she's not going to cook anything with them."

"Come on, Dad, just this once?" Michelle frowned.

Sighing, Ash looked down at Elizabeth and asked his youngest child, "What do you think, baby? Should I let Aiden and Michelle get their peppers and carrots?"

"I like dose!" Elizabeth nodded.

"Fine," Ash grumbled, leading the twins to dump their gathered vegetables into the cart along with the previously picked fruit.

The food shopping started off pretty smoothly, even after the short spat over having no list and deciding to buy the carrots and peppers. Ash and his children went about Aiden's idea of simply picking whatever they usually ate off the shelves; throwing them into the cart and hoping that they would actually need it.

It was also great having two older children who knew their way around the store. While Ash was in the cookie aisle, Aiden offered to go get milk, while Michelle scurried off to pick out cereal. This left Ash alone with Elizabeth, trying to get the three year old to pick out _something._

"Come on, Lizzie, it's not so hard," Ash hung over the handle of the shopping cart. His daughter's body was twisted around, bright green eyes scanning the shelves to try and find which box of cookies she wanted. In hindsight, this probably wouldn't help too much considering she couldn't read yet.

"Chip!" Elizabeth finally decided with a big smile.

"Chocolate chip?" Ash picked his head up.

"Uh huh," Elizabeth nodded.

"Easy enough," Ash smirked, walking away from the cart in order to pick out a box of chocolate chip cookies. With her father gone, Elizabeth started to look around the aisle, wondering if she could find anything interesting to observe in the meantime. And she _did_ just so happen to find something: a dark camera lens peeking out from between two cookie boxes. Beaming, Elizabeth started to wave at the lens, shrieking out a happy, "hi!"

This caught Ash's attention right away. He made his way back over to the cart, box of chocolate chip cookies in hand, and furrowed his brow in confusion.

"Elizabeth, who are you talking to?" Ash finally asked.

Wordlessly, the young girl pointed at the camera lens. Another snap sounded, causing the child to giggle, and Ash to groan in frustration.

"Elizabeth…" Ash sighed, walking over to the shelf and slipping another cookie box in front of the lens. From the next aisle, he could hear a quiet moan of frustration, "I've told you not to talk to those people. Or give them any attention."

"Why?" Elizabeth chirped.

"Because, Daddy just wants to protect you," Ash smiled softly and walked up to his daughter to hold her face in his hands. "That's all."

Suddenly, the sound of something hitting the floor reached Ash's ears. Elizabeth glanced up at her father, whose loving expression had evolved into one of moderate annoyance.

"Why do I have a feeling that's not a good sound?" Ash deadpanned.

"I dunno," Elizabeth shrugged.

Sighing, Ash spun the cart around, much to Elizabeth's delight, and wheeled it out into the main aisle. Looking further down, he saw his two older children arguing with one another, in a very similar fashion to that morning, save for their more hushed tones now. Between their feet, on the floor, was a fallen milk carton, with the top off and a large puddle of milk collecting on the floor.

"Oh, come on guys, really?!" Ash panicked, hurrying over to the twins.

"It was an accident!" Aiden and Michelle cried at the same time, causing Elizabeth to giggle. She loved it when her siblings did that.

"Can't you guys go _anywhere_ without causing trouble?" Ash was wide eyed.

"It was Aiden's fault, anyway!" Michelle fussed. "_He_ dropped it!"

Aiden's jaw dropped before he whined, "you just threw me under the bus!"

"I'm saving my own butt!" Michelle argued.

Elizabeth started to laugh even harder, causing Ash to roll his eyes. He knew it was because Michelle had used the _always _hilarious word in the three year old's world.

"Look, I don't care who did what," Ash shifted his eyes around the store. "Did anyone see you drop the milk?"

"No," Aiden and Michelle once again answered simultaneously.

"Then let's go with the best solution possible," Ash started to push the cart again, causing Aiden and Michelle to look at one another in bewilderment.

"And what's that?" Aiden finally questioned.

"Get out of here and pretend we don't know what happened."

**XXX**

By the time the Ketchum family had actually gathered everything they (believed) they should have bought, the amount of money that the groceries cost them was enough to make Ash nearly fall on the floor. He didn't want to risk letting Misty down, however, so Ash spent the absurd sum and took all of the groceries home with them.

On the drive back to the house, while Ash was busy paying attention to the road, Aiden was staring out the window, watching the various sights of Cerulean City roll past them. As they approached the gym, Aiden thought he saw something strange and leaned in closer to the window.

"Hey, Dad?" Ash asked his father.

"What's up, buddy?" Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Why is there a huge line of people outside the gym?"

Ash's eyes widened and he slammed on the break. Both Aiden and Michelle were thrust forward, but not Elizabeth, since she was strapped safely into her toddler seat. With the car stopped, Ash looked out the passenger window and, just as Aiden had said; saw a lengthy line of young trainers formed outside the building.

"Oh no!" Ash cried. "I forgot to close the gym!" He ran out of the car, leaving behind his three _very _confused children.

"Did Dad seriously forget to close the gym?" Aiden looked back at his sisters.

"I'm just going to file that under the same category as "did Dad seriously just leave us alone in the car?"" Michelle shook her head.

"Sowwy Daddy," Elizabeth giggled.

**XXX**

Once Ash had successfully shooed away the trainers (and signed a few autographs in exchange for his own stupidity), he was able to bring his children _and _the groceries back to the house. He carried in Elizabeth and asked the twins to start bringing in the bags while he checked on Misty. Ash, of course, knew that Misty was a grown woman who was capable of taking care of herself, but when she was sick, he naturally worried about her.

After leaving Elizabeth in the den to play with her toys, Ash made his way upstairs and into his and Misty's bedroom. Much to his delight, he found Misty sitting up in bed, with a box of tissues at her side and a laptop on her legs.

"Hey, you're looking a lot better!" Ash's face lit up.

"I took some cold medicine when I woke up," Misty nodded, sounding much less congested. "It really helped!"

"That's great," Ash took a sigh of relief.

"So, how was your morning?"

"Huh?"

"With my errands, I mean. Did you do them all?"

Although he was sweating slightly, that wasn't visible to Misty. Shooting her a confident smile, he replied, "I sure did! I fed the kids, did all the grocery shopping, and closed the gym! But…not in that order."

Misty didn't understand why Ash had thrown in that last comment, but never the less, she cooed and grinned at her husband. "You really are the best, Ashy. Thank you!"

"Don't mention it, beautiful," Ash playfully winked at his wife before turning to walk out of the room.

"Oh, Ash?"

He spun back around and blinked before asking, "what's up, Mist?"

"Could you just…explain this to me?"

She spun the laptop around so Ash could see the screen. What he saw was a picture of him, Aiden, and Michelle from the supermarket, gathered around the spilled milk carton and staring at one another with wide, alarmed eyes.

Gasping, Ash squeezed his eyes shut and muttered, "Stupid paparazzi…"

* * *

><p><strong>The paparazzi are like Misty's spies ;) Poor Ash.<strong>


	95. Destination: Relaxation

**Another super long one shot. I don't understand why they've all been so long lately. I started this one awhile ago, though. There's my excuse :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 8 years old**

**Elizabeth: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Destination: Relaxation<strong>

Ash was beyond stressed.

He hadn't told Misty, of course. She'd noticed it on her own. All of the signs had been there. He'd been edgy and irritable and acting nothing like himself. When Ash wasn't being cheerful all the time and acting like one of his own children, that's when you knew something was up.

The climax of Ash's hidden stress came late one night, when he had returned from an _extremely _long day at the Pokémon League Headquarters. It was well past midnight, nearly two o'clock in the morning, in fact. Misty was already fast asleep, having had a long day of her own, tending to their children and chasing after them. She was so deep in sleep, in fact, that she didn't even hear the sound of heavy footsteps stomping up the steps and into her bedroom. It was only after the figure had thrown themselves down on the bed that she was awoken and in quite the startled state as well.

Letting out a terrified shriek, Misty nearly jumped off the bed. That is, until she realized that the person who had just collapsed next to her was none other than her weary husband.

"Ash?" Misty whispered.

He responded with nothing more than a grunt. Huffing, Misty pushed herself up by her hands and pressed, "You can't ignore me forever, Ash Ketchum."

"I'm not ignoring you!" Ash finally lifted his head and snapped. Misty was taken aback by the tone of his voice, causing Ash to sigh and roll his shoulders back. "I'm sorry, Mist. I didn't mean to yell at you like that."

"It's fine," Misty's voice was soft. "But…look. You're stressed out. Like…_really _stressed out." Ash opened his mouth to argue, but Misty cut him off. "And don't tell me that's not true, because _that _would be a lie."

"Fine, I'm stressed," Ash muttered.

"Good, so you finally admit it," Misty sighed, rolling closer to Ash and rubbing his back. "But I do hate seeing you this way, honey. I really think we need to do something about your stress."

"Like what?" Ash grumbled. "The League doesn't care if I'm stressed."

"Maybe not, but I do," Misty narrowed her eyes. "And I'm going to take care of it!"

"How?"

Misty twisted her mouth and laid there in deep thought for a few moments before smiling at Ash and answering simply, "a vacation."

"A vacation?" Ash repeated, to which Misty nodded. "Where are we supposed to take a vacation?"

Again, Misty took time to think. After another few moments of deliberation, she gave a slow nod of the head and announced, "The Orange Islands. That's the perfect vacation spot!"

"But-"

"No buts," Misty gently tapped Ash's nose. "It'd be so much fun! We could even stay in the same hotel that you and I stayed at for our honeymoon, on Mandarin Island. How _romantic_ would that be?" Misty was now getting carried away by her own ideas. "It's just perfect! I'll start planning it tomorrow." Pecking Ash on the cheek, she softly assured her flustered husband, "don't worry, sweetheart. When I get through with you, you'll be so relaxed you'll forget you were ever this stressed in the first place!"

**XXX**

Ash had never quite liked telling Misty that she was right.

And for something that Ash hated to do, he did it pretty often.

As much as he had tried to protest the idea of going on a vacation, Misty had forced him into it, and now Ash was having the time of his life. They had only been on Mandarin Island for a day, but already, Ash was beginning to feel _so _much better. Like the weight of the world was off his shoulders, in fact. He got to have good meals, take frequent naps, and even go to sleep early in the night. _Not_ early in the _morning._

Today, he was spending the afternoon lying out by the resort's pool. It was nice to just be in the sun for a little bit, resting and taking in all of the warmth. Even Pikachu was enjoying the family's little impromptu vacation; spending his own time napping on the edge of Ash's pool chair, by the Master's feet.

"Daddy!"

Smirking, Ash opened one eye and turned his head, finding Elizabeth to be standing by the side of his reclined longue chair.

"Hey there, little pumpkin," Ash greeted calmly.

"Look!" Elizabeth tapped her father's arm. Now opening both of his eyes, Ash sat up on his elbows in order to see what Elizabeth had been so eager for him to look at; her bathing suit.

She was wearing a yellow bikini with white polka dots; a triangle top with white ruffles lining the sides and a little white daisy in the middle, and bottoms with the same white ruffle across the top, accentuated by a trail of multiple white daisies.

"Wow, that's so pretty!" Ash beamed at his daughter. "Are you trying to look like Mommy?"

Elizabeth nodded before holding her little hand up so she could show Ash something else. Leaning forward just a little, Ash realized that there was a pair of plastic sunglasses in the girl's grasp; white with heart shaped frames.

"Those are awesome!" Ash chuckled. "Do you want to wear them, sweetie?"

Again, Elizabeth nodded. She was only two, so she wasn't the best with words yet. Laughing softly, Ash took the sunglasses from Elizabeth's grasp and opened them up, slipping them on the child's face before grinning at her.

"You look _so_ cool, Lizzie!" Ash cheered.

"Thank," Elizabeth smiled, clearly happy that her father liked the sunglasses on her. Reaching out, Ash lifted the now giggling girl up so he could sit her between his legs on the pool chair.

"Where is Mommy, pumpkin? Does she know you're out here?"

"Uh huh," Elizabeth nodded.

"Of course I know she's out here, Ashy!"

The Pokémon Master looked up, his brown eyes shimmering. Elizabeth giggled again and crawled closer to Ash so she could hug his body.

"Ah, there's my Mist!" Ash chuckled. Indeed, Misty was standing just a few feet away, wearing a sea foam blue bikini with a green floral print and ties. By her sides were Aiden and Michelle, the two older children wearing their own nice swimwear; Aiden wearing swim trunks striped in dark and light blue, white, and green, and Michelle a blue and red halter bikini printed with white anchors.

"Aiden, Michelle, why don't you take your little sister to the wading pool?" Misty asked.

"Really, Mom?" Aiden groaned. "The _kiddie _pool?"

"Elizabeth is only two years old, Aiden," Misty raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, but she can totally go in the _regular _pool if we put water wings on her!" Aiden complained. "I hate going to that stupid little pool. It's so embarrassing."

"I don't see how it can be so embarrassing when there's no one around here that you know," Misty folded her arms. "What, are you expecting Sam Oak to pop out from behind a palm tree or something?"

"I don't know…"

"Besides, I don't want Elizabeth in the big pool without me there, regardless of the water wings," Misty waved her hands in front of her. "So, just take her to the little kid pool."

"Fine," Aiden grumbled before calling, "come on, Lizzie! Let's go!"

"Whewe?" Elizabeth stuck a finger in her mouth.

"We're gonna' go swimming!" Michelle helped her brother out, walking over to where their father sat and picking Elizabeth up, holding the young girl against her hip. "Let's go, Lizzie."

While the three children wandered away, Ash looked up at Misty and gave her a very confused look. "Why'd you send 'em off, Mist?"

"Because, I have something exciting to tell you!" Misty beamed, running over to Ash and jumping into his lap. As soon as those words had left her mouth, however, Ash's face had paled to an almost deathly color.

"Oh no," Ash breathed, "Please don't tell me what I think you're going to tell me."

"Huh?" Misty blinked, her jubilant expression transforming into one of bewilderment.

"Well, you sent the kids away in order to tell me something "exciting"," Ash used air quotes to emphasize the last word. "I've got a pretty big idea of what your news is."

"What in the world are you-_oh,_ you think I'm…no."

"No?" Ash blinked.

"No," Misty smirked, shaking her head.

"Oh."

"My _exciting news_ was that I got us appointments at the spa later this afternoon," Misty's eyes were sparkling with delight.

"What's so exciting about that?" Ash furrowed his brow.

"Because everyone knows that going to the spa is only the most relaxing thing in the whole world," Misty teased, wrapping her arms around Ash's neck. "You can get a nice massage and work all of that extra stress right out of your body!" To accentuate her point, Misty slid her hands down to Ash's shoulders and began to rub them deeply. "Doesn't that sound _amazing?_"

"I guess so…" Ash purred, causing Misty to smirk. Ash could never resist her flirtatious charm. "But, where are the kids gonna' go while we do that?"

"There's some kind of kids club here, or at least that's what the lady who made our spa appointment told me," Misty tapped her chin. "Either way, they'll watch the kids and have some fun little activities for them to do. Besides, you know Elizabeth won't fuss so long as she has her big brother and sister around!"

"That's true," Ash smiled, resting a hand on Misty's back. "You're really smart, Mist!"

Giggling, Misty leaned her head down and kissed the side of Ash's neck before murmuring against his warm flesh, "are you just now figuring that out, sweetheart?"

"N-no…" Ash moaned, closing his eyes. He was going to ask Misty why she had sent the kids away for such an innocent announcement, but _now _he understood why that had been.

"_Daddy!_"

Sighing, Misty pulled away from Ash and peered over her shoulder. What she found was Elizabeth toddling back over to them, sunglasses still over her eyes and masking the emotion in them. It was clear from the frown on her face and the whine in her voice, however, that she wasn't exactly happy.

"Okay," Misty stood up, walking over to the toddler and gathering the child in her arms before taking off her sunglasses. "What's wrong, sprinkle? I thought Aiden and Michelle took you to go swimming."

"Yeah," Elizabeth murmured.

"So why did you come running back here?"

"Daddy," Elizabeth answered, pointing at her father.

"What about Daddy?" Misty inquired.

"Mom!"

"Looks like lots of people want your attention, huh Mist?" Ash chuckled, causing Misty to roll her eyes. Turning around, she found Aiden and Michelle running over to her, looking relieved when they saw Elizabeth in her grasp.

"Aiden, Michelle, what's going on?" Misty shook her head.

"We got Elizabeth to the kiddie pool, and then she completely freaked out!" Aiden complained.

"She thought Daddy was going to go swimming _with _her," Michelle explained.

"Sweetie, come on," Misty gently bounced Elizabeth up and down. "I told you that Daddy is supposed to be relaxing! You'll have just as good a time swimming with Aiden and Michelle."

"No," Elizabeth replied. The twins weren't offended. They knew how attached Elizabeth was to their father. They weren't exactly enamored by the idea of going swimming in a wading pool anyway.

"Fine," Misty exhaled deeply. "_I'll _go swimming with you, then."

"No," Elizabeth repeated.

"Why not?"

"Daddy!"

"Elizabeth-"

"It's alright, Mist," Ash got to his feet and took the two year old girl out of his wife's hands. "I'll take her swimming! No prob!"

"But, Ash, you're supposed to be _relaxing_," Misty groaned.

"Spending time with my little pumpkin _is _relaxing!" Ash chuckled. "You know there's nothing I love more than acting like a little kid, Mist!"

"I guess," Misty shrugged.

"Come on, baby," Ash kissed Elizabeth on the cheek before carrying her back over to the small pool. "Let's play!"

Misty smiled and watched from a distance as Ash placed Elizabeth in the pool, watching over her as she crawled around happily in the water. Of course, she made him come in too after just a minute, and that in itself was a sight to see. In the deepest part of the kiddie pool, the water only went up to Ash's ankles. That proved to not be a problem, however, as Elizabeth ushered him to crawl around in the water with her. Misty couldn't help but to giggle. There was something very sweet and whimsical about her big, fully grown husband, wearing nothing but his blue and green swim trunks, crawling around after their little two year old in a tiny in ground pool.

_I guess this _is _a way for Ash to relax and de-stress, _Misty thought brightly, _it's pretty cute, if you ask me!_

**XXX**

"Mommy? Daddy?"

Chuckling, Ash patted Elizabeth on the head and reassured her, "you'll be just fine, pumpkin! I bet you'll have lots of fun at this little place."

"Besides, Aiden and Michelle will be here with you the whole time," Misty smiled down at her daughter.

"We don't _need _to be here," Aiden grumbled.

"You sure have been doing a lot of mumbling and grumbling on this trip, huh, champ?" Ash smirked as he crossed his arms.

"Michelle and I aren't babies!" Aiden argued. "We can stay by ourselves in the hotel room. Why do we have to be babysat with Elizabeth anyway?"

"Aiden, you know that Elizabeth can get upset when she's separated from too many of us at a time," Misty reasoned. "She's going through that clingy phase right now. The fact that your father and I aren't going to be here is bad enough. If she didn't have you and Michelle with her, she'd lose her mind _completely. _And I'm not exactly in the mood to be dealing with a temper tantrum."

"Besides, I hardly trust you alone, son," Ash added.

"Oh, but you trust Michelle?" Aiden pointed at his red headed twin, causing her to smirk in a satisfied fashion.

"I didn't say that," Ash covered up quickly.

"…you pretty much did."

"Uh…I…no comment?"

"Aw, well, just look at these cuties!"

An adult woman had suddenly appeared in front of the family; seemingly the one who ran this "kid's club" of sorts. She had magenta hair tied up into a bun, with black rimmed glasses on her face. Her outfit was simple; a sky blue blouse with a magenta skirt.

"Welcome to the resort's kiddie club, darlings!" The woman giggled. "My name is Jessalyn, and I'm in charge of this lil' place. You three cuties will have plenty of fun here while your Mommy and Daddy go do some grown up things!"

Aiden and Michelle definitely didn't appreciate being talked down to like this. It was obvious on their faces. Elizabeth, however, was just confused and didn't want to let go of her father's leg, which she had latched onto over the past few minutes.

"Come on now, baby girl, you'll be fine!" Ash reassured the child, prying her off of his leg and attempting to hand her over to Jessalyn. As soon as Elizabeth saw where she was going, however, she began to scream and kick her legs, causing Jessalyn to shriek and jump backwards. She also sent a glare the toddler's way, which went unnoticed by Ash and Misty. But _not_ Aiden and Michelle.

"Elizabeth, sweetie, please behave," Misty frowned, using a very gentle voice. She wasn't entirely surprised that Elizabeth was acting out, since the girl _was _being separated from her parents during her dependent stage. But still, Elizabeth was normally a very cheerful child who seldom fussed. Such a strong outburst was extremely unusual.

"Mommy!" Elizabeth whined, effectively breaking the gym leader's heart. She sounded _so _sad about being sent to the day care…

"I'll hold her, Dad," Aiden offered, holding his arms out. He seemed a little irritated, but still willing. Nodding, Ash handed the squirmy, miserable toddler off to her brother. Once she was in Aiden's arms, Elizabeth reached out and wrapped her arms around her brother's body, resting her head against his chest.

"There we go," Misty sighed, feeling quite relieved that her daughter had managed to calm down.

"Sorry about that," Ash gave the magenta haired woman a sympathetic glance. "She's going through some separation anxiety. She's really a happy little girl; you'll see."

"I'm sure," Jessalyn grumbled before putting her smile back on. "You two just run off to the spa and get yourselves relaxed! I'll watch your little sweethearts and make sure they have lots of fun!"

"Okay!" Ash and Misty chimed simultaneously before bidding their three children goodbye and heading back out into the lobby of the hotel.

Left alone now with Jessalyn, Aiden and Michelle turned around to face the woman. Elizabeth, who was still being held by Aiden, finally unwrapped her arms and instead reached for Teddi, who was being held by Michelle.

"Good thing Mommy gave him to me when we left the room, huh?" Michelle cooed, making the bear dance in front of Elizabeth before handing him off. Fortunately, that little act was enough to make Elizabeth giggle, which brought a smile to Michelle's face.

The grin returned to her own face, Jessalyn motioned towards a life-size doll house in the corner of the room, asking, "does the little girl like girly things? Like that?"

"Yeah, she loves 'em…" Aiden narrowed his eyes. He didn't really trust this woman, for some reason. Michelle was also pretty distrustful, but she didn't want to make Elizabeth feel uncomfortable. The girl was a lot smarter than most three year olds. She always seemed to know what was up. So, Michelle decided just to play along.

"Hey, Lizzie," Michelle stroked her sister's hair to get the toddler's attention, "want to go play in that little house?"

Elizabeth looked up at the plastic house and nodded feverously. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the yellow plaything, complete with a blue door and shutters. That was like a dream come true for the little girl! Shrugging, Aiden put Elizabeth on the floor and watched as she ran over to the house, opening its front door and walking inside.

"She was drawn right into that thing, huh?" Aiden chuckled.

"Of course," Michelle giggled. "Elizabeth is so girly!"

From inside the playhouse, Elizabeth opened and closed the blue shutters a few times before opening them for good in order to peek out the window and hold her small hands out towards her older brother and sister.

"Denny! Shelly!" She whined.

"Hey, why's Elizabeth calling for us?" Aiden pointed at the toddler.

"If I had to guess, I'd say that Elizabeth wants us to play with her inside the house," Michelle smirked. Placing her hands on her hips, she called out to the younger girl, "is that it, Lizzie? You want Aiden and I to come play?"

The little girl rapidly nodded her head. From behind the older two children, Jessalyn was sporting a huge, mischievous grin. Aiden wasn't pleased with the idea of playing in a big dollhouse, but today he had already been sent to the kiddie pool _and _forced to be babysat. So really, playing in a toy house was the least of his problems.

He and Michelle made his way over to the yellow sided house, managing to squeeze themselves through the front door in order to join Elizabeth.

Once all three children were inside the house, Jessalyn began to cackle as she pulled out a remote control, pressing the large button in the center. The sides of the playhouse fell down, revealing a metal barred cage that the kids were now stuck inside. Gasping, Aiden and Michelle grabbed the bars and began to pull at them, trying their best to get out. Elizabeth, on the other hand, simply sat behind her older siblings, clutching Teddi to her chest.

"Hey, let us out of here!" Aiden yelled.

"What's the big idea?!" Michelle stormed.

"Oh, darlings," Jessalyn snickered, "when you're a bad guy, there doesn't _have _to be a big idea!" And with that, she threw off her business casual disguise, causing the two older children to gasp once again.

"JESSIE!"

**XXX**

At the same time, Ash and Misty were in the spa, waiting for their massages. Misty had no problem lying down on the table with her back exposed, eyes closed and falling into a light slumber. Ash, however, couldn't shake the feeling that something was…well…off.

He too had his upper body exposed, with a towel wrapped around his waist. He couldn't close his eyes and relax like his wife, though. Instead, Ash was watching the two massage therapists walking around the room, waiting for them to do _something. _He was getting anxious, and through her "wife telepathy" or whatever it was that had been instilled in her brain upon marriage, Misty managed to sense it.

"Ash…you're not relaxing."

Glaring at his smirking wife, Ash retorted, "How am I supposed to relax when no one is doing their job?"

"Oh, just be patient," Misty scolded. "They're coming around."

Aside from being impatient, Ash thought the massage therapists looked a little off. One was a man, which Ash guessed wasn't so strange. He was just hoping that guy wasn't the one who was going to be working on his wife. The other one was really short, and, to be quite honest, Ash couldn't tell if that one was a man or a woman. They were wearing some really strange, round glasses that were green tinted, and had very shaggy brown hair that was at an odd length; not very long but definitely not short either.

Much to Ash's relief, it was the shorter one who was going to give Misty her massage. As soon as the taller one approached Ash, he began to knead into the Pokémon Master's back, causing him to sigh contently.

"My my, your back is all knots!" The massage therapist gasped.

"Yeah…I'm a little stressed," Ash chuckled.

"Well, there's no need for that here," the man smirked. "You just put your head down and relax. I'll work all of these kinks out!"

"Thanks…" Ash mumbled, his lips bending up into a smile. It did feel amazing, as much as he didn't want to admit it.

_Chalk up another victory for Misty…_

As Ash continued to enjoy the massage, the smaller therapist grinned evilly to themselves and pulled out a remote, pressing a button in the center. Suddenly, metal cuffs appeared around Ash and Misty's wrists and backs, bolting them down to the massage tables. They both gasped and lifted their heads up, struggling to break free of the shackles. The two massage therapists, meanwhile, began to laugh maniacally and jumped away, pulling off their disguises. Both Ash and Misty snarled, narrowing their eyes and stopping their struggle for a short moment.

"Team Rocket!"

James and Meowth just continued to laugh, while Ash and Misty resumed their futile attempts to try and escape from their metal holds.

"You can just stay here and think for a little while," James drawled, a mischievous glint shining in his green eyes.

"Yeah, I tink for now Jess has everytin' in control in the other room," Meowth added.

"Other room?" Ash blinked before Misty gasped.

"Aiden! Michelle! Elizabeth!" Misty was frantic now. "They must be with her!"

When James and Meowth began to laugh even louder, Misty knew this was true. Growling, she continued to fuss in the holds, this time more wildly than before. Her maternal instincts were screaming at her to get out; to rescue her three babies. But try as she may, Misty just couldn't get out of the hold.

Next to her, Ash was just as mad, if not more. Had he been able to free his hands, he would've strangled those two. He was so sick and tired of Team Rocket trying to take his kids! It was way too low, even for them.

They continued to laugh as they walked out of the room. At this point, Misty was whimpering while she tried to break free of the metal cuffs. Ash frowned, not liking to hear his wife so upset.

"It's okay, Mist, I'm gonna' get us out," Ash reassured the gym leader. "And we'll save the kids, too!"

"How?" Misty groaned, putting her head down for only a second. "We don't have any of our Pokémon with us. They're all with our clothes!"

"Yeah, and Pikachu's is in the room…" Ash frowned.

"Vaporeon!" Misty screamed, kicking her legs. They were the only part of her body she could move freely. "Vaporeon, help! I need you!"

"Do you think that's going to work?" Ash asked.

"It has to," Misty groaned before shouting again, "Vaporeon!"

Much to her and Ash's relief, the sound of a poke ball opening could be heard. With moments, Vaporeon appeared before them, black eyes narrowing when she saw that her trainer was all tied up.

"Vaporeon, I need you to use aurora beam on these clamps," Misty wiggled her hand for emphasis. "Break us out! Hurry!"

Nodding, the bubble jet Pokémon unleashed a rainbow colored beam, breaking the metal cuffs that were keeping Misty down before turning her attention onto Ash and freeing him. Ash immediately jumped off the table and turned towards Misty, who was pulling her towel up so it covered her upper body.

"Should I get our clothes?" Ash asked.

"No, we don't have time," Misty leapt off her own table and gathered her remaining poke balls in her hands. "We have to save the kids!"

"But…we're only in towels…" Ash blushed.

"Ash, as long as I get my babies back, you could be _naked _for all I care," Misty narrowed her eyes before racing out of the spa. Sighing, Ash found that he had no choice but to follow his wife, wrapped in nothing but his soft, white towel.

With the way Misty was running, it didn't take her very long to reach the room that she had once thought was the hotel's daycare. What she found was Team Rocket, all fully dressed in their tacky white uniforms, standing before a large cage, which held her three children. Aiden and Michelle's eyes widened, but Misty motioned for them to be quiet. Unfortunately, Elizabeth was too young to understand, and too excited to see her mother to care.

"Mommy!" She smiled.

From behind Misty, Ash smacked a hand over his face. _Leave it to Lizzie._

Scowling, Team Rocket whipped around and glared at the half naked couple standing before them. That was enough to take them off guard, but the fact that they had actually managed to escape from the metal holds was even _more _shocking.

"Those twerps actually found a way out?!" Jessie fumed.

"It's amazing what your Pokémon can do for you when you have such a close relationship," Misty smirked as Vaporeon snaked her way in between she and Ash. The water type stood on all fours before Misty, crouching down low and hissing at the villains.

"Well, you're still too late!" Meowth shouted. "We got your baby twoips all caught up!"

"Not on my watch you don't!" Misty bit. "Vaporeon, ice beam!"

The water jet Pokémon opened her mouth and fired a ray of ice at the metal bars of the cage. They all froze, and once that was accomplished, Vaporeon pounced right on top of Meowth's head for height, and then smacked the frozen bars with her mermaid like tail. Instantly, the bars shattered, freeing the three children and causing them to trample over Team Rocket in order to reach their parents.

"Hey, guys!" Ash chuckled, crouching down and opening his arms in order to catch them all in a hug. "I'm so glad you're all safe!"

Team Rocket was shrieking. They couldn't believe that the twerpette had managed to destroy their cage; just like that!

"Hey, Ash, since Pikachu is upstairs, do you mind if I do the honors?" Misty giggled.

"Nah, you go right away, babe!" Ash winked.

"Alright," Misty pointed at Team Rocket and yelled, "Vaporeon, hydro pump!"

With a steady blast of water, Team Rocket was thrown through a window and out into the open, flying through the sky with such a loud cry that the family could still hear it from inside the hotel.

"Getting rid of those three is only getting easier and easier," Misty sighed laughingly before turning to face Ash and give him a small frown. "I'm sorry you haven't been able to relax on this vacation at all, sweetheart. My plan really isn't working out."

"Are you kidding?" Ash chuckled, getting to his feet. "This is the most relaxed I've been in a _long _time! I've gotten to play with our kids, spend time with you, and even get rid of Team Rocket! It's like my old routine is back! I love it!"

Finally giggling once again, Misty shrugged and replied, "Well, if it makes you happy!"

"It does," Ash nodded before feeling a tug on his towel. Looking down, he saw that it was Elizabeth; staring up at him with her sweet, innocent face. "What is it, little pumpkin?"

"Daddy, why a'you have a skiwt on?"

Ash's entire face exploded red as he ran right out of the room, calling over his shoulder, "I'm going to put my clothes back on!"

Folding her arms, Misty shook her head and murmured, "Well, there _that _goes!"


	96. A Hairy Situation

**Everything is one shots and nothing hurts. This is another one I've had (half) written on my iPod for a while that I've always wanted to put up. It's Aiden centric!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 20 months old**

* * *

><p><strong>A Hairy Situation<strong>

"Daddy, I has it!"

"I see that, buddy! Bring it back here!"

A nearly two year old Aiden giggled as he picked up the red Frisbee, nearly falling in the process. He was still a bit wobbly on his little feet, and had the occasional clumsy moment from time to time. What was concerning Ash at the moment, however, was the boy's hair.

Both Aiden and Michelle had been born with full heads of hair, and they'd never gotten it cut. For Michelle, it was alright. She was a girl, so her hair was free to grow long and flowing. She didn't even have bangs to worry about. Aiden, however, was a different story. His raven hair was very much like Ash's; boyish and rarely ever neat. Because it had never been cut, tufts of midnight hair were beginning to hang directly in the child's bright brown eyes. When he bent down to pick up the Frisbee and run back towards Ash, the man had noticed, Aiden kept raising a little hand to his face in order to brush the hair out of his eyes.

"Baby, is your hair getting in the way?" Ash asked as he gathered the boy in his arms.

"Uh huh!" Aiden responded cheerfully. It certainly didn't seem to be bothering him too much.

"Why don't we go inside for a bit?" Ash suggested. "I'm a little hungry."

"Me too!" Aiden smiled. "Daddy, I wan' cookie."

"You want your Pokémon crackers?"

"Yeah!"

"Alright," Ash kissed the boy and stood up, "let's go!"

Once inside, Ash was happy to see Misty in the kitchen. He definitely needed to talk to her about Aiden's unruly tresses. Quietly placing Aiden in a chair at the table, Ash snuck up behind his unsuspecting wife and pressed a sweet kiss against her cheek.

"Hey, angel," Ash murmured fondly.

"Hi," Misty smiled, pulling his face towards her in order to kiss his lips.

"Cookie, Daddy!"

Ash laughed and pulled away from Misty. "I'm getting 'em, champ! Relax for a sec, kay?"

Aiden looked rather disgruntled, but he still gave a tiny nod nonetheless.

"We've gotta' talk, Mist," Ash whispered.

"Why?" Misty asked as Ash walked over to the cabinet in order to retrieve their son's snack. "Is everything okay?"

"Oh, yeah, it's nothing serious," Ash reassured as he picked out a snack cup to put the crackers in. "It's just…I think it's about time we took Aiden to get his first haircut."

"Why?" Misty asked again, her eyes looking almost pained.

"His hair in his face," Ash replied. "The poor kid could hardly see while we were playing."

"It doesn't seem to be bothering him," Misty tried.

"Well, he keeps having to move it out of his eyes. I just think it'd be a lot easier for him if we got him a little trim."

"Daddy…" Aiden whined.

"I'm coming, buddy," Ash sighed as he walked back over the boy, handing over the plastic cup.

"Yay! Fank 'ou, Daddy," Aiden beamed before sticking a cracker in his mouth.

"You're welcome, son," Ash ruffled the child's hair, a habit of his. In doing so, however, Ash was reminded of the present conflict at hand as the toddler brushed back the tufts of hair that were debilitating his eye sight.

"Aiden, buddy, I've got a really good idea," Ash sat down next to the boy.

"Wha'?" Aiden asked with his mouth full.

"What do you think if Mommy and I took you to get your very first hair cut?"

"NO!" Aiden screamed his response, voice heavily indicating that he was on the verge of tears.

"Why not, buddy?" Ash frowned.

"No want," Aiden shook his head.

"But…you'll be able to see better!"

"No touch my haiw," Aiden pressed his hands against the top of his head. "No."

"Mist, help me out here," Ash begged.

Misty shifted her gaze between the two and stated, "Aiden, baby, if you like your hair that way, we're not going to make you cut it."

"Yay!" Aiden cheered.

"What?!" Ash stared at his wife in disbelief.

"He obviously doesn't mind!" Misty narrowed her eyes. "Let him be."

"Come here," Ash sighed, standing up in order to grab Misty's wrist and pull her out of the kitchen.

"Ow!" Misty shook herself free from Ash once they were out in the hallway, which led the Pokémon Master to roll his eyes. He had hardly grabbed Misty hard enough for it to have hurt. She was just being a drama queen. "Ash, what the hell?!"

"You cannot be okay with our son leaving his hair like that," Ash shook his head. "The kid can't see for Arceus' sake!"

"He's not complaining!" Misty huffed.

"Okay," Ash folded his arms. "Tell me the _real _reason you won't get his hair cut."

"I just told you why."

"Misty, that's a lie and we both know it."

The red head breathed out deeply before mumbling, "That's his baby hair."

"What?" Ash furrowed his brow.

"His hair has been the same since the day he was born!" Misty cried. "He and Michelle are growing up so fast…I just want to keep something in tact!"

"Sweetheart," Ash smiled soothingly as he stepped forward to hug Misty, "it's okay. It's not like we're cutting it all off. This is just to get the hair out of his eyes!"

"But…but…"

"It'll be okay," Ash repeated, rubbing her back. "Besides, this is a very important milestone in a child's life! We can put his hair in a little frame or something. I know you like stuff like that."

"Are you sure?" Misty sniffled.

"Of course," Ash chuckled. "This will be good for him."

"Well…alright…" Misty brushed back her bright red bangs. "If you think that's what's best for him…"

"I do," Ash nodded. "Don't worry!"

**XXX**

"Where we go, Mommy?"

Misty grimaced when she looked down at her excited little boy. She knew when he saw where they were going, he'd go ballistic.

"You'll see, baby."

"Is it fun?" Aiden's eyes were shining with excitement.

"It could be…"

"Mama," Michelle piped up from Misty's arms. Unlike her brother, she didn't enjoy walking, and much preferred to be carried around. "You said dat Aiden's gettin' his haiw-"

"Shh," Misty hushed, gently covering the girl's mouth. "Don't say anything, Shelly."

"What's dis pwace?" Aiden stopped in front of a building and pointed at it.

"This is where we have to go," Misty smiled hesitantly.

"What we doin'?" Aiden gently tilted his head.

"You'll see," Misty repeated, holding one arm down towards her son. "Take my hand, sweetie."

Aiden nodded and took his mother's hand, allowing her to lead him into the building. Misty stopped at the front desk and waited, while Michelle eagerly reached down to try and grab at the objects on the desk top.

"Ah, hello there, Misty!"

The red head looked up, a delicate smile gracing her face.

"Hi, Cassandra," Misty greeted. "How are you?"

"Just fine," Cassandra beamed at Michelle, who was now gripping a red pen in her little fist that she had managed to snatch up from the desk. "Look at this cutie! She's your mini me!"

"That's what everyone says!" Misty giggled, poking Michelle's nose. In turn, the girl giggled and made a cute face.

"And down here?" Cassandra leaned over the desk and found Aiden looking up curiously. "Oh my goodness, how adorable!"

"He's Ash's clone," Misty smirked, tickling under the boy's chin.

"They're getting so big," Cassandra cooed. "How crazy! I remember when you first told me you were going to be a mom. They are just precious!"

"Thank you, that means a lot," Misty beamed. She did love those two more than anything else in the world.

"So, what are you here for today?" Cassandra inquired. "Because there's a haircut I saw that would look just darling on you!"

"Well, I hate to disappoint you, but I'm not here for me today," Misty giggled nervously.

"No?" Cassandra frowned.

"I'm actually here for," Misty lowered her voice to a whisper, "Aiden's very first haircut."

"Oh my goodness, how exciting!" Cassandra clapped her hands.

"Try telling _him _that," Misty smirked sympathetically. "He freaked out when I brought up the idea."

"I can get through to him," Cassandra winked. "You can count on it!"

Misty wasn't entirely sure of what the blonde woman was going to do, but she was rather eager to find out.

"Hey, little guy!" Cassandra greeted Aiden, walking around to the front of the desk. "It's so nice to see you!"

Aiden blinked before tugging at his mother's arm, muttering, "who's dat?"

Misty sighed. Her son was far from subtle. "Sweetie, that's my hairdresser! She does my hair for me."

"Why?" Aiden asked.

"Because she does it so well!" Misty smiled.

"I have something I think you'd really love, Aiden!" Cassandra beamed. "Wanna come check it out?"

"Can my Mommy come?" Aiden frowned. He didn't want to be separated from her.

"Of course she can!" Cassandra smiled. "Now, just follow me…"

Aiden did just that, not bothering to let go of Misty's hand. He followed the woman until she reached what she wanted to show Aiden, causing the boy to gasp.

"Mommy!" Aiden squealed, pointing his finger at Cassandra's surprise for him. "It's a wace caw!"

The hairdresser had brought the boy to a chair that was designed to look like a bright red race car. It was small and specifically designed for young children to sit in.

"Wow, how cool is that?" Misty beamed at her son.

"Would you like to sit in it, little guy?" Cassandra asked.

"Yeah!" Aiden cheered. The blonde woman lifted him up and sat him in the red car, leading Aiden to look around the inside of the mock vehicle in fascination.

"Cassie, that was unbelievable!" Misty marveled. "How did you know that Aiden loves cars?"

"Oh, I didn't," Cassandra giggled. "Most little boys just fall head over heels for the race car chair, so I thought Aiden would too! I'm glad I was right."

"Me too," Misty smiled.

"Now, all we've got to do is cut his hair!" Cassandra marched over to her vanity and pulled out a small vinyl cape to wrap around Aiden.

"What's dis?" Aiden asked, managing to free his hands from beneath the material.

"Oh, that?" Cassandra grinned. "It's a cape!"

"Like a supew hewo cape?" Aiden asked.

"Yes, exactly like that!" Cassandra nodded.

"Whoa!" Aiden was obviously impressed. "Now I'm a supew hewo wif' his own wace caw!"

"Aiden, you are the coolest little boy in the whole entire world," Cassandra assured the child. "I don't know any other super heroes with race cars!"

With his freed hands, Aiden reached out and began to play with the steering wheel. He was just _so _happy when he saw it actually turned; it was like he was driving a real race car! While Aiden was preoccupied with his plaything, Cassandra whipped out her scissors and eyed Misty, who still looked a little nervous.

"What would you like me to do?" Cassandra asked quietly enough where Aiden wouldn't hear.

"Just trim the hair in front of his eyes, I guess," Misty studied the boy. "I want him to be able to see better."

"You got it!" Cassandra beamed. She leaned down and, using the silver shears, began to cut the raven locks that hung in Aiden's chocolate brown eyes. Misty was expecting the boy to jump at the feel of the cold metal against his forehead, or the sound of his hair being snipped, but he never did. He was too preoccupied with turning the steering wheel to even pick his head up!

It didn't take long for Cassandra to finish her job, either. Just a few snips here and there, along with some evening out of the strands, and before long, Aiden's bangs were no longer at a somewhat ridiculous length that limited his eyesight. Now, they were just a bit shorter than Ash's were.

"Here you are," Cassandra handed a small plastic bag off to a still stunned Misty. Inside the pouch were the pieces of hair that she had snipped off. Misty smiled at the small, delicate black strands. She already had an idea of what she wanted to do with them.

"Okay, little guy, you're all done!" Cassandra smiled, taking the cape off of Aiden. He blinked and looked up at the blonde woman, not understanding what she meant. Giggling, she explained gently, "I'm finished cutting your hair!"

At this, Aiden's eyes widened. This was much easier to see with the hair out of the way. "My haiw?!"

"Yeah," Cassandra pointed at her vanity's mirror. "Check it out! You look even more handsome now that everyone can see your eyes!"

Following the woman's instructions, Aiden picked his head up and stared at his reflection. Misty was afraid the boy would start crying, especially after his reaction to the news that his hair had, in fact, been cut. Much to her delight, however, Aiden was positively _glowing _as he looked at himself.

"I wike it!" Aiden laughed.

"See? That wasn't so bad!" Cassandra patted the boy's head. "You're such a good boy."

"Fank 'ou," Aiden replied, causing Cassandra to giggle.

"Cassie, you really are amazing," Misty smiled at the woman. "Thank you so much for all of your help!"

"Don't mention it, it's my job!" Cassandra winked. "And I'm sure soon enough that I'll be giving Michelle her first haircut, too!"

"No!" Michelle cried, tugging at her long locks.

Sighing, Misty gave Cassandra a playful smile and teased, "I hope you've got a chair that will trick Michelle. Because I don't think she's gonna' go for a race car!"

* * *

><p><strong>Cassandra is another one of Misty's childhood friends. She is also her hair dresser, like Misty said. I need to write about Ash's hometown more, I think!<strong>


	97. Voice Change

**Back to back Aiden centric one shots. That was by accident. Oh well, Aiden is a fun character. This is also a father-son one! And he's older, like a few people have asked to see :)**

**Aiden and Michelle: 13 years old**

**Elizabeth: 7 years old**

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><p><strong>Voice Change<strong>

"How's that gardening coming along, Lizzie?" Michelle placed her hands on her hips and smiled down at her little sister. The seven year old had picked up on gardening from their Grammy, and now it was one of her many hobbies.

"Awesome!" Elizabeth beamed up at Michelle. "Look at how pretty my tulips are! They're pink!"

"Yeah, those sure are some beautiful flowers," Michelle agreed.

While the two sisters chatted about the younger one's progressing garden, their brother appeared from inside the house, smiling boldly at his female siblings.

"Hey, guys!" Aiden greeted brightly. "What's u-HP!"

Michelle and Elizabeth gave Aiden a pair of wide eyed stares, while the boy was covering his mouth, looking rather stunned himself.

"Aiden, what just happened to your voice?" Michelle blinked.

"I don't know..." Aiden frowned, "it just sort of cr-AH-cacked I guess!"

Once again, he covered his mouth, as if the sound coming out of it was poison. Michelle and Elizabeth continued their stares, until suddenly, the youngest of the siblings burst out into laughter.

"Wh-AH-t is so fun-NY?" Aiden demanded, the level of his voice rising once again, this time even worse than before.

Laughing so hard she was practically crying, Elizabeth replied, "you...you sound like a girl, Aiden!"

She started rolling around on the ground, the giggles wracking her body. Michelle covered her own mouth, but the shaking of her shoulders were giving it away. Soon, the older girl's own laughter intertwined with the smaller red head's, and they were both cackling wildly while their brother threw them a harsh glare.

"It's n-OT fun-NY!" Aiden whined. "Wh-AH-t if I'm dying?!"

"You still sound like a girl!" Michelle doubled over as she laughed.

"Dumb sisters," Aiden muttered, managing to keep his voice under control.

"What's going on out here?"

Aiden turned around and was greeted by the amused face of his mother, who had just walked outside.

"Judging by all the laughing Michelle and Elizabeth are doing, you three must be having a lot of fun!" Misty smiled.

"Hardly," Aiden grumbled, confusing his mother.

"Mommy!" Elizabeth's laughs were finally beginning to subside as she managed to sit up. "Aiden sounds like a girl!"

At this, she and Michelle began roaring with laughter once again, but this time, Misty did not find it do funny.

"Michelle, Elizabeth, that isn't nice!" Misty scolded her daughters. "That's a terrible thing to say about your brother! He certainly does not sound like a girl."

"Yeah!" Aiden snapped. "I do n-OT sound like a g-IRL!"

Gasping, he covered his mouth for the third time that afternoon, and Misty's expression evolved into one of shock.

"Aiden, how long has your voice been doing that?" Misty questioned.

"It just started," Aiden sighed. "And I don't understand why."

"Oh, sweetie, it's nothing bad," Misty smiled at her son. "It just means that you're growing up!"

"Wh-AH-t's that supposed to mean?" Aiden muttered, this time not being able to keep his voice in check even when he lowered it.

"It means you're beginning to…well…there are changes that are going to happen to you," Misty blushed slightly, which Aiden didn't quite understand. "This is one of them."

"I don't g-ET it," Aiden frowned.

"Your father would be better off explaining it to you than me," Misty patted her son's shoulder. "He went through the same thing; he's a guy! Although I don't remember his voice ever doing that."

"G-REA-t, so I _am_ dying," Aiden grumbled.

"No, honey, you're definitely not dying," Misty giggled. "Come on, let's go see Dad! He can talk to you much better than I could even attempt to."

Misty led Aiden inside, to where Ash was busy taking a nap on the couch. He looked rather lazy and ridiculous; with his head resting atop his shoulder, and one leg and arm dangling off the side of the couch. Pikachu was curled up on his trainer's stomach, sleeping just as soundly. It was only when a loud snore escaped from Ash's 'throat that Misty disrupted him from his slumber.

"Ash, wake up!" Misty yelled.

The Pokémon Master practically jumped, which in turn nearly sent Pikachu flying. Fortunately for the small mouse, Ash had managed to reach out and grab the creature before he fell and got hurt. Regardless, Pikachu was not happy about Ash's previous indiscretion and made sure to give his trainer a steady glare.

"Sorry, buddy," Ash smiled apologetically at the electric type. "I didn't mean to turn you into a flying type!"

"Ka," Pikachu spat, giving Ash a small jolt as punishment for his poor joke. With that settled, Pikachu managed to wriggle out of Ash's grasp and land on the floor, trotting over to his bed in the corner of the room. At least _there _his sleep would go undisturbed.

"Ah, what's up, Mist?" Ash groaned softly, rubbing his eyes. "I was having such a nice dream…"

"It better have been about me," Misty teased.

"It was," Ash smirked at the red head. "And ice cream…"

"Gross, I'm leaving," Aiden turned around with the intention of running upstairs, but Misty was able to grab him before he could make a move.

"Uh uh, you're not going anywhere until you talk to your father," Misty scolded gently.

"What do we need to talk about?" Ash asked. "Did he do something wrong? Please don't tell me he's been throwing things on the roof again."

"Hey, I stopped doing that when I was like…eight!" Aiden whined.

"I'm just playing," Ash chuckled. "So, what _is _it about?"

"Aiden's voice is beginning to change," Misty explained to her husband, who now looked surprised. "The girls were teasing him about it."

"_Our _girls?"

Misty nodded.

"Huh, so now they're the ones misbehaving, how strange," Ash twisted his mouth.

"I told them off, but I'm going to have to go do it again," Misty sighed. "Anyway, Aiden doesn't really understand what's going on. He thought he was dying. So, I figured that if anyone could help him out with this, it'd be you."

"I get it, because of my worldly experience," Ash crossed his arms.

"Actually, it's because you're the only other guy in the house," Misty corrected, causing a blush to grace Ash's face. In turn, Aiden started to laugh. His mother's quips were always funny.

"Fine, you win this one," Ash's eyebrow twitched. "You just leave Aiden here with me. I'll explain it to him."

"Thank you," Misty gently pushed their son forward so he was closer to Ash. "And while you're busy with that, I'll go give our daughters another little talking to."

She turned on a heel and sauntered out of the room, which left Aiden to stare at his father in bewilderment. The Pokémon Master seemed to be concentrating very hard on something. Was it his own thoughts? His eyes were closed now. Aiden leaned forward and stuck his face right in front of Ash's, as if this would give him the answer. When the sound of the back door closing was heard, Ash's eyes snapped open, causing Aiden to gasp and stumble backwards.

"Good, your mother is gone," Ash commented.

"You wanted her gone?" Aiden blinked.

"Of course I did," Ash smirked before patting the seat next to him on the couch. "Sit down, champ."

Aiden did just that. He may have been a bit of a "wild child" who loved to act crazy and rarely ever listen, but he always had his ears open for Ash. He had ever since he was just a little boy. Ash was still Aiden's idol, and he was who Aiden would listen to the most.

"I know what you're going through," Ash continued. "The whole voice changing thing, I mean. It's pretty awkward, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess," Aiden was confused, "but Mom said this never happened to you."

At this, Ash began to laugh…almost _hysterically._ If anything, that only threw Aiden off even more. He didn't really think he had just said anything particularly funny.

"Yeah, that's what she _thinks,_" Ash wiped a stray tear away from his eye.

"Huh?"

"My voice started to change while she didn't travel with me," Ash shrugged. "I was with Brock, May, and Max at the time. And trust me, it was a nightmare. I would switch between sounding like a thirty year old man and a six year old girl. From day to day. And the first time it happened, I was confused just like you were. I didn't have a dad to explain it to me. Brock explained it to me after I told him I was concerned about it. He hadn't said anything because he thought I knew what was going on."

"Were you embarrassed?" Aiden's eyes shifted.

"Of course I was," Ash replied. "Why do you think I never talked to your mother?"

"You didn't speak to her the entire time your voice was changing?!" Aiden's eyes widened.

"Nah, I was too embarrassed to," Ash shook his head, sounding a little bashful as he admitted to this. "As soon as my voice started to change, I stopped calling her on the phone. I started writing her letters instead. And that was a _big _deal for me, because I hate writing."

"She wasn't suspicious?"

"Maybe, but if she was, she never told me so. I started talking to her over the phone again once my voice had settled down."

"So…she thinks that one day, your voice just so happened to get deeper?" Aiden was fascinated by this. He had no idea his father had the ability to pull off such a great scheme. Against _Misty_ no less.

"Guess so," Ash snickered.

"So…eventually this will stop?" Aiden rubbed his throat. He was just glad his voice had managed to not crack during this whole conversation.

"Yep, and your voice will be deeper," Ash grinned. "It's fun! Especially because then girls really start paying attention to you."

Smirking, Aiden fired back, "when you were my age, you had no idea if a girl was interested in you or not! You didn't even care!"

"I'm looking in retrospect," Ash's eyes were twinkling with mischievous.

"Yeah, ok-AY," Aiden shrieked and covered his mouth. Once again, Ash burst out laughing before patting his son on the back.

"You're fine, Aiden," Ash assured. "Come on, let's go outside and do some training. That'll get your mind off of things!"

"Sure," Aiden smiled, jumping off the couch and running for the back door. On the way, he nearly ran into his mother and offered a happy wave before darting outside and pulling a poke ball off his belt.

Misty looked at Ash in surprise. The Pokémon Master had now gotten up from the couch and was making his own way over to the back door. The expression on Misty's face, however, brought a grin to Ash's.

"You did great with him!" Misty beamed.

"Of course, I'm his Dad," Ash puffed his chest out proudly.

"I was just worried that you might not be able to relate with his voice cracking," Misty frowned.

"Well, when you've had enough _life experience _like I have, little differences like that don't really matter," Ash grinned, earning a sweet smile from Misty. "I was still able to give him great advice."

"I'm so glad to hear that!" Misty gave Ash a hug before walking deeper into the kitchen. "I'll start making you a special lunch for helping me!"

"Aw, thanks, Mist!" Ash chuckled as he made his way outside to train with Aiden.

_See? I _can _get away with certain things! Heh._

* * *

><p><strong>That was my head canon when Ash's VA changed during Hoenn. It was just him going through puberty XD Because his voice DID get deeper! And yes, he finally got one over Misty. It's one thing he's very proud of :P<strong>


	98. The Chosen Ones

**This one is kind of a shout out to the second Pokemon movie. My personal favorite, for obvious reasons.**

**There are also no kids in this one. Just straight pokeshipping fluff, since I've gotten some requests for that as well.**

* * *

><p><strong>The Chosen Ones<strong>

"She's perfect."

Ash looked up at his wife, who was smiling down sweetly at her belly. They both had their hands on the bump, feeling the unborn baby kick and squirm beneath their palms.

"Yeah, she is," Ash agreed breathlessly. "A beautiful, wonderful baby girl."

"I love this," Misty shook her head, her smile growing wider.

"What?" Ash murmured.

"Feeling her move," Misty replied softly, "and knowing that she's growing."

"It is nice," Ash nodded in agreement.

"I don't care how big I get, or how fat I feel," Misty took Ash's hand and intertwined their fingers. "As long as our daughter is healthy, I'm happy."

At this, Ash smiled. He held Misty's hand more tightly, giving it a little squeeze, and added, "You know that I think you're beautiful, no matter what. Your pregnant self is even more beautiful to me."

"Oh, Ash," Misty giggled.

Ash leaned over her body and pressed their lips together, giving her a deep kiss. Misty was happy to return the action, pressing her and Ash's still connected hands against the side of her belly. As they kissed, the baby kicked so hard that Misty had to pull away from Ash to gasp. Even Ash was shocked, his hand separating from Misty's and flying off of her stomach.

"Oh…my…" Ash blinked.

"Yeah, she's a strong one!" Misty let out a static laugh.

"That's an understatement," Ash was staring down at his wife's rounded tummy in disbelief.

"Dr. Aaron says that she's the strongest baby he's ever seen," Misty announced proudly. "He's felt her kick, and says she has super strength!"

Ash shot Misty a terrified expression.

"It's just a joke, of course," Misty laughingly assured her husband.

Biting his lip, Ash gently tugged at Misty's shirt and inquired, "Do you mind?"

"Of course not," Misty shook her head. Ash plucked the material off of Misty's bump, pulling it back so her stomach was bare. He ran his fingers along the bulge, eyes tracing every inch of visible skin.

"What are you looking for, Ashy?" Misty asked. "Stretch marks?"

"Of course not," Ash grinned at his wife, repeating her very words from before. "I take too good a care of you for you to ever have stretch marks."

"Yeah," Misty giggled airily. It made Ash's heart flutter; Misty's laugh sounded so angelic and beautiful.

"So…what are you looking at?" Misty prodded.

"It's no big deal," Ash smirked.

"I think you're lying to me," Misty twisted her mouth. Ash could tell by the tone of her voice that she was being a playful little thing. Misty was a true vixen, and she knew it.

"Now, why would I ever lie to my beautiful angel?" Ash shook his head.

"I'm not sure," Misty's voice continued to tease. "Maybe you're just trying to be a sneaky little guy. Is that it? You're trying to trick me, I think."

"You know I love you, honey," Ash kissed her belly.

Misty stared up at Ash, giving him a half loving, half humorous smirk. Just then, the baby began to kick one again, wiggling and thrashing around like crazy.

"Oh, baby girl decided its party time!" Misty gasped before laughing. "She just wants to show off how strong she is, I guess!"

Ash watched Misty's stomach, his eyes widening when he saw the skin moving.

"Misty…" Ash breathed.

"What is it, sweetheart?" Misty tilted her head.

"Look at your belly…" Ash answered softly.

Misty pushed herself up, glancing down at her stomach. When she saw the skin gently rippling, she gasped and traced her finger against it, watching the movement intently with her wide green eyes.

"She's THAT strong?" Misty murmured. Ash sat back on his knees, breathing out heavily as he ran a hand through his midnight black mane. "Ash? What's up with you?"

Ash lowered his hands onto his knees and gave Misty a concerned, almost forlorn, look. "Misty…I think we should talk."

"Oh my Arceus," Misty groaned, "what kind of super power is this baby going to have now?!"

"No, no super powers," Ash chuckled. "Which, by the way, aura is not."

"It's still weird," Misty complained.

"Mist, let me talk to you," Ash sighed.

"What is it?" Misty nervously rubbed her stomach.

"Do you remember all those years ago on Shamuti Island when we found out I was the Chosen One?"

Misty's face paled, "you mean when that…girl kept teasing me about being your girlfriend?"

"You mean Melody?" Ash tried.

"Oh, so you remember her name!" Misty bit.

"Mist, you're pissed that she was teasing you about being in love with me, but now we're married and I've gotten you pregnant twice," Ash tried not to laugh.

"…true," Misty blushed.

"Anyway…" Ash chuckled, "the fact that I'm the Chosen One and have full aura makes me sort of…special."

"Ego much?" Misty raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I have to pass it on, don't I?" Ash asked theoretically. "The world will always need a Chosen One."

"What are you implying?" Misty furrowed her brow.

"Misty, honey…" Ash shook his head, "I'm pretty sure our baby is the next Chosen One."

Misty had no response to that. She just stared disbelievingly at Ash, her face losing even more color than before at the thought of Melody's teasing.

"Sweetheart, are you okay?" Ash gripped Misty's shoulder.

"A…Ash…" Misty breathed, "What does that even mean?"

"Our baby might need to save the world someday," Ash shrugged.

"Yeah and almost get herself killed, just like you?!" Misty stormed.

"No, well…I don't…maybe?" Ash winced.

"ASH!" Misty gasped, her eyes filling with horror.

"Misty, our baby is not going to sacrifice herself!" Ash assured. "All I mean is that's why she's so strong. Why I _think_ she's so strong, anyway."

"Because she's the Chosen One?" Misty whispered.

"Yep," Ash kissed her belly, "and she'll be the most beautiful Chosen One the world has ever seen!" Still laughing, Ash gently licked her skin, causing Misty to shriek and recoil.

"Ash, that tickles!" Misty gasped laughingly.

"That was the point!" Ash chuckled.

Calming down, Misty furrowed her brow and grabbed Ash's wrist, yanking at it as she growled, "wait, I'm still mad at you!"

"Why me?!" Ash gasped.

"Because you put this baby in me, and once she's out, she's going to be in danger!" Misty cried.

"Our baby isn't going to be in danger!" Ash refuted. "She'll be safe, I swear! I'll protect her with my LIFE if I ever have to! I don't even know for sure if she _is _the next Chosen One. But if she is, then I will do everything in my power to protect her from anything bad that comes with it. I swear to you, right here and now!"

"Ash…" Misty breathed.

"I mean it," Ash grabbed Misty's hands.

"I don't ever want to think about something like that happening," Misty murmured.

"I need you to know that if it ever comes down to it, though, our daughter will be okay," Ash squeezed Misty's hands. "No one will harm that beautiful little girl as long as I'm around."

"Fine," Misty's eyes were shining, obviously with tears. "But I don't want anything happening to either of you."

Leaning forward, Ash kissed his wife's forehead and whispered against her skin, "Nothing will. I swear."

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah yeah I know that whole plot line was pretty much dub only. I don't care. I like it. <strong>

**Hmm...so is Elizabeth REALLY the next Chosen One? ;)**


	99. Spoiled

**Another one shot...I'm sorry, I've been finishing them so fast XD This is one that I've been wanting to write for awhile...you get to learn a little more about Ash's past! It's very different from Misty's, you'll be able to see.**

**Aiden and Michelle: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Spoiled<strong>

"Hey, guys! I'm home!"

"DADDY!"

Aiden and Michelle came flying down the stairs, both trying to push the other out of the way in order to be the first to lunge at their father. Chuckling, Ash knelt down and managed to separate the two so he could gather them both into his arms at the same time and give them a tight hug.

"Aw, I missed you two so much!" Ash laughed, nuzzling both children. They both giggled, appreciating his attention greatly. The twins just loved it when their father came home from work. It always meant that they'd have him back as a playmate! As far as those went, Ash was the best.

Putting on a much calmer façade than her children, Misty appeared at the top of the stairs and slowly descended them, smiling at the sight of Ash cuddling their two young children.

"I see Aiden and Michelle ran their little dash again," Misty giggled.

"Just like every day," Ash chuckled. "Coming home from work wouldn't be the same without it!"

"Daddy, can we play?" Aiden asked, pulling away from Ash just enough so that what he was saying wouldn't be muffled.

"Sure we can, little guy!" Ash grinned. "Speaking of playing…I've got a great surprise outside for you guys! And it's perfect for playing with!"

Gasping, Aiden and Michelle tore themselves out of Ash's arms and immediately ran through the still open door. Ash got to his feet and peered out of the doorframe, smiling when the sound of his children's squeals filled the air. Soon, Misty was behind him as well, and she too was able to see what the twins were so enthralled by.

It was a blue and red plastic wagon, with a blue canopy umbrella hanging above it. There were actual seats and a few cup holders inside, and even a cooler on the outside.

"Ash, you bought them a wagon?" Misty raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't it cool?" Ash beamed. "You can use it as a bench, too! I saw it on the way home and thought they would just love it. Turns out I was right!"

"So you just bought it on a whim?!" Misty's eyes were now open wide.

"If you consider making our children happy a whim, than yes," Ash gave his wife a nod.

"Ash, I'm not upset at you for making them happy," Misty sighed, "but what's it for? Nothing! You just bought them a _huge_ present for absolutely nothing!"

"I just love them is all," Ash murmured.

"I love them too, of course I do," Misty covered her heart, "but what kind of a message does this send to them? That they can just expect presents out of us for absolutely nothing?"

"I don't think they will," Ash frowned.

Misty shook her head as she watched the two children climbing into the wagon, studying everything that was inside the carriage. After a moment, Aiden clambered out once again and began to play with the long black handle, attempting to pull Michelle around the front yard.

"I just don't know," Misty sighed, holding her hand over her forehead. "Why do you always do this, Ash?"

"I guess…I just can't help it," Ash mumbled.

"Huh?" Misty blinked.

"I can't help it," Ash repeated more strongly. "I have a reason, you know. For spoiling them, I mean. And I don't mean to spoil them. I just want them to have nice things."

"What do you mean?" Misty lowered her voice. It was clear that she was extremely curious as to what Ash meant.

Taking Misty's hand into his own, Ash sat down on the front stoop, pulling Misty down with him so they were sitting side by side. Continuing to hold onto her hand, Ash turned his head to watch the twins play with their new toy.

"Ash?" Misty prodded.

"This all goes back to when I was a little kid…" Ash began. "I remember everything so clearly…"

_Living in Pallet Town, my Mom and I didn't have a lot of money. It was especially hard for her since she was a young, single mother. Sure, she worked at the restaurant, but it's not like being a waitress is the greatest paying job in the world._

_While she was at work, I would stay at Professor Oak's. He would watch after me and Gary, and that's where our rivalry really started. But there were plenty of differences between me and Gary, even when we were just young kids. I remember that almost every time I spent the day at Professor Oak's, Gary would have some new toy with him. Usually, it was the newest toy that every kid wanted. So I was no exception. Gary would rarely ever let me touch his stuff, though. Of course not._

_So almost every time my Mom would pick me up from Professor Oak's lab, I would start begging her for the same toy that Gary had. She would always give me this sweet little smile and give me those words that every little kid hates to hear:_

"_We'll see."_

_I always knew that meant no. But I didn't understand why. Not until I got older. When I was little, I kind of just thought that my Mom didn't care that Gary had one up on me. I would get kind of mad at her for a bit._

_The older I got, though, that's when I realized we didn't have so much money. It took me a long time to realize that I really only got presents for Christmas, and even then it's not like I was getting a ton of them. My Mom would save up all year for those presents, too. Every time she got her paycheck, she would put some of the money aside just for my Christmas or birthday presents. Even my birthdays weren't that gift filled. But I never minded, because my Mom would always end up getting me the toy I wanted, even if by then Gary had moved on to the latest trend toy._

_See, my Mom couldn't just buy things for me for fun or even as a nice surprise because it was either that or being able to live in a house with warm water, and to have food and clothing. But she didn't want to expose me to that truth when I was a little boy. Once I got older and realized that was why she had never surprised me with toys or presents when it wasn't a holiday, I understood. I even tried to help her, by going fishing in the lake to try and find items that I could sell at the PokeMart in town. Once she found out, though, she told me to stop. She was upset, because she'd never wanted me to know that we were always scraping money._

_Things did get better over the years, though. Once the owner of the restaurant retired and sold the place to my Mom. After that, she started to make more money and we had a more comfortable life. We didn't have to be so concerned about our money, and save up so stingily to make sure we'd still have our house. Obviously, we still weren't rich, but it was better than it had ever been._

"After I became Pokémon Master, I realized that I was pretty much a celebrity," Ash was still staring at Aiden and Michelle. "I had all the popularity, and on top of that, I had the money, too. So I wanted to give Aiden and Michelle the kind of life I couldn't have as a kid."

Misty looked visibly pained. She had never known this about Ash and his mother, because he'd never bothered to tell her before. And his childhood home really was quite nice…you'd have no idea they had struggled so much by the looks of it. Delia was even stronger than Misty had already thought she was.

"Ash…" she breathed, staring at the man in awe.

He turned his eyes back onto Misty and smiled sweetly. "That's why I buy them random presents all the time. I know that I shouldn't do it. My head is always telling me no. But my heart is the one that's telling me to do it…and I've always had a habit of letting my heart shut out my head."

"That's true," Misty giggled softly.

"I can afford to get Aiden and Michelle these kinds of things, and not just for their birthdays or Christmas," Ash continued. "And seeing them so happy never fails to make me smile. It really keeps me going!"

"I understand now," Misty nodded, "and it makes sense. But you should still try to tone it down _just _a little bit. Because I want our children to turn out the way you did without all those fancy things; appreciating everything else in life."

"I will, I promise," Ash leaned forward and pressed a kiss against Misty's lips.

"Daddy! Daddy!"

Ash pulled away, and both he and Misty turned to look at their twins. The two were still going crazy over their brand new wagon, that much apparent with their shimmering eyes and jumpy legs.

"Come play!" Michelle called.

"Mommy, too!" Aiden added.

Sighing, Ash threw his wife a smile and asked, "Shall we?"

Giggling, Misty yanked Ash up and pulled the surprised Master towards their children. "Yes, we shall!"

* * *

><p><strong>Even though Misty's parents were never around when she was a kid, she does come from a good amount of money. Ash definitely didn't. I'll go more into his past in future one shots, too :)<strong>


	100. 100

**Here we are, chapter 100! This is pretty cool :P I even wrote a special one shot for the occasion :P How exciting! There's a theme you'll all be able to pick out. It's all in the title ;)**

**Elizabeth: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>100<strong>

"Mommy, guess what!"

Misty looked down by her feet and smiled. Elizabeth was standing there, a huge smile on her face. While Elizabeth was a very happy child by nature, Misty knew that specific grin was reserved for when the girl accomplished something huge. Something that was so important that even at such a tender age, Elizabeth knew the significance of the achievement.

"What is it, my little sprinkle?" Misty giggled.

"I can count to a hundred!" Elizabeth's eyes were wide and twinkling.

"You can?" Misty gasped.

Elizabeth nodded so feverously that her dark red hair began to whip around her doll like face. "I wanna' show you, Mommy!"

"Show me?" Misty repeated.

"Yeah," Elizabeth reached up for her mother's hand. "Come, Mommy!"

"How are you going to show me that?" Misty couldn't help but to ask. It wasn't a bad question, after all.

"I can," was Elizabeth's simple response. "Come!"

"Okay, okay," Misty took Elizabeth's hand and allowed the small girl to lead her away. She wasn't exactly sure of where this was going, but Misty never did like to put down her children's ideas. Even if they did sometimes come across as strange, unconventional, or downright impossible.

As it would turn out, Elizabeth was pulling her mother into the living room, where a collection of wooden blocks were spilled out onto the carpet. Releasing Misty's hand, Elizabeth scurried over to the cubes and sat down in front of them, staring up expectantly at her mother.

"You want to show me?" Misty asked sweetly.

"Sit," Elizabeth ordered, pointing across the sea of blocks.

Smirking, Misty sat down across from her youngest daughter. When Elizabeth wanted something, she certainly made it known.

"Okay," Elizabeth murmured, causing Misty to giggle. Her little girl was the most precious thing in the entire world. Elizabeth, however, didn't find this to be very funny, as she once again looked up at her mother, this time with an expression of irritation. "Not funny!"

"I'm sorry, baby girl," Misty smiled. "You're just so cute!"

"I know," Elizabeth replied, turning her attention back onto the colorful blocks. Now Misty _had _to cover her mouth so Elizabeth wouldn't hear her laughing. That kid really just had an answer for everything. Elizabeth was incredibly bright and vivacious for a four year old.

Once Misty had managed to settle down, she noticed that Elizabeth was busy arranging the blocks; separating the alphabet ones from the number ones. The letters were on her left, and the numbers were on her right. Once they were all in their perspective piles, Elizabeth pushed away the ones stamped with letters and only focused on the numerical blocks.

"Oh, now I see," Misty breathed, catching her daughter's attention. "You're going to show me using your blocks!"

"Uh huh," Elizabeth nodded. "Look, Mommy."

She picked up the first block: a red square that was marked with a bold "1." She placed that one in front of her mother and stated simply, "one."

"Yeah, good job!" Misty grinned.

The next block was blue, and had a "2" emblemized on its side. Carefully, Elizabeth placed this one next to the first block and squeaked, "Two."

Misty watched as Elizabeth continued this process up until she reached the number 15, which, like the other five numbers that had come before it, had been achieved by putting two single digit number blocks next to one another. At that point, Elizabeth had stopped for a short moment to study her blocks. Misty was confused. She knew for a fact that Elizabeth could only count up to 15. So…how did she know how to count to 100?

Misty promptly got her answer when Elizabeth took the first "1" block and pulled it closer to her, before taking the green "0" away from the ten she had previously created, and another "0" block, this one yellow, from the remaining collection of numerical blocks. With her tongue poking out of the corner of her mouth, Elizabeth arranged the three blocks so they were in the order that she wanted them to be in. Once she was finished with that, Elizabeth looked up at Misty and gave her mother that same, huge smile she had when she'd first approached her.

"One hundred!" Elizabeth beamed.

Looking down, Misty saw that the three blocks did indeed create the number "100." Although, it did look a little out of place alongside the other blocks that only went up to fifteen.

"Sweetie…" Misty sweat dropped, "there are a few numbers that come between 15 and 100…"

"But, Mommy, I did count to 100," Elizabeth pointed at the three blocks to prove her point. "Look!"

"I know, I see that," Misty blinked. "Who taught you this, Lizzie?"

Misty knew that Elizabeth couldn't have possibly come up with this ridiculous little trick on her own. Sure, the kid was sharp as a tack, but this was all too quirky and clever for such a young girl to come up with. On top of it all, Elizabeth was incredibly impressionable, so when she observed or was taught something, it was a surefire bet that the girl was going to repeat it.

"Daddy!" Elizabeth chirped.

Misty's brow evened out as she rested her head in her hand. _Of course. _

"Mommy, I did it," Elizabeth's voice was very serious. "I counted to one hundred."

"Yeah," Misty smirked at the clearly pleased child, "I guess you technically _did _count to one hundred."

"I'm _so_ smart."

"Yep, you sure are."


	101. Dinner Games

**My first step to the road to chapter 200 ;D I like this one! I just got the idea for this one tonight. **

**Aiden and Michelle: 6 years old**

**Elizabeth: 5 months old**

* * *

><p><strong>Dinner Games<strong>

"Gah…"

"Sit still, Lizzie. Let Mommy put your bib on!"

Elizabeth stuck her tongue out and made a spitting noise, which caused her to giggle relentlessly. Sighing, Misty undid the Velcro of the white bib outlined in pink and tried to fasten it around the baby's neck once again. Much to Misty's frustration, however, the baby tilted her head down and made this task nearly impossible. Groaning, Misty tossed the bib at an unsuspecting Ash, causing him to look up in surprise. For some reason, he'd been quite busy staring down at his lap.

"Ash, could you try to put Elizabeth's bib on her?" Misty asked. "The food is almost done; I need to start putting it on the table."

"No problem," Ash blinked. He still seemed to be a bit spacy as he got to his feet and walked over to his baby daughter, who was seated in her tan and pink high chair. By this point, Elizabeth was babbling to herself and smacking her hands against the high chair's tray. "Hey, that's not a drum, silly pumpkin!"

Elizabeth tilted her head up to stare at her father. She let out the most delicate of coos, which sounded so curious and innocent that Ash had to resist the overwhelming temptation to lift her out of the high chair and give her the biggest hug imaginable. Instead, he settled for a goofy grin and knelt down beside the child, easily slipping the bib around her neck and fastening it closed.

"There," Ash tickled Elizabeth under the chin, causing the baby to laugh, "now, was that so hard? You're a good baby, aren't you?"

A strange vibrating sound caused Ash to jump up and hurry back over to his seat. Elizabeth's eyes widened at her father's mad dash, and she stuck a small fist in her mouth as she watched after the man in pure fascination.

Misty, meanwhile, was now done leaving dinner in the middle of the table: a big bowl of spaghetti along with some breaded cutlets covered by tomato sauce and cheese. Elizabeth giggled at the food, still with the fist in her mouth, and reached out towards it with her free hand.

"I'm sorry, Lizzie, but little babies like you can't eat food like that just yet," Misty stroked her baby's cheek. "I'll go get your nummies in just a second." Skirting towards the staircase, Misty grabbed the wooden railing and looked upwards, calling, "Aiden, Michelle, come downstairs! Dinner is ready!"

It didn't take long for the two to come trampling down the steps. They were both starving by this time of day, and were always raring to eat. Michelle gladly took her seat between her mother and father, while Aiden took his own between Ash and Elizabeth. Since Misty had been busy gathering Elizabeth's own dinner when the twins ran in, however, she had failed to notice the small rectangular bulge sticking out of her son's red t-shirt.

Misty carefully placed the two jars on the tray of Elizabeth's high chair before beginning to fill the other family members' plates with food. Elizabeth let out an unhappy whine and reached for one of the jars, holding it in her hands and moving it around the tray.

"I know, you're hungry," Misty sighed, trying to fill Michelle's plate more quickly. "I'm coming, sweetie."

This wasn't enough for Elizabeth, however. She instead started to whimper and hit the small jar against the plastic surface.

"Ash, could you put your own food on your plate?" Misty placed Michelle's own dish in front of her. "Elizabeth is getting really antsy."

"Yeah, sure," Ash answered absentmindedly. Misty raised an eyebrow, wondering why her husband seemed so distracted…and why he was once again so fixated on his lap. She didn't have much more time to wonder, however, as Elizabeth started to unleash full blown wails.

"Okay, okay," Misty pulled her chair closer to Elizabeth's high chair and opened up the first jar of food, this one filled with mashed peas. Normally, Elizabeth wasn't the biggest fan of the mushy green stuff, but she was _very_ hungry, so she started to eat the stuff quite ravenously. "Good girl! I have such a good little baby."

"_Yes!_"

Raising an eyebrow, Misty looked over her shoulder while Elizabeth tugged at the plastic spoon in her hand. Aiden was completely ignoring his food in favor of his handheld video game, which he seemed to be totally absorbed in.

"Aiden, what have I told you about bringing that to the dinner table?" Misty scolded.

"But Mom, I'm almost done with this level!" Aiden complained.

"I don't care," Misty looked back at Elizabeth and continued to feed the child after she let out an unhappy whine. "Put it away. You can play with it after you eat."

Aiden pouted, but nonetheless moved the dual fold console beneath the table. Misty checked behind her once again, and as soon as she saw the video game gone, she smiled at her son before returning to her job of feeding Elizabeth.

With his mother's attention once again averted, Aiden smirked and took the video game out once again, continuing to play through the level he was on. Aiden _so _knew he could beat this bad guy! All he had to do now was get the magic mushroom, find the star, and break the-

"_Aiden!_"

The raven haired boy's head shot up, and he found his eyes locked with those of his highly annoyed mother. Elizabeth, on the other hand, was giggling happily and dipping her little fingers into her food, spreading the green mush across the plastic tray like it was finger paint.

"What?" Aiden squeaked.

"I told you to put that away," Misty's voice was stern now.

"But Mom-"

"No buts!" Misty narrowed her eyes. "Away. Now."

Aiden huffed, but once again hid his favorite toy underneath the table top. When Misty turned back around to see Elizabeth's little display, she let out a tired groan and got out of her chair to retrieve some paper towels, making sure this time to get the jar of peas out of Elizabeth's reach. Knowing he wouldn't be able to pull his video game out again without getting caught red handed, Aiden ducked his head beneath the table and continued to play down there. Michelle was keen to her brother's actions and didn't say anything, but she still raised an eyebrow and watched him out of curiosity, knowing their mother wasn't going to fall for such a dumb cover up.

"Aiden Nash Ketchum, you must be kidding me!"

Michelle smirked to herself. Of course she'd been right. She always was.

Aiden lifted his head up, but not before bumping it against the edge of the table. "Ow," Aiden whined, holding onto the sore spot and rubbing it as he sat up straight.

"I can't believe that you're completely ignoring me!" Misty marched over to the opposite side of the table, pulling the video game out of her son's hands and closing the device.

"Hey!" Aiden complained.

"You'll get this back later," Misty waved the red console in the air before placing it down on the kitchen counter. Shaking her head, Misty now set her glare on Ash and asked, "Why didn't you take it away from him in the first place?"

No response.

"Ash…I'm talking to you."

"Huh?" Ash picked his head up, eyes darting around the room. Aiden looked down at his father's lap, trying to see what he had been so absorbed in before getting called out by his mother. When he realized what it was, his eyebrows shot up, and the boy stared up at his father with a dropped jaw. At the moment, however, Ash was too busy dealing with his frustrated wife to notice his son's shocked look.

"Well?"

"Oh…I'm sorry…I just…I uh…I-"

"Dad is playing video games, too!" Aiden cried, grabbing the device off of Ash's lap and holding it in the air. It was a dark blue pokegear, and when Misty saw it, she looked completely stunned and ticked.

"I wasn't playing video games!" Ash argued, taking the device back from his son before sheepishly admitting, "I was texting…"

"Who is so important that you have to be texting them during dinner?!"

"Lance…" Ash muttered.

"As much as I find your little "bromance" with him to be _so _adorable…" Misty rolled her eyes, marching towards Ash and taking the pokegear away from him, "it's not important enough to be discussing what color you're both going to paint your nails during dinner."

"Not funny!" Ash blushed furiously.

Smirking, Misty put the confiscated pokegear down next to her son's video game system and warned, "Same goes for you. You can have it back later."

Groaning, Ash placed his head in his hand and gave his son an annoyed stare. "Gee, thanks a lot, champ."

"If I can't play video games, you can't talk to Lance about your nails," Aiden narrowed his eyes.

"That's _not _what we were talking about! _Misty!_"


	102. A Charicific Adventure

**I don't have to go back to my horrible schooool! I got to switch colleges. Hoorays. We'll see if the writing can hold up, I think this school is going to be a lot tougher. The other one was...not. It was for really lazy people. And it sucked. I actually wanna work! So, hopefully my writing won't be affected too much :)**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>A Charicific Adventure<strong>

Aiden and Michelle were always excited when they got to accompany their father on his undertakings. It could really be anything; from exciting ones that included presiding over prestigious Pokémon League tournaments, to more diminutive ones such as bringing his Pokémon to the nearby Center for routine checkups.

Today seemed like it would be an interesting one. Earlier that morning, their father had gotten a call that seemed to rile him up quite well. He had hurried up to Misty and informed his weary wife that he needed to go somewhere. As soon as the twins heard this, their ears perked and they'd hurried up to him, begging to come along. Ash had seemed a bit hesitant, but once he heard Misty let out the moan that indicated she was probably going to be sick at any moment, he decided that bringing Aiden and Michelle with him was a better idea than leaving them at home with Misty.

"Where are we going?" Aiden excitedly asked his father as they waited for Scott to pull up.

"The Charicific Valley," Ash replied.

"What's that?" Michelle squeaked.

"It's a private training ground specifically for Charizard," Ash explained brightly. "Lots of 'em live there and work on their attacks, including my Charizard!"

"We're goin' to see Charizard?" Aiden's eyes widened as a huge smile overtook his face. The young boy had always been very close to the fire type and loved him dearly. As much as Ash had been afraid to have the young twins near his vivacious and temperamental fire type at first, he soon discovered that the flame Pokémon actually _adored _the children, and was very protective of them.

"Yes, we are," Ash smiled weakly at his son. He didn't have the heart to tell the young boy that the reason they were going to Charicific Valley was because there appeared to be something wrong with Charizard, hence the reason that Liza had called him so early.

Much to Ash's relief, it didn't take Scott long to arrive. He pulled up in his red car and got out of the driver's seat in order to assist Ash with putting the twins into their booster seats. Ash knew how much Scott disliked having the things in his prized possession, but once he had taken them out and forgotten to put them back in, earning a fierce scolding from Misty. Ash couldn't exactly blame her, since she was just a very concerned mother, but he was aware that his manager was _just _a little bit afraid of his wife. Fortunately, Misty wasn't down there to hear Scott's complaining and chew him out about them.

"It's just very hard to explain them to a woman you're taking out on a date," Scott covered up for himself once he had successfully strapped in Michelle. He was usually put in charge of the girl, since she tended to be less of a handful than her brother. Aiden enjoyed using Scott as target practice for his feet.

"I thought women were really into the fatherly type," Ash smirked.

"There's a difference between the fatherly type and thinking your date's got some secret kids," Scott frowned, earning a chuckle from Ash as the two men climbed into the front seat. "So, tell me, what's up with Charizard?"

"I don't even know," Ash sighed. "Liza called me in a panic. She knows that Charizard can be pretty haughty, but this is different. He's been _extremely _temperamental over the past few days. Liza thought maybe he was just in a bad mood, but it's been going on for too long now. And he's definitely not sick. She doesn't know what's happening at all."

"I see," Scott twisted his mouth. "That could be a real problem."

"Which is why I'm going to check it out myself," Ash nodded. "Charizard and I are good buddies, so worse comes to worse, maybe he'll at least listen to me."

"Good idea," Scott started driving down the street at rapid speed. Michelle whimpered, while Aiden let out an interested noise and pressed his nose against the window.

"Try to drive a little more carefully, Scott," Ash pressed himself against his own seat. He was more like Michelle in this respect; afraid of Scott's driving. "If anything happens to the twins…Misty will have your head."

"And you won't?" Scott chuckled amusedly.

"Oh, I will. But trust me; Misty will get to you first."

**XXX**

Charicific Valley was located just outside of Violet City, in the Johto region. Johto was actually fairly close to Kanto, especially when one was travelling on anything but their feet. It would only take about an hour to reach the valley from Cerulean City, in fact. Especially with the way Scott drove. He hadn't been able to tone down his speed, but fortunately, he _had_ listened enough to Ash in which he was a little more cautious with everything else, including turns.

Although the Charicific Valley was hidden quite nicely in order to protect it from those who might have a sick enough mind to want to harm its inhabitants, it was easy enough to pick out for those who had an inkling of where it was located. The large rock formation of a Charizard, which stood tall in front of the actual valley, gave the great hint.

Scott pulled up right next to the formation, behind the stone pillars that were also carved to look like the fully evolved fire starter. He and Ash both got out of the car and unbuckled the twins, lifting them out and placing them on the ground. As soon as the twins were free, they both made a dash for the tall staircase that led up to the top of the rock formation.

"Guys, don't go up there!" Ash yelled.

Aiden and Michelle both stopped and looked over their shoulder at their father. Their eyes were wide with curiosity, wondering why in the world their father wasn't letting them go on a little adventure.

"It's very high up," Ash explained to the two confused children. "I don't want either of you falling and getting hurt."

Aiden and Michelle didn't seem very satisfied with this elucidation, but nevertheless, they listened to him and waited by the foot of the stone stairs for him and Scott to walk over. Instead of taking the lengthy staircase, the group entered the valley through a wide mouth opening that was cut out through the side of the mountain's base. They were greeted by low grown, full bushes and cliffs of rock, where several Charizard were resting on. In the middle of the flatland was the proprietor of Charicific Valley; Liza. As soon as she heard footsteps against the stony ground, she looked over her shoulder and offered the visitors a hearty smile as she scurried over to them.

"Hey, guys!" Liza greeted with a wave. She looked down by Ash's feet and cooed at the two young children, who were staring up at her with their wide orbs. "Aiden, Michelle! You two have gotten so big!"

This made the twins smile. They loved being called big kids, or any variant of the title. Ash was happy that Liza was so excited to see his children, but you couldn't tell by looking at his face. Ash had a lot on his mind right now, and it was weighing on him quite heavily.

"Liza," Ash frowned, "what's wrong with Charizard?"

Liza's own smile vanished as she was reminded of the problem at hand. "I wish I knew. He's really been acting so strange. I've had to break up so many fights between him and the other Charizard in the past few days…and I can't even get near Charizard myself!"

"What about Charla?" Ash tried. He knew that his Charizard was completely inseparable from the female.

"I haven't seen her since all of this began," Liza sighed. "I'm starting to become worried that Charizard's behavior might have scared her off, and she's in hiding somewhere."

"This is terrible," Ash furrowed his brow. He couldn't believe Charizard was behaving _so _badly that the fire type had actually scared off his closest friend! "I've just got to find out why Charizard is doing this!"

"But, Ash, how are you going to do that when Charizard seems to be attacking anyone who goes near him?" Scott prodded.

"I…haven't exactly thought that one through yet," Ash blushed. "But…maybe if I just try and talk to Charizard, he'll listen! We're really close, you know."

"True, but when a Pokémon is so angry, will any of that actually work?" Scott sounded very concerned.

"It's worth a try," Ash shrugged.

"Come on, Daddy," Aiden started to bound away, "we're gonna' figure out why Charizard is mad!"

"Hang on, little buddy," Ash reached down and grabbed his son by the back of his collar. The young boy whined and tried to pry his father's fingers away from the turquoise colored material, unhappy to be held back in such a fashion. Ash finally released his son and apologized, "I'm sorry, buddy, but I can't let you come with me. This is a really dangerous mission! I don't want anything to happen to you."

"But Charizard is my friend, too," Aiden frowned. It was obvious that the child was upset that the Pokémon had something wrong with him.

"I know he is, but something is obviously really bothering him," Ash sighed. "He's not paying much attention to who his friends are right now. Once I figure out what's bothering Charizard, you can come see him, okay?"

Aiden didn't say anything. He didn't very much like that arrangement, and Ash knew it. But the Pokémon Master didn't have much of a choice. It was either entertaining his son or keeping him safe. And the latter was definitely more important to Ash.

"You and Michelle can stay here with Scott and Liza," Ash glanced up at the other two adults to make sure this was okay.

"Of course!" Liza nodded. "Come on, you two. I need to go feed the other Charizard, and you can help me out."

This perked them up considerably. Aiden and Michelle loved to do anything with Pokémon. While they were occupied with their new chore, Ash ran off towards the heart of the valley; where he knew Charizard spent most of his time.

He knew he had reached the center when he saw the long ring of water that surrounded the large middle rock. The deep blue liquid shimmered in the afternoon sunlight, and a few Charizard were lounging around on rafts in the lake. The middle rock, which was usually covered by the fire types, was completely vacant, and that's when Ash seemed to sense that something was really up. His suspicions were confirmed when a powerful fire type attack burst out from near the top of the rock.

"That was a flamethrower," Ash muttered. "And it was super strong…just like Charizard's…"

Nodding determinedly to himself, Ash started to make his way towards the center rock, where he knew he'd find his old friend.

**XXX**

Back at the forefront of the valley, Aiden and Michelle were finishing up helping Liza feed the other Charizard their lunch. It had been more than half an hour since Ash had left, and the two children were becoming concerned. Liza, however, was quick to swoop in and comfort them as soon as she felt their worries.

"Your Dad is going to be just fine," Liza smiled, "and I'm sure Charizard will be, too! Your Dad really has a way with Charizard, and I bet if anyone can figure that tough guy out, it's your Dad."

"What if Charizard uses flamethrower on Daddy?" Michelle frowned.

"Daddy gets hit with flamethrower lots!" Aiden smiled. "It won't hurt!"

At the same time, a burst of flames appeared high in the sky, catching the attention of Liza and her two young helpers. The flamethrower had been quite intense, and Liza seemed to know exactly where it was coming from.

_I hope I'm right about Ash… _Liza thought darkly to herself as a sense of fear over washed her.

**XXX**

Up in the center rock of the valley, Ash was standing before his Charizard with wide brown eyes. Liza was right; Ash had never seen Charizard so ferocious looking before. The flame Pokémon was snarling at Ash, seemingly not even caring that this was his longtime trainer standing in front of him.

"Charizard, come on buddy, it's me," Ash frowned. "I'm not here to do anything bad. I just want to know why you're so upset."

Charizard roared loudly and fired off another flamethrower at Ash. Fortunately, the trainer had very sharp reflexes and managed to roll out of the way. After missing his target, Charizard huffed and blew some smoke out of his nostrils.

"Please, Charizard," Ash gasped. "You can't try to hurt me. I would never hurt you! And what about Aiden and Michelle? You love them, don't you? They'll be _really_ upset if you end up hurting me. They're worried about you too."

Charizard pulled his wings back and blinked. Seeing that his Pokémon had calmed down a degree, Ash smiled weakly at the fire type and walked closer to him. Halfway there, however, Charizard growled, causing Ash to stop in his tracks.

"Sorry," Ash apologized meekly. "I won't get any closer. I just want an answer, Charizard. Where's Charla?"

Charizard growled at Ash once again, this time more fiercely than he had previously.

"Liza is worried about her," Ash put his hands in front of himself to show he meant no harm. "Charla _is _her Pokémon, after all, and she hasn't seen her in days. I know how protective you are of Charla. You two are very close." Ash smiled sheepishly and added, "It's a lot like me and Misty, actually."

At this, the fire in Charizard's eyes seemed to dim and turn into more of a gentle shimmer. Ash caught this, and stared up at the flame Pokémon in curiosity. With his temper quelled, Charizard let out a solid breath and turned his back to Ash, spreading his wings out. Ash had known Charizard long enough to understand what this meant. It was Charizard asking Ash to get on his back for a ride. Smiling at the creature's openness, Ash approached the orange dragon slowly, just in case he might change his mind and lash out, and climbed onto the dual type's back. Once Charizard felt that his trainer was properly settled, he lifted his body up into the air with one strong push of his wings. Ash held onto the Pokémon's neck to keep himself secure as they rose higher into the air. After a few short moments, Charizard landed on a higher tier of the center rock, where an opening was present in the tough stalwart.

With Charizard settled, Ash slid off the dragon's back and patted him on the side. Huffing, Charizard walked into the rock's opening and roared softly for Ash to follow. The raven haired man consented, following after his Pokémon and looking around inside the dugout. It was a small cave, dark and plain on the inside. It was warm, though, which was appropriate for fire types. The only light provided in the enclosed space was the small amount of sunlight that managed to shine through the cave's mouth, and from the flame on Charizard's tail. But, upon further examination, Ash could see another flame within the cave. This one was closer to the back wall, and lower to the ground. The keeper of this flame was lying on the ground, their back towards Ash and Charizard. The telltale sign for Ash, however, was the big, pink bow on the back of the creature's head.

"Charla!" Ash grinned. He was very happy to see that Liza's best friend was safe and sound. He could tell how worried the green haired Charizard trainer had been about her closest partner.

Upon hearing her name, Charla turned her head and looked back, seeing Ash. She didn't seem to mind much that he was there, but she became _very _happy once she saw that Charizard was with him. Letting out a soft, delightful roar, Charla whipped her tail up so the flame was now closer to the top of the cave. Seemingly pleased with the other fire type's reaction, Charizard began to move closer to her. Ash followed, feeling that Charizard no longer felt threatened by his presence. As soon as Ash got close enough to Charla, he realized why Charizard had been acting so strangely lately.

Suddenly, everything fell into place and made perfect sense.

"Ash!"

The trainer turned around and found another Charizard to be standing at the cave's opening, this one much smaller than either Charizard or Charla. At the sight of this "intruder," Charizard growled and took a threatening step forward. Feeling intimated, the smaller Charizard stepped out of sight, bringing some relief to Ash's own fire type. Charla, in turn, let out a content noise and reached around with her tail in order to stroke Charizard's back.

In the place of the small Charizard now stood Liza and Ash's two young children. Upon seeing that their father was safe, the two grinned and ran inside the cave, attaching themselves to his legs and chattering happily.

"Hey, guys," Ash knelt down and patted their heads. "What are you doing here?"

"Liza brought us with her," Aiden beamed. "She got scared when she saw that flamethrower!"

"We thought you got attacked," Michelle frowned.

"Nah, I'm just fine!" Ash shook his head before looking up at Liza and giving the green haired woman a smirk. "Thanks for the concern."

"No problem," Liza winked. She too walked inside the cave, and was pleasantly surprised when Charizard didn't attempt to attack her. "Ah, I see Ash got through to you, then!"

"Liza, I know why Charizard's been acting that way," Ash beamed at the woman, proud of himself for solving the case.

"Oh?" Liza was very interested. "And why's that?"

Looking over his shoulder at his old buddy, Ash smiled and asked, "Is it alright if they see, Charizard? You know they won't do anything bad."

Roaring softly, Charizard nodded that yes, it was alright. Lifting the twins up in his arms, Ash waited until Liza was at his side before leading her over to Charla. The Charizard trainer was even more excited to see her closest friend once again, after having not seen her for a few days.

"Charla, you're okay!" Liza beamed.

Charla smiled at her trainer and nodded emphatically. Ash motioned for the green haired woman to look closer to the cave wall. She did, as did the twins, and when they saw what Ash had been pressing for them to look at, they all gasped in fascination.

"I don't believe it," Liza whispered.

"Eggs!" Michelle smiled, her eyes sparkling.

"It made sense as soon as I saw them," Ash grinned at Liza. "Charizard's been acting this way because he and Charla mated. He's been trying to protect her and their eggs! That's also why you haven't seen Charla the past few days. She didn't run away! She's been taking care of their eggs!"

"Oh, Charizard, you were just trying to be a good Dad!" Liza giggled. The dual type roared and puffed his chest out.

Aiden once again looked down at the burnt orange ovals and counted each one with the kind of focus and precision that only a five year old could deliver. "One…two. There are two eggs, Daddy!"

"Yes, there are," Ash nuzzled his son. "I wonder when they'll hatch!"

"That's a good question," Liza twisted her mouth. "I'll call you as soon as it happens, though! You can be the first one to see the babies!"

"Is that alright, Charizard?" Ash asked the fire dragon. "When your eggs hatch, can we come back and see your babies?"

Charizard nodded, much to the twins' delight. Ash couldn't help but to smile as well. He just couldn't wait to come back and see Charizard and Charla's offspring! He was sure they'd be adorable…and very strong, too!

**XXX**

One week later, Ash received the call from Liza that the eggs were about to hatch. He wrangled up the twins, as well as Misty, who was now feeling slightly better and wanted to get a look at the Charmander babies for herself.

Using the same Charizard she had one week ago, Liza brought the young family up to the cave where Charizard and Charla had chosen to nest. Aiden and Michelle were the first to run in. They were very excited to see Charizard again, and even _more _excited to see his babies. The two fully evolved fire types were standing side by side, watching two small Charmander chase one another around in circles. They were still newly hatched, so every few seconds one would fall down and have to be helped up by either Charizard or Charla.

"Oh, they're so adorable!" Misty squealed, causing Ash to chuckle. His wife had a real thing for babies, both human _and _Pokémon. Her maternal instincts had always been very strong.

As Ash continued to watch the newborn Charmander play with one another, he realized that one of them had a pink bow tied around her neck. "Hey, Liza, is that one a girl?"

"Yep!" Liza was beaming. "There's one boy and one girl."

"Aww, just like you two!" Misty smiled down at her twin children, who were completely enamored by the little Charmander. Noticing this, Charizard nudged the two forward so they were standing right in front of the twins. The young Charmander looked a little shy, but Aiden and Michelle were anything but. They both knelt down in front of one; Aiden with the male Charmander and Michelle the female, and began to pet the young Pokémon very gently, just like their father had taught them when they were younger. The Charmander both greatly appreciated it, and began to mewl happily under the children's' touches.

"They really like you guys," Liza smiled. "How would you like to name them?"

At this, Aiden and Michelle's eyes widened to an almost comical size, causing Liza and their parents to laugh adoringly.

"Really?" Aiden marveled.

"Of course!" Liza nodded. "I asked Charizard and Charla, and they seemed thrilled with the idea." Both Charizard and Charla roared in approval, which led the twins to giggle.

"I know a good name for him!" Aiden grinned, rubbing the boy Charmander under his chin.

"What's that, buddy?" Aiden asked.

"Charlie," Aiden beamed. "It sounds kinda' like Charmander, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, I think that's a perfect name for him!" Misty agreed. "Charlie the Charmander."

"What do you think?" Aiden asked the lizard Pokémon. Charmander nodded quite rapidly, to which Aiden chuckled and patted the fire type on his head. "Alright, Charlie! We're gonna' be really good friends, just like my Daddy and your Daddy!"

Ash and Misty both smiled at this before turning their attention onto Michelle. She was quietly staring at the female Charmander sitting before her, trying to decide on a good name for the newly hatched creature.

"Any ideas, princess?" Ash inquired.

"Yeah…" Michelle replied slowly before her lips bent up into a smile. "Izabelle! With a 'z'!"

"Why a 'z', sweetheart?" Misty was curious.

"There's a 'z' in Charizard," Michelle answered. "She'll be a Charizard one day! So, her name should be Izabelle. And you could call her Izzy, just like you call _me_ Shelly sometimes!"

"Man, you guys are good at this!" Ash smiled. "Those are both great names! Charlie and Izabelle."

"They're really cute," Misty agreed. "Nice work!"

The Charmanders' parents both roared once again, this time in approval of their children's new names. With all of that settled, Aiden and Michelle continued to play with their new friends, while Liza, Ash, and Misty watched on in adoration.

"Babies sure are popular, huh?" Ash chuckled.

"You could certainly say that," Misty smirked, holding a hand against her midsection. That action in itself was enough to raise the silent curiosity of Liza.


	103. Babysitting: Max

**Another very requested one shot! This features the first appearance of Max in this one shot series :) Now that I've watched all of the Advanced saga, I have a much better feel for Max's character.**

**Aiden and Michelle: 7 weeks old**

* * *

><p><strong>Babysitting: Max<strong>

"Hey, Max, come here!"

The 16 year old boy looked up from his book, shooting Ash a less than pleased expression. If there was one thing that Max hated more than anything else, it was to be disrupted from his books.

"Is it important?" Max complained.

"It involves my children, so yes," Ash replied as though it were obvious.

"What do you want me to see with two little babies?" Max raised an eyebrow.

"You haven't met them yet!" Ash was clearly excited at the prospect.

"That's because I've been on my own Pokémon journey, just like you were when you were my age," Max pressed a hand against his chest.

"Yeah, but now you're back!" Ash was grinning. "Come on, it'll only take a second! They're really cute; you won't regret it!"

"I never said I _would_ regret it," Max frowned, not wanting Ash to think that he didn't like the babies. "I'm just…not really good with babies is all."

"Have you ever been with a baby before?" Ash prodded.

"No…"

"So you don't know!" Ash chuckled. "Come on, it'll be fun! Besides, you should probably get used to babies. Your sister and Drew just got married, so I'm pretty sure you'll be an uncle soon enough."

"EW, ASH!" Max cried, covering his ears. "I don't ever want to picture _that! _Come on!"

"What?" Ash was confused. "May and Drew's babies?"

"No…the thing that comes _before _the babies!" Max wailed.

"Being pregnant?" Ash was genuinely confused.

"Ugh, never mind," Max sighed as he put his book down by the trunk of the tree that he had been sitting under. "I don't understand how you're married yet you can still be so slow."

Ash just shrugged before chuckling and leading Max inside. They were at Professor Oak's lab, having gathered there in order to see Max. He had just finished traveling through the Johto region, and always happy to see the boy, Professor Oak had insisted that Max stop by so everyone could celebrate the latest leg of his journey coming to an end.

Ash was especially excited to see Max once again. He had seen him fairly recently; just a few weeks ago at May and Drew's wedding. But he and Misty hadn't had the twins with them, because they were much too young to attend such an event. He and Misty _were _able to bring them to other places such as Professor Oak's, however. So Max would finally get his chance to see the two little babies for the first time. Ash was so proud of them, and he knew it probably wasn't entirely exciting for a 16 year old as it was for him, but Ash couldn't help it. Max was his friend, and the twins were Ash's pride and joy. So of course he wanted to show them off!

He led the younger boy inside, to where Professor Oak's longue was located. May and Drew, who were newly returned from their honeymoon off of a remote island near Hoenn, were sitting on one couch, Drew's arm slung around his new wife's shoulders. Sitting next to them was Professor Birch, who had come along with the couple, sipping a cup of tea.

Across the way from those three was the one person Ash was always thrilled to see: Misty. She was listening to May prattle on about…something, but she didn't seem to be too into the conversation. In fact, it looked like she was beginning to nod off. Ash wasn't surprised by this, seeing as May had a motor mouth and Misty was running on three hours of sleep.

"Hey, guys!" Ash greeted cheerfully. This stopped May right away, leading her to look up at Ash and smile. Misty, on the other hand, groaned tiredly and rubbed at her eyes.

"You're still tired, aren't ya, Misty?" Max asked softly.

The gym leader looked up at Max and smiled sweetly, despite her worn down being. "Hi there, Max. It's great to see you!" She made to stand up, but was stopped when Max instead made his way over to the young woman and gave her a hug right there.

"You don't have to get up," Max chuckled. "I don't want you passing out on me!"

"Which is highly possible, at this point," Misty laughed weakly. "I'm so not used to having such little sleep…"

"Well, Ash brought me in here because he wants me to meet Aiden and Michelle," Max smiled. "Is that okay with you?"

"Of course it is," Misty giggled. "Don't be silly. They're over there." She looked over her shoulder and pointed at the corner of the room, where a basinet was placed. It was the same one that Professor Oak's great grandson, Sam, slept in whenever Gary was over, and the older man had no qualms about putting the two Ketchum children in it whenever _they _were over. It was made of dark brown wood; the four legs perched on black wheels so it could be moved from room to room. The bedding was a gentle tan color, tied onto the bassinet's wooden frame with material that was printed with the same spots found on a Girafarig. Hanging over the piece of transportable furniture were Professor Oak and Brock. They must have been watching over the twins while Ash and Misty took some much needed time off.

Unsurely, Max made his way over to the bassinet. His quiet footsteps were enough to catch the attention of the older Professor and Brock, who both smiled at the sight of the teenage Pokémon trainer.

"Max, it's wonderful to see you again!" Professor Oak greeted jovially.

"You too, Professor Oak!" Max chimed.

"You'll have to tell me all about your journey through the Johto region!" Professor Oak continued. "I've already heard a few wonderful tales from Birch, but I'm sure you have plenty more!"

"I sure do," Max nodded.

"Hey, what about me?" Brock playfully whined.

"I didn't forget about you, Brock!" Max chuckled. "You been hitting on any girls recently?"

"I don't know if I'm comfortable giving you that information…" Brock covered his ear for protection. He and Max shared a good laugh, until a gentle coo from inside the bassinet recaptured everyone's attention.

"Max, I do believe these two little ones want to meet you!" Professor Oak beamed at the teal haired boy.

Eyes widening, Max stepped forward, Professor Oak and Brock both moving away in order to give Max a clear view of the infants. He took up the foot of the bassinet, lacing his fingers around the wooden post and leaning over in order to look at the children. As soon as he set his brown eyes onto the twins, a small gasp escaped his throat and his glasses nearly fell off of his face.

The twins were lying side by side; tiny enough for the both of them to fit perfectly in the bassinet. Aiden was on the left, a small boy with thin, messy black hair and perfectly pink and chubby cheeks. He was outfitted in a blue fleece footed pajamas, with a zipper going up the front and an applique of a Phanpy on the side.

Michelle, who was fast asleep on the right, had a bit of a thinner face, and her blush was a little less intense. Her hair, however, was bright and made up for the lack of color in her cheeks. The bright orange hue of her locks was a perfect copy of Misty's own hair. Her pajamas were the same as Aiden's, but were pink instead of blue with the applique of an Igglybuff.

"Aren't they the best?"

Max was a little startled as he looked over his shoulder and found himself face to face with Ash. In response, the Pokémon Master chuckled and turned his gaze back onto the bassinet, smiling down at his two sleeping infants.

"They're _really _cute," Max beamed at the children. "May was right!"

"Of course, I always am!" The brunette roosted from all the way over on the couch. Max rolled his eyes, while Drew snickered at his wife.

"Ash! Professor Oak!" Tracey came bursting into the room, and much to everyone's surprise, he was extremely frantic.

"What is it, Tracey?" Professor Oak blinked.

"Some of the Pokémon got into an argument, it's chaos out there!" Tracey groaned. "Even Bulbasaur is having a difficult time getting everyone to calm down!"

"Alright, we've gotta' go help out," Ash threw everyone a determined glance. They all nodded and got up in order to follow Tracey out of the room. Before Max could move, however, Ash held the boy back by his shoulders and advised, "Max, you stay here."

"What?" His eyes nearly bulged out of his head. "Why me?!"

"Someone needs to stay here with the twins," Ash frowned. "Can you do that for me, Max?"

"I…I guess so," Max grumbled. Not for nothing, but he didn't really want to be stuck babysitting while everyone else got to go out and work with the Pokémon. He was a trainer now, after all, not some little kid!

Before running out of the room himself, Ash glanced over and realized that Misty hadn't moved with anyone else. She looked startled by the news Tracey had come baring, but at the same time, also appeared ready to fall down on the floor.

"Misty, you stay here with Max and the babies," Ash gently ordered his wife. "You're in no condition to be wrangling up angry Pokémon."

"Okay…" Misty breathed, resting a hand against her forehead. And with that, Ash was gone, just like everyone else save for Max and Misty.

"Well, at least they're asleep," Max smiled to himself. "Plus, I've got their Mom right here if I need help!"

Remembering that he'd left his book outside, Max walked over to the bookshelves that lined the Professor's longue and started to look for a new book to read. Eventually, he settled on one that outlined famous battling strategies from the world's most notable trainers. As soon as Max opened it up, however, a screeching cry from the basinet startled him to the point where he dropped the book right on the floor. Grimacing, Max hurried over to the portable crib and discovered that Michelle was the one who was wailing. A concerned expression overtaking his features, Max hurried over to the couch, crying out, "Misty! Michelle is getting pretty fussy…"

The only response he got was a very light snore. Gasping, Max leaned over the back of the couch and found that Misty had fallen asleep sitting up.

"Misty!" Max whined, shaking the gym leader by her shoulders. Even that didn't do the trick, however. Misty was _so _tired that she was already in her deepest form of sleep. Try as Max might, he knew he wasn't going to be able to wake her up. And that left him alone with the babies.

Grimacing, Max trudged back over to the basinet and leaned over, just staring at Michelle for a few moments. He really had absolutely _no _idea what to do with a crying baby! Not only did Max have literally zero experience with infants, but he was the youngest child in his family. He'd never even had a baby sibling!

"Wait a minute…I'm a Pokémon trainer!" Max smiled to himself. "I can use my Pokémon to help me out, just like Ash used to do!"

Plucking his most treasured poke ball, Max pressed the center button and released his partner Pokémon: Gallade.

"Gal?" Gallade questioned and winced once Michelle's cries reached his ears.

Max grinned sheepishly at the dual type. This Gallade was the same Ralts that Max had befriended nine years ago. He had kept his promise and returned for it once he turned 10 years old and had started his Pokémon journey. The two had been inseparable ever since, and without a doubt, Gallade was Max's strongest Pokémon. "Gallade, Ash left me in charge of his babies, and one of them started crying just as soon as he left! And, unfortunately, Misty is asleep…I can't wake her up, and I feel bad if I keep trying. She's just so tired."

"Lade," Gallade nodded. He seemed to understand Max's predicament.

"So, do you think you could help me out with this babysitting business?" Max asked worriedly.

"Ga," Gallade nodded once again, much to Max's relief.

"Thanks, Gallade! I knew I could count on you," Max gave his trusty companion a thumbs up. "Now…I'm thinking that maybe Michelle wants to be held. But…I'm afraid to pick her up, because I might drop her. I've never held a baby before…so…do you think you could use psychic and gently place her in my arms?"

With a single nod, Gallade's eyes started to glow blue, which was soon transmitted to Michelle's little body. She was outlined in the same shade and, within seconds, was hovering above the basinet. Fortunately, although her cries persisted, they didn't become any worse while she was floating in midair. Max knew this might not have been the best tactic, so he made the mental decision to make sure Ash didn't know this had gone down.

Moving his head, Gallade managed to float Michelle's tiny body closer to Max. Blinking, he held his arms out and wrapped them around the baby, slowly bringing her into his hold. Once Max was sure the infant was completely secure, he gave Gallade a single nod, and the dual type stopped using his psychic on the small girl.

"Wow…" Max breathed, staring down at Michelle. "She really is tiny…she's so light!"

Michelle's sobs soon began to die down as she rested her cheek against Max's chest. The teenage boy let out an unsure hum as he held the baby by her back and bottom, gently bouncing her up and down. Michelle, in turn, cooed and gripped Max's shirt in her little fingers.

"I get it now," Max murmured. "You just wanted to be held!"

Max was surprised by how much he liked holding the little girl. His fear was disappearing more quickly than he could have imagined. She was a warm, cuddly little thing…Max figured she could actually make a pretty good friend, even if she couldn't talk or even sit up on her own.

"Do you like toys?" Max rhetorically asked the baby. She was only about seven weeks old, so Max wasn't entirely sure what she could do. While he was busy marveling over the infant, Gallade had made his way over to the bookshelf and retrieved a book that he figured might help Max out with the little one.

"Lade," Gallade held the book up in front of Max.

Blinking, the trainer leaned forward and read the title off the cover. "_The Guide to Everything Baby_…hey, great find, Gallade! I bet this will tell me what to do with a baby Michelle's age!"

Knowing that his trainer had his hands full with the aforementioned infant, Gallade started to flip through the book in order to find the chapter he and Max needed. Gallade was an exceptionally intelligent Pokémon, much like his trainer. He could do a lot of things many other Pokémon couldn't, and that included reading.

"Ga!" Gallade exclaimed happily, having found the right section. He held the book up again for Max to see. The teenager scanned the chapter that Gallade was showing off to him. It focused on what to expect out of a seven week old baby, and different things you could do with them for fun.

"Well, this says that a seven week old baby will typically have long periods of being quiet and alert," Max read, "and when that happens, it's the perfect time to try and teach them."

"Lade?" Gallade questioned. _How?_

"Hmm…the book suggests singing, showing them pictures, or reading to them…" Max mused. "Well, I'm definitely not singing, I'll tell you that much!"

Gallade snickered at such an idea, which led Max to roll his eyes. His Pokémon sure did know how to tease him. Deciding he would probably be more comfortable sitting down with Michelle in his grasp, Max lowered himself to the floor. Gallade followed as well, but not before using his psychic to bring over the original book that Max had wanted to read; the one about famous trainers and their battling strategies.

"Lade," Gallade lowered the book so it was resting on the floor, right in front of Max. The boy leaned forward and curiously glazed his eyes over the open pages before smirking at his Pokémon.

"I bet Ash would be happy to know I'm teaching his daughter about Pokémon battles, huh?" Max asked.

Michelle gurgled and squirmed in Max's hold, her foot uncomfortably finding its way beneath the boy's rib. Max sucked his breath in and, as delicately as possible so he wouldn't upset the child, removed her tiny foot from that tight spot.

"I don't think that was comfortable for anyone," Max wheezed. "Let's just…read some of this book, okay? I'm going to teach you!"

Michelle closed her eyes for a long few seconds before opening them once again and staring up at Max. He couldn't help but to get hypnotized by the emerald green orbs. They were _huge; _wide and full of curiosity. And for a little baby, she certainly had long, willowy eyelashes. Michelle, in fact, looked almost like a little porcelain doll.

"I can tell you want to learn, too," Max smiled. "Just look at those eyes! Okay, let's see what this page here is about…ah! Bruno and his Onix! This should be really interesting!"

Michelle furrowed her little brow and let out a small grumble. It was so quiet; however, that Max didn't hear it as he kept reading from the book.

"It says here that Bruno trains fighting type Pokémon, but that he and his Onix have been close for many years, and work great together," Max was obviously very enthused about this newfound book and its contents. "Bruno's battle strategy is all out offense, with damage dealing moves and hard hitting attacks! How awesome!"

Michelle whined once again, this time a little more loudly. She gripped desperately at Max's green shirt, but that still wasn't enough to catch the trainer's attention.

"It also says that Bruno likes to train up in the mountains, far away from civilization, because it helps his focus," Max just kept on reading. "And the added bonus is that training in tough terrain helps to strengthen a Pokémon's muscles and stamina!"

Seemingly unable to take anymore, Michelle let out a blistering scream that startled both Max and Gallade. Biting his lip, the trainer started to bounce Michelle up and down, hoping that might be the trick that would calm the infant down. He was having no such luck, however, as she continued to wail and screech.

"I thought all you wanted was to be held!" Max whined. Looking over his shoulder, Max raised an eyebrow when he realized he could no longer see Misty. Standing up very carefully, he walked over to the couch and found that Misty had fallen down in her sleep so she was now lying across the piece of furniture. "If these screams aren't going to wake her up, nothing will."

Michelle yelled once again, and Max had to resist the innate temptation to cover her mouth. He was really confused as to why Michelle had suddenly become so upset. All they'd been doing was sitting on the floor while Max read to her. Surely that couldn't have worked the baby up so much!

"I really wish you could talk," Max fretted. "I don't know what you want!"

Squinting his eyes, Gallade examined the baby at close range. Perhaps Max had squeezed her too hard? That's what the dual type was looking for; any nail markings or red patches. He couldn't find any, although the Pokémon _did _manage to figure out why the baby had suddenly become so volatile.

"Lade, ga," Gallade informed Max.

"Huh? What are you trying to tell me?" Max blinked.

The blade Pokémon pointed at Michelle's lower body. The baby sobbed and squirmed uncomfortably in Max's hold. Raising an eyebrow, the trainer lifted Michelle up and examined the baby's bottom. This brought him to the same realization that Gallade had come to.

"Uh oh…" Max blinked. "She needs her diaper changed…"

"La," Gallade nodded.

"Wh-what am I supposed to do?" Max's eyes were huge. "I don't…I don't know how to change a diaper!"

Gallade walked over to the couch where Misty was napping and picked up a mint green diaper bag, dropping it by Max's side without so much as a word. Max glared at his Pokémon, but the baby then let out another tortured scream that informed Max he wouldn't be able to hold off for much longer. Digging through the bag, Max found a changing pad that he could lie Michelle down on.

"Well, that makes things a _little _bit easier," Max smiled.

He laid the girl down and managed to unbutton the bottom of her pajamas, freeing her lower half from the comfort of the fleece. Michelle whined at the cold, but her screaming had actually managed to stop once Max had laid her down. That's because she knew she was on her way to getting a clean diaper.

Although it had taken a lot of tugging on Max's part, he finally managed to rip up the tabs of Michelle's diaper and free the baby from it. As soon as he saw what had been inside of it, however, Max's face quickly turned a green color. Michelle, in turn, smiled up at the teenage boy.

"Ugh…how am I supposed to clean this up?" Max groaned.

Michelle stuck two fingers into her mouth and started to drool. If anything, that only made Max even _more _uneasy. He had no idea how such a tiny thing could make such a big mess. And he didn't even know where to put the dirty diaper! Surely they didn't just go in the garbage…did they? Either way, Max didn't even want to _touch _the soiled diaper. It was, in all honesty, the grossest thing he'd ever seen.

"Wait! I've got an idea!" Max beamed before looking up at his partner Pokémon. "Gallade, go get me a pair of rubber gloves!"

Gallade nodded and teleported out of the study, returning after just a few seconds with a pair of rubber gloves in hand. Fortunately, such things were easy to find when you were inside a Pokémon professor's laboratory. Max slipped the gloves onto his hands and, with them protected, moved the dirty diaper away from Michelle. He was still making a face of disgust, however, and Gallade was fairly certain he knew what it was from. Transporting away once again, he then returned with something else to assist Max in his task; a face mask.

"Thanks, Gallade," Max smiled, "but my hands are a little…busy right now…I don't really want to touch my face."

Nodding, the dual type assisted his trainer by fastening the blue mask over his mouth for him. Max nodded an approval, knowing full well that Gallade wouldn't be able to see a smile. He then reached back into the diaper bag, managing to pull out a pack of wipes, a bottle of baby powder, and a new diaper. The first thing, he at least knew, was to wipe down the baby. That wasn't exactly fun either. Max made sure to look away when he did that. After leaving the sullied wipes atop the equally filthy diaper, his next job was to sprinkle the now squirmy infant with baby powder.

"Gentle…" Max murmured to himself as he twisted the cap of the small pink container and held it over Michelle, "gently…"

Unfortunately, he tipped over the bottle _just _a bit too much, and completely covered the baby's lower half in power. Michelle gurgled and furrowed her brow. Max's heart began to race; that hadn't sounded like a very happy gurgle. It sounded almost as if Michelle was about to burst into tears again.

"Oh, please don't cry!" Max begged. His voice came out muffled from behind the mask. Grabbing the new diaper, he attempted to use it to wipe the excess powder off of Michelle. She huffed and kicked her legs up, kicking away the diaper that Max was using as a makeshift towel.

"No, Michelle!" Max was panicking. "I've gotta' get you cleaned up before your Daddy comes-"

"Max?!"

"Back," Max sighed, hanging his head. He didn't even need to look up to know who that voice belonged to.

Standing just a few feet away was Ash, staring wide eyed at the young boy and his little baby daughter. Ash was confused as to why Max looked like he was performing surgery until he realized that his daughter was half naked, covered in powder, and lying near a discarded diaper. Finally, the Pokémon Master chuckled.

"It's okay," Ash reassured the teenager, "I don't like changing diapers either."

"I don't even know _how _to change one!" Max yelled.

"Why didn't you ask Misty for help?" Ash was confused.

"She fell asleep!"

"You could've woken her up, you know. I think you're one of the only people who she might not hit for doing that."

"I tried! She wouldn't even wake up when Michelle was crying!"

"Really? Damn, so she's really out then."

Jumping up to his feet, Max stared at the older man with fire filled eyes. "_You _finish changing her diaper!"

At this, Ash made a face. "But it's _so_ gross."

"She's _your_ baby, not mine!"

"That doesn't make it any less disgusting!"

Suddenly, a soft moan from Misty made Ash's eyes grow wide. He knew that sound from anywhere. It meant that Misty was about to wake up from a peaceful slumber. And if she saw her baby lying on the floor, not yet changed…

Ash grimaced and looked back at Max. "Get me one of those masks."

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><p><strong>My last update of winter break :) Hopefully there won't be too long of a lull between stories now that I'm back in school!<strong>


	104. Baby Talk

**Guys, this one has been sitting in my folder for like...almost two years. I'm not even kidding. I started it, got pretty far, and then never knew where to go with it. So I would usually end up reading it over and then moving on to another one shot. I finally finished it! It's just a cute little one, all Pokeshipping fluff which I know you guys all love!**

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><p><strong>Baby Talk<strong>

"Time for me to count! One…two. There we go! My two little ones, all safe and sound."

Misty rolled her eyes at her husband, whose nose was currently poking into the side of her heavy stomach. His fingers were pressing gently against the swell, feeling out the two unborn children's feet.

"They're going to wake up soon, aren't they Misty?"

"Let me see…" Misty glanced over towards the clock and took a mental note on the time. 10:13. "Yeah. Just give it two more minutes. They'll be ready to play."

Ash chuckled and flattened his hand out against Misty's swollen belly. "It's amazing that they wake up the same time every night. Very punctual. It looks like, in that respect, they're taking after their Mommy!"

"Good," Misty closed her eyes blissfully, "because if they had _your _sense of time, they would be in an awful lot of trouble." In response, Ash just huffed and turned his attention back to his wife's midsection.

She was now five and a half months along with her and Ash's twins. The babies had just started to kick about two weeks ago, and Ash had never been more enthralled with anything in his life. Whenever the babies were alert, Misty had to make Ash aware of it, otherwise he would get upset. Admittedly, it _was_ rather childish of the Pokémon master, but he didn't care. He just loved his babies _so_ much.

Misty looked back at the clock. "You've got a minute left, Ashy."

"Don't you mean we?" Ash arched his midnight black eyebrows. "I mean, you're the one who's carrying 'em."

"Oh, I know," Misty smirked, pressing one of her own hands atop Ash's. "But I get to feel their movements all day. And I'm not the one who likes to-" A thud against the couple's hands stopped Misty immediately, and they both smiled at the movement.

"Did you two have a nice nap?" Ash cooed, kissing the bottom of Misty's bump. "I bet you did."

_And here we go,_ Misty thought gleefully. _Another night of Ash having his little conversations with the babies._

"Do you guys want to know what Daddy did today?" Ash asked as he rubbed the left side of Misty's bulge. One of the babies delivered a fierce kick, which Ash interpreted as a yes. "Okay. Well, first, I had a practice battle against Lance. You two remember who Lance is, don't you?"

Another jab caused Ash to chuckle and hug Misty's stomach. "Of course you do! You're both so smart! Anyway, it was just a practice battle, but I won. Pikachu was great! After all these years, he's _still_ getting stronger!"

Misty sighed contently and turned her head closer to Ash, moving her emerald eyes up to stare at him innocently. Ash noticed this and laughed, giving her a sweet kiss on the forehead.

"Your Daddy is the Pokémon Master, remember?" Ash went back down to Misty's stomach. "And your Mommy is a gym leader. I wonder what you two will be when you grow up."

"I think one of them will have to become the new gym leader, once I'm too old," Misty huffed at the thought.

"You will never get old," Ash kissed her stomach. "Right babies?" They both kicked at the same time, causing Ash to laugh and rest his cheek on her belly. "I know what they're saying, Mist."

"Really, now?"

"Of course!" Ash chuckled.

Smirking, Misty laughed gently and asked, "then what are they saying, Mr. Pokémon Master?"

"The babies are saying that their Mommy will always be young and beautiful," Ash raised his eyes to lock them onto Misty's. "They're saying that they love you lots and lots."

"How can they tell if I'm beautiful or not?" Misty scoffed. "They can't see my face!"

"I tell them all the time what you look like," Ash cradled her belly. "I give a very detailed description."

"I'd love to hear this very detailed description, then," Misty's eyes sparkled.

Sitting up on his elbows, Ash rested the bottom of his chin against the top of Misty's stomach, laughing as he felt the babies kick. "Alright. So, babies, your Mommy wants to hear me talk to you guys about her. I can do that! So, let's see…how do I describe Mommy to you guys, usually?"

Misty grinned as she watched Ash try to remember his "brilliant" description of her. He was so cute. So incredibly slow and dense, but the most adorable man in the whole world.

"I tell you that she's got bright green eyes that look like emeralds," Ash continued softly, "and bright red hair like fire. Her skin is light and glowing, like the really expensive dolls we see in the high end department stores in downtown Cerulean. And she's thin, but very nicely toned. Right now, her belly's nice and round, but that's because you two are growing in there! And she has these long, beautiful legs that make her look so graceful. Just like a ballerina! You know who taught me that? About the ballerinas? Your Aunt Daisy." Poking at the right side of Misty's stomach, he asked rhetorically, "is that you, little girl? Are you still on this side? Because your Aunt Daisy also told me that all the girls on her side of the family have those long, gorgeous legs. So, when you get older, I bet you'll look just like a ballerina, too!"

Ash looked back up at Misty, and found that her face was _completely_ red. She didn't look mortified, but it definitely seemed like she was the slightest bit embarrassed.

"Mist, are you okay?" Ash asked quietly.

"Do you really mean all of those things?" Misty's voice was just as soft as her husband's. "You make me sound so…so pretty."

"Because you _are_ so pretty!" Ash chuckled. "I don't lie. Especially to my babies."

Misty's mad blush wasn't going to go away any time soon; she could tell. Ash had a special way of making her go red. He could be as precious as anything and not even realize it. That's what Misty loved about her husband.

"Have you ever told them what you look like?" Misty asked.

Ash thought about this for a second before shaking his head and replying, "No…I actually haven't."

"Could I tell them what you look like?"

The Pokémon Master gazed up curiously at his wife. She was smiling so softly and sweetly at him; she looked so peaceful. Ash himself now smiled. Misty didn't usually talk to the babies. Not in front of him, anyway. He had it on good authority from his mother that when Misty was alone, and thought Delia was out of earshot, she talked up a storm to the little ones growing inside of her. Ash didn't know why she did that, and he, for one, wanted to hear her speak to them.

"Yeah," Ash stroked the bottom of her belly, "I want to hear how you describe me."

At this, Misty smirked. She walked her fingers down to where Ash's hand was resting and rubbed his fingers as she thought of how to begin. While she busied herself with this, she felt Ash's fingers clench, gathering the material of her nightshirt until he was gripping at her round abdomen.

"It's tight down here," Ash explained before Misty could even ask what he was doing. "Your belly, I mean."

"All that means is I'm going to get fatter," Misty smirked.

Huffing, Ash poked his nose against Misty's stomach and muttered, "Your Mommy is being mean to herself again."

"Sorry, I'll stop," Misty giggled softly. "Can I tell them what you look like now?"

"Sure, as long as you _swear _that you'll stop being mean to yourself."

Sighing, Misty rolled her eyes back and murmured, "Your Daddy is _extremely _silly. But I assume you two have already got that figured out by now."

A small kick thumped against Ash's hand. He looked up at Misty in shock, and the young woman simply shrugged and smiled in response.

"They agree with me, my good little babies," Misty cooed. "Now, let's see…how do I describe my sweet Ashy? Well…he has black hair. It reminds me of the midnight sky, when there are no stars in it. And his eyes are the same exact color as chocolate. Really. They're so sweet. I wonder if either of you two will have those beautiful chocolate eyes? Maybe you both will. And maybe you'll both have that black hair, too. And your Daddy also has these very sweet little markings right underneath his eyes. They're wonderful. I love to kiss them. And he's strong and so loving. I think your Daddy just gives the best hugs! You'll see what I mean."

Ash smiled sweetly and nuzzled his cheek against the swell of Misty's stomach. "They're not kicking…but they're moving around really softly."

"I can feel it," Misty smirked.

"I think that means they were listening," Ash smiled.

"They like it when we talk to them," Misty closed her eyes and allowed her head to settle deeper into the pillow.

"Misty, do you mean all those things you said about me, too?" Ash was curious.

"Of course I did. You're my Ashy. And I don't like to lie either."

"That's good," Ash chuckled, the vibration in his throat reverberating through Misty's abdomen. "We describe each other really well. Do you think our babies will be as beautiful as we are?"

Smirking, Misty couldn't help but to giggle at Ash's question.

"Of course they will be. I think they might be even _more_ beautiful."


	105. Bayleef's Babies

**This is another one that was sitting in my files for who knows how long. I actually think even longer than the previous one I posted. Yikes. Also, my last 3 one shots have had the word "baby" somewhere in them. Lolz.**

**Aiden and Michelle: 4 months old**

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><p><strong>Bayleef's Babies<strong>

There was absolutely no denying that Bayleef was jealous of Misty.

It seemed ridiculous: a Pokémon jealous of a human girl. Sure, Misty had much more responsibility than the grass type, and she had to deal with a lot more as well. But what the red headed gym leader _did _have that Bayleef didn't was…

Ash.

He was Bayleef's trainer, of course, but she had harbored quite the crush for the raven haired young man ever since they met. And when Ash had informed his Pokémon that he and Misty were dating, Bayleef had grown _enormously _jealous. Ash had never let on to even liking her! And it was even worse after the two got married.

Bayleef was happy for her trainer, of course, but she still couldn't help but to be envious. After all, she was Ash's _wife. _He had promised to love her forever. She was a lucky young woman.

On this particular day, Bayleef was trying to take a nap in the couple's sunny backyard, but it just wasn't working. She kept her large red eyes locked on Ash, who was sleeping in the shade provided by a large oak tree. He was sitting up and snoring softly, his black hair swaying gently in the wind. He rarely wore a hat anymore now that he was an adult.

In either of his arms he held his and Misty's two babies, both of them snoozing on his chest. Bayleef breathed out softly and rose to her feet, shuffling over to where the young man slept. She sniffed at Aiden first, and then Michelle. They shared part of Ash's scent, and part of Misty's.

And then she got curious.

Bayleef had never really seen human babies before those two had arrived. They were tiny and cute, but they sure could make a lot of noise when they wanted to. It was quite perplexing for the leaf Pokémon. She wanted to study them more. Unleashing her twin vines, Bayleef wrapped them around the infants, making sure not to hold them too tightly. She was afraid that might break them. Pulling them close to her chest, Bayleef walked slowly and carefully back to her original spot before settling into the soft grass and resting the children between her two front legs.

Tilting her head, Bayleef continued to stare at the babies. All they were doing was laying there and sleeping, but they were still so interesting! Another calm breeze blew, causing a leaf to land on Bayleef's nose. She shook her head quickly, trying to get the small plant off of her face. As it fell, however, a little murmuring sound caught the grass type's attention.

Looking back down, Bayleef saw that Aiden's eyes were now open, and he was cooing softly as he stared back at the dinosaur-like Pokémon. The baby's big brown eyes widened a little as he gazed at the creature, a tiny smile forming on his face.

"Bay?" Bayleef asked, as though the boy would respond.

"Gah," Aiden reached up with his little hands, opening and closing them excitedly. Bayleef blinked and leaned in towards them, gently nuzzling his small fingers. Aiden squealed in absolute delight, pulling his hands back quickly as he squirmed.

"Bay? Bay!" Bayleef giggled, clearly having fun with the baby.

"Mmm…wah?!"

Bayleef's head snapped up and her eyes locked on Ash. He was looking at his empty arms, dark russet eyes darting crazily back and forth.

"Where'd they go?!" Ash panicked, crawling around to the back of the tree, "where could they have gone?!"

"Bay!" Bayleef called out for Ash. He finally reappeared in front of the tree, gazing confusedly at the grass type.

"Bayleef!" Ash stormed, jumping up as he stomped over to his Pokémon. "Did you take my babies?!"

"Bay…bay…" Bayleef nodded, her head bowing as she became crestfallen. She could sense that Ash was _not _happy.

"Bayleef, you scared me half to death!" Ash cried as he gathered the twins in his arms and stood back up. Michelle remained asleep, but Aiden, who was awake, quickly became displeased. He began to whimper and hold his hands out towards Bayleef, unhappily gurgling as Ash tightened his grip.

"What's the matter, baby?" Ash cooed, "Why're you so upset? I'm here."

Aiden let out an ear piercing scream before bursting into tears, his arms still reaching for Bayleef. Ash was still highly confused by Aiden's sudden outburst, but Bayleef didn't seem as concerned. Silently, she unleashed her vines and gently took Aiden out of Ash's arms, pulling the little boy back over to her.

Once in front of Bayleef, Aiden cooed happily and leaned against the leaf Pokémon's chest, blabbering sweet baby sounds. Eventually, he fell over and let out a soft shriek, rolling over onto his back and staring up at Bayleef with his big, curious eyes.

"Aiden likes you, Bayleef," Ash blinked.

"Bay!" Bayleef retorted.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry for yelling at you before," Ash smirked. "I just get a little worried when I can't find my babies is all."

"Bay bay," Bayleef nodded. She released her vines again, and this time dangled them over Aiden. The baby giggled and reached up with his little hands, trying valiantly to grab onto the plants. Occasionally, Bayleef would dance the dark green appendages over the baby's soft cheeks, tickling the boy and making him shriek even more.

Ash, meanwhile, just watched with a little smile on his face. He was happy that his little boy was already so enamored with Pokémon.

"Bay, bay, bay…" Bayleef sang, twisting her vines over Aiden. Smiling, the boy reached up and grabbed one of the vines, gently tugging at it and kicking his feet as he pulled.

"Bayleef," Bayleef chirped, wrapping her vines around Aiden and gently pulling him up into a sitting position. Aiden squeaked and continued staring at Bayleef, curious as to why the Pokémon had pulled him up. Very gently, the leaf Pokémon started to rock Aiden side to side, making it appear like the baby was dancing. At this, Aiden showed off the biggest smile that Ash had ever seen and began to laugh wildly.

"I'm really impressed, Bayleef," Ash shook his head. "For someone who was so jealous of them at first, you sure do get along great with them!"

"Bay," Bayleef cooed.

Smirking, Ash added slyly, "so, if Misty and I have more babies, you won't be jealous of them?"

At this, Bayleef scoffed and fired off a low powered razor leaf at her teasing trainer.


	106. Nurse Lizzie

**Lizzie chapter! I think I forgot to do some of my homework. I've stopped caring already, oops XD**

**Elizabeth: 4 years old**

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><p><strong>Nurse Lizzie<strong>

Elizabeth loved going to visit her Uncle Brock at his office.

The little girl herself loved pretending to be a Pokémon Doctor with her own toys. Sometimes, her dolls or stuffed Pokémon would get sick or injured, and she would cure them. Her Mommy and Daddy weren't always happy when they found certain medical supplies missing from the cabinets, but Elizabeth didn't have time to be apologetic when her friends were in need of help.

So, naturally, Elizabeth became very excited when her mother proposed a trip to Brock's office in order to surprise the Pokémon Doctor. It was always fun to give Brock a nice little shock. He was always excited to see Elizabeth, because she was his youngest godchild. With that settled, Misty and Elizabeth made their way towards Pewter City, taking the short and easy Route 4 to get there. It was a lovely day, and the walk wasn't a long one, so Misty had decided that she and Elizabeth could walk there.

Brock performed a lot of house calls, but when he wasn't doing that, he was taking appointments in his office, which was an extension of the Pewter City Pokémon Center. Brock was the one who handled more serious illnesses and injuries so Nurse Joy could focus on simply healing Pokémon who were worn out from battling. You could enter the office from the outside, and that's exactly what the mother and daughter pair did. Before Misty could do anything, however, Elizabeth skipped over to the front desk, excited to greet Brock's trusty nurse.

"Hiya, Valentina!" Elizabeth greeted the young woman, trying to jump up to the counter of the desk.

The aqua haired woman leaned over and found the small girl to be hopping up and down. Giggling, she walked out from behind her post and knelt down in front of the child, gently patting her on the head.

"Well, hello, Lizzie!" She beamed. "What a wonderful surprise to be seeing you around here!"

"It was my Mommy's idea," Elizabeth smiled.

Valentina looked up and found Misty to be smirking at the two. Quickly getting to her feet, Valentina approached the gym leader and greeted, "hello, Misty! What brings you around these parts?"

"Forrest had something from Goodshow that he needed to give me," Misty explained. "But, before heading over to the gym, I thought I'd come here and pay Brock a little surprise visit! Seeing Elizabeth always brightens up his day."

"He could really use that right about now," Valentina smiled sadly.

At this, Misty quickly became alarmed. "Why? Is there something wrong with Brock?" Such a thought caused Elizabeth to become startled as well. She scurried back over to Misty and hugged her mother's leg, staring up at Valentina with scared eyes.

"Brock's fine, he's just been very busy all morning," Valentina glanced back at the door that led into the examination room. "You see, Nurse Joy went out this morning with Chansey to gather some fresh berries, and while they were out, the two found a very badly injured baby Psyduck."

"Oh, that's terrible!" Misty frowned. She absolutely hated to hear about any injured Pokémon, but when it was a water type, that only tugged at her heart strings all the more. And, on top of _that, _it was just a baby!

"He's been with that poor little thing ever since Nurse Joy brought it in," Valentina shook her head. "I've gone in to check on him a few times, but he just won't leave the room."

Elizabeth had remained silent the entire time, listening to Valentina's sad tale. She, like her mother, felt so bad hearing about a sick Pokémon. But Elizabeth also knew she could help Brock to cure it! After all, she always helped out her toys.

So, with steely conviction and a determined look on her face, Elizabeth detached herself from her mother and ran through the separating door before Misty or Valentina could even attempt to get to her.

"Elizabeth!" Misty hissed, storming towards the door. Valentina, however, reached out and lightly grabbed Misty's arm, stopping the red head in her tracks. She whipped her head around, confused as to why Valentina wasn't letting her go. All Misty got in response, however, was a delicate smile.

"Don't worry about it, Misty," Valentina reassured. "You said it yourself, after all. Seeing Elizabeth always brightens up Brock's day."

**XXX**

There was only one examination room in the office, so it was easy to find for the little girl. All the other rooms were Brock's study, the file room, the medicinal storage, and the recovery room.

Elizabeth first peered into the door frame, not wanting to just jump in and scare Brock. Normally, she would, but she didn't want to frighten the hurt baby Psyduck. Glancing up, Elizabeth could see the duck Pokémon lying on the examination table, which had been transformed into a bed for the time being. The Psyduck had a bright red blush over its beak, a sign of fever, and had its right wing wrapped up in bandages. Brock was standing by the counter, leaning down to write something on a chart.

"Brock?" Elizabeth finally squeaked.

The dark haired man whipped around, obviously surprised by the calling of his name. He looked all over for a few seconds before lowering his eyes and realizing that the one who had called for him was actually closer to the floor than anywhere else. She offered him a tiny smile, not wanting the doctor to become upset by her sudden appearance.

"Lizzie…" Brock breathed. He was completely shocked. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"Mommy brought me to see you," Elizabeth murmured. "It was a surprise. But…the Psyduck…"

"Oh," Brock turned around fully and looked down at the injured Pokémon. "Did Valentina tell you about him?"

Elizabeth nodded wordlessly. "Is he okay?" Her voice was full of concern, and this is what finally caused Brock to smile for the first time that morning.

"I think he'll be just fine," Brock replied. He didn't want to promise anything, of course. As a Pokémon Doctor, he knew things could change in the blink of an eye. But he wasn't about to tell Elizabeth that. She loved Pokémon just as much as her parents…and she was just a little girl, on top of it. "But I'm keeping an eye on him. Just to be safe."

"What's wrong?" Elizabeth sounded only the slightest bit placated.

"He's got a broken wing and a fever," Brock answered. "But I wrapped up his wing, and gave him some medicine for the fever. Now he's sleeping."

At this, Elizabeth's eyes widened and she pressed a finger against her lips, hissing a gentle, "shh."

Brock chuckled. "You really are your Mommy's daughter, huh?"

Elizabeth looked confused at this suggestion. Smirking, Brock went on to explain, "that's always what your Mommy used to do when you and your big brother and sister were babies. If you were sleeping, that's how she told your Daddy to not be so loud."

"Oh," Elizabeth understood now.

Smirking, Brock knelt down before the little girl and stroked her soft, dark red locks. Elizabeth appreciated this and let out a small giggle, staring up at her Godfather with big, emerald eyes that pierced right through the Pokémon Doctor. He just couldn't resist the little sweetheart.

"You like to make your toys feel better, don't you, Lizzie?" Brock asked. Almost every time he went over to the Ketchum house, he ended up having to play doctor with the girl. One might think that having to play pretend with your own career might be the worst thing in the world, but Brock really didn't mind it one bit. Sometimes, it was fun to escape the real cases he was faced with every day. It was easier to cure a doll's fever than to mend a real Pokémon's broken wing.

"Uh huh," Elizabeth nodded.

"Well then, how would you like to be my nurse for this little Psyduck?" Brock inquired. He had to choke back a laugh when Elizabeth's eyes nearly fell out of her head.

"Me?!" Elizabeth squeaked.

"Yes, you!" Brock chuckled. He lifted Elizabeth up in his arms and sat her on the side of Psyduck's bed. Elizabeth twisted her body around and stared at the sleeping water type. He let out a very small snore, and Elizabeth grinned in response.

"Here, Lizzie."

The child looked up and found her Godfather to be slipping his stethoscope off of his neck. Elizabeth thought that Brock looked rather spiffy in his white doctor's coat. Underneath the coat, he wore an orange sweater and olive green pants with a black belt.

"A stethy?" Elizabeth asked, reaching out for the tool.

"Yeah, stethoscope," Brock smirked. He knew Elizabeth couldn't properly pronounce it. "You can wear this around your neck, just like I do."

Carefully, he slipped the instrument around Elizabeth's neck. The metal circle of the tool hung down to her legs, since she was so small, but that didn't seem to bother the girl all too much. She picked up the circle and examined it, trying to see her reflection in the surface.

"We can listen to Psyduck's heart beat once he wakes up," Brock informed the girl.

"What else?" Elizabeth looked up at Brock.

"Well, his fever has definitely gone down since I gave him that medicine, but there's still some more we could do to help Psyduck," Brock smiled. He walked over to the sink and started to run the water. As it ran, he took a white cloth and soaked it for a few seconds. Once it was wet throughout, he turned off the water and wringed out the cloth until it was just damp. Folding it up, Brock brought the wet material over to Elizabeth and handed it off to the child. "You can put that on Psyduck's forehead. It'll make him more comfortable."

Elizabeth leaned forward and gingerly placed the damp cloth on Psyduck's forehead. The duck Pokémon sighed contently in his sleep, causing Elizabeth to grin.

"Great work, Nurse Lizzie," Brock complimented. This only made Elizabeth happier.

Just then, Psyduck's eyelids twitched, and soon afterwards, they lifted up, revealing the young Pokémon's wide eyed stare.

"Oh, hi!" Elizabeth giggled. Brock heard his goddaughter's squeaky voice and turned his attention back onto Psyduck. When he saw that the water type was awake, he was a little surprised, but nevertheless smiled and placed his hand atop the duck's head.

"Well, I'm glad to see you're up, little one!" Brock cooed. "And how are we feeling after that nice nap?"

"Psy," Psyduck quacked softly. Elizabeth laughed once again. She just thought this baby Psyduck was _so _cute!

"Elizabeth, we should listen to Psyduck's heartbeat now," Brock instructed the four year old.

"Okay!" Elizabeth chirped. She stuck the rubber coated ear buds in her ears and raised the metal scope to Psyduck's chest. Before she touched it to the Pokémon's body, however, she frowned and looked up at Brock. "Where's it go?"

Chuckling, Brock pointed at the right side of Psyduck's chest and replied, "right here."

Elizabeth nodded and gently pressed the scope in that spot. She listened intently for a few seconds before smiling, much to Brock's delight.

"I think it sounds good!" Elizabeth commented. "Tell me." She took off the stethoscope and handed it back to its rightful owner. Brock gathered the medical tool in his hands and pressed the ear buds into his own ears, fixing the scope over Psyduck's heart.

"Yes, that's a perfect heart rate!" Brock beamed.

"Good boy, Psyduck," Elizabeth giggled, stroking the baby duck's fluffy yellow head. She loved the feel of his coat. Since this Psyduck was just a baby, he had much finer and softer feathers than her mother's Psyduck. That reminded her… "Brock, can I get my Mommy?"

"Any special reason?" Brock inquired.

"I want her to meet Psyduck," Elizabeth explained. "He's my first real patient!"

At this, Brock laughed. His goddaughter was just the sweetest thing. There was no way he could say no! "Sure thing, little girl." He lifted her up and placed her back on the floor, not wanting the small child to jump off the examination table and hurt herself. "I'm going to bring Psyduck into the recovery room. You can bring your Mommy in there."

"Okay!" Elizabeth nodded before running back down the hall towards the door that led out into the waiting room. When she pushed back the door, she found that her mother and Valentina were still the only ones in the room. They were talking to one another until they realized Elizabeth was back in their presence. "Mommy, come 'ere!"

"Sweetie, I can't bother Brock while he's working," Misty frowned. Elizabeth had a feeling that was supposed to be a sly scolding for what she'd done before, but the girl still wasn't deterred.

"It's okay," Elizabeth assured. "I'm his nurse!"

"Huh?" Misty blinked.

"He made me his nurse!" Elizabeth giggled. "And I made Psyduck feel better! Wanna see him?"

"Uh…sure," Misty smiled sweetly at her daughter. The gym leader got to her feet and followed Elizabeth back through the swinging door. The four year old led her mother into the recovery room, where three different beds were situated. There were curtains between each one for privacy, but since two of the beds were empty, the drapes were pulled back. Psyduck was sitting up on the bed closest to the window, with Brock at his side.

"See, Mommy?" Elizabeth grinned up at her mother. "I'm a good nurse!"

Misty glanced at Brock, who was now smiling sweetly at the woman. "She is a pretty good nurse, Misty. Not gonna' lie."

"Great, you want to hire a four year old?" Misty smirked.

"It might not be so bad," Brock shrugged. "I'd only have to pay her in candy."

"Duck?" Psyduck quacked. That made Elizabeth giggle; she was obviously happy to see that the baby Pokémon was feeling much better.

"Oh, he's so cute!" Misty beamed. She knelt down beside the bed, grinning at the baby Psyduck. The little duck Pokémon turned to look at her, blinking his wide eyes at the woman. "What a sweet baby. Lizzie, did you feel how soft his feathers are?"

"Uh huh!" Elizabeth nodded.

"He's going to be okay, isn't he, Brock?" Misty frowned up at the doctor.

"I don't know, why don't you consult Nurse Lizzie about that," Brock smirked.

Misty rolled her eyes, but nevertheless turned her attention onto the little girl standing by her side and asked, "Nurse Lizzie, is Psyduck going to be alright?"

"Of course!" Elizabeth beamed. "Doctor Brock wrapped up his wing, and gave him medicine for his fever. And I put a cold towel on his head for his fever, too, and I listened to his heartbeat! I think baby Psyduck will be good!"

"That's wonderful to hear," Misty giggled. "Thank you, Nurse Lizzie! You like this job, don't you?"

"Yes, Mommy," Elizabeth rubbed her cheek against Misty's side.

"Do you want to grow up to be a Pokémon nurse instead of a gym leader?"

At this, Elizabeth balked. "I don't know…I want to be both! And a ballerina, too!"

"Oh," Misty stroked her daughter's hair, "well then, I think that's a perfect plan! What do you think, Doctor Brock?"

Brock noticed the mischievous look in Misty's eyes and playfully shook his head. "I agree. Nurse Lizzie sure has one healthy imagination!"


	107. Angry Aiden

**Eeer, another one shot. I actually wrote this whole thing today. Came home from school, wrote some of this, did homework, then finished this :P It's also the first time I've used LITTLE BRANDON! Even though he's not too important to his plot, lol. He's there.**

**Aiden: 7 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 2 years old**

****Brandon: 8 years o**ld**

* * *

><p><strong>Angry Aiden<strong>

Aiden's best friend in the whole wide world was Brock's nephew, Brandon.

He loved it when he got to spend time with the other boy. Today, Brock had a house call in Cerulean City, and had brought Brandon over for a play date with Aiden. The little raven haired boy already had an entire head full of ideas for what they could do. First and foremost on his list, however, was building a fort in the backyard. He and Brandon liked to pretend to be Pokémon Rangers, and this fort was going to be their hideout. Naturally, once he'd arrived, Brandon thought it was a perfect idea and was all for joining in on the creation of the fort.

Watching the two boys running around outside through a window in the kitchen was little Elizabeth, standing up on a chair and gripping onto the window sill with her little fingers.

"Mommy, Denny!" Elizabeth poked her finger at the glass.

"Yeah, Aiden is out there," Misty smirked.

"I wanna' pway wif' him," Elizabeth stared up at her mother.

"Sweetie, you can't play with Aiden right now, he's playing with Brandon," Misty smiled sympathetically at her daughter.

"Bwandy can shawe," Elizabeth replied simply.

"Lizzie, baby, he doesn't have to share your brother when they're having a play date," Misty reasoned with the toddler. "You can play with Aiden later, when Brandon goes home. Okay?"

Elizabeth frowned, but said nothing else. Instead, she wordlessly held her arms out, indicating she wanted to be taken down from the chair she was perched on. Sighing, Misty walked over to the makeshift ladder of sorts and lifted Elizabeth up, gently placing the little girl back down on the floor. The tinier red head scampered off as soon as her small feet hit the floor, much to Misty's bewilderment. Elizabeth really was quite the ambitious thing, especially for a child who was only 2 years old. She liked to adventure and explore, and at this age was getting into absolutely everything. It was a bit of a pain, but Misty loved her baby and wouldn't trade even the massive headaches for anything else in the world.

Unbeknownst to Misty, however, what Elizabeth was busy doing was climbing through the little flap in the backdoor that had been installed for Pikachu and Vaporeon to go through. Since she was so tiny, Elizabeth fit perfectly through the small square. It was times like that she was happy to be smaller than most girls her age.

Once Elizabeth had made it through the portal and into the outside world, she got back to her brown and pink sandal covered feet and toddled over to where Aiden and Brandon were busy cutting out squares into a large cardboard box.

"Ai-den!" Elizabeth called, her face lighting up as she did so. She had just mastered being able to say her brother's full name, and while it still wasn't perfect, Elizabeth loved to say it whenever she could.

The raven haired boy turned around and raised an eyebrow, staring back at his little sister. She had the biggest grin on her face, and looked completely excited just to be in his presence. Aiden, however, did not share the same enthusiasm as the toddler.

"Elizabeth, what are you doing out here?" Aiden asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"I wanna pway wif' you!" Elizabeth replied. That big smile was still there.

"I'm playing with Brandon right now," was Aiden's response before turning his back to the girl so he could continue cutting out windows in the box.

"I pway too?" Elizabeth asked, moving closer to Aiden.

"No, this is big kid stuff," Aiden shook his head. "You should go back inside and do little kid things."

"I can pway wike a big kid," Elizabeth's smile finally bent into a frown.

"No, you can't," Aiden sighed.

Brandon, who had been hidden behind the other side of the cardboard box, crawled towards Aiden with differently colored markers clutched in his fists.

"Hey, what color should we make the door?" Brandon asked.

"Hmm…" Aiden surveyed the markers that Brandon had in his grasp, "how about…blue?"

"We can make the rest of the fort red!" Brandon grinned.

"Yeah, that's a great idea!" Aiden agreed. "And we can make the windows green, and the roof will be black."

"Those are the coolest colors for a Pokémon Ranger fort," Brandon agreed. He left the pile of markers in the grass and took only the blue in order to start coloring the door flap he had already cut out. Aiden, meanwhile, went back to cutting out the last window the two boys needed on the side of their fort. Elizabeth silently watched for a few seconds before deciding that she could help the two out. With Aiden's back to her, she managed to slip over to the collection of markers and pluck out a pink one, which she thought was very pretty. Uncapping it, Elizabeth pressed the colorful tip to the side of the cardboard fort and began to draw some little scribbles and shapes that she knew: circles, hearts, and triangles.

"All done!" Aiden announced proudly once he had finished cutting out the final window. He put down the scissors and went to get a green marker so he could start coloring his newly finished window. On his way, however, Aiden caught sight of his little sister scribbling on the side of the box in the most grotesque color in the world: pink.

"ELIZABETH!" Aiden screamed, his whole face going red. The small girl squeaked and spun around, a slight look of fear crossing her face. Brandon, meanwhile, leaned in from the front where he had been working on the door, and too realized that Elizabeth had marred their fort with the pink marker.

"Wha'?" Elizabeth murmured.

"You ruined the whole thing!" Aiden stormed. Not knowing what else to do about it, Aiden ripped the pink marker right out of Elizabeth's hand and threw it towards the very back of the yard, where the forest began. "How could you? You messed everything up, Elizabeth! This is why I didn't want you to play with us!"

He was so mad that he didn't even notice the little girl's lip beginning to quiver, and her wide, emerald eyes filling up with tears. And, before he could spit out another angry word, Elizabeth started to wail and scream so loudly that both he and Brandon immediately covered their ears out of instinct.

"She's so loud!" Brandon gasped.

Elizabeth's cries were so piercing that Misty had actually heard them from inside the house, which caused her heart to shoot up into her throat. Peering out the window, she found Elizabeth standing in between Aiden and Brandon, visibly shaking and crying.

"Oh no," Misty breathed, running for the back door and throwing it open so she could get outside. Hurrying over to the fervently sobbing little girl, Misty scooped her up and hugged her close, fearing that the toddler had gotten hurt because she was weeping so violently. "Lizzie, sweetie, are you okay?"

Elizabeth, however, was too worked up to answer. Groaning, Misty pressed Elizabeth's face against her chest so the cries wouldn't be so loud. With the wails muffled to a degree, Brandon and Aiden were now able to uncover their ears and stare up at Misty with wide, somewhat horrified eyes.

"Aiden, what happened to your little sister?" Misty asked, her patience already worn thin.

"Nothing, it was her fault, anyway," Aiden narrowed his eyes.

"Aiden," Misty repeated, staring down her only son, "what happened?"

"I told her she couldn't play with us," Aiden finally answered. "That's all I did!"

"Did you tell her _nicely_ she couldn't play with you?" Misty pressed.

"Well…"

"Aiden!"

"Fine, I kind of yelled at her…" Aiden admitted sheepishly.

Sighing, Misty continued to hug Elizabeth as she scolded, "Aiden, you cannot yell at your sister. No matter how much she's getting on your nerves. She's practically still a baby! You probably scared her, that's why she's crying like this."

"I didn't mean to make her cry," Aiden tried to defend himself.

"No, but that's what happened," Misty frowned. "You have to remember to be gentle with Lizzie."

"Right…"

"Besides, Elizabeth really loves you," Misty's frown bent back up into a sweet smile. "She was asking me _inside _if she could play with you. And I did tell her no, by the way. She must've snuck away from me while I was busy. That's how much she adores you, Aiden! And I know that it can sometimes be annoying for you, but it's something very important for you to remember."

"I know I shouldn't have yelled at her," Aiden seemed very upset with himself for what he had done. "But…I got mad…because she drew on our fort in pink marker. And I thought that ruined it. So I got really mad really fast, and I didn't even think about what I was doing."

"Unfortunately, you get that from me," Misty smiled sympathetically. "It's not very helpful, is it?"

"No," Aiden lowered his head.

Elizabeth's cries had finally subsided to nothing more than a series of sad little whimpers. She hesitantly lifted her face away from her mother's body and glanced up, finding that Misty was gazing lovingly at her.

"M-Mommy," Elizabeth hiccupped.

"Don't be so upset, baby," Misty cuddled the toddler. "It's alright. No one is yelling anymore."

"I…I make Denny…m-mad…"

"Yes, you did," Misty nodded. "I told you not to come out here, didn't I? You didn't listen to Mommy."

Elizabeth let out another unhappy whine. Both of her cheeks were shining with dried tears, which Misty did her best to wipe away.

"And you shouldn't have drawn on Aiden and Brandon's fort, either," Misty continued. "You don't touch things that aren't yours, right?"

Slowly, Elizabeth nodded.

"But that doesn't mean it was okay for Aiden to yell at you like that," Misty glanced down at her sheepish son. "And he's very sorry that he did it. Do you believe him?"

Elizabeth sniffled and shook her head, only causing Aiden more guilt.

"Did Aiden scare you?" Misty asked.

This time, Elizabeth nodded her head. That made Aiden feel a little bit better. At least his sister didn't totally hate him…she was just a little freaked out.

"Aiden's not going to yell anymore," Misty assured her youngest daughter. "He's going to be very nice, okay?"

Elizabeth whimpered and covered her ears. Misty frowned, knowing that Elizabeth was afraid of another outburst, despite the constant reassurances that it wasn't going to happen again. Finally, Aiden stood up and walked over to Misty's side, leaning in to the scared toddler in her arms.

"Hey, Lizzie…I'm sorry," Aiden apologized, his brown eyes still looking sorrowful. "I didn't mean to scare you like that. I was just kind of not happy, that's all. But…I still love you." Aiden was a little embarrassed to be saying this in front of his best friend, and he was sure Brandon would tease him about it later. But, for now, Aiden was more focused on trying to make his sister feel better. "Do you believe me now, Lizzie?"

Elizabeth finally uncovered her ears and turned her eyes onto Aiden. After a terse, tense moment, Elizabeth nodded her head, much to her brother's delight.

"Good, I'm glad!" Aiden took the toddler out of his mother's arms. "Do you want to sit in our Pokémon Ranger fort, Lizzie? You can use the pieces of cardboard we cut out to color on. Would you like that?"

Once again, Elizabeth nodded, and this time, a small smile even managed to etch its way back onto her cute little face.

"Great," Aiden carried the girl over to the front of the fort. "You just go inside here! I'll go and get your pink marker back, okay?"

"'Kay," Elizabeth chirped as Aiden put her down inside the cardboard box.

Misty watched the scene with a grin on her face. She was so happy that her children managed to get along…well, most of the time. They would always have their moments; all normal siblings did. But at the end of the day, they still all loved each other, and that was the most important thing.


	108. Picture of Surprise

**How come I always come up with ideas for one shots when I'm trying to go to sleep? That always happens, seriously. I guess my bed is just my source of inspiration? That sounds sad XD**

**Anyway, this one is really Pokeshippy and fluffy and it's really sweet :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Picture of Surprise<strong>

Misty's face was positively glowing.

She had heard that recently from a lot of people, and although she was a humble young woman, Misty had noticed it as well. Despite how terribly she'd been feeling as of late, that severe illness apparently wasn't relaying on her physical appearance. It was odd, but Misty also knew it wasn't unheard of.

At the moment, she was sitting at the kitchen table, holding a photograph in her hands. When Ash walked in through the back door, all he could see was the white backside of the rectangle. Already, however, he knew what it was. Misty hadn't put the thing down all day. Closing the door behind him and walking fully inside, Ash made his way over to his wife and pressed a kiss into her fiery red hair.

"Hey," Ash murmured.

"Hi," Misty giggled sweetly, tilting her head back so she could see his face.

"I'd ask you what you're looking at, but I already know," Ash smirked.

"Am I that obvious?" Misty teased.

"Just a little," Ash laughed, gently bending the picture away from his wife so he himself could examine the front of it.

"I can't help it, I'm excited!" Misty squealed.

"I am too," Ash rested his chin atop Misty's head, gently running his finger across the black and gray image. "A little baby…and it's so cute!"

"You know what I realized?" Misty asked, twisting her body around in her chair.

"What?" Ash tilted his head.

"We have to tell your Mom about the baby," Misty smiled.

"You're right," Ash's eyes widened before he started to chuckle. "I'm pretty sure my Mom has been dreaming of grandkids since I told her you and I were dating!"

"Really? Only since then?" Misty smirked.

"Good point," Ash sighed laughingly. He vaguely remembered as a child his mother prattling on about one day becoming a grandmother. But usually, he would just block her out because he found such thoughts to be ridiculous. He hadn't ever thought about having kids when _he _was still one himself.

"I think we should do it differently, though," Misty mused. "I don't want to just _tell her _she's going to be a grandmother. I want to do something special."

"Like what?" Ash blinked.

"I don't know," Misty pursed her lips. "I'm trying to think of something cute and creative. Something that would get a _really _good reaction out of your Mom."

"Mist, come on, it's my Mom," Ash chuckled. "If you just walked straight up to her and told her you were pregnant, her head might explode!"

"I know, but I love her, and I think this is a very big deal," Misty's smile became a little more sheepish. "You're her only child. You're the only one who can give her grandchildren. My parents already have three granddaughters. I'm sure they'll be happy to know they're getting another grandchild, but this is routine for them at this point. This is going to be so great to tell your Mom! I just want to make it special."

Ash squinted his eyes. He was thinking, and sometimes, when he was thinking, that's what he did. That's how you knew his brain was really working. Allowing his narrowed eyes to wander, Ash saw the sonogram photo still being firmly held in Misty's hands. Eyes snapping open, Ash smiled gently and turned his attention back onto his red headed love.

"Misty…I've got an idea!"

**XXX**

After Ash had explained his plan to Misty, who heartily agreed to it, the young man called up his mother and asked if they could come over that afternoon. Delia, of course, told him that was a silly question to ask, and that she_ insisted_ they have dinner with her on top of it.

Ash couldn't help but to smile to himself. He really loved his mother.

He and Misty gathered up the things that they would need in order to execute the plan, and once everything was in order, Ash wrangled up Pikachu and the group began to make the trek over towards Pallet Town.

It wasn't a very long trip, especially when you were travelling by car. The entire ride, Misty flipped through the pieces of Ash's idea and smiled at each one, hoping that Delia would love this just as much as Misty did. She thought it was absolutely perfect for her mother in law; the woman who felt more like a mother to Misty than her own flesh and blood.

As soon as the car pulled up to Ash's childhood home, Misty was sure her heart was going to hammer out of her chest. She had suddenly gotten so nervous…what if Delia actually _hated _what Misty was about to do? What if she laughed in her face? Delia would never do something like that…would she?

As soon as Ash had parked the car and turned to look at Misty, he realized all of the color had drained from her face. She looked like she'd just seen a ghost. "Mist…are you okay?"

"I think I'm going to throw up," Misty complained, without even looking at Ash, "and it's not from morning sickness."

"Why do you say that?" Ash frowned.

"I'm so nervous," Misty began to wring her hands together. "What if your Mom gets upset? What if she gets mad at us for being pregnant? I'm only 20 years old!"

"Mist, you do remember she had me when she was 19, right?" Ash couldn't help but to chuckle. "You're fine, I promise. She would never judge us."

"And…you don't think she won't want a grandchild, right?" Misty was really starting to panic. "What if she was just kidding the whole time and never actually wanted to be a grandmother?"

"Now you're just being crazy," Ash smirked as he shook his head. "I know my Mom better than anyone! She definitely wasn't lying about wanting grandkids. Now, come on. The longer you sit around in here, the crazier you're gonna' get."

"I am not crazy, Ash Ketchum!" Misty yelled. "You take that back right now!"

"You'll have to force me!" Ash laughed, slamming his door shut and charging towards the house. Rolling her eyes, Misty slipped out of the car much more gently than her husband, not wanting to jostle herself around too much.

Ash, who was too busy cackling and running for the front door, didn't see a collection of gardening tools blocking the path and tripped over all of them. He nearly landed flat on his face, causing Misty to gasp and finally pick up her pace.

"Ash, sweetheart, are you okay?" Misty held a hand over her heart.

"Ow…yeah…" Ash winced as he pushed himself back up.

"Oh, Ash, honestly!"

He and Misty both looked up, finding a concerned and slightly irritated Delia standing in the doorway.

"Heh…hi, Mom," Ash blushed.

"This is why you have to look where you're going and not always be in such a rush," Delia shook her head. "I've been telling you this since you were just a little boy!" She stepped down and helped her son up before dusting off his shirt, which was now coated with some patches of dirt. "But you're alright?"

"Yes, Mom, I'm just fine," Ash laughed, gently grabbing his mother's wrists so he could pull her hands away from him. "I'm not a little boy anymore. I can take care of myself!"

"I know, but I still worry about you," Delia's smile was now reflecting a sense of sadness. Misty took notice of this, and hoped that her little revelation would help to brighten her mother in law's spirits. "You two can come on inside! Mimey was just out here tending to the garden."

"Well, that explains the tools," Ash smirked.

Before following Delia inside, Misty moved closer to Ash and began to fuss over him, checking all over the man's body for any cuts or scrapes.

"Mist, stop," Ash blushed.

Misty giggled. She found it adorable that he was embarrassed by her coddling him. "I'm just making sure you're okay! I don't want my Ashy to be hurt."

"I'm not," Ash softly reassured his wife, giving her a kiss on the lips. Delia, who had stopped in her tracks once she'd realized that Ash and Misty hadn't been following her, was also a little thrown off by Misty's fussing. She knew that the red head cared very much about Ash, and had always shown concern over him, but in this case, Misty really seemed to be upset by his fall. Even if she wasn't being outwardly upset, it was obvious on the woman's face.

_How strange, _Delia furrowed her brow, _it's almost like Misty is honing in on her maternal instincts._

Once Misty was sure that Ash was in one piece, she skipped ahead of Ash so she could get to Delia first, wanting to get this whole thing over with right away. The longer Misty waited, the more nervous she got.

"Delia," Misty was rushing her words out, "I was just wondering if maybe you could help me out with something?"

The middle aged woman blinked her wide, brown eyes. Misty's face was only inches away from her own, and Delia had no idea why the girl was so nervous. Giggling, she gently placed her hands on Misty's shoulders and replied, "of course I will, sweetheart! No need to be so edgy!"

"Right," Misty laughed nervously, taking a step back once she realized how close she was standing to her mother in law. The gym leader walked into the living room, taking a seat on the couch. Delia soon joined her, sitting beside the younger woman and smiling at her the whole time.

"So, what is it that you need help with, dear?" Delia asked.

"Well…I decided that I wanted to make a book and fill it with important pictures of me and Ash," Misty explained. "I've already picked out a few of the pictures, and I just wanted to know what you thought of them."

"That's all?" Delia giggled. "Oh, Misty, you're so cute! Did you think I'd say no? I'd love to see the pictures you've chosen!"

"Okay," Misty's smile widened. She was beginning to feel more relieved. She handed the collection of photos off to Delia, who started to examine the first one.

It was a picture of Ash and Misty together with Brock when they had all just become friends. Ash and Misty, just 10 years old in the picture, were shooting one another angry glances from either side of Brock. It was obvious that the then Pokémon breeder was trying to keep the two separated, seeing as he had one hand on either young trainer's shoulder.

"Oh, this picture is so cute!" Delia laughed. "You two were just the funniest."

"I remember what that argument was about, actually," Misty sighed amusedly. "Ash had stolen my mirror so he could reflect Pikachu's attacks back at him for dodging practice. It was a brat move."

Delia smirked and shook her head. Ash and Misty had been so crazy as children. All they'd ever seemed to do was argue and fight. Even then, Delia had sensed the two had deeper feelings for one another. She was glad she'd been right; she loved Misty like a daughter.

The second picture in the stack was of just Ash and Misty, this time when they were pre-teens. It was from when Ash had come home after his journey through Hoenn, and Misty had stayed over the house in eager anticipation for his arrival. It wasn't an intricate photo; just the two then friends sitting next to one another and smiling widely, Azurill sitting in Misty's lap and Pikachu hanging over the top of Ash's hat covered head.

"That was a good day," Misty reminisced, smiling at the image.

"You were so excited when I told you he was coming back," Delia grinned.

"I pretty much ran all the way here," Misty nodded.

The third picture showed Ash and Misty as teenagers, once they'd actually been dating. It was from Lily and Dorian's wedding, where Ash had been Misty's date. They looked absolutely adorable; Misty in her horizon blue bridesmaid's dress, with her ginger hair tightly curled and her makeup emphasized eyes sparkling, and Ash, outfitted in a pure black tuxedo with a blue tie matching the color of Misty's dress, his hair tamed as well as it could be and eyes just as bright as Misty's. They were both grinning from ear to ear, fingers interlocked with one set of arms held down in front of themselves, and the other set outstretched behind them.

"We were dancing," Misty giggled at the memory. "Well…I was _trying _to show Ash how to dance."

"Ash was only ever good at learning to do the things he actually wanted to do," Delia laughed.

"Dancing definitely wasn't on that list, then," Misty hummed teasingly.

The fourth picture came from the day that Ash had won the title of Pokémon Master. It was from inside the stadium, immediately after Ash had beaten the then current Master, Nolan. The photo was the first candid one in the set, the apparently "iconic" image of Ash lifting Misty up and spinning her around in the air. It was obvious just by looking at the picture that Ash was a filthy mess; hair disheveled more than usual, his hat thrown carelessly behind him on the ground. His dark blue shirt and jeans were both covered in dirt, and there was some obvious sweat on his body as well. But all of that muddle couldn't take away from the glowing smile that was on Ash's face. Or Misty's, for that matter. Her hands were pressed down on his broad shoulders, sneaker covered feet hanging in the air as she tilted her head down to beam directly at the raven haired young man.

"I just love this one," Delia commented. "It's so precious! I always thought you looked like a priceless doll that Ash was just treasuring."

"He was really gross," Misty couldn't help but to laugh. "He had dirt _everywhere! _But I didn't even care. I was so happy for him. That was just a perfect moment."

"Even more perfect than that night?" Delia's eyes were twinkling with obvious love and excitement.

"It's funny you mention that," Misty smirked, removing that picture to reveal the fifth one.

It was from the same day, but this time, the setting was at night. The photo was from Ash's congratulatory party thrown by the Pokémon League. Just like the last one, this one was also candid. It was of Ash and Misty, standing side by side, with Misty outstretching her left arm in front of May, Dawn, and Iris in order to show them the then brand new piece of jewelry that was sparkling on her ring finger. Ash was watching on proudly, his right arm wrapped around Misty's bare shoulders as she showed off her engagement ring.

"Oh my gosh," Delia awed.

"Everything about that day was just perfect," Misty took in a deep breath. "The battle, Ash winning, getting engaged…my dress."

Delia laughed as she studied Misty's beautiful jade green dress that was long in the back and short in the front, the frock bringing out the bright shade of Misty's joy filled eyes.

"Yes, that dress was perfect, too," Delia agreed. "Next picture?"

"Mmhm," Misty nodded, encouraging her mother in law to turn to the sixth picture in the pile.

This one was taken at Ash and Misty's wedding. It was one of their portraits, in fact, which made for a perfectly poised and polished image. The photo was whimsical and beautiful; Misty in her pure white ball gown, hair lengthened by extensions and adorned by a delicate veil, beaming as she leaned into Ash, who himself was sporting a dark, two tone tuxedo with a white bowtie, and hair so neat that Delia had to question if it was actually her son in that photo.

"He looked so handsome," Delia shook her head.

"I wish he would always wear his hair like that," Misty choked back a laugh.

"I just wish he would brush it every once in a while," Delia added, causing Misty's held back laughter to escape. "Misty, these pictures are wonderful! Thank you so much for showing them to me. I think that this little project of yours will turn out beautifully!"

Becoming bashful once again, Misty smiled sweetly and continued, "There's still one more picture for you to look at."

"Oh?" Delia was surprised.

"Yeah," Misty was trying not to burst with excitement. "It's right behind that one."

Looking bewildered, Delia removed the wedding photo and placed it in the back of the collection, just like she had done with the five pictures before it. Now what she was faced with was a very simple black and white image that looked nothing like the others Misty had shown her. Delia studied it a little bit more, Misty biting her lip to try and hide the smile that was fighting to form. Eventually, however, Delia caught sight of Misty's name towards the top of the image, and _that's _what tipped her off as to what the picture was of. And as soon as Delia realized it, it was as if her breath had been taken away.

"M-Misty…" Delia stammered, her eyes widening. She looked up from the image at Misty, who had finally allowed her smile to appear. The gym leader said nothing in response; she just smiled. Misty knew that was enough of an answer for her mother in law. "This…it's really…you and Ash…I…"

"I'm going to be a Mommy, and Ash is going to be a Daddy," Misty's soft voice reached Delia's ears as the woman's russet eyes filled with tears, "and you're going to be a Grandma!"

"This is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," Delia murmured tearfully, once again staring at the murky image of her unborn grandchild. "It's so tiny…oh, Misty…"

Giggling, Misty inched closer to her mother in law and wrapped her arms around the older woman. Delia pressed Misty's head down until it was resting on her shoulder. Sighing, Misty rubbed her cheek against Delia's shoulder while the brown haired woman kissed the top of Misty's head.

"This is wonderful," Delia whispered into Misty's hair.

From the doorway, Ash, who had been outside watching Mimey and Pikachu interact in the garden, watched his mother and wife lovingly embrace. Obviously, his plan had gone over just perfectly. But that wasn't what Ash cared about, really.

It was seeing his mother so happy that made it all worthwhile.


	109. Big Brother

**This one is so cute, I think. It's pretty much all Aiden/Elizabeth/Misty fluff and I love it :3**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 2 months old**

* * *

><p><strong>Big Brother<strong>

"Please stop, Elizabeth!"

Misty was busy rocking the hysterical baby back and forth as she paced the floor of the living room. Elizabeth was nearly two months old, and was usually a very happy, if not content, infant. But today, something was really bothering the girl.

"I _know_ you're upset!" Misty was getting aggravated. "Believe me, I do! I understood just after we left the house, and when we were at the market, _and_ when we were coming back home! So, can we stop crying now? _Please?_"

Misty didn't mean to act so annoyed; after all, Elizabeth was just a little baby who couldn't speak. But the woman was operating on about three hours of sleep, in addition to having to care for two other children. On top of all of that, the league had really been running Ash hard as of late, and for the past few weeks, he'd hardly been home.

"Don't they understand he's got to take care of this kid, too?" Misty growled under her breath. Luckily, she was still on leave from the gym, but she would be going back very soon, and that was only going to make things worse.

"Mommy!" Aiden came running into the room. "Someone's at the door for you!"

"Ugh," Misty sighed, completely forgetting to scold Aiden for opening the door without her permission, "great. How am I supposed to hear them over the baby?"

"I'll watch her!" Aiden suggested, throwing a hand up in the air. While he had originally disliked the idea of a new sibling, Aiden had learned to love the little girl from the minute he first saw her.

"Thank you, sweetheart, but I think you're a bit too young to watch her."

"Come on, Mom, I'll be careful! I promise!"

Misty groaned inwardly. She didn't really want to do that, but what other choice did she have? If she took Elizabeth with her to the door, they'd both have to scream over the baby's fussing.

"Alright," Misty gave in slowly, "be very, VERY careful."

She handed Aiden the little girl, who stopped crying as soon as her brother got a hold on her. Misty was shocked by this, but had no time to wait around and marvel over the development. Instead, she hurried up to the open door, where she found the head of the Kanto gym leaders waiting for her.

"Hello, Mr. Goodshow," Misty greeted somewhat shyly. Indeed, the head of the gym leaders, Mr. Goodshow _Jr_, was the grandson of the league leading Mr. Goodshow.

"Ah, Misty, it's good to see you up and about," Goodshow Jr. smiled at her. "Ash had informed me several weeks ago at a league meeting that the delivery had not gone very smoothly."

"Heh," Misty laughed nervously, placing the tips of her fingers atop where her fresh scar laid. She wasn't pleased about having a new one, in addition to the old marking she had on her chest from childhood, but luckily it was low enough where a bikini bottom would cover it up. She and Ash were the only ones who could see it.

"Is everything okay now?" Goodshow Jr. asked a little nervously.

"Oh, yes, just fine!" Misty nodded. "The baby is perfectly happy and healthy, and I'm doing much better now."

"Yes, Ash just lit up when he talked about his little girl," Goodshow Jr. smiled. "He was so happy. Anyway, I just dropped by to ask you about your intentions of returning to your position as gym leader."

"Two more weeks, just like we discussed," Misty answered. "Hopefully, Ash will have less work then, and he'll get to see his little girl more often." Misty said the last part with a rather devious smirk on her face.

"Very good, then," Goodshow Jr. apparently didn't catch Misty's small dig at the league and his grandfather's work, "I look forward to your return. You're one of our best gym leaders, you know."

"Thank you, sir," Misty blushed gently.

As he left, she closed the door, still feeling the leftover warmth lingering on her cheeks. Misty leaned against the door for a moment, savoring the short time of quiet that she was no longer accustomed to. Suddenly, she gasped and jumped upright, a small detail popping back up in her brain.

"Elizabeth is still with Aiden!" Misty shrieked to herself. She hurried back into the living room, and found Elizabeth lying on her blanket, which was stretched out across the floor. The baby was giggling softly and raising her hands up to Aiden, who was leaning directly above the infant, gently tickling her. Hearing his mother's footsteps, Aiden looked up at the woman and smiled sweetly.

"Oh, hey, Mom!" Aiden greeted. "Me and Lizzie were just playing a little. She likes to be tickled, did you know that? It makes her laugh!"

"I had no idea," Misty trilled, her eyes twinkling. She knelt down and scooped up the girl, cradling the now happy baby in her arms. "Thank you very much, Aiden."

"No problem!" Aiden grinned. "That was fun!"

**XXX**

The next day, Misty was busy making breakfast as Ash cuddled up to her.

"Ash, it's really hard to cook with you clinging to me like this," Misty sighed, rolling her eyes up to the ceiling.

"Sorry," Ash reluctantly pulled away. "I'm just really upset that I've hardly gotten to see you lately! You think the league would be a little more sensitive to the fact that we just had a baby."

"Evidently not," Misty growled a little as she began to stir the batter in the bowl just a bit more roughly.

"Hi, guys!"

Ash and Misty both whipped around. They found themselves staring down at Aiden, their young son holding a pink swaddled bundle in his arms. It whined before moving a little harshly.

"Elizabeth!" Ash gasped. "Aiden, what are you doing with her?!"

"She was crying," Aiden frowned, "so I went to get her."

"I didn't hear her crying," Misty turned her head to the right. Looking at the counter, she gasped, "how could I have not taken the baby monitor with me?!" Rubbing her eyes, Misty groaned, "I'm so out of it."

"Mist," Ash piped up, "when I woke up this morning, it was gone. It wasn't on your nightstand at all! I went to check on Lizzie to make sure she was alright. I was gonna' tell you it was missing, but when I got back to the room, you were already down here. I must've forgotten…" he rubbed his head nervously.

"Yeah, come to think of it, I got a full night's sleep!" Misty's eyes widened. "But I thought Elizabeth was just being good, and I didn't want to jinx it."

"I took the baby monitor," Aiden informed his parents.

"WHAT?!" Ash and Misty cried simultaneously.

"Aiden, dear, why on Earth would you take that?!" Misty asked.

"You kept talking about how tired you were," Aiden explained, "so I figured I could feed her at night instead of you. I know how to! When you make her bottles, I watch you. I can make 'em, too!"

"Aiden, that was very thoughtful of you," Ash leaned down to pat the boy's head and take the baby out of his arms, "but Mommy and I really need to keep that monitor in our room. If something happens to Lizzie, we need to know so we can get up and take care of her."

"Oh," Aiden sleepily rubbed his eyes, "I'm sorry."

"You were just trying to help," Ash smiled playfully, "no worries!"

As Aiden went to take his seat at the table, Ash frowned up at his wife and asked, "Do you think we should be concerned?"

"Nah, like you said, he was only trying to help," Misty shook her head. "Besides, I'm glad Aiden fed the baby last night! I'm _really _sore right now. In fact…would you mind bottle feeding her right now?"

"Sure thing," Ash shrugged before grinning down at his little daughter. "Come on, baby girl! Daddy is gonna' feed you breakfast!"

**XXX**

After breakfast, as Ash finished feeding Elizabeth, he informed his wife, "Hey, Mist, I forgot to tell you! The league is having some dinner in my honor!"

"Wow, that's amazing," Misty smiled weakly, trying to sound enthusiastic. But she was just too exhausted.

Ash gave her a knowing smile and continued, "It's in two weeks. We'll have someone watch the kids, and it'll be a nice little date night for us."

"Two weeks?!" Misty gasped.

"Yeah, is there something wrong with that?"

"Kind of," Misty bit her lip. "I haven't been able to exercise at all since having Elizabeth. I'm not presentable at all!"

"Mist, you lost all that weight," Ash rolled his eyes before adding playfully; "you look perfect. Just don't wear anything that'll show off that nice scar of yours!"

"If you weren't holding our daughter, I'd punch you," Misty held up a fist. "And you're wrong. I _haven't _lost all of the weight. It's just not as obvious as it was before. I know I sound vain, but I just don't feel ready for such a huge public appearance. I'm not used to, nor do I enjoy, lying around. All of this could have been avoided if I hadn't been cut open! Then I could have already been back in shape."

"Not this again," Ash sighed, standing up as he gently patted Elizabeth's back. "I know you didn't want to give birth that way, but your body just couldn't handle it anymore. It literally shut down, Mist. And at the end of the day, you know you did the right thing for both you _and _the baby."

"You're right," Misty mumbled, before speaking up, "I would never, ever want to put Lizzie in harm's way."

"I know that," Ash gave Misty a warm smile. "You're a wonderful mother. Now, I have to leave for work. The league is having some meeting today that I really don't want to go to."

"But you have no choice," Misty stood up and took the baby from Ash, his face falling at the loss of holding her. "Just like me and my C-section!"

"Nope," Ash sighed, "but at least I get to do some training after. That's _much_ more enjoyable, even though I have a press conference after the training."

"Let's just hope they actually ask questions about _you_ this time, and not what happened in the delivery room," Misty snickered, holding Elizabeth's sleepy head against her heart.

"That was borderline creepy," Ash shook his head, smiling. "I have no idea why they were _so _interested in hearing about what happened as you were being…uh…cut into."

"My favorite part was when you couldn't answer because you didn't watch," Misty was now laughing as Ash blushed.

"Okay, enough teasing," Ash sighed lovingly before walking over to Misty and leaving a kiss atop her head and then Elizabeth's. "I'll be home later."

As he left, Misty looked down thoughtfully at the sleeping girl in her arms.

"What're you doing, Mom?"

Misty spun around and saw Aiden giving her a glowing smile. He had followed Michelle upstairs just minutes ago, but apparently he was already bored of whatever they'd been doing.

"Oh, Aiden," Misty giggled. "Nothing right now! Although…I really should go swim a few laps in the pool…"

"So, go!" Aiden scurried up to her. "I'll watch Lizzie again!"

Sighing, Misty responded warily, "I don't know…"

"I mean it, Mom! It's okay!"

"Well," Misty smiled once again, "if you really insist…"

She handed Aiden the baby and grinned at the boy, placing her hands on her hips. Aiden didn't look back up at her; he was too busy studying his baby sister and gently running his fingers against the baby's white cotton pajamas, printed with tiny pink polka dots. Elizabeth, on the other hand, was completely transfixed by her brother's face, sticking her tongue out of her mouth and letting out quiet, curious coos every now and again.

"Just be very careful with her, okay, Aiden?" Misty, while she found her son and daughter's relationship to be completely precious, still couldn't help but to get nervous when she left the two month old in her nearly six year old brother's care.

"Of course, Mom!" Aiden finally looked up at his mother, and his eyes were just sparkling. They were full of innocence and love, and Misty just wanted to melt into a huge puddle. She really was the luckiest woman in the entire world.

"Thank you, sweetheart," Misty leaned down to kiss Aiden on the top of his head. "You're the best helper a Mommy could ask for!"

"Am I a good big brother, too?" Aiden asked.

"Yes, the very best!" Misty nodded.

Aiden's eyes only began to shine even brighter. Misty realized he must have been feeling just like her at the moment; the luckiest boy in the entire world.

**XXX**

After Misty had changed into her bathing suit and departed for next door, Aiden had busied himself with putting Elizabeth in her little brown and pink cradle swing and pushing her back and forth. It was one of the girliest things Aiden had ever seen: the seat had a white canopy around it, with three pink Butterfree hanging from the top. There were also buttons that, when you pressed them, played a bunch of different songs and lit up. His Grammy had gotten it for Elizabeth, because she loved all of that girly stuff. Elizabeth seemed to love it too, however, so Aiden couldn't complain. The baby's favorite thing to do was stare up at the Butterfree and reach for them. As soon as Aiden started to push the swing, she would start laughing wildly, like it was the greatest thing she had ever experienced.

"You're a really cute baby, Lizzie!" Aiden laughed. "Do you think Teddi would like to go in the swing, too?"

Elizabeth stopped laughing and tilted her head to the side. Aiden smiled wide; it was as if his sister really understood him!

"I have Teddi right here!" Aiden held up the stuffed bear for proof. Elizabeth whined and started to kick her legs. That's what she did when she wanted you to know you had something that she wanted. "Here, baby…"

Aiden placed Teddi next to Elizabeth and watched as the baby grabbed the toy's head with her hands and began to squeeze it. Soon enough, the left ear was in her mouth and she was smiling around it, hugging the rest of the bear close to her.

"Teddi is your best friend, huh?" Aiden asked as he resumed pushing Elizabeth back and forth.

"Aiden, what are you doing?!"

The boy looked up over Elizabeth's swing and found Michelle to be stomping over to him, a bewildered look on her face.

"I'm playin' with Lizzie," Aiden blinked. He thought it was obvious.

"Where's Mommy?" Michelle placed her hands on her hips.

"At the gym."

"You can't watch Elizabeth by yourself!" Michelle pointed an accusatory finger at her twin. "You're just a kid!"

"Mommy said I could!" Aiden yelled back.

"Why would she trust _you_ with Elizabeth?" Michelle scoffed. "You'll probably hurt her!"

At this, Aiden's jaw dropped. From inside of her swing, Elizabeth began to whimper. All of the shouting from her older siblings was upsetting her. Aiden glanced down at the baby and gave her a sympathetic look before turning his gaze back up onto Michelle and glaring at her.

"That was mean," Aiden stated. "I'll never hurt Lizzie!"

"That's why it's called an _accident,_" Michelle folded her arms and looked away. "You're stupid."

Aiden was a tough boy. He really was. But what Michelle was saying to him was making him start to _cry. _Aiden didn't want anyone want to think he would ever hurt his baby sister! So, once Michelle scurried back upstairs to do whatever she was going to do, Aiden lifted Elizabeth out of her swing and held her close to him, kissing her forehead.

"I'll never hurt you, Lizzie," Aiden whispered to the baby. "We don't need Michelle. She's the bad sister."

Elizabeth gurgled and rested her cheek against Aiden's chest. Looking down, Aiden realized that the baby was smiling as she cuddled up to him.

"Come on, Elizabeth," Aiden stood up and started moving towards the back door, "let's go."

**XXX**

Misty sighed and pushed her body out from beneath the water. It felt so good to swim around; it was Misty's favorite form of exercise, after all. She had been at it for almost twenty minutes now, and figured it was a good time to take a break. Her stamina had definitely been lowered throughout her pregnancy, and she was working hard on building it back up, since it wasn't going to restore itself.

Hauling herself out of the pool, Misty walked over to the full length mirror by the locker room and started to scrutinize herself in it. She had worn a bikini, just so she could get a better view of her body. Misty definitely wasn't doing it to show off her figure. She pressed a hand against her stomach, which was almost back to its flat state. There was still a small bump to it; however, which Misty didn't enjoy seeing.

"Well, I'm not wearing a tight dress, that's for sure," Misty muttered to herself as she twisted around to examine her backside. "Blech."

"MOMMY!"

Misty's eyes widened as Michelle came bursting into the battle area, her own face looking very frantic and concerned.

"Michelle, sweetie, what is it?" Misty frowned.

"Aiden and Elizabeth are gone!" Michelle cried.

"WHAT?!" Misty nearly fell on the floor. She had trusted Aiden with Elizabeth, and now they were both missing?!

_I swear if he's playing some kind of sick joke on me, that boy is never going to see the light of day ever again!_

"I'm scared," Michelle whispered.

"It's alright, we're going to look for them," Misty ran into the locker room and threw a sweatshirt and shorts over her bikini clad body. She was still wet from the pool, but she didn't care. Misty wasn't about to stand around drying herself off when two of her children could be in serious danger.

_I thought I was doing the right thing…I guess not._

**XXX**

Fortunately for Misty, it didn't take her long to find her son and baby daughter.

As it would turn out, Aiden had been pulling his and Michelle's wagon down the sidewalk, with little Elizabeth lying inside of it, atop her pink receiving blanket and with Teddi at her side.

"Aiden!" Misty yelled, causing her son to stop in his tracks.

"Mom?" Aiden squeaked.

The gym leader ran up to her son and snatched his hand off of the wagon's handle, holding him by the wrist. This surprised Aiden, to say the least. He had no idea why his mother was so angry with him!

"What in the world do you think you're doing?!" Misty scolded. "I trusted you to watch Elizabeth! And you go and pull something like this?!"

"I didn't do it to be funny, Mommy!" Aiden wailed. "Michelle hurt my feelings! She made me upset!"

"What did she do?" Misty narrowed her eyes. She found this hard to believe, since Michelle was usually quite well behaved and even quiet.

"She told me I couldn't take care of Elizabeth," Aiden sulked. "She said I was gonna' hurt Lizzie."

Misty glanced over her shoulder at Michelle, who by now was looking down at the sidewalk and nervously scuffing her light blue sneaker into the ground.

"I would never hurt Lizzie," Aiden whimpered. "I love her, Mommy…"

"I know you would never hurt her, sweetie," Misty sighed. "I'm sorry I got upset with you."

"It's okay," Aiden ran into Misty's arms and gave her a hug. While Misty was embracing her young son, she gave Michelle a stern look, although the girl couldn't see it. She was still looking down.

"You do know you're in trouble, don't you, Michelle?" Misty asked.

"Yes," Michelle mumbled.

"You'll get your punishment once we go back home," Misty sighed, standing up and taking a hold of the wagon's handle herself. "You know, Aiden, I'm sorry for more than just yelling at you."

"Why?" Aiden blinked.

"I shouldn't expect you to take care of Elizabeth all on your own," Misty shook her head. "I was enjoying the breaks I was getting, and I seemed to keep forgetting you're just a little boy. You're a wonderful big brother, Aiden, but you're not Daddy. You're not me either. It's _our_ job to take care of her like that and your job to play with her. I'm really sorry, buddy. I was a bad Mommy."

"You're a good Mommy!" Aiden giggled, grabbing his mother's hand. "It's okay, Mommy."

"Guess I'm still learning too, huh?" Misty smiled down at her son.

"Uh huh," Aiden nodded.

From inside the wagon, Elizabeth cooed, and Misty's grin widened. No matter how many mistakes she might have made, and would continue to make, Misty knew she was a good mother.

And her son was an even better big brother.


	110. Old Wives' Tales

**I actually laughed while I was writing this one. I've wanted to do this topic for a while, and I think it came out pretty nicely!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Old Wives' Tales<strong>

"Hey, Misty, have you ever tried to guess if you're having a boy or a girl?"

The gym leader eyed her brunette coordinator friend. "Of course I have. I had a feeling that Aiden and Michelle were two boys. I was only half right, of course. I kind of think this one is a boy too."

"No, I don't mean guessing like _that,_" May shook her head. "I mean by using old wives' tales!"

"Oh, those stupid things?" Misty rolled her eyes.

"They're not stupid, they really work!" May gasped. "I did the ten most popular ones for both of my pregnancies. The first time, eight out of the ten said I was having a boy, and it was right! Then, for the second time, seven of the ten said it would be a girl. Right again! I have Damien and Rosie to prove it."

"I think you're just crazy," Misty giggled.

"Did you do them with Aiden and Michelle?" May inquired.

"No…"

"So, you don't know!" May leaned forward. "Try it with this one. You don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet, right?"

"Nope," Misty laid a hand on her four months pregnant belly.

"So try out those old wives' tales and then get back to me on how stupid they are," May smirked. "I bet you'll be eating your words!" She opened her eyes and caught sight of Misty stuffing her face with two cookies at a time. "Just like every last bit of food on your plate…"

**XXX**

"Do you really think those things are accurate?"

"No, but she was very adamant about testing them out."

"You do realize _May _told you to try these, right?"

"Yes, I know, I'm insane," Misty sighed, shaking her head. "But…what's the harm in just seeing what it says? Aren't you just a _little _bit curious as to what the crazy ancestors have to say about our child?"

"I wasn't before, but when you put it that way…" Ash smirked.

"Besides, I bet the twins would love to play along!" Misty winked. "This is like games to them. Besides, I'm still trying to get them more adjusted to having another sibling. This is a good way to get them involved with the pregnancy, don't you think?"

"Like you said, it can't hurt to try," Ash shrugged.

"Unless Aiden tries to bite you again," Misty sniggered.

"Oh, don't bring that up," Ash groaned.

Giggling, Misty cupped her hands around her mouth and called up the stairs, "Aiden! Michelle! Come downstairs, please!"

The two children came trampling down the steps, with Pikachu following along eagerly. All three of them stopped in front of Misty, waiting patiently for the woman to explain why she had called for them.

"How would you two like to play a game with Mommy and Daddy?" Misty asked.

"What kind of game?" Aiden asked.

"Candy Valley?" Michelle squealed. That was her favorite board game, hands down.

"No, not Candy Valley," Misty giggled once again. "Daddy and I were going to guess if the baby is a girl or a boy!"

"Girl!" Michelle called out.

"Pi!" Pikachu squeaked.

"I don't care as long as it doesn't cry a lot!" Aiden added.

"No, not guessing like that," Misty smacked her forehead. "I mean with the old wives' tales!"

"What's those?" Aiden blinked.

"They're these very old myths that by trying different things, you can guess if the baby you're having is a boy or a girl," Misty explained. "And they're almost like little games. Daddy and I were going to see what they have to say about your little brother or sister. So, want to help us out?"

"Okay!" Michelle cheered.

"Kachu!" Pikachu nodded.

"I don't care as long as I don't have to clean anything up," Aiden shrugged. That was the boy's least favorite part of playing games; having to pick up all the pieces and put them back in the box.

"Alright then, let's go!" Misty held her hands behind her back and shuffled into the living room, the twins and Pikachu following closely behind. Ash was already sitting on the floor, a laptop opened up and sitting on the couch.

"Pikapi," Pikachu crooned, jumping into his trainer's lap and rubbing against him.

"Hey there, buddy," Ash chuckled, stroking the Pokémon's fur. "Were you playing with the twins?"

"Chu."

"And now you're gonna' play these dumb baby guessing games with us, huh?" Ash smirked.

"Ka."

"Alright, Ash," Misty pointed at the laptop, "what does the first wives' tale say?"

"This one says that if you're carrying high, the baby is a girl," Ash read off the screen. "And if your belly is lower, then it's a boy."

"Hmm…" Misty lifted up her shirt in order to better see her stomach. "I'm not all _that _big yet."

"Nah, but you're big enough that you've got a bump," Ash shook his head. "And I think that you're carrying higher up."

"You think so?" Misty asked, pressing a hand against the bottom of her stomach.

"I think you did last time, too," Ash mused. "Your belly kinda' looks exactly the same, actually."

"I think it's high!" Michelle raised her hand.

"Pika," Pikachu agreed.

"What about you, champ?" Ash asked the boy.

"I think it's big," Aiden pursed his lips.

"That wasn't the question…" Ash sweat dropped, while Misty narrowed her eyes in frustration. "Err…what do you think, Mist? It is _your _body, after all."

"I think…it's high," Misty rubbed the underside of her midsection. "Because last time, it was definitely high, and I feel exactly the same as I did then. So, I'll say high too."

"That means it's a girl!" Michelle's eyes were sparkling.

"Not so fast, princess, we've still got nine tests to do!" Ash chuckled.

"Oh," Michelle relaxed. "So, what goes next?"

"This one is funny," Ash laughed. "This says that when you're pregnant with a girl, there's an old myth that the baby steals her mother's beauty. So, if you're all broken out and looking kinda'…not attractive, it's a girl!"

"If you tell me I've been looking ugly lately, I'm going to come over there and smack you," Misty shook her head.

"Nah, you look hotter than usual," Ash studied Misty's face. "Besides, you're not broken out or anything."

"Well then, what does it say for a boy?" Misty inquired. "That I get hotter?"

"Nope, that's not what it says," Ash started reading off the screen again. "Actually, it's the exact opposite of hot! If you have dry hands and cold feet that means it's a boy."

"That's weird…" Misty touched the top of her right hand, "my hands _have _been awfully dry lately. I've been putting cream on who knows how many times a day!"

"What about your feet?" Ash looked down at Misty's bare feet.

Aiden got down on all fours and crawled over to his mother, touching the top of her left foot with his little finger tips. "It's cold!" He cried, pulling his hand back.

"Really?" Misty sat down on the floor and touched her feet herself. "Jeez, they _are_ cold! That's strange, my hands and feet are usually warmer than most people's!"

"A boy!" Aiden laughed.

"So, one for a girl, and one for a boy," Ash clicked to the next rumor. "Here's the third one. They call this one the 'ring swing.' Misty, you have to take off your wedding ring and tie it to a piece of a string. Then, we hold it over your belly and see which way it swings. If it spins in a circle, that means there's a boy in there, and back and forth means it's a girl!"

"These are so ridiculous," Misty muttered laughingly to herself as she pulled off her diamond embedded, white gold band.

"I don't know anymore, Mist, that last one was creepily precise," Ash chuckled, standing up to fetch a piece of string. Fortunately, Misty was kind of weird when it came to little odds and ends, and she had a habit of storing strange stuff all over the kitchen. String just so happened to be one of those things. He returned with the thread, ironically light blue in color, and laced it through Misty's wedding ring.

"Lie down, Mommy," Michelle ordered, pushing her mother by her shoulders.

"Well, someone is feeling bossy today!" Misty giggled, following Michelle's orders. "You'd better help me back up after this, seashell."

"Okay," Michelle smiled.

"Let's see what the ring says," Ash smirked, holding it above her growing belly. Aiden and Michelle leaned in curiously, while Misty watched from the floor. Even Pikachu was paying close attention from atop Ash's head. As the family watched, the ring began to swing back and forth, much to Michelle's delight.

"A girl! That means it's a girl!" Michelle clapped.

"That it does," Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, hold on just one minute," Misty huffed. "Isn't it entirely possible that the ring could swing in a different direction depending on who's holding it? Maybe it's just going back and forth because of how you're holding it, Ash."

"Fine, then I'll have Aiden hold it now," Ash handed the little device off to his excited son. "Then we'll see if it changes direction."

"I bet it will," Misty smirked, rubbing the side of her belly.

Aiden took hold of the string and held the ring over his mother's stomach. Just like before, it swung back and forth.

"Whoa!" Aiden's eyes grew wide. "It's a girl, Mommy!"

"I'm still not buying it," Misty muttered, although her resolve definitely seemed to be wearing off.

"Lemme try!" Michelle reached for the strung through ring. Aiden passed it off, and Michelle sat up on her knees so she could dangle the piece of jewelry above her mother's midsection. And for the third time, the ring moved back and forth.

"Mist, that thing isn't changing direction," Ash shook his head.

"Let Pikachu try!" Michelle held the ring up near Pikachu. The little electric mouse took the blue string by his teeth and, from atop Ash's head, held it over Misty's bulging belly. Once again, the small metal circle floated in a back and forth motion.

"If you tell me these little theories aren't real again, I'm not going to believe you," Ash informed his wife.

"But…but how…" Misty was completely confused.

"Because it's a girl, Mommy!" Michelle sighed.

"Nuh uh, we only did three!" Aiden argued.

"Your brother is right, princess," Ash chuckled. "Two for a girl, one for a boy! Now, onto the fourth test!"

Sitting up, Misty removed the string from her wedding band and slipped it back onto her finger. "This is borderline creepy, you know. How did that ring actually move in the same direction all four times?"

"Because these old tales are the real deal!" Ash's eyes were wide, causing Misty to roll hers. "Okay, let's see the next one…the key test. Huh, this one is really interesting too!"

Ash fished his hand into his back pocket and pulled out his key to the house. Wordlessly, he placed the small piece of metal in front of his bewildered wife, who was now sitting up on her knees between Aiden and Michelle.

"Pick up the key," Ash pointed at it.

"Aren't you going to tell me what the difference is between predicting a boy or a girl?" Misty raised an eyebrow.

"No, because that will mess the test up," Ash shook his head. "Pick up the key!"

Sighing, Misty grabbed the key by its largest part; the top. She glanced up at Ash once again, who was now grinning like a crazy person. "What does that mean?"

"If you had picked up the key by the thinner end, that would mean you're having a girl, _supposedly,_" Ash smirked when he noticed his wife's incredulous expression. "But, you picked the key up by its bigger end, which means it's a boy in there!"

"I want to know which crazy people invented these things," Misty muttered, tossing her husband's key back at him.

"We're all even again," Ash chuckled. "Two for a girl, two for a boy!"

"What's the next one say, Daddy?" Michelle tilted her head.

"This one says that the baby's heart rate is an indicator of whether it's a boy or a girl," Ash's eyes were back on the laptop screen. "Do you remember its heart rate, Mist?"

"I do," Misty smiled lovingly. "I seem to have that number imbedded in my brain. It was 135, the last time I went to the doctor."

"Anything below 140 means the baby is a boy," Ash eyed his wife. "Wow, now the boy's in the lead!"

"Were these people doctors?" Misty folded her arms. "I highly doubt it."

"Hey, _you're_ the one who wanted to try them!" Ash teased.

"Yeah, and now I'm regretting that decision," Misty sighed. "You're getting a little too into it, Ash Ketchum."

"I think it's kinda' cool," Ash chuckled. "And you can't say the ring test wasn't impressive!"

"I blame gravity."

"Of course you do."

"I think these are real, Mommy!" Michelle leaned on her mother's leg.

"You do?" Misty stroked her daughter's hair.

"Yeah," Michelle nodded before resting a hand on Misty's belly. "Maybe it's really a boy!"

"Maybe…" Misty smirked.

"But we only did five," Aiden held up all five fingers on his left hand.

"Good point, champ, let's keep going!" Ash nodded before turning to the next test. "Hey, this one is perfect for you, Mist!"

"Oh no," Misty groaned. Whenever Ash said something like _that, _it usually ended with Misty getting annoyed. "What's it say?"

"Well, this one says if your cravings are for things that are salty and sour, the baby is a boy," Ash read before grinning mischievously, "_but, _cravings for sweet things like candy mean it's a girl!"

"Considering the adventures we've had with me and my candy, I think we know what the answer to _that _one is," Misty giggled.

"That one makes sense to me," Ash nodded. "A sweet baby girl!"

"I like candy," Aiden narrowed his eyes. "I'm not a girl."

"No, you're not," Misty ruffled her son's hair. "But I didn't eat a lot of candy when you and Michelle were in my tummy! I liked to eat fruit most of the time. Especially apples."

"Tied three and three, man this baby is a difficult one!" Ash laughed. "I wonder what the seventh one says…"

"Probably involves something with making myself bleed and feeding it to Sharpedo," Misty scoffed before trilling mockingly, "if it dies, the baby is a boy! But, if it starts flying through the air, the baby is a girl."

This made Aiden and Michelle laugh wildly. Even Pikachu, who had hopped off of his trainer's head, was rolling around on the floor. Ash had a little smirk on his face, but he was still siding with these rumors actually being true.

"Hey, Mist, this one is kind of cool," Ash looked over his shoulder. "It says here that if I put your birthday and the date we…uh…"

"I got it," Misty nodded, the twins giving her confused stares.

"Right…" Ash chuckled nervously, "anyway, if I put those into here, it'll use an ancient birth chart to determine whether the baby is a boy or a girl."

"Fine," Misty sighed, shaking her head. "Amuse me."

"Okay, well, your birthday is July 12th…" Ash entered the date into the online module. "And on the beach…that was…uh…"

"You don't remember the day?" Misty giggled.

"You do?" Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Of course I do!" Misty pressed a protective hand against the middle of her burgeoning stomach, to show Ash she was acute to everything related to the unborn child. "November 30th."

Ash was surprised. He didn't exactly know that date right off the top of his head. Either way, he entered the two dates into the computer and then pressed the 'calculate' button to see what gender, according to the chart, their baby was.

"According to the ancient chart thing, it's a boy," Ash read.

"Four for boy, three for girl," Misty rocked her head back and forth. "Still think these little myths have any truth to them?"

"…yes," Ash finally gave a definitive answer.

"Oh, but you made fun of May for believing in them!" Misty smirked.

"Well, I guess sometimes May can be right about stuff!" Ash cried.

"You guys are boring," Aiden piped up. "Do more tests!"

"Yeah!" Michelle agreed. "More tests!"

"Pi-ka!" Pikachu chimed.

Ash glared down at his partner Pokémon and drawled, "who's side are you on?"

"Pipika, pipikachu," Pikachu motioned towards Aiden and Michelle.

"Of course you are," Ash sighed, squeezing the bridge of his nose.

"The twins have a point," Misty shrugged. "Let's get to number eight so we can finish up these dumb things."

"They're not dumb, they're _real,_" Ash wagged a finger at his wife as he switched to the next test. "Hey, this one involves me! It says that if your husband has been sharing cravings with you, and gaining weight because of it, the baby is a girl."

"Well, you've been having cravings since we were ten years old, but I guess that doesn't count," Misty's smile was pure wily.

"Ha ha, real funny," Ash mocked. "Besides, whether I eat like a pregnant woman or not, I sure don't gain weight like one."

At this, Misty shot Ash a _very _offended look. Right away, Ash realized his mistake and went about trying to rectify it. "I don't mean you're fat, Misty! Don't give me that look! I said _nothing _like that! I was talking about me! Do I look pregnant to you?" Ash lifted up his shirt and showed Misty his defined abs.

"Daddy doesn't have a big tummy," Aiden helpfully informed his mother.

"Daddy looks the same!" Michelle added. "You don't, Mommy."

"Fair enough," Misty sighed. "Guess that's another point for a boy, then."

"Five to three," Ash confirmed. "Baby boy is really pulling ahead!"

"If anything, these tests are only amusing me because so far, my guess is correct," Misty shrugged before patting her belly with both hands. "I've been saying this baby is a boy for the past month, and I stand by that. At least these dopey myths are proving me right."

"It's always about you," Ash sweat dropped.

"At least you're learning," Misty winked.

"I don't think we can say _anyone _is right until we finish up these tests," Ash argued, switching to the ninth tale. "Oh, another easy one for you, Mist! This one is all about morning sickness."

"What does it say about puking your guts out ten times a day for the first three months?" Misty deadpanned, feeling grateful that that stage of her pregnancy was over.

"Lots of morning sickness equals a baby girl," Ash smirked.

"It's close again," Michelle awed, smiling at her mother.

"Yeah, now the girl has…four," Aiden held up four fingers on his right hand.

"And the boy has five," Misty added. "I guess it's all up to that last and final test, huh?"

"Let's find out what it is!" Ash's attention went back to the laptop. "The tenth and final test says if you're extra moody, you're having a girl because of all the extra female hormones in your body! Guess that one's accurate, huh?"

"ASH KETCHUM!" Misty screamed, causing Aiden and Michelle to yelp.

"Yep, the answer to that one is _definitely _a girl!" Ash laughed anxiously.

"Wait…" Michelle blinked, "but that means the boy got five, and the girl got five, too!"

"Which means we don't know any better than we did before we started all of that crazy stuff," Misty giggled as she rubbed her belly. "Guess this little sweetheart will just have to stay ambiguous…for now."

"That's dumb, I thought we would know," Aiden frowned.

"It's okay, Aiden, I knew these tests were all useless in the first place," Misty ran her free hand up and down her son's back. "But it's just a few more weeks until we know for sure! And at least the doctor knows what he's talking about, unlike these crazy old wives."

"Yeah," Aiden sighed. "Can Shelly and I go back to playing upstairs, now?"

"Of course you can," Misty nodded with a smile. "Go have fun!"

And with that, Aiden, Michelle, _and _Pikachu were all making their way over to the staircase. When Misty looked over at Ash, she saw him looking quite contemplative, which caused her to scoff.

"What's on your mind, honey?" Misty cooed. "How lousy those myths were?"

"Nah, I still think they're legitimate…" Ash tapped his head, "it's just…what if they really _are _right?"

"What are you talking about?" Misty crossed her arms.

"It was five for a boy, five for a girl. Even match," Ash explained, his eyes floating slowly around the room before settling themselves on Misty.

"So?"

"So…what if it's twins again? A boy _and_ a girl?"

"If there are twins in my stomach, I'm kicking you out of the house."

Ash looked away and nodded to himself before mumbling, "That last test was so accurate it should give the girl an extra vote."

"What was that, Ketchum?"

"Heh…nothing, babe!"


	111. Pop Goes the Misty

**Guys, I'm in online class right now. I love it 'cause it's SO EASY. I just leave a response to a question and stay logged on for an hour so the professor sees I was on during classtime. A+ invention.**

**Anyway, this is another one shot where Misty is pregnant. I keep coming up with these lately. Idk why. But this one is pretty heavily focused on Aiden, bless the adorable little boy.**

**Aiden: 5 and a half years old**

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><p><strong>Pop Goes the Misty<strong>

Just because Aiden loved his aunts didn't mean he enjoyed having them over.

They were all too girly for his liking. They only had daughters, after all, and were all inherently girly themselves. The three women were nothing like Aiden's mother, and very often, the young boy wondered how they were even _related_. Misty was so far from being like her sisters that it was almost impossible.

So, as soon as the three of them had come bustling through the front door, Aiden had taken himself straight up to his room in order to avoid their sweeping round of hugs, kissing, and cooing. The boy wasn't in the mood for such nonsense. He was much older now, after all. Aiden was practically four years away from becoming a Pokémon trainer, anyway, and he was pretty sure that soon he'd get to start shaving just like his Dad. Aiden's concept of time wasn't the greatest.

Either way, as soon as he heard the high pitched and squeaky voices of his aunts lull to nothing more than a murmur, the child deemed it safe enough to return downstairs without being attacked. So, Aiden gathered his book of Pokémon, a notebook, a pencil, and brought all of it downstairs.

His favorite place to work on these types of things was the kitchen table. It reminded Aiden of food, which he loved just as much as Pokémon. It was even better to work in the kitchen when his mother was actually cooking something, because then Aiden could smell the food and just imagine eating it. She hadn't cooked much lately, however, on the count of her "swollen feet" and "various other issues that are driving me insane." That's what his father had said, anyway.

The activity that Aiden was currently immersing himself in was building his dream team of Pokémon for when he became old enough to leave on his journey. Aiden's ideal team changed almost constantly, so the boy was always making new lists to accommodate his ever changing mind. At first, Ash and Misty were a little concerned by their son's obsession over looking through his book and making such a list, but in the end, they realized that doing that was pretty much the only way Aiden was ever going to write _anything,_ so they just let him be. Ash, especially, liked to indulge in Aiden's fun and ask him which Pokémon he was looking to capture that week. Or that day. It really depended on how quickly Aiden was changing his mind.

The one Pokémon that always remained a constant, however, was Blastoise. The water type was Aiden's absolute favorite Pokémon, and it was his dream to have his very own shellfish Pokémon. Aiden had already scribbled Blastoise's name down on the paper; he always went first. But already on his second choice, Aiden was stuck and not sure which Pokémon to pick. So, he started to flip through his book, which served as a pokedex on paper. He was too young yet for a pokedex, of course, and right now his Dad was out and had his pokedex with him. Sometimes, his Dad would let him look through his pokedex and learn about the different Pokémon.

"Misty, you look like you're about to pop!"

Aiden's eyes widened and he dropped his pencil on the table. It made a small noise; one quiet enough where his mother or aunts certainly wouldn't be able to hear it. Sliding off of his chair, Aiden ran over to the doorway that separated the living room from the kitchen and peered through it, his little fingers gripping the white molded frame.

He saw his mother, sitting on the couch and halfway slumped down. She looked tired, and at the moment, a little annoyed. Her navy blue tank top, printed with tiny white dots, was completely stretched across her heavy belly. Her three older sisters were all gathered in front of her, hands all over her stomach as they cooed over it.

"Don't remind me," Misty muttered.

"Why do you have to be reminded?" Lily giggled. "Your belly is _huge!_"

Misty gave her pink haired sister an incredulous stare before asking, "You are a _real _ditz, aren't you?"

Aiden pressed his back against the kitchen wall and stared ahead of himself nervously. His mother was going to pop? Is that how the baby got out? Her tummy was going to burst like a bubble?!

Needless to say, Aiden was scared.

He couldn't imagine that would be fun for his mother. Besides, he knew that when bubbles burst, that pretty much meant they had died. Was that going to happen to her?

No. Aiden wasn't going to let his mother burst. He wasn't. The boy might have been excited for his baby sister to be born, but he definitely wasn't about to let her hurt their Mom.

Running upstairs, Aiden found his way into the bathroom and tore open one of the drawers, where he knew his mother kept all of the fancy things she would occasionally put in Michelle's hair. Pushing through the sea of barrettes and hair ties, Aiden eventually came across what he was looking for: the tub full of hair ribbons.

They were long and untied, so Misty could fasten them into bows around Michelle's ponytails. There were all different colors and prints, but Aiden didn't care about what the ribbon looked like. Mainly, he was searching for the longest ribbon in the container. He found it in what must have been one of Michelle's newer ribbons, since it seemed to be uncut and at _least _four feet long. It was solid, bright red in color, which actually brought a smile to Aiden's face. Red _was_ his favorite color, after all. But now was not the time to be smiling about such silly things. No. He had to save his mother from popping, and fast!

So, with the ribbon in his small hands, Aiden ran out of the bathroom and charged down the stairs, back into the kitchen and then straight through to the living room. He knew now he'd have to face his aunts, but that was a small price to pay when it came to helping his mother.

They were still gathered around their youngest sister, but as soon as they heard Aiden's footsteps, the three older women whipped around and grinned adoringly at their only nephew. Aiden managed to return a small smile in response, but still had enough concentration to push past his aunts in order to jump up on the couch, next to his mother.

"Aiden…" Misty blinked, confused as to why her son seemed so frantic, "what's the matter, sweetie? Do you want to stay in here with me and your aunts?"

"No, Mommy, I have to save you!" Aiden cried.

"Save me?" Misty raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah!" Aiden took the ribbon and wrapped it around Misty's beach ball stomach until he could pull the ends of the ribbon in front of her and cross them, attempting to tie the trimming into a bow. He was fumbling over his own little fingers, however. Aiden had never tied a bow before, and he'd never even watched his mother tying them into his sister's hair. Now he wished he had.

Misty, on the other hand, was just completely bewildered. She had absolutely no idea why Aiden was tying a ribbon around her stomach. She looked up at her sisters, as if they would have the answer, but if nothing less, they looked even _more_ confused than Misty.

"Buddy, what are you doing?" Misty asked softly.

"I'm keeping the baby inside!" Aiden replied.

"How is this supposed to keep the baby in my belly?" Misty touched her stomach.

"You won't pop!" Aiden groaned. He thought this was extremely obvious.

"Pop?" Misty shook her head.

"I heard Aunt Daisy say you were gonna' pop," Aiden frowned. "I don't want you to get hurt, Mommy."

Misty and Daisy exchanged looks before the both of them began to giggle. Aiden, however, didn't find it to be very funny.

"Mommy, Aunt Daisy, stop!" Aiden cried. "It's not funny!" His eyes started to fill with tears, and Misty noticed right away. Aiden rarely ever cried, so she was keen to when he was about to.

"Oh, baby, we're not laughing at you!" Misty hushed. Patting her belly, she cooed to her son, "Lie down here, sweetie."

Aiden whimpered but still settled down on his mother's stomach. He liked to rest there and feel his baby sister moving around. Sometimes, he would talk to her, and tell her stories. Right now, she wasn't moving at all, and for once, Aiden was grateful. He didn't want the baby listening to this…to whatever his mother was about to say to him.

"You're very cute," Misty informed her son, playing with his hair.

"Why'd you laugh?" Aiden muttered.

"Aiden, we weren't laughing at you!" Daisy reassured her nephew, rubbing his back. "I promise."

"We were laughing because you're the most adorable little boy in the whole entire world," Misty whispered with a smile. "I'm not _actually _going to pop, you know."

"You're not?" Aiden glanced up at his mother with big brown eyes.

"Of course not!" Misty giggled once again. "That's just an expression, baby."

"Oh," Aiden breathed, lowering his eyes.

"Is that why you tied the ribbon around your Mommy's tummy?" Violet asked.

"Yeah," Aiden nodded slowly. "I thought if I put the ribbon around her tummy, then she wouldn't pop. I got scared. I thought Mommy was gonna' get hurt."

"So you were trying to protect me," Misty crooned.

"Yeah," Aiden muttered again, snuggling his cheek against his mother's stomach as he closed his eyes.

"Well, that was very sweet of you," Misty informed the boy. "I'm glad you're so protective of me!"

"Mommy?" Aiden's soft voice squeaked.

"What is it, buddy?"

"If your belly doesn't pop…how _does _the baby get out?"

Misty glanced up at Daisy, who was looking rather nervous, with a little smirk and a devious glint in her eyes.

"You'd better start coming up with another expression, Dais."


	112. Little Fairy

**I squealed the entire time I wrote this. It's sooo precious! I think it's because it focuses on Elizabeth, and she's like my little munchkin :P It's almost like she's real I love her so much!**

**This one is based more on pure description and emotion. It's a lot of Ash's thoughts and view points. So, it's a little different :P**

**Elizabeth: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Little Fairy<strong>

When Elizabeth had seemed to stop growing as a toddler, Ash had grown concerned.

It wasn't _blatantly_ obvious, but it was still apparent that she was smaller than most children her age. Whenever Elizabeth stood next to Ciara, Sakura's daughter who was just a few weeks older, she stood shorter than the blonde haired little girl.

Misty didn't think it was a big deal. She thought it all just stemmed from Elizabeth being born prematurely, and that there was no problem with the girl.

Ash disagreed. Aiden and Michelle had been born early too, but they had always been of normal height. In fact, they were both taller than Ash had been as a child. And he had been born _late._

That's why Ash had taken Elizabeth to the doctor. Without telling Misty. She was fully convinced that nothing needed to be checked out with Elizabeth, but Ash's anxiety was eating away at him. He knew he would never be able to live with himself if there ended up being something wrong with Elizabeth, and he never found out. So, he took her to the doctor.

Ash had told Elizabeth the trip was a secret. She couldn't tell her Mommy. Elizabeth was only two years old, so Ash wasn't sure how well she had understood his request. But she had nodded in response, her pigtails bouncing up and down, so Ash assumed that was good enough. Elizabeth didn't mind the doctor when she wasn't on the sick side of the waiting room, unlike her older siblings, so there was no fussing involved either. Instead, the little girl just sat there, playing with the toys in the waiting room while Ash watched her intently.

Aside from her slightly smaller stature, there definitely didn't seem to be anything wrong with Elizabeth. In fact, the little girl was pretty bright. She would pick up a toy and bring it over to Ash, just to tell him what it was. Elizabeth liked to explain things; in her own little kid way, of course.

At the moment, she was busy showing him a toy fire truck. She held it in both of her small hands, up to Ash, as she rambled on in her squeaky baby voice, "twuck. Twuck, Daddy. Is…wed. Vewy wed. And it have…whees." She pointed at the small black circles on the bottom of the toy truck.

"Yeah, wheels," Ash smiled. "Do you know who liked toys like that, Lizzie?"

"Denny," Elizabeth murmured, pulling the white ladder of the toy up.

"Yeah, Aiden used to play with those things all the time!" Ash nodded. "But he's older now. He doesn't play with them as much."

Elizabeth scurried back over to the toys and gently put the fire truck down before picking up tambourine. She ran back over to Ash, shaking it in the air and giggling at the noise it made.

"What's that?" Ash asked, wanting to further test his young daughter's brain.

"Shake," Elizabeth responded, smacking the solid white front of the musical instrument against her hand.

Okay, so she didn't know what a tambourine was. But that didn't bother Ash. Most two year olds probably didn't know how to say tambourine, or even what it was. Besides, she seemed to know how to play it. Ash found that to be more interesting than Elizabeth actually knowing how to say the word.

Once it was time to actually go into the examination room and be checked out by the doctor, Elizabeth was more than fine with putting the tambourine down and going in. She didn't, however, want to walk. She wanted to be carried by Ash.

Picking the girl up returned Ash's worries to the forefront. Sure, all two year olds were light, but Elizabeth was _especially _so. Ash remembered Aiden and Michelle being noticeably heavier as toddlers. He was going to get to the bottom of this, right then and there. Surely, the doctor could tell him what was wrong with Elizabeth's height!

**XXX**

There was nothing wrong with Elizabeth's height.

Yes, she was shorter than the average two year old. But it was nothing to be concerned about, according to the doctor. In time, she'd grow and catch up to other children her age. Despite her shorter stature, Elizabeth was in perfect health and developing just fine.

She was a smart, healthy girl, who just happened to be, according to Dr. Neal, "petite."

Ash liked that word. He liked it a lot more than "short." He actually hated the word "short" because Gary had used it so much against him when they were children. Ash, although ne never often voiced it, had been rather embarrassed of his height as a child. He'd always wanted to be taller.

Maybe that's why he'd been so worried about Elizabeth. He didn't want her to feel the same way he had.

Elizabeth, however, didn't seem to have a care in the world about her height. She didn't even seem to realize she was smaller than most two year olds, and more often than not, she actually used her size to her advantage.

After visiting the doctor, Ash took notice to many of the things Elizabeth did _well _with her stature. Instead of simply focusing on the fact she had to crawl up the stairs and jump for things, Ash would watch her go in and out of the little Pokémon door that was made for Pikachu, like it was no big deal. Ash knew that simply his _head _could get stuck in there, as it had happened before. But Elizabeth managed to wriggle her whole body through it, no problem.

She would crawl behind furniture and even retrieve toys or other small objects when Aiden or Michelle accidentally dropped them in the tight spots. There was no way, after all, that the eight year olds would fit in such crevices.

But Elizabeth could.

It was almost like the girl was a little fairy. Ash had smiled when he thought of that. Elizabeth was a little girly girl. She loved pink and frills and glitter; things that kind of scared Ash. But he had learned to embrace those things a little more, for the sake of his daughter.

So, that's how he thought of the girl. A sweet little fairy girl, tiny and happy, who managed to run around just fine and bring a smile to everyone's faces. She was a delicate little thing, small and light and very doll like.

And, for what it was worth, Elizabeth liked being called a little fairy just as much as Ash liked using it. She would run up to him and grab his pants, staring up at him with wide green eyes and beg in her little squeaky voice to be picked up so she could "fly." Ash would oblige every time, wanting nothing more than to make his young daughter happy.

And on one specific day, when Gary came over for something, he found Elizabeth to be running around the house in a short white costume dress adorned with pink and purple flowers, with pink, glitter covered wings strapped to her back and a circlet of pink and purple flowers wrapped around her head, un-brushed and fiery locks spilling out from beneath the headband.

She ran right past Gary, giggling wildly before making a sharp U turn in order to return to the Pokémon researcher and tap him on the knee with a sparkly purple wand before once again flitting off, as if she was dancing on air.

"Ash, why is she running around like that?" Gary raised an eyebrow.

Ash just smirked. Gary only had a son, so he didn't understand. He couldn't understand what Ash had with Elizabeth. So, he gave the easiest answer possible to his longtime rival.

"Because she's my little fairy."


	113. Blizzard Bliss

**In honor of the snow storm, I wrote this! Yaaay snow! Just kidding, I actually hate it now that I have to drive places :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 6 years old**

**Elizabeth: 5 months old**

* * *

><p><strong>Blizzard Bliss<strong>

The first snow of the winter was a magical time. The freshly fallen, fluffy white stuff to play in, long and sparkling icicles that were just perfect for breaking and showing off, and fully covered hills that were a perfect vision for sledding down.

These things were all ideal…if you were children.

"Stupid snow!"

Ash had just forced himself back inside the house, barely able to close the front door thanks to the banks of snow that had formed around the front of the house. As soon as he got the door shut, Ash sighed and slid down it, not even caring that he was now sitting in the rapidly melting snow he had tracked in from outside.

At the sound of her husband's grumbling, Misty walked in from the kitchen, holding baby Elizabeth against her hip. "The snow giving you trouble?"

"Yeah," Ash let out a heavy sigh, tugging the gray knit hat off his head and throwing it on the floor. Normally, Misty would scold him for such an act, but she knew how much he hated clearing away the snow, so she wouldn't give him a hard time. She would also usually be outside helping him out, but since there was now another baby in the house, Misty couldn't do that.

"Don't get too worked up over it, you're all done now," Misty smiled at her husband. "Now I can go make you some nice hot chocolate! You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"Yes, please," Ash finally showed off a smile, which caused Misty to giggle. Her mother's laughter caused Elizabeth to shriek happily, which only widened Ash's grin. "Could I have Elizabeth?"

"Of course!" Misty nodded, walking over to Ash. "That'd probably make it easier for me, actually." She was about to hand off the baby before pulling her back and regressing, "actually, take your coat off before you hold her."

"Huh?" Ash blinked.

"I don't want my baby to get cold!" Misty cooed, nuzzling her nose against Elizabeth's cheek. In turn, the baby giggled and waved her arms in the air.

"Alright," Ash sighed, throwing off his black snow jacket and tossing it aside just as he'd done with the knit hat. Again, Misty narrowed her eyes but said nothing, instead finally giving the baby up to Ash. The man gasped and held his little daughter up by her sides, grinning himself as she shot him a huge smile. "Hello there, little Lizzie! Did you miss Dada while he was outside?"

Elizabeth giggled and kicked one leg out towards Ash. The raven haired man sat the child down in his lap and stroked at her pink and navy striped baby doll shirt, running his fingers over the two navy blue buttons on the right shoulder.

"This must be a comfy outfit, huh?" Ash asked, plucking at the tiny girl's navy leggings. In response, she squealed and started to kick her legs again, mumbling baby nonsense that sounded quite happy. Continuing to move his hand down, Ash went about tickling the girl's pink sock covered feet. If anything, this just made Elizabeth laugh even more. "Oh, you're ticklish just like your Mama, and your big sister! All the girls in this family are _so _ticklish!"

"SNOW!"

The sudden shout caused Elizabeth to whimper, and it even startled Ash to an extent. He held the baby closer to his body and tried to soothe her, not wanting the little thing to start crying.

Aiden and Michelle were both bounding down the stairs, each one already fully dressed in their snow attire. They both looked like colorful little marshmallows: Aiden in his black snow pants, red and navy puffer jacket, and navy and black snow boots, and Michelle similarly dressed in white snow pants, an aqua and white puffer jacket, and sky blue snow boots.

"How did you two manage to get all of that on by yourselves?" Ash blinked. They both usually needed his and Misty's help with getting into their snow stuff…especially the pants.

"We helped each other!" Michelle replied.

"Only when you want to, huh?" Ash snickered.

"Daddy, we're goin' to play in the snow," Aiden informed his father. "Bye!"

And with that, he and Michelle made a mad dash for the door. Ash, however, was quick to hold his hand out in front of himself, not wanting the two overzealous children to trample over him and the baby who was currently sitting in his lap.

"Just chill out, guys," Ash warned. "You can't go outside just yet."

"Why?!" Aiden stormed.

"Don't get so moody, Aiden," Misty came back in with a mug full of Ash's hot chocolate. "You can go outside in just a minute. I have to put on your hats, scarves, and gloves first."

"But _Mom,_ that stuff is _annoying,_" Aiden whined.

"So is having a cold," Misty wagged a finger at her son. "So hush. If you want to play outside, you will wear everything I tell you to. Or else you can just stay in here and play with toys."

"No," Aiden muttered.

"That's what I thought," Misty smirked.

Ash stood up and switched Elizabeth out for the mug. The baby whined at the change of arms, but as soon as Misty started to tickle her on her stomach, the little girl grew happy once again.

"Hey, Ash, I've got a great idea," Misty beamed up at her husband. "How about we take Elizabeth outside to play in the snow, too? She's got a snow outfit, and I haven't gotten to put it on her yet! She'll look so cute!"

"I don't know, Mist," Ash frowned. "She's just a baby. Is it really such a good idea?"

"I'll hold onto her," Misty shrugged. "She can't crawl yet, so there's not really anywhere for her to go. But I bet she'd love to touch the snow and that kind of stuff. Elizabeth is as curious a little girl as you can get!"

"Well, that's true," Ash's lips bent back into a smile. "I guess we can try it!"

While Ash drank his hot chocolate, a wonderful reward for shoveling out the snow that had been blocking the house's walkway, Misty finished putting together the older children's snow gear. Soon enough, Aiden's red knit hat had been pulled over his unruly raven tresses, and his black scarf had been tied around his neck. His small hands were also soon covered by a pair of thick, black gloves that were made specifically for playing in the snow. Michelle, on the other hand, had a pure white knit hat with a blue knit flower on it tugged onto her head, a matching white scarf and those same thick, light blue gloves following suit.

Once the twins were fully dressed, much to their displeasure, Misty went to work on preparing Elizabeth to face her first snow encounter. She left the baby in her regular outfit, and over it pulled on the snowsuit she had purchased for the girl just weeks ago. Misty thought it was one of the cutest things she had ever seen: made of a satin material, all brown with tiny pink polka dot print and pink faux fur trim around the hood. Her hands and feet were covered, and at the front of her waist was the cutest bow.

"Wait until Daddy sees how cute you look in your little snowsuit," Misty cooed, hugging the baby once she was all dressed. "He's going to love it!"

And Ash did. His eyes just lit up at the sight of the bundled up baby, and he had to let out a coo about how cute she was. Even Aiden and Michelle had agreed that the little outfit was just perfect for the baby girl!

"Lizzie has to wear a hat, scarf, and gloves too," Aiden pointed out. He figured it was only fair, since he and Michelle had to wear them.

"Well, her snowsuit already has her hands covered, but I suppose you're right, she should be wearing a hat and a scarf," Misty agreed.

And so, a baby pink fleece hat, with a big matching bow on the front, was settled over Elizabeth's dark red hair, and its accompanying scarf was gently wrapped around the girl's neck.

"Yay!" Misty clapped her hands in front of Elizabeth, who was being held with her back against Ash's body, his arms wrapped around her. As Misty clapped, Elizabeth herself laughed and waved her covered hands in the air.

"Lizzie, you like watching Mama, huh?" Ash chuckled.

Suddenly, Pikachu, who had been sleeping on the couch, yawned and stretched himself out, throwing a curious stare Ash's way.

"Oh, sorry bud, did we wake you up?" Ash frowned.

"Ka," Pikachu shook his head.

"Oh, well then, do you want to come outside and play in the snow with us?" Ash asked, a smile forming on his lips.

"Ka-chu!" Pikachu squeaked.

"I'll dress Pikachu!" Michelle threw her hand up in the air before shuffling over to the electric type. He had his own winter wear, too: a red and blue hat with two little holes cut out for his ears, and a matching scarf that went around his neck.

After Misty had dressed herself for the frigid outdoors and Ash had re-dressed himself from his previous chore, they all went outside to start playing in the collected snow. Right away, Aiden and Michelle threw themselves into the frosty white and started to roll around it, lying on their backs and creating snow angels. Although Ash hated shoveling the snow, he _did _love playing in it. He jumped down right next to Aiden and started laughing as he made his own snow angel.

"Mine is gonna' be better than yours, champ," Ash tilted his head back and smirked.

Misty sighed. Ash just _loved _riling their son up, and she knew exactly what was going to happen now.

Aiden gasped and jumped up from the ground, snow falling off of his body as he got back to his feet. Taking a running start, Aiden jumped on his father, who was still busy making his "superior" snow angel. Ash let out a quiet "oof" as Aiden pressed himself against the older male's stomach, growling sideways at him.

"You can't make one if you can't move!" Aiden yelled.

"That's no fair!" Ash playfully complained. When he tried to move his legs again, Aiden reached down and attempted to hold them down. "I'm gonna' roll over on you, buddy!"

"No!" Aiden shrieked laughingly.

"Ash, don't crush the boy," Misty warned, Pikachu watching curiously from her shoulder. He had perched himself up there, since he sometimes got nervous when Ash and Aiden started to rough house.

"Is that an insult?" Ash frowned.

"No," Misty smirked.

Instead, Ash wrapped his arms around Aiden and sat up, lifting Aiden and sitting him atop his shoulders.

"Whoa, I can see everything from up here!" Aiden marveled.

"Wanna' go pick out an icicle, buddy?" Ash asked.

"Yeah!" Aiden cheered, resting his hands atop Ash's hat covered head. Smiling, Ash walked closer to the house, so Aiden would be able to reach up and break off some of the large icicles that were bordering the edge of the house's roof. "Which one do you think looks good, Daddy?"

Ash tilted his head back and studied the shards of shimmering ice. They were all pretty big, but after a few seconds, Ash found one that he knew Aiden would love.

"How about this one?" Ash asked, walking over to the icicle he had spotted. Aiden knew right away which icicle his father was talking about, and as soon as he saw it, the young boy yelped happily and started to vigorously nod his head.

"Yeah! I'm takin' that one!"

Aiden leaned forward and gripped the ice with both hands, tugging at the spear to try and break it off the roof without ruining it.

"Be careful, buddy," Ash warned, holding tightly onto the boy's legs.

"Kay," Aiden replied, still tugging at the icicle. Eventually, he managed to snap it off the edge of the roof, keeping almost the entire piece intact. With the icicle firmly in his grasp, Ash lifted the boy off of his shoulders and put him back down on the ground, watching with a smirk on his face as the child ran over to his mother and sisters in order to show off his frozen prize.

"Look, guys!" Aiden held it up. "This is the biggest icicle ever!"

"Be careful with it," Misty was busy eyeing the sharp end of the ice stick.

"Oh, Misty, so protective," Ash snickered.

"I don't need him poking any eyes out with that thing!" Misty exclaimed.

"Gah…" Elizabeth babbled, reaching her little snowsuit covered hands down towards the ground.

"What is it, sweetie?" Misty asked. "Do you want to see the snow?"

Elizabeth kicked her legs out and babbled again. Shrugging, Misty knelt down closer to the frozen white and lowered Elizabeth until the baby's covered feet were touching the snow. Pikachu hopped off of Misty's shoulder and sat next to where the baby's feet had been planted.

"That's snow," Misty murmured to her little daughter. "Isn't it cold?" Elizabeth turned her head to stare at a smiling Misty, who went on to playfully chatter, "Brr…"

Elizabeth kicked one of her feet up, causing a flurry of snow to fly up into the air. Aiden and Michelle, who had been leaning in and curiously studying their baby sister's reaction to the white stuff, both shrieked and fell backwards into the thick snow. Pikachu had gotten hit by a few flakes and was now shaking out his bright yellow fur. Ash, meanwhile, just laughed at it all.

"Wanna' sit in it?" Misty asked the baby, who of course didn't answer. She lowered the child into the snow until her butt was in it, causing Elizabeth to look down in interest.

"She's confused, I think," Ash chuckled.

Elizabeth cooed and started to hit the snow with her covered hand. As soon as it made contact with the fluffy white, and sunk into the foot deep covering, she squeaked. This made everyone around her laugh. It was sweet, watching the baby get her first experience with snow.

"Hey, Lizzie, wanna' see the icicle I got?" Aiden asked, holding out the ice stick near his sister.

"Keep the point away from her," Misty tightened her grip on Elizabeth as a reflex.

"You and that stupid icicle point," Ash smirked.

Misty sent a glare his way, but her attention was back on Elizabeth as soon as she heard the baby began to babble. As it would turn out, Elizabeth now had her hands on the icicle, patting and hitting the ice stick in an attempt to knock it out of her brother's hands.

"Aiden, I know what we could use the icicle for!" Michelle suddenly cried, a huge smile on her face.

"What?" Aiden blinked.

Michelle leaned in closer to her brother so she could whisper in his ear. Ash and Misty both exchanged similar looks. It was a secret, apparently. And it must have been a good one, because while Michelle was whispering, Aiden's own lips formed a huge grin, and he whole heartedly agreed to whatever her plan was.

The two jumped up, Aiden leaving his icicle in the snow as they ran closer to the middle of the yard. Ash and Misty watched silently as the two started to pack snow together, forming differently sized, imperfectly shaped lumps. The couple wasn't entirely sure what their two oldest children were doing, since it sure didn't seem to be the "making a snowman" process.

Soon, however, it started to make sense. The misfit snow lumps were soon patted together into one big mound, with a smaller ball on top. Aiden ran back over to his parents and reclaimed the icicle, bringing it back over to his twin sister and sticking it in the back of the bottom mound.

"Hey, Mist, I think I know what they're doing," Ash murmured, a smile on his face.

"What?" Misty asked curiously.

"They're making a snow Glaceon," Ash chuckled.

"How did you figure that one out?" Misty's eyes widened.

"The icicle," Ash pointed at the frozen stick that was now being used as the snow Pokémon's tail. "Glaceon's fur can freeze over into icicles. Aiden and Michelle both know that, so that must have been Michelle's big plan. To make a snow Glaceon!"

"That's so cute!" Misty giggled.

Pikachu skipped over and started to help the two with their sculpture, much to the twins' delight. Soon, Ash and Misty had gone over as well, and the entire family was busy building the snow figure of the ice type Pokémon. By the time it was done, it actually looked pretty good, for something made of snow. Ash had even gotten up to break more icicles off the roof in order to make it look like a real Glaceon's fur would in the cold.

The sun was soon beginning to set, however, and the temperature was quickly dropping. Everyone's cheeks were bright red (including Pikachu's, but his _always _were) and Elizabeth was beginning to fall asleep in Misty's arms. She figured it was time to go back inside and start unwinding from their long, fun filled day of playing outside in the snow.

She had everyone leave their wet outer garments by the door so she could hang everything in front of the fireplace in order to dry. While the clothes dried, the family gathered around the kitchen table to eat dinner, which was well welcomed since they were all hungry from playing all day. The hot chocolate for desert didn't hurt either, even for Ash, who had already had one cup before. For all he was concerned, Ash could have drank hot chocolate all day.

Once everyone was finished eating, Aiden, Michelle, and Elizabeth all ended up falling asleep in front of the fireplace, not even yet in their pajamas. It was a sweet sight; little baby Elizabeth lying between her two big siblings, their arms protectively resting over her with their heads all touching as they dreamt away.

Ash and Misty watched the three, the two of them snuggled up on the couch and getting quite comfortable themselves. Misty had her head resting on Ash's chest, her knees pulled up and to the side so they were against Ash's own legs, which were criss crossed. He had one hand on her back, gently stroking it, and the other resting on her knee. Pikachu was lying on the top of the couch behind them, fast asleep just like the children lying before the fire place.

"They're so sweet," Misty whispered to her husband. It was the first words either of them had spoken since the children had fallen asleep. For the past ten minutes, they'd just sat there, watching the three like they were the most enthralling movie in the entire world.

"All of that playing really tired them out," Ash murmured in response. Misty could feel the reverberation of his deep voice in his chest, and this caused her to smile and snuggle more deeply against his body.

"Tired me out, too," Misty agreed, closing her eyes for a short moment.

"But it was fun," Ash snuck his hand beneath Misty's shirt, allowing his palm to touch the warm flesh of her back. At this, Misty purred and opened her eyes, her grin quickly growing from sweet to mischievous.

"That it was," Misty agreed, taking her hand off of his that was over her knee so she could rub his inner thigh.

Ash moaned and stared out the window. Misty followed suit, her eyes locking onto the night sky. It was lighter than usual, not pitch black, thanks to all of the snow on the ground. The sound of a heavy gust could be heard even from inside, and if that wasn't enough proof, the bare, shaking trees certainly were. With the light sky, it was also easy to see the big, white snowflakes drifting from above, falling listlessly towards the ground in order to increase the amount that had already covered the grass and the streets.

"Looks like the blizzard is back," Misty commented.

"Just like they said it would," Ash sighed, his head falling back against the couch.

They both grew silent again after that, watching the snow fall. It made them feel like they were in a snow globe, watching the flakes from inside the warmth of their home, their three angel like children snoozing away before them.

"You're going to have to shovel again tomorrow."

"Don't remind me."


	114. Tangled

**Can't stop, won't stop with the one shots. Woohoo :P This one is Michelle centered. It's also based off of some of the most harrowing times of my own childhood XD**

**BY THE WAY, you should all check out PrincessOfDestiny18's story, Do's and Don'ts. It's Pokeshippy and wonderful and I'm just completely in love with it. It's amazingly written and the plot is fantastic! So, yeah, there's my story reccomendation for you guys. Seriously, read it, it's awesome.**

**Soo...on to the next one shot!**

**Michelle: 4 years old**

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><p><strong>Tangled<strong>

"OW! Stop it, Mommy! That hurts!"

Misty sighed and lowered the brush from Michelle's long, red hair. The girl didn't like to have her hair cut; she insisted on leaving the bright tresses long and flowing. But because it was so long, and she wasn't exactly the most delicate child, Michelle's hair often ended up badly tangled. And trying to drag a brush through those big knots only resulted in a huge fight from Michelle.

"Sweetheart, your hair is completely knotted," Misty made a face of disgust as she tugged at one of the tangles with her fingers. "I've got to get them out!"

"But it _hurts!_"

"You don't want your pretty hair looking like a Rattata's nest, do you?"

"I don't care! The brush hurts!"

Misty was getting frustrated. Rolling her eyes as she tilted her head back, Misty reasoned with the child, "You know, Michelle, if you're not going to let me brush your hair to get those knots out, we're going to have to cut it."

"NO!"

"Your hair wouldn't tangle like this if it was shorter. Then it wouldn't hurt to brush it!"

"NO!"

The gym leader had no idea what to do. She had never had this problem as a little girl; Misty had always had short hair. Sure, her hair was longer now, but it still wasn't as long as Michelle's. Besides, Misty was a grown woman. She didn't mind tearing at her hair with a brush in order to get a knot out. But Michelle was just a little girl, and it was much harder to work with her on the problem.

Then, Misty got a perfect idea. _She _might not have had long hair as a little girl, but Misty knew someone very well who had!

"Come with me, Shelly," Misty coaxed. Her young daughter turned around and showed off a stern glare, much to Misty's surprise. It only took a matter of seconds, however, for Misty to realize that the glare wasn't really meant for _her, _but for the brush that she was still holding in her right hand. "Oh…"

Quickly, Misty placed the sky blue brush down on the bathroom counter and held her now empty hands up in front of her daughter. "No more brush, okay? It's not coming with us."

Michelle's angry stare melted away, and now she was just fine with following her mother out of the bathroom. The two girls walked downstairs, into the kitchen where the video phone was settled. Sitting down on the chair before it, Misty pulled Michelle onto her lap before punching in the desired number and listening to the ring, waiting for the person on the other end to pick up. When they finally did, emerald eyes met with ones of sea green, and the recipient of the call showed off a huge, pearly white smile.

"Hey there, baby sister! What's up?"

"Hi, Daisy," Misty's smile was much weaker than her oldest sister's. "Listen, I'm having a little bit of a problem here, and I'm out of patience. I don't know what else to do! So, I'm calling you for advice."

"Advice? From me?" Even Daisy seemed surprised by this.

"Shocking, I know," Misty sighed. Daisy had to nod, despite herself. "Anyway, Michelle is _always_ getting these massive knots in her hair, and I don't know how to get them out without her putting up a fight."

"A fight, huh?" Daisy smirked. She seemed to know what Misty was getting at. Setting her attention onto her young niece, Daisy asked, "what is it, Michelle? What don't you like about Mommy trying to get your knots out?"

"The brush," Michelle grumbled. "It hurts."

"Exactly what I thought," Daisy nodded to herself.

"What?" Misty blinked.

"Misty, you're not supposed to use a brush on knots," Daisy chastised her youngest sister in a sing song voice. In response, Misty just narrowed her eyes. She _had _told Daisy she was out of patience, and this certainly wasn't helping her frayed nerves.

"Okay, Daisy, then what am I supposed to use, huh?" Misty snapped.

"A comb," Daisy replied simply.

"Oh, how intelli-wait, a comb?" Misty's mocking voice quickly became one of surprise.

"Yes, a comb," Daisy rolled her eyes. "It pulls more gently at the hair. That's why Michelle fusses and cries when you yank at those knots with a brush. It does hurt. The comb won't."

_I cannot believe Daisy knew something I didn't, _Misty thought to herself.

"Don't _just _use a comb, though," Daisy advised. "Spray Michelle's hair with detangling spray first."

"I don't have any of that."

"Of course you don't, that's why Michelle freaks out every time you attack her hair with that stupid brush!"

"Daisy, I swear to Arceus…"

"Okay, sorry," Daisy held a hand in front of herself. "Anyway, you don't necessarily have to go out and buy detangling spray, although I would if Michelle's hair gets tangled as much as you say it does. But, for now, you can make your own detangling spray, really easy!"

"How?" Misty raised an eyebrow.

"Mix one part conditioner and ten parts water into an empty spray bottle," Daisy recited. "Spray it on the knot; like, _completely_ drench it. Don't leave any of it dry. Then, use the comb, and start at the very bottom of Michelle's hair. Move up super slowly, one fourth of an inch at a time. Between taking it slow and having the knot drenched with detangling spray, you'll get it out in no time, totally pain free."

Misty didn't really know how to respond to this. Daisy had just given a perfect explanation, one that made total sense and would have been impossible for Misty to think up on her own.

"Wow, you're so smart, Aunt Daisy!" Michelle squealed, as if reading her mother's mind.

"Thank you, sweetie!" Daisy beamed.

"Where'd you learn all that stuff?"

"Well, when I was a little girl like you, I also had very long hair," Daisy explained.

"Was it as long as mine?" Michelle asked, gently tugging at a strand of her ginger hair.

"Even longer," Daisy smirked.

"Aunt Daisy's hair went all the way down to her butt," Misty giggled, causing the older blonde to roll her sea green eyes.

"Dakota has long hair, too," Michelle mused, speaking of Daisy's eight year old daughter.

"She does," Daisy nodded. "I think the only one around here who never had long hair was your Mommy. She always had short, boring hair."

Michelle giggled softly at this, while her mother's whole face lit up red. "There's nothing wrong with having short hair! Some of us don't like tripping over our hair when we get up from a chair!"

"That only happened, like, one time!" Daisy wailed at the memory.

"Yeah, more like once a _day,_" Misty drawled, feeling satisfied with her revenge.

"You're so mean to me," Daisy pouted, "and right after I helped you with Michelle's knots!"

"I still have to get them out, you know," Misty raised an eyebrow.

"So, go do that!" Daisy made a shooing motion with her hands. "Quit talking to me!"

"Okay…" Misty sweat dropped.

"I don't mean that in a bad way, of course," Daisy winked. "I just don't want to see my niece walking around with a head full of knots! We'll catch up later. I was thinking maybe dinner this week. Have you heard of the new restaurant that just opened downtown? I heard it's fabulous! We should all go there and get some-"

"Daisy?"

"Yeah?"

"The knots."

"Oh, right," Daisy giggled. "Silly me! Sorry, I rambled there. Go on, I'll talk to you later!"

"Sounds good," Misty nodded before looking down at her daughter. "Shelly, what do you say to Aunt Daisy?"

"Bye!" Michelle chirped.

"And?" Misty pressed.

"Oh," Michelle squeaked in realization. "Thank you!"

"Don't mention it, cutie pie!" Daisy laughed airily again before the video feed disconnected.

"I cannot believe I just got advice from my sister," Misty mumbled. "Alright, Michelle, let's go try what Aunt Daisy told us to do and see if it works!"

And, much to Misty's relief, Daisy's advice had worked like a charm. The homemade spray and the gentle combing had removed Michelle's knot far more easily than Misty could have ever imagined. And with no tears from Michelle, either!

"Look at that, no more knots!" Misty smiled, running her fingers through her daughter's neat and smooth hair.

"Yeah!" Michelle beamed. "Aunt Daisy did a lot better than you!"

At this, Misty nearly fell right over on her face.

"Gee, thanks, Michelle…"

* * *

><p><strong>Anyone who was once a child with long hair feels this pain. Literally.<strong>


	115. Bottle Blues

**I'm tiiiired. Is it summer vacation yet? School makes me sad.**

**I noticed a lot of my one shots start with the letter "B." I also enjoy aliteration. Ignore my rambling. I want sleeeep. This is another Michelle one shot. She hasn't gotten much focus lately.**

**Aiden and Michelle: 20 months old**

**Lola: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Bottle Blues<strong>

"Aunt Misty, can I give Aiden and Michelle juice?"

The gym leader smiled at her four year old niece. "Of course you can, Lola! They love juice. I'm sure they'd be very happy if you gave them some!"

And with that, the little pink haired girl ran into the kitchen, her short hair flying behind her and dark yellow, smocked sundress printed with tiny daisies flowing freely as she dashed.

"I'd better go help her," Dorian sighed, getting up from the couch. "Lo can sure make a mess when she wants to."

At this, Lily giggled and watched her husband walk out of the room, in the same path that their daughter had just taken. "Oh, Dorian. He has these little panic attacks every time Lola tries to do things on her own. It's super cute!"

"Lola is a very spirited little thing," Misty smirked. She looked down at her feet, where her two young children were busy playing with a wooden puzzle. They were visiting Lily and Dorian while Ash was at work, which had caused Lola to just light up. She absolutely _adored _the twins and wanted to do everything for them.

"Okay, babies, I got your juice!" Lola was soon rushing back in, a sippy cup held in each hand. At this, Misty nervously bit her lip. The young girl handed Aiden a red cup, which caused him to let out an interested noise. Red was his favorite color.

"Can you say thank you to Lola, little guy?" Misty gently poked her son.

"Oo," was all that came out of Aiden's mouth, however, before he stuck the top of the cup in his mouth and began to drink the juice.

"Okay, and this is one is for you, Michelle!" Lola shook the pink cup in front of Michelle.

The small red head whined and shook her head. This confused Lola, and despite Michelle's silent protest, she continued to offer the toddler the sippy cup. Letting out some more whimpers, Michelle pulled herself to her feet and clumsily made her way over to her mother, grabbing the woman's legs and letting out a desolate moan.

"Oh, what is it, baby?" Misty cooed, lifting Michelle up on her lap.

"I didn't do anything, Aunt Misty," Lola frowned.

"I know you didn't, sweetie," Misty smiled sympathetically at her niece as she rubbed Michelle's back. "Sometimes Shelly can just get a little fussy is all."

Michelle murmured and turned towards Misty, reaching out with her little hands and mumbling miserably.

"Why are you so cranky, huh?" Misty asked, bouncing the girl up and down.

"Milk!" Michelle finally spoke, her hands still reaching out.

"Oh, you want milk instead," Misty came to realization.

"Milk," Michelle repeated.

"I can put milk in the sippy cup!" Lola offered, attempting to make another run for the kitchen.

"No, that's okay, Lola!" Misty called after her niece, stopping the girl in her tracks. "I have some special milk for Michelle. That's what she wants to drink."

"Oh," Lola blinked. "Okay!"

Michelle started to whimper again, since she hadn't yet gotten what she wanted. Sighing, Misty reached into the diaper bag sitting next to her and shushed, "I know baby, okay? You're going to get your milk in a second."

Misty pulled out a clear bottle, printed with pink and purple flowers, with a pink cap and clear rubber spout. It was more than halfway filled with milk, and as soon as Misty took the cap off and handed the bottle over to her daughter, the toddler stopped wailing and instead stuck the spout in her mouth, drinking the milk out of it.

At this, Lily's eyes widened. "Misty…Michelle still drinks from a bottle?"

"I know, it's bad," Misty sighed, shaking her head. "I should really wean her off of it. Aiden was very easy. He didn't care about his bottles. But Michelle…she _freaks. _Ash and I have tried to give her sippy cups, but she cries just at the sight of one! And…I just feel bad trying to take it away from her."

"Most kids are supposed to be off the bottle by the time they're a year old," Lily twisted her mouth. "And Michelle is almost _two._"

"I just don't know what else I'm supposed to do," Misty sighed as she brushed through the girl's hair.

"Sometimes you just have to try different kinds of cups," Lily suggested. "Maybe Michelle doesn't want a sippy cup. And that's fine. There are other kinds of toddler cups she can drink out of."

"Really?" Misty blinked.

"Yeah, Lola didn't exactly like sippy cups at first either," Dorian sat back down next to his wife. "She was _really_ bad. She used to throw them against the wall!"

"No I didn't," Lola pouted from the floor. She was busy helping Aiden with the puzzle, now that Michelle had lost interest in it.

"Yes you did," Lily folded her arms and gave the child a stern look. Lola scoffed and returned to her work with her little cousin.

"Anyway, once we realized Lola wasn't going to take a sippy cup, we started to try different options," Dorian continued. "Eventually, we found what Lola liked: these plastic cups that had a top to them with a little plastic straw sticking out. She loved those!"

"Then I guess that's what I'll have to try," Misty shrugged, watching Michelle as she continued to suck on the bottle.

**XXX**

"Misty, what are these?"

Ash was holding up two cups of different colors: one pink, and one light blue. Despite their differing colors, it was the same style of cup: a top on each one with a same colored straw sticking out from the top.

"Those are a different kind of sippy cup," Misty answered. "I figured we could try to get Michelle to drink out of them."

"Mist, have you _met _our daughter?" Ash raised an eyebrow. "She can't stand to be separated from her bottles."

"Yeah, but this isn't the same kind of sippy cup we've been trying to give her," Misty sighed. "Lily and Dorian were telling me yesterday that Lola also hated the transition and was trying to resist it. But once they tried these cups, she was just fine! Turns out she just hated the usual style of sippy cup."

"Guess it doesn't hurt to try," Ash shrugged. "Unless she throws another epic fit."

A loud, squeaky cry from upstairs alerted Misty and caused her to look over her shoulder. Ash scoffed and walked up next to his wife, gently brushing his hand against her shoulder.

"Michelle can never wake up quiet," Ash chuckled.

Misty hurried up the stairs to retrieve their young daughter before she went hoarse. It really wasn't necessary; Michelle could speak now. Aiden even knew how to climb out of the crib. Michelle didn't, though, and every time she woke up, she still chose to cry in order to let her parents know she was up.

Indeed, when Misty reached the nursery, she found Aiden sitting on the floor next to his crib; he had gotten out. Michelle, however, was standing up inside of her crib, gripping the side and sobbing.

"Shh, Michelle," Misty hushed, lifting her daughter out and holding her against her hip. "No more crying."

"Milk," Michelle murmured, pulling at Misty's shirt.

"No, baby, that's only for bedtime," Misty whispered, kissing the girl's cheek. Michelle let out an unhappy scream and tried to kick Misty, earning a tap on the foot from her mother. "No kicking, Michelle. That's not nice."

"No?" Michelle asked.

"No," Misty confirmed. She walked over to Aiden and lifted the boy up with her other arm, carrying the two of them downstairs to where Ash was waiting in the kitchen.

"Hey, there are my munchkins!" Ash chuckled.

"Dada!" Aiden reached out for him in want. Ash stepped forward and took the boy out of his mother's left arm, fixing the short sleeves of the toddler's blue, red, and white striped romper.

"Aiden, are you hungry?" Ash asked his young son.

"Yes," Aiden replied, tugging at the bottom of his romper in an attempt to unbutton it. He seemed to enjoy doing that.

"No, silly Aiden," Ash chuckled, taking the boy's hand away from the buttons. "We don't want to open the buttons! Come on, let's eat."

While he was sitting the little boy down in his light blue high chair, Misty was busy preparing herself for what she was about to try on Michelle. The little girl had stopped fussing, and was now content with just pulling at Misty's shirt, even though she knew she wouldn't be getting any milk. The little girl was dressed in what was her mother's favorite pair of pajamas for her: a turquoise flutter sleeve top with the sleeves and bottom made of tulle, and a pair of matching shorts, also lined with tulle.

"Michelle, do you want to eat with Aiden?" Misty asked.

"No."

Misty sighed. Of _course _Michelle was in the mood to give her a hard time this morning. It was probably because Misty had denied her of a feeding.

_This kid is taking after me more than I could have possibly imagined._

"But Aiden wants to eat with you," Misty tried. The boy looked up at the mention of his name, but quickly looked away when his father placed a bowl of oat cereal in front of him on the high chair tray.

"No," Michelle repeated.

"What about me?" Misty kept on trying. "Do you want to eat with Mama?"

"No."

Misty swore to Arceus she was going to smash her head against the wall. Why oh _why _did children have to be so frustrating?

Ash must have been listening in on the one sided conversation, because he came over and piped up, "hey, Shelly, do you want to eat with Dada? Want to eat with me?"

Michelle seemed to think about this for a moment before answering quietly, "yes."

"Good girl," Ash took Michelle from Misty and kissed her cheek. "Good baby." He patted her bottom as he walked over to the light pink high chair that was situated next to Aiden's. Misty was busy making a face; she hated to be up shown by her husband. Really, though, she was just glad that he had managed to get Michelle into her high chair without any further complaint.

Of course, that would probably start up again once Michelle wasn't going to get her bottle.

Ash served Michelle her own little bowl full of cereal, but before she even started eating, the young girl glanced up at her father and asked sweetly, "baba?"

That was how Michelle said "bottle." She couldn't say the actual word. Misty and Ash exchanged frightened looks. Ushering her husband on, the young man sighed and took the two straw cups, bringing them over to his little daughter.

"No baba, Michelle," Ash replied sympathetically, "but look! We have these new, fun cups for you! Which color would you like? Pink or blue?"

Michelle frowned. "Baba."

"Sweetie, you can't have baba anymore," Ash shook his head. "Let's try this cup, okay?"

"No…" Michelle whined.

"But look, this one is pretty!" Ash shook the light blue one. "Isn't this your favorite color?"

"BABA!" Michelle screamed, knocking her bowl of dry cereal on the floor. Aiden looked over at his sister in confusion, while Ash's eyes widened to an almost comical size. Michelle was crying and screeching, smashing her fists against the tray of the high chair and kicking her legs in the seat, trying to break out of it.

"Shh, Michelle, shh…" Ash tried to reach for the girl, but she started waving her hands around in the air, trying to keep him at a distance.

"Okay, this isn't working," Misty sighed, rushing up to the side of the high chair and lifting Michelle out. She held the toddler against her body and started bouncing her up and down, patting her back. This didn't seem to be helping, however, as Michelle continued to scream into her mother's shoulder. "Do you want milk, sweetie? Want Mama to feed you?"

Michelle sniveled loudly, tears still streaming down her face as she slowly nodded her head.

"Mist, how is that supposed to help?" Ash raised an eyebrow as Michelle's head became tucked away to nurse.

"At least it's not her bottle," Misty grumbled.

"So, you're just going to revert to doing that all day?" Ash motioned towards his wife. "Because isn't the bottle actually a step _above_ that as far as development goes?"

"Yes, but I just needed to do something to get her to stop screaming," Misty stroked the back of Michelle's head. "We'll keep up with the bottle today while I try to come up with a new idea, because clearly that other kind of sippy cup isn't going to work either."

Ash just sighed and rubbed his temples. He couldn't see how they were ever going to get Michelle off of her bottle.

**XXX**

By the end of the week, Misty _still _hadn't come up with an idea of how to wean Michelle from the bottle. The little girl was still drinking all of her juice and supplemental milk from the bottle, except for before bed, when Misty nursed both her and Aiden.

Lance, Ash's personal confidant, had suggested that Ash bribe the girl with sweets and toys. After all, the dragon master believed if there was anything that could pry Michelle away from her beloved bottle, it would be the promise of sugary treats and brand new playthings.

It seemed to work, at first; Michelle being extremely happy with her cookies and newly purchased stuffed Beautifly. As soon as Ash took the bottle away, however, Michelle started to scream again. And she wouldn't stop. She literally cried and yelled for a solid three hours. Not even the cookies and toy Beautifly could console her or stop the tears. Eventually, Ash just gave her the bottle back, once he had been giving a splitting headache thanks to her torturous wails.

Ash knew it was bad. His mother paid them a visit at the end of the week and cringed when she saw Michelle carrying around the bottle.

"You still haven't taken her off the bottle?" Delia glanced at her son.

"We've tried, Mom," Ash grumbled. "We've tried _everything. _Sippy cups, sippy cups with straws, _bribery…_nothing works! She just screams and cries and drives everyone nuts. We don't know what else to do."

Watching her young granddaughter intently for a few moments, Delia smirked and informed Ash, "I think I _might _just have an idea. You said Michelle doesn't like the regular, plastic sippy cups, or the ones with the straws, right?"

"Nope," Ash shook his head dejectedly.

"There's a baby store downtown, isn't there?" Delia asked.

"Of course," Ash blinked.

"Then I'll be right back!" Delia giggled, hurrying back out the door almost as quickly as she'd walked through it. This left behind a very confused Ash, just staring at the front door while his little daughter, holding onto her bottle, toddled over to him and held his leg while staring up at him.

"Ash, I thought your mother was coming over," Misty came down the stairs, holding Aiden against her hip.

"She did, but she was kind of surprised to see Michelle still drinking out of the bottle," Ash twisted his mouth. "I told her how hard it's been to tear Michelle away from it, and she said she had an idea. So, she left to go to the baby store downtown."

"Down!" Aiden repeated.

"Hmm?" Misty looked at her son.

"Down!" Aiden repeated, pointing at the floor.

"Oh, okay," Misty put Aiden down and watched with a smile on her face as he ran into the living room, over to where one of Pikachu's many beds was set up. The little boy knelt down and started to pet the Pokémon, chattering incessantly to the sleepy electric type.

After half an hour, Delia returned to the house, a big smile on her face and a shopping bag in her hand. Michelle, who was more than thrilled to see her grandmother, squealed and ran up to the older woman, bottle still in hand.

"Gamma," Michelle attached herself to Delia's leg, resting her cheek against the woman's leg.

"Hello there, little princess!" Delia gasped, kneeling down so she could be at eye level with the toddler. "I'm so happy to see you!"

"Pwes?" Michelle asked, pointing at the shopping bag.

"Leave it up to Michelle to know what a shopping bag looks like," Ash smirked, leaning against the doorframe.

"Aww, she's learning from Mommy," Misty giggled airily.

"Yeah, I _do _have something for my special girl!" Delia nodded. "Would you like to see?"

Michelle nodded. With the smile still on her face, Delia reached into the bag and pulled out a pack of two sippy cups. Removing them from the packaging, the older woman held the two cups out to her curious granddaughter. Like the ones with the straws Misty had tried previously, the cups were both the same but with different colors: the one on the left a pink cup with a purple top and the one on the right light blue with a light green top.

"Look at how pretty these are!" Delia gasped.

Still looking uncertain, Michelle reached out and squeezed the translucent spout on the blue cup. Much to her delight, which was evident on the girl's face, it was squishy to the touch.

"Which cup do you like the best?" Delia asked. "Pink or blue?"

Wordlessly, Michelle pointed at the blue cup; the same one she'd been toying with the spout of. Nodding, Delia stood up and brought the blue cup into the kitchen, with Michelle following eagerly behind. Ash and Misty exchanged bewildered looks before also making their way into the kitchen. What they found was Delia washing the blue sippy cup and then pouring the milk into it, screwing the top back on and handing the container off to her little granddaughter.

"There you go, sweetie," Delia patted Michelle's head.

The little girl stared at the bottle in her left hand, and then the sippy cup in her right. Slowly and hesitantly, Michelle stuck the spout of the sippy cup in her mouth and started to drink out of it. When she realized it was the same milk that she got from Misty or her bottle, the little girl giggled and continued to drink, carelessly throwing her bottle on the floor.

Needless to say, Ash and Misty were stunned.

"Did Michelle just…ditch her bottle?" Misty blinked. "Just like that…?"

"I think the bigger question is did Michelle seriously just ditch her bottle for a _sippy cup,_" Ash muttered.

"I knew that would work!" Delia stood back up to her full height and giggled.

"Delia, how did you know that Michelle would drink from that kind of cup?" Misty furrowed her brow.

"The spout is made of rubber, just like Michelle's bottles," Delia explained. "Ash told me about how she wouldn't take a regular sippy cup, or the ones with straws. I figured that the reason she didn't like them was because they're all made out of plastic. She's not used to the feel of hard plastic in her mouth, so she probably doesn't like it."

"But Aiden never had a problem switching," Ash reasoned.

"Every child is different, dear," Delia smiled at her son. "I couldn't get a bottle out of your mouth until you were almost three!"

At this, Ash's entire face turned red, and Misty started to laugh at him.

"It's not funny!" Ash hissed.

"Oh, so _that's _where Michelle gets it from!" Misty giggled.

Ash sighed and hung his head before grumbling, "thanks, Mom."

"Don't mention it, dear!"

* * *

><p><strong>Ash was NOT thanking Delia for solving Michelle's bottle problem, by the way :P<strong>


	116. Bundles of Love

**Happy Valentine's Day everyone! As many of you might know, in this -verse, Valentine's Day is Ash and Misty's anniversary. So, here is the annual one shot commemorating that! It turned out differently than I thought it would, but it's still a very fluffy, Pokeshippy piece that focuses mainly on Ash and Misty :)**

**Aiden and Michelle: 2 months old**

* * *

><p><strong>Bundles of Love<strong>

"I can't believe our first anniversary is tomorrow!"

Ash glanced down at his wife, who was positively beaming. They were in bed together, their arms wrapped around one another and legs intertwined. Misty just loved cuddling with her husband, and while Ash tended to prefer getting more physical, he was mindful to the fact that Misty was still recovering. After all, the last thing he wanted to do was hurt his wife.

"I know, it's so weird," Ash scrunched his nose up, causing Misty to giggle. "I mean, think about it! We got married exactly one year ago. It feels like just yesterday!"

"And we're going to have the best anniversary ever," Misty snuggled her head against Ash's chest.

"Of course we are," Ash cooed, squeezing Misty more tightly. "My beautiful angel deserves nothing less!"

This made Misty's insides feel warm and fuzzy. Ash was really the perfect husband; loving and caring. He treated her like she was a princess, which was something Misty had never experienced before. She couldn't have been any happier with the man she'd chosen to spend the rest of her life with.

"I really wish I knew what you were planning on surprising me with," Misty sighed lovingly.

"If you knew, then it wouldn't be a surprise!" Ash chuckled.

"I know, I'm just curious," Misty giggled.

"Well, you'll just have to find out tomorrow," Ash winked before craning his neck down and kissing Misty's lips intermitted as he crooned, "I," _kiss, _"promise," _kiss, _"you," _kiss, _"will," _kiss, _"love," _kiss, _"it."

Misty grinned from ear to ear and buried her face into Ash's chest. Her cheeks were burning with a fierce blush that Ash couldn't see in the dark.

"You believe me, don't you?" Ash whispered in Misty's ear. His breath was warm and tickled Misty's skin, causing her to giggle. Smirking at this, Ash kissed the center of her ear and lightly stuck his tongue in, only causing Misty's laughs to grow stronger. She felt his hands roam her stomach, flat and nearly back to its taut state. "It's really good, I swear."

His fingers roamed down lower, until they had reached the waistband of Misty's shorts. As soon as Misty felt Ash trying to sneak underneath them, however, she turned away roughly so her back was facing him.

"Misty!" Ash whined. He was obviously disappointed by her rejection.

"I'm sorry," Misty looked over her shoulder, "but I'm not in the mood."

"Still?" Ash frowned. Sure, he didn't want to hurt Misty, but by all accounts, she should have been fully healed by now. Ash was trying to be enduring with her, but his patience was quickly running out. Especially when it was the first anniversary of their marriage tomorrow!

"Yes, still," Misty grumbled.

"Alright," Ash sighed, rolling over himself so he was spooning Misty. He wrapped his arms around the woman and rested his head on her shoulder, breathing out softly as he tried to fall asleep.

Misty, on the other hand, just stared across the room with eyes wide open, feeling anything but tired. She felt bad for lying to Ash, but she also felt that she couldn't tell him the truth. She had heard horror stories before, and Misty wasn't about to let her marriage become one of them.

**XXX**

"Aww, just look at my little babies in their special Valentine's Day outfits! You two are the most precious things in the whole wide world! Yes you are!"

Aiden, although he seemed attentive, was busy blowing bubbles out of his mouth. His red, short sleeved shirt had white long sleeves underneath it and two Growlithe embroidered on the chest with a white heart above them. His pants were red, white, and black striped to match the shirt.

Michelle cooed and turned her head to stare up at her mother. She was dressed up in a white, long sleeved baby doll top striped in pink with a pink and red heart applique on the middle left side. Covering her legs was a pair of red leggings with little ruffles lining the bottom.

"You are both so cute," Misty giggled. Aiden made a quiet noise as the bubbles he had been blowing quickly turned into nothing but drool running from the corners of his mouth. "Oh, no…Ash, could you get me one of Aiden's bibs, please?"

Ash, who had been running around the house trying to get the pieces of his "special surprise" in order, stopped in his tracks and groaned. He was about to run up the stairs to fetch something, but he knew that he couldn't not listen to Misty either.

"Sure thing," Ash sighed, walking over to the drawer in the kitchen where they kept the babies' bibs. He picked out a blue and gray striped one and handed it off to a grateful Misty, who gently fastened the bib around the baby boy's neck.

"There, now you won't make such a big mess!" Misty cooed, tickling the child's cheek. At this, Aiden giggled and stuck his tongue out of his mouth.

"Hey, Mist, when do you think you'll be ready for my surprise?" Ash asked, a small glint shining in his brown eyes.

"Uh…probably in a few minutes," Misty replied. "That's when I'm putting the babies down for their naps."

"Perfect!" Ash beamed. "That'll work out great!"

Misty raised an eyebrow and smirked at her husband. She literally had no idea what he was up to. He had been running around the house all morning like a mad man, and had subsequently not allowed her to go into their bedroom.

"Your Daddy is doing something crazy," Misty murmured to her infants, tickling both of them on their stomachs. "And if he ends up burning the house down, I'm gonna' kill him! Yes I am!"

"You know, just because you're saying that in a high pitched baby voice doesn't make it any less scary."

Misty yelped and looked over her shoulder, finding Ash to be standing right behind her and giving off a devious grin.

"Ash! Are _you_ trying to kill _me?!_" Misty covered her heart.

"No, I would never try to kill my precious angel!" Ash cooed, hugging his wife from behind. Glancing down at his children, Ash chuckled and informed them, "I love your Mommy very much. And I'll never hurt her. She's the best Mommy ever, right?"

Aiden stuffed his hand into his mouth and began to drool on that. Michelle, on the other hand, started to pound her own little fists against the bouncer she was seated in.

"I think they're getting sleepy," Misty giggled.

"Yeah, Michelle looks like she's getting pretty grumpy," Ash agreed.

"Okay, little ones, Mommy is going to put you to bed," Misty whispered, lifting up both infants and holding them against her chest. Michelle squealed and stretched her hands out, while Aiden continued his drool fest on Misty's white shirt. The young mother carried both of her babies upstairs and into their shared nursery, carefully lying each child down in their own crib and giving them a sweet kiss to send them off into sleep.

With that accomplished, Ash, who had followed Misty into the nursery, grabbed the hand of his wife and gently nuzzled her cheek, causing the woman to giggle softly.

"Ready for your surprise?" Ash whispered, not wanting to disturb the slumbering babies.

"Now I am," Misty chirped, her eyes glittering.

With their hands still connected, Ash pulled his wife out of the babies' room and down the hall into their own. As soon as he twisted the silver door knob to reveal the inside of the room, Misty's eyes widened and her heart shot all the way up into her throat.

"Ash…" Misty breathed.

The only source of light in their green hued bedroom came from the scattered candles. They were on the dressers, on Misty's vanity, and even on the nightstands. Red rose petals were scattered on the floor and on the bed, and a bottle of champagne along with two flute glasses stood on Ash's nightstand.

"Do you like it?" Ash was sporting a huge grin on his face.

"I love it…" Misty's entire face was glowing. "This was so sweet of you! It really is so romantic!"

"I'm glad you think so," Ash took a step forward so he could press his lips against Misty's. Misty giggled and wrapped her arms around Ash's neck, deepening the kiss. Ash, on the other hand, was holding Misty by her lower back and gripping her shirt in his fingers. As soon as the two separated for air, Ash gave Misty a heart stopping wink and proceeded to reach for the first button on his black polo shirt, undoing it to gradually reveal more of his chest.

"What are you doing?" Misty asked, a nervous smile gracing her lips.

Chuckling huskily, Ash smirked at his wife and crooned, "come on, angel, you know exactly what I'm doing!"

Misty just stared at Ash, as if silently pleading with him to be joking. Obviously, Ash hadn't caught on; because he just continued on with that sneaky smile as he went on to undo the second button.

"Okay," Misty giggled anxiously, "so, um, you just go ahead and do that, and…I'll be right back!"

Ash's grin finally turned into a frown as he gently cocked his head and asked, "Where are you going?"

"Oh, uh, I'm just gonna' go…downstairs, for a minute," Misty blinked, "I think I…left the stove on."

"Oh…okay," Ash perked back up. "That's fine! I'll just wait right here for you."

"Okay," Misty's smile was shaking, threatening to break. As soon as she turned her back to Ash, she allowed her smile to evaporate as she hurried down the hall and down the stairs, into the kitchen. She knew for a fact she hadn't left the stove on…because she hadn't even been using it. So, instead, she just pressed her forehead against the door of the microwave for a few moments as she stood in deep, silent thought. When she got nothing out of it, Misty sighed and made her way over to the stove, actually turning it on this time.

**XXX**

It had been almost ten minutes, and Misty still hadn't come back.

Ash was beginning to feel kind of stupid, just lying on the bed alone with no shirt on while waiting for his wife to come back.

"Maybe she forgot how to turn the stove off," Ash murmured, staring up at the ceiling. "Nah, that's dumb. Misty's smarter than I am."

Sighing, Ash sat up and looked over towards his pillow, where he'd discarded his dark shirt. Taking it back in his hands, the Pokémon Master tugged it over his head and redressed his upper body before walking out of the bedroom with the intention of going downstairs to find Misty. And he did, but not standing by the stove.

Rather, she was sitting at the kitchen table, delicately sipping a cup of tea with a serene look on her face.

"Hey, what's the big idea?" Ash furrowed his brow.

Putting her cup down, Misty glanced up at Ash and replied, "While I was down here, I decided to make myself some tea. Would you like some too, Ashy?"

"No," Ash shook his head, bypassing Misty's sweetness, "I want to go back upstairs and continue on with my anniversary surprise."

"Are you sure you don't want some tea?" Misty pressed. "It's _really _good…"

"Misty, why are you rejecting me?" Ash finally blurted.

"What?" Misty blinked.

"You keep brushing me off!" Ash complained. "It's been over two months since you had the babies, and the doctor said six _weeks. _I miss doing that kind of stuff with you. You're my wife, and I love you."

"Can't you love me _without _all of that?" Misty grumbled.

"Of course I can," Ash looked incredulous. "I've loved you this whole time! But I was trying to do something special for our anniversary. And you seemed excited until I started…unbuttoning my shirt."

"So?" Misty raised an eyebrow.

"So there has to be a reason," Ash finished for her.

"There is no reason, Ash," Misty tiredly rubbed her eyes, "stop looking for one! I'm just not in the mood, okay?"

"Okay, well I know _that's _a lie," Ash rolled his eyes.

"It isn't!"

"Misty, come on!" Ash snapped. "We've known each other since we were ten years old! I may not be the smartest guy in the world, but I can tell when you're not being honest with me."

Misty opened her mouth to argue, but found that she just couldn't do it. She knew Ash was right. He managed to read her like a book…which was funny considering Misty was positive the man had never opened up a _real _book in his lifetime.

"Why won't you talk to me?" Ash took a seat next to Misty and stared at her with gentle brown eyes. "Do you think I'm gonna' get mad at you or something?"

"No," Misty muttered, sinking down in her chair.

"Do you think I'm scary?" Ash smirked. "Am I the kind of guy who gets all mad and turns into a giant monster? Is that what you're afraid of?"

"No!" Misty finally started to laugh.

"So tell me!" Ash chuckled.

Looking down nervously into her tea, Misty finally admitted, "I'm afraid that as soon as I take my clothes off, you're not going to find me attractive anymore. I just feel so…different. It's weird after you have a baby…well, babies. Your body totally changes. And I don't want to disappoint you, Ash."

"Is that all?" Ash smiled sympathetically at his wife.

"It's a big deal to me," Misty shrugged. "You mean everything to me, and I don't want to lose you. I've heard about how things like that change after a couple has kids. I just wanted to protect us. I don't want to mess up our relationship, Ash. That would kill me."

"Misty, there's no possible way our relationship could ever be destroyed," Ash shook his head. "Do you really think I'm so dependent on your looks? I could care less how much you weigh or anything else that's changed about your body! At the end of the day, you're still _my _Misty, and that's all that matters. I couldn't be happy without you."

"So…you're not going to make fun of me or get turned off or anything?" Misty's lips were quivering.

"Do you think I would actually do any of that?" Ash frowned. He definitely didn't want his wife to think he was some kind of image obsessed psychopath.

"If I'm being honest, no," Misty shook her head. "I don't know what's gotten into me."

"You're just nervous, and that's okay," Ash leaned forward to kiss Misty on the cheek. "I'd have to be a real jerk to do any of that stuff. And if there's one thing I'm not, it's a jerk."

"I know," Misty murmured. She rested her head on Ash's shoulder and rubbed her cheek against his dark shirt.

"But I do want to do this with you," Ash continued. "I think it would make our anniversary really special. But, I'm willing to do it at your own pace. I don't want to stress you out. You just tell me when you're ready, okay?"

Slowly, Misty lifted her head off of Ash's shoulder and stared at him silently for a few seconds before whispering, "I'm ready."

"Are you sure?" Ash sounded hesitant.

"Yes," Misty smiled sweetly at him. "I'm sure. I want this just as much as you do. And I'm ready."

"Alright then," Ash smirked at his wife. "I guess we'll just have to go back upstairs so I can start telling you how beautiful I think you are."

Misty blushed but stood up, waiting for her husband to lead the way back to their bedroom. Ash gently took her hand and smiled at the young woman, pulling her towards the staircase and up the steps. Before they could reach the room, however, Misty halted Ash in the middle of the hallway, much to the Pokémon Master's confusion.

"I'll be right back," Misty responded to Ash's bewildered face.

"Please don't tell me you're going to ditch me again," Ash groaned.

"I'm not," Misty shook her head, "I promise."

Ash watched as his wife snuck into the babies' nursery. Feeling curious, he followed after her, making sure to keep quiet since he knew the twins had just been laid down for their naps. When he peered into the nursery, he found Misty hanging over the side of Aiden's crib, smiling down at the baby boy and whispering very softly to him. So softly, in fact, that Ash couldn't hear exactly what she was saying. After a moment, Misty turned and made her way over to Michelle's crib, murmuring the same exact words she'd been speaking to Aiden. Ash could tell by the movement of her lips.

He stepped into the room and padded over to Misty, gently nudging his wife's side so she could look up at him and smile sweetly.

"What did you tell them?" Ash asked.

"I told them that I love them very, very much," Misty replied quietly. "That they are worth everything I went through. The pain, and the sickness, and the _horrible_ weight gain…" at this, Misty giggled. "I let it bother me a lot. But I love my babies. They are the most precious things in the world to me, and really, I don't care what I look like. I have my handsome boy and my beautiful girl…and I have you. My sweet, loving-"

"Handsome?" Ash smirked.

"Not as much as our son," Misty teased.

"I can see that," Ash nodded, causing Misty to laugh.

"Yes, Ash," Misty hugged him. "You are my sweet, loving, handsome husband. And you mean everything to me, too."

"Aww," Ash cooed, kissing the top of her head. "You're so sweet, angel."

"Thank you," Misty giggled airily.

Suddenly, a loud beeping noise sounded, which stirred both babies from their peaceful sleep. Ash and Misty both began looking around the room, wondering if the source of the loud and obnoxious noise was coming from somewhere in the nursery.

"Ya' know, Mist," Ash began, "that sounds a _lot _like the fire detectors!"

"Yeah, but what in the world could be smoking in this house?" Misty raised an eyebrow. "It's not like I left the stove on or anything."

At this, Ash's eyes snapped open. "But, when you ditched me before, you said you left the stove-"

"Ash, it's the candles in the bedroom!"

Ash cursed under his breath and completely forgot about grilling Misty for catching her in a lie as he ran out of the nursery and headed straight for the bedroom, a frantic and fuming Misty trailing closely behind the panicked man.

"Damnit, Ash, I already said if you burnt the house down I was going to kill you!"


	117. Big Sister

**This one has a similar title to the one surrounding Aiden "babysitting" Elizabeth, but they're not connected. Instead, I'll be writing one that centers around Lizzie that goes hand in hand with this one :)**

**And, for this one shot, I tried to focus more on description than dialogue. I like to try different things when I write, so this one I paid a lot of attention to the details and descriptions.**

**Michelle: 5 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Big Sister<strong>

Michelle didn't understand what was going on.

All she knew was that her three aunts were standing in front of her, looking quite serious but also very bubbly at the same time. They would have very thoughtful faces one minute, and huge smiles the next. It was almost as though they were confused, which her mother _did _say happened a lot.

But still, Michelle was unsure _why _this was happening. The three women had practically grabbed her upon arrival and dragged her upstairs, into the attic of her grandparents' house. Michelle had heard her mother protesting from behind her, but that hadn't stopped Daisy, Violet, and Lily.

Of course it hadn't.

Finally, Michelle decided that she should just speak up and find out why she had been bustled away like some kind of princess under attack.

"Aunt Daisy, what are we doing up here?" The small red head squeaked. She had chosen to ask Daisy because, out of her three aunts, the blonde was the most sensible. And even _that _wasn't saying much.

"Aunt Violet, Aunt Lily, and I have important things to teach you," Daisy replied. Her expression no longer relayed a pensive or joyful look, but rather a serene, sure one.

That only confused Michelle all the more.

"Like what?" Michelle decided to speak again.

"Important stuff," Violet was the one to reply now. Unlike the calm look her older sister was sporting, the blue haired woman was showing off a sweet smile that somehow made Michelle feel a little better about being up in the tight, cramped space.

In reality, it was a pretty decently sized attic. It still had that classic attic look: all wooden floors, walls, and ceilings, with just a few dust coated windows letting in sunlight. There were boxes and discarded pieces of furniture all over the place. Long forgotten couches and chairs, dismantled bed frames, and old, presumably broken lamps. Empty picture frames rested against the walls and piled high boxes, where the material of old clothes could be seen peering out from the top of the cardboard cubes. Michelle was mystified by all of this. She had never been up in the attic before.

"Is it about stuffed Pokémon?" Michelle asked. She kind of thought those were important.

"No," Lily giggled, reaching for Michelle's hand and leading her over to the far wall of the attic. "It's about you! And your new job!"

"Job?" Michelle was just bewildered again. "I don't have a job! I'm five!"

"Not _that _kind of job, sweetie," Violet smirked, finding her way alongside Lily.

"We're talking about a job that's more important than any adult job in the whole wide world," Daisy added, cutting in front of her two younger sisters.

"Being the ice cream man?" Michelle whispered, her eyes widening.

"…no," Daisy sighed, surprised to see shades of her brother in law shining through. Sitting down on the cushioned bench before the alcove window, Daisy beamed down at her young niece and continued, "I'm talking about the job of being a big sister."

"Oh," Michelle nodded just once.

"You're excited to have a little sister, aren't you, Michelle?" Violet pressed.

"Yeah," Michelle replied. "She's in my Mommy's tummy."

"For now," Lily smirked. "But, in a few months, she'll be here! And then you get to be a big sister, just like the three of us!"

Michelle raised her eyebrows at this. She still wasn't entirely sure of what was going on up in this dusty old attic. Sure, she knew it apparently had _something _to do with being a big sister, but the true lesson they were trying to get across still wasn't clear to the young girl.

"Your Mommy can't teach you how to be a good big sister," Violet carried on. "She's the baby of our family. She doesn't have a little sister!"

"But we _all _took care of your Mommy," Lily held a hand over her heart.

"And I took care of your Mommy _and _your Aunt Lily!" Violet's brown eyes were shining with excitement.

"But I took care of all three of them, so I'm the most experienced big sister," Daisy pointed at herself, grinning mischievously. Violet and Lily looked a little miffed with the blonde's bragging, but they couldn't argue with a fact.

"What about me?" Michelle blinked. She wanted an explanation of what they were trying to tell her.

"You're going to be a big sister too," Daisy nodded. "And since we've all been big sisters, we can teach you the right way to treat your little sister!"

"Did Mommy tell you to teach me?" Michelle tilted her head.

"Nope, she has no idea what we're doing up here!" Lily seemed quite proud of this fact. Michelle, in turn, just stared up at her aunt and sweat dropped. She knew first hand her Mommy didn't like being lied to. It was almost guaranteed that she would completely freak out once she found out what her sisters were up to.

"Why are we learning up here?" Michelle looked around the attic once again, her emerald eyes glimmering with obvious bewilderment.

"Sit down, darling, and I'll explain everything to you," Daisy crooned.

Twisting her mouth, the young red head sat on the floor on her knees, resting her hands in her lap and watching her Aunt Daisy's every move. The blonde woman had pulled a box over to herself and was bending down from the cerulean colored cushion, scouring through the cardboard cube. It was a beautiful April day, and for once, Daisy had pulled her long hair back into a ponytail. Michelle quite liked her aunt's hair in that style; it was up high, but her hair was so long that it still reached her mid back. The pieces of golden hair that still framed her face bounced slightly as she continued to dig through the box, sea green eyes narrowed in concentration. Growing impatient, Michelle sat up on her knees and crawled closer to the box.

Her own outfit was now in full view: a yellow t-shirt with an applique of a blue and white striped pinwheel on the front, with a perfectly matched blue and white striped skort as her bottoms. The two pockets on her skort's sides were heavy; weighed down with the candy her grandmother had slipped to both her and Aiden. Her brother always just stuffed the sweets in his mouth, but Michelle liked to save them and eat the treats one at a time so they would last longer. Maybe that was something she could teach her little sister. Was that what being a good big sister was all about?

Michelle's sporty yellow and white sandals dug into the wooden floor, while her own ponytail swayed behind her head, the blue ribbon tied around it undisturbed by the movement of her fiery hair. She had moved close enough to the box where she could grab the edges and peer over just enough to catch a glimpse of whatever was inside. As it would turn out, there were lots of things in the box, and Michelle didn't know what they all were.

She could see some books, loose photos, board game boxes, and even a few stuffed Pokémon. Since Michelle was busy staring into the box, she missed the delicate smile that appeared on Daisy's face as the blonde found what she had been searching for and pulled it out of the box with her dainty hands.

"Look, Michelle," Daisy beckoned, finally catching the attention of her niece. With wide eyes, Michelle once again crawled on her knees, this time past the box and closer to Daisy. In her hands, Daisy was holding a small pink blanket, covered with small patches of dirt and a few tears here and there. The edges were frayed and some threads were hanging off in certain places. It had obviously been very well loved and retired from old age.

"It's a blanket," Michelle peeped, gently touching the material with her small fingers.

"This was your Mommy's blanket," Daisy moved the worn sheet closer to Michelle and giggled when she saw the look of surprise flash across the child's face.

"All of the babies come home from the hospital in that kind of blanket," Violet added. "You have a pink blanket just like that, don't you, Michelle?"

"Uh huh," the girl nodded. "It's all folded up on the top of my toy box!"

"This is the same kind of blanket your sister will come home in, too," Daisy took back the blanket and shook it out before carefully folding the worn pink material. "It's very special."

That one small blanket brought up a million questions into Michelle's little head. But, she decided to first ask the one that was pressing at her the most. "What was baby Mommy like, Aunt Daisy?"

"She was very cute," Daisy giggled. "I kind of think she has the same face, still. Except she was chubbier as a baby. She had very pink cheeks…she liked to scream a lot, too."

"Misty gave me so many headaches as a kid," Violet grumbled, having to hold the side of her head just from the memories.

Giggling, Michelle looked around her circle of aunts with shimmering eyes and requested, "I wanna' see a picture of baby Mommy!"

"I bet there's some in here…" Daisy started to dig through the box again. Eventually, she found a photo and pulled it out in order to show her curious young niece. At the image of her mother as a small child, Michelle giggled once again.

Her eyes were so green; even more green than they were now, which didn't seem possible. They were big and wide, bordered by long and dark eyelashes that definitely remained today. Her hair was the same color, although her bangs were shorter. The little ponytail on the side of her head was small, barely long enough to be tied up in the first place.

"Aww, she was cute!" Michelle clasped her hands together. "Do you think my baby sister will look like that?"

"Maybe," Lily shrugged. "Maybe she'll look like your Daddy!"

"But Daddy's a boy," Michelle scrunched her nose up.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean the baby can't look like him!" Violet laughed. "You have your Daddy's ears, you know. And his smile!"

"Mommy says that all the time," Michelle practically dismissed the notion. She heard it enough to know it was true…or at least _assume _that it was. Leaning over the edge of the box once again, Michelle reached in herself this time and grabbed a stuffed replica of a familiar water and ice type Pokémon. She sat back down, holding the toy in her hands. It was very worn, just like the blanket. The right ear of the stuffed Pokémon was all but torn off, bits of stuffing visible from the small hole. Spots of dirt covered it, and its left flipper was coming lose at the seams.

"Lapras?" Michelle asked, looking back up at Daisy.

"That was your Mommy's favorite toy," Daisy nodded. "Our Grandma gave it to her when she was just a baby."

Michelle tilted her head. "Great Grandma?"

The three older women were surprised that little Michelle had been able to make that connection. They knew Misty had loved their Grandmother, however, and probably told Michelle about her.

"You know about her, Shelly?" Violet asked quietly.

"Yeah!" Michelle nodded. "My middle name is for her!"

"Oh, right! I forgot all about that!" Lily giggled nervously, causing her two older sisters to sweat drop.

"Mommy told me her partner Pokémon was a Lapras," Michelle murmured, studying the old toy in her hands.

"That's why she got your Mommy a stuffed one," Daisy smiled. "Lapras meant a lot to her."

"Like my Daddy and Pikachu?" Michelle inquired.

"Just like them," Daisy nodded.

Michelle beamed at the thought and held the stuffed Lapras closer to her. It was amazing, almost like having a piece of her Great Grandmother with her. Michelle had always wished, deep down inside, that she could meet her. She knew she couldn't, so instead, Michelle would just listen to all of Misty's stories about her.

"We haven't taught you the most important part of being a big sister, Michelle," Daisy continued.

"What?" Michelle turned her head up from the stuffed Lapras, and placed her eyes back on her blonde aunt.

"You have to take care of her," Daisy answered, a delicate smile on her face. "And make sure that she knows you love her. I think that, sometimes, your aunts and I didn't do that with your Mommy. And that made things very hard sometimes. We fought a lot, and it wasn't fun."

"Your Mommy would think that we didn't love her, and that we only cared about ourselves," Violet sighed. Michelle frowned and studied her middle aunt's face. Violet had closed her dark brown eyes in sad thought, her head hung slightly. Michelle stared at the two pieces of hair that stuck out from the rest of her bangs, at the crown of her head; forming a heart shape with the edges brushing against her apparent eyebrows.

"But that's not true at all," Lily added, shaking her head. "We love your Mommy very much. All sisters should love each other! But we teased her too much sometimes. It was wrong."

"Lily should know, she teased Misty the most!" Violet exclaimed, finally reopening her russet eyes.

"I did not!" Lily argued, her body straightening up so quickly that her bright pink hair flew all around her.

"You _so_ did," Violet rolled her eyes dramatically. "Don't you remember the time you stole her-"

"Girls, this isn't what we were supposed to be doing!" Daisy scolded. Michelle was now busy switching her eyes between the bickering women, somewhat amused but also a little horrified by their antics. She knew her Mommy complained about those three _a lot, _but they seemed pretty sorry for treating her that way as a little girl. "Anyway, Michelle…" Daisy sighed, rubbing her temples.

"Yeah?" Michelle pressed.

"You can't tease your little sister like we did," Daisy shook her head. "It'll tear you two apart. I'm sure your Mommy and Daddy wouldn't allow it anyway, because they're around. But that's the most important thing you have to remember as a big sister. Because she's probably going to want to _be _you, so you have to set a good example for her!"

"You think my little sister will look up to _me?_" Michelle squeaked, pointing at herself.

"It's a big possibility," Daisy smirked.

Michelle's huge grin was unmistakable. She thought that was amazing. The young girl knew lots of people looked up to her Daddy, especially Aiden. And she herself looked up to May and Dawn! They were the most beautiful and amazing coordinators she had ever seen. So now…could she be like them? Could she have someone want to be just like her? It seemed impossible. But just the thought of it made Michelle indescribably happy. She could teach the baby all kinds of things! As long as she loved her, anything was possible.

"I'll love her very much," Michelle informed all three of her aunts. "I love her now! But…I'll tell her _all _the time! I'll hug her and kiss her and stuff! And I'll be nice to her, too. And we'll be _best _friends!"

"That's exactly how it should be," Daisy felt her throat tighten. Michelle was the sweetest niece a girl could ask for, and Daisy was more than happy to teach her all about life as an older sister.

"I'm going to tell Mommy," Michelle jumped up to her feet, the smile still on her young face. "She'll be so happy! And I'll tell her you guys love her, too!"

Before Daisy, Violet, or Lily could do anything, the small red head was running for the stairs, the sound of her pounding footsteps reverberating throughout the wooden attic as clear as day.

Glancing up at her oldest sister, Lily tilted her head slightly and asked whimsically, "did we do good, Dais?"

"Yeah," Daisy rested her cheek in her hand and smiled as she stared off into the distance, "we did good."

* * *

><p><strong>I really love writing Misty's sisters and making them not ditzy. Sure, it's funny, but here they're all in their 30s. No one that age is going to talk like a valley girl, realistically.<strong>

**And they're the only ones who could teach Michelle about being a big sister! ;)**


	118. Little Sister

**This one is the parallel to last chapter, with Michelle and Misty's older sisters :) Enjoy!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 9 years old**

**Elizabeth: 3 years old**

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><p><strong>Little Sister<strong>

From the floor, Elizabeth watched intently as her older siblings happily groomed both Pikachu and Vaporeon.

Aiden was busy brushing Pikachu's fur, while Michelle had taken up the task of polishing Vaporeon's fins. Elizabeth pulled herself up to her feet and scampered closer to her siblings, grabbing onto both of their legs at the same time.

"Aiden, Shelly…I help?" Elizabeth squeaked.

At this, Aiden scoffed. "You can't help us! You're too little!"

This comment caused Elizabeth to scowl. "I'm not!"

"Yeah you are," Aiden looked over his shoulder, down at his younger sister. He had a mischievous smirk on his face, and that was only making Elizabeth more upset. "You're just a little runt!"

"I'm not!" Elizabeth yelled more forcefully this time.

"Aiden, you're not exactly choosing the right words here," Michelle sighed, lowering the rag of Vaporeon's translucent blue fin. "Don't call her a runt."

"But she's too little to help with the Pokémon, isn't she?" Aiden inquired.

"Well, yeah," Michelle replied, as though it were obvious.

"I'm not too little!" Elizabeth argued, stomping her feet in pure frustration.

"Elizabeth, one day, you'll be old enough to help groom the Pokémon," Michelle shrugged, returning to her work. "But not today."

Elizabeth pouted and folded her arms across her chest. She wasn't happy with this situation, not at all. And Aiden seemed to pick up on this right away.

"You don't have to be so sad, kiddo," Aiden smiled. "You can go to your room and play with dolls or something! Don't little kids like you like playing with stuff like that?"

That was the final straw. Elizabeth didn't want to hear any more from her siblings. This had been happening far too much recently, and the girl was sick and tired of being called "too little." She was far from that! She didn't have to listen to them! And she didn't have to take their attitudes, either! So, Elizabeth did the first thing that popped into her head.

She threw a massive temper tantrum.

Aiden and Michelle watched on in horror as Elizabeth ran around the living room, getting her little hands on whatever she possibly could and chucking the various objects all over the place. Some toys hit the wall, some shoes smacked against the couch. On top if it all, Elizabeth was screaming at the top of her lungs. Nothing coherent; just a series of violent, angry yells that were able to indicate she was very much upset. In this case, words weren't exactly necessary.

All of the racket had sent Misty racing into the living room. When she found Elizabeth screeching and tossing a stuffed Eevee at Aiden's head, she let out a long, tired sigh and slowly approached her clearly distraught daughter.

"Lizzie, stop that!" Misty warned.

Elizabeth, however, seemed far too enraged to even _hear _her mother. She was too busy reaching into the toy drawer and throwing its inhabitants at her older siblings. Timing it just right, Misty swooped forward and grabbed Elizabeth, carrying the kicking and screaming child right up the stairs to her bedroom. Aiden and Michelle, who were still stunned by the scene, exchanged horrified looks and stayed silent for a very long time. Even Pikachu and Vaporeon were thrown off by what had just happened.

The little girl had _never _behaved like that before. Ever.

**XXX**

Reaching Elizabeth's room had felt like some long, winding journey.

Misty had definitely gotten kicked a few times. She could still feel the twinges of pain from where Elizabeth's feet had made contact. Wincing, Misty finally managed to drop the girl off on her bed and lean over in sheer exhaustion, holding onto her knees and bending over, trying to catch her breath.

She didn't have much time to relax, however. Because Elizabeth was soon back in hysterics, attempting to jump off her bed so she could continue to run around and make a fuss. But Misty wasn't having any of that. Right as Elizabeth was about to take the leap, Misty held the child down, which only brought the little one more frustration. The screaming started up again, and Elizabeth threw herself down on the bed, thrashing around and shouting as she tried to kick at Misty and wriggle out of her grasp.

"Elizabeth Dilynne Ketchum, knock it off!" Misty scolded. She was finding it very hard to yell at her daughter, because Elizabeth _never _acted out like this. In the child's three years of life, Misty could count on _one hand _how many temper tantrums Elizabeth had thrown. This was, by far, the worst she had seen, and Misty had no idea what could have possibly set it off.

Elizabeth must have sensed that her mother wasn't about to let go of her any time soon, because she slowly began to stop kicking her legs and thrashing her body around. Before long, she was completely still, although still lying with her face in the bed. Breathing out gently, Misty sat down on the side of the girl's toddler bed and pulled her up so she wouldn't suffocate herself in the comforter. Much to her mother's horror, Elizabeth's face was entirely red, practically the same shade as a ripe tomato, with tears streaked down her cheeks. Locks of the girl's dark red hair were beginning to stick on her cheeks thanks to the drying tears, and there was a decent amount of snot coming out of her little nose as well.

"Oh, Lizzie, you're such a little mess," Misty shook her head. She got up and fetched a tissue from the child's dresser, gently cleaning off her daughter's face like any good mother would do. After a moment, however, Elizabeth jerked her head away and refused to let her mother touch her any more. "Why are you so fussy, sweetheart? What happened?"

"Nofing," Elizabeth sniffled. "Go 'way."

"No, I'm not gonna' go away," Misty hushed. She reached for Elizabeth, but as soon as the child felt her mother's hands on her side, she whined and moved further down the bed so Misty couldn't reach her. "Lizzie, come on, baby. You never act like this."

Elizabeth completely turned her back on Misty. Sighing, the gym leader slowly inched closer to her child, but made sure not to touch her again. That was just going to set the kid off. Instead, Misty smiled gently to herself and began to sing the soothing lullaby that had calmed Elizabeth ever since she was a baby. Much to Misty's delight, the young girl's ears perked, and although it took a little longer than usual, Elizabeth finally turned around and crawled into her mother's lap, resting her head against the older red head's chest. Misty chose to finish the song, because she was afraid Elizabeth might relapse if she didn't. As soon as the lullaby ceased, however, Elizabeth remained calm, simply snuggling her cheek more deeply against her mother.

"That's my baby," Misty cooed, stroking Elizabeth's dark red hair. Still, the child didn't look up at her. "Will you tell me why you were so upset, sweetie?"

"No," Elizabeth mumbled miserably.

"Why not?" Misty frowned.

"Y-you…you'll be mad, Mommy."

"No, I could never be mad at my tiny sprinkle," Misty giggled softly. "I won't get mad, baby. You won't be in trouble. Mommy just wants to know. Please?"

Sniveling once again, Elizabeth finally looked up at her mother and admitted shyly, "I got mad at Aiden and 'chelle."

"That's why you threw a fit?"

"Uh huh."

"How come you got mad at them?"

"-cause I wanna' help wif' the Pokémon," Elizabeth mumbled, "and dey said…no. 'Cause I'm too little. Dey said dat."

"Oh, sweetie," Misty clicked her tongue and frowned.

"Dey _always _say dat," Elizabeth pouted.

Misty smiled sadly and rubbed up and down her daughter's arm. "It's okay, Elizabeth. Mommy knows _exactly _how you feel."

This seemed to surprise Elizabeth. Her emerald eyes widened as she glanced up at her mother, mouth hanging open slightly. "Weally?"

"All too well," Misty murmured. Shaking her head, she smiled down at Elizabeth and explained, "I was the youngest sister, just like you," she gently tapped Elizabeth on the nose, causing the child to giggle. "And my big sisters were _always _telling me I couldn't do stuff with them because I was too little."

"Did you get mad too?" Elizabeth whispered.

"I did," Misty nodded. "I didn't think it was very fair. That must be how you feel, huh?"

"Yeah," Elizabeth lowered her head once again.

Misty rested her head atop Elizabeth's and pressed her hands against the little girl's small stomach, feeling the softness of the child's light blue pique polo dress beneath her palms. It was printed with pink and red cherries, with a pink ribbon and bow lining the drop waist of the casual dress.

"We little sisters have to stick together," Misty murmured into her daughter's hair. "It's very important!"

Elizabeth, however, still wasn't happy. Her delicate pink lips were still bent into a frown, and she refused to look up at her mother. "Mommy…I don't wanna be little no mowe."

"There's nothing wrong with being little," Misty gently tickled her daughter, finally bringing the smile back to Elizabeth's face.

"Aiden and Shelly don't let me pway, evew," Elizabeth grumbled.

"Well…maybe we don't need them to play," Misty smirked.

This caught Elizabeth's attention. She once again turned around in Misty's lap so she could stare up at her mother. "Huh?"

"Mommy's got a really good idea," Misty giggled, rubbing Elizabeth's back. "Do you want to show Aiden and Michelle it's not so bad to be little?"

"Yeah!" Elizabeth nodded feverously.

"So, let's go downstairs and do just that," Misty winked.

**XXX**

Aiden and Michelle were finally finishing up grooming both Pikachu and Vaporeon after getting over the shock of Elizabeth's stellar tantrum. Calm had returned to the living room, and everyone had settled back in, although Aiden and Michelle were remaining quiet as they finished tending to the Pokémon.

While the two finished, the sound of giggles coming from the kitchen caught both of the twins' attention. They looked at one another, and once the giggling persisted, they put down their brushes and cloths and made their way into the kitchen, with Pikachu and Vaporeon trailing alongside them.

What they found was Elizabeth and their mother sitting at the table, an old looking container on the table that Elizabeth was busy pouring various ingredients into.

Aiden and Michelle would have recognized the old wooden bucket from anywhere. It was an old fashioned ice cream marker that had belonged to Misty's grandmother. Misty had first shown it to the twins when they were around Elizabeth's age, and it had always been fun to make their own ice cream. But they hadn't used it in years.

"Hey, Mom, what's up?" Aiden finally asked, alerting his mother and younger sister of his and Michelle's presence.

"Hi, Aiden," Misty smiled. "I was just helping Lizzie to make some ice cream! She's never used this before, I realized."

"It's fun!" Elizabeth giggled. "I'ma have ice cweam!"

"Wow, that _does _sound fun…" Michelle murmured, keeping her eyes locked on the wooden bucket.

"Can we make ice cream too?" Aiden asked.

At this, Elizabeth huffed and turned her head away, answering Aiden with a very simple, "no."

"Huh?!" Aiden blinked.

Smirking, Elizabeth looked back at her brother and continued mockingly, "you awe too big! Only little kids can make ice cweam."

Aiden whined unhappily at this. Elizabeth, however, didn't seem too affected by her brother's disappointment. Instead, she just continued to mix the concoction she had created inside the bucket. Pikachu, who was curious about the machine, jumped up onto the table and sniffed at the bucket, causing Elizabeth to giggle.

"You can has ice cweam, Pikachu!" Elizabeth smiled.

"But…I want ice cream too…" Aiden frowned.

Elizabeth's smug look melted into one of apparent guilt as her brother and sister slunk wordlessly back into the living room. Once they were gone, she turned to look at her mother, who had a small smile on her face.

"Mommy, dey awe sad," Elizabeth murmured.

"Right, because you told them they can't make ice cream with you," Misty nodded. "Because they're too big."

"But…but dey always tell me I'm too little," Elizabeth stared down at her hands.

"And it doesn't make you feel good, does it?" Misty asked.

Elizabeth silently shook her head.

"It isn't nice of Aiden and Michelle to call you too little to do certain things with them," Misty continued. "But they're still your big brother and sister who love you and care an awful lot about you! You feel the same way about them, right?"

"Uh huh," Elizabeth nodded rapidly, not wanting her mother to think she didn't love her older siblings.

"Aiden and Michelle may think they can do more than you because you're younger, but they still need you," Misty smiled once again. "I know for sure their lives wouldn't be the same without you!"

Elizabeth continued to stare down at her little hands in silent thought. Finally, she looked up at her mother once again and asked, "Can dey make ice cweam with me?"

"Of course they can," Misty giggled. "Go ask them to come back in here!"

Elizabeth slid off her chair and padded back into the living room, an excited grin plastered on her young face. Once she got into the room, she found Aiden and Michelle both slumped on the couch, looking rather bored.

"Aiden, Shelly!" Elizabeth ran up to them and beamed. "Wanna' make ice cweam wif' me?"

"I thought we were too big," Aiden grumbled.

"No, you'we not, I'm sowwy," Elizabeth shook her head. "I wanna' make ice cweam wif' you! Come wif' me, pwease?"

At the same time, Aiden and Michelle both smiled and stood up from the couch, much to Elizabeth's delight. With a small squeal, she hurried back into the kitchen, stopping to look over her shoulder every once in a while to ensure that her older siblings were still following her. They were, however, and as soon as they took their seats at the kitchen table, they could both feel their mother shooting them knowing glances.

"Hey, Lizzie," Aiden began, "we're really sorry for calling you too little."

Elizabeth looked at her older brother in surprise.

"Yeah, we didn't mean to make you so upset," Michelle shook her head. "Sometimes we say things we don't really mean. You're the best little sister anyone could ask for!"

"Weally?" Elizabeth's eyes widened.

"I agree," Aiden smirked. "As far as little sisters go, you're a pretty great one!"

Once again, Elizabeth jumped off her chair, this time to try and hug each of her older siblings. She went up to Aiden first, but realized she was too small to reach him in his own chair for a hug. She frowned, but before she could make a bigger fuss, Aiden lifted her up and gave the young girl a hug of his own.

"It's okay, Lizzie," Aiden chuckled. "You're small, but we'll always be here to help you out, no matter what!"

At this, Elizabeth cooed happily and rested her head against Aiden's chest. Her big brother and sister might have thought she was a great little sister, but really, Elizabeth thought _she _was the lucky one.

She had the best big brother and sister in the whole wide world.

* * *

><p><strong>Misty's sisters can relate to Michelle for the big sister role, but Misty's got Elizabeth's back when it comes to being the little sister ;)<strong>


	119. Retake a Vow

**This one is loooong and fluffy. Like...extremelt fluffy. I'm in love with the fluff ^^**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 and a half years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Retake a Vow<strong>

It had been exactly six years, four months, and three weeks since Ash and Misty had gotten married.

Ash wasn't good with math. He wasn't good with dates either. Pretty much anything that involved numbers tended to make Ash nervous. But when it came to his and Misty's most precious day (other than the birth of Aiden and Michelle), Ash was extremely aware of the passed time.

It was now one week until their marriage would be official for six years and _seven _months. Not exactly a notable achievement, or a big milestone, but a different breakthrough in their lives would be happening soon enough. That, too, Ash was keen of when it came to specific numbers.

There were roughly seven weeks left until a new Ketchum child was to come into the world.

Ash loved watching Misty in that state. She was glowing and even more beautiful than usual. Her belly was more than full with the child that belonged to both her and him, and that gave Ash a great sense of pride. He always wanted people to know that Misty was his. When it came to his wife, Ash was very possessive.

He had gotten this new, brilliant idea while watching his wife serve everyone breakfast that same morning. Aiden and Michelle, of course, didn't think anything was different. They were going through their usual morning routine: chattering to one another and laughing while trying to play with their food. From the counter, Misty scolded them. Ash just watched her with his head resting in the palm of his hand. From the back, she hardly looked pregnant. It was so strange. But as soon as she turned around, it was obvious that she was. _Very_ pregnant, in fact.

Her black and white sleeveless dress certainly wasn't hiding anything. Nothing could, really. But Ash didn't care. He still thought his wife was the most beautiful woman in the entire world. And he wanted her to know how much he loved her. She knew he loved her, of course. But Ash wanted to reaffirm it. He wanted Misty to feel the same kind of love from him that she had on their wedding day. Ash knew he could never replicate that magic day…but perhaps he could make another great memory.

"Ash…are you in there?"

He blinked and looked up at his wife. She was throwing him a half concerned, half amused look from across the table. She was lovingly cradling her stomach, and this reminded Ash of the task at hand. Smiling, he stood up and nodded, walking over to his wife and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Yeah, I'm all good, baby," Ash smiled. "I think I'm going to leave early for work today."

"Oh…okay?" Misty raised an eyebrow. She found this strange. Ash never left early for work. Ever.

"Promise me you'll start sitting down," Ash winked at her before patting her stomach and walking towards the front door. "Pikachu, come on, buddy! We're going!"

Misty just looked over her shoulder and watched her husband with curious eyes. He sure was being weird. But when Ash started acting strange, Misty knew the best thing to do was not question it. Just let everything run its course, and eventually, Ash would lose his crazy.

Besides, she was almost eight months pregnant. Misty couldn't deal with anymore crazy as it was.

**XXX**

The reason Ash had decided to leave early for work was not so that he could reach the training complex early. If anything, he was probably going to end up arriving late.

Instead, Ash had set out in order to visit Professor Oak. If he was going to execute this plan, Ash was going to need the Professor's help. Fortunately, when he got there, Tracey had already arrived for his own day of work. He may have been Ash's friend, but he was also Misty's bother-in-law, so that could only help matters.

Tracey was confused to see Ash at the Professor's door step so early in the morning, and a little surprised, to say the least. He feared that perhaps the man had gotten into a fight with his wife and Misty had thrown him out. Those hormones and all.

But Ash assured the part time Pokémon watcher that wasn't it. In fact, everything with him and Misty was perfect. Which was why he had come to see Professor Oak. He needed help with his newfound plan.

"What kind of plan are we talking about here?" Tracey asked, moving away from the doorframe so Ash could step inside the lab.

"A romantic one," was Ash's coy reply.

"Your anniversary was five months ago," Tracey blinked.

"Maybe, but Misty's birthday is in five days," Ash was busy studying the pictures that hung on the walls. They had all been drawn by Tracey's, and were favorites of Professor Oak's that he's had framed. At the moment, Ash was surveying one Tracey had drawn of his many Tauros during one of their daily stampedes. "And I'm going to surprise her with something very special."

"It sounds like you've really been thinking about this," Tracey sounded impressed.

"Not really," Ash finally turned around and smirked at the green haired man. "I just came up with it this morning!"

Tracey nearly face faulted at this. By the time he recovered, Professor Oak had made his way into the foyer, having been called by Tracey upon Ash's arrival.

"Ah, Ash, what a pleasant surprise!" Professor Oak beamed. "You're up quite early. Haven't you got work today?"

"I do, which is why I came over so early," Ash nodded. "I've got a great idea, and I could really use your help with it, Professor."

"Oh?" Professor Oak was intrigued. "What kind of plan do you have in mind, my boy?"

Taking a deep breath, Ash announced for the first time since coming up with the whole idea in his head, "I want to renew my vows with Misty."

Huge smiles broke out on the faces of both the Professor and Tracey. Pikachu too was extremely excited by his trainer's idea. He remembered how exciting the wedding has been, and how happy of a day it was for everyone. Maybe now Pikachu could get his paws on more of that delicious wedding cake!

"Wow, Ash, that's a great idea!" Tracey beamed.

"I thought it would be awesome," Ash nodded, a smile on his face. "We could have all of our friends and family there, and Aiden and Michelle would get to be a part of it…and I'm going to ask Misty for her hand in…uh…re-marriage…on her birthday!"

"Well, I whole heartedly agree with Tracey, this is a marvelous idea!" Professor Oak grinned before becoming confused. "But I must ask…where do I come in on this?"

"I'll tell you _exactly _where," Ash winked at the older man.

**XXX**

Ash's plan would go into effect on Misty's twenty seventh birthday.

Well…the first phase of his plan, anyway.

It was the perfect setting, too: Misty's parents' vacation home in Porta Vista. Ash would do it in front of everyone, and probably embarrass Misty to some extent. But he didn't care. His first intention was to be as romantic as possible, and doing it in front of Misty's entire family was pretty damn romantic in his book.

He hadn't gotten her jewelry for this. Ash had thought about getting her a necklace or bracelet for the occasion, but she had so many already. Besides, he had a much cuter idea for his proposal anyway. One that he was sure Misty would appreciate.

Fortunately, she was in a good mood. She had already disobeyed Ash, gone swimming to her heart's content, and pulled him into the pool, so really Misty was quite content. Her still damp hair felt nice in the mid July evening, and she had been smiling all afternoon. Right before dessert is when Ash decided he would strike. The entire family was sitting around the table on the patio, waiting for Lynne and Delia to return with the cake. Ash sat next to Misty, keeping a protective hand on her stomach as they quietly watched their two children play idle games with their older cousins. From out of the corner of his eye, Ash could see that Misty was smiling gently at the scene. He knew this was all she had ever wanted in life, and Ash more than thrilled to have provided Misty with it. And that's why he wanted to renew his vows with her.

To show his happiness and reassure her that it would never fade, but only grow stronger as time passed.

_I should probably stop thinking of all this great stuff, or I won't have anything good to say once I actually ask Misty! _Ash yelled at himself in his head.

Fortunately for Ash, the cake was soon brought out and the candles were extinguished by a flattered, and slightly blushing Misty. Ash grinned to himself. He couldn't wait to intensify the color on his pretty wife's face.

As soon as Delia began to cut into the cake, Ash stood up and called, "wait, guys! Before we eat that cake…which looks _really _good, by the way…I have another present for Misty!"

"_Another_ one?" Misty smirked.

"Yeah!" Ash chuckled.

"Why does Ash always have to show all of us up?" Lily complained with a huff. "He's already gotten Misty, like, twenty gifts!"

"Oh, hush, Lily," Misty waved a dismissive hand at her third oldest sister. "Let my husband finish!"

"You're only saying that because he's getting you stuff," Violet accused.

"No, it's because I love him," Misty scoffed.

"Girls, be nice to your sister, it's her birthday," Lynne warned her two middle daughters. With that out of the way, she smiled sweetly at her son-in-law and encouraged, "go on, Ash."

"Heh, thanks, Lynne," Ash nervously rubbed the back of his neck. Turning his attention back onto Misty, Ash cleared his throat and continued, "Misty, you know that I love you very much, right?"

"Yes," Misty giggled delightfully, "I do!"

"Well, I'm glad you know it," Ash smirked, "but…I want _everyone _to know how much I love you. And I think it's important that you and I remember how much we love each other. Especially with our little girl on the way…"

Misty blushed and rubbed a hand over the front of her large belly. Michelle was interested in what was going on between her parents, and was watching with intent eyes. Aiden? Not so much. He was busy eyeing the cake at the end of the table that was still waiting to be cut.

"So, there's an important question I want to ask you," Ash finished. Misty watched curiously as Ash got down on one knee and grinned up at her. Of course, she couldn't exactly see his face…

"Ash, I can't see you past my stomach," Misty admitted begrudgingly.

"Oh…" Ash shuffled backwards, and this time, Misty could see the smile on his face. That instantly made her feel better, and she giggled as she settled the hand on her stomach beneath the bump. "Anyway, I was just wondering…" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, plastic bag; tearing it open to reveal a blue candy ring. "Will you renew our vows with me?"

Misty cooed as the rest of their family followed suit. "Oh, Ashy, you're so sweet! Of course I'll renew our vows!"

Beaming, Ash jumped up and slipped the sugary ring onto Misty's left ring finger, as though it was their engagement all over again.

"Aww, you're giving into my cravings," Misty giggled sweetly. "And you even got my favorite flavor! I really have the best husband in the whole wide world."

"What can I say? I know my wifey," Ash crooned, tickling under Misty's chin like she was a little girl.

"You sure do," Misty smirked before taking a small bite out of the top of the candy ring. "So…when are we going to do this?"

"In two days," Ash beamed.

Misty nearly choked on her bite of gummy ring. "What?! Two days?! Are you insane?"

"No, I wanted to do it before the baby was born," Ash shook his head. "And in two days, it'll be the fourteenth."

"What? Our six year and four month-"

"_Five_ months!" Ash's eyes widened in shock. "Misty, I'm usually the one who's bad with that kind of stuff!"

"Pregnancy brain," Misty claimed, shrugging casually at her mistake.

"Right, so in two days, at Professor Oak's lab," Ash grinned. "It'll be amazing. And I want all of our friends and family to be there!"

Misty raised an eyebrow at this. "Ash, you can't just expect everyone to drop everything to come to our _vow renewal _that you just announced is _two days _from now!"

"Oh, dear, we're not doing anything," Lynne piped up. "We'll be there, for sure!"

"Huh?" Misty furrowed her brow.

"I'll be there as well!" Delia nodded. "Oh, it's going to be so precious!"

"We should take Misty to look for a dress tomorrow," Lynne gasped. "She certainly isn't going to fit into her wedding dress!"

"MOM!" Misty roared, covering her face in embarrassment.

"Aww, I wouldn't miss my baby sister's vow renewal for anything in the world!" Daisy giggled. "Plus, that means Tracey gets to dress up and look _super _cute!"

From the other side of the table, Dakota rolled her sea green eyes.

"Besides, I already told our other friends about it," Ash shrugged. "I came up with this plan a few days ago, not just today. They're all coming!"

"Well, alright then," Misty's gentle bush reappeared as she smiled at her husband, "I guess we're renewing our vows in two days!"

Quietly celebrating, Ash lunged forward and pressed his lips against Misty's, giving her a deep, passionate kiss. He held her face, and Misty, who moaned happily in response, removed her hand from her stomach and wrapped her arms around the man's neck. The adults found it to be cute, but the younger guests all made grossed out faces and averted their gazes so they wouldn't have to watch.

As soon as they separated, Ash smiled at his children and asked, "What do you guys think? Are you excited for Mommy and Daddy's mini wedding?"

As soon as she was sure her parents were done making out, Michelle looked back up at them and grinned. "Uh huh! I am!"

"And what about you, little guy?" Ash addressed his son.

"I just want cake," was Aiden's simple response.

"Ah, Aiden and I are on the same page," Misty giggled, her hands returning to her belly. "And the baby, too! Bring on the cake!"

"Now you sound like me," Ash chuckled amusedly.

**XXX**

Misty often liked to insult her pregnant figure, but she had to admit the dress she had found with her mother and Delia was extremely beautiful. It made her look almost like a pregnant angel, which was quite appropriate since Ash's special nickname for her was, in fact, "angel."

It was an ivory sheath dress with a V-neck made of delicate, intricate lace. It framed her chest perfectly, and covered in shoulders with just the perfect length; thicker than straps, but not long enough to be considered short sleeves. It had an empire waist to accommodate Misty's stomach, and the flowy skirt reached all the way down to the floor.

"This dress is beautiful," Misty sighed. "You don't think it's too much, do you?"

"Of course not!" May shook her head. She was the one helping Misty to get ready, since her sisters were busy helping with the decorations. "It's nowhere _near _as fancy as your wedding dress was."

May was busy tying the strings in the back of the dress so they would be set into a delicate bow. Much of Misty's back was exposed, with the ivory ribbon criss crossing right beneath her shoulder blades. Her hair had been curled and put half up, just to keep some of it out of her face. Around her neck was a simple silver chain with two tanzanite bordered, interlinked hearts hanging from the front. It had been a gift from Ash six years ago for her first Mother's Day, and was meant to represent Aiden and Michelle. She treasured it and figured it would be the perfect addition to her outfit to honor her two precious children.

"Michelle, doesn't Mommy look pretty?" May called over her shoulder.

The little girl ambled over to her Godmother and stared up at her mother, who was sitting before a transportable vanity that belonged to Dawn. She had also received a new dress for the occasion: a sleeveless white taffeta dress with a big, ice blue bow tied at the empire waist, the tails of which ran all the way down to the bottom of the dress.

"Yeah!" Michelle nodded. "Really pretty!"

"Aw, thank you, princess," Misty blushed gently at her young daughter's compliment.

"Up?" Michelle requested, holding her arms up.

Knowing full well Misty couldn't bend over, May reached down and lifted up the girl, placing her in Misty's lap with a glowing smile. There wasn't much room left on her mother's lap, but Michelle didn't mind. She started to rub the bump, obviously wanting to feel her baby sister move around.

"She's sleeping right now," Misty gently informed her daughter, stroking the top of the child's little hand. "But I bet she'll wake up soon. I can feel it."

Michelle hugged her mother's stomach and rested her head on the top of it, gently purring as Misty began to stroke her hair. The gym leader smiled down at her daughter and allowed her other hand to linger on the side of her belly.

"My two little girls…" Misty breathed, still smiling to herself.

**XXX**

Professor Oak's plantation had been transformed into quite the enchanted setting.

It had been the handiwork of Delia, along with Tracey and Misty's three sisters. White lawn chairs were arranged into neat little rows, with a light blue ribbon tied onto the legs of each aisle seat. There was no "aisle" per say; just scattered blue and purple flower petals down the strip of bright summer grass. These same flower petals formed a large circle at the head of the scene, where Ash and Misty would stand and renew their sacred vows. Already standing inside the circle were Pikachu and Vaporeon; Pikachu with a blue bowtie around his neck and Vaporeon with a circlet of purple flowers atop her head.

While their friends and family took their seats for the ceremony, Ash was standing at the long table full of food, casually stuffing his face alongside one of his closest friends.

For reference, it wasn't Brock, because he was now approaching Ash with a bewildered look on his face.

"Ash…is it really wise to be stuffing your face before you renew your vows?"

The Pokémon Master whipped around, his cheeks puffed out like a Pachirisu. Swallowing the mass of food, Ash chuckled nervously and replied, "Well, it wasn't really _my _idea…"

Brock glanced down towards Ash's feet. Little Aiden, who was in a very similar outfit to that of his father's: a white dress shirt with the sleeves pushed up and a pair of light grey dress pants, also had a mouth full of food. So much so that he couldn't even smile up at his Godfather.

"Like father, like son," Brock sighed, shaking his head with a smirk.

"Come on, buddy," Ash grabbed a napkin and cleaned his mouth off with it. "We'd better get over there. We don't want Mommy and Michelle to beat us over there!"

"Don't worry, they won't," Aiden assured his father with an innocent smile. "Mommy can only waddle!"

Brock's jaw dropped as Ash covered his eyes and muttered, "Oh man. Okay. Just…just relax, Ash. It's all good."

He ushered the little boy over to the circle of flower petals on the ground, urging him the whole way there to not say anything like that about his Mommy again. Aiden happily agreed, not seeing what was wrong with what he had said in the first place. It was true, after all. His Mommy was like a Psyduck now!

By the time Ash and Aiden reached the flower circle, Professor Oak was already standing there, wearing a dark gray sport coat with a light blue dress shirt underneath it, and tan slacks.

"Looking good, Professor!" Ash complimented the older man.

"Thank you, my boy, the same to you!" Professor Oak beamed.

"And thanks for agreeing to officiate," Ash continued. He had wanted the ceremony to be as intimate as possible, and as a result had asked Professor Oak if he could be the one to oversee the vows.

"Don't mention it!" Professor Oak nodded. "It's my pleasure!"

"Ash, Misty is ready!" May called from the opposite end of the aisle.

Grinning at the brunette coordinator, Ash gave a single nod to show her he was ready as well. With that settled, May turned around and called out to Misty, telling her it was time to walk down the aisle. Smiling, May skipped over to where her husband sat with their two young children and sat down next to him, waiting along with everyone else for the ceremony to begin.

When Misty appeared in his sight, Ash's heart nearly stopped. He hadn't seen Misty's dress yet; she'd been treating it just like their wedding. That and she had only bought the dress a day ago. But it was so beautiful…it looked absolutely perfect on his wife, who was glowing even more than usual. In her hands, she held a bouquet of blue and purple anemone, white baby's breath, and white stephanotis. Delia had selected these flowers very specifically for Misty's bouquet, because each one held a special meaning. The anemone held the meaning of expectation; for Ash and Misty, this was the expectation of their unborn daughter. The baby's breath was for innocence; representing Aiden and Michelle with their youthful virtue. Lastly, the stephanotis stood for marital happiness, which Ash and Misty already had and hoped to retain for the rest of their lives, especially with this meaningful ceremony.

The only person walking down the aisle with her was Michelle. Misty and Ash had decided that she didn't need to be given away by her father again, since he had technically already given her up. Instead, they wanted to focus on their growing family and place all of the emphasis on the special bond they had. The ceremony might have been regarding Ash and Misty's marriage, but their children had been a result of that, and they wanted to heavily involve the two.

As Misty walked towards her husband and son, Aiden tugged at Ash's pants to catch his father's attention. Leaning down, Ash eyed his son and listened intently as the young boy squeaked, "Mommy looks so pretty!"

Smiling, Ash nodded and replied, "She does, doesn't she?"

Misty stepped into the circle of petals, Michelle instantly meeting up with her brother and whispering playfully to him. Aiden giggled at whatever she was saying and tugged gently at the tails of her dress' ice blue bow. Ash and Misty smiled down at their young children before turning their attention onto each other, faces bright with love and excitement.

"You look so beautiful," Ash complimented his wife.

"Thank you," Misty blushed. "You're looking quite handsome yourself."

With that out of the way, the couple glanced at Professor Oak, who was smiling at the two. Clearing his throat, the older man began to recite, "Ash and Misty, when you first joined hands and hearts in marriage six years ago, you did not know where life would take you. You promised to love, honor, and cherish one another in sickness, and in health. Over the years, you've faced difficult challenges…"

Ash and Misty both averted their gazes and frowned as they thought of some of the hardships they'd had to deal with. The pressing media, their concocted rumors of cheating and affairs, Misty's severe illness during her first pregnancy…just to name a few. Aiden and Michelle seemed to sense their parents' solemnness and moved closer to them.

"But also, wonderful blessings," Professor Oak smiled at the two.

Ash and Misty glanced down at Aiden and Michelle and grinned at their two young children. Aiden seemed confused, although he did smile back. Michelle beamed as well, and leaned against her mother's leg, wrapping an arm around her dress covered limb. Misty looked back up at Ash, but he was busy staring at her belly; obviously admiring their other blessing.

"But here you are today," Professor Oak continued, "having fulfilled the vows you made to each other on your wedding day. Please face each other and join hands."

Ash and Misty fully faced one another once again, but before she could reach out for his hands, Misty winced and held onto her belly. A few gasps and murmurs arose from the audience, while Ash himself looked rather concerned as well.

"Oh, no, don't get freaked out," Misty called. "It's not…that. She just woke up is all! I'm okay."

The concerned audience started to laugh, obviously enlightened by Misty's panic. She breathed a sigh of relief, but felt a jolt go through her body when another pair of hands overlapped her own. Glancing down, she saw the twinkle of a gold wedding band and realized the new pair of hands belonged to Ash. She turned her eyes up to his face and saw him smiling sweetly at her.

"We don't have to hold hands," Ash murmured. "We can keep our hands right here."

Misty nodded wordlessly before shooting Professor Oak an apologetic smile, urging him to continue with the ceremony.

"Ash," Professor Oak continued after giving Misty a look that ensured everything was just fine, "will you continue to have Misty as your wife and continue to live in this happy and loving relationship?"

"I will," Ash replied, still smiling at Misty.

"Do you reaffirm your love for her, and will you continue to honor and cherish her in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better or worse, and to be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," Ash repeated.

"Misty, will you continue to have Ash as your husband and continue to live in this happy and loving relationship?"

"I will," Misty tried not to giggle as she felt her unborn daughter wiggle beneath her palms.

"Do you reaffirm your love for him, and will you continue to honor and cherish him in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better or worse, and to be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," Misty gave a small nod.

"Marriage is a commitment to learning to care for one another in mutually fulfilling ways," Professor Oak carried on. "It is not an act but a life-long relationship always in the making. Ash and Misty have expressed to me, and to all of you, how blessed they have been to enjoy six years of marriage. And, from this day forth, may their worries be few, may their joys be many, and may their love grow more abundantly with each passing day."

Misty finally allowed herself to giggle, and Ash had to resist the strong urge to lean forward and kiss her right then and there. But he knew it wasn't time for that. Not yet, anyway.

"One of the great blessings of marriage is the joy and responsibility of raising a family," Professor Oak directed this next section towards the twins, who stared up at him with wide, innocent eyes. "Ash and Misty have been truly blessed to be the parents of Aiden and Michelle, and soon, of another baby girl who has certainly made her presence today known."

Once again, the audience of friends and family laughed, while Ash and Misty themselves joined in on it as well. It was even funnier to them as the baby continued to kick beneath their hands.

"As Ash and Misty renew their vows of marriage today, they also renew their commitment to be loving parents to Aiden and Michelle, recognizing the great joy and fulfillment Aiden and Michelle have brought to their marriage and family life. Additionally, they make a new vow to their unborn daughter, to love her in the same exact fashion with the knowledge that she too will bring the same kind of happiness to their lives that Aiden and Michelle already have."

The two parents beamed down proudly at their children, who still didn't seem all too interested in the ceremony. They did, however, have smiles on their faces. It was obvious that they understood they were currently at the center of everyone's attention, and they liked it.

"Ash and Misty, today you have renewed the promises and vows you made to each other on your wedding day," Professor Oak grinned. "You have symbolized the renewal of the marriage union by the joining of hands, the taking of vows, and by honoring the love you have for your children. It is with pleasure that I conclude the ceremony of renewing the vows of marriage that joined you and forever binds you as husband and wife. Please celebrate this renewal of vows with a sign of affection…you may kiss!"

_Finally! _Ash sighed inwardly.

Leaning forward, he locked his lips with Misty, earning a cheer from their friends and family. After a long kiss, Ash knelt down and pressed a kiss against his wife's chiffon covered stomach. The cheers from the audience turned into coos, and that led to Ash smiling against her bump. He then knelt down until he was on one knee, and being lower to the ground, he was able to gather both Aiden and Michelle into his arms and give the children each a kiss on their heads.

"Hey, I want to kiss my babies, too!" Misty laughed.

Ash lifted them up and held the squirming, laughing children in front of Misty. She held both of their faces in her hands and pressed her lips against each of their foreheads, whispering to them, "Mommy loves you two so much. She always will."

Putting the children down, Ash and Misty both watched in amusement as the two darted down the aisle, chasing after one another and the two Pokémon who had been standing with them, shrieking with excitement. Turning to face Misty once again, Ash gave her another kiss on the lips, which she was more than happy to return.

"Alright, Ketchum, we get it!" Gary yelled from his seat. This earned him an elbow in the side from his wife, and quiet snickers from everyone else. Even Ash had to chuckle against his wife's lips.

"Come on," Ash whispered to his love. He pressed one hand against her back, the other on her stomach as the two walked back down the aisle, their friends and family standing and cheering for them as they passed. Misty just kept laughing her airy little giggle, blushing and partially covering her face with the bouquet out of embarrassment.

As soon as they reached the end of the aisle, Ash leaned over and whispered in Misty's ear, "So, Mrs. Ketchum, what shall we do next? Babymoon?"

Smirking, Misty left a kiss on Ash's cheek and murmured, "I thought you would never ask."

* * *

><p><strong>I should do a continuation of this into their "honeymoon," which Ash wasn't joking about, btw :P<strong>

**I just love the FLUFF 3**


	120. Pika Problems

**Guys help. This is so much more fun than doing paper research. Bleeegh.**

**Anyway, this one is a little different. We have focus on Pikachu! But he's not too happy. And you'll see why. Fair warning: there's references to Ash and Misty doing married people stuff. Nothing graphic, though, 'cause I ain't writing that kind of story! So...yeah. But I'm sure you're all fine with just the faintest hints. If not...well...don't read this one :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 9 years old**

**Elizabeth: 3 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Pika Problems<strong>

"Oh, Ash, stop it!"

Pikachu growled and covered his ears with his little paws.

_Yeah, Ash, _Pikachu thought miserably, _stop it!_

Pikachu's silent plea, however, was not giggly and bubbly like Misty's. His, instead, was miserable and quite serious. He really _did _want his trainer to knock it off. Picking his head up, Pikachu was met with the sight of Ash's tongue in Misty's ear, causing her to giggle even more.

_I'll never understand why Ash enjoys grooming Misty so much when they mate, _Pikachu thought begrudgingly.

Ash whispered something in her ear, too quiet for Pikachu to hear, before beginning to kiss her temple. Misty moaned and drew her knees up beneath the covers, murmuring breathlessly, "we'll wake up the kids."

_Or me! _Pikachu seethed internally.

"Nah, it's fine," Ash snuggled closer to Misty. "We can be nice and quiet."

"Maybe not…" Misty gasped, her breathing quickly becoming shuttered as Ash continued to press kisses all over her face.

Pikachu couldn't take it anymore. Glaring at his trainer and his wife, Pikachu hissed, "pikapi! Ka! Pikachu pi!"

Ash finally picked his head up, and Misty stopped with her incessant giggling and breathless moans. They found themselves to be staring at a very angry Pikachu, who was curled up into a ball at the foot of their king sized bed.

"Oh, Pikachu…" Ash blinked, not at all fazed. "I thought you had already left…"

"Ka!" Pikachu spat. _No!_

"I can't help it, you were being so quiet!" Ash covered for himself. "Usually, that's how I know you've left the room…sorry."

"Pi-ka chu," Pikachu flicked his head away. _You should be._

"Well…now that you know…could you go for a little bit?" Ash murmured.

"Pika?!" Pikachu gasped.

"Misty and I just want some alone time is all," Ash smiled at his Pokémon.

At this, Pikachu dramatically rolled his beady black eyes. He wasn't a dumb Pokémon. Pikachu didn't understand why Ash had to speak to him like he was a little Pichu; the electric type had been around long enough to know what those two were up to. That whole "alone time" excuse was the kind of thing Ash and Misty pulled on their children!

"Come on, Pikachu," Ash sighed. "Do you have to be so grumpy?"

"Pika pikachu ka-ka?" Pikachu retaliated calmly. _Do you have to be so horny?_

"Okay, I don't know what you just said, but I have a feeling it was dairatory," Ash huffed.

Pikachu tilted his head in confusion, while Misty piped up, "uh, Ash…I think you mean _derogatory._"

"Oh…you're right…" Ash murmured.

Giggling, Misty rolled over on top of Ash and purred, "you're _so _sexy when you make little mistakes like that…I just love it when you can't get words right."

As soon as Ash and Misty started making out again, Pikachu growled and jumped off the bed, quickly scurrying out of the room and into the hallway. Although disturbed by the glimpses of Ash and Misty's mating session, Pikachu was still able to formulate that he needed a new place to sleep for the night. Looking around the dark hallway, he decided that, for tonight, he would sleep in Elizabeth's room. He liked staying with the littlest child, anyway. She was a quiet sleeper, and he liked to protect her.

Once the fuzzy yellow mouse squirmed his way through the half open door, he found that Elizabeth was sitting at her little tea table, stuffed Pokémon taking up the other small chairs around the painted wooden table. The little girl was, however, still in her pajamas: a dark pink, short sleeved nightgown with a ruffled, polka dot hem and an appliqued mermaid on the chest.

"Pi-kachu!" Pikachu called.

Elizabeth looked down at the small Pokémon and instantly, her face lit up. "Hi, Pikachu! I can't sleep…so…I'm pwayin' tea pawty!"

"Pika," Pikachu nodded. _Nice!_

With that out of the way, the small mouse jumped up onto Elizabeth's pink and white ruffled quilt and walked around in a small circle before settling himself down, closing his eyes and lowering his ears as he prepared to drift off.

"No, Pikachu!" Elizabeth complained, running over to her bed and lifting Pikachu up. The electric type grunted in frustration, to which Elizabeth replied, "you have to come to my tea pawty!"

"Pika pikachu…" Pikachu whined. _I want to sleep…_

Ignoring Pikachu's complaints, Elizabeth moved back over to her tea table and pushed her stuffed Lilipup off of its seat. In its place, she put down Pikachu, who was obviously unhappy about being put in the chair.

"Thewe!" Elizabeth chirped, skipping back over to her own seat. At her right side, also in its own chair, was Teddi, who was halfway slumped forward with a little tiara on its stuffed head. "Now, whewe wewe we? Oh! Pikachu needs tea!"

She grabbed her pink teapot and pretended to pour tea into the white teacup sitting in front of Pikachu. As Elizabeth concentrated on this, Pikachu grumbled and allowed his ears to fall. He loved Elizabeth very much, but Pikachu was exhausted, and not in the mood to play pretend with the little girl.

"Ka," Pikachu squeaked, jumping off his chair and scurrying out of the room.

"Hey, Pikachu!" Elizabeth whined.

Pikachu shook out his fur and skipped into Aiden's room next. Sure, the boy could sometimes snore and thrash around in bed, but so did Ash. Pikachu was very used to it. As soon as the small mouse squirmed his way into the room, he was surprised to see it lit up. Not bright like from a lamp, but from a small television that Pikachu didn't remember Aiden ever having.

Trotting in further, he found Aiden sitting on the floor, with his back against the side of his bed. He was holding a video game controller in his hands and staring up at the television screen, intently playing his game and occasionally muttering something as he played.

"Pipika?" Pikachu chirped.

Turning his head, Aiden gasped and nearly fell over. "Pi-Pikachu! What are you doing in here…?"

"Pi pikachu pi kachu…pikachupi pi chu," Pikachu scoffed. _I couldn't stay with your parents…your mother is in heat._

Aiden just blinked. He never could understand what Pikachu was saying…unless it involved being hungry or mad. "Okay…well…I'm just gonna' guess you want to stay in someone else's room other than Mom and Dad's. Is that right?"

"Chu!" Pikachu nodded.

"Cool, you can stay in here," Aiden smirked at the mouse. "Just don't tell Mom or Dad about me bringing this TV up here to play video games at night, okay?"

"Ka pikachu," Pikachu shrugged as he hopped up onto Aiden's bed. _Fine by me._

He sighed as he nestled himself into Aiden's dark blue quilt. It was nice and soft…and cool, since Aiden obviously hadn't been in his bed for a while. This was much better than being in Elizabeth's room. Pikachu loved the girl, but at least Aiden wouldn't force him to play tea party. Pikachu was too tired for playing at the moment.

Unfortunately, Pikachu was still finding it hard to fall asleep. The bright, flickering light emanating from Aiden's small (and somehow taken) television was disturbing Pikachu's attempts at slumber. He whined and turned his head away from the screen, but the light was still bothering him. Additionally, his sensitive hearing enabled Pikachu to hear the volume from the speakers, despite Aiden lowering it to a degree that humans wouldn't be able to hear. The constant sounds of explosions and other loud booms was making sleep an even harder goal to reach than with the light.

And then there was Aiden's joyful muttering every time he…did whatever it was you were supposed to do in that ridiculous game. And when he wasn't cheering under his breath, he was hissing angry threats at his little make believe character for messing up.

_On second thought, this might be _worse _than Lizzie's room, _Pikachu thought begrudgingly as he pulled himself up once again and leapt off of the boy's bed.

Since Aiden was so busy with his video game, he didn't even notice Pikachu exiting the room with a scowl on his furry yellow face. The electric type knew the only room he had left to try was Michelle's. He wasn't expecting much, though. After all, they usually said three times was the charm, but so far, Pikachu had _struck out_ three times.

He knew he couldn't give up, though. So, letting out a tired sigh, Pikachu pushed past Michelle's white bedroom door and entered the room.

It took a moment for Pikachu's beady black eyes to adjust to the darkness of Michelle's room. It wasn't lit up like Aiden's had been due to his video game. Instead, the girl was sitting up in bed, reading from a book. There was a small book light attached to the page so Michelle could see the words, but it wasn't bright enough that it would disturb Pikachu.

"Pipikachu…" Pikachu murmured.

Michelle put her book down and looked around her room in bewilderment. This was solved, however, when Pikachu jumped up onto her bed and smiled at the girl. In response, Michelle giggled and greeted the small mouse, "hi there, Pikachu! Can't sleep either?"

"Pika chu pi-pika chu," Pikachu grumbled. _You don't know the half of it._

Giggling, Michelle picked her book up once again and continued, "well, you can sleep in here if you'd like. I'm just reading until I get sleepy! But I won't bother you."

Pikachu nodded and curled up into a ball by Michelle's side. He breathed out into the girl's blue, white, and purple dip dyed duvet and snuggled his cheek into the soft material. While Michelle read her book, she lowered a hand and stroked the fur on Pikachu's back, causing the sleepy Pokémon to let out a happy "chaa" as he started to fall asleep.

No matter how frustrating it got sometimes, Pikachu could at least live happily in his house, knowing that there would always be a place for him to go and be cared for.

And for a Pokémon, there was no better feeling in the world.


	121. Fight and Flight

**Hi guuuuys. New one shot! It feels like I've been working on this one FOR-EVER. I've been so busy with sorority stuff. It's fun ^^ But time consuming!**

**Aiden: 9 years old**

**Elizabeth: 3 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Fight and Flight<strong>

"Ash Ketchum! I am going to _lose _it in about five seconds if you don't get back in here!"

Elizabeth, who had been busy playing with her Magical Ponyta toys in the living room, picked her head up and blinked her wide, emerald eyes at the sound of her mother's shout. It had been loud and pretty angry. Grabbing Teddi by his arm, Elizabeth got up to her feet and scampered over to the door frame that separated the living room from the kitchen, peering in quietly. She caught sight of her mother and father, standing just a few feet away from one another. Misty looked enraged, while Ash seemed to be pretty confused by her anger.

"What?" Ash asked. "I was training…"

"Of course you were, you like to leave everything else up to me!" Misty snapped.

"Why are you yelling at me?!" Ash demanded.

"I want to know why you have texts on your poke gear from some woman named Victoria!"

"She's someone Scott has been getting me in touch with," Ash easily defended himself.

"A mistress?" Misty seethed.

"Yeah, Misty, my manager found me someone to have an affair with," Ash rolled his eyes as he muttered his comeback sarcastically. "_No._ She's a publicist."

"Isn't that _Scott's_ job?"

"No, he's my _manager._"

"Oh, right, of course!" Misty chirped far too happily for Ash's liking. "Because the only knowledge you have of _anything_ involves your job!"

"Are you implying something about me?" Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, I am! I'm glad you can see that too!" Misty bit.

"Alright, care to explain to me what the attitude is for?" Ash crossed his arms.

"I don't understand how you can be _so_ dense about _everything_ in life except for when it comes to being Pokémon Master," Misty muttered darkly. "You can barely remember our anniversary, which is on _Valentine's Day_ no less, yet you always have your job in mind! Can't make yourself look bad, right? Heaven forbid the _fans_ get upset with you! Who cares about your _wife?!_"

"You're just overreacting!" Ash shouted. "You know I care about you!"

"Then stop lying to me about this woman!" Misty yelled back.

"I'm NOT! She's exactly who I say she is! I'm not cheating on you! Why can't you ever just accept that?! You never believe me! Don't you know how _bad_ it makes me feel that you think I would walk away from you so easily?!"

"Do you know how bad it makes _ME_ feel to see another woman's name popping up on your phone?!" Misty argued. "One who I don't even _know?!_"

"Oh, right, because it's always about you!" Ash chuckled sarcastically. "I forgot!"

"Oh, shut up!" Misty snarled.

From the doorway, a wavering whimper quickly caught the attention of the arguing couple. They both looked down and were shocked to find Elizabeth standing there, Teddi in hand as tears started to pool in her bright green eyes.

"Lizzie…" Misty cooed, moving towards the toddler. But it was too late. The damage had already been done. With a shrill cry ripping from her throat, Elizabeth ran away from the doorframe, causing Misty to sigh sadly as her shoulders fell backwards.

An awkward silence fell between the two for what felt like an eternity. Finally, Ash's shaky voice re-emerged and asked his own trembling wife, "We screwed up, didn't we?"

"Oh yeah," Misty breathed, slowly shaking her head. "We did a _marvelous_ job this time."

**XXX**

Aiden's peace and quiet was interrupted by a piercing cry shooting through his bedroom. He was sitting at his desk, working on something, but nearly fell over when that wail hit his ears. He looked towards the doorway with wide eyes, and was surprised to see Elizabeth running in, tears streaming down her face with Teddi clutched in her tiny hands. Without so much as a word to him, the young girl crawled up onto his bed and clambered under the blue and red striped sheets, her trembling figure still visible beneath the soft material.

"Lizzie?" Aiden blinked, getting up from his chair and walking over to the bed. "What are you doing?"

"H-hiding," Elizabeth squeaked in reply.

Raising an eyebrow, Aiden pulled the covers off of his little sister and rolled his eyes when she wailed in sheer misery over the loss of her colorful cloak. "Hiding from what?"

"Mommy and D-Daddy," Elizabeth hiccupped.

"Guess I should have asked _who,_ then," Aiden scratched his head. "Why? They trying to get you to eat vegetables or something?"

"N-no…" Elizabeth was still trembling, "Th-they awe gonna'…go 'way."

"What do you mean they're going to go away?" Aiden shook his head. He knew his little sister was a young kid, but the stuff she said still tended to be really weird and not make much sense to him.

"They'we yelling," Elizabeth hugged Teddi closer to her chest. "No mowe Mommy and Daddy. They…they sep-ate."

"Oh…_oh,_" Aiden's eyes widened. _Now_ he realized why Elizabeth was upset. "Mommy and Daddy are fighting with each other? You saw them?"

"Uh huh."

"And now you think they're going to break up, don't you?"

"Uh huh."

Aiden smiled sympathetically at the young girl. She picked her head up ever so slightly and sniveled, turning around frantically on her hands in knees as part of her search for the bed sheets so she could recover herself with them. Before she could grab the material with her little fingers, however, Aiden snatched the sheets away, which led to a small scream of aggravation from the three year old.

"Shh, don't shout," Aiden raised a finger to his lips, much like his mother did with the girl. Instantly, she quieted down and just stared up at Aiden with an innocent look, eyes still full of obvious fear. "Settle down there, shrimp."

Elizabeth huffed at the nickname, but nevertheless settled down on her stomach and rested her head in her folded arms. Teddi was still caught between her elbows, and his stuffed head was sticking out right by Elizabeth's.

"You've never seen Mommy and Daddy fight, have you?" Aiden asked rhetorically.

"No," Elizabeth mumbled.

"Oh, Lizzie, so young and naïve," Aiden chuckled. "Mommy and Daddy, you'll learn this the older you get, but they fight sometimes. Maybe more than other people do. But everyone's Mommy and Daddy argue sometimes. It's normal."

"Even Sophie?" Elizabeth asked softly.

"Yeah," Aiden sighed, hating the fact that he was currently discussing his little sister's favorite cartoon character with her, "even Sophie's parents."

"Why?" Elizabeth rested her head on the mattress.

"Sometimes mommies and daddies just don't agree with one another on stuff," Aiden shrugged. "It doesn't mean that they hate each other, though. Mommy and Daddy love one another _lots._ Trust me."

"How you know?" Elizabeth sighed.

"Because they kiss. A lot. Too much," Aiden grimaced. "Trust me, Lizzie. Mommy and Daddy would never break up. Ever."

Elizabeth curled herself up into a ball and freed Teddi from the clutches of her tightly tensed arms, instead holding him out in front of herself. She stared into the stuffed bear's beady black eyes for a few quiet moments before asking, "you seen them fight?"

"Oh, yeah, plenty of times," Aiden scoffed.

"Don't you get scawed?" Elizabeth inquired.

"Maybe at first, when I was little like you," Aiden shrugged as he thought back to all of the arguments he'd witnessed between his parents. "But, the older I got, the more I realized it didn't matter how much they argued. They still loved each other. Most of their fights are pretty stupid anyway. Besides, if those fights were that serious, you wouldn't exist, Lizzie."

"Why?" Elizabeth rolled over onto her back now, holding Teddi above her head.

"Because you're the baby," Aiden smirked. "They wouldn't have had you if they didn't actually love each other! All you did was make them more mushy."

At this, Elizabeth giggled. She was happy that her parents loved her so much. Aiden, on the other hand, simply smiled and sat down on his bed, next to Elizabeth. He pulled at her sides until she was sitting up; her ruffle front lilac shirt mused from all the rolling around she'd done. Aiden straightened it out, like the good older brother he was, before pulling down the legs of her matching, ruffle edged leggings so they weren't bunched above the knee.

While Aiden was tending to his little sister, Ash and Misty came hesitantly into the room, eyeing the two with a sense of caution. When they saw that Elizabeth was smiling in her brother's arms, however, they came in fully and both let out sighs of relief.

"Aiden, Elizabeth…" Ash began slowly.

"Is she okay?" Misty gently asked her son, still eyeing Elizabeth.

"Yeah, she's good," Aiden smiled, pulling Elizabeth into his lap. "She was a little scared when she first came in here, but I calmed her down."

"You're such a good big brother," Misty breathed, moving closer to the bed. As her mother encroached on her, Elizabeth whined and pressed herself against Aiden's chest.

"Don't be like that, Lizzie, it's just Mom," Aiden smirked.

"No mowe yelling," Elizabeth murmured.

"No one is going to yell, sweetie," Misty cooed, sitting down on the side of the bed. She inched closer to her two children, and smiled softly when she saw a look of slight fear flash through Elizabeth's eyes. "Don't be so scared, baby. It's all over."

At this, Elizabeth visibly relaxed. Once she was calm, she squeaked, "Mommy, you and Daddy…bweak up?"

"No, never," Misty shushed, brushing through the small child's bright red hair. "Mommy and Daddy love each other _very _much."

"We're sorry you heard us fighting, baby girl," Ash added solemnly. "We forgot you were in the other room. It was very bad of us."

"Bad Daddy," Elizabeth murmured, pulling Teddi up in front of her mouth.

"Yes, I was a _very _bad Daddy," Ash smirked and nodded.

"I told her you guys would never split up," Aiden scoffed. "I'm right, aren't I?"

"Of course you are!" Misty giggled. "I love Daddy! And I'm pretty sure he loves me back…" she turned her eyes onto the man.

"I love Mommy more than anything else in the whole entire world," Ash stressed to his youngest child.

"Mowe than food?" Elizabeth whispered.

"Yeah, even more than food," Ash chuckled.

"I also told her it's normal for you guys to fight, but it doesn't mean you two don't love each other," Aiden dictated.

"Your brother is definitely right," Misty smiled. "Daddy and I love each other too much to ever even _think _of splitting up. But we're sorry you heard that fight, sprinkle. Yeah, it's normal, but it's still not fun to see."

Elizabeth nodded in agreement.

"Do you feel better now, pumpkin?" Ash asked cautiously.

"Yeah…" Elizabeth murmured.

Smirking, Misty leaned in closer to her youngest child and added, "Would _ice cream_ make you feel even better?"

At this, Elizabeth beamed and rapidly nodded her head before jumping right out of Aiden's arms and onto the floor, running out into the hallway as she cheerfully yelled, "ICE CWEAM!"

Sighing, Misty glanced up at Ash and remarked, "she certainly is your daughter."

"The sweetest one around," Ash agreed, leaning down to give Misty a kiss.

Aiden let out a wreching noise and turned away, muttering, "come on, guys! Not in my room!"

* * *

><p><strong>The Magical Ponyta toys of Elizabeth's are a My Little Pony reference. They're her favorite toys; they'll show up again later.<strong>

**And the title of this one shot comes from your "fight or flight" responsesm because this situation had both: Ash and Misty fight, Elizabeth runs (her flight instincts) :P**

**Just some little fun facts for you guys, lol.**


	122. Home

**This one is FLUFF. Sheer and utter fluff. I regret nothing.**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Home<strong>

"As happy as I am for you two, don't you think this house is going to get a little too small?"

Ash and Misty turned their glances onto one another. They were both sitting across from Scott at the kitchen table, where the small group was currently discussing Ash and Misty's expected addition.

"This house is plenty big for five people," Misty tried to reason with her husband's manager. "Well, maybe not _plenty, _but big enough…"

"Exactly," Scott nodded. "And what happens if you two have _more _children? You're both only turning twenty seven after all, and I _am _privy to your…marital activities."

At this, Ash chuckled and blushed, while Misty scoffed and averted her embarrassed gaze.

"Either way, you two don't have to worry about a thing," Scott assured the now flustered couple. "I've got this all figured out!"

"What do you mean?" Ash blinked.

"There's a lovely mansion that's just been built on the other end of the city," Scott explained. "It's gorgeous! And I think it's just perfect for the Pokémon Master and his family. I was planning on taking you all over there tomorrow to look at it."

"A mansion?" Ash repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Ooh, that sounds amazing!" Misty marveled. "I'd just _love _to live in a mansion!"

"But, Mist-"Ash began before getting cut off by his own manager.

"It'll be wonderful," Scott agreed. "We can all go tomorrow and take a peek. But I'm sure you'll both go nuts over it!"

_I doubt it, _Ash thought darkly.

**XXX**

"Aren't you two so excited to go see the mansion?"

Aiden and Michelle looked up at their mother with eyes full of curiosity. She was sitting between them in the back of Scott's car, while Ash was sitting up front in the passenger seat.

"Mommy, what's a mansion?" Michelle asked, tilting her head.

"A mansion is a very big, beautiful house," Misty elaborated.

"Like a castle?" Michelle inquired.

"Yes, I guess it is kind of like a castle," Misty smiled sweetly at her young daughter.

Gasping, Michelle grinned and cheered, "I wanna' live in a castle! I'll be like a real princess! Right, Daddy?"

"Huh?" Ash shook his head, snapping himself out of his apparent trance. "Yeah, sweetie…you're a princess…"

Misty twisted her mouth. Ash had been acting rather strange ever since the last afternoon when Scott had first brought up the idea of moving. Her own train of thought as cut off when she felt something touch her stomach, however. Glancing down, Misty realized that Aiden had placed his little hand on her belly, and was staring intently at it.

"What are you up to, little guy?" Misty asked the boy.

"If we move…does the baby come?" Aiden queried.

"Of course the baby comes," Misty smirked. "It's just like you and Michelle!"

Aiden grumbled incoherently and removed his hand from his mother's very small bump. Giggling, Misty gently stroked the boy's locks and smiled when he cooed softly. She knew he enjoyed being fawned over, even though he never outwardly asked for it.

"Ah, here we are!" Scott announced. The three members of the family sitting in the back of the car all looked up and gasped as soon as they saw the house through the windshield. Once Scott had pulled up and the children were freed from their booster seats by their parents, they all got to see the mansion up close, and found that it was even more brilliant when looked at not through a window.

It was more modern looking than what one's idea of a mansion might be. It didn't resemble an old castle, but rather a very large and beautiful contemporary home. Its façade was made of brown brick and covered by a dark grey, nearly black, roof. Two stone carved balconies stuck out from the front of the house, with large windows situated all around the building. A visible garden room, also surrounded by a stone frame, was attached to the right side, surrounded by brightly colored flowers and healthy green plants. A set of ten grand steps, also made of stone, led up to the front door of the mansion, which was hidden in an alcove of sorts; brick on the outside, and stone on the inside with a black iron lantern hanging from the top. The surrounding grounds of the house were flanked by flower filled trees and a long, winding walkway made of pieced together stone that created a very natural mosaic.

"Scott…this house is beautiful," Misty breathed.

"Isn't it incredible?" Scott was beaming. "Perfect for a Pokémon Master!"

"Yeah, but not _this _one," Ash grumbled.

"Ash, did you say something?" Misty asked, turning her head to look at Ash.

"No, nothing," Ash sighed, shaking his head. He didn't want to upset Misty. After all, it seemed that she was in love with the mansion.

"What do you two think?" Scott directed this question towards the young children bouncing at their mother's feet.

"Pretty!" Michelle squealed.

"I wanna' go inside!" Aiden yelled.

"Sure thing, little guy," Scott chuckled, fishing a key out of his pocket. "The realtor lent me the key for today so we could take a look inside."

Before he could move even a foot, the twins squealed and ran right past him, straight up the stairs and into the stone lined foyer so they could both stand before the dark wooden door. Scott was obviously taken off guard by the twins' quickness, which caused Misty to giggle. Ash, however, was still stuck in his own little world and had no idea what was going on around him.

"You'd better step it up, Scott," Misty smirked as she patted her belly. "This one is going to be just as lively, I'm sure!"

"Oh boy, I can hardly wait," Scott droned sarcastically, causing Misty to laugh once again. She walked alongside him up the steps of the mansion, but stopped halfway when she realized that Ash wasn't following them. "Ash?"

"Huh?" Ash looked up at her. He had been busy staring down at his feet.

"Come on," Misty coaxed gently. "Don't you want to see the inside of the house?"

_No, _Ash thought miserably as he made his way over to his wife. He trudged up the stairs, just a few steps behind her, and finally reached the door by the time everyone else had already slipped inside. As soon as Ash saw the interior of the mansion, his heart fell all the way to his stomach. Not because it wasn't nice, but because it was _gorgeous._

And he knew Misty, if she wasn't already, was going to be completely enamored.

It had a marble floor, the purest of white in color, with elegantly wallpapered walls that were bedecked with faux candelabras made of dark iron. A matching chandelier hung from the ceiling in the center of the room, shortly before a pair of black iron doors with iced glass panels that led to another room in the house. A winding staircase began just a few feet away from where the family was standing, its railing made of the same black iron that could be found throughout the inner foyer. Just the beginning of the upstairs was visible, with a railed balcony high up in front of them standing before a collection of large, wide open windows that allowed the sunlight to pour in and brighten up the already purely clean space.

"Look at these," Misty marveled, walking over to the right side. She laid her delicate hand upon a white marble pillar, one of two which bordered the doorway into the next room. They were connected by an overarching curve, and shimmered in the early afternoon sunlight being let in from those same large windows on the second floor.

"Incredible, isn't it?" Scott chuckled while the twins _oohed _and _ahhed _from the floor. "And to think, this is only the foyer!"

"Oh, Ash, isn't it the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?" Misty gushed, turning towards her husband.

He grimaced as soon as he saw her eyes. They were glimmering just as bright as the white marble she still had her hand on. She was happy. _Overjoyed, _in fact. So why couldn't he feel the same way?

"It's nice," Ash mumbled softly.

Misty just shrugged. She noticed that Ash had been acting strange all morning, but she just chalked it up to him not getting enough sleep. Misty tended to have a lot of nightmares while she was pregnant, and that usually resulted in Ash getting kicked all night long. She was also still getting up every once in a while due to her morning sickness, and it always woke Ash up. Not to mention that he wasn't the kind of husband who could just lie in bed while his wife got sick. He always got up to help her, which Misty appreciated.

"Don't worry, honey, I'm sure you'll wake up a little bit when we see the rest of the house," Misty gently assured her husband. "Come on! Let's go look at the upstairs!"

**XXX**

Ash had unconventional ways of acting when he was upset.

At the moment, he was lying face down in bed. Not under the covers, mind you. The bed was still fully made, in fact. But he was in his T-shirt and boxers, arms spread across the king sized better with his face buried in the soft comforter made of green and champagne squares.

"Boo!"

He jumped, however, when someone gently shoved him on the shoulder. It was enough of a shock to cause Ash to jump up from his current position, pushing himself up by his hands and whipping his head around in order to find Misty standing behind him. She was giggling, like the mischievous little nymph that she was, and standing with her hands behind her back, her growing belly a bit more visible in her grey and white striped camisole with white lace framing her chest.

"You scared me," Ash grumbled, lowering his head in relief.

"I know, that was the point," Misty giggled, skipping around to the other side of the bed so she could crawl in. "I wanted my Ashy's attention!"

"So you had to scare the hell out of me?" Ash narrowed his eyes.

"Don't be mad, honey," Misty cooed, reaching over to scratch his back. He sighed and turned over so she could no longer do that, instead choosing to inch closer to his wife in order to snuggle up to her side. "Will you rub my belly?"

Ash nodded and snuck his hand beneath Misty's top, pushing up the soft material until her stomach was bare. He ran his hand over the emerging bump and couldn't help but to smile as Misty let out a small giggle of happiness and appreciation. He may have been feeling pretty down, but Misty was too sweet to ignore.

"This little one is going to be so spoiled," Ash shook his head, the grin still on his lips.

"Of course, Aiden and Michelle are!" Misty giggled some more. "Especially if we move into that big mansion…"

Ash's smile finally disappeared once again. He hated talking about that place. "Yeah…"

"Didn't you love it?" Misty glanced up at her husband.

"It was nice," Ash shrugged.

"Just nice?" Misty raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know," Ash mumbled.

"I _adored_ it," Misty beamed. "All of the white just made it feel so peaceful! And all of the windows that let in sunlight! Not to mention the help we would have in the house. Just think about it; we wouldn't even have to get up at night for the baby!"

"But why would you want to leave our baby's care completely up to a nanny?" Ash pressed. "Don't _you _want to raise it?"

"Of course I want us to raise it," Misty placed a hand over Ash's. "But it would be nice to not have to wake up every two hours for feedings and diaper changes! Don't you agree?"

"I can't say that I do," Ash finally admitted.

"How could you not find that helpful?" Misty shook her head.

"I didn't say that," Ash refuted. "It _would _be helpful. But…that's what the stereotypical celebrity does. They hire a nanny or a few and they don't have to do anything with their children except play with them when it's convenient. I _hate_ that. I know we're famous, but I pride myself on the fact that we took care of Aiden and Michelle all on our own! We woke up for them every single night, no matter how tired we were."

"Yeah, so maybe I'm not in the mood to do that again," Misty scoffed. "Those were rough times, Ash. I love those two more than anything else, but I didn't love only getting two hours of sleep."

"Fine, if you _really _want a nanny, I'll get you one for this house," Ash reasoned.

"That's dumb," Misty narrowed her eyes. "If we move into the other house, we don't even need to find one!"

"Whatever," Ash grumbled, turning his back on Misty and snuggling his head into the pillow. "Night."

Misty was stunned. Had Ash _actually_ just shunned her? He had! This was literally a first, and Misty did _not _like it. Not one bit.

With a scowl on her face as she went to lie down, her back also facing Ash's, Misty came to the decision that Ash's bad mood of the day was _definitely _not due to a lack of sleep.

**XXX**

The next morning, after Ash had already left for work, Aiden and Michelle expressed their desire to go play in the backyard. It was a nice, early spring day, so Misty decided that it would be fine for them to go out and enjoy the weather. In fact, she had decided to join them, figuring that some fresh air would be good for her in her current state. Besides, the gym had been pretty dead lately, since the Indigo League had just ended and no one was in a rush to collect their badges.

It was fun for Misty to just sit on the patio and watch the twins chase around Vaporeon and Azumarill. The two water types made for great playmates for the young children, since they had just as much energy as Aiden and Michelle. Vaporeon was especially protective of the two, and made sure they stayed out of trouble.

As she watched them play on this particular day, however, Misty allowed her eyes to wander around the backyard. It was nice and spacious; just perfect for children to play in. She tried to imagine the new baby, once it was born and got a little older, playing along with its older siblings in the wide open space. It was surrounded by nothing but forest; tall trees that hid the children from any prying eyes. It made Misty feel safe.

She didn't get _truly _emotional, however, until she realized that the twins were now both crouching down low and pulling at the grass in the ground; the same exact spot where she and Ash had put the twins' kiddie pool back when they were very small and couldn't go swimming on their own in the gym pool. It was in that very same little pool where Aiden had said his first word: "hi." Right in this backyard.

Misty frowned. If they moved…she'd no longer have that spot. It wouldn't be theirs anymore. It would be someone else's. Some stranger's.

Fortunately, right when Misty was beginning to get just a little bit too emotional, the twins came bustling up to her, asking for drinks. Misty smiled and told the two she'd fetch them some juice. It'd be a nice little break for her to get her hormones to settle down, after all.

She walked back into the house through the sliding back doors, which brought her right back into the kitchen. Before she could reach the fridge to get the twins' juice, however, Misty stopped in her tracks and found herself staring into the living room. It was empty at the moment, of course, since she and the twins had been outside and Ash was at work. But there was something about it…

She stepped into the room and just stood in the middle of it, looking around. A lot had happened in this room, she realized. All of their Christmases as a family. Aiden's first steps. Ash sitting on the couch with baby Michelle, rocking her to sleep every time she woke up and cried until her whole face was red and she could barely breathe…Ash had always been able to calm her down on that couch.

And then there was the kitchen…Misty turned around and walked back in. She stared at the kitchen table, eyes slowly but surely beginning to fill with tears. It was at that same table where Aiden and Michelle had eaten solid food for the first time.

"I can't…" Misty whispered to herself, breath getting caught in her throat. She was so busy getting emotional, in fact, that she didn't even hear the front door open.

"Hey, Mist, I forgot my-"

The woman whipped around and stared at the intruder with wide eyes. It was just Ash, of course, and the wide eyed stare wasn't exactly due to Misty's surprise. And Ash knew that right away.

"Sweetheart, are you okay?" Ash blinked.

And that's when she burst into tears. Ash frowned and rushed forward, gathering Misty into his arms and kissing the top of her head. "What's wrong, angel? Why are you so upset?"

"A-Ash…" Misty hiccupped, "w-we c-can't…mo-move! We can't!"

"Huh?" Ash blinked.

"That mansion is beautiful," Misty moped, wiping at her eyes, "but…th-this is our home! You and I…we designed it and made it perfect! T-together! O-our babies…they grew up here. They did _everything _here! We raised them here! On our own! Just like you said…"

"Mmhm," Ash nodded, rubbing Misty's back.

"A-and…I…I want to raise our new baby here, too," Misty sniffled, laying a hand on her belly. "N-not in…a different house. Here."

"I'm glad you finally agree with me," Ash smiled softly at his wife.

"What do you mean?" Misty murmured, having finally calmed down enough to not stammer when she spoke.

"That's why I was acting so distant about the mansion," Ash sighed. "I didn't want to move. I was thinking the same things you are now. We raised Aiden and Michelle here. This was our home from the very beginning. We started to make it together as soon as we were engaged. It took so much work, but it turned out so perfectly! I'm proud of our home. And I'm proud of what we've done in it."

"Why didn't you tell me, then?" Misty frowned. "I would have understood."

"You loved that mansion," Ash's smile was now more sad than anything else. "I didn't want to upset you. You were so happy! Ruining that would have been awful of me."

"No, it wouldn't have," Misty lifted Ash's head up, since he'd lowered it during his last confession. "I wish I had seen this sooner! Leave it up to me to not even think of it until the hormones took over. You got one up on me, honey."

"It's about time, too," Ash smirked, causing Misty to giggle. "So…we're not going to move?"

"Nope," Misty shook her head. "You can tell Scott to take that key to the mansion and shove it up his-"

"Mommy, where's our juice?" Aiden, who's head was poking in from the slightly opened door, called into the kitchen.

"Oh, I'm sorry, buddy!" Misty apologized. "It's coming!" As she approached the fridge to get their juice, Misty felt Ash brush past her, placing his backpack down on the kitchen table as he headed over to the back door. "Ash, where are you going? I thought you only came home because you forgot something."

"I did, but…I think the League can wait a little while longer," Ash shrugged. "I want to go play in _our _backyard a little bit with _our_ kids."

This made Misty smile so wide she thought her cheeks would crack. "I'll be there in just a minute!"


	123. Babysitting: Dawn

**Another babysitting installment! With another highly requested character ;)**

**Aiden and Michelle: 3 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Babysitting: Dawn<strong>

When Dawn had been named the Godmother of Aiden and Michelle alongside May, she was only eighteen years old. The bluenette coordinator didn't know if she could handle the title, although she was more than honored to have it.

Now, just three years later, Dawn thought she handled the honor pretty damn well.

She was now twenty one, which was actually the same age Misty had been when she'd given birth to the twins. Dawn wasn't even engaged yet. Sure, she had a boyfriend, and Kenny was just the sweetest thing. But in no way, shape, or form was Dawn ready yet to be a mother. She tried to think about raising two babies at this age, the way Misty had, and she couldn't even imagine herself doing it. For that, Dawn gave Misty a lot of credit.

But just because Dawn wasn't ready to have her own children didn't mean that she didn't enjoy watching after her godchildren. That was _far _from it! Dawn's favorite thing to do was spend time with the little ones, although that was sometimes hard to do since she was still traveling, in hot pursuit of her desired top coordinator title. She had already traveled through Sinnoh, Hoenn, and Johto, as well as some far off regions. Dawn had even taken a few breaks in order to work on her fashion career, which she was doing in conjunction with her Contest profession.

Now, Dawn had her sights set on the Kanto Contest scene. She had heard great things about it from May, and now Dawn wanted to take a shot at them. May was like Misty; by the time she was twenty one, she had also settled down and started a family. But that was different. May was already a top coordinator, because she hadn't split her focus between two careers. Dawn didn't regret doing it; following two separate paths at one time just made reaching her goals a lengthier experience.

Like on her previous travels, save for when she had trekked through Sinnoh with Ash and Brock and the beginning of Hoenn which she had tackled alone, Dawn would be traveling with Kenny. It was only natural, since they were dating and both coordinators. Kenny hadn't reached his goal yet, either. They were good company for one another. But Kenny was still spending time with his family in Sinnoh, and hadn't come out to Kanto yet. He'd be arriving at the end of the week, and until then, Dawn had been staying with Ash and Misty at their home in Cerulean City. It had been a fun few days; the twins were especially happy to have their Godmother around. She was fun for them because she always let them play with her Pokémon. Michelle was especially happy; she really looked up to Dawn.

One morning, while Dawn was helping Misty put together breakfast for the twins, the red headed gym leader turned towards her younger friend and started, "hey, Dawn. I've got a few challengers lined up for battles. I'm going to be busy all day, and Ash is going to be training up at the Indigo Plateau until dinnertime. Would you mind babysitting the twins for me? I'll pay you."

Scoffing, Dawn winked at Misty and replied, "You don't have to pay me, silly! Aiden and Michelle are my godchildren; of course I'll babysit them!"

"Thanks so much, Dawn," Misty beamed at the younger girl. "I owe you one!"

"No, you don't," Dawn scolded, causing Misty to playfully roll her eyes. The sound of trampling down the stairs caught Dawn's attention, leading the coordinator to spin around and smile. The twins were both clambering down the steps, still dressed in their pajamas. Dawn couldn't wait to dress them up! She found little kid clothes to be positively precious. "Good morning, you two!"

Michelle's sleepy emerald eyes snapped open, and the little girl ran towards Dawn, attaching herself to the coordinator's legs. "Dawn!"

Both Misty and Dawn giggled. For whatever reason, Michelle had greeted Dawn like that every morning. Misty assumed it was because Michelle was pleasantly surprised to find Dawn still in the house in the morning. The child feared the day that Dawn had to leave; she'd had a mini meltdown when Ash had simply brought up her departure. So that was no longer talked about in front of the children.

"Hello there, cutie!" Dawn grinned. She lifted Michelle up and carried the girl over to the kitchen table, sitting her down on a chair next to her brother. Misty was soon behind the younger girl, leaving two plates of scrambled eggs in front of her young children.

"Aiden, Michelle, Mommy is very busy at the gym today," Misty informed her children as they began to eat their breakfast. "So Dawn is going to watch you."

"Yay!" Michelle grinned at the two women while she chewed her eggs. At this, Dawn laughed, although Misty's face was now twisted into a grimace.

"Michelle, sweetie, don't do that while you're eating," Misty scolded lightly. Michelle nodded and went back to her food.

"Well, at least they're okay with it," Dawn smiled at Misty.

"Of course they are!" Misty's eyes closed in blissed. "They love you!"

"Dawn, can we pway wif' your Pokémon?" Aiden asked.

"Of course you can," Dawn grinned.

"Piplup?" Michelle began looking around the kitchen, much to Misty's confusion.

"She's looking for Piplup," Dawn sighed laughingly. "But that silly penguin of mine is still fast asleep upstairs! I swear he's a heavier sleeper than Ash is!"

"Is Piplup hungwy?" Michelle frowned.

"Oh, honey, you're so cute," Misty giggled. "Piplup will come down and eat when he wakes up! He's not suffering because he's sleeping."

"Okay," Michelle seemed content with that reasoning.

Once the twins were finished eating, Misty's poke gear began to ring incessantly, causing the gym leader to groan and look down at her waist, where the white and light blue device was clipped to.

"Ugh, these challengers are breathing down my neck," Misty grumbled, causing Dawn to giggle. "I really have to go."

"It's no problem! Go do your job!" Dawn made a shooing motion with he hands. Misty laughed but nodded her head, giving Aiden and Michelle one last kiss each before bustling out the front door. "Okay, you two, who wants to get dressed?"

Neither child said a word, or even raised a hand.

"Guess not…" Dawn sweat dropped.

"I hate gettin' dressed," Aiden muttered.

"What if I picked out your clothes for you?" Dawn asked.

"Nuh uh," Aiden shook his head.

"What if I let you have cookies afterwards?"

_This _caught Aiden's attention. Dawn smirked. She had a certain way with kids, even if it involved bribery and the like. At least it worked!

With the promise of cookies set into their brains, Aiden and Michelle both bolted out of their chairs and upstairs, to where their bedrooms were located. Dawn followed behind at her own pace, although she managed to catch up rather quickly. She reached the second floor just in time to see Aiden and Michelle splitting off into their own rooms. Dawn sighed. It had been easier to deal with the two when they had been in the same room. Now she'd have to get one dressed while making sure the other wasn't causing any trouble.

She decided to start with Aiden first, since it was much trickier to leave him alone. Already, when she entered the painted red room, Dawn found Aiden jumping up and down on his bed and messing up the blue comforter that was spread across the top.

"Aiden, don't do that, little guy," Dawn gently warned the boy. "You'll get hurt!"

"Nuh uh!" Aiden argued. He really loved using that as a comeback, Dawn had noticed.

"If you get off the bed now, I'll give you an _extra _cookie," Dawn winked. Once again, that worked in getting the boy to follow her orders.

For Aiden, Dawn scoured through the light wooden drawers and picked out a white and navy striped t-shirt to go along with a pair of gray twill shorts embroidered with little navy anchors and Wailord. It was a very nautically themed outfit; Dawn knew right away Misty was responsible for these pieces of clothing.

"You're a very good boy, Aiden," Dawn informed the child once he ran up to her in order to be changed out of his pajamas. "You do exactly what I ask you to do!"

"I'm good," Aiden grinned.

"Yes, you are!"

Once Aiden was fully dressed, Dawn took him by the hand and led him into Michelle's room. The little girl was sitting on her blue carpeting, bouncing a baby doll up and down.

"Hey there, Michelle," Dawn greeted the girl, letting go of Aiden's hand so he could sit with his sister. "You playing with your baby?"

"You never met Baby," Michelle held up the red headed doll. "This is Baby!"

"Hi, Baby!" Dawn giggled, patting the doll on its head. "Can I pick out your outfit, Michelle?"

"Only if you pick Baby's, too," Michelle tugged at a basket, which must have been full of the doll's clothes.

"Sure thing," Dawn gave the girl a little nod.

The coordinator picked out a teal and white baby doll top, printed with big blooms and featuring three small, red buttons up the front. For the bottoms, Dawn decided on a pair of red denim capris. Michelle was content enough to put Baby down in order to be changed, but once that was accomplished, she was insistent on getting the doll changed as well.

"Dawn, look!" Michelle pulled at the basket again. "Baby's clothes!"

"Wow, Baby sure does have a lot, huh?" Dawn peered into the collection of doll clothes.

"Yeah, Baby's spoiled," Michelle replied, much to Dawn's amusement. "Pick!"

Dawn twisted her mouth and tried to figure out which outfit would look best on Michelle's baby doll. Eventually, the woman decided on an aqua dress with a knit flower at the waist and a pair of white tights printed with flowers on the side.

"How about this one?" Dawn laid the outfit out on the floor and asked her goddaughter.

"I _love _it!" Michelle squealed, clasping her hands together.

Once Dawn successfully dressed the doll up as well, everyone was all ready for the day, and quite happy as well. Aiden, however, was not about to forget Dawn's promise to him and Michelle.

"Cookie?" Aiden asked, tilting his head.

"Oh, right!" Dawn giggled. "I'll get you your cookie, little guy! Come along, you two. Let's go back downstairs!"

Aiden and Michelle hurriedly followed Dawn down the stairs, beaming once they reached the kitchen and, in principle, the cookie box. Still giggling, Dawn waved a freshly manicured hand towards the table and ushered, "sit down at the table! I'll bring the cookies over to you!"

As eager as ever, the two young children clambered back into their seats and bounced up and down while they waited for Dawn to return with their rewards. She came back quickly, with two cookies in each hand, and handed the sets off to her godchildren. They both squealed and began to gobble up the cookies as quickly as possible, spreading crumbs all over the table top while they ate.

"You two are so silly!" Dawn smiled. She wiped the crumbs off the table and into her cupped hand, throwing them into the garbage can that pulled out from the wooden cabinets. Dawn was as girly as they came, and still stuck in her teenage girl ways. But despite this, the young, blue haired coordinator had a very homey nature. She loved doing housework; cooking and cleaning, especially. Dawn figured this would come in handy once she got older and settled down, hopefully with Kenny. She knew she'd make an excellent wife and mother. Dawn just wasn't exactly _ready _for that role yet. She wanted a few more years of independence, to just be a young adult and be a _girlfriend, _not a fiancée. Besides, she knew once she got married and had kids, her intimacy with Kenny would be much more limited.

Just as the twins were finishing up their cookies, chocolate chip made by Dawn just the day before, Piplup came teetering down the stairs, letting out a large yawn and tiredly rubbing his eyes as he got to Dawn's feet.

"Good morning, Piplup!" Dawn smiled down at her partner Pokémon. "Did you sleep well?"

"Lup," Piplup squeaked, nodding his head.

At the sound of the little blue penguin's voice, Michelle gasped and immediately abandoned her baby doll on the table in favor of the living, breathing Pokémon. She quickly gathered the water type into her arms and gave him a tight squeeze, giggling as she did so. Piplup choked for the first few seconds, but soon settled into the hug, squeaking delightfully as Michelle snuggled him. He _loved_ being the center of attention, and Michelle always made sure to give him the spotlight and all of her love. It was wonderful.

"Dawn, Pokémon!" Aiden giggled, leaping off his chair and scurrying over to where his sister and godmother stood.

"Oh, yeah, we can go outside and play now!" Dawn nodded.

Aiden and Michelle both squealed and ran towards the backdoor, but both were too small to actually reach the handle. Dawn came up behind them and pulled open the door, finally allowing both children to run into the backyard. A delicate smile on her face, Dawn followed after the twins and watched as they stopped in the middle of the grass, staring up at her expectantly. Piplup was still being held in Michelle's arms, clearly happy with this current situation.

"Okay, everyone!" Dawn yelled, pulling her poke balls out and tossing the group of red and white spheres into the air. "It's playtime!"

Buneary, Pachirisu, Mamoswine, Quilava, Togekiss, and her newest Pokémon, Swablu, all appeared before the twins, causing them to beam with delight. Piplup jumped out of Michelle's arms and joined his friends, waving at them and chirping happily at their presence.

"Kissy!" Michelle squealed, running up to the dual type. Togekiss was her favorite Pokémon of Dawn's…along with Piplup. Michelle thought it was the prettiest, cutest thing. She knew her mother used to have a Togepi, who then evolved into Togetic. She heard the stories all the time. Michelle wanted her own Togekiss in the worst way, even though she couldn't properly pronounce the creature's name yet.

"To~" Togekiss cooed, reaching down with her wings and lifting Michelle up by her hands. The little red head squealed in delight as the dual type floated her around the yard, Piplup riding on the jubilation Pokémon's back. Swablu, meanwhile, who was too young yet to carry Michelle, floated alongside the larger Pokémon, chirping cheerfully as they traveled through the air.

Aiden, meanwhile, had preoccupied himself with Mamoswine, using the dual type Pokémon's large tusks as a pair of slides. Pachirisu and Buneary had joined in on the fun as well, the two Pokémon and the young boy switching tusks every turn. Mamoswine didn't seem to mind so much; it was an opportunity for him to longue around in the sun, after all.

Quilava, on the other hand, was busy padding around Dawn, staring up at his trainer with curious eyes. Dawn felt his eyes on her and glanced down, smiling gently at the fire type.

"What is it, Quilava?" Dawn asked sweetly.

"Quil!" Quilava trilled before unleashing a flame thrower attack up in the air.

"Oh, I get it, you want to train!" Dawn grinned. Quilava nodded energetically at this, clearly glad that his trainer understood him. "Well, the twins are busy with the other Pokémon, so I suppose it couldn't hurt! It'll be great practice for our Contests around the region once Kenny arrives. So…let's get started!"

Quilava, before Dawn could even give a command, leapt up into the air and curled himself into the ball, the flames on his back surrounding his body and creating a massive flame wheel.

"Ah, Quilava, wait!" Dawn cried, holding her hand out. It was too late to stop the overzealous fire type, however. He was already shooting forward, practicing one of his favorite moves. Quilava was so preoccupied by honing his attack, however, that he wasn't exactly paying attention to his surroundings, which were unfamiliar to him. His flame covered body ended up colliding with the trunk of a nearby tree, causing the flame wheel to die out and Quilava to fall to the ground with a pained look on his face.

Dawn gasped and ran over to the volcano Pokémon, studying his blue and cream colored body for any visible injury. There was a considerably sized cut on his forehead, but otherwise, there didn't seem to be anything physically wrong with the fire type.

"Quilava, are you okay?" Dawn breathed.

"Lava…" Quilava huffed.

"Dawn!"

At the sound of Aiden's cry, Dawn looked over her shoulder and frowned at the boy, fearing that something had happened to him while she wasn't paying attention. He seemed fine, however, standing on the ground with one of his small hands touching Mamoswine's left tusk.

"What is it, Aiden?" Dawn inquired.

"The tree!" Aiden panicked, pointing ahead of himself.

Dawn spun back around and gasped as soon as she realized what Aiden had been fussing about. The same tree that Quilava had run into while using his flame wheel was now on fire! The bright orange and yellow flames were quickly spreading up the trunk and into the leaf covered branches, the overwhelming heat quickly hitting Dawn like an open oven.

"Ah!" Dawn shrieked, jumping away from the burning tree and throwing a hand in front of her face as if that would shield her from the unbearable hotness.

All of the commotion caught Michelle's attention, who was still gliding through the air by holding onto Togekiss' wings. When she saw the fire, the little girl gasped and tugged at Togekiss' wing, urgently crying to be put down. Togekiss granted Michelle's wish, but before the little girl could make a dash towards the tree, the jubilation Pokémon swooped down in front of the child, preventing her from running any further.

"No, Kissy!" Michelle cried. Her heart was beating in her throat; she was scared. Michelle had never seen a fire before, but she knew it was bad. The tree was going to get hurt! Squeezing her eyes shut, Michelle turned her head away and wailed, "Piplup, hydro pump!"

Nodding, the small penguin jumped off of Togekiss' back and, while in midair, unleashed a shot of water from his beak, surrounded by white rings due to the attack's power. It hit the tree and began to quell the fire, the flames slowly dying beneath the brigade of water.

With the fire's heat dying down thanks to Piplup's hydro pump, Dawn was able to once again face the tree. She saw that Piplup was, in fact, taking care of the blaze, and for that she was grateful. But Dawn knew she'd have to do a little more to completely stop it, or else the flames would catch the air and start up all over again.

"Swablu, help Piplup out and use mist!" Dawn ordered. The small blue Pokémon flapped its fluffy white wings and got a few feet off the ground, breathing a cool stream of icy air that began to help in killing off the flames' heat.

Aiden, however, didn't want to be left out either. He wanted to help with extinguishing the fire also! So, glancing up at Mamoswine and Buneary, who both stood behind him, Aiden ordered, "Mamoswine, ice shard?"

The massive Pokémon nodded.

"Buneary, ice beam?"

The rabbit Pokémon nodded.

"Go!" Aiden demanded.

A glowing, light blue orb of ice formed between Mamoswine's tusks, while simultaneously, a light blue ball of energy appeared in front of Buneary's mouth, with beams of it shooting off towards the tree. Both ice type attacks managed to freeze the tree solid, instantly destroying the flames that had been taking down the tree. Breathing a sigh of relief, Dawn smiled at her young godson, who beamed in return.

"Thank you, Aiden," Dawn covered her heart, walking over to the boy. She gathered him in her arms and gave him a kiss on the head, earning a whine from the child. Shortly after, a whimper coming from Michelle's direction caught Dawn's attention and brought the coordinator over to the young girl, who was still standing behind Togekiss and trembling. Kneeling down so she was at the girl's level, Dawn smiled gently and asked, "Michelle, did you tell Piplup to use hydro pump?"

Michelle slowly looked up at her godmother and nodded wordlessly. She was afraid that she'd be in trouble for commanding the water type. Dawn, however, had nothing of the sort in her mind.

"That was amazing, sweetie!" Dawn cooed, gathering Michelle into her other arm and snuggling the girl. "You're going to make such a wonderful coordinator when you grow up!"

At this, Michelle's eyes widened. "Me?"

"Yes, you!" Dawn laughed. "You'll be so beautiful on stage with your Pokémon! If that's what you want to be, of course."

Michelle smiled at this. She would love to be a coordinator like Dawn when she grew up. It would be the most amazing thing in the entire world!

"Well, it's been an eventful morning, hasn't it?" Dawn sighed. "And it's not even lunchtime yet!"

Just as Dawn said that, Aiden's stomach growled, causing the boy to chuckle nervously before piping up, "Dawn…I'm hung-y!"

"Oh boy," Dawn giggled tiredly. "Alright, then, I guess it's lunch time!"

"Can we have macaroni an' cheese?!" Aiden squeaked.

"Of course you can!" Dawn nodded. That was easy enough to make. "Uh…as long as you don't tell your Mommy about the fire…or the fact that you both used my Pokémon…"

_Yep, _Dawn thought to herself, sweat dropping as the children agreed to her terms, _definitely not ready to have my own kids!_


	124. Call Me Daddy

**Yes. Yes, the title of this one shot IS a play on "Call Me Maybe." I regret nothing.**

**Aiden and Michelle: 20 months old**

* * *

><p><strong>Call Me Daddy<strong>

"I certainly hope Ash knows what he's getting himself into."

Aiden picked his head up and blinked. Michelle, who he was playing with, didn't seem at all intrigued by the conversation that was going on outside of the private box in the stadium. The young boy was, however, so he picked himself up and peered out into the hallway of the stadium, where the latest of his father's battle tournaments had been taking place.

Standing by the wall were Aiden's mother, as well as his father's manager. Just a few feet away from them was a throng of screaming young trainers, all of whom were surrounding the famed Pokémon Master; none other than Aiden's father.

The handsome, black haired man was laughing and signing autographs for all of the fans that were around him. Aiden smiled. His Daddy sure was popular. Everyone always got so excited to see him!

"Ash does so well with all of the young trainers," Misty smiled at Scott. "I think it's his paternal instincts. Then again, he's always been such a sweet guy."

Aiden stared up at his mother from the doorway of the private box. Ash? Who was Ash? His mother and Scott had been throwing that name around a lot over the past few minutes.

Finally, the crowd of trainers that had been surrounding Aiden's father all left, each one having received their autograph from the man, as well as some advice. Once they had all gone, he walked back over to Scott and Misty, smiling at them.

"There's my handsome husband," Misty cooed, walking up to Ash and wrapping her arms around his neck, giving him a kiss on his lips.

"Ash, excellent work today," Scott complemented his young client. "All of those battles were very strong!"

"Thanks!" He smiled at the older man.

Aiden's eyes widened. _That's _who Ash was?! The little boy was completely fascinated.

"I thought you looked _so _hot out on the battle field," Misty giggled, still hanging off of her husband.

"Yeah?" Ash smirked. "I _was _starting to sweat around the third round…"

Misty rolled her eyes and gave Ash a playful smack on the shoulder, to which he feigned an injured look as he held the "sore" spot.

"You're such a tease," Misty shook her head.

"It's fun!" Ash laughed.

At this point, Aiden had toddled far enough out of the box where the adults all noticed him standing near them. Chuckling, Ash knelt down next to his young son and ruffled the boy's hair, cooing, "Hey there, little buddy!"

"Ash!" Aiden grinned, pointing at his father.

Needless to say, this created a nice block of silence between the group standing in the quickly clearing hallway.

"Uh…" Ash blinked, "did uh…did Aiden just…"

"He just called you by your first name," Misty finished, eyeing their son.

"Ash!" Aiden repeated with a giggle, teetering closer to his father so he could grab his legs.

"No, champ, you call me Daddy," Ash shook his head. "My name is Daddy! Say Daddy, little guy."

"Ash?" Aiden tilted his head.

Ash glanced up at Misty and Scott in horror. Sighing, Misty bent down and gathered the boy into her arms, gently tickling the front of his light blue, dark blue, turquoise, and green striped t-shirt. Aiden giggled and kicked his feet, clearly happy to be receiving such attention from his mother. Once the boy was very happy, Misty leaned in close to him and informed the boy, "You can't call Daddy by his first name okay? You have to call him Daddy! Can you do that for me, little man?"

Aiden turned his brown eyes onto Ash once again. The Pokémon Master smiled at the boy, whose brown eyes were shimmering with the kind of mischief that only a young boy such as Aiden could possess.

"Ash!" Aiden yelped, giggling afterwards.

His father, on the other hand, simply groaned and buried his face in his hands.

**XXX**

"Aiden, do you want to play with your race cars?"

"Yes, Ash."

Ash nearly face faulted at this. He stumble had been loud enough to catch Misty's attention, however, who walked into the living room from inside the kitchen.

"What's wrong now, dear?" Misty sighed.

"Aiden will n_ot _stop calling me Ash!" Ash complained. "I don't want him calling me by my first name!"

"I don't even know where we picked that up from!" Misty shook her head. "I've almost always called you by your first name in front of him, but he never copied me."

"I guess he's just at that age where he repeats everything he hears," Ash sighed, his shoulders falling forward in apparent defeat.

"Well, either way, there's got to be some solution," Misty shook her head. "After all, Aiden can't go through the rest of his life calling you Ash!"

"Ash!" Aiden repeated, glancing up at his father.

"Misty!" Ash groaned, throwing himself down on the floor much to Aiden's delight.

"Oops…I'm sorry, sweetie," Misty frowned. "Maybe I should just start calling you "Daddy" in front of Aiden. Think that might work?"

"Who knows," Ash grumbled, getting himself back up into a sitting position.

"It's worth a try," Misty shrugged, slinking over to where her two boys sat on the floor. She lowered herself until she was between Aiden and Ash, and smiled at their young son who was now busy rolling a bright red car across the floor. "Hi, Aiden! Are you having fun playing cars with _Daddy?_"

"Yes," Aiden replied, much to Ash's delight.

"_Daddy _really knows how to play, huh?" Misty continued.

"Yes," Aiden repeated.

"See?" Misty giggled, smiling at her husband. "It's not that bad! We can fix it no problem!"

"He's still not saying Daddy, though," Ash furrowed his brow. "Now he's just not calling me anything!"

"Well, would you rather him call you A…I mean…by your _first name_, or nothing at all?" Misty inquired.

"I would rather him call me _Daddy_," Ash groaned once again.

"I'm working on it," Misty assured her husband. Once again grinning at the boy, Misty continued, "Aiden, do you want a snack?"

Aiden wordlessly nodded his head.

"Who would you like to get you a snack?" Misty asked. "Mommy?" She pointed at herself. "Or Daddy?" She pointed at Ash.

"Ash," Aiden replied, pointing at the raven haired man sitting across from him.

Ash fell on his back and let out a tortured, wrangled whine. Aiden giggled once again, while Misty let out a short puff of air as she rested her head in her hand, pressing her elbow against her knee.

"This is going to take some extra work," Misty noted.

"This isn't fair," Ash complained from his back.

"What do you mean?" Misty tilted her head.

Sitting up and slumping his shoulders forward, Ash complained, "Aiden and Michelle are the _only _people in the world who can call me Daddy. _Everyone else_ gets to call me Ash. You, Mom, Scott, Brock…_everyone. _You all call me Ash. Because that's normal. But no one else can call me Daddy except for Aiden and Michelle. Because I _am _their Daddy. I'm not their Ash."

Aiden stared up at his father and blinked his wide brown eyes. By now, he had all but abandoned his toy race cars, no longer interested in the little metal playthings while his father was speaking. The young boy was completely entranced by his father's voice, although Ash was too upset at the moment to take notice.

"Oh, sweetheart," Misty crooned, leaning into Ash and rested her head against his shoulder. "You're so sweet. I'm sorry…but we'll figure it out. I promise we will. He's not going to call you by your first name forever."

"What if he does?" Ash whispered miserably.

Aiden tilted his head and crawled closer to his father. Ash was still completely oblivious to the toddler's actions. Smiling gently to himself, Aiden nudged Ash's knee with his small hands, finally catching the young man's attention. Ash glanced down at Aiden and noticed that the child was smiling. It didn't seem to be out of mischief, however. Instead, this grin seemed to reflect something sweet. As if Aiden had thought of something that he was quite proud of. Ash, however, was too afraid to ask. He figured he would just wait for Aiden to actually speak. But the boy never did. _He _was waiting for Ash to ask _him. _And Ash sensed this. He knew his son all too well, even though the boy wasn't even two years old yet.

"What's up, buddy?" Ash asked rather sadly.

"Daddy," Aiden squeaked, his eyes shimmering, "snack?"

Ash nearly fell over. He stared down at Aiden with massive eyes, causing the child to laugh quite strongly. Now smiling himself, Ash gathered Aiden into his arms and gave the boy a tight hug, earning a happy giggle from the child. "Of course you can have a snack, Aiden. Come on, Daddy will go get you one! In fact…we can _both_ have a snack!"

Aiden beamed up at Ash as the man stood up and started to walk towards the kitchen, carrying Aiden the whole way there. As they went, Aiden peered over Ash's shoulder at his happy mother, giggling and giving the young woman a small wave as he yelped, "bye, Misty!"

Now it was _her _turn to look shocked and offended.

* * *

><p><strong>I dedicate this chapter to the fact that *SPOILER* Misty will be showing up in BW. It might only be a flashback, but I'm excited as all hell, and everyone who is trying to ruin it can go jump in a ditch :)<strong>


	125. Split Lip

**I got this idea from a picture I saw last night. Enjoy!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 2 months old**

* * *

><p><strong>Split Lip<strong>

Aiden was bored.

Like…_really _bored.

He usually played with his mother, since he'd gotten used to her being home. But she had just returned to the gym, and wasn't around for him to play with. His father was also at work, even further away than his mother. His grandmother was over, but it wasn't to play. It was so she could watch baby Elizabeth while Misty was working.

So, naturally, the child had taken to lying in the middle of the living room floor, staring up at the ceiling with his chocolate brown eyes and studying it intently.

"I'm bored."

This time, he actually voiced it. Up until that point, he'd just been thinking about it, running those same words over and over again in his head. To be honest, he was surprised his grandmother hadn't already asked as soon as he'd laid down the floor.

"I'd assumed so," Lynne nodded, not taking her eyes off of the small infant in her arms. Baby Elizabeth was busy eating out of a bottle, appearing to be quite ravenous and happy as she drank up the meal.

"How'd you know?" Aiden finally asked, wondering why she hadn't said anything in the first place if she'd known.

Giggling, Lynne tilted her head ever so slightly so her dark red hair shifted over her shoulder as she explained, "why else would you be staring up at the ceiling?"

"Yeah," Aiden mumbled. He sat up and blinked, choosing instead now to stare at the wall opposite him. It was just as boring as the ceiling, he found.

"Well, I can't play right now," Lynne sympathetically informed the boy. "Elizabeth is in the middle of her lunch. Why don't you ask Michelle to play with you?"

"Michelle's boring too," Aiden scoffed.

"Now, how could she be any more boring than the ceiling?" Lynne asked playfully as she raised an eyebrow.

"I guess…" Aiden sighed. His Grandma _did _make an excellent point.

"Go see what she's up to," Lynne nodded. "She's upstairs in her bedroom."

Aiden got to his feet and scrambled up the staircase, finally reaching the second floor and striding down the hallway until he reached the white door of Michelle's bedroom, which was marked by a wooden 'M' painted light blue with white polka dots, and hung up by a blue ribbon. The door was halfway open, so Aiden decided to just slip in and surprise his twin.

Michelle, who was lying on her stomach atop her bed and drawing on a note pad, didn't see or even hear Aiden come in. Giggling quietly to himself, Aiden jumped up in front of the foot of Michelle's bed and shouted, "HI!"

The young girl shrieked and nearly fell off the bed, much to Aiden's amusement. He started to laugh very loudly and nearly fell on the floor with the force of it. Michelle, however, was nowhere near as entertained as her brother. Instead, she growled and crawled over to the end of her bed, grabbing Aiden by the collar and thrashing him into the footboard.

"AIDEN!" Michelle barked. "DON'T DO THAT!"

"I'm sorry!" Aiden whined, rubbing at his now sore hip. "I thought it would be funny! And it was! Until you hurt me..."

"Well, you deserved it," Michelle turned her little nose up in the air, looking an awful lot like Misty as she did so. "What are you doing in my room, anyway?"

"I'm bored," Aiden complained. "Grandma told me I should come up here and play with you."

"I'm busy drawing," Michelle retook the pencil into her hand so she could wave it in front of her brother's face. The five year old did enjoy drawing quite a bit. She had picked up on the hobby from her Uncle Tracey and found that it was very fun. She liked to draw all kinds of things, especially Pokémon. Today, however, she was busy drawing a beautiful picture of the ocean for her Mommy, since the woman had been complaining a lot recently about feeling tired. Michelle knew it was because of the baby, but she figured that perhaps a pretty picture of something that her mother loved would really cheer her up.

"Finish later," Aiden groaned. "Come on! I wanna' play!"

"I don't," was Michelle's simple answer as she got back onto her stomach and continued to sketch on the notepad.

Aiden rolled his eyes and marched out of the light blue room. Of _course _he couldn't count on his sister to have fun with him. She was pretty lame most of the time. He had already warned his grandmother of this fact, after all! And, apparently, she'd been wrong, because Michelle was being even _more _boring than the ceiling!

Sighing, Aiden trudged down the stairs and decided to make his way through the kitchen before going to stare at the walls in the living room again. Sometimes, when he was bored, all Aiden wanted to do was eat. Even if he wasn't hungry; although Aiden was almost _always _hungry. At least it gave him something to do!

Halfway towards the refrigerator, however, Aiden ended up sliding across the floor, thanks to the red socks on his feet. The young boy frantically waved his arms at his sides, willing his body to stop. Fortunately, it did before the child could fall. Aiden, however, had a sneaky little smile growing on his face. Sure, almost falling down had been a _little _bit scary, but that was because he hadn't been expecting it! Otherwise, his impromptu skating trip had been quite fun.

"That's it!" Aiden cheered to himself.

Rubbing the bottom of his sock covered feet against the slick wooden floor, Aiden pushed himself forward and allowed himself to slide a few feet, giggling as he did so. He then did the same thing diagonally, so he could grab hold of one of the kitchen chairs. Aiden pushed off of the edge of the chair so he could slide faster, and that only made his newfound activity all the more fun. This time, he reached the fridge and held the front of the appliance before pushing off once again, even faster than when he had used the chair.

Halfway towards his next target, the cabinets, however, Aiden ended up going a little _too_ fast and losing control of himself. Shrieking, the young boy fell face first to the floor, hitting his mouth right on the wood.

From the other room, where Lynne was just finishing up feeding Elizabeth, she could hear the shrill, raw cry of the young boy. The loud and sudden noise upset Elizabeth as well, causing the baby to let out an unhappy whine as she started to fuss in her grandmother's arms.

"Oh no," Lynne breathed, knowing that whatever had just happened in the kitchen definitely wasn't good. Feeling rather guilty as she did so, Lynne placed the sobbing Elizabeth into her basket and jumped off the couch, running into the kitchen to survey the damage.

What she found was Aiden, sitting on the floor with his legs underneath himself, crying hysterically as he held two of his fingers to his lower lip.

"Oh, Aiden, what in the world did you do?" Lynne sighed, rushing over to the boy and leaning over so she could better examine. He was crying too hard, however, and could barely get a coherent word out. He also wouldn't move his hand away from the bottom of his mouth. When Lynne finally glanced down at the floor, she found that there were some small drops of blood dotting the otherwise light ground.

Aiden was bleeding.

"Okay, just calm down, sweetheart," Lynne hushed, kneeling next to the boy and trying to gently pry his hand away from his mouth. "Let me see what you did."

Aiden still refused to move his fingers. This time, he actually shook his head, so at least Lynne had an idea of what he was trying to communicate to her. Because obviously, talking was still out of the question for the injured child.

Just then, the front door of the house could be heard opening, and Lynne immediately knew who it was. She sighed and hung her head for a short second before getting back to her feet and straightening herself out, gliding over to the threshold between the kitchen and foyer.

As Lynne was expecting, Misty was standing in the doorway, looking partially confused and partially ready to throw herself off of a cliff.

"I _would _walk back in here only to be greeted by a chorus of screams," Misty sighed dejectedly.

"Misty, there's a problem…" Lynne spoke, her voice somewhat timid but urgent at the same time.

"With Elizabeth?" Panic flashed across the gym leader's face.

"No," Lynne shook her head before motioning deeper into the kitchen, "Aiden."

Misty's heart fell to her stomach and she rushed into the kitchen. The sight of her little son on the floor, bawling as he held a hand over his mouth was enough to throw her over the edge. She got down to his left side and pulled the boy into a hug, gently shushing him as she ran her fingers through his black hair.

"It's okay, it's okay…" Misty soothed, feeling only somewhat relieved when Aiden's sobs began to die down. "Can Mommy look at you? I need to see what happened."

Aiden didn't nod or say anything. But he finally moved his small fingers away from his mouth. And once Misty saw his lip, she felt her breath get caught in her throat and taken out of her lungs.

Right in the middle of Aiden's lower lip was a gash, bright red with blood. The blood was also smeared across his fingertips, and it was then that Misty realized there were also drops of blood on the floor before him.

"Uh…uh…" Misty stammered, feeling frozen in one place.

"Misty, he's got a split lip," Lynne provided helpfully, knowing full well that her youngest daughter was _terrified_ of blood and typically became paralyzed around the stuff. "It's not good."

"Wh-what do I do?" Misty asked statically, not able to take her eyes off of her son.

"He's going to have to go to the hospital," Lynne shook her head. "That cut is going to need stitches, without a doubt."

Misty was the one who wanted to cry now, but she knew full well she couldn't do that in front of her son.

"You take him, and I'll stay here with Michelle and Elizabeth," Lynne continued. "I probably should tend

Misty nodded wordlessly and scooped Aiden up into her arms, holding one arm beneath his bent knees and the other against his back. Biting her own lip, she made sure to step over the small collection of blood on the floor as she walked over to the door, holding onto Aiden tightly the entire time.

**XXX**

_I _really _didn't think I'd have to come back here so soon._

Misty was sitting miserably in the waiting room, her elbows bent on her knees with her hands supporting her head. She had taken Aiden to the emergency room, shaking the entire time and barely able to speak. Luckily, Aiden had seemed to be fairly calm, especially after his meltdown at home. One of the doctors had come out to take him into the room and examine him in order to determine if the boy would really need stitches. Misty had to wait in the room, and as horrible as it sounded, that didn't really bother her. She didn't want to see them sewing her son's lip up. Misty was surprised she'd managed to keep her composure up until this point. Watching Aiden get stitches would have been the end of that.

"Misty!"

The gym leader lifted her head and was more than shocked to see Ash running towards her. He had a frantic look on his face, his fingers nervously twitching by his sides.

"Ash, what are you doing here?" Misty's eyes widened.

"Aiden!" Ash replied, almost out of breath. "Is he alright?!"

"I…I don't know," Misty admitted. "I mean, he _seems _okay. Other than his lip, obviously…"

"What happened?" Ash was still rushing the words out.

"I don't know _exactly _what happened," Misty sighed. "All my Mom said was as Elizabeth finished eating, she heard Aiden screaming and crying, and found him in the kitchen with his bottom lip cut open."

Ash covered his eyes with his hands and shook his head before taking a seat next to Misty, slouching his shoulders forward.

"How did you even know he got hurt?" Misty had to ask.

"Your mother called me," Ash took his hand off of his eyes. "I left the training facility as soon as I could."

It wasn't long after Ash's arrival that the doctor who had taken Aiden into the actual room re-emerged, approaching Ash and Misty.

"Master and Mrs. Ketchum?" The man asked, not even having to glance down at the chart in his hands.

"Yes?" Misty looked up, her voice coming out rather hoarse.

"My name is Dr. Martin, I'm the one who examined your son," he pressed his hand against his chest.

"How is he?" Ash piped up.

"He'll be just fine," Dr. Martin nodded. "He split his lip, definitely. It was deep, but certainly not the worst I've ever seen. The plastic surgeon is working on him now; she should be finished fairly soon."

"So…he needed stitches?" Misty frowned.

"Only five," Dr. Martin confirmed. "A very small amount. My guess is he won't even have a scar. You can come in now and see him, if you'd like. Once the stitches are all in, you can take him right home."

On the way to the examination room, Dr. Martin instructed Ash and Misty what kind of medicine to give to Aiden should he complain about pain in his lip, how to treat the cut to keep it from getting infected, and when they should return to get the stitches out. Once they actually entered the room, the two parents found their son sitting on the examination table, swinging his legs over the side. A woman was next to him, folding up various tools including a pair of scissors and a spool of thick, medical thread.

"Hey there, little guy," Dr. Martin greeted Aiden, who looked up at the man and smiled. That's when Ash and Misty could see a small bandage layered over the center of his lip. "How are you feeling now?"

"Okay," Aiden replied. His voice sounded a little strange due to the stitches in his lip, but otherwise he didn't seem to be too bothered by it.

"Your Mommy and Daddy are going to take you home now," Dr. Martin continued. "Does that sound good to you?"

"Yeah!" Aiden's smile grew wider at this, causing Ash and Misty to laugh sweetly.

After thanking both the doctor and the plastic surgeon, Misty took a seat next to Aiden on the examination table, while Ash stood in front of the young boy with his arms folded across his chest.

"I thought we were goin' home now," Aiden blinked, obviously confused as to why his parents were just standing there.

"We'll go in a minute," Misty assured softly. "But first…Daddy and I want you to explain to us what you did to get hurt."

The boy turned his gaze between his mother and father, switching it every few seconds. It was painfully obvious that he was very nervous about telling them what had happened. Of course, Ash and Misty both knew Aiden had probably been messing around at the time of his injury. This was just a test.

"Are you gonna' get mad?" Aiden murmured.

"We'll be a lot less mad if you tell us the truth," Ash replied honestly.

"Well…" Aiden looked down at his lip and allowed his head to loll to the side, "I was bored. Grandma was busy with Lizzie, and Michelle wouldn't play with me. So…I found something to do that I thought was fun."

"Which was?" Misty pressed when her son trailed off.

"Sliding around the kitchen floor," Aiden mumbled, his voice barely audible between its low volume and the bandage on his lip.

"I see," Ash sighed. "And how did you hurt your lip? Did you fall down?"

"Yeah," Aiden nodded. "I fell on my face…it hurt."

"I know it did," Misty stroked her son's cheek. "That's why you were crying."

"Am I in trouble?" Aiden finally picked his head up and stared into his father's brown eyes. They were very pensive, flickering with deep thought. His strong arms were still crossed against his chest.

"No, I suppose not this time," Ash finally decided. "But _only _because you told us the truth! I don't want you doing dangerous stuff like that anymore, buddy. Understand?"

"Yes, Daddy," Aiden nodded.

"Good," Ash finally smiled and patted the top of Aiden's head. "And now that I know you're okay, I should get heading back to work!"

"And you and I should go home," Misty glanced at Aiden. "I'm sure Elizabeth needs me by now."

"Can I take a nap when we get home?" Aiden rubbed at his left eye. "I'm sleepy…"

"Of course you can, sweetie," Misty pulled Aiden into her arms and stood up on the floor, carrying the boy out of the room. "As long as it keeps you out of trouble, I'm fine with it."

* * *

><p><strong>Aiden gets hurt a lot. Part of his rough little nature :P<strong>


	126. Bow

**I've been re-watching Diamond and Pearl, hence all the featuring of Dawn. Re-watching it reminds me of why I hated that series...except for a few specific things (i.e. Paul and angsty Ash)**

**Aiden and Michelle: 3 weeks old**

* * *

><p><strong>Bow<strong>

"ASH!"

The young man winced as the shrill yelp reached his ears. Even worse, however, the baby girl in his arms became disturbed by the shriek and started to whimper. Groaning, he pressed a hand against the baby's exposed right ear, gently enough so he wouldn't hurt her. Her whole head was pretty much the size of his hand, however, so her entire face became hidden by his palm.

Dawn came running into the room, her sapphire eyes shining with excitement. When she saw Ash's annoyed expression, however, her look became one of curiosity instead. "What is it?"

"Dawn, you can't be so loud," Ash whispered to the blue haired teen. "It hurts Michelle's ears!"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Dawn gasped, covering her mouth with her hand before removing it and lowering her voice to nothing more than a gentle whisper. "I'll be quieter."

She knelt in front of the Pokémon Master and giggled softly at the sight of the baby in his arms. Her eyes were sealed shut, and she had stopped with her pitiful whimpering. The girl was _very _tiny, her entire being about as long as Ash's elbow to his fingertips. She was dressed in light pink cotton footed pajamas, with little ruffles at the end of the long sleeves and an embroidered white Peter Pan collar at her neck.

"Hello, little goddaughter," Dawn cooed, gently tickling Michelle's chest. The baby gurgled and curled her toes in her pajamas, the tiny white bows at her ankles catching Dawn's attention and causing her smile to grow even wider.

"She likes you a lot, Dawn," Ash smiled.

"Michelle is the cutest baby in the whole entire world!" Dawn squealed. "Oh, and Aiden too, of course! Both of my god babies are!"

"Yeah…" Ash sighed happily, staring down at the baby girl. The two remained silent for a while, simply looking at baby Michelle. Finally, Ash glanced back up at Dawn and asked, "So, you're going back to Sinnoh soon?"

"Yeah, probably tomorrow," Dawn nodded slowly. "It's been fun spending New Year's here, but I think I'd like to go home and see my Mom. I also haven't seen Kenny in a few months! He's been so busy training."

"That'll be fun," Ash tried to stifle a yawn. "If I don't sleep through your departure…"

"I'm sure you won't," Dawn giggled sweetly at the notion.

"You don't even know what exhaustion _is _until you're getting up every two hours," Ash groaned, tilting his head back until it hit the soft cushion of the couch behind him.

"Misty has it worse than you," Dawn commented.

"Thanks for the reminder," Ash replied sarcastically, not even bothering to pick his head back up.

"Just because you're tired doesn't mean you have to be snarky," Dawn crossed her arms over her chest and gave Ash a disapproving look, even though he couldn't see. "You wouldn't want Michelle picking up on something like that, would you?"

"Guess not," Ash admitted, getting his head upright once again so he could glance down at the baby in his arms. Her eyes were still closed, and her full lips were sticking out in a pouty fashion that made Ash's heart melt. "I can't believe she and Aiden are three weeks old already. That's still really young…but it feels like they were just born yesterday!"

"Before you know it they'll be running around the house," Dawn smirked at the man sitting before her.

"Oh, I don't want to think about that!" Ash groaned, horror reflecting back in his chocolate brown eyes.

"You don't have to, for now," Dawn giggled. "Just focus on their three week birthday! It should be easy for you."

"Why?" Ash blinked.

"Because I got Aiden and Michelle birthday presents!" Dawn clapped her hands together; lightly enough that the sound wouldn't bother Michelle. "I can give Aiden his later, since Misty is upstairs feeding him right now. But I can give Michelle hers now!"

"You didn't have to get them presents, you know," Ash's eyes followed Dawn as she stood up and skipped over to the front door, where he had failed to notice two small shopping bags on the floor. "I mean, it's only three weeks. Besides, they're already both so spoiled! You know it's bad when I had a hard time closing one of Michelle's drawers this morning…"

"Ash, _every_ girl needs an expansive wardrobe, no matter how young she is," Dawn recited, throwing the exasperated young father a sweet, playful smile.

"I feel like you've been feeding Misty all of these lines," Ash grumbled.

"Nah, she's a girl, she knows 'em by heart too!" Dawn trilled. She skirted back over to Ash, the small, baby pink shopping bag held between her fingers. "Besides, this isn't a very big present. Not at all! It's just a little something that I thought would look _adorable _on my precious goddaughter!"

This made Ash nervous. Dawn was the girliest girl he had ever met. She had already gotten Michelle quite a few outfits, and they all consisted of pink and lace and frills. He was surprised, in fact, that the outfit Michelle was in now hadn't been given to her by Dawn.

It had actually been from May. So…close enough.

"Ready to see what I picked out?" Dawn asked, her whole face lighting up.

"Sure," Ash gave the coordinator a small smile. "Let's see it."

Reaching into the small bag, Dawn pulled out a black wrap headband with a gigantic hot pink and black bow on its front. It was probably five inches in diameter, with at least three different layers of ribbon. At the very top of the bow was a puff of hot pink, marabou feathers, which only made the decoration look that much bigger.

Needless to say, Ash's face was completely frozen.

"Isn't it just _adorable?!_" Dawn squealed. "I saw it in the mall and fell in love! It's so stylish and cute! Michelle is going to look fabulous in it!"

Ash wanted to protest, but he found that he wasn't currently able to move his mouth. Michelle, for what it was worth, still had her eyes closed and didn't seem at all disturbed by Dawn's excitement or her father's horror.

"Here, let's try it on," Dawn cooed, once again kneeling down before Ash. Being as gentle as she could, the teenage girl stretched the black head wrap over the top of Michelle's head and nestled it on until it was settled in place. The big bow was now perched on the front right side of Michelle's head, so big it was nearly being squashed against Ash's chest. As soon as she had gotten the headband on, Michelle's eyes opened up, the large pools of emerald staring directly at her Godmother.

"Uh oh…" Ash held his breath, expecting an outburst from the baby. It never happened, though. Instead, she simply rolled them up in an attempt to stare at whatever had just been placed on her head.

"Good morning, sweetheart!" Dawn cooed, once again tickling Michelle's stomach. She gurgled and lowered her eyes back onto the coordinator. "Do you love the little bow I bought for you? You look adorable in it!"

_Little? _Ash thought sarcastically to himself.

"Oh, you just look so sweet," Dawn fussed, stroking the baby's rosy cheek. "I just _have _to take a picture of you! I'll be right back, little munchkin!"

Dawn jumped to her feet and ran for the stairs, passing Misty on her way up. The gym leader watched curiously after Dawn, but once the coordinator was out of her eyesight, she shrugged and continued to make her way down the steps. In her arms was little Aiden, wearing light blue and white striped footie pajamas with a white collar just slightly different from Michelle's. He appeared to be falling asleep, his small head lolling closer to his mother's body.

"Alright, Aiden is all fed and changed," Misty smiled victoriously at her husband. That grin disappeared, however, when she saw the new accessory on her daughter's head.

"Don't ask," Ash shook his head.

"That was Dawn's doing, wasn't it?" Misty was clearly not surprised.

"Of course."

Misty once again stared at Michelle, trying to make sense of the headband that was now wrapped around her baby's small noggin. "The bow is as big as her head."

"I know."

"…it looks ridiculous."

"Dawn thinks it's cute."

"Well of course _she_ does," Misty grumbled, moving closer to the couch. She leaned down to closer examine the headband, which led Michelle to stare up at her mother with wide, searching eyes. "But as for me…well, this isn't something I would pick out for my own child."

"Dawn said she saw it in the mall and couldn't resist," Ash tried to fight the smile that was trying to grace his lips.

Sighing, Misty threw Michelle a sympathetic glance and crooned, "You don't like that big bow on your head, do you?"

Michelle blinked and waved her hands in the air before Ash held them down and stroked the top of her tiny fists with his index finger.

"My poor seashell," Misty frowned.

"She doesn't seem _that _upset," Ash shrugged, "but I do agree that the bow is a little much. What do we do? We can't take it off while Dawn is here."

"Where was she going, anyway?"

"She wants to take pictures of Michelle in her _beautiful _headband," Ash chuckled.

Groaning, Misty rolled her eyes and stood back up to her full height, bouncing Aiden up and down in her cradled arms.

"We wait until she takes the pictures. Then we strike."

"Strike…?"

"We take that absurd bow off of our child's head."

"Oh. Got it."

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><p><strong>Dawn means well, of course...she and Misty are just two very different people :P<strong>


	127. Beach Treat

**I wrote this one because I am SICK of the winter! I want summer sooo bad. Or at least spring. I just want no more snow and warm weather :) And I like the thought of the beach. Even though I'm surrounded by beaches and don't actually like going to them...lol.**

**Aiden and Michelle: 6 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 10 months old**

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><p><strong>Beach Treat<strong>

"BEACH!"

Ash and Misty laughed as their young twins ran down onto the sand, not even bothering to take their shoes off before they hit the beach. As a result, this made it a little hard for them to maneuver on the rougher terrain.

"Guys, take your shoes off!" Misty called.

She watched curiously as the twins both stopped in their tracks, each child pulling off their perspective sandals with ease before running freely, and more easily, through the sand. Ash and Misty simply followed behind, not saying a word as they watched the children skip away.

Eventually, Aiden and Michelle stopped in one singular spot, which was a decent few yards away from the ocean, but close enough where they could access the water easily without having to run too far.

"You guys like this spot?" Ash asked.

"Yes!" Aiden and Michelle chimed at once.

"Alright then!" Ash chuckled. He had a large, blue striped towel beneath his arm, and with the spot decided on, he whipped it out and opened it to its full size, laying the large towel down on the sand to formally claim the family's territory.

From her mother's arms, Elizabeth giggled, clapping her chubby little hands together. Misty simply smiled and buried her nose into the child's dark red hair, cooing, "aw, anything your Daddy does is amazing to you, isn't it?"

"Baby Lizzie loves me _sooo _much!" Ash laughed, leaning forward to give the infant a little peck on her lips. This just made Elizabeth shriek even louder and wave her arms up and down in sheer delight.

"Mommy, can we go in the water now?" Aiden whined.

"Only after I put sunscreen on the both of you," Misty motioned towards him and his sister. The two children showed off looks of annoyance, but they knew there was no fighting their mother on that subject. So, they both settled down on the oversized towel their father had lay out and waited for their mother to get the sunscreen.

Misty handed the baby off to Ash and got down on the towel herself, reaching into the turquoise beach bag and searching with her hand for the bottle of sunscreen. Eventually, she found it and pulled it out: a dark blue squeeze bottle with a green cap.

"Alright, you two, take off your cover ups," Misty motioned towards the clothes that the children had put on over their swimsuits.

Michelle pulled her blue and green chiffon shirt dress over her head, the flouncy ruffles trimming the edge of the cover up flowing in the gentle sea breeze as she removed it from her body. This left the already gorgeous seven year old in her white one piece spotted with black polka dots, a tie at the side of each leg hole with ruffles tumbling down the swimsuit's halter neckline.

Aiden, on the other hand, yanked off his light green t-shirt with a big, black sun printed on the front and discarded the article of clothing in front of him on the towel. His own swimwear, unlike his twin's, had been visible the entire time: a pair of swim trunks with a color block deign: the waistband and left leg atlantic blue in color, and the right leg a lime green.

Smiling, Misty opened the cap of the sunblock and poured copious amounts of the white cream into her hands, making absolutely sure to cover every inch of her children's bodies. She coated their arms and legs, their necks and their faces. In Aiden's case, his stomach and chest also had to be covered, much to his disdain. Only because that made the process so much longer. Inwardly, he cursed himself for not wearing a rash guard.

"There, all done!" Misty beamed at the twins.

"Mommy, are you going to come with us?" Michelle asked as she got back to her feet. She knew how much her mother loved playing in the ocean.

"In a little bit I will," Misty nodded. "I want to spend some time with Daddy and Elizabeth first."

"Bring Lizzie into the water!" Aiden suggested cheerfully.

"Maybe later," Misty giggled softly. "I think Lizzie might be too small to go into the water…but if I hold onto her, it might not be so bad."

"But Mist, I don't want them going into the water alone," Ash frowned. He bouncing Elizabeth in his lap, the girl cooing and giggling at the simple action.

"Oh, I don't either," Misty reached back into the bag and pulled out a poke ball. "That's why I brought some help!"

She pressed the center button and released one of her longtime partners: Vaporeon. The water type purred softly and sat patiently before her trainer, waiting for Misty to give a command before she moved a single muscle. That was just Vaporeon's nature; she was extremely loyal.

"Vaporeon, would you mind going into the water with Aiden and Michelle?" Misty asked. "I think you three will have a great time playing!"

"Vay," Vaporeon replied with a small nod of her head.

"Great idea, Misty!" Ash beamed. "Hey, Pikachu! Wanna' go in the water with the twins and Vaporeon?"

The yellow mouse, who had been quietly perched atop Ash's shoulder, squeaked at the idea and jumped off onto the towel, skirting over to a clearly amused Aiden and Michelle.

"You guys have fun out there!" Ash chuckled.

"And be safe!" Misty added. "Watch out for them, Pikachu and Vaporeon."

The two Pokémon cried out in their perspective languages before making their way down the hot sand and towards the cool blue water. Aiden and Michelle both giggled and immediately took off after the two Pokémon, chasing them all the way to the ocean.

"They're all so cute," Ash smiled.

Suddenly, an unhappy whine from Elizabeth caught his and Misty's attention. They looked down at the baby, who was wincing and holding a little hand in front of her eyes.

"Oh, the sun is in her eyes," Misty frowned. "It's bothering her."

"I can put up the umbrella we brought," Ash suggested.

"That's a good idea," Misty nodded. "Here, I'll take Lizzie for now. She needs sunblock on, too."

Ash gave the child one last kiss on the side of her head before passing the little thing off to her mother. As soon as Misty touched the baby, a great big smile appeared on Elizabeth's face, causing Misty to gasp delightfully.

"Oh, my sweet baby!" Misty cooed, pressing a kiss against Elizabeth's nose. "I'm such a lucky Mama!"

"Mama!" Elizabeth repeated.

"I have such a smart one," Misty held the back of Elizabeth's head as she kissed the child's forehead. Sitting the little thing down in front of her, Misty went to work on removing the baby's own cover up: a white, ruffle trimmed terry cloth dress with a trio of bows running down the placket of the little gown: red, green, and then blue. Once Misty had unbuttoned the cover up and slid it off of Elizabeth's small body, she could see the tiny bathing suit that she was oh so proud of. Misty loved _all _of Elizabeth's bathing suits equally, to be fair. She just loved the tiny swimsuits made specifically for babies! This one was especially pretty. It was a two piece tankini: the top fuchsia with three flowers on the left chest and three fringed ruffles at the bottom in the fading colors of fuchsia, candy pink, and white. The bottoms were simple, candy pink in color and not taking away from the pretty top.

"Mama does a good job picking out your bathing suits, huh?" Misty asked the baby.

"Mama," Elizabeth repeated.

"Yes, Mama!" Misty squealed. Elizabeth knew that word very well, and said it quite often. But that didn't mean that it didn't melt Misty's heart every time she heard it. In fact, Misty swore it got cuter the more the baby said it.

"All done!" Ash announced.

Looking up, Misty suddenly realized that she and Elizabeth were now covered by a stretch of dark, cool shade. The baby was in a much better mood with the sun out of her eyes; giggling once again and clapping her hands together.

"Dada made you happy, huh?" Misty smirked.

"Dada!" Elizabeth squealed.

"Lizzie sure is good at repeating words," Ash noted as he sat down next to the child and smiled down at her. Elizabeth, in turn, looked up and squeaked when she realized her father's gaze was locked on her. "Hey, Lizzie, can you say…hi?"

"Hi," Elizabeth pressed her palms together.

"Mist, did you hear that?!" Ash's whole face was glowing.

"That's because if you say a word that she already knows, she repeats it!" Misty snickered as she pulled out another bottle of sunblock, this one light pink in color. "She's like a human Chatot."

"A Chatot is a pretty cute Pokémon," Ash mused, still studying his daughter. She was beautiful, despite being only one year old. Elizabeth looked like a living doll. "Are you like a little birdy, pumpkin?" He ran his hand down the back of her head, feeling the soft, dark red locks beneath his palm. Her hair was beginning to grow longer, now just reaching the bottom of her chin. There still wasn't much body to it, however. It was still delicate and wispy.

"Ash, keep a hold on her while I put the sunscreen on," Misty requested, once again filling her hand with the thick lotion.

"That's the special baby one, right?" Ash blinked.

"Yes," Misty nodded, crawling closer to Elizabeth so she could get her hands on the child. Elizabeth whined at first, not liking the feel of the lotion on her skin. As soon as Ash started to stroke her hair again, however, the baby relaxed and allowed her mother to slather her in the sunscreen.

"Good girl," Misty murmured to the baby, who stared up at her mother with wide, trusting eyes. "You're a good girl, huh? You let Mommy protect you from the sun. Good baby."

Ash just smiled and continued to play with his youngest daughter's hair. It was so soft and silky…he could have toyed with it all day. It reminded him so much of Misty's own locks, but far more delicate. Michelle's hair had been the same was as a baby. Even Aiden's hair had been fine.

"There! All done!" Misty smiled as she took her hands away from Elizabeth.

The baby was clearly happy to be finished with, as she squealed and once again started to clap her hands together.

"Yay!" Ash followed his daughter's actions, clapping his own hands together.

"Yay!" Elizabeth repeated, causing Ash to coo.

"Oh, Ashy…"

The man looked up, having been lured by his wife's sing song voice. In her right hand, she once again held the bottle of regular sunblock, and was throwing Ash a sly, seductive smile that caused heat to rise up into his face.

"What's up, Mist?" Ash asked softly.

"I need to put sunblock on, too…but I need a little help."

"Oh," Ash's eyes lit up. "You want me to help you, huh?"

"Well, sweet baby Lizzie certainly can't do it," Misty winked. Elizabeth glanced up at the sound of her name, tilting her head in bewilderment.

"Alright, I'm on it," Ash smirked. Before he could get to work on Misty, however, Ash knew they'd have to give Elizabeth something to do. After all, she couldn't just sit all alone while he and Misty got flirty! Peering into the beach bag, he pulled out a pink plastic bucket and a purple plastic shovel and placed them in the sand, by the back of the towel. Picking Elizabeth up, Ash placed the girl in the sand as well, smiling when she shrieked at the new feeling. "You've never played in sand before, huh?"

"Dada," Elizabeth patted her hands against the sand.

"Here, want some sand toys?" Ash moved the bucket and shovel closer to Elizabeth. Cooing, the baby picked up the shovel and started to smack it against the sand, laughing as she did so. "Hey, whatever entertains ya'!" Ash laughed.

As soon as he turned around, he was stunned to see Misty already out of her jade green chiffon, butterfly cut cover up, and left in just her periwinkle bikini; the strapless bandeau top and shirred side bottoms flattering her trim figure perfectly.

"Uh…uh…uh…." Was all Ash could get out.

"Really?" Misty giggled, almost deliriously. "We've been married for seven years! And been together for twelve! You still can't formulate words?"

"Not when I see you like that I can't," Ash shook his head.

Misty smiled mischievously and handed Ash the bottle of sunblock. With that out of her grasp, the red headed woman laid across the blanket on her stomach, folding her arms beneath her head so she could watch Elizabeth play in the sand before her.

Silently, Ash poured the lotion into his hands and began to spread it across Misty's smooth, milky skin. She purred in delight, causing Ash's heart to jump up into his throat. He still managed to get so turned on by his wife's simplest actions.

Eventually, he started to knead his hands into her back more deeply, causing the woman to moan contently. Elizabeth looked up and blinked, holding the end of the purple shovel out towards her mother. Misty smiled softly and patted the shovel before encouraging the baby to continue using it in the sand. That was enough to get Elizabeth to stick it back in the grainy surface, scooping it up and experimentally dumping the stuff into her pink, plastic bucket.

When Misty felt Ash trying to get his fingers beneath her bikini top, she rolled her eyes and smirked. Sitting up, and surprising the raven haired man trying to assist her with her sunblock, Misty reached to her back and unhooked the top, lying back down as it fell and left her back completely bare.

"There, that should make things easier for you," Misty giggled.

Had she been able to see behind her, she would've seen a massive blush and a delirious smile gracing her husband's handsome face.

Once he finished with her back and the back of her legs, Misty purred in approval and sat back up, re-hooking her bikini top and smirking over her shoulder at her husband.

"Thank you, Ashy," she cooed.

"Heh, don't mention it…" Ash was still trying to make his blush disappear.

She was able to rub the sunscreen into her front, while Ash also applied the cream to himself. Once they were all done, Misty pulled Elizabeth out of the sand and into her lap, earning a surprised but happy squeak from the baby.

"Maybe we should take Lizzie to the water for the first time," Misty smiled at her husband. "I've waited almost a whole year to get her into the ocean!"

Since Elizabeth had been born in late summer the year before, she hadn't been able to go in the water then. Her first trip to the beach had been when she was three weeks old, but of course she hadn't been in the water. Misty herself had been too afraid to even stand in the ocean while holding the baby, so she had just stood where the tide was coming in.

This was their first trip to the beach that summer, however, and Misty knew that Elizabeth was now big enough to go in the water, so long as she held onto the baby.

"I think that'll be fun," Ash grinned at his wife. "I want to chase Aiden and Michelle around anyway!"

"Let's go, then!" Misty giggled, getting to her feet while keeping Elizabeth in her grasp the whole time. "Come on, Lizzie. Mommy is going to introduce you to the ocean!"

"Mama…wawa…" Elizabeth sounded out, holding her hands out in front of herself. Misty was holding Elizabeth with the infant's back against her chest, her slender arms wrapped around the baby's small midsection.

"Yeah, water!" Misty smiled.

She and Ash walked down closer to the water. They could see the bright blue liquid washing up onto the sandy beach, darkening and wetting the sand on the shoreline. In the distance, waves could be seen crashing against the ocean's otherwise calm surface, the sun sparkling off the liquid and creating twinkling ripples of light across the body of water.

Not far from the shoreline, Aiden and Michelle could be seen chasing after Pikachu and Vaporeon, laughingly wildly as the four of them ran through the water. They were deep enough in that the water came up to Aiden and Michelle's waists. Pikachu was riding on a small boogie board that Aiden had brought with them, using the board to paddle past the twins and ride atop the water. Vaporeon, on the other hand, needed nothing of the sort. She was able to glide through the water like a mermaid, swooping beneath the ocean before popping back up again, water glistening on her smooth blue skin. Sometimes, Vaporeon would swim up closer to the shoreline so she could stand on the sand, and her body would melt into nothing more than translucent water molecules, making it even harder for the twins to catch her.

Ash wasted no time charging into the water, letting out an almost feral yet playful yell as he ran towards his two older children. Aiden and Michelle both shrieked before they started to giggle, trying their best to run from Ash in the water. Michelle would jump out of the ocean, as high up as she could. She was trying to hop away from her father, squealing every time the cool liquid came back up and splashed her. Aiden, on the other hand, would try and swim away, dunking himself beneath the water before pulling himself back up, throwing his hair around and throwing droplets of water on his father's body and face.

Misty didn't go out as far as her husband and older children had. The waves could get strong out there, and while she never minded being knocked down by them, she didn't want to be taken down by a wave when she was holding Elizabeth. So, she went in just after the shoreline, deep enough where the water went up only to her ankles.

"Ready, sweetie?" Misty cooed. She held Elizabeth by the sides and bent down so she could dip the baby's bare feet into the ocean. Elizabeth squealed and kicked her legs up, splashing the water around. This made her laugh wildly, like it was the best thing she had ever experienced.

"Do you want to stand up in the water?" Misty asked.

"Mama…" Elizabeth tilted her head back and smiled at her mother.

Giggling, Misty lowered Elizabeth even further until her little feet hit the sand. Elizabeth gurgled curiously and curled her toes into the submerged sand, enjoying the feeling of it beneath her feet. Misty let go of Elizabeth's sides and instead held the baby's hands in her own, helping the baby to stand up. She couldn't really walk on her own yet, but she managed to walk if someone was holding onto her. The water came up to her waist, but Elizabeth was still able to walk through the water, laughing every time she felt the sand slide off of her feet.

"You are just _loving_ this, aren't you?" Misty laughed.

"Ma!" Elizabeth squealed, stopping in her tracks in order to bend over and try to stick her face into the water.

"Oh, no no," Misty scolded gently, once again grabbing the baby's sides and lifting her out of the ocean. "Don't go under water, sprinkle!"

"Wawa," Elizabeth tried to repeat. She obviously hadn't been upset about being pulled out of the water.

"You're very eager to start swimming, I think," Misty smirked. "But you're still too little! When you get bigger, Mama will teach you how to swim. And then you can go out further into the ocean, like Daddy and Aiden and Michelle!"

Misty pointed out towards her husband and older children. Elizabeth's eyes followed her mother's finger, watching her father chase after her older siblings as the two children dove in and out of the water in attempts to playfully escape from him.

"Dada," Elizabeth murmured.

"Yes, that's Dada!" Misty smiled. She looked up and watched on as Ash managed to grab hold of Michelle, spinning her around in a circle before dipping her back in the water, earning a shrill but happy cry from the girl. Aiden, meanwhile, jumped on Ash's back, gripping the man's broad shoulders with his fingers in an attempt to not slide off. It was hard, however, since they were both wet from the ocean, and eventually Aiden slipped off, landing with a splash in the water. Ash looked curiously behind himself and found Aiden's head popping back up from beneath the water, spitting out some of the salty liquid as he laughed at his own mistake.

"Well…" Misty looked down at the baby in her arms with a nervous smile, "maybe you'll play out there _just _a little more gently!"

* * *

><p><strong>This one didn't really have a plot, yeah. I just felt like writing some intense detail :P<strong>


	128. Uh Oh

**I tried updating the story without having uploaded this document. I am tired.**

**Michelle: 11 months old**

* * *

><p><strong>Uh Oh<strong>

"Uh oh."

Ash looked up from his breakfast and found Michelle to be staring down at the floor from her high chair. He leaned to the side and looked down in the same spot where Michelle had her eyes locked. What he found was her bottle, obviously having been knocked off of the tray of her high chair.

"Oh, baby girl," Ash chuckled softly, getting up from his chair and picking the bottle up, holding it in front of her. "You want your baba back?"

"Ya," Michelle babbled.

At this, Ash smiled and placed the bottle back on the tray, patting his daughter on the head before heading back to his own meal. Sitting down, he watched as Michelle picked the bottle up and stared at it, her eyes wide and sparkling. Chuckling to himself once again, Ash began to eat once again, putting all of his attention onto the full plate before him.

"Uh oh!"

Ash's head snapped up once again. This time, Michelle was staring at him, and not at the ground, although her bottle was once again missing from the tray.

"Michelle, where did your baba go?" Ash asked.

"Uh oh," Michelle repeated.

"Michelle…" Ash said it more slowly this time, "where's baba?"

"Dow," Michelle pointed at the floor.

Ash sighed. "Dow" was Michelle's way of saying "down," since she seemed to have trouble with the full word. Once again, he got up from his chair and retrieved the bottle. Before he put it back on the tray, however, he held it in front of Michelle and tapped the side of it, instructing his young daughter, "no more pushing baba, okay? Baba has to stay on the tray. Okay?"

Michelle nodded and giggled. Ash couldn't even be sure if the baby even understood him, but he had to assume that she did. Smiling gently, Ash placed the bottle back on the tray and once again headed back for his breakfast. This time, however, he didn't even get to sit down before he heard another ominous _thud. _

"Uh oh!"

Ash gripped the back of his chair and resisted the urge to slam his head against the table. He loved Michelle, of course he did. But that beautiful baby girl was _really _trying his patience.

"Michelle…" Ash made his voice a little sterner. He didn't want to be too tough, however, for fear of frightening the young child. "What did I say about baba?"

"Dow," Michelle squeaked.

"I said _no_ dow," Ash shook his head.

"No?" Michelle repeated.

"No," Ash confirmed.

Michelle simply blinked in response. It seemed that she didn't have anything else to say to her father. Pressing his lips together into a firm line, Ash walked over to the side of Michelle's high chair and knelt down, picking up the bottle for the third time in less than ten minutes and standing back up in order to give it to the baby.

"Michelle, _promise me_ not to make baba go uh oh again," Ash sighed.

"Baba," Michelle squeaked.

"Yes, keep baba in front of you," Ash squeezed his eyes shut before placing it on the tray for the third, and hopefully last, time.

Michelle picked the bottle up in her little hands and held it out in front of herself. It was clear, with a pink top and bottom and printed with little pink hearts above pairs of small green leaves, making the hearts appear like flowers. She tilted the bottle back and stuck the rubber spout in her mouth, drinking the milk right out of the bottle. Ash looked up at his daughter, and when he saw her drinking from the bottle, he smiled happily before continuing to eat his own breakfast.

Once he was no longer looking, Michelle took the bottle out of her mouth and gripped the side of the white tray before her, leaning over the side of her brown and pink high chair to stare at the floor below. With the hand that was still holding onto the bottle, Michelle moved that arm until it was dangling over the side and opened up her fingers, causing the bottle to go tumbling right down towards the wooden floor until it landed with another audible noise.

"Uh oh!" Michelle chirped.

Now another sound could be heard: Ash's fork being slammed against the kitchen table. He got up from his chair for the _fourth time _and marched over to Michelle's high chair, bending down to pick up the bottle. This time, however, he had no intentions of giving the bottle back to his daughter. She stared at him expectantly, but as soon as her father walked away and placed the bottle on the counter, Michele started to whimper and hold her hands out in front of her.

"No, Michelle, you were naughty," Ash shook his head at the upset child. "You kept throwing baba on the floor. Now you're not going to get it back."

"Baba!" Michelle cried, tears pooling in her bright green eyes.

"No," Ash refused. "No baba."

Michelle unleashed a harsh, loud wail and began to cry hysterically, kicking her legs in the high chair and smacking her little fists against the white tray. Ash tried not to be affected by the outburst, although admittedly her sobbing _did _make him upset. But he couldn't reward her if she kept acting up. Nope. Michelle would have to learn from her mistake and be punished.

Fortunately for him, or perhaps unfortunately, Michelle's wails had been loud enough to bring Misty downstairs, her eyes wide and frantic.

"Ash, why is Michelle howling like that?" Misty demanded.

"I took her bottle away," Ash replied simply.

"ASH!" Misty snapped. "Why the _hell _would you take her bottle away?!"

"Because she kept throwing it on the floor so I would get up and give it back to her!" Ash groaned. "She did it _four times, _Misty! I can't even eat!"

The gym leader sighed and walked over to her miserable daughter, lifting the baby out of her high chair and patting her white cardigan covered back. She toyed with the two layers of ruffles on the bottom before holding the baby over her shoulder and instead patting the bottom of her yellow and white leggings.

"Shh, it's okay, Michelle," Misty hushed. "Don't cry, baby girl."

Michelle calmed down quickly enough, although Ash wasn't any more pleased. He was still, in fact, pretty angry over the fact that his daughter had been messing around with him so much.

"Misty, what she was doing isn't okay," Ash seethed.

"Michelle doesn't know any better," Misty defended. "She's just a baby! All she was doing was pushing your buttons."

"Huh?" Ash seemed taken off guard by this.

"She's at the age where she likes to see how far she can push you," Misty explained. "It's not to be mean to you, or disobey you. She's curious. She loves you and wants to see how much you're willing to do for her. As soon as Michelle dropped the bottle and realized you would get up to give it back to her, she kept on doing it because she knew that would keep your attention!"

"So…Michelle just wants me to give her lots of attention?" Ash wanted to make sure he was getting this right.

"Yep, that's all," Misty giggled. With Michelle now relaxed, and now longer sobbing, Misty carried the baby over to Ash and handed her off to her father. "Now, I have to go wake Aiden up. You two play nice, now!"

As Misty padded back up the stairs, Ash stared into Michelle's eyes. She narrowed them slightly and pouted her lips, managing a half angry but very cute face. Chuckling, Ash buried his nose into the baby's hair and murmured, "You're the best, Michelle. Dada is sorry he got mad at you before."

"Dada," Michelle repeated.

"Yeah, me," Ash smiled, giving Michelle a hug.

"Baba?" Michelle asked, pointing around Ash's arm. He looked over his shoulder and saw the clear and pink bottle in the same spot he had left it. Grinning at the baby, he nodded and walked over to the counter, picking up the bottle and handing it off to the happy child.

"There you go, princess," Ash smirked. "You got your baba back!"

"Baba," Michelle giggled before drinking out of it.

Ash closed his eyes in bliss as he laughed. Michelle was definitely a sweet one! And before he could even open his eyes, a clattering sound reached his ears, and he didn't even _have_ to open his eyes to know what it was.

"Uh oh."

"Yes, Michelle," Ash sighed laughingly, bending down to retrieve the bottle once again. "Uh oh."


	129. Peek-a-Boo

**This one is pretty short, but it's just all fluff :)**

**Elizabeth: 7 months old**

* * *

><p><strong>Peek-a-Boo<strong>

"Where's Dada?"

"Dada?"

"Where did Dada go?"

"Dada?"

"Here he is!"

As soon as Ash moved his hands away from his face, his baby daughter shrieked and began to howl with laughter. Her whole face lit up, and her emerald eyes shimmered with pure excitement. Obviously, she had never seen anything like this before. She thought it was amazing.

"Ash, what are you doing?"

The Pokémon Master peered up and found his wife staring over him and their daughter from the stairs. She had her delicate fingers wrapped around the wooden bannister, leaning just slightly over it and watching with curious eyes.

"I'm playing peek-a-boo with Elizabeth," Ash smiled up at his wife. "She's _fascinated _with it! She really thinks I've disappeared or something when I cover my face!"

Misty raised an eyebrow and fully descended the stairs. She slowly walked over to their baby daughter, who was sitting up in her half circle pink and white floral pillow. Elizabeth looked up at her mother right away and giggled, earning a sweet and happy smile from the woman.

"You know, I've never understood that," Misty mused.

"Understood what?" Ash queried.

"I don't understand how babies think you've disappeared when you play peek-a-boo with them," Misty shook her head.

"They know about object prominence," Ash recited, leading Misty to shoot him a stunned look.

"Those are _big _words for you, Ash Ketchum."

"Thanks, babe," Ash chuckled, proudly puffing his chest out.

"I'll bite," Misty sighed, "what does that even mean, anyway?"

"It means the baby knows you're still here even if she can't see your face," Ash explained. "Even though Elizabeth still seems to think I've kind of gone away when I do that. But she's definitely learning!"

"Then why does she ask for you when you cover your face?" Misty pressed.

"It's all just part of the game for her," Ash shrugged. "She wants to see if I'm going to respond to her or not!"

"Mama?" Elizabeth asked, blinking her wide green eyes at her mother. Misty looked down at the child once again and smiled sweetly at her, reaching down to tickle the little one's stomach. Elizabeth squealed and kicked her legs up, holding her open palms over her shoulders.

"Aw, you're just the _cutest _thing!" Misty squealed, examining the baby in her light pink lace coveralls. "And that outfit is just the sweetest. Look at those puffy little sleeves! Who's so cute, huh?"

"Mama," Elizabeth babbled. That and "Dada" were the only two words she knew at the moment.

"No, it's you!" Misty giggled.

"Hey, Misty, why don't you play peek-a-boo with Elizabeth?" Ash inquired.

"I don't need to play peek-a-boo with my baby to make her happy," Misty smirked. "Lizzie is just happy when I tickle her!"

"Come on, try it just once!" Ash poked his wife in the side.

"Fine, just quit poking me," Misty sighed, shooing her husband's hand away. She glanced back down at the baby, who was still smiling up expectantly at her mother. Shrugging, Misty covered her face with her hands and cooed, "Lizzie, where did Mama go?"

Elizabeth's smile instantly faded into a bewildered frown. "Mama?"

Misty pulled a face of surprise behind her hands. It certainly seemed Ash had been right. It was like she had completely disappeared as far as Elizabeth was concerned!

"Lizzie…" Misty trilled, "Where's Mama?"

"Mama?"

Gasping, Misty pulled her hands away from her face and crooned, "Here's Mama!"

Right away, the smile reappeared on Elizabeth's face. She let out a shrieking laugh before waving her hands in the air, much to Misty's delight.

"See?" Ash chuckled. "Elizabeth _loves _peek-a-boo! It's the best!"

"I didn't know if Lizzie would like peek-a-boo," Misty smirked. "Michelle used to cry when you played it with her, because she would think you had disappeared. And Aiden just didn't care."

"Nah, Lizzie is a big fan," Ash replied. "She goes crazy for it every single time!"

Cooing, Elizabeth covered her hands with her eyes and let out a small giggle. This caught the attention of both Ash and Misty, who were soon looking down at their daughter. They were confused as to why she had her eyes covered, but when Elizabeth removed her tiny hands from her eyes and grinned, they both understood what she was trying to do, and they decided to oblige whole heartedly.

"Peek-a-boo!" Ash cooed, causing Elizabeth to shriek in pure joy.

She was soon covering her eyes again, and this time, once she uncovered them, it was Misty who gasped and shouted, "peek-a-boo!"

Elizabeth giggled and stuck a small fist in her mouth, drooling on her hand as she beamed up at her mother.

"It doesn't take much, does it?" Ash asked amusedly.

"It certainly doesn't," Misty shook her head. "She definitely _is_ your daughter, Ashy!"

"Hey!"


	130. Dinner Dates

**I haven't really caused Scott any grief in a little while. Let's do that now :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Dinner Dates<strong>

Ash was _freaking _out.

He, Scott, and Misty were all supposed to go out for dinner that night to discuss Ash's latest engagements. Misty, as always, wasn't looking forward to it. Ash wasn't either, but he got in trouble for complaining, so he didn't do that anymore.

Not to Scott, anyway.

But the problem came in now with Aiden and Michelle. There was no one around to watch them, since his and Misty's parents were both away. It had originally been Brock's job to babysit, but he'd been called away urgently at the clinic, and couldn't get to Cerulean City.

Ash knew there was no getting out of dinner with his stingy manager, so the only choice he saw was to…

"We're _not _bringing Aiden and Michelle with us to your business dinner!"

"Well, they sure as hell can't stay here alone," Ash reasoned with his wide eyed wife. "They're only four years old!"

"I'm well aware of that…" Misty groaned. "But you know how mad Scott is going to be."

"I don't really have time to care about his feelings," Ash sighed. "Dinner is in forty five minutes. You and I both know we'll be in a lot of trouble if we're late."

"But we'll be in just as much trouble if we bring the twins with us!" Misty cried.

"Then I guess its pick your poison," Ash's voice was flat.

Misty scowled, but knew she had no right to take her anger out on Ash. It wasn't his fault, and for once in his life, he _did _have a very good point. Scott would be displeased whether they came late _or _brought their children, so she supposed she wouldn't win either way. Now, however, instead of only having to get _herself _ready, she would also be responsible for preparing the two young children. This was a fancy restaurant, after all. They were going to have to be dressed up and well groomed.

Seemingly reading his wife's mind, Ash patted her shoulder reassuringly and soothed, "I'll help you with the twins."

At this, Misty smiled. She was always amazed that, despite his everlasting density, Ash was able to tell just what she was feeling and help her out.

He was really an amazing husband.

**XXX**

"Well…that only took thirty minutes longer than I was expecting!"

Misty once again scowled at her husband. This time, it was for good reason. He had said something stupid that she didn't appreciate.

Michelle had been outfitted in a princess seamed, sleeveless dress printed with blue and pink flowers and a pink flower at the right side of her waist. White leather sandals with a flower on the top of each shoe graced her small feet, while a white headband adorned with a chiffon flower pulled back her ginger locks.

Aiden, on the other hand, had been reluctantly dressed in a French blue woven dress shirt paired with khaki colored chinos and a plaid belt through the loop holes. His brown and chalk blue saddle shoes were Aiden's least favorite part of the outfit, although having his hair tamed was a _very_ close second.

"They look good, though," Ash murmured, nodding to himself as he pushed up the sleeves of his dark gray sports coat.

"It'll work for tonight," Misty sighed. She had turned her attention away from Ash and the two disgruntled children in order to fix her dangling, black diamond earrings. For her own outfit, Misty had chosen a sleeveless, fit and flare dress with an abstract flower print and solid black trim lining the bodice, as well as the flirty cutouts on the dress' front and back. Ash particularly liked the slit going up her chest, with just a strip of black material connecting the two sides, but that was neither here or there. He knew he couldn't bring it up right now because Misty would surely backhand him.

Once Misty had her earrings secure, she stood back up to her full height and turned around, placing her hands on her hips as she stared down at her two young children. "You two promise you're going to behave at the restaurant, right?"

"Yeah," Aiden and Michelle both murmured, neither one sounding overly enthusiastic. It was enough for Misty, however.

"Good, because Mommy can only deal with so much extra torment when Scott is around," Misty breathed, running a hand through her blown out red hair.

**XXX**

Just as Ash had predicted, when Scott saw the twins, a vein nearly popped out of his forehead.

"Ash, Misty…why are Aiden and Michelle here?" Scott asked slowly.

"Because we had no one to watch them," Ash sighed. "I know it's not perfect, but…we told them to behave."

"Yes, because they always listen to everything you say," Scott groaned, burying his face in his hands.

"Scott, if you're gonna' be such a big baby about this, I'll allow the children to act however they want," Misty warned her husband's manager in a stern, very motherly tone.

"Fine," Scott sighed, lowering his arms to his sides. "I suppose we don't have a choice. But they're your responsibility."

"Of course they are, I didn't see _you _giving birth to them," Misty bit as she rolled her eyes.

Just then, a hostess arrived to bring the party over to their table. As they followed after her, Aiden reached up and tugged at the bottom of his mother's dress, catching her attention right away. "What is it, sweetie?"

"Do they have nuggets?" Aiden asked.

Misty frowned. This was one of the finest restaurants in all of Cerulean. She actually wasn't so sure they would have Aiden's meal of choice. And although the twins weren't necessarily picky eaters, when they wanted a specific meal, they were very adamant about obtaining it.

"I'm not sure, baby," Misty replied honestly. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

Seemingly content enough with this answer, at least for the time being, Aiden showed off a small smile and tried to walk in time with his mother's clacking black heels. At this, Misty smirked and giggled softly, finding her son's playful innocence to be the most precious thing in the entire world.

Eventually, the hostess had led them to their table: a round booth with red velvet cushions and a pure white table cloth draped over the table. Each place setting was marked by a neatly folded red napkin, the small collections of silver utensils tucked away inside of each cloth napkin. Because the booth was up on a high wooden ledge, Ash made it his job to lift the twins up and place each child on the seat. He and then Scott filed in on the left side, so the manager wouldn't have to sit next to his client's young children. Misty, on the other hand, slid into the right side, so Aiden and Michelle would be seated between her and Ash.

Once everyone was seated, the hostess handed the three adults their menus, and Aiden and Michelle their small children's menus with one small box of crayons each. This was certainly enough to keep the children distracted for the time being, much to Ash and Misty's relief.

"Your waitress will be right with you," the hostess smiled at the members of the round table. "Enjoy your meal!"

The three adults gave her a quiet "thank you" as she left. Once she was gone, Ash immediately flipped open his menu and buried his nose in it, pretending that the list of options was the most fascinating thing he had ever seen and he couldn't tear his eyes away from it.

"I know what you're doing, Ash," Scott sighed, "and you're not going to get away with it."

"Away with what?" Ash murmured.

"You do this every single time we go out to discuss your agenda," Scott continued. "You stick your head in a menu and pretend you can't hear a thing I'm saying."

"No I don't…" Ash argued lamely.

"You do, Ash," Misty giggled.

"Fine," Ash sighed, placing his menu down on the table. It was still open, however, which led a curious Aiden to sit up on his knees and attempt to draw in the leather bound bi-fold with his red crayon. Luckily, Ash managed to catch the boy out of the corner of his eye and gently push the child back down onto his bottom, redirecting him to his own, paper menu made specifically for coloring.

"Now, you've got a busy few weeks ahead of you," Scott began, pulling out his poke gear and scrolling through the calendar on it. "This Friday you have the beginning of the three day tournament in Celadon City, and you're participating in the opening ceremony's exhibition match. No word on your opponent yet. Then on Monday you have your appearance on that morning radio show out of Pewter City. Tuesday-"

"Mommy, there's no nuggets!"

Scott's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. From next to Ash, Aiden was visibly panicking, holding the children's menu over his head while staring at it with angry eyes.

"Shh, Aiden…" Misty warned. Her son's whine, after all, had been rather loud.

"Mommy, I want nuggets!" Aiden complained, slamming his menu down on the table. Ash hid his eyes behind his palm, while Scott shot Misty a warning glance.

"Sweetie, you can have nuggets tomorrow, okay?" Misty sighed, leaning over to study the food choices for the children. She was slightly amused by the fact that Aiden couldn't read yet but seemed to know what the word "nuggets" looked like. Just in case, the gym leader gave the menu a once over, but it turned out that he had been right. There were no nuggets on the menu. "Mommy can help you pick out something else to eat."

"I want nuggets _now!_" Aiden's voice started to rise again.

"Aiden, there are no nuggets here, so you can't have them," Misty used a more stern tone with the boy. "Pick out something else."

"I don't want nothing else!" Aiden kicked the front of the booth's bench, the pounding of his shoes against the wood making a loud noise.

"Stop kicking your seat and look," Misty placed a hand on the boy's knee and pointed at the menu. "We'll find something, okay?"

Aiden finally relaxed, much to Scott and Ash's relief. He still didn't look happy, however. Eventually, Misty persuaded Aiden to get spaghetti for dinner, which solved _one_ crisis at the dinner table.

"Good," Scott sighed, "now that we've got that under control…may I continue?"

"Go right ahead," Misty sighed, leaning back in her seat.

It was at that time that the waitress came; pouring everyone a glass of water before asking what else they would like to drink. Misty asked the woman for cranberry juice for both Aiden and Michelle, and a soda for herself. Ash was surprised his wife hadn't gotten wine like she always did when they went out with Scott.

"Yes, we're going to have the house wine," Scott motioned to himself and Ash, who nodded happily.

"No, you two are _not _having wine," Misty cut in sternly.

"What do you mean we're not having wine?" Ash furrowed his brow.

"I don't want you two drinking in front of the twins," Misty shook her head.

"Mist, calm down, I'm not letting them drink any of it…" Ash sighed.

"I don't care," Misty was obviously not budging on the subject. "You and Scott can go one night without wine."

After ordering a soda instead, Ash turned his head back onto Misty and quipped, "Should I ask for a kids' menu for myself, too?"

"Oh, be quiet," Misty scolded.

Everything continued to go well up until the waitress returned with their drinks and asked for their dinner orders. The group put them in and the waitress walked away, leaving behind a happy Aiden and Michelle to drink their newly arrived cranberry juice. Now that they had those, however, they no longer found any need for their water.

So they decided instead to experiment with it.

Aiden took the pepper shaker, while Michelle grabbed hold of the salt. They both began to pour the seasonings into the glass, trying not to laugh too loudly for fear of their parents catching them. Ash and Misty, at the moment, were too busy listening to Scott prattle on about Ash's schedule. Getting bored with the salt, Michelle put down the glass shaker and ripped off a piece of bread, dropping it into the water and watching the bit float atop the liquid, slowly absorbing the water and sinking down deeper.

"Hey, Shelly, what if I put a crayon in it?" Aiden asked his twin.

"Yeah!" Michelle squealed, her eyes lighting up at the very idea.

Aiden pinched a yellow crayon between his fingers and dangled it over the glass. Before he could drop it in, however, Misty managed to reach across the table and snatch the crayon out of his hand.

"Hey!" Aiden whined.

"Stop it, you two," Misty chastised the children, pulling the glass of water away from them. "That was for drinking, _not _experimenting."

Aiden huffed, while Michelle simply frowned.

After what felt like an eternity for the three adults at the table due to the children's antics, the food finally came. The twins had both gotten spaghetti, which was good for Ash and Misty since they didn't have to cut any food. What was _not _good for them, however, was how playable spaghetti was.

Ash and Misty were still busy listening to Scott talk when Aiden decided it would be a fun idea to pull out strands of his pasta and drape them over his face in order to entertain his sister. Michelle definitely got a kick out of it, giggling and picking out her own pasta to put on Aiden's face. It was only when Ash was leaning down to cut the steak in front of him that he noticed his children using their spaghetti noodles as playthings, and not sustenance.

"Mist…" Ash murmured.

"What?" Misty sighed exasperatedly. Ash motioned his head towards the twins, and as soon as Misty looked down and saw the two children seated between them playing with their food, she nearly slammed her head against the table in defeat. "Stop it, you two!"

As quickly and neatly as she could, Misty plucked the spaghetti off of Aiden's face, groaning when she realized the giggly young boy now had sauce _all _over his little face.

"At least none of it got on your shirt," Misty muttered, sacrificing her napkin to clean up Aiden's dirtied face.

Scott just watched the scene in pure shock, not being able to even remotely _fathom _how children could possibly be so messy. Fortunately, the rest of dinner went off without any other complications, although what had already transpired had definitely been more than enough for one evening.

As the group prepared to leave, Michelle looked up at her father and squeaked, "This was fun, Daddy! Let's do it again!"

"No!" Scott immediately protested, causing the four year old girl to smirk mischievously. She really did like pushing that silly man's buttons.


	131. Nightmare

**I hate snow SO DAMN MUCH. Make it stoooop. These snow storms are making me want to jump off of a roof or something. Snow is gross at this point.**

**Mini rant over :P**

**Michelle: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Nightmare<strong>

_Ash awoke in a dark, cold cave, lying face down on the ground. It wasn't a pleasant feeling; it was a damp dirt surface that was very compacted and hard. Small bits of rock were digging into his skin, leaving behind small twinges of pain that were enough to make Ash wince. Grunting, he pushed his hands against the ground and managed to push his body up, although he found that very hard to do. As soon as he was up on his knees, pieces of gravel fell off of his body, landing on the cold, hard ground around his body. His eyes were tired, and his eyelids felt heavy. Now that he was sitting up, Ash could feel patches of dried dirt covering his arms and face. It was a gross, unpleasant feeling. Desperately, he looked around for Pikachu, trying to fight the overwhelming feeling that something bad had happened to the little yellow mouse. He was nowhere to be seen, however. Ash tried to call the Pokémon's name, but discovered that he could not find his voice. Try as he may, Ash could not get a single sound out of his throat. It was easily one of the most frustrating things he'd ever dealt with._

"_Daddy…"_

_That small voice caused Ash's heart to shoot all the way into his throat. He quickly turned around, and found Michelle to be huddled up by the wall. The little girl looked so pitiful and worn down. She was in an even worse state than her father. Her body and face were also covered in dry dirt, but that same muck was also clumped into her normally bright red hair, which was now matted and tangled. Her clothes were ripped and she was visibly shaking. She looked cold and scared. The little girl's emerald eyes were unusually dull, so much so that they looked nearly black, especially in the darkness of the mysterious cave. _

_Still being unable to speak, Ash crawled towards the girl and threw her a comforting look, hoping that would calm her down. It did seem to, as the child's face visibly relaxed and she stopped shaking. This caused Ash to smile. He was happy that he was able to help his daughter without even talking._

_But as soon as Ash came within a close enough distance of Michelle, the cold ground beneath her began to break apart. It started with a small crack by her feet, which went unnoticed by either Ash or Michelle. But soon that crack grew, and it branched off into even longer cracks. _That's _when Ash noticed the ground coming apart. Fearing for Michelle's safety, he reached out to grab the girl, but as soon as his arms flung forward, the ground beneath her gave out completely._

_Michelle shrieked as she fell into darkness, slipping right out of Ash's grasp. His eyes widening, Ash jumped into the endless hole, not even thinking before taking that action. He watched in horror as Michelle fell away from him more quickly, soon creating a large enough distance where he couldn't reach her at all._

_Ash tried his hardest to push himself forward, to get closer to Michelle and grab her. He finally did get within several inches of the terrified child and threw a hand out, his last attempt at saving her. She reached out with her own small hand, and Ash managed to grab it. With the darkness surrounding them, however, Ash was unable to see a misplaced branch sticking out from who knows where, and he slammed into it on his stomach. The brunt force of the impact caused his hand to involuntarily open, and Michelle ended up slipping out of his grasp with a final, heart piercing cry of, "DADDY!"_

"_MICHELLE!" Ash finally found his voice, screaming at the top of his lungs as he threw himself over the branch. He was soon free falling again, still screaming Michelle's name as his body soared through the air. But it was too late. Michelle had fallen too far for him to see. Ash had failed. _

_But he kept screaming Michelle's name, over and over and over again, hoping that somehow she'd be able to hear him. He needed her to…he needed his baby to fight…_

"_MICHELLE! MICHELLE!"_

"AH!"

The man snapped up in his bed, eyes wide and breathing erratic as sweat rolled down the back of his neck. From beside him, another figure stirred and sat up, staring at the startled man with a look of concern.

"Ash…are you alright?"

The Pokémon Master was still panting, practically wilting over as he tried to regain his breath. He felt like he had just taken a long run in the middle of July without any water. Frowning, the woman next to him leaned over and began to rub the man's back, whispering quiet, soothing words to him. Finally, his breathing calmed down and his eyes managed to close, although the sweat was still clambering down his skin.

"What happened?" She whispered, her breath ghosting into his ear.

"I just…had a bad dream, that's all," Ash sighed, rubbing at his eyes with the heels of his palms.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Misty asked.

Ash said nothing in response, but only shook his head. Removing his hands from his eyes, Ash began to look around the room, allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkness of the night. It wasn't as dark as the cave in his dream, but it was still enough to send his heart racing. Looking over his shoulder, Ash glanced at his pillow and gasped when he realized there was nothing there.

Whipping his head back around, Ash stared at the end of the bed. Nothing. There was nothing there.

"Ash?" Misty questioned softly.

"Pikachu…" Ash murmured, "WH-where's Pikachu?"

"I don't know…"

"H-he came to bed with us," Ash muttered.

"I know that, but-"

Ash jumped out of bed and ran straight out of the room. Misty furrowed her brow in confusion, but decided it might not be the best idea to follow after him. Ash tended to have a lot of nightmares, but he never wanted to talk about them. Misty desperately wanted to know what they were about, and where they stemmed from, but she didn't want to upset Ash any further. Every time he woke up from one of those brooding nightmares, he was always startled and frustrated and sometimes even angry. Misty knew that when her husband got like that, it was usually better to leave him alone and let him figure everything out by himself. If it became too serious, though, Misty would help the young man. She'd do anything, in fact.

Outside in the hallway, Ash was looking into every room, behind every door, and in every corner. He was completely frantic. The Pokémon Master _knew_ his partner had to be around there somewhere. He couldn't have gotten that far! But he couldn't yell for the little mouse, because it would wake up the twins.

Finally, Ash reached Michelle's room, and he began to feel his heart slowly inch up into his throat again. The vivid memories of the nightmare were crawling back into his head, and that was something Ash didn't want. Biting his lip, the man opened up the white door and set his eyes on the white wooden framed bed in the far corner of the room.

Sleeping in the bed was Michelle, her eyes closed and body slowly moving up and down with her gentle breaths. Most of her was hidden beneath her aqua blue comforter, printed with white petaled flowers that contained pink, green, orange, and yellow centers, but she had one arm on top of the comforter, rather than beneath it. This small, slender arm was wrapped around a familiar, fuzzy yellow creature, who had his long ears down by his head as he slept away peacefully, just like the girl who was holding onto him.

"Michelle…Pikachu…" Ash whispered to no one but himself.

He walked slowly into the room, as if he was being drawn in by a magnet. Being as quiet as he possibly could, Ash knelt down beside the girl's bed and gently brushed his fingers against her smooth cheek. Michelle sighed contently in her sleep and snuggled the other side of her head deeper into her yellow pillow, the corners of her lips bending up slightly to form a small but distinct enough smile.

Ash smiled too, but his was more melancholy. He had suffered from nightmares quite frequently, ever since he was a child. When Ash was young, most of them had to do with the absence of his father in his life. Once Ash started his journey, those bad dreams had ended, for the most part. He would still have a few every once in a while, but he tried not to bother anyone with them. Those were mostly about Pikachu, and losing him. After he began to date Misty, the nightmares had increased in their severity. He'd had many where he would lose Misty due to some horrifying circumstance, and those always scared him far more than any nightmare he'd ever had about his absentee father.

But the ones with Michelle were always the worst.

They had started after her birth, when she was sickly and Ash had so feared losing her. The nightmares that centered around Michelle never failed to wake Ash up, and usually in a very bad panic. Truth be told, he had never let Misty know what those nightmares were about. He didn't want to scare her, because they both knew Michelle was fine now. Ash knew it, but his subconscious apparently didn't.

He had once told his mother about these dreams, only because he didn't understand why they always happened and why they were always so terrifying. Delia, although she had advised Ash she was not the most knowledgeable person on nightmares and sleep patterns but could only make an inference because he was her son, had guessed that the reason Ash had these nightmares because he was such a kind and caring person, and that the thought of losing or harming the people he loved and mattered most to him was traumatizing enough to cause such drastic bad dreams. Of course he would never outwardly think of losing Misty or Michelle, but those were two of his biggest fears, and they were stuck in the back of his mind. So, when he fell asleep and could no longer control what he was thinking, those fears could sometimes have a habit of sneaking up on him and coming out through his dreams.

It was a scary thought, but Ash knew it made sense. Basically, he just worried too much.

"I just get nervous sometimes, that's all," Ash whispered, resting the side of his head on Michelle's bed so he could stare at both her and Pikachu. "I love you all so much. I don't want anything to happen to you."

In her sleep, Michelle frowned. Ash furrowed his brow. He wondered now if Michelle was having a bad dream. It was entirely possible.

Picking his head off the bed, Ash instead chose to crawl onto it and inch his way over to the end of the bed that was against the wall. Lying down on his side, Ash pulled Michelle into his body and hugged her tightly, resting a hand on top of Pikachu's soft yellow fur. He buried his nose into her hair and held her close, listening to the sounds of her soft, gentle breathing.

"I know you're okay," Ash murmured, resting his own head on Michelle's pillow now as he closed his eyes. "But that doesn't mean I want to leave you."


	132. Babysitting: Gary

**Another babysitting chapter! This one with another suggested character: Gary!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 4 years old**

**Sam: 5 years old (he's older by 11 months)**

* * *

><p><strong>Babysitting: Gary<strong>

"So, when they write my book, what do you like for the title? _Gary Oak: Researching Genius _or _Man, Myth, Legend: The Gary Oak Story_?"

Misty had no response for Gary, unless her extremely unimpressed look counted as a response.

"They _are_ going to write a book about me, you know," Gary informed the woman.

"Oh, I'm _sure,_" Misty drawled sarcastically.

"For a water type specialist, you've got a lot of fire running through your veins," Gary mused. "It's interesting. Has anyone ever told you that? Maybe you're training the wrong kind of Pokémon."

"Only you, Gary. Only you."

"Fair enough," Gary sighed, leaning back in his brown leather recliner. "Say, where did Ashy Boy go? He gave me no inclination as to where he was running off to."

"He went to go pry Aiden out of the car," Misty replied helpfully. "Our son wasn't exactly excited to be coming over here…I can't lie to you."

"Not surprised," Gary chuckled. "He and Sam are quite the handful when they're together."

"Do you really think you and Kayla can handle this?" Misty questioned. "I was pretty surprised when you both offered to babysit. You know how Aiden and Sam are."

"Those boys need to spend more time together," Gary countered. "What better place for them to do that then under mine and Kayla's watch?"

"That's true," Misty agreed, "I don't think it's a very good idea to leave those two alone."

"NO!"

"Ow! Aiden, stop kicking me!"

"I DON'T WANNA GO!"

"You'll have fun!"

"NO!"

Misty and Gary, who had started staring at the doorway as soon as those loud and angry cries reached their ears, were less than surprised when Ash emerged, holding onto a kicking and screaming Aiden. Already, the boy was red in the face and extremely frantic. Michelle, who was far more calm than her twin, managed to slip past her father's leg and run over to her mother, staring up at the slightly amused woman.

"What's going on over there, seashell?" Misty whimsically asked her little daughter.

"Aiden's bein' bad," Michelle replied.

"Of course he is," Misty sighed, shaking her head.

Aiden was struggling so much in his father's hold that he was now practically upside down in Ash's arms. His face was turning red from all of the blood rushing into his head, which instantly caused Misty to worry like the overprotective mother she was.

"Ash, put him down," Misty scolded. "He'll get dizzy!"

"With pleasure," Ash grunted as Aiden's sneaker covered foot nearly came in contact with his cheek. The Pokémon Master managed to flip the boy over and put him down on his feet, watching as the disgruntled boy ran to his mother and grabbed a hold of her leg.

"Mommy, take me home!" Aiden whined.

"I can't, sweetheart," Misty sighed. "You know Daddy and I have something to do."

"But I don't _wanna _play with Sam!"

"That isn't nice, Aiden," Misty warned.

"I don't care," Aiden muttered.

"Come on, you'll have fun here, little guy!" Gary tried to encourage the boy with a warm tone. "I've got all sorts of fun stuff for us to do!"

"Swimming?" Michelle suggested.

"Uh…don't have that," Gary admitted, causing Ash to sweat drop.

"Mist, we gotta' go, otherwise you and I will be late for the function," Ash advised.

"Alright, I'm coming," Misty grumbled, not looking forward to spending the afternoon surrounded by the higher ups of the Pokémon League. "Now, you two, I need you to both behave for Gary and Kayla. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes, Mommy," they chimed simultaneously.

"And Aiden, can you get along with Sam?" Misty inquired.

"I dunno…" Aiden mumbled.

"Aiden…" Misty cautioned.

"Fine," Aiden grumbled, crossing his little fingers behind his back.

"Thank you," Misty sighed in exasperation. She waved the twins goodbye and followed Ash out the doorway, who had bid the children his own farewell after Misty's little pleads to them.

"Alright, you two," Gary sighed as he pulled himself out of his chair, "let's go see what Kayla and Sam are up to!"

Michelle was all for it, but Aiden didn't seem to be in any rush to move. As his sister and Gary started to leave the room, little Aiden just stood in the same exact spot, pouting and crossing his arms against his chest. When Gary realized the young boy wasn't following him, however, he stopped in his tracks before backtracking to where Aiden hadn't budged from.

"You're not easy to work with, are you?" Gary asked the boy.

"No," Aiden replied simply.

"Come on, Aiden," Gary tried to coax the boy, "I'll make sure Sam doesn't tease ya', alright? If he does, I'll punish him."

This made Aiden smile. Just the _thought _of his rival being in trouble was enough to bring a sense of joy to the child. So, with that declared, the little raven haired boy had no problem following after the Pokémon researcher who had been placed in charge of him and his sister.

Gary led the two children into the kitchen, where Sam was sitting at the table coloring in a book and Kayla was standing at the sink, washing some dishes.

"Hi, honey," Gary greeted the woman, causing her to turn around and smile.

"Hello, sweetheart!" Kayla giggled, turning off the water and drying her hands on a nearby dish towel before smiling down at Aiden and Michelle. "And good morning to you two! It's so good to see you!"

Sam perked his ears in interest at this and peered down from the table, smirking as soon as he set his dark blue eyes on Michelle. Sliding off the chair, he stepped in front of the girl and took her hand into his, causing Michelle to grimace in displeasure.

"Michelle!" Sam squeaked.

Michelle said nothing in response, but just shot the boy a wary look that made her look even more like Misty than usual.

"Hey, don't touch my sister!" Aiden gasped, yanking Michelle's hand away from his rival's.

"You can't tell me what to do!" Sam yelled back.

The two boys argued relentlessly, with Michelle standing in the middle, her green eyes switching back and forth as they retaliated.

"Alright, let's break it up," Gary sighed, pulling the boys away from one another.

"And Sam, don't scare Michelle like that," Kayla warned as she knelt before the girl and brushed her bright red hair out of her face. "Ash won't be pleased to find out you're flirting with his daughter…"

Sam's entire face turned red, while Aiden began to laugh at the brown haired boy.

"I'm sorry, Michelle," Kayla cooed, still fawning over the girl. "Did Sam scare you?"

"No," Michelle giggled. She wasn't afraid of Sam. He was just a harmless, strange little boy.

"Good, I'm glad!" Kayla trilled. "I'm not used to having a little girl around the house, you know. We should play with make up!"

Michelle twisted her mouth. She didn't like make up or girly things. But she felt bad telling Kayla that. Right before Michelle was going to utter some kind of excuse, the sound of ringing filled the air, catching Kayla's attention and pulling her away from the young girl, who silently cheered to herself by pumping a fist in front of herself.

"Well, it seems like your mother's got a hold on Michelle," Gary informed Sam, who looked bored with the notion. "Guess it'll be my job to hang out with you guys!"

"Can we throw Aiden in the pool?" Sam suggested.

"Why you-"Aiden snarled, lunging at the boy before Gary caught the child in his hands.

"Oh…do I have to? I'm a little busy right now…"

Gary, who was still holding back Aiden, looked up at his wife with curious black eyes. She had her back to him, holding her pearly pink cell phone against her ear and one perfectly dainty and manicured hand pressed against the silver-blue marble countertop.

"Well, alright. If you really need me to…I'll be there in ten minutes."

She pressed the end button on her phone and sighed, turning around and giving Gary a sad look, which concerned him to an extent.

"Is everything okay, sweetheart?" Gary questioned.

"Nothing is _wrong, _I suppose," Kayla sighed, "but George just called and wants me to go in. One of the other models called in sick, and now they're one person short for the photo shoot."

Gary's eyes widened in horror. "B-but…I thought we were babysitting!"

"I know, dear, and I'm so sorry!" Kayla stressed, resting her arms over Gary's shoulders. "But you can watch the three of them on your own, can't you?"

Grimacing, Gary stared his wife in her light blue eyes and replied, "There's a reason we don't have more than one kid of our own, you know."

"Gary, Aiden and Michelle are good children," Kayla giggled. "And you're used to Sam's antics! I have faith in you, darling."

Gary grunted but said nothing else, instead simply choosing to glance over his shoulder at the three young children standing behind him and staring up at the two adults with curious looks. Feeling that the matter was settled, Kayla walked around her husband, tucking some light brown hair behind her ear as she leaned down and murmured, "Okay, guys, I have to go to work now! But don't worry, I'll be back in a little while. Until then, you all have fun with Gary, okay? And Sam, be good for your father, alright?"

The three children nodded vigorously, causing Kayla to beam at the trio. "Great! I'll see you all later!"

Once she was gone, and the sound of the door clicking closed could be heard, Sam grinned his most mischievous grin and once again grabbed Michelle's hand, pulling the startled little girl into the living room.

"Sam, get back here!" Gary yelled, chasing after his son.

Sam was a very quick boy, however, even when he was pulling along another kid with him. This time, Michelle was more vocal about her capture, shouting at Sam to stop as he dragged her through the living room. Growling, the girl finally planted her heels into the floor, causing Sam to go flying forward and nearly land head first into the brown leather couch. This made Michelle feel bad…for about two seconds.

"Oh, good, you stopped him," Gary sighed, appearing behind Michelle who had looked up in interest. Aiden had followed the Pokémon Researcher, solely because he wanted to see if his sister would do anything to his brat of a rival. Much to Aiden's delight, she had.

"Yeah, Shelly!" Aiden chuckled, running up to his sister and giving her a rare hug.

"Sam, what did we tell you about flirting with Michelle?" Gary scolded. "She doesn't like it!"

Sitting up and rubbing the sore spot on his head, Sam winced and replied, "She does!"

"Nuh uh," Michelle refuted.

"See, she doesn't," Gary sighed.

Getting back to his feet, Sam folded his arms across his chest and complained, "I'm bored."

"Me too," Aiden piped up.

"At least you two are agreeing for once," Gary groaned. "What are we supposed to do?"

"Reading?" Michelle suggested.

"No!" Aiden and Sam groaned simultaneously.

"Two for two!" Gary chuckled.

Huffing, Michelle looked away from the two and muttered, "Dumb boys."

"I know!" Sam suddenly shouted, raising his arm in the air as he jumped up and down. "I know I know I know I-"

"Ugh, Sam, what?!" Gary groaned dramatically, covering his ears.

"Pokémon battle!" Sam cheered.

"You guys can't have Pokémon battles," Gary scoffed. "You three are too young to have Pokémon of your own!"

"_You_ have Pokémon," Sam pointed out.

Gary shook his head and chuckled, "Sam, you can't use _my_ Pokémon! They're all very powerful and they only listen to me, and-"

"_My_ Daddy's Pokémon listen to me," Aiden chuckled, smirking at an irritated Sam.

"What do you mean Ash's Pokémon listen to you?" Gary grumbled, looking down at the young boy.

"Yeah!" Aiden laughed. "I use them all the time!"

Gary glanced at Michelle, to see if she was making out her brother to be a liar. There was no indication of this, however. Not even a tell-tale smirk on her face.

"Michelle, is that true?" Gary questioned self-consciously.

"Yep!" Michelle chirped.

Huffing, Gary placed his hands on his hips and muttered, "Ashy Boy's Pokémon listen to his kids, huh? Well then…" Clearing his throat and making his voice louder and more clear, Gary announced, "alright, kids, let's go outside and battle!"

"YES!" Aiden and Sam cheered, running to the back door all while trying to push one another out of the way. Michelle, at the same time, stared up at Gary with wide, disbelieving eyes, to which he solemnly replied, "I know. Don't give me that look."

**XXX**

Before Gary could even take out his poke balls to give to the children, Sam had jumped up and snatched one specific one off of his father's belt.

"Hey! Sam!" Gary cried, trying to retrieve the red and white sphere.

"This one is mine!" Sam yelled as he ran off, holding the ball high up in the air. He whipped around and grinned deviously at Aiden, who growled in response. "I wanna' kick Aiden's butt. And I will with _this _Pokémon!"

"Oh yeah?" Aiden bit. He stared up at Gary, waiting for the man to give him his own poke ball. Sighing, Gary plucked off the middle ball and handed it off to the little raven haired boy, who grinned in excitement.

"Now, you two be careful with them, alright?" Gary requested anxiously.

"Yeah!" Aiden giggled before tossing his poke ball. "Come out!"

Blue light shot out of the ball and rained down before Aiden, eventually forming the large, hulking shape of one of Gary's oldest and closest Pokémon. As soon as the Pokémon was fully revealed, with the bright blue light fully disappeared, Aiden gasped in shock as his eyes started to sparkle.

"Uh oh," Michelle squeaked, glancing up at a now confused Gary.

"What?" Gary questioned.

"You created a _monster,_" Michelle chirped cutely, causing Gary's heart to race.

"BLASTOISE!" Aiden screamed, running forward and hugging the brown shell of the large water type. "YES, YES, YES!"

"That's Aiden's favorite Pokémon!" Michelle smiled as she pointed at the fully evolved form of Squirtle and stared up at Gary.

"And if he's anything like Ash…which he _is_," Gary groaned, "then I really _have _created a monster."

"Blastoise? Ha!" Sam laughed maniacally, throwing his own poke ball. "My Pokémon is better!"

Before the brunet boy materialized a black Pokémon with golden bands on its ears and tail, and a pair of narrowed, scarlet red eyes.

"Oooh, that's an Umbreon!" Michelle marveled.

"Umbreon and I are like your Dad and his Pikachu," Gary informed the young girl. "So I'm not surprised that Sam chose Umbreon to battle with!"

"This is gonna' be easy," Sam scoffed. "Okay, Umbreon! Use shadow ball!"

The moonlight Pokémon looked over his shoulder and incredulously narrowed his eyes at Sam before sitting down and flicking his long ears.

"Huh?" Sam gasped. "Hey, Umbreon! I _said _shadow ball!"

The eeveeloution started to lick his paw and use it to clean off the fur on his face, quietly purring as he did so.

"Ha, Umbreon's not listenin'!" Aiden laughed. "Blastoise, hydro pump!"

The fully evolved starter huffed and completely ignored Aiden's command. The young boy's jaw dropped, and this time, it was Sam's turn to laugh. Aiden growled but, due to the overwhelming frustration, had no idea how to retaliate.

"I got this," Sam scoffed. "Umbreon! Psychic!"

The dark type yawned and continued to ignore Sam. This time, the young boy's anger got the better of him and he ran forward, tugging at Umbreon's ears and yelling at the Pokémon to attack.

"Samson, don't do that!" Gary scolded, using Sam's full name to reinforce his warning.

"Haha, Samson!" Aiden laughed, pointing at the brunet.

Snarling, Sam let go of Umbreon and charged forward to try and grab a hold of Aiden. Yelping, the young raven haired boy ran away, creating a mad dash that circled the entire backyard. Michelle just watched on from Gary's side as her brother got chased, not at all surprised by this turn of events. Umbreon, meanwhile, who had been disgruntled due to Sam's roughness, had finally fired off a shadow ball at Blastoise. The attack struck the unsuspecting water type, who growled in response and blasted a hydro pump at the irritated dark type.

"Blastoise, Umbreon, cut it out!" Gary cried as his two Pokémon fought one another in the middle of the yard.

Michelle switched her glance between the two wild boys and the two warring Pokémon, finding that all of this dysfunction was neither fun nor interesting. With Gary preoccupied due to all of the ruckus, she shrugged to herself and wandered back inside, no one even trying to stop her. At the same time that she had reached the living room, she found that the front door was opening up, Kayla having returned from her last minute modeling job.

"Michelle?" Kayla questioned. "What are you doing in here? Where are the boys?"

"I changed my mind," Michelle squeaked. "Let's play make up."

* * *

><p><strong>I think this is the first time I've written about Gary's wife in my one shots. Yeah, her name is Kayla. She's a model with light brown hair and light blue eyes. She's based off of the "Lady" trainer class in the Pokemon games :)<strong>


	133. Cooties

**Did you guys know I got my wisdom teeth out 3 days ago? Because I did. And I miss chewing food. But I can sleep on my face again so I'm happier now.**

**Sam's in this one again. I'm kind of in love with the little brat.**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 years old**

**Brandon: 5 and a half years old**

**Sam: 6 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Cooties<strong>

Michelle was a very beautiful little girl.

She had fair skin that was lighter than her father's but darker than her mother's. Her cheeks were always graced with a rosy complexion, while a tiny collection of freckles were sprinkled across the bridge of her small, button nose. Her eyes were wide and gleaming, a bright emerald green in color and bordered by very dark eyelashes. The girl wasn't very tall, she was probably about average height, but her legs were very long. People always said she'd make the perfect ballerina.

That's why Ash was so wary of the opposite gender. He didn't want any boys to come near his baby. Not ever. He could care less that she was only five years old and didn't seem to express any interest in them. Ash didn't want his daughter to date some potentially backstabbing guy. They were all trouble. And he was as protective as fathers came.

So he was very wary with the young child.

On this particular day, the Ketchums had headed over to Professor Oak's to have dinner with the famed professor, along with Gary's wife and son and Brock, who had brought his nephew Brandon along since he was currently watching over the boy while Forrest and his wife were away.

So, out of the four children at the dinner party, Michelle was the only girl. She got along fine with Brandon, and sometimes Aiden. They were siblings, after all. She seemed to get along with Sam the least, probably due to the tension between him and Aiden. Michelle and her twin might have been combatants on a regular basis, but she still loved her brother and was sensitive to his emotions. So, the little red head didn't quite like Gary's only child.

Tonight, however, she was mostly keeping to herself. The boys were all playing together, but Michelle wasn't really into having pretend battles with Pokémon figurines. So, she had chosen to color in a drawing pad instead, which her Uncle Tracey had left over.

While Sam and Aiden were busy staging a battle between their plastic Ninetales and Arcanine, and surprisingly not fighting for the time being, Brandon was busy watching Michelle from the "sidelines." She was lying on her stomach a few feet away from the trio of boys, switching between colored pencils that lay in a pile next to her as she scribbled on the plain white sheet of paper.

He noted that she looked quite pretty in her mint green ethereal tank dress, with ruffles along the hemline and silver sequins illuminating the bodice. Her pretty red hair was down and framing her face, with a metallic silver, braided headband arching over the top of her head. The silver sequin ballet flats on her feet were pretty too. They sparkled in the light, just like her pretty green eyes…

"Hey, Brandon!"

The young boy jolted and whipped around, finding himself face to face with a bewildered Aiden.

"Huh?"

"What're you doing?" Aiden demanded as he scrunched up his nose.

"Oh, uh…nothing…" Brandon replied timidly, poking his two index fingers together in a sheepish fashion.

"Then it's your turn to battle!" Aiden laughed. "I totally just kicked Sam's butt!"

"Hey!" Sam cried, a fierce flash going through his cobalt eyes.

"Okay…" Brandon murmured and crawled over to the collection of tiny plastic Pokémon. He closed his eyes and picked one at random. It ended up being a Steelix, which made the boy quite happy. It reminded him of his father's signature Pokémon!

"Steel is weak against fire," Aiden cheered. "I'm gonna' keep using Ninetails!"

Now, with Aiden and _Brandon_ busy, it was Sam's turn to watch Michelle. He thought she was just as beautiful as Brandon did. But unlike the other boy, Sam had actually previously told Michelle that she was pretty. He tended to flirt with her a lot. Michelle, however, didn't seem all too interested in him. But that wasn't going to stop Sam. He was a determined little guy, just like his father!

He also had a huge ego just like his father.

Looking over his shoulder at the other two boys, Sam smirked and got to his feet, padding over to where Michelle was busy drawing. She was too busy with her pad and colored pencils to even notice the young boy standing over her, however. Sam took advantage of this moment to quickly fix his oxford blue plaid dress shirt before clearing his throat in order to alert Michelle of his presence. This is what caught the girl's attention, causing her to peer up at the boy with wide emerald eyes.

"Hey there, Michelle," Sam greeted smoothly.

"…hi," Michelle replied rather curtly before returning to her pad.

Jumping down to his knees, Sam crawled closer to Michelle and inquired, "What are you drawing?"

"Stuff," was Michelle's vague answer.

"What kind of stuff?" Sam pressed.

"It's none of your business," Michelle huffed as she threw her arms over the thick piece of paper sitting before her.

"I just wanna' know…" Sam muttered. Michelle just _loved _playing hard to get.

"I can't tell you, because it's a surprise for my Mommy and if I tell _you_, _you'll_ tell _her,_" Michelle complained, not bothering to remove her arms from above her artwork.

"No I won't!" Sam argued, locks of dark brown hair falling over his bright blue eyes.

"You always do bad stuff," Michelle calmly retaliated.

"No I don't," Sam grumbled.

Brandon could hear all of the bickering from where he sat with Aiden. Looking Michelle's way, the boy gasped when he realized that Sam was basically in Michelle's face. A low growl emanating from his throat, Brandon put down his Steelix figure and ambled over to the little red headed girl, leaving behind a very confused and agitated Aiden.

"Hey, Brandon!" Aiden cried. "We were battling!"

Hurrying over to Michelle's free side, Brandon threw himself down next to the startled girl and asked, "Michelle, is he bothering you?!"

The young girl peered up at Brandon and stared at his long sleeved, green and white striped polo shirt for a few seconds before replying softly, "no. I'm good."

Brandon looked over at Sam and glowered at the boy. Not to be deterred by such an action, Sam glared right back, his dark blue eyes practically boring holes into the darker complexioned boy sitting across the way. None of this bothered Michelle, however, as she just continued to draw. As she colored between her hand drawn lines, however, the point on her aqua blue colored pencil snapped off, causing Michelle to gasp and raise the writing utensil to her face.

"What?" Sam and Brandon asked simultaneously before growling at one another once again.

"My pencil broke," Michelle sighed. "I need this color blue for my picture!"

"I'll sharpen it for you!" Brandon trilled, gently taking the pencil from an impressed Michelle before getting to his feet. "And I'll bring it back in just a minute!"

"Thanks, Brandon!" Michelle giggled, causing a blush to crawl up on the boy's cheeks. Luckily, his back was already turned to the girl and she couldn't see his apparent embarrassment. As he hurried out of the room with the colored pencil in hand, Aiden watched him go, furrowing his brow in an unimpressed fashion.

Sam, meanwhile, was simply angry because Brandon had managed to get his hands on the broken pencil before he could. _He_ wanted to be the one to help Michelle! Now he'd just have to find another way to make an impression.

"Michelle, are you thirsty?" Sam asked. "I could get you water! Or juice!"

"No, I'm okay," Michelle sighed.

"Hungry?" Sam questioned.

"No, we're eating dinner soon," Michelle refuted.

Sam pouted. This really was so much harder than he thought it would be. As he scrutinized the young girl, Sam suddenly felt like he was choking, and soon enough, he found himself being pulled away from Michelle. Eventually, he landed on his back, the collar of his dress shirt loosening and freeing his neck. Growling, Sam looked up and locked eyes with Aiden, who still looked pretty ticked off.

"What?!" Sam barked.

"You and Brandon are being weird," Aiden noted, folding his arms over his red polo shirt with a diagonal white stripe going across the front. "How come you're all surrounding my sister?"

"None of your business," Sam bit, repeating Michelle's previous line.

"Yeah it is, she's my sister!" Aiden barked.

"You're my rival, I won't tell you anything," was Sam's cold reply as he sat back up.

Both he and Aiden watched as Brandon returned with the aqua blue colored pencil, freshly sharpened and ready for more drawing. He handed it back to Michelle, who smiled boldly and thanked the young boy for his help. Sam snarled, which caused Aiden to look down at him and then gasp in realization.

"EW! You and Brandon _like _her!" Aiden cried.

Sam jumped up and slapped a hand over Aiden's mouth. The raven haired boy uttered muffled cries from beneath his rival's palm, and finally, to get Sam off of him, licked the boy's flesh. Sam let out a noise of disgust and finally pulled his hand away, feeling the glare of Aiden in the back of his head.

"You like my sister!" Aiden repeated in a whiny voice.

"So?" Sam scoffed.

"Ew, she's _Michelle,_" Aiden groaned.

"She's the prettiest girl ever!" Sam argued.

"I don't think any girl is pretty, except for maybe my Mommy," Aiden huffed. "Girls are gross. They have cooties!"

"Cooties aren't real," Sam fired back.

"Of course they are!"

"No way, that's just some dumb thing you five year olds believe," Sam replied.

"You _just _turned six!" Aiden shouted.

"Which means I _know_ cooties aren't real," Sam responded smartly. He marched away from Aiden before the boy could further pollute his brain with lies about the pretty red head that he so adored. She had already gone back to coloring, although Brandon was still hanging over her and watching with a lovesick expression as she drew. Sam stood on Michelle's other side, grinning boldly as he drawled, "Hey, Michelle, it's kind of dark over here. Want me to turn on some more lights for you?"

"Oh. Sure," Michelle answered nonchalantly, looking up from the paper to scan her eyes around the room. It really wasn't _that_ dark, but the sun was setting, so it would be much darker soon enough.

Sam scurried over to the nearby light switch and flicked it up, causing the antique lamps on the two side tables to light up and brighten the room, much to Michelle's delight.

"Wow, thanks Sam!" Michelle giggled.

"It was pretty easy," Sam sighed, examining his hand in interest. Brandon growled at the boy and balled his own small hands into fists.

From the background, Aiden rolled his eyes. This was so dumb; he wanted his friends back! Watching them fawn over his sister was really too much. There had to be _some _way to get them to stop!

_If not, I guess I could always ask Daddy to play with me… _Aiden thought begrudgingly. But that's when he got a great idea.

_Daddy! That's it!_

Smirking to himself, Aiden ran out of the room without being seen, which was easy to accomplish when his two friends were busy with Michelle. Still grinning mischievously, Aiden made his way into the living room, where the adults were sitting on the couches and talking about presumably boring adult stuff. Aiden spotted his main target on the far right side of the couch on the left, his left arm slung around his wife's shoulders and a glass of wine in the other hand.

"Daddy!" Aiden yelled, running to the other end of the couch and tugging at the man's pants.

"What's up, Aiden?" Ash inquired, curiously looking down at the boy. He was a little concerned, since Aiden was using the same sing song voice he always used when he was tattling on Michelle for something. Misty did the same, fearing that her daughter had done something wrong.

"Brandon and Sam like Michelle," Aiden replied.

One would think that wasn't such a big deal, but to Ash…yeah, it was. And Gary and Brock both knew it was, even before the Pokémon Master stared up at them with wide, confounded eyes.

"Uh…Ash?" Brock asked timidly.

"Your son and nephew are flirting with my _daughter!_" Ash cried in horror.

"I'm sure it's all innocent!" Brock cried, actually afraid of what Ash might to do him.

"That's my baby!" Ash's voice was full of panic.

"In Sam's defense, he's been hitting on your daughter since they were babies," Gary informed the man calmly, earning an elbow in the ribs from his wife.

Apparently, Ash hadn't been aware of this fact, because he let out a strangled cry and jumped up from the couch, running right into the family room. Misty sighed and gave her son a look, to which he did nothing but smirk.

"Really, Aiden?" Misty sighed. "You had to call out your friends?"

"I want them back," Aiden replied. "I warned Sam about the cooties, too."

"Aiden, there are no such things as cooties," Misty groaned as she pressed a hand against her forehead.

"Sure, _okay_, Mommy," Aiden chuckled sarcastically.

**XXX**

By the time Ash had skidded into the family room, Sam and Brandon were still gathered around Michelle, who _still_ had no interest in either one of them. Scowling, he swooped forward and lifted his surprised daughter off the floor, simultaneously alarming Brandon and Sam.

"Sorry, boys, but no more flirting with my baby," Ash informed them calmly. "She's too innocent."

"Daddy!" Michelle whined, kicking her legs and pointing her colored pencil down at the pad on the floor.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but you can't date when you're five," Ash sympathetically told his daughter. "Or ten. Or fifteen. Or twenty, twenty five, thirty-"

"I don't want boys!" Michelle cried. "Boys have cooties!"

"WHAT?!" Sam and Brandon gasped.

"Yeah, you guys have cooties," Michelle sniped, narrowing her eyes as she looked between the two boys.

"If…if you think they have cooties…then why do you want me to put you down?" Ash's voice was flooded with relief, but also confusion.

"Because I want to finish my drawing!" Michelle yelled, waving her colored pencil in the air.

"Oh…" Ash breathed before slowly putting the girl back on the floor in front of her drawing pad. "Sorry, princess…"

"You should be," Michelle replied smartly before settling herself back down on her stomach.

Rolling his eyes, Ash stared down at the still stunned Sam and Brandon and added, "You know, you guys are probably lucky. She's got her mother's personality. And it takes a _lot_ of patience to learn to live with that."

* * *

><p><strong>Teehee, sassy little Michelle :P<strong>


	134. Inkling of Mischief

**I think the reason I came up with this idea is because I've spent so much time in the craft store recently buying crafting stuff for my sorority :P Yay arts and crafts.**

**Michelle: 5 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 6 weeks old**

* * *

><p><strong>Inkling of Mischief<strong>

Hanging up in Delia's home were two separate frames of her two oldest grandchildren, Aiden and Michelle. Each one held a picture of the child as a baby, a print of their name, and their two little foot prints made with ink.

Now that the third child, Elizabeth, had arrived, Delia was in need of another frame. And she had not let Ash forget it.

Finally, when Elizabeth was nearly two months old, Ash couldn't take being reminded anymore. He decided to go out and get all of the things he would need to make the piece, including a frame that matched the original two and a bottle of black ink for the baby's foot prints.

Misty had been spending almost all of her maternity leave with the baby. It was only natural, after all. That's what the leave was for, other than for also allowing Misty to heal. She had to feed the baby, bathe her, change her, and keep her content. Misty didn't seem to mind, though. She loved being a mother and would do absolutely anything for her children.

This was why Ash was surprised when Misty informed him one morning that she'd be going back to the gym that day.

"But…you still have two weeks left on your leave," Ash murmured.

"Oh, I'm not going back to actually_ running_ the gym yet!" Misty laughed. "I'm still too tired. But I literally haven't stepped foot in that building since before I gave birth. I need to check a few things out and make sure everything is in order. I know that if I go back to a mess in two weeks, I'll go crazy."

"What about Elizabeth's footprints?" Ash asked anxiously.

"We'll get them done, maybe tomorrow," Misty assured her husband. "You can take care of Lizzie while I'm in the gym, right?"

"Yeah…" Ash replied incredulously.

"Awesome," Misty breathed, skirting forward and pressing a kiss against Ash's lips. "And make sure Aiden and Michelle behave! They love Elizabeth, but there's still some jealousy running through their systems."

"Sure," Ash replied mindlessly, which didn't seem to deter Misty. Soon enough, she was out the door, and as soon as it closed, Elizabeth's cries sounded and reached Ash's ears. "Ugh, it's like she's psychic or something."

He hurried up the stairs and into the newborn's nursery, where he found the baby lying in her crib and crying. She was dressed in a light pink bodysuit, with long sleeves and printed with tiny blue and red flowers.

"Okay, okay," Ash soothed, lifting the baby up and patting her on the back. "Shh…it's okay, pumpkin. Daddy's right here. Daddy's got ya'."

The baby quieted up rather quickly, much to Ash's delight. He liked knowing that he could calm the baby down just by holding her. The man's smile was quickly replaced by a frown, however, when his wife's words echoed through his head about getting Elizabeth's foot prints done.

_Maybe tomorrow._

"I don't want to wait anymore…" Ash grumbled to himself. "I love my Mom, baby girl, but she's about to drive me over the edge with these little foot prints of yours."

Elizabeth rested her cheek against Ash's shoulder and stared at the far wall, sticking her tongue out of her mouth.

"Daddy, your poke gear is ringing!"

The man spun around and found Michelle running towards him, the red and black device in her hand.

"Thanks…" Ash murmured, leaning down to take it from his older daughter. Holding the small phone against his ear, Ash asked, "hello?"

"_Good morning, Ashy!"_

"Mom?" Ash's voice was full of surprise. "Uh, morning."

"_How are you, dear? And how's Misty?"_

"I'm fine. Misty's doing pretty great now. She still can't exercise yet, which is kind of driving her crazy. But she walks around and stuff. She's actually at the gym right now, trying to get a few things in order."

"_That's wonderful to hear! And my beautiful new grandbaby? How is she?"_

"Lizzie is a happy little thing, mostly," Ash chuckled. "Still tiny, which is weird because she's got one of the biggest appetites I've ever seen. But at least she eats! A lot, too."

"_I'm so happy to hear that. Elizabeth is such a sweetheart. Anyway, Ash, I was calling you about something specific…"_

"What is it, Mom?"

"_By any chance have you gotten Elizabeth's frame done yet?"_

Ash managed to resist the urge to pull the poke gear away from his ear and slam it repeatedly into his face, instead replying, "no, not yet."

"_Oh, okay…well, let me know when you do, alright?"_

"Yes Mom," Ash nearly grumbled.

"_Thank you dear! I'm glad to hear everyone is doing so well. I'll talk to you again soon."_

"I'm sure you will," Ash muttered.

"_Ash Ketchum, do _not_ talk under your breath."_

"Sorry," Ash quickly apologized.

"_It's quite alright dear. Have a good day, sweetheart!"_

As soon as the call ended, Ash sighed and lowered his phone to his side. He literally couldn't take it anymore. Turning around, he found his older daughter halfway hanging out of Elizabeth's toy chest, her legs dangling out as her upper half was engulfed by the sea of toys stuffed in the wooden box.

"Michelle!" Ash called.

The girl squeaked and jumped out of the chest, her eyes wide in slight fear. She was afraid she was in trouble for digging through Elizabeth's toy box, but really, Ash could care less about that.

"Come on, princess, I need your help," Ash sighed.

"With what?" Michelle asked. "Lizzie?"

"Sort of…" Ash trailed off. "Just…come with me downstairs."

Michelle jumped up and ran after her father, breezing past him and looking like a colorful flash in her aqua Capri leggings and her white hooded tunic tee. Once she got to the bottom of the steps, she stopped and stared back up at her father, blinking curiously.

"Where?" Michelle queried.

"Hmm…let's go to the kitchen," Ash decided. Michelle nodded and ran right in, with Ash following closely behind. He had already left all of the things they needed to make the footprints on the counter anyway. As he walked over to the bag to retrieve the frame mat and bottle of ink, Michelle clambered up onto one of the chairs at the kitchen table and watched her father's every move. When he returned with the white sheet and jar of ink, Michelle raised an eyebrow.

"What's that for?" Michelle pointed at the two objects.

"We're going to take Lizzie's footprints for Grammy," Ash answered his daughter. "You know how she has yours and Aiden's?"

"Oh, yeah!" Michelle chirped, her eyes lighting up.

"Here, do Daddy a favor…" Ash slid the bottle of ink towards Michelle. "Can you take the top of that off for me, princess? Just be careful with it. I don't want any of the ink to end up on your shirt."

"Okay Daddy," Michelle smiled, twisting the dark blue top off of the translucent bottle. Once it was off, she moved it back towards her father, being extremely cautious with it so the container wouldn't tip over and spill.

"Thanks, Shelly," Ash grinned at the girl. "You're such a big help!"

"Thanks!" Michelle trilled before showing off a more curious look. "So…how are you gonna' get Lizzie's footprints?"

"It's easy," Ash chuckled. "Especially since Elizabeth isn't wearing pajamas that cover her legs!"

He turned the baby around so she was facing Michelle. The baby cooed and blinked, waving one arm in the air and sticking her other hand in her mouth. Her legs and feet were completely bare, which did make Ash's job much easier.

"Now, you keep still, Lizzie," Ash murmured to the baby, as though she would actually listen to him. She didn't move, however, as Ash submerged the baby's small left foot into the bottle of ink, causing Elizabeth to gurgle in irritation.

"She doesn't like it very much," Michelle commented.

"It'll be fine," Ash assured. He pulled her foot out and held the baby's leg with his hand to keep it still. "Michelle, hold down the mat for me."

"Huh?"

"The paper," Ash sighed, motioning his head toward the white canvas material.

Michelle nodded and pressed her little palms down on the corners of the square. Lowering a whimpering Elizabeth, Ash pressed her ink covered left foot against the surface of the mat and waited a few seconds before removing it. Once he lifted the baby back up, a perfect black footprint was left behind, causing Michelle to beam in shock.

"Wow, that's cool!" Michelle marveled. "Is that how you got me and Aiden's footprints when we were little?"

"Uh huh!" Ash chuckled. "It's not so bad, huh?"

He sunk Elizabeth's right foot in the ink the same way he had with the left and then pulled it out in order to create another foot print on the mat. Once he removed her foot from the white surface, a perfect rendering of Elizabeth's left and right footprints were left behind, causing Ash to grin widely.

"Perfect!" He cheered. Looking down at Elizabeth, he cooed, "see? We don't need Mama to help us out, right? Daddy and Lizzie make a great team!"

"And Shelly!" Michelle protested rather loudly, earning a disgruntled whine from the baby.

"Sorry, princess," Ash apologized with a smile. "You, Lizzie, _and _I make a great team!"

"That's more like it," Michelle remarked, causing Ash to chortle. With that settled he carried Elizabeth over to the sink and started to run the water, holding his hand beneath the liquid until he felt it was warm enough without being too hot. Once he had approved of the temperature, Ash held the baby's small left foot beneath the faucet and began to wash the ink off.

Except…the ink didn't seem to want to come off.

"Man, this is a lot harder than I remember it being…" Ash muttered.

"Daddy," Michelle piped up, "why does this bottle say per…permanent?"

Ash's head snapped up and his eyes widened. Little Elizabeth, meanwhile, simply cooed and tilted her head back until it was touching Ash's chest.

"Daddy?" Michelle repeated.

"Wh…what do you mean it says permanent?" Ash stammered.

"I dunno, it's what the ink says!" Michelle squeaked.

Ash once again stared down at his baby daughter's ink covered foot, which was still being held beneath the running water. Absolutely none of the dark toner was coming off of her light skin, and it was at that moment Ash swore he was going to lose his mind.

"I bought permanent ink by mistake!" Ash hissed at himself, turning the water off and carrying Elizabeth back over to the table, her small feet still covered by a fine coating of ink.

Staring at her younger sister's feet for a short moment, Michelle looked up at her father again and asked slowly, "does that mean Lizzie's feet are gonna' be like that forever?"

"They better not be!" Ash panicked.

Elizabeth gurgled and fussed in Ash's arms, as if she was trying to escape. Ash twisted his mouth and held onto the baby more tightly. She wouldn't stop her wiggling, however, so Ash finally switched the fussy baby into a cradling hold, with her head against his inner elbow and the rest of her body lying across his forearm. Once she was settled, Elizabeth let out a yawn and snuggled her head against Ash, closing her eyes as she did so.

"Uh oh," Ash breathed.

"What?" Michelle questioned.

"Elizabeth is falling asleep!" Ash cried.

"So?" Michelle squeaked.

"I can't keep trying to scrub off the ink if she's sleeping!" Ash was finally in full-fledged panic mode. "Because that'll wake her up, and then she'll be cranky! And her whole schedule will be messed up! And if Mommy comes home to a cranky baby who isn't following _her _schedule anymore, she'll go crazy!"

Michelle jumped off of her chair and scurried over to Ash, grabbing at the leg of his pants as she yelled, "calm down, Daddy!"

Ash finally stopped and let out a long breath, sighing exasperatedly, "thanks, Shelly."

"You're welcome," Michelle giggled, letting go of his pants.

"But this is still _really _bad…" Ash sighed, staring down at Elizabeth's tiny, ink covered feet. "I've got to get this stuff off before Mommy comes back!"

"Get _what _off before I come back?"

Ash's heart shot up into his throat. He looked up slowly…_very _slowly…and found himself locking eyes with Misty. She had her arms folded across her chest and a single eyebrow raised, her green eyes flickering with confusion. Pressing her lips together, Michelle quietly made her way back to the chair she had previously inhabited, not wanting to be anywhere near her Daddy when her Mommy took him down.

"Uh…I…well…I…" Ash stammered.

Studying her newborn daughter from a distance, Misty furrowed her brow when her eyes fell onto the small child's feet. She strode forward until she was standing right in front of Ash, the distance so close that Ash felt the need to hold his breath. Leaning down, Misty studied Elizabeth's feet closely, smiling despite the situation when the girl wiggled her tiny toes in her sleep.

"Misty, I-"

"It's ink," Misty interrupted, standing back up to her full height and staring into Ash's chocolate brown orbs.

"…yes."

"You did Elizabeth's footprints."

"…yes."

"You accidentally bought permanent ink."

"…yes."

Sighing, Misty smirked and shook her head. Wordlessly, she took the baby from her husband and turned around, walking towards the stairs and carrying the sleeping baby straight up them. Ash just stood there in confusion, but eventually found the power to move his legs and follow after his wife. Michelle was right behind him, also wondering why her mother was so calm. Maybe she was plotting how to punish Ash or something.

Rather than finding her in some secret lair, however, the two found her in the bathroom, still cradling Elizabeth as she opened one of the mirrored cabinets and pulled out a dark brown bottle. She then reached into a nearby glass container and plucked out a cotton ball, handing it off to her still bewildered husband.

"Pour some of the liquid in the bottle onto the cotton ball," Misty quietly instructed, not wanting to disrupt their sleeping daughter.

Nodding wordlessly, Ash picked up the brown bottle and flipped open the white top, holding the cotton ball against its small spout and blotting the liquid into the ball. After removing the bottle, Ash handed the now damp cotton ball over to Misty and watched silently as she took it to Elizabeth's feet and began to slowly and gently scrub, eyes kept intently on the ink covered flesh.

It took a little awhile, but with enough scrubbing, the ink eventually came off of Elizabeth's feet. Ash was stunned, to say the least, while Michelle seemed to think it was even cooler than Ash's previous act of actually making Elizabeth's footprints.

"That…worked?" Ash finally asked.

"Of course it did," Misty giggled gently. Now, she had taken a wash cloth and poured soap into it before running it underneath the faucet. "Everyone knows that using rubbing alcohol takes off permanent ink from the skin!"

"Except for Daddy," Michelle commented under her breath.

"Michelle!" Ash scolded his older daughter while Misty continued to laugh.

"Oh, Ash, you can't be mad at her for being like me," Misty trilled before winking at her husband.

"Of _course_ not."

"Besides," Misty added as she began to finish cleaning off Elizabeth's feet with the washcloth, "I thought you'd be grateful to me for making sure our daughter's feet wouldn't be stained for the rest of her life!"

"I am," Ash sighed, "but apparently it wasn't that hard to fix."

"No, it wasn't," Misty agreed. "But next time, sweetheart?"

"…yeah?"

Narrowing her eyes, Misty scolded, "Listen to what I say next time and maybe we won't end up in this kind of situation."

"Heh…yes, dear."

* * *

><p><strong>Can't you just see Ash buying permanent ink instead of washable ink? It's such a him thing to do XD<strong>


	135. Returns

**This one is a classic, guys. I've been meaning to write one like this for a while.**

**ALSO there is a new poll on my profile; please vote in it! I'm trying to experiment with a different kind of Pokemon story, and I need opinions on who the main antagonist should be :D**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 1 week old**

* * *

><p><strong>Returns<strong>

Aiden hadn't been excited to become an older brother at first. After a while, however, he got used to the idea and became excited. Once the baby had actually been born, he fell in love with her.

But now, after a week, Aiden had reverted back to being annoyed and unhappy.

The baby didn't seem to sleep. _Ever. _She was always awake and crying and screaming. It hurt his ears and, even worse, disrupted his sleep. Aiden was a light sleeper as it was, so having a baby crying at night certainly didn't help matters. She also took up a lot of their parents' attention. Ash was completely enamored by her, and she seemed to do a pretty good job of distracting him. Misty, on the other hand, was responsible for feeding the baby, and being Ash's daughter, little Elizabeth had turned out to be quite the glutton. She wanted to eat every two hours _exactly. _And if she didn't get fed on the dot…well, that just led to more crying.

The crying. That was the worst part of it all.

It was one of those mornings right now. Aiden had his head buried in his hands, grimacing as the baby let out miserable, desolate wails from Ash's arms.

"I know, you're hungry," Ash soothed. "Mommy will feed you, okay? I promise. She'll be down in a second…"

The baby kept on screaming, and Aiden's head finally fell to the table, his fingers tugging at the locks of midnight hair that covered his now pounding head. Ash looked over to see his son huddled up in apparent pain and aggravation, leading the man to sigh sadly.

"I'm sorry, Aiden," Ash genuinely apologized. "It isn't easy, I know."

"Can we send her back?" Aiden grumbled as he picked his head up.

"Send who back? Elizabeth?" Ash asked as he raised an eyebrow. "Where?"

"To the hospital," Aiden continued. "That's where she came from, right?"

"I guess…"

"So, can't they take her back?"

"It doesn't work that way, Aiden," Ash sighed, bouncing the miserable baby up and down. At that moment, Misty came bustling down the stairs, although by the time she got to the bottom she had to grab her side and groan.

"Ow…that was a bad idea," Misty mumbled.

"Oh, Mist, great timing!" Ash cheered as he hurried over to his wife. "The baby is hungry!"

Misty shot Ash a look so deadly it could have possibly killed him. "Really? I couldn't tell!"

Sighing, she took the screaming baby from her husband and retreated to the living room. Ash followed right after, not even missing a beat as Misty skirted away. Almost as soon as his parents had disappeared, the baby had quieted down, causing Aiden to raise an eyebrow. He slid off of his chair and scurried towards the doorframe, peering through the threshold that separated the living room from the kitchen. What he saw inside was his mother sitting on the couch, cradling the baby close to her and smiling down at the tiny thing. Ash was snuggled up next to his wife, also staring down at the baby and grinning almost foolishly at her.

This caused Aiden to roll his eyes. Oh sure, now that the baby had her mouth shut, she was just the _cutest _thing in the whole wide world.

_They're just gonna' get mad again when she starts screaming after that, _Aiden thought begrudgingly to himself as he headed towards the stairs. _Because we all know she's gonna!_

He was fed up. He'd had enough. Aiden wasn't going to sit around and take this anymore. He was going to send that baby back if it was the last thing he did. And Aiden knew _just _the person he could co-commiserate with.

Michelle.

The young boy clambered up the stairs and then wormed his way into the young girl's bedroom. She was still hidden beneath her blue, flower printed comforter. Michelle didn't normally sleep this late, because Ash or Misty made sure to wake her up. But obviously, due to recent developments, they had forgotten.

Crawling up onto his sister's bed, Aiden gently shook the girl and murmured, "Shelly…wake up. Come on, it's time to get up."

Michelle groaned and picked her head up, looking over her shoulder to look at Aiden with sleepy eyes. "Wh…what time is it?"

"Too late," Aiden replied. "Mommy and Daddy forgot to wake you up."

The girl whined and pushed herself up with her hands. She still looked sleepy, but the annoyance was definitely beginning to seep through as well.

"They're too busy with Lizzie," Aiden grumbled.

"I knew that was why," Michelle sighed sadly. "They're ignoring us!"

"I know," Aiden agreed glumly. "But…I have an idea, Shelly."

The young girl raised a thin, wry eyebrow. She knew full well her brother's ideas were _very _dangerous. But Michelle also figured she had nothing to lose by simply listening to whatever it was her brother had conjured up.

"What?" She finally asked, albeit hesitantly.

"We're gonna' send Elizabeth back to the hospital," Aiden replied, smirking at his twin.

"You can't send a baby back!" Michelle refuted.

"That's what Daddy said…but I think he's lying," Aiden huffed.

"Why would Daddy lie about something like that?"

"Because he _likes _the baby!" Aiden cried. "So he wants to keep her! But you and I aren't gonna' let him."

"Isn't that mean?" Michelle's voice was flooded with worry.

"Isn't it mean that Mommy and Daddy have been ignoring us?" Aiden argued.

"That's true…" Michelle sighed. "I guess we gotta' send her back."

The girl slid out of bed, bright red hair still mused from sleep, and her body still outfitted in her body hugging blue tank top and pants, printed with white dandelions and lined with pink lace. Aiden was quick to dart ahead and lead his sister down the stairs, himself also still wearing his pajamas: a dark blue T-shirt matched with a pair of green and white striped shorts.

Motioning for his sister to be quiet once they got down the stairs, Aiden peered around the doorframe once again, Michelle following suit. Their parents were still busy fawning over the eating baby on the living room couch, but this time, Ash seemed to get distracted by something with the baby as a frown overtook his face.

"What's wrong?" Misty asked curiously.

"I just realized something…" Ash murmured. He stared up at his wife, silently pointing at the little baby in her arms. Misty looked down and then back up at him, her own expression now reflecting a look of disappointment.

"Oh no," Misty sighed.

"Returning time," Ash quipped, shaking his head.

Aiden and Michelle exchanged looks of shock. It sounded like Aiden's plan might be coming to fruition after all!

"Oh, sorry Lizzie," Misty cooed to the baby in her arms. "I feel so bad!"

"Don't feel bad," Ash reassured his wife. "It's not our fault! We don't have a choice, anyway."

Michelle giggled behind her hand and had to hop away from the doorframe. Aiden quickly followed, grinning from ear to ear at his giddy twin sister.

"Aiden, I can't believe you were right!" Michelle marveled. "Daddy _was _lying!"

"Of course!" Aiden chuckled. "And see? Now they want to send her back, too! Everyone will be happy! Now, we need a box to send Elizabeth back in."

"Oh!" Michelle squeaked. "There's a box in Mommy and Daddy's room from one of Elizabeth's presents! We can put her in there!"

"But we have to wait for Mom to put her down first," Aiden mused.

Michelle scurried back over to the doorframe and peered beyond the white molding, finding that her mother was done feeding the baby and was now holding the girl against her chest to burp her. Once that was done, Misty rubbed her nose against the now content child's and laid her down in the pink and white basket that sat on the couch. This caused Michelle to smile. Getting Elizabeth out of her basket would be much easier than getting her out of the crib would have been!

Feeling that the time was right, Aiden and Michelle both walked into the living room, smiling up at their parents with the most innocent looks they could possibly pull off.

"Good morning, you two," Misty sweetly but tiredly greeted her older children. She was still hanging over the basket, her hand atop the baby's small head.

"Did you guys come in here to play with Lizzie?" Ash asked.

"Yep!" Aiden replied all too cheerfully.

"That's good, you two can keep her company while Daddy and I get something to eat," Misty commented through a yawn. "Just be careful with her, okay?"

"Yes, Mommy!" Michelle chirped.

As Ash and Misty went back into the kitchen, this time to feed themselves, Aiden silently motioned for Michelle to run upstairs and get the box. Michelle nodded in response and, once her parents were deep enough into the kitchen, scurried towards the staircase and made her way up the steps. Aiden, on the other hand, slunk over to the baby's basket and peered in, eyeing the small thing with narrowed eyes.

She was quiet and happy now that she had been fed, but Aiden knew that would only last for so long. Her dark red, wispy hair was perfectly fluffed down, and she was dressed in a mint green onesie covered in variously colored paisley print, with scalloped purple trim lining the sleeves, neck, and legs.

"Sorry, Lizzie, but you gotta' go," Aiden informed the baby. She cooed and tilted her head, staring up at Aiden with her wide, innocent emerald eyes. The young boy felt bad for a short moment, but he was quick to shake that off and return to his set goal of sending the baby back.

Fortunately, at that moment, Michelle returned with the empty cardboard box, a big, victorious smile plastered on her pretty young face. Aiden silently thanked his twin and pulled the box closer to the couch so it would be easier to deposit Elizabeth into. Running over to the opposite couch, Michelle grabbed the baby's folded up pink receiving blanket and lined the bottom of the box with it, hoping to make the cube comfortable enough for the baby. She and Aiden both knew that just one blanket wouldn't be enough, however. Aiden threw in a white plush blanket lined with pink, orange, and green floral printed satin, while Michelle decided a third layer consisting of a pink, white, and green striped blanket would be a good idea.

With the box fully cushioned, Aiden quietly lifted the baby out of her basket, causing the girl to unleash a fairly loud throaty noise that made the twins nervous. They both instinctually looked over their shoulders towards the doorframe, waiting for either one or both of their parents to come running in. They didn't, however, and that left Aiden free to gently put the girl down inside the blanketed box, the three purple ruffles on the backside of her bodysuit settling into the soft layers that had been created below her.

"Put Teddi in, too," Michelle whispered to her brother.

Aiden nodded and grabbed the stuffed bear out of Elizabeth's baby basket, gently lying the poke doll down next to the baby. She gurgled and turned her head to the side, staring at the stuffed Pokémon before taking its left ear into her chubby little hand and sticking it all in her mouth.

"There, now she'll be happy!" Michelle giggled.

"Aiden, Michelle, what are you two doing?"

The twins both shrieked and whipped around, finding their mother and father standing in the doorway. They were eyeing the two older children curiously, and soon enough, their gazes were brought onto the cardboard box that was sitting before them.

"Why did you guys bring that down here?" Ash asked, pointing at the box.

"No reason…" Aiden mumbled.

Misty raised a disbelieving eyebrow and stepped forward, peering over the twins' heads and into the box. When she saw Elizabeth lying inside atop the mess of blankets, with Teddi's ear in her mouth, the woman let out a half gasp, half sigh of sorts and reached inside, pulling out the baby and cradling the little thing in her arms.

"Oh, sweetie, are you okay?" Misty murmured to the infant. After checking the baby over once more, Misty lifted her eyes and glared at Aiden and Michelle, who both instantly felt chills go up their spines. "Okay, you two, what's going on?"

"Nothing!" Aiden and Michelle cried simultaneously.

"That's a lie and you both know it," Misty scolded. "I just found your baby sister in a _box!_ And that's _not _where she was when I left you three!"

Before either child could answer, Ash let out a groan and walked up next to his wife, rolling his eyes as he muttered, "I know what's up."

"What?" Misty quickly asked.

"They're trying to send Elizabeth back to the hospital," Ash hummed, giving his two older children stern looks as he folded his arms over his chest.

At this, Misty's eyes widened out of sheer horror. "Aiden, Michelle…is that true?"

Neither one wanted to answer this question.

"Is it?" Misty repeated more sternly.

"Yes…" Aiden and Michelle both muttered.

"Aiden, I already told you that you can't send a baby back to the hospital!" Ash sighed exasperatedly.

"You were lying!" Aiden cried. "I know you were, Daddy!"

"What are you talking about?" Ash breathed. "I wasn't!"

Narrowing his eyes, Aiden countered, "Shelly and I were watching you guys feed the baby, and you pointed at Lizzie and said something about returning her!"

Ash thought back to what instance that possibly could have been, and once he realized what Aiden was referring to, the man snickered and playfully rolled his eyes. "Aiden, I didn't mean we had to return _Elizabeth!"_

"But…you pointed at her!" Aiden cried.

"No, I was pointing at the _bow_ that was in her hair," Ash snickered. "I realized that the clip was broken and it was falling out!"

"But Mommy said she felt bad," Michelle tried.

"I felt bad because I loved that bow," Misty sighed amusedly.

Aiden and Michelle no longer had a response. They couldn't attempt to prove their parents wrong, because it was now apparent to the two that there was really never a chance of returning the baby. They had been wrong all along.

"You guys really outdid yourselves this time," Ash remarked, a smile still playing on his lips. It disappeared, however, when he realized just how forlorn his older children looked. "What's wrong, guys?"

"I thought you two loved the baby," Misty piped up.

"We do…" Aiden murmured, "But you guys only play with _her _now."

"You didn't even wake me up this morning," Michelle added sadly as she looked up at her father.

"Oh no, I _did_ forget to wake you up!" Ash gasped as he covered his eyes. Slowly, he allowed his hand to slide down as he apologized, "I'm so sorry, princess. I really didn't mean to forget about you. I won't let it happen again."

Michelle was still frowning, however, so Ash stepped forward and gathered the girl in his arms, lifting her up and giving her a tight hug. In turn, Michelle let out a content sigh and rested her head on the man's shoulder.

"And she's loud, too," Aiden continued to complain to his mother, who now looked a little guilty. "She always wakes me up!"

"I'm sorry, Aiden," Misty apologized whole heartedly. "I know it isn't easy. This is a very big change for all of us. But it's only been a week, so we can't give up! It's going to take a little longer than that to get used to having Elizabeth around."

"I guess…" Aiden muttered.

"And I know Daddy and I have been spending a lot of time with her," Misty continued. "It's only because she's so small, and a little baby can't do anything on her own. But that doesn't mean you and Michelle should feel like Daddy and I are ignoring you two. The next time you feel that way, instead of trying to send Lizzie back to the hospital, you can come tell me or Daddy and we'll fix it. Okay?"

Wordlessly, Aiden nodded his head, causing Misty to smile.

"I don't want my one and only little boy to feel neglected!" Misty crooned, kneeling down to pull a flustered Aiden into a hug. "You mean a lot to me, little guy. I love you very much."

Although he was embarrassed, Aiden still nestled his head against his mother and replied, "I love you too, Mommy."

Giggling softly, Misty kissed the top of Aiden's head and stood back up, looking down to find that the baby had fallen asleep in her arms, with Teddi's ear still in her mouth.

"While Elizabeth is napping, how about we all play a little game together?" Misty suggested, earning happy shrieks of approval from her two older children.

"I guess that's a yes!" Ash laughed, causing Misty to nod.

"Great. I'll put the baby down, and we'll all play together!"


	136. Down and Out

**This one is long and a little bit darker, and I love it! I hope you all do too :)**

**Aiden and Michelle: 9 years old**

**Elizabeth: 3 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Down and Out<strong>

"Daddy, awe you gonna' use Pikachu?"

Ash raised an eyebrow and looked over his shoulder, smiling at the little three year old standing behind him. He was crouched down on the floor, something he often did before certain battles to get himself to focus. His daughter, on the other hand, was watching him with wide and curious eyes, the fingers on her left hand lingering by her full lips while her right arm dangled down, Teddi clutched in her small hand.

"You want me to use Pikachu, pumpkin?" Ash asked amusedly. He already knew what the answer was going to be.

"Yes!" Elizabeth squealed, her eyes positively lighting up.

Chuckling, Ash looked down in front of himself, where Pikachu was standing before him. "What do you say, buddy? You want to battle today?"

"Pi-ka!" Pikachu squeaked, rapidly nodding his head so his ears bobbed back and forth.

"Looks like Pikachu wants to battle just as much as you want him to!" Ash laughed, looking back at Elizabeth. The girl simply grinned and nodded. Her favorite Pokémon of her father's to watch in battle was Pikachu. Elizabeth loved the fuzzy yellow mouse. She thought he was the best.

"Ash, Scott wanted me to tell you that it's almost time to get on the field."

Ash smirked to himself and stood up, turning around to face the back of the corridor. Pikachu had leapt up onto his shoulder, also smiling at the newly arrived figures.

Misty stood in the middle, her eyes twinkling with excitement. By her sides were Aiden and Michelle, Aiden busily stuffing himself with popcorn while Michelle scrolled through her aqua colored digital camera; her newest obsession.

"Thanks, Mist," Ash earnestly thanked his wife.

"Who are you going to use today, Dad?" Aiden managed to ask his father in between mouthfuls of popcorn.

"Pikachu, by the request of Elizabeth," Ash chuckled.

"I picked, Mommy!" Elizabeth squealed excitedly, running up to her mother and throwing her arms around the woman's legs. Misty giggled and bent down, picking up the child and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Yes, you did!" Misty trilled.

"He's gonna win," Elizabeth murmured, hugging Teddi against her chest. The stuffed Teddiursa was Elizabeth's constant companion, much like Pikachu was to her father.

"Well, we'll have to watch Daddy and Pikachu win from up in the box," Misty informed her youngest child. "We can't stay here!"

"Why?" Elizabeth asked as she frowned.

"Because Daddy needs to focus," Misty replied, tapping the side of her head. "We're all a distraction for him!"

"I dunno what that is," Elizabeth mumbled.

"Don't worry about it, pumpkin," Ash chuckled as he stepped forward, taking the child's face into his hands and giving her a kiss on the nose. "Don't listen to Mommy. She's just repeating what Scott says. And what is he?"

"Ouchie," Elizabeth replied, pointing at her neck.

Ash laughed, while Misty raised a wry eyebrow. "What does that mean?"

"Pain in the neck," Ash supplied with another laugh. "She can't say that yet, though. So…she does that instead."

"Yes, well, Scott is most certainly a pain in the neck, and Mommy doesn't want to deal with him being grumpy," Misty cooed to her young daughter. "Otherwise, I would let you stay here and play with Daddy until he goes on the field."

"Boo," Elizabeth commented, causing Misty to giggle lovingly.

"Good luck," Misty murmured to her husband, who leaned down to give her a kiss.

"Thanks, but I don't need luck," Ash whispered against her lips. "Just my skill."

"You're so egotistical," Misty purred before pushing her husband away by his chest. He chuckled and winked at her, holding a hand over the spot where she had gently shoved him. Looking down at her two older children, Misty prodded, "Aiden, Michelle, what do you say to your father?"

"He doesn't need luck, Mom," Aiden commented. "He and Pikachu are too good. They won't lose."

"That's my boy!" Ash laughed, ruffling the younger male's raven locks.

"I'm not going to be as cocky as you _or _Aiden," Michelle remarked, finally looking up from her camera. "But I _do_ think you'll win, Dad. I have faith in you!"

"Aww, thanks, princess!" Ash replied, beaming at his older daughter. He knew with the support of his family behind him, Ash could do anything he set his mind to! And that included winning this exhibition battle.

**XXX**

The atmosphere in the stadium was unbelievable. Ash had been in many battles before. Of course he had. Many of them had taken place in stadiums. But for some reason, today's atmosphere seemed to be even more electric than normal. Maybe because of who his opponent was.

Standing across from Ash on the dusty battle field was none other than the former Pokémon Master, the same one Ash had defeated in order to take over the title himself.

Nolan.

The former Master was now sixty five years old; thirty five years Ash's senior. Despite this, the man was very spry and still athletically able. All part of once being the Pokémon Master, of course. Ash stared at this man standing across from him and thought about everything he had gone through; all of the things that Ash now did every single day of his life. Training his Pokémon until he lost his voice, and exercising until his muscles were numb. It was no wonder that Nolan was just as in shape as the much younger Ash.

"It's been quite some time, Ash!" Nolan called from his end of the field. His voice was deep and gruff. It made Ash sound like a young boy again. "I look forward to battling you and seeing the progress you've made as Master."

"Thanks!" Ash replied with a grin. "Hopefully I'll do myself and my Pokémon justice."

"Master Ash, Master Nolan, please reveal your Pokémon," the referee called.

Looking at his shoulder, Ash grinned at Pikachu and murmured, "It's up to you, buddy. Make Lizzie proud!"

"Chu!" Pikachu squeaked before jumping off of his shoulder and landing on all fours on the battle field. A loud cheer went up from the crowd when they saw that Ash's selected Pokémon was his signature one.

"Pikachu," Nolan noted. "I'm not surprised!"

"I had to use him!" Ash chuckled softly. "I made a promise to someone special."

"I see how it is," Nolan breathed, smiling at the younger man. "I planned ahead for this, however. I had a feeling you would go with your ace, and I'm ready to take him on!"

Dark brown hair intermixed with strands of silver cascading in Nolan's dark brown eyes, the former Master smirked and tossed a poke ball, yelling, "Let's go, dear friend! It's our time now!"

Appearing before the older man in a flash of brilliant blue was none other than his Drifblim. The large purple Pokémon was half ghost type, half flying type, and closely resembled a blimp. It stared down Pikachu with its beady red eyes, causing the yellow mouse to take a small but noticeable step back.

"I'm surprised you're not going with Skarmory," Ash remarked. The steel bird was Nolan's partner Pokémon, and probably his most powerful. Ash remembered how hard it had been to beat the armor bird when he'd first battled for his current title.

"We're going to try something new today," Nolan replied coyly. This unnerved Ash for some reason, but he chose to avoid that ominous feeling and simply focus on the battle ahead.

"Whoever knocks out the other's Pokémon first wins this exhibition match," the referee continued. "Now…battle, begin!"

"I respect you, Nolan, but I'm not going to let you beat me to the punch!" Ash yelled across the field. "Pikachu, electro ball!"

The electric type jumped in the air and swung his tail out, a ball of bright yellow electricity forming on the end of his tail. Performing a quick and tight flip, Pikachu sent the attack flying off of his tail and soaring towards Drifblim, who was floating idly in midair.

"Astonish," was Nolan's simple and calm order.

Right before the electro ball was to hit the dual type, it completely disappeared, causing both Ash and Pikachu to gasp. While the small mouse was still mystified by Drifblim's disappearance, a shadowy black figure appeared behind the yellow creature, no traces of color visible on the dusky blob save for two pairs of narrowed red eyes, glowing so bright that they were nearly illuminated. Sensing something behind him, Pikachu slowly looked over his shoulder and cried out in fear when he saw the haunting figure behind him.

"Don't be scared, Pikachu, it's just Drifblim!" Ash yelled. "Use iron tail!"

Pikachu, however, seemed to be frozen in place. Ash pulled his shoulders back and relaxed his tense face, the stunned noises from the crowd floating into his ears. Up in one of the stadium's private boxes, his family watched on in shock, much like the rest of the spectators.

"Mom…what's wrong with Pikachu?" Michelle asked worriedly. She had been taking pictures of the battle, but stopped when Drifblim used astonish because, quite frankly, it had scared the living daylights out of her.

"He's flinching," Misty replied darkly. "Astonish can do that to a Pokémon."

"Scawy…" Elizabeth murmured, covering her eyes with her little hands.

"Good, now that Pikachu is too afraid to do anything…" Nolan drawled, "Use ominous wind!"

A powerful shot of purple wind erupted from the yellow X that served as Drifblim's mouth and engulfed Pikachu, throwing the small yellow mouse backwards until he was smashed directly into the titanium wall that made up the walls of the lower level.

"PIKA!" Pikachu cried out in pain as he fell to the ground.

"Pikachu!" Ash yelled, fear filling his heart as it began to pound away in his chest.

"Uh oh…Pikachu is in trouble, isn't he?" Aiden concededly asked his mother.

Misty wanted to assure her son that Pikachu would be just fine, but right about now it seemed that Nolan had a firm hold on Ash and wasn't about to let go any time soon. So, instead, Misty let out a quiet sigh and replied with the more honest, "I don't know."

Aiden's eyes widened in horror as he turned them back onto the battle field. His mother had never given him a response like that before. Of course, Aiden knew he was older now, and he could handle the truth. But with that fact aside, he had never seen his mother actually looking so concerned over one of his father's battles. It certainly seemed that this one wasn't going too well.

"Pikachu, get up!" Ash shouted. The small mouse winced in pain as he pushed himself back up onto his paws, showing off a few scrapes from the previous attack. "Good…" Ash breathed before ordering, "Try thunder bolt!"

"Dodge it!" Nolan retaliated as soon as those words left Ash's mouth.

Pikachu had run back onto the battle field, firing off his signature attack as he dashed. It cracked through the air like a whip, but Drifblim floated out of the way with complete ease while the powerful attack just ended up fizzling out.

"What?!" Ash panicked.

"Drifblim, use constrict!" Nolan screamed.

The blimp Pokémon's two front arms reached out and encircled Pikachu, who gasped in surprise at their sudden appearance.

"Pikachu, get out of there!" Ash warned.

The electric type tried to take advantage of his small size by darting beneath the floating dual type, but it was of no use. Drifblim was very light, and very fast. Whipping around, it once again threw its front arms out, this time capturing Pikachu in the yellow tipped, ribbon like appendages and squeezing him tight. Pikachu instantly cried out in absolute pain, which nearly made Ash sick to his stomach. He never _had _been able to handle hearing Pikachu cry out like that.

"Pikachu, fight it! Get out!" Ash begged.

Pikachu did his best to struggle in Drifblim's hold, but it didn't seem to be doing much good. The more Pikachu struggled, in fact, the tighter Drifblim made its constriction on the small mouse. Soon enough, Pikachu's face began to flush purple, a result of all of the blood rushing to his head thanks to the tight grip he was trapped in.

"Pikachu, you have to get out!" Ash was no longer giving commands, but simply pleading with his closest Pokémon friend.

"This isn't good at all," Misty muttered, shaking her head. It had been too quiet for Elizabeth to hear, although that might have also been due to the fact that what she was witnessing was currently scaring her. Aiden and Michelle _had_ heard the comment, however, and were now staring at their mother with shocked and bewildered expressions.

"Mom…what's not good?" Michelle breathed.

"Your father is scared," Misty admitted after a moment of hesitation, fighting herself internally on whether or not to divulge this information to her children. "He's scared for Pikachu. His head's not in the battle anymore. His only focus is protecting Pikachu."

"But Nolan's not gonna let up," Aiden replied urgently.

"No, he's not," Misty agreed. "And that's why this isn't going to end well."

Back down on the field, Ash could hear his heart pounding in his ears. It was completely drowning out the frantic cries and excited cheers coming from the audience. He was in full on panic mode and didn't know what else to do. Watching Pikachu getting squeezed like that was bringing back horrible, vivid memories of his first match from the Unova League, when he had used Pikachu against Trip's Serperior.

"Pikachu, thunder shock!" Ash finally managed to yell. He knew he had tried that with Serperior all those years ago, and the grass type had stopped it by sticking his tail in the ground. But Drifblim didn't have a tail to stick into the ground, and its back arms certainly weren't long enough to reach the ground. The attack would have to work!

"Throw Pikachu _now,_ Drifblim!" Nolan commanded.

As soon as Pikachu unleashed his thunder bolt, Drifblim tossed the small creature straight down towards the ground, receiving only the tiniest shock before letting Pikachu go. The force by which Pikachu had been thrown was so strong that the small mouse ended up forming a crater in the field, his body lying amongst the crushed rock and fallen dirt.

"Pikachu!" Ash screamed, eyes widening to reflect the horror he felt building up within himself. Up in the private box, Elizabeth shrieked and buried her face into her mother's chest, crying that she no longer wanted to watch the battle. Misty frowned and began to stroke the back of the child's head, holding her close and trying to soothe her.

The crowd had fallen somewhat silent now. There was still a faint buzz travelling through the air, but all of the excitement had died down to some extent. Ash was nervously leaning forward, trying to catch a glimpse inside of the crater to see if he could spot Pikachu. But the hole was too deep from that angle. He couldn't see inside.

"Pikachu, get out!" Ash pleaded. "You can hear me, can't you? I believe in you! Come on, buddy!"

The electric mouse actually managed to pull himself out of the expansive basin, but he certainly looked worse for wear. The cuts and scratches that had already been covering his body were now deepened, and more of them covered his small yellow body. He seemed to be limping as he crawled out of the hole, and his beady black eyes seemed dull and almost lifeless.

"Pikachu, I don't want you to push yourself," Ash warned his partner. "Just tell me if you can't take anymore…"

After Ash trailed off, Pikachu looked up at the raven haired man and gave a single, brisk nod, causing Ash to gasp and frown.

"Pikachu…" Ash breathed.

"Pikapi," Pikachu muttered weakly.

"Looks like Pikachu's heart is still in the battle," Nolan commented, a smirk growing on his face. "But this next attack will end it for sure. Drifblim, it's time to use our secret weapon."

"Secret weapon?" Ash muttered in fear.

"Explosion!" Nolan yelled, dramatically throwing his arm forward.

Before Ash could make a move, or even think of giving one, Drifblim's eyes flashed red, and the ground surrounding Pikachu just completely obliterated. The explosion was as loud as it was destructive, earning another gut wrenching cry from Elizabeth, although she no longer had her eyes on the battle field. Even Aiden and Michelle had to look away when the explosion happened, fear gripping both of their hearts and squeezing like Drifblim's constrict attack. Misty had her eyes on the field still, but that was mostly because she couldn't look away no matter how hard she tried. It felt like her stomach was floating, like Ash's emotions had been transplanted into her own body. Subconsciously, she held Elizabeth more tightly and mentally decided that she never wanted to let the child go.

Down on the field, Ash had looked away and covered his eyes when the explosion was triggered. His body had been hit with tiny fragments of rock, but that was the least of Ash's concerns at the moment. He needed to know if Pikachu was okay. The electric type had been hurt enough as it was, and explosion was a _highly _destructive move. Ash could only think bad thoughts at the moment, and as hard as he tried to push them away, they just kept floating around his mind, making him nauseous and anxious all at once.

When the smoke and dust finally cleared, Drifblim could be seen still floating in the air. It had moved closer to Nolan now, however, and no longer seemed poised to attack. It sensed the battle was over. When the air was entirely clear, Ash forced himself to look down at where his partner Pokémon had been standing before the blast. Pikachu was still there, but instead of standing on all four of his paws, he was now crumpled up into a ball on the ground, his ears down by his head and his tail splayed out behind him. His fur was marred by dirt and cuts, scratches and scrapes. And it didn't appear that the small mouse was moving.

Letting out a shuttered breath, Ash stormed onto the field, throwing himself down next to the badly injured creature in order to examine him. He was so busy staring at Pikachu that Ash hadn't even noticed Nolan returning Drifblim to its poke ball and walking the length of the field to stand where Ash was hovering over Pikachu. Looking down with his dark brown eyes, Nolan took one look at Pikachu and knew the damage was bad.

"Ash, we have to take Pikachu to the Pokémon Center right away," Nolan informed the current Pokémon Master.

Ash's only response was a static, wordless nod.

**XXX**

"Elizabeth, sweetie, you can't cry. Not in front of Daddy."

Misty felt like a complete monster, telling a three year old that she couldn't cry. But the gym leader already knew that her husband was destroyed. If he saw his little daughter crying…he'd completely lose it. Aiden and Michelle weren't happy either, but they knew they couldn't cry in front of their father at the moment. Elizabeth, however, was too young to understand. So, here they were: standing in the Center's waiting room and trying to get the youngest Ketchum to calm down.

"M-Mommy…Pika…" Elizabeth bawled, not even able to finish her sentence.

"Pikachu will be fine," Misty whispered, brushing her daughter's hair behind her ear. "I promise, okay? Please, don't cry, baby girl."

Elizabeth finally stopped sobbing and hiccupping. Her face was still red and tear stained, however. Knowing full well she couldn't show up in front of Ash with their youngest daughter like that, Misty handed the toddler off to her older sister and requested, "Can you get her back to normal, Michelle? Once her face isn't red like that anymore, you can all come inside."

"Yeah," Michelle murmured softly, holding the younger girl against her hip.

Misty silently thanked her daughter and skirted out of the quiet, sterile room, through the heavy silver doors and down the back hallway that led into the emergency section of the Center; where Ash and Nolan had taken Pikachu, according to Scott. Fortunately, he had been right, as Misty found the two men with their foreheads pressed against the large glass window that helped them look into the actual emergency room. Her delicate footsteps caused both of them to look up. Misty made sure to keep her expression staid in front of them. She was upset and wracked by the battle, but seeing as she had just gotten through with calming Elizabeth down; Misty knew _she _couldn't show Ash her true feelings. It would crush him even more than he already was.

"I'll leave you two alone," Nolan's gruff voice filled Misty's ears. She threw him a grateful look as he walked past her and down the hallway, exiting through the same heavy doors she had just come in through. With Nolan now gone, Misty took his place at the window, staring through the glass to survey the damage that had been done.

Nurse Joy and Chansey were still busy treating the seriously injured Pikachu. He was wrapped up in bandages and attached to so many machines that Misty could hardly count them. On top of it all, Pikachu appeared to be unconscious.

"How is he doing?" Misty asked softly.

It took Ash a moment, but at long last he answered, "Not great. He's got a lot of lacerations, one of his paws is sprained. Nurse Joy is afraid he might have a concussion."

"But…he'll be okay, right?" Misty whispered.

"She thinks so," Ash murmured. He had yet to take his eyes off of the injured mouse.

"Oh, Ash, I'm sorry," Misty sighed, moving closer to her husband to rub his arm. "I know how painful this is for you."

"I let this happen," Ash muttered.

"No you didn't," Misty gently argued. "Pikachu _wanted _to keep battling. He's strong willed, just like you. He didn't want to let you down."

"Exactly," Ash grumbled. "So it's my fault."

"Ash-"Misty tried before being cut off by the frustrated man standing next to her.

"I should have called him off! I shouldn't have let him keep going. He was weak, he was hurt. I should have seen those signs. I shouldn't have ignored them. But I did. And now he's like this. I'm the worst trainer in the entire world."

"Ash, stop being so hard on yourself," Misty pleaded.

"That whole battle was embarrassing," Ash just kept on going, his tone becoming acidic. "I made myself look like an idiot in front of all of those people! I made myself look like an idiot in front of my own kids…I made myself look like an idiot in front of _you._"

"Stop it, Ash, you know the kids and I love you no matter what," Misty finally piped up again. "Besides, you can't win every single battle! It's impossible."

"It shouldn't be for the Pokémon Master!" Ash cried. "I obviously don't deserve to have this title!"

And with that, he finally moved. But _where_ he was walking towards was what surprised Misty. Ash was marching right up to the heavy doors at the end of the corridor, and fortunately, she managed to catch up to him and grab the angry man by his shoulders before he could open them.

"Where are you going?!" Misty demanded.

Without turning around, Ash replied coldly, "I'm going to go tell Nolan that I want to resign. He'll become Pokémon Master again, and it'll all be fine."

"Except it won't," Misty bit, forcing Ash to turn around. "This is your _dream, _Ash! I'm not going to let you give it up because of one bad battle. I won't do it."

"One _bad_ battle?" Ash repeated starkly. "Try the worst battle of my entire life. I'm humiliated, and on top of _that, _I let Pikachu down."

"Okay, fine, so it wasn't your best day," Misty agreed. "But what is Pikachu going to think when he wakes up, which you know he will, and finds out that you forfeited your title? Don't you think he's going to be disappointed in you? Don't you think you'll be letting him down much worse than you did in your battle today?"

"…I don't know."

"You _do _know," Misty continued on with her passion fueled rant. "And what about our children? Let's take Aiden, Michelle, and Elizabeth into consideration, shall we? What is giving up your title after this going to teach them? That it's _okay _to quit after you make a mistake? Is that what you want to teach our children?"

"No," Ash replied more strongly this time.

"What would they think if after _every time _I lost a gym battle, I threatened to quit?" Misty carried on quite valiantly. "I don't think they'd have very much respect for me as their mother. And don't give me the excuse that losing is a part of my job. Let's be real here, isn't it part of yours, too?"

Ash had no response this time around.

"I don't care that you're the Pokémon Master, quite frankly," Misty scoffed, causing Ash's jaw to drop. "You're still a Pokémon trainer. I'm a gym leader, but I'm still just a trainer. You know what trainers do sometimes? They lose. It's part of the job. You and I signed up for it. Some losses are tougher than others, but we just have to pick ourselves up and move on."

"But I can't go out there and face them," Ash groaned, his voice becoming strained as tears poked at the back of his eyes. Misty didn't have to ask who he was referring to. "I let them down. What they saw today…they've never seen anything like that out of me."

"They understand," Misty's voice was soft once again. "They don't think any less of you. They still think you're the best trainer they've ever seen. And you know what? They're right."

Ash let out a soft but audible breath as he thought over Misty's words. In the back of his mind, he knew his wife was right. But it pained him to admit that right now. Not because he didn't want her to know, but because he didn't feel like giving himself any credit at the moment. He still wanted to bask himself in shame for a little while.

"Now, you and I will go out there and face the kids," Misty continued softly. "But only if you promise to drop the self-pity, alright?"

No response.

"Ash," Misty growled.

"Fine," Ash mumbled in a not too convincing manner. Despite this, Misty knew she couldn't keep herself and Ash holed up in the emergency corridor forever, so she pushed open the doors and let herself and Ash out into the waiting room.

As they entered the large room, Misty was surprised to see that their children were all kneeling down on the floor, forming a small semi-circle with their backs facing her and Ash. Nolan hovered over them, watching the three with intent, fatherly eyes.

"What are you three up to?" Misty softly asked her children as she walked over to them. They all looked up, and as soon as they realized Ash was there now, they jumped up and attacked him with hugs, shocking the man. Michelle hung off of his neck, while Aiden had grabbed the back of the man's shoulders. Elizabeth, who was too small yet to jump that high, had taken control of her father's legs and was hugging them both very tightly.

"You're okay, Daddy!" Michelle squealed, staring her father right in the eyes. His chocolate orbs locked with her emerald ones, and at this, he couldn't help but to smile.

"Yeah, I am," he replied hoarsely.

"What about Pikachu?" Aiden asked softly from behind.

"He'll be just fine," Ash answered, earning a relieved smile from all three children. "Nurse Joy is still taking care of him, but he'll be okay."

"Daddy, look!" Elizabeth cried, tugging at his pants. After a few pulls, she let go and ran back over to the spot on the floor where she and her siblings had been crouched over. Ash blinked but followed after the young girl, looking down to see whatever it was she was pointing at.

As it would turn out, it was a piece of construction paper: bright yellow in color and folded in half. There were various scribbles on it in all different colors: red, blue, green, brown, black, and purple. They had obviously come from the collection of markers on the side, some of which were still uncapped from being used. Written across the top in neat handwriting that Ash recognized as Michelle's were the words "Get Well, Pikachu!" That told him exactly what it was.

"You guys made a card for Pikachu," Ash breathed.

"Yeah!" Aiden cheered, running up to his father's side. "Nolan found us the paper and the markers! We've been working on it while you and Mom were in the emergency room."

"We love Pikachu too!" Michelle added.

"I know you guys do…" Ash choked out, sniffling before rubbing at his eyes with his forearm. "That means a lot…I'm sure Pikachu will love it once he wakes up!"

As if on cue, Nurse Joy emerged from the back corridor, causing Ash to whip around with a wide eyed stare. Misty stood next to him and gave the nurse an equally pleading look, to which she smiled and gave a small nod.

"Pikachu will be just fine," Nurse Joy reassured the couple. "In fact, he's just woken up!"

"Can…can I go see him?" Ash stammered.

"Of course you may," Nurse Joy trilled. "He's looking for you!"

Squeaking, Elizabeth picked up the folded construction paper and tapped her father with it, causing him to look down. Smiling as he understood immediately, Ash took the card from his youngest daughter and promised her, "I'll give this to Pikachu. Thanks, pumpkin!"

Before he could walk through the heavy doors once again, however, Nolan grabbed hold of the younger man and whispered in his ear, "Your kids just _adore _you, by the way. I made sure to keep an eye on them while Misty was with you, and they just talked about you the entire time! I've never seen a group of kids who are so proud of their Dad."

"Really?" Ash murmured incredulously.

"I would never lie to you," Nolan chuckled, patting Ash's shoulder before walking away to leave Ash with that thought. Breathing out, Ash pushed back the doors and slipped into the hallway, quickly making his way towards the room where he had been watching Pikachu from before. This time, the door was wide open, and he was able to just step inside and set his eyes on Pikachu.

The little mouse was still heavily bandaged and attached to beeping machines, but he was at least awake now. When Pikachu saw Ash enter the room, the electric type squeaked and smiled at his trainer, which brought an equally sized grin to Ash's face.

"Hey there, buddy," Ash greeted softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Kachu," Pikachu replied.

Still smiling, Ash placed the card down in front of his partner Pokémon and explained, "Aiden, Michelle, and Elizabeth made this for you. They were all really worried."

"Cha!" Pikachu crooned happily upon seeing the front of the card.

"I was really worried, too," Ash added. Pikachu looked up and gently shifted his tail. "I'm sorry, Pikachu. About the battle, I mean. I should have called you off."

"Pi-ka, pikapi," Pikachu reassured. _It's okay, Ash._

"But it's not," Ash tried.

"Kachu," Pikachu reiterated.

"Aren't you mad at me?" Ash inquired as he knelt down beside the injured Pokémon.

"Ka." _No._

"How?" Ash all but whined.

"Pikachu pika. Pi pi-ka, pikapi."

"I know you wanted to keep battling, but I shouldn't have let you," Ash muttered. "Now you're hurt and it's all my fault."

Pikachu shook his head. He was very adamant about his belief that it was _not _Ash's fault. When Ash looked ready to argue again, however, Pikachu managed to pick up one of his uninjured paws and press it against Ash's lips in an effort to shut him up. Amazingly enough, it worked.

"Pika, pikapi!" Pikachu scolded. "Pikachu Pikapika. Pi-ka kaka pikachu. Pi."

Sighing, Ash chuckled softly as Pikachu lowered his paw. "You're more mad at me for wanting to blame myself than anything else, huh?" Ash asked.

"Ka," Pikachu confirmed.

"I'm sorry," Ash apologized whole heartedly. "I'll try to stop."

"Pi," Pikachu sighed as he lowered his head. _Good._

"So…you don't think I'm a bad trainer?" Ash pressed.

"Ka." _No._

"You think we'll ever beat Nolan again?"

"Pi." _Yes._

At this, Ash smiled. Pikachu believed in him. His children believed in him. His wife believed in him.

With all of those people on his side, how could he possibly lose?

* * *

><p><strong>Nolan's not a bad guy, by the way. I don't want anyone to think that. He didn't want to hurt Pikachu. He and Ash are just two of the most powerful trainers in the world, and so are their Pokemon, so the battle just got very heated. But he and Ash are friends :)<strong>

**Also, the scene between Ash and Misty in the Center was one of my favorite to write. Ever. :P**


	137. Yoga Buddies

**Pokeshippy fluff yaaaaay :P Enjoy, peeps!**

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><p><span><strong>Yoga Buddies<strong>

"Are you ready to hear something you never thought you'd hear me say? Ever?"

Ash blinked and looked up from his paper work, finding himself eye to eye with his wife. She was gripping the back of the chair that was pulled in directly across from Ash and leaning over it, an unamused smirk gracing her beautiful face.

"…what?" Ash asked.

"I'm sick of swimming," Misty sighed, pulling the chair out and sitting down in it. She propped her arm up on the table and rested her head in her hand, staring over at Ash forlornly.

"Sick of swimming?" Ash repeated skeptically. "Huh, you're right. I never _did_ think I'd be hearing that out of you!"

"I can't do _anything _anymore," Misty complained. "Swimming is safe for me, but nothing else that I actually enjoy doing is! I mostly work on my stomach, and I can't do that anymore." She pouted as she leaned back in her chair and ran her hand over her rounded belly. "I don't want to hurt my little sweethearts, anyway. But it's so frustrating…"

"What about running?" Ash suggested, mindlessly tapping his pen against the top of the table.

"I'm too scared to try and run," Misty fretted. "I can barely walk anymore without feeling like I'm going to fall down."

"Then I _definitely_ don't want you running," Ash agreed, looking back up from his pen to his wife.

"What am I supposed to do?" Misty grumbled, once again resting her head in her hands. "I can't just sit around while I get fat! I'm not used to doing nothing!"

"You're not getting fat!" Ash scolded, which didn't seem to deter Misty as she skeptically raised her eyebrows. "Stop being mean to yourself, Mist."

"I just want to do something," Misty mumbled, staring down miserably at her hands.

"How about yoga?"

Ash lifted his head while Misty looked over her shoulder to see the source of the new voice. Delia was just coming down the stairs, smiling gently at the younger woman sitting at the table.

"Yoga?" Misty repeated.

"They say that yoga is the best kind of exercise to do while you're pregnant," Delia continued. "It gets your heart pumping and your blood flowing! It also helps to improve your balance."

"That alone sounds enticing," Misty snorted. "Considering my balance now _sucks._"

"It's really wonderful exercise," Delia giggled. "I did it all the time while I was pregnant with Ash, and it was the perfect way to unwind and get myself active. Every time I got stressed out, I would just do some yoga and it would calm me down right away!"

"I'm not really into the slower kinds of exercise, but I can't really afford to go hard and fast now," Misty sighed, once again glancing down at her stomach. "I'm only five months along, which means I'm just going to keep on getting bigger. I need to learn to slow down."

"I agree," Ash piped up, earning a glare from his wife. "I'm just worried about you, babe! You and the twins mean everything to me. If anything happens to the three of you…I won't be able to live with myself, regardless of whether I have anything to do with it or not."

Misty cooed and reached across the table, grabbing Ash's still idle hand and squeezing it with her own. "Oh, honey, you're so sweet! I love you, but you worry too much!"

"Sorry," Ash apologized as a blush fell on his face. "I never knew that being an expectant father could be so stressful."

Smiling, Delia walked over to Ash and began to brush through the young man's hair, softly suggesting, "Maybe you should do yoga with Misty, dear!"

Ash looked up at his mother and raised a wry eyebrow. "I'm not pregnant."

"You don't have to be pregnant to do yoga," Delia laughed at the notion. "I do it all the time, and I'm certainly not pregnant!"

"Yeah, but I'm a guy…" Ash muttered.

"You don't have to be a girl to do yoga, either," Delia added with a smirk. "It's a great form of exercise! Not only does it beat stress and improve your circulation, but it also keeps you limber and makes your joints stronger! Aren't all of those things important when it comes to training your Pokémon?"

Ash eyed Misty, who gave him a knowing smirk in response that told him he knew his mother was right. The raven haired man sighed and hung his head, allowing his shoulders to fall forward as he hunched his back.

"I guess so…"

"Come on, Ash, why don't you just try it one time with me?" Misty asked. "I've never done yoga either, so it's not like I can show you up. How could it hurt?"

"It couldn't," Ash admitted, picking his head back up. "And I guess it would be fun to exercise together…"

"So…?" Misty drawled, grinning at her husband once she was done drawing her word out.

"Fine, I'll try it," Ash sighed, causing Misty to cheer delightfully. Not because he had agreed to trying yoga with her, but because she had won the battle of convincing.

**XXX**

When Ash had allowed his mother and wife to coax him into trying yoga, he assumed that one of them would buy a DVD or something and pop it into the television at home.

If only he could be so lucky.

Instead, his mother had found them an actual _class_ to go to, and needless to say, Ash was not an excited man.

When they walked in and Ash realized it was a room full of only _pregnant women, _he became even less enthralled, which he didn't think was possible at that point.

"Oh, great, it's hard enough having to deal with _one _pregnant woman's crazy hormones," Ash muttered. "How am I supposed to deal with a room full of 'em?"

A rough tug on the ear caused Ash to cry out in pain and glance up, finding his wife to be the source of his anguish. She was glaring down at him and not bothering to release his now pained ear, despite his quiet and desperate whimpers of agony.

"I'm the _only_ pregnant woman you should be concerning yourself with, so I wouldn't be worried about their hormones if I were you," Misty scolded, finally releasing her husband's ear. He gasped and started to rub his now burning earlobe, causing Misty to smirk as she rolled her eyes.

"I gotta' call Brock later and apologize for all the years of pain and suffering you've caused him," Ash breathed, still holding onto his sore ear.

While Ash was still nursing his aching body part, a woman walked up to them; the only one in the room who wasn't pregnant.

"I can't believe it!" She gasped, her eyes lighting up. "You're the Pokémon Master, aren't you?"

"Uh…yeah, I am…" Ash muttered nervously, his wish that no one would recognize him dying right before his eyes. "I'm…I'm not here for the women!"

The blonde raised an eyebrow, seemingly bewildered by Ash's sudden blurt. Rolling her eyes, Misty shoved Ash by his shoulder and piped up, "you'll have to excuse him. For such a famous guy, he's not very good with conversation. Or socializing. Or first impressions."

"It's quite alright," the woman laughed. "You must be his wife, Misty!"

"Yes, I am," Misty trilled, offering her hand to the other woman. The blonde grinned and shook the red head's hand, still looking star struck as she did so.

"This is so cool!" She marveled. "My name is Anima. I'm the instructor for the prenatal yoga class. So, what decided to make you test it out?"

"I swim almost every single day, even when I'm not pregnant, so I'm a little bored with it right now since I can't do much else to supplement it," Misty explained. "My mother-in-law suggested yoga, and I figured I should give it a go!"

"That was a great decision!" Anima praised. "I think you'll really enjoy it! And what about you…uh…"

Ash, who had started looking around the room out of boredom while Misty and Anima got to know each other, turned his attention back onto the woman and widened his chocolate brown eyes to a degree. "Oh…sorry! You can just call me Ash."

"Right, Ash," Anima repeated, smiling at the man. "What made you decide to accompany your wife here today?"

"Nothing really," Ash replied honestly. "My Mom kind of made me."

Once again, Anima raised a confounded eyebrow. Sighing as she shook her head, Misty grabbed Ash by the hand and continued, "Like I said…he's awkward."

She led him over to two empty yoga mats that were right next to one another: one green and one blue. Misty took up the green one, since it was her favorite color, and left the blue one up to Ash.

"See? I'm not so bad," Misty giggled as her husband sat down on the adjacent mat. "I could've sat down next to a pink one!"

"Honestly, at this point, that wouldn't have been so embarrassing," Ash sighed, glancing over at his wife.

"Come on, is going to a yoga class so bad?" Misty pressed.

"It is when it's a _prenatal_ yoga class!" Ash cried. "I'm not a pregnant woman, Mist! This is so…weird!"

Smiling seductively, Misty leaned forward until her face was a mere inches away from her husband's, her breath ghosting against the tight skin on his face.

"If you hadn't come with me today, you wouldn't have gotten to see me in my workout clothes," Misty purred.

Ash allowed his eyes to travel down so he could take it Misty's bright purple tricot tank, printed with abstract pink triangles. Her belly looked exceptionally cute in it, if not a bit bigger than usual, but Ash figured he should keep that to himself. The same went for her chest, which was a huge plus in Ash's book. Her bottoms were a pair of black yoga shorts, which she had chosen over pants because of the fact it was late August and the daytime temperatures were pretty high. Ash wasn't about to complain about that, however. They were tight and _ridiculously _short. If Misty were to put her hands down by her sides, there was no the bottom of those shorts would even reach her fingertips. And the way they hugged her curvaceous, sexy a-

"Good afternoon, everyone!"

Ash nearly fell over when that voice boomed, causing Misty to giggle and playfully roll her eyes. She was just _so _good when it came to enrapturing her husband.

That trance snapping voice had come from Anima, who was now standing at the front of the room. Ash managed to pick himself up and stare at the blonde with wide, chocolate brown eyes.

"I'm so glad all of you ladies decided to join us today," Anima continued brightly before adding, "and Ash, of course!"

The Pokémon Master groaned and tried to hide his face as it turned red. Misty was still softly giggling at his misfortune, but that would stop soon enough.

"Aw, that's _so_ cute!"

"My husband would never do that!"

"He must be the sweetest guy in the entire world!"

Ash picked his head back up and looked around himself out of curiosity. All of the other women in the room had their eyes on him and were smiling sweetly, obviously enamored by his "willingness" to accompany his wife to her yoga class.

"Oh…well, thank you, ladies!" Ash crowed, causing Misty's eyes to widen as if they were going to fall out of her head.

**XXX**

By the end of the class, Ash was still reveling in all of the attention that the other women had given him. Luckily for him, Misty had been distracted by the actual class and had enjoyed it enough to completely block out his obliviousness.

Once it was over, however, Ash wasn't so lucky.

Misty caught him exchanging smiles with a nearby brunette, causing her to once again yank at the young man's ear. He yelped and tried to worm his way out of her grasp, but this time, Misty wasn't about to let him go so easily.

"I thought you were worried about the other pregnant women's hormones," Misty bit while Ash writhed from her pinch. "Now you're practically trying to get into their pants!"

"I am not!" Ash argued in a whiny voice. "I can't help it that they think I'm the most compassionate husband to have ever lived!"

"Compassionate?" Misty repeated incredulously, not believing for a second that Ash knew what that word meant.

"Cilan taught it to me."

"Mmhm," Misty replied, finally letting go of her husband's ear.

"Did you at least enjoy doing the yoga?" Ash asked, wincing as he rubbed his sore ear with the palm of his left hand.

"I did, actually," Misty answered with a delicate smile. "And I'm not going to lie…I really thought I would hate it. But, as always, your mother was right! I think I'll continue this throughout the rest of my pregnancy."

"That's good to know."

"Yeah…but you're not coming with me anyway."

"Huh? Why?"

Misty turned to face her husband as she narrowed her eyes. "Because you sat next to me and made googly eyes with all the women who _aren't _carrying your children."

"Oh man, you're obsessed," Ash grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"I am not. I'm just observant."

"That's fine," Ash sighed, lowering his hand from the side of his head. "I don't need to come to these classes. Maybe I'll send Brock with you instead."

"Why would you send Brock with me to a prenatal yoga class?"

"Because it's with a bunch of women."

"…they're all _pregnant._"

"Are you implying there's something wrong with being pregnant?"

"Yes, I am," Misty replied sarcastically, "that's why I'm walking around with our kids in my stomach!"

"Fair enough," Ash chuckled. "But then why does it matter for Brock if they're pregnant?"

"They all have significant others," Misty sighed. "Probably. I don't want to make any assumptions. But probably."

"Maybe…" Ash murmured, "But that didn't seem to discourage them from getting their flirt on with me."

"…yeah, you're definitely staying home from now on."

* * *

><p><strong>I'm going to do a little continuation of this one...you'll all see what I mean. There's a method to my madness ;) <strong>


	138. Yoga Buddies II

**Here's my continuation of the last one shot! And if you guys didn't read it, which is entirely possible because for some reason the story spasamed and got rid of the character classification, go back and read it you sillies! The site updating just messed it up, I guess.**

**Aiden: 5 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Yoga Buddies II<strong>

There was no denying that Misty led a very busy life.

She had a husband, two young children, a house, and a job. Her daily routine was very rigorous and kept her busy. She would wake up every morning and have to make sure her husband was up for his own job, as well as her children so they didn't oversleep. Once she got everyone downstairs, it was Misty's job to make breakfast and get everyone fed to start off the day. When Ash retreated back into their bedroom to get dressed, Misty would bring the twins back to their own rooms and pick out their outfits for the day, since Aiden and Michelle were never eager to do it for themselves and, when they did, picked out terribly clashing ensembles. She could only get dressed after they were, and in that short amount of time Misty would have to hope that neither child would do anything naughty or destructive. She always bid Ash farewell before he left for the training complex, and then her day _really _got going. For once Ash left, that's when Misty would head next door to the gym to feed the Pokémon and get in some training, if she didn't have to clean anywhere in the gym, that was. But she usually did. And then there were the challengers on top of it all! Usually, the twins accompanied her, unless Misty was far too stressed or knew she would be in there all day with no chance of getting out. Then she would get her mother or Ash's to babysit them. When they were with her, though, Misty was responsible for lunch for the three of them. After that came more training, cleaning, or battling (or all three, when Misty was _especially_ lucky) and that could usually take her up until Ash came home from his own long day at work. Once he arrived, Misty knew that was her cue to start dinner for the family. They would all eat together, and once she and Ash were done washing the dishes, that's when their downtime with the twins came. For fun, the family would usually either watch television or play a game. Sometimes after dinner, the twins needed a bath, which was always the worst and most challenging task Misty was faced with when it came to the two. Everything finally began to wind down at bedtime, when Aiden and Michelle were changed into their pajamas and tucked into bed before being read a bedtime story by either her or Ash. Then they would go to sleep, and Ash and Misty would get their time to themselves before falling asleep and restarting the whole routine the next morning.

Needless to say, it was extremely exhausting. Even _more_ so when you were pregnant. Which Misty was. Fairly heavily, in fact.

She was now in her seventh month and pretty irritable. She still seemed to be getting bigger every day, which left her sore and off balance. There were some days where, on top of her already crazy schedule at home, Misty couldn't even stomach the idea of working over at the gym. So she would take a day off, for her own sanity.

Today was one of those days.

Fortunately, she had been able to coax the twins into taking an afternoon nap, which at this point was a rarity for the two five year olds. Normally, Misty wouldn't have cared so much, but no one was around to babysit and she wanted some peace and quiet. So, she'd sweet talked them into it.

Since Misty obviously couldn't leave the two young children alone in the house, she figured she'd just have to do her favorite form of pregnancy exercise on her own. She much preferred to go out and do it in her class, since she liked having other women in the same situation as her to converse with. But this was not the same as her first pregnancy, since there were two children around now, and she couldn't just head off to her class whenever she pleased. It was easy enough to do on her own. After all, Misty knew all of the poses and had her own mat. And the house was now quiet enough for her to get her peace of mind.

Yes, doing yoga was the _perfect_ way for Misty to relax on her day off while the twins napped upstairs.

As soon as she had put Aiden and Michelle down in their perspective beds, she'd managed to sneak off into her own room and change into some of her active wear: a stretchy black tank top banded with an aqua stripe above her belly and a pair of white terry shorts. Since she was in the house, Misty didn't even have to bother putting on socks or a pair of sneakers, which was pretty amazing. Bending over to do that kind of stuff had become a sincere pain in the ass.

Once she was fully ready to exercise, Misty made her way downstairs as quietly as possible so she wouldn't disturb the twins. She had decided to do her exercise in the living room, having already grabbed her green yoga mat and unrolling it in the middle of the floor. Actually getting down onto it wasn't very hard, but once she was sitting, it felt amazing to just sit and relax. Misty began her yoga routine the same way she would in class: by folding her legs beneath her and working on her breathing. She focused solely on that, and allowed the quiet of the house to overtake her. The baby girl in her belly was still and quiet, which Misty was grateful for. Yoga was so much easier to accomplish with a sleeping baby than with an active one.

With her eyes closed and all of her attention focused on her breathing, Misty felt more relaxed than she had all week. Soon enough, her gentle breathing pattern fell into an almost rhythmic pace, which she managed to keep up with quite nicely. It was as if she were breathing along with someone else, keeping up with their own breaths and matching their every exhale.

Feeling completely at ease, Misty allowed her eyes to flutter open, and once they did, she shrieked and nearly fell over. For she found herself face to face with a rather unsuspected guest…

Her little son.

"Aiden…" Misty grumbled, finally getting her body to cooperate and sit back up, "what are you doing down here? I thought I put you down for a nap."

"I'm not sleepy, Mommy," Aiden replied.

"Could you get sleepy?" Misty muttered, pressing a hand against her forehead.

"Play with me, Mommy!"

"No, Aiden, Mommy can't play right now," Misty refuted.

"Why not?" The boy murmured as he put on a pout very reminiscent of his father.

"Because I want some time to myself," Misty answered honestly. She saw no point in lying to her son. "I'm trying to do something that I really like to do."

"What do you like?" Aiden squeaked. "Cars?"

"No, baby," Misty giggled, finally dropping her desolate look. "I'm not a precious little boy like you are! I'm not trying to play race cars; I'm trying to do yoga."

"Yoga?" Aiden repeated. "What's _that?_"

Misty smirked to herself as she thought back to the very first time she had tried yoga, during her pregnancy with Aiden and Michelle. She had convinced Ash to come along with her, and the end result had been rather amusing, even though Ash only _really _enjoyed it because he was getting praise from other women. She figured if she could get Ash to try it, why not Aiden? It _was_ relaxing, after all, which led to the possibility of actually making Aiden sleepy and getting him to take a nap!

"Why don't you try it with me?" Misty cooed. "It's a lot of fun!"

The young boy looked rather skeptical. His Mommy wasn't interested in the same things he was. Or his Daddy, for that matter. Aiden knew he always ended up liking his Daddy's ideas. But sometimes, what his Mommy thought was fun actually turned out to be really _boring._

"Come on, sweetie," Misty coaxed, holding her hands out towards the still contemplating child. "Just try it! If you don't like it, I'll let you go."

Shrugging, Aiden finally stepped onto the green yoga mat and fell into his mother's hands, giggling as he did so. Misty smiled in response and pulled the boy closer to her, kissing him on the nose and lifting him up just enough so he was resting his small feet against the swell of her belly.

"Let's be careful," Misty breathed, putting Aiden back down as she gingerly touched the front of her stomach with just her fingertips. "Baby sister is sleeping right now, and Mommy would like to keep it that way!"

"Sleepy baby sister," Aiden repeated in a sing song voice, laughing afterwards.

"Yeah, sleepy little girl," Misty sighed lovingly. "Now, you just do whatever Mommy does, okay?"

Aiden nodded wordlessly, locking his chocolate brown eyes on his mother like she was the only person in the world. Misty cooed happily at this before getting on her hands and knees and rounding out her back, grinning at Aiden the whole time.

"Can you do this?" She asked, knowing it would get a rise out of the boy. Just as she expected, Aiden nodded emphatically and copied his mother's position exactly, tilting his head to the side in order to beam at her once he'd accomplished her challenge. Aiden was very much like his father; if you posed a question or demand more like a test, he would immediately accept it to try and impress you. It was obvious he had inherited the older male's competitiveness.

"You're a quick learner, little man!" Misty complimented. "But how about this?"

She slowly got back to her feet and stood up straight, stretching her arms over her head as she stared down at Aiden to carefully watch the boy. He smirked and followed right after her, stretching his arms up as far as he possibly could. Eventually, he started to push off on his tippy toes, causing Misty to giggle.

"I wanna' be taller!" Aiden cried.

"You'll be taller when you get older!" Misty comforted the child. "Like Daddy. Daddy didn't get tall until he was older."

"Can I make one up?" Aiden asked, changing the subject completely.

Misty lowered her arms to pull down her tank top, which had rode up slightly when she'd raised her arms. "Make what up?"

"Do what I do!" Aiden ordered much like Misty had just been doing. He got back down onto the mat, this time on his stomach. He pushed himself up by his hands and tilted his head back, trying to touch the bottoms of his feet to the top of his head. Much to Misty's surprise, he was actually able to do it.

"Wow, you're flexible!" Misty marveled.

Aiden grinned as he lowered his legs back onto the ground before pointing a small finger at Misty. "Your turn!"

"Oh, sweetie, I can't do that!" Misty crooned sympathetically.

"Why?" Aiden groaned as he pouted once again.

"I can't lie down on my tummy," Misty patted her ever growing stomach to emphasize her point. "That would hurt the baby!"

"Oh," Aiden murmured, now sliding his hands out in front of him so he was lying on the mat in a pose similar to a flying superhero.

"That's a yoga pose too, you know," Misty playfully informed her son.

"Yeah?" Aiden asked, picking his head up and looking visibly excited over the idea.

"Yep! Looks like you're a real natural, little guy," Misty sat back down and ruffled her son's black hair. "I'll do that kind of stuff with you once the baby is out of my belly, okay?"

"Okay!" Aiden chirped, his eyes lighting up.

"You like yoga, huh, champ?" Misty giggled.

"Yeah! It's fun!"

Misty smiled to herself. She wasn't sure if Ash would be pleased that she had introduced their son to yoga, and that he had ended up falling in love with it, but Misty didn't really care. Having a _real_ yoga buddy was a lot of fun, even if it came in the form of a five year old boy!

Suddenly, a small yawn coming out of Aiden's mouth brought Misty's attention back onto the boy. He was still lying on his stomach, with his arms outstretched in front of himself, but now he was resting his cheek on the mat, snuggling his head into it.

"Somebody's sleepy…" Misty teased in a sing song voice.

"Nuh uh," Aiden murmured in protest, although that was the telltale sign that he was lying.

"How about Mommy shows you her _favorite _part of yoga?" Misty asked, reaching out to stroke Aiden's midnight locks.

"Okay…" Aiden sighed, his eyes starting to flutter as he fought to keep them open.

"Crawl over here, because Mommy can't pick you up right now," Misty instructed, patting the right side of the mat. Reluctantly, Aiden pushed his weary body up and crawled on all fours until he was at the side of the mat. Misty had moved herself closer to the left, so there was enough room for Aiden to lie down. Once he reached the halfway mark, Aiden let out a long breath as he once again settled himself down on the mat, trying to hide his face in his folded arms.

"Copy me one more time, baby boy," Misty murmured soothingly. Her voice was enough to get Aiden to pick his head up and peer out from his arms. Smiling, Misty laid down on her right side so she was facing Aiden, folding her right arm beneath her head so she could use it as a makeshift pillow. Groaning, Aiden rolled over onto his side and stared up at his mother with half closed eyes, silently hoping he had done it right. "Good job, sweetheart," Misty crooned, stroking the boy's cheek.

"What's dis?" Aiden muttered, his voice becoming heavy with exhaustion.

"It's meditation," Misty replied gently, still running her fingers against Aiden's skin. "It helps you to relax when you're done."

Aiden yawned again and allowed his eyes to fully slip closed. Misty smiled to herself and craned her head forward, pressing an airy kiss against her young son's forehead. He let out a content breath in his shallow sleep, while Misty trailed her hand from his cheek to his back. She let her own eyes close as well, and before she knew it, she too was fast asleep.

She and Aiden were both out of it so quickly, in fact, that neither one awoke to the sound of the door opening a mere twenty minutes later, a familiar figure walking in and staring down at the two with a raised eyebrow.

"Pika?" Pikachu, who was sitting on his trainer's right shoulder, murmured curiously.

"Oh no," Ash breathed. "She got him to do yoga with her."

* * *

><p><strong>I originally meant for this one to be funnier, but with Aiden and Misty I always end up with the motherson fluff :P**


	139. Scavenger Hunt

**Another Aiden one shot! I was gonna use Michelle, but she's not really mischievous enough for this kind of stuff :P**

**Aiden: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Scavenger Hunt<strong>

"Misty!"

"What?"

"Where are my badges?!"

"In the trophy room…"

"No, they're not!"

Misty looked up from her magazine and saw Ash standing in the doorway of the living room, looking quite frantic. She sighed and rolled her eyes, not understanding why her husband still got so worked up over the little emblems. It's not like he needed to enter another league competition.

"Are you sure you're just not looking hard enough?" Misty asked calmly.

"Mist, I always keep my badge cases in plain sight, I wouldn't just skip over them!" Ash panicked. "They're literally not in that room anymore! Someone took them!"

"And who would have taken them, Mister Pokémon Master?" Misty demanded. "This is our _home. _It's not like someone just took them out of your backpack on the road."

"I don't know!" Ash cried, throwing his arms down to his sides.

"How many of them are missing, anyway?" Misty inquired.

"Every single one," Ash sighed. "Kanto, Orange League, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova…even my Battle Frontier symbols are missing!"

"That's really strange…" Misty mused. "I wonder…"

"Daddy!"

Ash looked down just in time to see Aiden squeezing between his leg and the side of the doorframe. The little boy had a twinkle in his eyes; the same kind of twinkle that indicated he was up to no good.

"Aiden…what did you do?" Ash murmured slowly.

"Nothing," Aiden replied, frowning at the notion that he had done something wrong. "I wanna' play, Daddy!"

"With me?" Ash asked, pointing at himself.

Aiden grinned and nodded emphatically. "Uh huh!"

"Maybe later, champ," Ash sympathetically responded. "Daddy's having a little bit of a problem right now."

"What?" Aiden asked, tilting his head.

"I can't find any of my badges!" Ash stressed. "I think someone might have taken them. Do you have any idea of who might have stolen my badges, champ?"

"I know!" Aiden cheered, raising his hand in the air.

"You do?!" Ash gasped, a huge smile stretching out across his face. "Who? Tell me, little guy!"

"I took 'em!" Aiden chirped, causing Ash's face to explode into an expression of stunned shock.

"Didn't see that one coming, did you?" Misty snickered at her husband's reaction.

"Aiden…" Ash breathed shakily, "Please give Daddy his badges back."

"No!" Aiden yelped.

"Aiden!" Ash barked.

"You gotta' look for 'em!" Aiden continued.

"What?!" Ash shrieked.

"I hided them," Aiden explained. "You find them now!"

"I'm not in the mood to play this game with you, Aiden," Ash growled. "Just give me my badges back, okay?"

"No," Aiden repeated. "Find 'em."

Ash turned around and started to smack his head against the side of the doorframe. Rolling her eyes, Misty placed her magazine down on the couch and got to her feet, walking over to Ash and pulling his head away from the white molding.

"Don't do that, you'll give yourself further brain damage," Misty scolded.

"Hey!" Ash wailed.

"Don't get so worked up, sweetheart," Misty sighed laughingly. "Aiden didn't mean to steal them. He's just playing a game!"

"My badges are not a game!" Ash roared.

"Look, if it will make you feel better, I'll help you find them all," Misty comforted the obviously frustrated man. "It can't be that hard! He's only four years old, after all. How many hiding spots could he possibly think of?"

**XXX**

"I stand corrected," Misty murmured. "Apparently, a four year old knows _lots _of hiding places…"

Ash groaned and buried his face in his hands. So far, he and Misty had only found his four Orange League badges and two from Kanto: the Thunder Badge and the Volcano Badge. That left six Kanto badges and the other thirty two badges missing in action. Misty had safely returned the Orange League badges and the two recovered Kanto badges to their respective cases before going back to help Ash with his little "scavenger hunt" of sorts. Of course, Ash wasn't having fun with it like most people did with one.

"You know, if our son wasn't so cute, I'd probably get him for this," Ash informed his wife.

"I know, but he is the most adorable little boy in the world, so we all know you're not going to do anything to him," Misty giggled in response.

"Why can't we just yell at him and find out where those badges are?" Ash pleaded.

"Because, Ash, you know how I feel about yelling at the twins," Misty replied. "I don't like it. Besides, Aiden doesn't think he's doing anything wrong. He just thinks he's playing! You need to learn to be more patient, dear."

"But at this rate, it's going to take us _forever _to find all of my badges!" Ash complained.

At that moment, Aiden came scurrying back into the room, his two small hands cupped together. With them full, he could only make use of his feet, using the right one to gently nudge his mother. Misty blinked and knelt down so she could be at eye level with the boy, gently asking, "What is it, Aiden?"

"Here!" Aiden beamed, holding his hands out closer to Misty. The gym leader lowered her eyes and giggled joyfully when she realized that her young son was holding a handful of his father's sparkling gym badges.

"Good boy!" Misty complimented, taking the metal emblems and ruffling her young son's hair. "Daddy will be very happy to see these."

"See what?" Ash grumbled, moving closer to Misty. When he realized her hands were full of badges, however, he gasped and jumped down to her level. "Hey, my badges!"

"Aiden brought them to me," Misty eyed her husband and gave him a knowing smirk. "Wasn't that _sweet_ of him?"

"Yeah, it was!" Ash trilled. "Thanks so much, Aiden!"

Misty spilled the badges on the floor so she and Ash could count them. Once they were done, however, the couple was very confused when they counted only thirty six badges. Which meant that two were still missing.

"Aiden…where are the last two badges?" Misty murmured.

"Find them!" Aiden squeaked.

Ash's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. He didn't understand why his little son had to be so damn difficult! Well, he kind of understood it came from _his_ gene pool, but regardless of the child's DNA, it was still annoying.

"Ash, which badges are still missing?" Misty asked, poking her husband in the side. "You know I'm not very good with the badges from the other regions…"

Ash looked down at the glittering emblems sitting before him and his wife on the floor. He knew where every single one came from, and was able to separate them into their perspective collections. After another count, Ash groaned and threw his head back, staring intensely at the ceiling.

"Well?" Misty pressed.

"The only two badges that are still missing come from Kanto," Ash moaned painfully.

"And which ones are those?" Misty breathed, carefully studying the pile of Kanto badges that Ash had made. Just as she realized which two were missing, Ash spoke their names aloud.

"The Boulder Badge and the Cascade Badge."

Misty sighed and pinched her left temple with her thumb and index finger. "The only two badges that Aiden knows by name…"

"Find them, Daddy!" Aiden squeaked again, not understanding that his father was feeling a frustration he hadn't experienced in quite some time.

"Aiden, this isn't funny!" Ash finally snapped, startling the young boy. "I'm not playing a game with you! Give me back those badges _NOW! _Or you're going to get a timeout!"

As tears began to flood his eyes, Aiden narrowed them and ran off, causing both Ash and Misty to gasp. Whipping her head to the side, Misty gave Ash a smack on the arm, causing him to wince at the afterwards sting.

"Ash, what did I say about the yelling?!" Misty scolded.

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking straight!" Ash yelped. "I'm just so aggravated…"

"Well now you just made things a whole lot worse," Misty sighed as she got to her feet. "We have to find those badges…hopefully Aiden didn't get to them first."

"What do you mean?" Ash muttered statically.

"You don't want to find out, so get a move on!" Misty yelled as she ran off in the same direction that Aiden had. Ash quickly followed suit, fearing what they would find when they eventually tracked down the boy. Luckily, they managed to find him in their room, sitting on top of the bed with his small hands clutched to his chest. Ash was positive the last two badges were in his grasp, and he was determined to get them back. But he'd have to be _very _gentle, since he'd already managed to scare Aiden before with his yelling.

"Hey champ," Ash crooned, a painful pang hitting his heart when the scowl appeared on his son's face. "What've you got there? Are those the two badges I'm still missing?"

Aiden waited a moment before slowly nodding his head.

"Great!" Ash breathed a sigh of relief. "Could I have them back now?"

This time, Aiden shook his head, and he did it more quickly. Ash groaned and allowed his shoulders to sag, while Misty rolled her eyes. She knew Ash had done himself in good this time, and as usual, it was up to her to fix the damage.

"Aiden, sweetie, Daddy didn't mean to yell at you before," Misty reasoned with the child. "He just gets very upset when it comes to his badges! He's protective of them. And you know you shouldn't touch other people's things without their permission. Didn't Mommy teach you that?"

Again, Aiden nodded wordlessly.

"So, will you please give them back to us?" Misty continued. "Daddy and I would be _very _happy if you did that!"

"No," Aiden replied softly and whiningly. Ash felt himself about to lose his temper again, but this time he managed to curb it before he could explode.

"Alright, buddy, I'll tell you what," Ash sighed, finally catching Aiden's attention. "You can hide those last two badges, and I'll find them. Alright? Would that make you happy?"

Aiden's face lit up as he jumped off the bed and let out a cheerful, "yeah! Don't peek!" With that, he ran right out of the room, with Ash and Misty curiously looking over their shoulders.

"Ash, why did you let him do that?" Misty asked breathlessly. "It's only two badges this time, not forty two! It'll be a lot harder to track them down."

"I know that," Ash murmured. "But…it's the Boulder Badge and the Cascade Badge. That's Brock's…well, now it's Forrest's, and your badge. Worse comes to worse, I can just replace them. Right…?"

"I don't know, I might make you actually earn your Cascade Badge this time," Misty quipped.

"Mist!" Ash gasped.

"Don't worry, I'm just kidding! Sort of," Misty added, causing Ash to scowl. "I just don't understand. Those were your first two badges. Aren't they the most special to you?"

"Well, yeah."

"So why did you let Aiden run off to hide them again?"

Ash smiled sadly at his bewildered wife. "Because it's fun for him. Like you said, he thinks this is a game. And I hurt him before by yelling at him and getting worked up over it. Hurting my son's feelings isn't worth getting those two badges back. If I lose them, but I still have his trust and his love…that's a much better trade off than the other way around."

"Wow, Ash," Misty marveled, her eyes shining after her husband's little speech, "that's incredibly sweet! I think you just matured a little more right before my eyes!"

Blushing furiously, Ash lowered his head and muttered, "I _am _twenty five, you know."

"Yeah, but that's still young," Misty giggled. "You've still got plenty of time left to grow up and learn! I mean, you don't even shave yet."

"MISTY!" Ash bellowed, throwing his head back as his eyes squeezed shut in frustration.

"Sorry!" Misty dramatically apologized, although she still laughed afterwards.

"Okay!" Aiden's squeaky voice called out from the hallway. "Come find them!"

Ash put his head back in its upright position and walked out of the room, Misty trailing behind him. The Pokémon Master started to look around, wondering if Aiden had hid any of them in the hallway. He certainly hadn't been at it for very long.

"Ash, look!" Misty gasped, pointing at the floor. Ash followed her slender arm down to her finger and was surprised to see a shining silver octagon lying dormant on the carpet.

"Hey, my Boulder Badge!" Ash chuckled, kneeling down to scoop up his first ever attained badge. "That sure was easy!"

"Maybe Aiden decided to be nice to you!" Misty trilled.

"Yeah, but we still need to find the Cascade Badge," Ash reasoned as he stood back up, temporarily sticking the Boulder Badge in his jeans pocket for the meanwhile. He continued down the hallway, eventually making it towards the staircase. He started to make his way down the steps, keeping a sideways glance on the pictures that lined the wall going down. Suddenly, he stopped at the bottom of the stairs, turning around fully to face one of the picture frames.

"What is it?" Misty asked, having caught up to her husband.

Smirking, Ash let out a gentle chuckle and replied, "I found my Cascade Badge!"

As it would turn out, Aiden had nestled the light blue raindrop into the corner of the modern picture frame, which housed a photo of Ash and Misty on their wedding day.

"Aw, that's so sweet!" Misty cooed as Ash gently took the badge back between his fingers. "He put it right in front of me! My little boy knows where that badge comes from!"

"Aiden must know it's a special one," Ash commented as he stared down at the shining emblem in the palm of his hand.

"Daddy, did you find 'em?"

Ash looked down and saw his son running over to the foot of the stairs, beaming up at the older male.

"I sure did!" Ash crowed, stepping off the stairs to kneel down and ruffle his son's hair. "Thanks, little man!"

"Welcome!" Aiden squeaked before racing off again to who knows where. Ash stood back up and smiled at his wife, who still looked quite happy and amused.

"Well, that wasn't so bad!" Misty decided.

"Yeah…" Ash agreed as he trailed off, "but I think it's about time we buy display cases for these little guys instead of keeping them in their cases. I'm not in the mood for anymore scavenger hunts!"

* * *

><p><strong>I couldn't sleep last night, so I watched the Hoenn episode "Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snorunt" on my DVR. That's where I got this idea from :P That's a pretty good episode. I like watching Ash get so irritated so easily XD<strong>


	140. Babysitting: Barry

**Boomerang's been showing the episodes of DP where Barry shows up, which is what inspired this one. He's a real mess, I kind of love him :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 6 years old**

**Elizabeth: 5 months old**

* * *

><p><strong>Babysitting: Barry<strong>

"How cool! A special lunch with the Tower Tycoon! I wonder what he's like…"

"Palmer?" Ash asked, picking his head up to look at his wife.

"Yeah!" Misty trilled.

"Oh, that's easy! I've met him before!" Ash replied.

"Wait, you have?!" Misty gasped. "I didn't know that!"

"Sure have, his son is my old rival Barry," Ash continued.

"Why didn't I know that?" Misty muttered to herself, bouncing a cooing baby Elizabeth on her hip.

"Palmer is a lot like Barry, actually," Ash mused aloud. "They're both really hyper and always in a rush! But Palmer can calm down a lot more quickly than his son."

"That's good, because sometimes Barry makes me feel like my head is spinning," Misty mumbled, rolling her eyes. Elizabeth giggled, causing Misty to smirk and lightly tap the baby's nose. "By the way, Ash, where is your mother? I thought she was supposed to be coming over at noon."

"She was…" Ash murmured, glancing over at the digital clock on the DVD player. It read 12:25. "She's almost thirty minutes late…"

"That's not like Delia at all," Misty fretted. "Maybe you should call her, Ash. I'm getting a little worried."

"Yeah, I will," Ash plucked his poke gear off of his belt and tapped in his mother's number. He kept his eyes on Misty while the phone rang, smiling back at Elizabeth once the baby locked her eyes on him and grinned widely.

"_Hello?"_

"Mom!" Ash gasped, surprised to hear her voice. "Hey! Is everything okay?"

"_It could be better…is something on your mind, dear?"_

At this, Ash frowned, causing Misty to raise an eyebrow. "No, I was just calling because you were supposed to be watching the kids today, remember?"

"_Oh no! I can't believe I let that slip my mind! How foolish of me!"_

"That's unusual for you, Mom," Ash murmured. "What's going on over there? Should I be concerned?"

"_No, not at all, sweetheart. It's just that since last night, Mimey's come down with something awful. I don't know what it is, but he's terribly ill. He's running a fever and refuses to eat or drink anything! Everything I've tried so far hasn't worked, including medicine."_

"Wow, that sounds really serious," Ash commented, throwing his wife a startled glance.

"_I feel awful for forgetting about the babysitting job, though…I'll call Katherine. I'm sure she can come over and watch Mimey!"_

"No Mom, don't do that. That's pretty bad. In fact, call Brock. He does house calls; he'll come right over and check Mimey out."

"_I'll do that for sure. But Ash, what about the children?"_

"Don't worry, Mom," Ash gently reassured the woman. "I'll figure something out. You just focus on Mimey, okay?"

"_If you insist, dear…"_

"I do," Ash shushed. "Now, go call Brock!"

"_I'm on it. Thank you, darling! And I'll make it up to you, I promise."_

"I told you, don't worry about it," Ash laughed gently. "I'll call you later to check on Mimey, okay? Bye."

Once he ended the call on his poke gear, Ash sighed and looked up at Misty, who was now sporting her own look of concern.

"Ash, is everything alright?" Misty asked.

"Mom forgot about babysitting because Mimey got very sick last night, and he's not doing any better."

"Oh no, that's terrible," Misty fretted. "Well, I don't blame her for staying home with him. But what do we do now? We can't just cancel lunch with Palmer. It's a little bit rude. And besides, Scott will totally freak out!"

"I know, but we can't just leave the three of them here alone," Ash sighed sadly. Suddenly, the doorbell rang, causing Ash and Misty to exchange static glances. "That must be Scott…I'll get it."

Misty tried to hide away as Ash answered the door. She didn't really want to deal with a Scott temper tantrum at the moment. They were going to be in enough trouble as it already was!

"P-Palmer?!"

Misty's eyes snapped open and she ran up next to Ash. Standing in the doorway was _not _his often perturbed manager, but rather the blond haired Tower Tycoon himself.

"That's Palmer?" Misty murmured, running her eyes up and down the man. He was very tall and rugged looking.

"Ah, you must be Misty!" Palmer chuckled, offering a gloved hand to the surprised woman. "You're even more beautiful in person!"

"Oh…thank you!" Misty giggled, her cheeks turning red as she took the famous man's hand.

"And is the littlest Ketchum baby?" Palmer cooed, glancing down at Elizabeth. The baby was blowing bubbles out of her mouth reaching up with her small hand, gathering Misty's shirt into her hand and tugging at it.

"Yes, this is Elizabeth!" Misty crooned, holding the baby out in front of her now so she was closer to Palmer. "Say hi, Lizzie!"

The baby frowned and pressed her hands together, looking rather uncomfortable in her current situation.

"She's precious!" Palmer chuckled, finally causing Elizabeth to smile. "Ah, there we go! Now she's a happy little gal!"

"Elizabeth likes it when other people laugh," Misty giggled, holding the baby against her body and placing her other arm beneath the baby's legs. "If you just laugh around her, she'll automatically get happy!"

"Palmer, I thought we were going to meet you at the restaurant," Ash spoke up, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion.

"Yes, we were, but I figured I'd drop by here first instead!" Palmer chuckled. "I've got a nice surprise for you, Ash."

"Huh?" Ash murmured. "What is it?"

Palmer turned his orange eyes to his right side, and gasped when he realized there was nothing next to him. "What?! Where did he go?!"

"Where did who go?" Misty questioned.

"WAH! LOOK OUT, LOOK OUT!"

Before Ash, Misty, or Palmer could react, a flash of yellow and orange slammed into the Tower Tycoon, sending both of them to the ground. Ash and Misty both gasped in slight horror, while Elizabeth giggled as the scene unfolded before her.

"Ow…my head…"

"Barry?!" Ash cried, eyes widening when he realized the colorful blur that had collided with Palmer was his longtime friend and rival. "What are you doing here?!"

"Duh, I came along with my Dad!" Barry replied, jumping up to his feet and puffing his chest out. "Yeah, you know, since I'm in _training _to take over the Battle Tower, I figured it would be a good idea for me to accompany my Dad on this lunch!"

"How wonderful," Misty muttered sarcastically into the top of Elizabeth's head, causing the baby to laugh some more.

"See, we're kind of facing a little problem with lunch…" Ash murmured sorrowfully.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Barry asked, while Palmer also looked surprised.

"GRAMMY!"

Aiden and Michelle both came flying down the stairs, in a similar fashion to how Barry had just run into his own father. They were able to skid to a halt at the door, however, which they did in response to realizing that their grandmother was not standing there, but rather two blonde males who they didn't really recognize.

"Hey, where's Grammy?" Michelle whined, looking up at her parents.

"Grammy can't come babysit you guys," Misty sighed sadly. "Mimey is sick and she has to stay with him."

"See, that's the problem we're having," Ash informed Palmer. "My Mom was supposed to be babysitting them, but she literally _just_ canceled on us. We don't have anyone else around to watch them."

"Oh man, bummer!" Barry complained.

"Well, I think I might have an idea!" Palmer suggested brightly. "Barry should just stay behind here and watch over the children!"

"WHAT?!" Barry shouted, his eyes widening in presumed horror.

"We won't be at lunch that long, son!" Palmer continued, patting Barry on the back. "Besides, you and Ursula are engaged, aren't you? You'll have children soon enough!"

"Yeah, says who?!" Barry cried overdramatically. Aiden and Michelle snickered at his reaction, finding the hyperactive man to be quite funny and ridiculous.

Palmer chuckled and turned towards Ash and Misty, who were still both wearing looks of shock. "It's all good practice, don't you two think so?"

"I guess it couldn't hurt…" Ash murmured.

"I'm not thrilled, but we don't have much of a choice…" Misty sighed.

"Excellent!" Palmer cheered. "Now, you two just tell Barry everything he needs to know about the kids, and we'll get going! I'll wait by the car!"

As Palmer strode away, Barry repeatedly smacked his hand against his forehead. He hadn't signed up for this! Of course his father would rope him into something _completely_ inane like babysitting the Pokémon Master's children.

"Do you know how to hold a baby?" Misty asked the obviously frustrated blond.

"No, considering I've never watched one before!" Barry wailed.

"It's not that hard, ya' know," Aiden commented smartly from the floor. "I hold her all the time!"

"Show off," Barry muttered.

"Here, just hold her against your body, like this," Misty elucidated as she demonstrated the proper way to hold Elizabeth. "You don't really have to cradle her since she can keep her head up now."

Misty carefully handed the baby off to Barry, holding her breath as the blond snaked one arm beneath the child's bottom and wrapped the other around her back, keeping the squirmy child secure against his body.

"Yeah, you got it!" Ash chuckled cheerfully, causing Barry to scowl.

"Now, she should only get hungry once while we're out," Misty continued. "She'll start to get fussy once she wants to eat. All you have to do is take the milk out of the fridge, pour it into a bottle, and heat it up. But not too hot, otherwise it'll burn her mouth. And I'd better _not_ come home to a baby with a burnt mouth, Barry!"

"Got it…so, just the milk from the carton?" Barry questioned.

"No, the milk that I pumped," Misty sighed in exasperation.

"Pumped? From where?"

Misty rolled her eyes and smacked her forehead, while Ash chuckled under his breath, "man, and you call _me_ dense…"

"I'll educate you later," Misty groaned as she shook her head. "Just…use the milk that's in the containers marked with Elizabeth's name. _Not _the carton. Understand?"

"Sure…" Barry trailed off.

"Aiden and Michelle can eat…whatever," Misty continued. "You know, they can chew and stuff. Just make sure they actually _like _what you're planning on giving them. They're a little bit picky."

"What about me?" Barry whined.

"You can eat too," Ash replied. "Help yourself to whatever is in the fridge. You know, just not the _special _milk." He said the last part with a devious smirk on his face, which earned him a smack on the shoulder from Misty.

"Remember, this is just lunch with your father, so we shouldn't be out for that long," Misty informed Barry. "We'll try to be back as quickly as possible."

"Sounds good to me!" Barry chimed.

Sighing, Misty knelt down and addressed the two young children standing before her, "now, you two behave for Barry, okay? Don't do anything naughty or life scarring. Just do what he says, alright?"

"Yes, Mommy," they both trilled.

"Good babies," Misty cooed, kissing the top of each child's head. "Daddy and I will be back soon. And make sure Elizabeth behaves too!"

Once Ash and Misty were out the door, Barry closed it behind him and faced the two older children, who were staring up expectantly at him. "So…what do you kids do for fun?"

"We're hungry," Aiden replied, causing Barry's eyes to widen.

"Already?!" The blond cried.

"It's lunchtime!" Michelle chirped.

"Yeah, so feed us!" Aiden demanded.

"Man, you're bossy," Barry sighed. "Alright, fine. Let's go into the kitchen and find something to eat so you two can stop yelling at me."

Aiden and Michelle both charged into the next room, with Barry following dutifully behind. When he walked into the kitchen, he found Aiden and Michelle pulling open the cupboard doors, searching the tall shelves for something to eat.

"Let's have pasta!" Aiden cheered.

"Or nuggets!" Michelle squealed, running over to the fridge and opening up those doors.

"Hang on just a second!" Barry yelled, catching the attention of the two vivacious children. "What makes you guys think I can make any of that stuff?"

"Cause you're a grownup," Michelle replied.

"Well, so is your Dad, and he can't make any of that stuff either," Barry continued. "So…that's not a good enough excuse."

"What _can_ you make?" Aiden grumbled, narrowing his eyes at the man.

"Um, I make some _amazing _sandwiches for your information!" Barry retorted.

"That's not cooking," Michelle commented.

"Exactly!" Barry chimed. "But they're still delicious! So, how about I make us some tasty sandwiches, huh?"

"I don't want that," Aiden complained.

"Well, that's too bad," Barry huffed. "Because that's all I know how to make! So, if you want to eat lunch, it's going to have to be a sandwich."

Aiden narrowed his eyes, but nonetheless climbed into his kitchen chair and folded his arms atop the table. Michelle followed her brother's actions and did the same thing, staring ahead at Barry with wide but distrusting emerald eyes.

"Good!" Barry trilled. "Now, all I have to do is put this kid down…where does she go?"

"Uh, her _high chair,_" Michelle answered as though it were obvious, which she had assumed it was.

"High chair?" Barry repeated. Wordlessly, Michelle pointed at the tan and pink floral printed chair that was positioned next to her polished wooden seat. Silently marveling, Barry walked over to it and sat the baby down in her high chair, causing Elizabeth to gurgle curiously. "There! Now, you guys all just wait until I'm done. You're really going to like these sandwiches!"

Aiden and Michelle exchanged dissatisfied glances while Barry ran around the entire kitchen, making a mess of the whole place. Elizabeth, on the other hand, simply gurgled from her seat, drooling endlessly and sticking her fingers in her mouth as she allowed her emerald eyes to follow Barry's every move. By the time the blond had finished making his sandwiches, the entire counter was covered in ingredients, garbage, and utensils.

"There, all done!" Barry cheered, placing two plates in front of Aiden and Michelle. The young children quietly studied their lunches in slight horror. The sandwiches were easily the biggest either one had ever seen: they were at least six inches tall thanks to all of the fillings they contained. Those that couldn't stay inside of the completely stuffed bread had spilled out onto the plate below, making the presentation less than stellar.

"This looks like something Daddy would eat," Michelle commented to Aiden, who was still staring at his monster of a sandwich.

"I think it looks kinda' good!" Aiden finally laughed, trying to pick up the sandwich with his small hands. It was a bit too big for him, unfortunately, and once he finally managed to pick it up as best as he could, even more ingredients fell out from the middle, spilling all over the table and the floor. "Whoops."

Just as Barry sat down in front of his own plate, ready to enjoy the almost comically sized sandwich he had created, Elizabeth let out an unhappy whine, the unpleasant sound instantly catching Barry's attention.

"Hey, what's wrong with her?" Barry asked the twins as he pointed at Elizabeth.

"She's hungry," Michelle replied.

"You gofta feed he'!" Aiden added, his speech muffled due to the amount of sandwich that had been stuffed into his mouth.

"Oh, right, the milk…" Barry groaned. "Can't I just eat first?"

"Nuh uh!" Michelle yelled. "My Mommy _always _feeds Lizzie first. If you don't, Lizzie gets mad."

"How can a baby get mad?" Barry demanded to know. "She can't even talk yet!"

As if on cue, Elizabeth let out a shrill, ear piercing scream, causing Barry and the twins to all cover their ears.

"That's how!" Michelle shouted over the sound.

"Man oh man!" Barry gasped, jumping out of his chair. "Alright, just calm down there, squirt! I'll feed you, okay? Just…no more of _that!_"

Elizabeth stopped blubbering as soon as she saw Barry moving towards the fridge. She watched with wide eyes as the blond man reached in and took out her special milk, pouring it into a bottle and heating it up just enough to the point where it was warm, but not very hot. Once that was done, Barry moved back over to the baby and offered her the bottle, causing Elizabeth to stare up at the man in confusion.

"Come on, take it!" Barry whined as he shook the bottle. "You've got ten seconds! Ten, nine, eight, seven-"

"She can't feed herself," Michelle offered once again.

"Huh?" Barry questioned.

"Lizzie can't hold the bottle," Michelle explained. "You gotta' feed her yourself!"

"Seriously?" Barry complained. He shot the baby a disgruntled glare, to which she cooed happily. Rolling his eyes, Barry placed the spout of the bottle in front of Elizabeth's mouth and tilted forward enough so she could drink out of it. Squealing happily, Elizabeth wrapped her lips around it and began to drink rapidly, so quickly in fact that Barry was almost _impressed. _"This one is like a vacuum!"

Elizabeth finished the milk in record time, gurgling once she was all done. Barry grinned in victory as he placed the bottle down on the table and made the turn to walk away. He was stopped, however, by Aiden's voice.

"You gotta' burp her now."

"Burp?" Barry repeated.

"Yeah!" Aiden chirped.

"What happens if I don't…?" Barry asked nervously.

"She gets a tummy ache," Michelle answered. "And then she cries and cries."

"Well, I don't want to deal with that…" Barry sighed as he picked Elizabeth up out of her high chair, "so I guess I'm burping you! Um…how do I do that?"

"You hold her against your chest and pat her back…" Michelle sighed, getting frustrated with the grownup's density.

"Alright…" Barry did just that, gently smacking his hand against Elizabeth's back. The baby remained quiet the entire time, however, and after about thirty seconds, Barry pulled her away from himself and gave Michelle an incredulous look. "Hey, I think she's broken!"

"A baby can't be broken!" Michelle snapped.

"But she isn't making a single sound!" Barry complained. "I thought this kid was supposed to burp!"

"Sometimes it takes a _long_ time for her to do that," Aiden tried.

"Well I don't have a long time!" Barry scowled at Elizabeth, who blinked in response. "Alright, kid, you've got five seconds to burp, or else! Five, four, three, two, one-BLEGH!"

As soon as Barry had gotten to the end of one, Elizabeth had spit up all over his orange polo shirt, giggling afterwards. This simple action caused Aiden and Michelle to break out into a fit of laughter, both of them nearly falling on the floor as they held their sides and howled.

"GROSS!" Barry shrieked. "Oh, I am going to fine you for that!"

Their laughter finally subsiding, Aiden and Michelle both peeked up at Barry and smirked when they saw him covered in spit up. It became even _better _when they realized that Elizabeth also had spit up on herself, all over her cute pink, white, green, and blue striped polo dress.

"Lizzie is messy," Aiden commented, much to Barry's disdain.

"Great, now what do I do?" He groaned.

"Give her a bath!" Michelle piped up.

"Fine," Barry seethed, "where's the bathtub?"

"Upstairs," Michelle squeaked, "but that's not where baby Lizzie takes her baths."

"WHAT?!" Barry gasped. He seriously just could _not _figure out how a baby worked!

"Yeah, Lizzie gets baths in the sink!" Aiden added.

"That's weird," Barry grumbled as he walked over to the kitchen sink. "I don't understand why my Dad thinks _I'm_ going to have kids. All I've learned today is that they're nothing but trouble! And they're weird, too! I mean, why do babies throw up after they eat? And why do they get bathed in the sink? It's almost like they're aliens or something!"

As Barry rambled on about how frustrating it was to care for a baby, Aiden and Michelle watched silently as he took Elizabeth out of her sullied dress and stuck her in the _kitchen sink, _filling it up with warm water and still mumbling to himself while the baby splashed around in the water.

Leaning over so he was closer to his sister, Aiden glanced over at Barry while asking Michelle, "should we tell him that we meant the _bathroom _sink?"

"Nah," Michelle snickered. "This is too funny!"

Now that Elizabeth was submerged in the water, he was looking around the counter for some baby wash. When he couldn't find it, however, he instead reached for the dish soap, figuring that was good enough. This only made Aiden and Michelle laugh even harder, although this time they both slapped their hands over their mouths so Barry wouldn't catch them.

While he was busy bathing baby Elizabeth with the dish soap, the door quietly opened, allowing Ash, Misty, Palmer, and Scott entrance into the house. They were all laughing and talking amongst themselves, but that stopped completely once they saw Barry standing in front of the sink, with Elizabeth sitting inside of it.

"Barry…" Misty slowly questioned, "Why is my daughter sitting naked in the kitchen sink?"

The blond looked over his shoulder and shot Misty an unhappy look. "For your information, your _daughter_ spat up all over me _and_ her, so I had to give her a bath!"

"That's fine…" Misty sounded highly confused, "but…you're kind of supposed to bathe her in the _bathroom_ sink, not the kitchen sink."

Aiden and Michelle finally allowed their laughter to slip out from behind their hands, causing Barry to growl at the two, his entire face turning red.

"Alright, you two! You're both going to get fined! And it's going to be a number so high that neither of you can even _count _to it yet!"

"Maybe I was wrong about Barry having children anytime soon…" Palmer sighed, shaking his head.

* * *

><p><strong>Yep, I shipped him and Ursula. Why? I think they'd make a cute couple. Besides, I need to ship literally every character in Pokémon, no shame. True story, I shipped Barry and Dawn for a while. That didn't last too long, lol. I prefer Penguinshipping for sure, even though not enough to write its own story :P<strong>


	141. Speech

**I started writing this one a little while ago too. I finally finished it! It's more fluff :P**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Speech<strong>

Ash's ears perked when he heard the woman sitting beside him let out a soft whimper.

Turning his head to the left, Ash frowned at his wife, who was shifting her eyes around the room and fidgeting in her seat.

"Mist, what's up with you?" Ash asked, reaching his hand out so it could rest on her shaky knee.

"Ash, everyone is staring at me," Misty fretted.

"Honey, no one is staring at you," Ash reasoned with her.

"It feels like they are," Misty stared at Ash, her emerald eyes piercing right through him.

"If anyone _is _staring at you, it's just because you look so beautiful tonight," Ash smiled lovingly at the ginger haired gym leader. "You're the most gorgeous woman in this whole room."

"That's only _your _opinion," Misty whined, "and it's because you're married to me!"

"I really think that everyone else feels the same way," Ash shook his head. "Everyone has been telling me how great you look. I bet a bunch of guys here are drooling over you! In fact, if you see any, let me know. I'll beat 'em up."

This finally got a laugh out of Misty, which lightened the mood to some extent. She quickly went back to pouting, however, as she grumbled, "Oh, Ash, no one here is drooling over me! I look like a Qwilfish that was stuffed into a dress."

"That's a very creative insult for yourself," Ash complimented, causing Misty to roll her eyes. "But it isn't true."

"I look terrible!" Misty argued. She obviously wasn't going to give up this fight very easily. Letting out a small huff, Ash pushed his chair away from Misty so he could study her from a further distance.

She was _very _obviously pregnant, but Misty was the kind of woman who glowed and looked absolutely beautiful in such a state, whether she wanted to see it or not. Misty had chosen a special maternity dress for this special event; a floor length, ivory colored frock with ruching and an elegant beaded neckline that sparkled in the lights of the ballroom. Her bright red hair was swept back into an easy, but still sophisticated, up do, and her make-up was natural but apparent. Because of the elaborate neckline of her dress, Misty hadn't worn a necklace, so her beautifully structured collar bone stood out. Her ears were a different story, however; in her ear lobes were a pair of gorgeous, teardrop diamond earrings, the posts of which replicated two delicate flowers.

"No, you definitely don't look terrible," Ash murmured, shaking his head. "You're really stunning."

"I wish I could believe you," Misty shook her head before holding it in her hands. "My self-esteem just flat out _sucks_ right now."

Ash clicked his tongue and pulled Misty in for a hug, giving the downtrodden gym leader a kiss on her cheek. In the middle of their embrace, a tap on the shoulder caused Ash to loosen his grip and look behind him. Misty, who was confused by Ash's sudden retreat, blinked her wide, green eyed and looked in the same direction as her husband.

"I hate to disturb you," Scott gave the couple a small bow, "but, Ash, I need you up front. You're on in just a few minutes."

Ash sighed but gave Misty a gentle smile. "I'll be right back, sweetheart. We can cuddle a little more when I get back."

"Yay…" Misty droned, quite a bit on the sarcastic side.

Frowning, Ash got up from his chair and followed after Scott, who was marching towards the front of the ballroom rather proudly. Ash was having a hard time replicating that stance, however. And when they finally reached the head of the room, and Scott turned around to address his young client, he picked up on this negative mood.

"Ash, what's going on with you?" Scott inquired.

"Misty is upset," Ash looked up at his manager, "and that makes _me _upset."

"She's not been herself, that's for sure," Scott sighed. "But all you have to do is give this speech to the members of the League Board. Once you finish that, you can go right back to your wife."

Ash simply nodded. As Scott walked away, the Pokémon Master reached into the pocket of his tuxedo and fingered at the folded piece of paper, making sure his pre-written speech was still there. It had been perfected; checked and proof read over and over again by people Ash didn't even know. Words had been added, and sentences omitted. All to the point where it barely felt like Ash's written words. Of course, they said it was because he was terrible at writing speeches, which is why they had to be completely changed.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, I'm pleased to present to you, Master Ash Ketchum!"

The sound of applause rang in the raven haired man's ears, causing him to raise his eyes. Charles Goodshow was standing behind the microphone, just stepping away after introducing the younger man. Clearing his throat, Ash walked towards the mic stand, eyeing the audience with just slight trepidation. He had been doing this for about eleven months now, but it was still a little awkward for him. Ash had never really been much of a public speaker, after all.

"Uh…hi, everyone," Ash began awkwardly. A few murmurs went up from the crowd; people whispering to one another. Misty simply smirked and covered the little action with her hand so Ash wouldn't see. She wasn't making fun of him; she just thought he was cute.

His cheeks burning ever so slightly, Ash reached into his pocket and pulled out the speech, choosing to examine the words one last time before beginning. As he retrieved the paper, however, Ash locked eyes with Misty, earning a tiny smile from the gym leader. It was melancholy and hardly tangible, however. All Ash wanted from her was a real, genuine smile.

Growling lowly, Ash stuffed the written speech back into his pocket and grabbed the microphone, Misty's solemn expression turning into one of surprise.

"Sorry about that," Ash's tone was much more strong this time around. "I'll try this again…a little differently."

Both Misty and Scott had looks of horror on their faces. For once, it was for the same exact reason: they were both dreading the thought of Ash making a complete fool out of himself in front of the entire League Board. It certainly wasn't beyond the young man to do such a thing, with him committing the act unknowingly, of course.

"So," Ash continued, his expression bursting with confidence, "as you all know, next month is the one year anniversary of me becoming Pokémon Master. Hopefully nothing gets screwed up so we can have another big party like this!"

Scott smacked a hand over his face, while Misty just gawked at Ash, not sure of whether to laugh or to cry. She'd figure it out with what came out of his mouth next, however.

"But, other than that, I've got other exciting stuff going on in my life too! In just about two months, my wife and I are going to be parents!"

Now Misty _definitely _wanted to cry. Or hide underneath the table. Or throw something large and heavy right at Ash. Maybe all three were in order. Ash took one look at his wife's face and saw just how red it was. Right away, he knew he'd have to start formulating his thoughts a little faster if he wanted to avoid Misty's wrath.

"And there are important things I want my children to understand in life," Ash carried on, trying to avoid Misty's burning glare. "The same kind of things that, as the Pokémon Master, I want everyone who looks up to me to understand. I'd like to think of myself as a good role model…I think I've done a pretty decent job so far. I want everyone who looks up to me-all of the young kids and the Pokémon trainers who want to take my job from me one day-I want them to learn from me. Not just things about training Pokémon, but about life, too."

The red hue of Misty's face began to die down as she listened to Ash's words. He was sounding strangely articulate…which was impressive, especially considering that he wasn't reading off of a piece of paper. He was just coming up with this whole thing right on the spot!

"I want to teach these young trainers how to be kind to their Pokémon, and how to treat them with respect," Ash continued. "And the same thing with people. I think it's important that the next generation of trainers know how to do all of this. I know for sure that I want my children to treat both people _and _Pokémon that way."

Scott's jaw was firmly dropped. He couldn't believe this was all coming out of his young client's mouth. It was…perfect. So coherent and thoughtful…it all made sense and was even getting a great emotional reaction out of the audience. Scott was sure he saw a few spectators listening to the young man with tears in their eyes. He truly was touching them with his words.

Misty, at the same time, was just as impressed as Scott, if not more. And more than that, she felt as though she was falling in love with her husband all over again. She had never fallen out of love with him, of course. Misty couldn't ever imagine _that _happening. But watching him stand before a room full of people, essentially pouring his heart out to them and speaking so candidly about their unborn children, was one of the sweetest things Misty had ever seen him do.

As soon as he was finished, Ash could feel the burning blush crawl back up onto his face, as though he had just realized what he'd done. He suddenly felt very anxious, despite the whole thing being over with. That overwhelming fear died down, however, when the crowd gave him a standing ovation, much to Ash's surprise. He simply beamed at the audience and gave them a small bow before stepping off the stage, his one track mind now focused on getting back to Misty at the table. This goal was disrupted by none other than the red head herself, however, who came flying seemingly out of nowhere to engulf the young man in a nearly bone crushing hug.

"Whoa, easy there, babe!" Ash wheezed. "Don't hurt yourself! Or the babies! Or me, to a lesser extent."

"I'm sorry," Misty giggled softly, tilting her head back so she could actually look Ash in the eyes. "But I just couldn't wait for you to come back to me! I had to come to you!"

"Why?" Ash asked, a goofy smile starting to grow on his face.

"Because…" Misty breathed, moving her hands up to gently tug at Ash's tuxedo jacket, "what you just did was the sweetest, most beautiful thing in the entire world. I was so nervous about what you were going to do when you put that speech away…but you proved me wrong. You proved _everyone _wrong! It was incredible, Ash."

"You really liked it, huh?" Ash murmured.

"_Loved_ it," Misty corrected, her cheeks positively glowing. "And you know who else loved it?"

Wordlessly, Ash shook his head. Laughing delicately, Misty took Ash's hands and ran them against her belly, which was already pressing against Ash's own midsection. Beneath his palms and fingertips, Ash could feel the two babies inside of his wife kicking and moving around, which caused the smile on his face to grow even wider.

"I thought they were sleeping!" Ash chuckled.

"They woke up when you started to talk up there," Misty replied, allowing her eyes to wander from Ash's face down to her stomach. "And they've been moving ever since."

"Hey, you two," Ash whispered, running his thumbs over the lower sides of his wife's belly. "You both liked my speech? I bet you guys liked that it was about you. You like being the center of attention like Mommy!"

"I do not!" Misty gasped, gently whacking Ash on the shoulder.

"She's lying," Ash continued in a hushed tone, causing Misty to smirk and roll her eyes.

"Ash, that was brilliant!"

The Pokémon Master turned around, keeping his right hand on Misty's stomach while wrapping his left arm around her lower back. Scott was bustling towards them, a huge grin set on his face.

"Oh, thanks, Scott!" Ash chuckled, clearly proud of himself now that all of the excitement had died down.

"And to think, we've been correcting your speeches since last year!" Scott guffawed. "From now on, I think I'll just have you come up with them right on the spot!"

Ash's eyes widened and he turned his head to give Misty a horrified stare, to which the young woman giggled and patted her husband's chest.

"You know what they say about the best laid plans, sweetheart."

"…that they screw me over?"

"Close enough."

* * *

><p><strong>Ash is so sweet without even trying ;) <strong>


	142. Attitude Adjustment

**This is another one I started working on a while ago! I finally finished it :P And I got to update before class too! Yay college :P**

**Aiden: 5 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Attitude Adjustment<strong>

"Aiden, give me that poke ball back."

"No."

Misty's eyes widened at this. "What did you just say?"

"No!" Aiden repeated.

Narrowing her eyes, Misty placed her hands on her hips and glared down at the child. "Aiden, when I tell you to do something, you do it. Understand?"

"No," Aiden shook his head.

Misty could hardly believe what she was hearing. "Aiden!"

"I want it!" Aiden clutched the poke ball to his chest.

"Give it back," Misty held her hand out.

"I said no!" Aiden backed away.

At this point, Misty had had just about enough. Growling, she slowly chastised her son, "Aiden Nash Ketchum, I asked you to give me back the poke ball. I've asked two times already, and now I'm going to ask one more time before you _really _get in trouble! Give me back that poke ball…_now._"

"NO!" Aiden screamed, throwing the poke ball at his mother, who quickly dodged the flying sphere.

"Alright, that's it!" Misty grabbed Aiden and marched up the stairs with the squirming and whining boy in her arms. "You are in _serious _need of a time out, young man!"

Finally reaching the child's room, Misty walked in and put him down on the bed, giving him as stern a look as she could possibly give. Aiden, however, seemed completely unaffected by this gaze, as he simply looked off to the side and swung his legs off the side of the bed.

"I have no idea what's gotten into you," Misty shook her head, "but I can't tolerate this kind of behavior from my own son. You're going to stay in this room until you're able to apologize to me, do you understand?"

Aiden huffed, but said nothing in response. Feeling completely frustrated, Misty stomped out of the room and closed the door roughly behind her.

All of the noise she'd been making had brought Ash out of the kitchen, a look of utter confusion set on his handsome face.

"Misty, I'm trying to do work," Ash blinked. "What's going on with you?"

"I'll tell you what's going on with me," Misty snarled, "our son is being an absolute brat!"

Ash looked concerned by this little bit of news. "What do you mean?"

"He took one of my poke balls to play with, and when I _repeatedly _asked him for it back, he refused to do it," Misty explained. "And when I asked for the poke ball a _third _time, he threw it at me!"

"Really?" Ash practically groaned. He didn't want to believe that his precious son was even capable of misbehaving in such a fashion, but he knew that Misty, who loved the boy just as dearly, would never lie about him being naughty.

Misty nodded in conferment before frowning and rubbing at her head. "Why is he doing this all of a sudden?"

"I don't know," Ash shook his head. "I'm just as confused as you are, babe."

Misty looked just as upset as she had before, if not more even more so. Ash stepped forward and hugged his wife, gently rubbing her back as she moaned miserably.

"What do we do?" Misty asked the next daunting question.

Ash rested his head atop Misty's, thinking this query through for a few quiet moments. Eventually, he came to some kind of answer and placed his fingers under Misty's chin to raise her head up.

"Let me try something," Ash murmured softly.

"What?" Misty tilted her head, sounding rather curious about Ash's potential plot.

"Remember how I told you I tried to test Corphish's courage when its attitude was bugging everyone?" Ash suddenly sounded rather confident in himself.

"Yeah…" Misty blinked.

"Maybe I should do the same thing with Aiden!" Ash beamed. "It might knock him down a peg or two, or at least calm him down a little."

"I guess," Misty twisted her mouth, "but didn't you also tell me that doing that with Corphish didn't work? Because he still has an attitude, Ash."

Ash nearly fell over and quickly started to rub the back of his neck while laughing nervously. "Well, yeah, maybe not _perfectly _but…second time's the charm, right?"

"It's _third _time's the charm," Misty sighed exasperatedly.

"Second, third, same difference," Ash waved a haphazard hand at his wife.

"Hardly," Misty hung her head.

"Just watch, I'm gonna teach Aiden that misbehaving isn't right!" Ash continued, remaining proud of himself. "You'll see, Mist. It'll all work out in the end!"

**XXX**

The next day, Ash decided to take Aiden for a walk. The little boy was really putting his disobedience on display during their trek, climbing trees and running away from Ash every five minutes, leading the older man to scold the child for his actions. Of course, this didn't deter Aiden from doing it, and he simply continued to do whatever he pleased without paying his father a second thought.

Eventually, Ash and Aiden found themselves near a seemingly abandoned cave, which caused Ash to smirk to himself. He knew that this was the _perfect_ opportunity to teach Aiden a lesson about his nasty attitude as of late.

"How about we stop here for a break, champ?" Ash gently asked his son.

Aiden nodded slowly, not bothering to take his brown eyes off of the cave. It was dark on the inside and seemed very mysterious. The boy's curiosity was getting the better of him, and now there was nothing Aiden wanted to do more than go inside the old cavern.

As Ash sat down on the nearby ground and reached into his backpack to retrieve some food for Pikachu, Aiden darted off and started to run towards the entrance of the cave.

"Aiden, don't go in there!" Ash called warningly. The boy stopped in his tracks and spun around, leaving one small hand on the side of the cave's opening. "Stay out here with me, okay?"

His face completely unchanging, Aiden took a backwards step so he was slightly deeper into the cave. Ash shot his son a warning glance, to which Aiden responded by taking another backwards step in.

"Aiden, listen to me!" Ash scolded. Finally, the boy fully turned back around and ran inside the cave, laughing as he did so. Ash sighed and smirked to himself, pleased to see that his plan was quickly coming to fruition.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu asked skeptically.

"It'll work, don't worry, Pikachu!" Ash assured his partner Pokémon. "I've learned from the last time I did this with Corphish. Trust me, Aiden's going to learn to stop acting out. This plan is perfect!"

**XXX**

Now about halfway inside of the dark cave, Aiden was beaming to himself and scampering all over the place, climbing over boulders and trying to hang off of pieces of rock that were sticking out from the walls of the old cavern. It was a really mysterious place, which made it fun for Aiden. He was sure that there was some kind of Pokémon living inside of the cavern. Maybe some ancient ones that no one had ever seen before! The thought of discovering a brand new Pokémon was very exciting to the child.

As he ran deeper into the cave, a sudden purple haze appeared before him, causing the boy to gasp and take a small, nervous step backwards.

"H-hello?" Aiden murmured, waiting for a response from the mysterious creature.

It didn't speak back, but instead made a rather creepy noise that sounded like when the wind caused the branches outside to scratch against Aiden's windows. He felt a shiver run up his spine as he continued to back away from the purple haze, feeling his heart beginning to speed up. Suddenly, the dusky violet flashed bright and a pair of narrowed red eyes appeared in its center, causing Aiden to lose absolutely all of his composure.

A scream ripped from his throat as he ran right out of the cave, his eyes wide in horror as he practically collided with Ash in the middle of the forest clearing where he had settled to eat.

"Whoa, Aiden!" Ash gasped, grabbing the frantic boy by his sides. "What is up with you, huh?"

"Gh-ghost!" Aiden wailed. "I…I saw a gh-ghost, Daddy!"

"A ghost?" Ash snickered. "Oh son, there's no such things as ghosts!"

"There are! I saw one!" Aiden whimpered. "It was…it was…"

"It was what?" Ash pressed.

"Scary," Aiden begrudgingly admitted.

"Ah, I see. Well, little guy, you wouldn't have seen that scary old "ghost" if you had just listened to Daddy, right?"

"Uh huh, but-"

"You should've listened and stayed out here with me!" Ash continued, completely cutting his son off. "Have you learned your lesson about having an attitude now, buddy?"

"Yeah, but-"

"See, Pikachu?" Ash boasted to his electric type, who was still wearing a skeptical look. "I told you this would be different from when we did it with Corphish! Aiden actually learned from it! I did good this time. Just wait until I tell Misty that-"

"DADDY!" Aiden shrieked, once again jumping into his father's lap to grab at his collar.

"Ack, Aiden!" Ash choked. "Why are you carrying on now?"

"Get the ghost!" Aiden whispered urgently.

"Aiden, I already told you that there's no such thing as ghosts," Ash sighed as he rolled his eyes. "Quit making up stories!"

"I'm not!" Aiden shouted, obviously upset that his father didn't believe him. "I saw a ghost!"

"That's just your imagination running wild," Ash refuted. "I don't believe for a second that you saw a ghost."

"Pikapi…"

"Not right now, Pikachu. Aiden and I are having a serious debate over here."

"Pikapi! Pi!"

"Pikachu, why are _you _freaking out now?"

"Pika!" Pikachu yelped as he pointed up with a tiny yellow paw. Ash allowed his gaze to follow in the same direction that Pikachu was pointing in, and as soon as he saw why the electric mouse was freaking out, Ash too became a little frightened.

"Ghastly?!" Ash cried as the gas Pokémon began to laugh maniacally before firing off a shadow ball at him. Wrapping his arms around Aiden, Ash jumped to his feet and made a run for it, with Pikachu following along quickly beside him.

"You said ghosts weren't real!" Aiden tauntingly accused his father.

"Well ghost type _Pokémon_ are!" Ash cried. "What did you do to Ghastly, Aiden?!"

"Nothing!"

"You'd better not be lying, champ!"

"I'm not!"

"Good!" Ash panted as he continued to run with the little boy in his arms. "Because I don't want to put you in another cave!"

* * *

><p><strong>I LOVED that episode omg (where Ash is trying to fix Corphish's attitude.) This idea came to me the very first time I watched it. It's excellent.<strong>


	143. Team Eevee Junior

This one is super long, you guys. I've pretty much just finalized another Unova pairing that I like, so of course I had to write a one shot about it :P Make sure to take a look at the ages of the characters...there's a lot to keep track of!

**Aiden and Michelle: 9 and a half**

**Elizabeth: 4**

**Basil, Kokum, and Sage: 10**

**Eva: 12**

**Vincent: 10**

**Joshua: 9**

**Finn: 8**

**Estelle: 6**

**Upton: 5**

**Lucas: 3**

**Gavin: 2**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Team Eevee Junior<strong>

Aiden and Michelle had always loved visiting Unova.

It was a far off region, and quite different from Kanto. There were all sorts of Pokémon that they couldn't see back home, and different sights that were completely unique to Unova. The two also loved visiting their close family friends, Iris and Cilan, who lived in the region along with their own three children. Of course, their father had other friends who lived in Unova as well; mostly former rivals of his from when he had competed in the Unova League.

One of these old rivals was Virgil, who Aiden thought was especially cool. He was a Pokémon rescue worker, as well as a champion of the Unova League. He was a very skilled trainer who had devoted his life to protecting those of both people and Pokémon. Michelle's favorite aspect of Virgil was that his rescue squad was composed entirely of Eevee and its evolutions.

Coincidentally, and also conveniently, Virgil had settled down with another one of Ash's former Unova rivals: Bianca. She had matured from her ditzy self, however, and was now a very self-assured adult who had given up Pokémon training in order to care for her and Virgil's children.

Which made sense. Because there were a _lot_ of them.

Aiden and Michelle were excited to see their friends again. They, along with their parents and Elizabeth, were in Unova for an end of summer vacation, and had been staying with Iris, Cilan, Basil, Kokum, and Sage. Today, however, they were all going to pay Virgil and Bianca a visit at their ranch just outside of Vertress City.

As soon as they arrived at the ranch, Sage and Michelle ran off in search of Eva, Virgil and Bianca's oldest child and their closest friend amongst the children. It didn't take them long to find her, since she was just outside of the house doing some training with her partner, Eevee.

"Hey, Eva!" Sage called as she ran over to the older girl.

Eva turned around at the sound of that voice and positively beamed at the two other girls. She was quite beautiful: tall like her mother with light brown locks that were stick straight and reached her mid-back. Her eyes were a shining hazel, just like her father's, and she wore a rescue uniform very similar to his own, the exception for her uniform being that it was orange instead of red.

"Hey, guys!" Eva greeted just as cheerfully. "It's so good to see you both! Especially you, Michelle!"

"Yeah, it's been forever!" Michelle agreed. "So, are you and Eevee doing some rescue training?"

"We sure are," Eva confirmed. The small brown Pokémon scurried up next to her trainer, yipping excitedly at the idea. "My Dad is finally letting me go on regular missions with him, so I want to make sure Eevee and I are fully prepared!"

"I thought your Mom didn't want you to join the Pokémon Rescue Squad," Sage commented, blinking her wide, brown eyes.

"She didn't, and I think she's still a little nervous about the whole thing," Eva replied. "But my Dad managed to talk her into it. Besides, my Grandpa didn't want her to leave on her Pokémon journey when she was young, and that was something that always upset her. So she didn't want to do the same thing to me. I promised her I'd stay safe. Besides, her moods are all over the place right now. She'll be crying over me one minute and encouraging me the next! I don't know what to think right now."

While the three girls were busy catching up with one another, Aiden, Basil, and Kokum ran off to find the three boys they were closest with. As it would turn out, they were also training their Pokémon, not too far from Eva and Eevee. They all trained standing in a straight line, the three boys standing in height order as they gave their perspective Pokémon orders one at a time.

"Vince! Josh! Finn!" Aiden called out for all three of them, cupping his hands around his mouth to amplify the yell. This caught the boys' attentions, causing them to chuckle and race over to the three other males.

"Hey, guys!" The tallest of the brothers greeted. This was Vincent, often called Vince for short. He was the same age as the other boys and just a smidge taller, thanks to the height he had inherited from both of his parents. His hair was platinum blond and quite long, reaching the middle of his neck. Vincent's eyes were light green, almost like sea foam, and he wore a two tone blue rescue uniform. His partner Pokémon was Vaporeon, who had followed his trainer's path and was now sitting patiently by the side of the boy's feet.

"Great to see you!" The middle boy added. This was Joshua…who much preferred to be called Josh. He was one year younger than Vincent, and just a little shorter. He too had blond hair, but unlike his older brother's, Josh's locks were more golden in color and stuck up in spikes. His eyes were a much darker green, even more so than the emerald that Misty, Michelle, and Elizabeth all had. Like his two older siblings, Josh wore a rescue outfit, his yellow in color. Jolteon, who worked as Josh's partner, was very energetic and ran in circles around his trainer as he was busy greeting the three older boys.

"Hi!" The youngest boy chirped. Finn, who was eight and the youngest of the three gathered brothers. His hair was a light auburn: brown with the slightest tint of red to it. It was patted down and slightly fluffy, hanging lower in the middle of his eyes than anywhere else on his head. He had hazel eyes, the exact same as Eva, and wore a red rescue uniform. Another eeveeloution served as Finn's partner, much like his three older siblings. His was Flareon, a rather impish fire type who seemed to be completely uncaring of the conversation going on before him.

"It's so cool that you guys all have your own eeveeloutions now!" Basil marveled. "They're awesome!"

"Are you on the rescue squad yet?" Kokum asked excitedly.

"I am!" Vincent replied brightly. "Josh and Finn are in training right now. My Mom and Dad finally agreed that we could become full time members of the squad when we turned ten. It's the same rule for becoming a trainer, so they figured that was fair."

"We're going to be Team Eevee Junior!" Josh trilled, throwing his hand up in the air. Jolteon did a full jump up to mimic his trainer's excitement, causing the other five boys to chuckle.

"I want to go on real missions like Dad, Eva, and Vince, but I can't yet," Finn sighed.

"Hey, I do too!" Josh complained.

"Yeah, but you're closer to it than I am!" Finn argued.

While the two brothers were busy bickering over when they would be able to become full time members of Team Eevee Junior, Ash, Misty, Elizabeth, Iris, and Cilan had all headed inside to see Virgil and Bianca. Ash was carrying Elizabeth on his shoulders, causing the young girl to laugh raucously while Misty watched on anxiously.

"Ash, don't smack her head on any door frames," Misty warned. "She's my smartest baby, and I don't need her suffering from any head trauma!"

"Mommy is so worrisome, don't you think, little pumpkin?" Ash asked, rolling his eyes back to look at Elizabeth.

"She just loves me!" Elizabeth squeaked, causing Misty to coo and pat her daughter's leg.

"Lizzie is such a sweet girl," Misty crooned.

"Lizzie!"

The small red head leaned over, her chest pressing against the back of her father's head as she stared down at the floor. Staring back up at her were two young children, both of whom appeared to be around the same age as her. There was one girl and one boy, and both seemed equally excited to see their friend.

"Estelle! Upton!" Elizabeth squeaked before tugging at her father's raven locks. "Down, Daddy!"

Ash chuckled and heeded to his daughter's request, putting her down on the floor so she could be with her friends.

Estelle, who was two years older than Elizabeth, squealed and grabbed the red head's hand, pulling her into the living room. Estelle was a pretty girl, with golden blonde hair that was straight and hung a good two inches past her shoulders. It was tied half up, half down with a lilac ribbon. Her eyes were dark green, much like Josh's, and instead of wearing a rescue uniform like her four older siblings, Estelle wore a lilac sun dress with delicate lace trim.

Upton, on the other hand, was one year younger than Estelle. He was just slightly smaller than Estelle, although they were close to being the same height. His hair was a very dark blond, the darkest out of all his siblings. His eyes, however, were some of the lightest, being just about a shade lighter than Vincent's. He too did not wear a rescue uniform, but rather a black t-shirt printed with a gold poke ball and paired with a pair of red shorts.

They were both leading Elizabeth to their partner Pokémon, who were currently resting in the corner of the living room. Estelle's partner was Espeon, while Upton's was Umbreon. Since the two were too young to even begin their rescue team training just yet, they kept their eeveeloutions as pets, just waiting for the day they'd be able to join their older siblings in training.

"Espeon is _so_ pretty!" Elizabeth squealed, stroking the psychic type's lilac fur which felt like velvet.

"Espeon is my best friend!" Estelle giggled. "She's the best."

"Nuh uh, Umbreon is!" Upton argued.

"I like Umbreon too!" Elizabeth reassured the younger boy, causing him to smile happily in response.

"Oh boy, please tell me you two aren't fighting over your partners again!"

Estelle and Upton both looked over their shoulders to find their father standing in the doorway and giving them a disapproving look.

"No, Daddy!" They both chirped.

"Good, because you two both know that you only get to keep them if you behave," Virgil sighed before smirking. "And that means not comparing the two! Espeon and Umbreon are both special in their own unique ways."

The four adults in the room were then greeted by Virgil, sending all five of them into instant friendly conversation.

"So, Virgil, where's Bianca?" Ash asked.

"And your two littlest guys?" Iris added, looking around the room and realizing that the youngest two of the family were nowhere to be seen.

"They're all in the kitchen, just finishing up making lunch," Virgil replied. "Lucas and Gavin are both going through that stage where they're fighting for Bianca's attention. It's a little crazy around here right now, for obvious reasons…"

"Stop hitting one another, you two! Go in the living room and be with everyone else now. Mommy will be there in just a second!"

Two small boys came shuffling out of the kitchen, both of them with wide eyed, innocent expressions that caused Misty and Iris to coo.

"Ah, the sweet aroma of toddlerhood!" Cilan chuckled. "I remember when Basil and Kokum were that age. Quite the handful!"

"And Sage was even worse," Iris sighed at the memory.

"Boys, what do you say to our friends?" Virgil asked his two young sons.

"Hi!" The bigger one, Lucas, shrieked, waving his small hand at the adults. He was platinum blond, even lighter than Vincent's. Lucas, in fact, had the lightest hair of all the children. It was long, thin, and shaggy, hanging practically in his eyes and all the way down the back of his neck. Lucas' eyes were a medium green, very reminiscent of newly sprouted spring leaves. He wore a striped, light green shirt and darker green shorts, while his feet were bare. It seemed to really reinforce his free spirited personality.

Gavin, who was the smaller of the two boys being one year younger than Lucas, was a lot more shy than his brother. His hair was very thick and dark blond, basically the same color as his father's locks. He had prominent bangs and a small collection of hairs sticking up on the top of his head. His eyes were a dark green, the exact same color as his mother's eyes. He wore the same outfit as Lucas, but instead, his was shades of blue. Another difference between him and Lucas was the fact that Gavin's feet were covered by a pair of dark blue socks.

"Hey there, little guys!" Ash greeted the two, their eyes lighting up as Ash spoke to them.

"Pika!" Pikachu chimed from the top of Ash's head, causing the Pokémon Master to chuckle.

"Can we pway wif' Pikachu?!" Lucas asked excitedly.

"Sure thing!" Ash laughed. "What do you say, buddy? You up for some playtime?"

Pikachu nodded and jumped off of Ash's head, sitting in front of Lucas and Gavin. Immediately, the two boys knelt down in front of the electric type and started to stroke his fur, causing Pikachu to _cha _quite happily.

"Aw, look at how gentle they are with Pikachu!" Misty cooed. "Such good boys!"

"Yeah, when they want to be," Virgil chuckled sheepishly.

"Alright, everyone! Lunch is ready!"

As Bianca came bustling into the room, Ash yelped and jumped behind Misty, causing his wife to raise an eyebrow and curiously look over her shoulder.

"What is _up_ with you?" Iris sighed, eyeing the raven haired man.

Ash peered over Misty's shoulder, finding Bianca to be staring at him with wide and confused green eyes. Chuckling softly, he stood back up to his full height and walked around Misty, rubbing the back of his neck in an embarrassed manner.

"Sorry, Bianca," Ash apologized laughingly. "I was just afraid you were gonna' run into me like you always do!"

"Now Ash, that's impossible!" Cilan playfully trilled. "Do you see any water in the living room?"

"Good point!" Ash snickered.

"Oh Ash, you're so funny!" Bianca giggled. "But I can't afford to be running around like that right now!" She put the tray of food down on the wooden table in the middle of the room by the couch, revealing her _very_ pregnant stomach.

"I still can't believe you two are having another kid," Iris remarked. "Cilan and I can barely manage the three we have now, and they're all ten years old!"

"True, but we _did _have them all at once," Cilan amended. "That was a lot to deal with!"

"It definitely isn't easy," Bianca sighed, resting her hand atop her big belly. "But I love being a mother! I did give up training for it, after all. Besides, Eva and Vincent are both so busy now being full time members of the rescue squad, and Josh and Finn never stop training! Now that Estelle and Upton have their partners, they both want to begin training too. Sometimes, I actually start to feel a bit lonely, even though they all still live here and I've got those two little boys fighting for my attention all the time," Bianca giggled as she motioned her head towards Lucas and Gavin, who were still busying themselves with Pikachu.

"I get worried with those two and her," Virgil commented, making sure all of their visitors had a seat before he took up a spot on the couch. "They're so rough…typical little boys. Bianca barely has enough energy to keep up with them anymore! Of course, I try and do my part when I'm not out on a mission, but they'd much rather spend time with their mother at the moment."

"Their energy is definitely a little overwhelming," Bianca agreed, sitting down next to Virgil and smiling down at her bump, which she still had a hand on. "I'm glad this one is a girl! Hopefully she'll be a little calmer, although it certainly doesn't feel like it…"

"I bet she'll be just as beautiful as Eva and Estelle!" Misty giggled. "So, is her name going to start with an E too?"

"No, Virgil and I are stuck between Sydney and Sylvia," Bianca replied. "We seem to change our mind every day on which one we prefer! I guess we'll just have to see her before we decide on what her name will be."

"Today is more of a Sylvia day," Virgil chuckled, rubbing the bottom of Bianca's stomach and giving her a kiss on the cheek. "But yesterday was Sydney! And the kids all have their own opinions, too."

"Eva's been pushing the name Sally, but I hate it," Bianca admitted. "And Vincent keeps suggesting Stephanie, but it reminds me so much of Stephan that I can't get comfortable with it."

"I haven't seen Stephan in a while," Ash commented, thinking back to another one of his former rivals. "How is he?"

"Just great!" Bianca giggled. "He opened up a sauna gym in Nacrene City and has been dating a very nice woman who also works in the city."

"That's great!" Ash exclaimed. "I should go visit him and have a battle. I bet he's gotten even stronger!"

"So, where are the older kids?" Bianca asked, her green eyes settling on Elizabeth, Estelle, and Upton in the corner. "I see Elizabeth is happy to be back with her friends!"

"I know that Michelle and Sage ran off to be with Eva," Cilan replied. "And I'm sure that the boys went off in search of Vincent, Josh, and Finn!"

"They're probably having fun showing off their partners," Virgil chuckled. "With all of the training they've been doing, they're quite proud of themselves!"

**XXX**

"So, Eva, how do you know when there's an emergency?" Sage asked curiously, stroking Eevee on top of her head.

"Well, usually my Grandpa will tell us, because he gets all of the signals from his office," Eva mused. "But, other times, we have these little devices that will tell us when there's an emergency."

"Cool, what does it look like?" Michelle questioned.

Eva reached into her pocket and pulled out an orange, cell phone like device, causing Michelle to marvel at it in her friend's palm. Suddenly, a red light started to flash on the front of the electronic piece, causing Eva to hum curiously and turn the device around.

"What does that mean?" Michelle asked, Sage getting to her feet to stand beside her.

"There's an emergency!" Eva gasped. "I have to get Vincent!"

She started to run away, with Eevee following along dutifully at her side. Sage and Michelle were quick to follow as well, curious as to what Eva was going to do. As she ran, Eva pressed the center button on her device and raised it to her ear, asking, "What is it, Grandpa?"

"_Eva, there's a situation in the mountains,"_ her grandfather's voice floated into her ear. _"A Deerling is caught between two rocks, and the more it tries to move, the larger the chances of a rockslide become."_

"I'm on it!" Eva replied, pressing the center button again before her grandfather could say anything else.

She ran up to Vincent, who was still busy talking to Aiden, Basil, and Kokum alongside his two younger brothers. When he saw Eva, however, he stopped and pulled his shoulders back, giving his older sister a confused look.

"Eva?" He questioned. "What's up?"

"There's an emergency up in the mountains," Eva informed him. "You and I need to get up there and fast!"

"Don't we need to tell Dad first?" Vincent gasped.

"No, we don't have time!" Eva grabbed Vincent's arm and started to pull him along, Vaporeon running after them next to Eevee. "Besides, we'll be quick. He doesn't even have to know!"

"Hey, we wanna' come!" Josh cried.

"You know you can't!" Eva yelled at the dark blond boy. "You and Finn are both too young to go on missions!"

Michelle, Sage, Aiden, Basil, and Kokum all exchanged curious glances while Josh and Finn growled at their older siblings' backs. As soon as they were out of sight, Josh turned to Finn and addressed the auburn haired boy, "let's go."

"What?!" Finn shrieked. "But Josh, we can't…"

"Dad doesn't even know that Eva and Vince are going, so how would they know if we went too?" Josh asked rhetorically.

"I guess they wouldn't…" Finn muttered.

"Great, so let's go!" Josh decided. "Jolteon, let's pull out!"

The electric type ran after his trainer, while Finn followed behind with Flareon. The other five children all stared at one another, silently debating what they should do.

"I think we should follow them," Aiden suggested. "You and I don't have Pokémon, Michelle, but the rest of you guys have at least one. If they need help, we can give it."

"I agree!" Sage cheered. "Let's join them!"

**XXX**

Back inside of the ranch house, where the adults were still talking while the four youngest children plus Elizabeth were busy with the Pokémon, Virgil's own device went off, catching his attention as he pulled the black pager out of his pocket.

"Oh, excuse me," Virgil murmured as he raised it to the side of his head. "What's up, Dad?"

"_Virgil, are you heading out to the mountains with Eva and Vince?"_

"What are you talking about?"

"_I just called Eva to inform her of an emergency situation in the mountains, and I figured she would have come to you for assistance."_

"Well, she didn't," Virgil grunted, looking out the window behind him to see if he could spot his oldest daughter. There was, of course, no trace of her.

"_Then I'd suggest going after her and your son,"_ Jeff warned. _"Because they were definitely on the move."_

"I'm on it," Virgil sighed, hanging up and sneaking the device back into his pocket as he got to his feet.

"What's wrong, Virgil?" Cilan breathed.

"Eva and Vince just went off on a mission on their own, it seems," Virgil grumbled as he shook his head.

"WHAT?!" Bianca shrieked. With an obvious struggle, she pushed herself up off the couch, frantically reaching for Virgil and grabbing him until she couldn't pull him forward anymore due to her massive stomach. "What do you mean they went out on their own?! On a dangerous rescue mission?!"

"Bianca, dear, calm down!" Virgil hushed, resting one hand on the blonde's cheek and the other on the side of her belly. "Getting worked up is no good for you _or_ our baby girl! You stay here and take it easy, sweetheart. I'll go after them. And they _will_ be punished."

"Okay…" Bianca sighed, letting go of Virgil's sleeves to instead press her hands against her back. "Just be careful, okay, baby? And make sure neither of them gets hurt."

"I will," Virgil assured, leaning forward to kiss Bianca on the lips. "I'll be back soon."

**XXX**

Up in the rocky mountains that bordered the small, rural area where their family lived, Eva and Vincent were scaling the rocks, trying to get up to where the Deerling was trapped. Eva got there first, finding the summer coated season Pokémon with its slender legs trapped between several large boulders.

"Don't worry, little one," Eva calmly assured the dual type. "Eevee and I are part of the Pokémon Rescue Squad, and we're here to save you!"

"Vee!" Eevee squeaked.

Deerling smiled happily at the prospect of being saved. Vincent appeared behind his sister now, with Vaporeon close behind.

"Alright, Eevee, use quick attack on those rocks and free Deerling!" Eva ordered.

"Ee!" Eevee squealed, charging forward in a flash of white light as she ran straight into the boulders, effectively freeing Deerling. The force of Eevee's attack, however, loosened some of the rocks on the side of the mountain and sent them toppling down towards Deerling, Eva, and Vincent, causing them all to gasp.

"Quick, Vaporeon, use hydro pump!" Vincent called.

"Vay!" The water type blasted out a very powerful stream of water, sending the heavy boulder up further in the air. It soon came down again, however, causing Eva and Vincent to become concerned.

"Jolteon, thunder!"

A crack of yellow electricity spread through the air, hitting the boulders and causing them to explode into tiny pieces. They all fell to the ground, without even the chance of hurting anyone. With their jaws dropped, Eva and Vincent whipped around, finding Josh and Jolteon to be standing behind them, with Finn and Flareon right by their side.

"Josh! Finn!" Eva cried, her eyes widening. "I told you not to follow us!"

"Who cares?" Josh bluntly retaliated. "You guys didn't tell Dad you were coming up here, so who cares if we did too?"

"I do."

Eva and Vincent's eyes nearly fell out of their heads. Slowly, Josh and Finn both turned around and found their father to be standing behind them, an angry scowl set on his face with his arms folded across his chest.

"Hi, Dad…" they all greeted shyly.

Twisting his mouth, Virgil eyed his four older children one by one and addressed them all by their full names. "Eva Norene, Vincent Walter, Joshua Eliot, and Finn Elijah…just _what_ do you four think you're doing going on a mission without me? Especially you two, Josh and Finn! You're still in training!"

"I got the call from Grandpa, and I didn't think you needed to know because it was such a small mission…" Eva murmured.

"Any mission has the opportunity to become dangerous!" Virgil scolded. "You four were about to send your mother into early labor! And she doesn't even know that you two are out here," Virgil addressed Josh and Finn. "She thinks it's just Eva and Vince!"

"We're sorry, Dad," Josh apologized. "We just wanted to help…"

"Can we not tell Mom?" Finn murmured.

"I don't really think that's an option," Virgil sighed as he shook his head.

"Maybe you're better off not doing that…"

Virgil spun around and found Aiden, Michelle, Basil, Kokum, and Sage to be standing behind him.

"Don't freak out, we didn't help them with the mission," Aiden quickly added, defending himself and the other children standing with him.

"I don't think it's a good idea to freak Bianca out any more," Michelle continued. "Because I remember when my Mom was pregnant with Elizabeth, she freaked out even more easily than usual. So, maybe just downplay it for now?"

"Yeah, you don't want to see the full on wrath of a pregnant woman," Aiden sighed, rubbing his temples just at the memories.

"I've been through it quite a few times, guys, but I suppose you're both right," Virgil chuckled. "We'll keep this on the down low…for now. But I'm still punishing all for of you on my own! Is that understood?"

"Yes, Dad," Eva, Vincent, Josh, and Finn all muttered, causing Virgil to sigh in exasperation.

"Good. Now, let's get back and show your mother you're all still alive. Aiden and Michelle are right…I don't want to deal with her vengeance."

* * *

><p><strong>Yep, I now ship Bianca and Virgil, ever since seeing the episode "Lost at the League." I originally went for her and Stephan, but as soon as I saw Bianca give Eevee the ice cream cone and Eevee just FLIPS...well, I had to ship it :P And I think it's obvious why they have that many kids...even though it seems ridiculous, haha. Besides, can't you just picture Bianca chasing a hoard of little kids around all day? Because I can XD<strong>


	144. Rumor Has It

**I'm soooo close to being done with my freshman year of college! Just five weeks left. Yaaaay :D That means lots of writing over the summer!**

**This one is Michelle centric. She needed some focus, I thought ^^**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 2 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Rumor Has It<strong>

Michelle's new favorite hobby was taking over her entire life.

She had finally learned how to read, and she thought it was the best thing ever. She would read anything and everything she possibly could: street signs, food packages, and even her parents' paperwork that came in from the Pokémon League. Of course, Michelle loved reading books too, but she just really loved showing he parents that she could recognize different words. Hence her reading of whatever she could get her eyes on.

One specific day, Misty had brought Aiden, Michelle, and Elizabeth with her to the supermarket. The supermarket, of course, was the perfect place for Michelle to read a bunch of different things. Everything her mother picked out to put in the cart, Michelle would look up and read off of the package, much to her mother's delight. Aiden, on the other hand, was busy knocking packages off the shelves to see how far he could push his mother.

Needless to say, there was a vast difference between the two children, despite them being twins.

Once all of the shopping had been done, the family headed over to the checkout counters where they'd be able to purchase their groceries. Aiden was busying himself with trying to climb the side of the metal cart, while Misty paid special attention to baby Elizabeth, who was slumbering in her carrier on the seat of the cart. Michelle, on the other hand, found herself in front of the various gossip magazines that were sold at checkout, scanning her emerald eyes over the covers of every single one and reading every last word printed on each magazine.

One magazine in particular caught the child's attention. It had a picture of her mother and father on it, which made Michelle smile happily. She really had no idea who any of the other people gracing these magazine covers were, but she knew who her parents were! Leaning in closer to it, Michelle started to read the headline on the cover, but as soon as she was able to process the words, she gasped and jumped away from the magazine as though it was about to explode in her face. Whimpering, Michelle looked up at her mother, but found that the woman was only paying attention to baby Elizabeth. She didn't seem at all upset or angry…two of the words that Michelle had read on the cover.

_Is that true? _Michelle thought miserably to herself. _Are Mommy and Daddy really breaking up?_

**XXX**

Michelle was consumed by this disturbing thought all the way home. Her mother hadn't even noticed her sour look until she was done putting all of the groceries away, and as soon as she did, Misty found that she was very concerned about her young daughter.

"Michelle?" Misty asked softly. "Is something wrong, princess?"

The young red head looked up at her mother with emerald eyes that were full of hurt and distrust, which startled Misty. She had absolutely no idea what Michelle could have been upset about!

"No," Michelle muttered before running up the stairs, leaving behind a bewildered Misty.

Up in her room, Michelle made sure to close the door behind her as she scurried over to one of her tall white bookshelves, reaching for one of the books and bringing it back over to her bed. She settled herself down on the blue, flower printed comforter and opened up the book, aimlessly flipping through the various pages but not exactly reading what was written on them. Michelle had thought that reading would make her feel better, but it wasn't. In fact, it was only making things worse.

"If I couldn't read…I wouldn't be sad," Michelle murmured to herself, gently closing the book and dropping it on the floor before sighing and resting her head in her hands.

**XXX**

Just about half an hour later, Ash came through the front door, finding Misty sitting on the couch in the den and watching television as she fed Elizabeth.

"Hey there, beautiful," Ash greeted smoothly, walking into the room and sitting down beside his wife. Pikachu, meanwhile, jumped off of his trainer's shoulder and settled himself on the back of the couch, curling himself in a ball so he could take a light rest between Ash and his wife.

"Hi," Misty sighed, not bothering to take her eyes off of the TV screen.

"What's wrong?" Ash asked with a frown. "You sure don't seem happy."

"I don't know, I just feel…off," Misty murmured, finally allowing her eyes to drop from the television onto her tiny baby. A smile finally appeared on her face when Elizabeth wrapped her little fingers around Misty's one index finger, which in turn made Ash feel better as well. "We came home from the supermarket and Michelle was all upset. I don't like seeing my little girl so worked up, especially when I don't know why."

"Did she and Aiden get into it?" Ash inquired. Sometimes, their two older children would end up unwittingly hurting one another's feelings, and it was a cause for them to become upset.

"No, they were both extremely well behaved the entire time," Misty sighed. "They were barely together, in fact. Michelle was busy reading everything, and Aiden was…well, he was being Aiden."

"Irritating you?" Ash snickered.

"Yeah, that."

"Well, I think she's a little too young to be getting all moody for no good reason," Ash mused, reaching his hand over to gently stroke his baby daughter's soft red hair. "We should probably talk to her and find out what's up."

"I'm afraid that will only make her more upset," Misty fretted.

"How will you know if you never ask?" Ash pressed.

"I won't, but…I don't know."

"Come on, Mist!" Ash argued. "You're never this…scared!"

"I'm not scared!" Misty bit. "I just don't want to upset her even more!"

Just as Misty blurted this out, Michelle was coming down the stairs. Those words stopped the young girl in her tracks, however, and caused her to wrap her small fingers around one of the railings as she peered out between two of them, still being high enough up the stairs that her parents couldn't see her.

"Maybe she's just confused," Ash sighed. "This is a tough age, Mist."

"I just don't understand!"

"That's really why I think we need to talk to her," Ash continued. "Just ignoring it isn't going to help anything. I know it can be a little frightening, because we don't know what kind of a reaction we're going to get out of her. But it's better to address it than not."

"I guess you're right…" Misty groaned. "This isn't going to be fun."

Michelle gasped and stood up, padding down the stairs as quickly as possible. It made a lot of noise, but Michelle didn't care if her parents saw her at this point. That was what she wanted. She wasn't about to wait for them to come to her; she was going straight to them to get the truth. Even if it hurt.

Ash and Misty both caught sight of Michelle as she came down the stairs, and they were both shocked when they realized the little girl had bright red cheeks with tears spilling out of her eyes. Her lips were trembling, and her body was beginning to quake with quiet sobs. It was clear that whatever had been upsetting her before was now _really _hurting her emotionally.

"Michelle, baby, why are you crying?" Ash cooed, holding his hands out to his daughter. Michelle rejected him completely, however, turning her head away in anguish as she continued to try and hold back fervent wails.

"Sweetheart, you've been so upset ever since we came home," Misty comfortingly spoke to Michelle. "Please just tell us why! Daddy and I don't like to see you so upset, honey."

Hiccupping, Michelle finally turned her head to face her parents as she managed to squeak out, "y-you and…D-Daddy a-are br-breaking u-up?"

"What?!" Ash and Misty exclaimed simultaneously. It was at that point that Elizabeth cooed, having finished eating and needing to be burped. Sighing, Misty raised the baby to her chest and started patting the girl's back, not once taking her eyes off of Michelle's trembling figure.

"Michelle, where did you get an idea like that from?" Ash gently demanded.

"W-we were at t-the store and…and I r-read it," Michelle wailed.

Ash turned his head to look at Misty, who gasped in realization.

"Those stupid magazines!" Misty hissed to her husband, whose eyes widened as soon as those words left her mouth. "She can read now, and she must have seen one of those dumb covers and read it!"

"Oh no," Ash groaned, burying his face in his hands. He was absolutely mortified that this had happened to his sweet little girl. He just didn't understand why the media had to be full of lies.

Misty, on the other hand, was more enraged than sad. She had thought of Michelle's newfound ability to read as a blessing, but now it might have been more of a curse. All those magazines ever did was make stuff up, but now Michelle was actually able to read them. And soon enough, Aiden would be able to as well. Misty couldn't protect them from those kinds of things, and that's what frustrated her the most as a mother.

"Pl-please don't!" Michelle begged, the tears now freely falling down her bright red cheeks.

"Okay, princess, come here," Ash shushed, once again holding his arms out. Michelle was still sobbing and looked unsure, but nonetheless walked into her father's arms, allowing him to pick her up and sit her down on his lap. "Those magazines that you were reading in the store? They never tell the truth. _Ever. _And what have Mommy and Daddy taught you about not telling the truth?"

"Bad," Michelle sniffled.

"Yeah," Ash murmured, brushing Michelle's hair away from her face. "Those magazines only tell lies. And that's bad. Nothing they say is true."

"S-so Mommy and you are…aren't…"

"No, Mommy and I are not breaking up, and we never, ever will," Ash comforted his older daughter, giving her a tight hug. "Don't believe anything those mean magazines say."

Michelle nodded and rested her head against Ash's chest, listening to his strong heartbeat that always tended to soothe her.

"But I'm very proud of you for being able to read all of those magazines!" Misty complimented her daughter, hoping to cheer the girl up a degree. "You're such a smart little girl, seashell!"

"Thanks," Michelle muttered, a small smile finally appearing on her face.

Elizabeth finally burped, cooing afterwards and causing both Ash and Misty, and Michelle to a smaller extent, to laugh at the action. Misty lowered the tiny baby back into a cradling hold, Michelle looking over her father's arm just enough to stare at the girl. She looked so cute in her light green footie pajamas, printed with tiny roses and lined with ruffles at her neck, little bows going up the front and accenting the front of her ankles. Elizabeth was still cooing quite happily, which led Michelle to lean forward and gently tickle the baby's stomach. She shrieked delightfully before spitting up a little on herself, causing Michelle's eyes to widen as she withdrew her hand from the infant.

"Yeah, Daddy and I are never breaking up," Misty sighed as she motioned for a stunned Ash to get up as she did, "because who else would help me with the baby when she spits up?"

Ash's jaw dropped as Michelle began to giggle in his arms. "I didn't….agree to that…"

"Yeah, I know," Misty teased, gently rubbing her husband's cheek. "But you know what they say: for better or worse!"

"And this is definitely worse?"

"Mmhm."

* * *

><p><strong>This one is sort of similar to the Elizabeth one shot, but instead of seeing a fight between her parents, Michelle is learning the evils of the media. I blame my media criticism class :P<strong>


	145. Suds of Trouble

**New one shot: Elizabeth centric! I took a little different approach with this one, as you'll see once you read it :)**

**Elizabeth: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Suds of Trouble<strong>

Elizabeth just loved going shopping with her Mommy.

The mall was a fun place especially. There were _so _many stores with _so _many pretty things in them! Many times, Elizabeth had gone with her mother and gotten a new dress, or a new skirt. Sometimes, she would even get a new toy or storybook. The mall was a great place to go.

One of Elizabeth's favorite things to do at the mall was to go to the make-up stores her Mommy liked so much. Elizabeth was too young yet to wear make-up, but she did like it. There were all different colors, and Elizabeth liked to pick out the prettiest ones for her Mommy. Her Mommy even told her what all the different kinds of make-up were for! Elizabeth couldn't wait until she got old enough to put it on herself. Sometimes, just to make her happy, her Mommy would put the _very _smallest amount on her in the store, just to see how it would look. Elizabeth's favorite things to try were the lip gloss, the blush, and the perfume. The perfume especially, because it smelled so pretty.

Perhaps that's why one of Elizabeth's absolute favorite stores in the mall was the soap store. That's what she called it, anyway. It had a name, all the stores did. But Elizabeth just liked to call them by whatever was _sold_ in the stores. It made life so much easier. Besides, her Mommy always knew what she was talking about when she asked to go to the "shoe store" or the "toy store." Her Mommy even knew what the "dress store" meant!

So, whenever they went to the mall together, Misty was never surprised to hear Elizabeth ask to go to the "soap store." It was always on the top of the child's to do list when they had shopping to do.

The "soap store," as Elizabeth called it, was an entire shop filled with different bars of soaps. They came in all sorts of colors, scents, and shapes. Every time they went, there was something new for Elizabeth to sniff or look at. Her favorite ones to smell were the soaps that were pink: because pink was her favorite color.

Misty didn't mind the soap store either. She loved taking long, quiet bubble baths to herself, when she had the time of course. The shop had all kinds of lovely smelling bath salts that she could use. The lavender scented ones that were used for a calming effect were Misty's favorites, for obvious reasons.

She would also buy some for Ash. Despite the man trying to scoff and pass the soaps off as "lame, girly stuff," Misty knew he actually liked some of them. She would buy the bath melts that helped with sore muscles for whenever he was done with a long day of training, or the sea salt and peppermint soap for his morning showers when he needed a good wake up call.

Admittedly, Misty also bought things for the _both _of them to use. Like…when they took a bath together. Those were actually Misty's _favorite_ baths; even more so than the ones she took on her own. For those special, shared baths, Misty would buy the melts that smelt like a mix of ginger and jasmine, two very seductive scents that only added to the intense intimacy of her and Ash's private time together.

Elizabeth, of course, didn't really know about the different benefits of the various soaps. She was solely focused on their colors and scents. The little girl particularly liked the ones that smelt like candy or marshmallows. She had always had a sweet tooth, and that included just the_ scent_ of sugar. When it came to the soap store, Elizabeth would run from basket to basket full of the bars and pick up each one in order to sniff them. The ones that smelt like flowers also piqued Elizabeth's interest. She especially seemed fond of rose scented soap, her mother had noted.

Their most recent trip to the shop had been the most interesting one so far, to say the least.

Misty had gone to the mall because she needed a few things, mostly some new summer clothes for Elizabeth since the girl seemed to be growing like a weed and no longer fit into any of her warm weather outfits from the previous year. While Elizabeth liked trying on different clothes and pretending to be a model, she mostly wanted to go look in, where else, the soap store. Misty promised her they would go once Elizabeth was finished trying on all of the tank tops, shorts, and dresses that they had picked out together.

With that established, Elizabeth rushed through the rest of her miniature "fashion show" so they'd be able to get to her favorite shop more quickly. The final outfit she had tried on and approved of: a sleeveless, white tiered dress embroidered with coral flowers at the neckline, was quickly pulled over her head and tossed carelessly into her mother's arms, with the rest of the neatly folded clothes. As quickly as she could, Elizabeth tugged on her green T-shirt embroidered with a smiling strawberry and the matching pink jeans and bolted out of the dressing room, leaving behind a half amused, half exasperated Misty.

After wrangling the child back so she could pay for the clothes, which had certainly _not _amused Elizabeth, Misty informed her that they were now free to go to the soap store. Elizabeth all but ran right out of the children's clothing store they were in, and Misty had no choice but to chase after her. Of course, about ten feet out, Elizabeth wasn't sure which direction the soap store was actually _in. _So, Misty took the child's hand and _slowly _led her there herself.

Eventually, they arrived at the shop, and Elizabeth ran right on it, very excited to see what she would find in the store that day. Misty giggled and followed behind dutifully, already knowing what she'd have to buy for herself and Ash.

Elizabeth, on the other hand, was busy running from shelf to shelf, basket to basket in search of different soaps. She found her favorite ones: the colorful spheres that exploded when you put them in the bath water, and picked up a few to smell each one. The young girl then moved on to one of the shelves, where she found something incredible: a star shaped chunk of soap, pink in color that smelled of sugar. It was on a wooden stick with a pink ribbon tied around it, made to look like a fairy wand. Her whole face beaming with excitement, Elizabeth scurried over to her mother, who was just finishing gathering her usual products, and held up the fairy soap, waving it eagerly in the air. Misty took it quickly but gently, not wanting the delicate object to break with Elizabeth swinging it around. She told her young daughter she would buy it, and warned her to be gentle when it came to the soap. Elizabeth agreed and ran back over to another part of the store in order to experiment.

Once Misty was finished collecting everything, she called Elizabeth over so they could pay for the soaps. Elizabeth obediently listened and stood patiently by her mother, but just as Misty reached the cashier, something else caught Elizabeth's attention and pulled her away once again.

It was a small wooden table set up in the corner, with various colors splayed across the table top. It looked like clay, but upon further inspection, it was soap! Soap that was made to look and feel like clay.

Needless to say, Elizabeth was completely enamored by this new discovery.

There were tools on the table to play with the soap too, just like with the clay Elizabeth had at home. There was a plastic roller to flatten the soap out into sheets, and several cookie cutters to make different shapes. Taking the roller, Elizabeth began to flatten out a ball of the squishy pink soap until it was in a fine sheet, at which point she took hold of a Butterfree shaped cookie cutter and stuck it into the soft soap.

This was where the problem came in, however. Misty, of course, hadn't seen Elizabeth walk away, and assumed the girl was still next to her. With her bags in hand, Misty walked out of the store, thinking that Elizabeth was quietly following alongside. It was only when she was a good few feet away from the store and asked a simple question when Misty realized her daughter was no longer with her.

"That was fun, wasn't it, Lizzie?"

Silence.

Misty raised an eyebrow and looked down by her feet. When she saw that the little girl was nowhere to be seen, Misty panicked and raced back into the store, fearing that Elizabeth had wandered off without her. That was a mother's worst fear, after all, seeing that the mall was such a big and crowded place! Her dangerously speeding heart slowed down, however, when Misty saw Elizabeth sitting at the little table and playing with the clay soap.

She ran over to the girl and exclaimed that she had almost left without her. Elizabeth just looked up and smiled sweetly at her mother, giving a gentle apology and using the excuse that the colorful clay soap looked too fun to pass up.

The shades of Ash, Misty thought, were a little bit terrifying.

In the both of them.

* * *

><p><strong>I went for mostly description in this one, and only used one quote. Did you guys notice that? :P<strong>

**Also, this is based on real life events, where my friends and I went to the mall and one of my friends got so distracted by the soap that she left her cell phone in the store XD There's obviously a difference between kid and cell phone, but it's funny nonetheless :P**


	146. Brawn or Brains

**It's Scott vs Ash, but not exactly in a way you might think ;) This one is Pokeshippy fluffy!**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Brawn or Brains<strong>

Misty had to admit that she never really listened to her husband's manager, because most of the things that came out of his mouth were dreadfully boring and or irritated the hell out of her.

This time, however, she was compelled to listen because Scott had started prattling on about how to make her babies smart.

Now, Misty had all the faith in the world when it came to the children she was carrying. She was absolutely positive they would be the most beautiful babies anyone had ever seen, and she was just as sure that they'd be incredibly kind, caring, and smart. But already, Misty would do anything to benefit her children. If she could help them get a head start on developing their brains, she would do it. As long as it didn't hurt either of them, of course.

"So, how are they supposed to become smart when I'm still pregnant with them?" Misty questioned, genuinely curious as to what Scott had on his mind.

"It's been proven that when unborn children listen to classical music, it stimulates their brains and promotes a critically thinking future," Scott explained, a smile on his face.

"I don't have to hurt them, do I?" She asked warily.

"Of course not," Scott chuckled at the idea. "All you have to do is play classical music to your stomach! They'll listen to it and be on their way to a life of intelligence! Women have been doing this for _years,_ you know."

"I guess it couldn't hurt," Misty giggled. "But I don't have any classical music around here. I don't normally listen to it, and Ash certainly doesn't…"

"Not to worry, I've got some with me," Scott assured the woman, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his cell phone. "It's always the trick to calming me down when your husband starts to drive me insane."

"Then maybe I should try it, too," Misty snickered. Suddenly, one of the babies inside of her belly started to kick, causing Misty to sigh lovingly and run just one finger over that spot. "Good morning, little one! You decided to wake up and play?"

All of the movement from the first baby awoke the second one, who soon began to compete with its sibling. Smirking, Misty flattened her entire hand over her belly, rubbing it across as she felt them spar beneath her skin.

"They're fighting," Misty murmured. "They're so naughty! All they seem to do is kick one another. I should have Ash yell at them, start practicing his paternal skills."

"Maybe the music will help!" Scott chortled. He walked over to Misty, cell phone in hand with a pair of headphones plugged into the top. He slipped them over Misty's stomach, the young woman watching curiously as he pressed the "play" button on the screen of his phone and left it beside her on the couch. "There. They're on their way to becoming a pair of little geniuses!"

Misty stared down at her stomach and raised an eyebrow. "Well, they _did _stop kicking…"

"Ah, see?" Scott breathed. "It calms them down, just as it does to me. It's like a miracle worker!"

"I'll keep this in mind for the next time they start acting up," Misty giggled.

"Excellent," Scott stated. "Now you can just sit here and relax while the brains of your unborn children develop. An easy task, if I do say so myself!"

Misty nestled deeper into the couch and allowed her eyes to close as Scott exited the room. She had to admit it felt nice, just sitting down and relaxing. It certainly helped that the babies had stopped their fighting in the meanwhile to listen to the classical music flowing through her womb. Misty was so busy relaxing, in fact, that she didn't even hear Ash enter the room, his strong arms hanging down heavily from a long afternoon of exercise.

He ran his chocolate brown eyes over Misty and lifted a thick raven eyebrow in confusion. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out why she had a pair of headphones on her stomach. Stepping forward, Ash gently shook Misty by the shoulder, causing her eyes to slip open and set themselves on him.

"Hi, Ash," Misty greeted a little groggily.

"Hey babe," Ash murmured. "What's with the earphones on your belly? Are you trying to block out noise or something? Because I don't think that's gonna work…"

"No, sweetie," Misty giggled. "They're listening to music!"

"Music?"

"Yeah, Scott was telling me all about how if babies listen to classic music in the womb, it stimulates their brains and has been proven to make them smarter," Misty explained with a glowing smile.

"That's dumb," Ash stated bluntly, causing Misty's face to fall slightly. "How could anyone possibly prove that?"

"With science?" Misty suggested. "Either way, I think it's cute! And it can't hurt. You know, they were fighting before, kicking up a storm in there! And as soon as Scott put the headphones on my belly, they both calmed down and have been still ever since."

"Yeah, probably because that boring music put them to sleep," Ash muttered. He sat down next to Misty before she could protest and took Scott's phone into his hands, messing around with the screen.

"What are you doing?" Misty demanded.

"Well, first of all, I'm turning off this torture device," Ash began, holding the phone up to point at the cover art of the current classical music that was flowing through the connected headphones. "And, secondly, I'm going to put on something a little more fun."

"I want smart babies," Misty whined as she pouted, watching Ash as he continued to press his fingers against the phone's touch screen.

"I'm sure they'll still be smart," Ash comforted his wife. "Besides, in the way that _I _want them to be smart, this new method will definitely help."

"Wait…what do you mean the way _you_ want them to be smart?" Misty asked starkly.

"You'll see," Ash murmured.

That didn't make Misty feel any better. She loved her husband, but he wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed as they said. Ash was a little slow, and quite dense. He had gotten better with age, but still, he was only twenty one and had a lot more growing up to do, despite being married and an expectant father. That didn't hold much merit with a man who still liked to play video games, prank people, and laugh at "inappropriate" words like a little school boy.

Suddenly, a big kick from inside of her stomach jolted Misty back into reality. She yelped and laid a hand on the bottom of her belly, earning an interested stare from Ash.

"Did they wake up?" He asked.

"Yes!" Misty huffed in an annoyed fashion. "I'm surprised that foot didn't just break through my skin!"

"Awesome!" Ash chuckled. "So this is really working I guess!"

"_What's_ working?" Misty fumed as the second baby joined in on its sibling's workout.

"Well, see…I guess I think it's cool to have smart kids," Ash elucidated, "but, personally, I think it'd be even better to have a pair of kids who really love Pokemon!"

"I'm sure they'll love Pokemon no matter what," Misty grumbled. "But why'd they wake up and get so jumpy? What did you put on?"

"Oh…I put on a Pokemon battle," Ash answered, holding up the phone once again to show Misty the screen. "They can't see it, obviously, but they can hear it! And if listening to classical music makes babies smart, well…then I don't see why listening to a battle wouldn't make them battle brained!"

"Battle brained?" Misty repeated gruffly.

"Yeah, you know, like…battle smart," Ash tried.

"Well, I don't know if it's going to make them _battle smart_, but it's certainly making them wild," Misty groaned. "You can practically see my belly moving from the outside! Don't the battle announcers always scream and yell?"

"Well, yeah. Pokemon battles are exciting! The exact opposite of that lame music."

Leaning over, Misty looked at the screen once again and narrowed her emerald eyes. "And is that one of _your_ battles?"

"…well, who else's battle would I have them listen to?"

* * *

><p><strong>Ash enjoys stroking his own ego XD All in good fun, of course.<strong>


	147. Egg Hunters

**Happy Easter, everyone! Here's your special Easter one shot. I finished this FOREVER ago, so glad I can finally post it! Sam's back in this one...and we get to meet one of Michelle's friends too this time!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 6 years old**

**Elizabeth: 7 months old**

**Sam: 7 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Egg Hunters<strong>

"Aiden, get back here so I can finish putting on your outfit!"

"NO!"

Ash, who was sitting on the couch and bouncing giggling baby Elizabeth on his knee, watched with curious eyes as Aiden raced past him, obviously frantic. Without much of a second thought, the child crawled behind the side table as he whispered to his father, "don't tell Mommy!"

As if on cue, Misty appeared in the doorway, her own emerald eyes wide with surprise. She instantly set them onto Ash, who was now looking back at her.

"Ash, where did Aiden go?" Misty asked.

"Behind the side table," Ash replied effortlessly.

"DAD!" Aiden whined from behind the small wooden table.

Misty threw Ash a grateful look as she walked over to where her son had made his refuge from her. In her hand, Ash noticed that the woman was carrying around a light pink neck tie.

"Oh, so _that's _why Aiden ran away from you," Ash smirked.

"I don't know why he's fussing, I think this outfit is just the cutest thing!" Misty shook her head. She walked around the side table and got to the back, where Aiden had curled up into a ball in an attempt to keep her away. "Aiden, come on! Mommy needs to put on your tie!"

"No, that thing is stupid!" Aiden whined.

From Ash's knee, Elizabeth giggled once again, earning an audible huff from Aiden. The Pokemon Master couldn't help but to chuckle himself. He found Elizabeth's reactions to everything happening around her to be completely adorable.

"It is not! It's precious!" Misty cooed.

"Mom…" Aiden grumbled.

"Now now, Aiden, you come on out and put on this tie," Misty gently scolded the child. "Otherwise, I won't let you go on the Easter egg hunt!"

_This _caused the child to scramble out from behind the table like a water type desperate for the ocean. Giggling, Misty pulled the boy up to his feet and used her delicate hands to brush off the dust that had attached itself to his blue, pink, yellow, and dark gray plaid shirt and khaki dress pants from climbing halfway behind the couch. Once his clothes were clear of the filth, Misty took the neck tie and fasted it around the collar of Aiden's plaid shirt, tightening it until the knot was resting below his neck and the rest of the tie laid down the front of his chest.

"Perfect!" Misty giggled. "My baby boy looks _so _handsome!"

"Stop it, Mommy," Aiden grumbled, trying to tug at his black locks that had been neatly combed back by his mother. Unfortunately for him, Misty had managed to grab the boy's wrist and pull his little fingers away from the locks, earning a whine from the child.

"Aiden, your hair is perfect, don't mess it up!" Misty cried.

"Daddy messed _his _hair up!" Aiden argued.

The gym leader glanced up at her husband. He had been having an awfully hard time getting his hair to stay down, so Misty finally decided to help out by spraying his head with some of her hairspray, much to Ash's displeasure. That didn't seem to be helping much either, however, as a few tufts were beginning to stick up once again.

"Daddy didn't mean to mess it up," Misty tried. "His hair is just very hard to control. Like a wild Pokemon with an impish nature!"

At this, Aiden smirked, while Ash sighed and shook his head. "Thanks, Mist."

"Don't mention it, sweetheart," Misty winked at the man before striding over to him. "Now, could I have my littlest baby? I'd love to give her some snuggles before we head out!"

"Of course!" Ash chuckled, lifting the baby up so Misty could take her. Once she had the baby in her hands, Misty gasped and held the child above her head, causing Elizabeth to shriek and hold her hands towards her mother.

"Look at how beautiful my baby is!" Misty cooed.

The baby gurgled, and the tiny hands she was holding out were soon balled into little fists. She was outfitted in a ballerina style dress, with a long, full skirt made of many layers of tulle and the torso adorned by pink and white soutache flowers with a pink ribbon tied at the waist. If that wasn't girly enough, the baby also had a pink bow clipped into the left side of her head.

Still giggling, Misty lowered the infant and held the child against her chest, kissing the top of Elizabeth's head repeatedly while the baby cooed in happiness.

"Guess I should go get Michelle, huh?" Ash asked.

"If you could, that'd be great," Misty nodded, twisting her body around in an effort to entertain Elizabeth. It certainly seemed to be working, as the baby giggled against her body.

Ash got up from the couch and stood before the staircase, grabbing onto the railings and pushing himself forward as he called up the stairs, "hey, Michelle! Come on, princess! We're gonna' leave soon!"

"I'm coming!" An angelic voice chimed from upstairs. Ash chuckled gently and looked down at the steps, still rocking himself back and forth with his fingers gripping the bannisters.

He only looked up again when he heard the sound of small footsteps padding down the stairs, growing just slightly louder as they got closer to him. Once he could see her little feet, covered by white ballet flats with a chiffon flower on the front of each one, he lifted his head and smiled at the little girl.

She was dressed up just like her siblings: in a white dress with thick, pastel blue stripes at the bottom and top of the skirt with a same color Peter Pan collar at the neck and a white ribbon flower on the right side of her waist. Her bright red hair was tied up into a high ponytail, with a blue bow headband arching over the top of her head.

"Wow, my princess looks so lovely!" Ash beamed, lifting the girl up by her sides before letting the giggly thing down on the floor. "You look an awful lot like your Mommy when you put your hair up like that!"

"I _always _look like Mommy," was Michelle's easy reply.

"You've got her sass, too," Ash glanced over his shoulder at a clearly proud Misty.

"Don't look at me," Misty shrugged. "I've been quiet this whole time!"

**XXX**

For Easter, Ash and Misty always went over to Pallet Town in order to spend the holiday with Delia. Such a small, quiet little town was a great place to spend the spring holiday. Besides, every Easter, Pallet Town held their annual Easter egg hunt, and it was a hit with all the local children. Ash and Misty loved having Aiden and Michelle participate in it, because it was a good way for the two to make friends outside of Cerulean.

It was also just completely adorable to watch them run around in search of the plastic, treat filled eggs.

This was Elizabeth's first Easter, but she was too young yet to actually participate in the hunt. Instead, she sat on her Grandmother's lap, tilting her head back to stare at the woman while she held the baby's small hands and moved them up and down.

"Sweet baby Lizzie," Delia crooned to the child. "You're just so precious, aren't you?"

"Ma?" Elizabeth asked, tilting her head.

"Aw, sweetie," Delia giggled, "are you trying to say Gramma?"

"Mama," Elizabeth put her head down and instead turned her head to stare at Misty, who in turn giggled and clapped her hands together.

"Oh, my little sprinkle knows who her Mama is!" Misty beamed.

"Elizabeth is ridiculously smart," Ash shook his head. He was leaning back in his chair, with his arms folded behind his head.

"She's seven months old, Mr. Pokemon Master," Misty snickered.

"So? That doesn't mean she can't be super intelligent!" Ash smirked. "She's gonna' be a genius."

Playfully rolling her eyes, Misty turned her attention back onto the large stretch of grass in front of her, where all of the young children were preparing for the Easter egg hunt. Michelle was talking to her best friend Selena, who lived just down the road from Delia. The two girls were giggling and both held small baskets in their hands: Michelle's sky blue and Selena's white with a dark purple ribbon wrapped around the top. Nearby, Aiden came wobbling over, his own dark brown wicker basket pulled over his head and covering his eyes.

"Oh Arceus," Misty sighed, shaking her head.

Ash lowered his arms in interest and prompted, "what's up Mis-oh no, Aiden's got the basket on his head again."

"Aiden, take off the basket!" Misty called as the boy held his arms out towards the two girls, causing them to shriek and run away. With them gone, Aiden instead wound up running into a different child, this one a boy with dark brown hair. As soon as he whipped around to glare angrily at Aiden, Misty groaned and buried her face in her hands.

"Hey, watch where you're going, Ketchum!" The second boy barked.

Aiden pulled the basket off his head and threw the boy a sympathetic look until he had his full eyesight back and could see who the child was. As a result, Aiden's sorry look turned into one of obvious aggravation, complete with a furrowed brow and narrowed eyes.

"Sam!" Aiden bit.

"That's my name," Sam scoffed, proudly puffing his chest out. The boy was small, but he had just as big of an ego as his researcher father.

"Nice shirt," Aiden sniggered, pointing at Sam's navy blue sweater vest decorated with gray and turquoise argyle. Sam made a face that indicated he was clearly bothered by Aiden's jab, but the young boy quickly recovered with a mischievous grin of his own directed towards the raven haired boy.

"Nice tie," Sam retaliated, tugging at the pink neck tie. "I didn't know you liked pink!"

"I don't!" Aiden whined, smacking the top of Sam's hand so he would let go of the embarrassing accessory. "My _Mom_ made me wear it!"

"Aiden loves his Mommy! Aiden loves his mommy!" Sam teased in a sing song voice, pointing a mocking finger at his young nemesis.

Aiden, in turn, just rolled his eyes. Of _course _he loved his mother. Aiden wasn't sure why Sam felt that was some kind of personal attack that was meant to embarrass him.

"Ha ha," Aiden droned sarcastically, something he had, in fact, learned from his mother. "You won't be laughing when I kick your butt in the egg hunt!"

"As if!" Sam dramatically rolled his eyes. "I always win! And this time won't be any different!"

As Aiden and Sam growled and got into one another's faces, Michelle and Selena watched curiously from a safe distance.

"They're so weird," Michelle lamented, shaking her head.

"Yeah, but also kinda' scary…" Selena commented. She was a pretty girl, with chestnut brown hair so dark it was nearly black, and equally dark brown eyes. Her skin was fair, though still more tan than Michelle's, and her own Easter ensemble consisting of a white, sleeveless dress with light purple bows on top of her shoulders and a flurry of embroidered flowers in the colors of pink, yellow, purple, and blue.

"Welcome, boys and girls, to the annual Pallet Town Easter Egg Hunt!"

Aiden and Sam managed to stop their sparring in order to turn their attention onto an older, and very happy looking, man standing in the middle of the field. He was wearing a powder blue suit with a pink tie quite similar to Aiden's, which didn't exactly amuse the little raven haired boy. If anything, that only made the situation _so _much worse.

"As you all know, I'm Mayor Thomas," the man gave the crowd a small bow. "And I am proud to once again be residing over the egg hunt! Now, on the count of three, all you youngsters can run around the park and search for those special eggs! Are you all ready?"

"YEAH!" A loud yell rose from the gathered children. Elizabeth, in response, let out a loud, indiscernible shriek of her own, causing her two parents and Grandmother to laugh adoringly.

"Alright! One…two…three!"

Before Aiden could begin to run, Sam shoved him out of the way and started to run down the hill. Scowling, Aiden chased after the hysterically laughing brunet, eager to get his revenge on the young Oak boy.

"I don't understand those two," Misty sighed.

"I can," Ash shrugged. "It's just like me and Gary when we were kids."

"It really is amazing how much those two take after the both of you, if not a little disturbing," Delia shook her head. "I just wish they could be friends."

"They will one day, trust me," Ash definitely didn't sound concerned. "Gary and I are friends now. We just had to get all of our crazy kid stuff out of our systems."

"Ash has a point, Delia."

The three sitting adults all turned around in their chairs and smiled at the sight of the newcomer standing behind them.

"Hi, Professor Oak!" Ash greeted with a big smile.

"It's good to see you out here, Samuel," Delia offered her own grin to the older man. "Did you bring little Sam?"

"Indeed I did," Professor Oak nodded. "Gary and Kayla went away last night on a little business trip, but they'll be back before the hunt is over. Sam didn't mind, so long as he got to come out here!"

"Well, he and Aiden just ran off chasing one another, as I'm sure you saw," Misty smirked.

"Those two have a very competitive nature, just like Ash and Gary as children," Professor Oak chuckled. "I would expect nothing less of those two!"

"Well, Samuel, pull up a chair and join us, since we're all too old for this little game!" Delia giggled.

"Ma!" Elizabeth yelled loudly. It wasn't out of frustration or anger, however. She just wanted attention.

"Oh, I'm sorry, baby girl," Delia kissed the top of the infant's head, making her quite happy, "some of us are too _young _to compete! How could I ever forget you?"

Professor Oak pulled his lawn chair next to Delia's and asked to see the baby. Delia agreed, and as soon as Elizabeth was on Professor Oak's lap, she started to giggle and clap her hands together.

"My my, she's getting big!" Professor Oak beamed. "How old is she now, Misty?"

"Seven months," Misty replied sweetly. "She's growing up so fast!"

"She's such a beautiful little thing," Professor Oak tickled the baby's stomach, causing her to laugh wildly. "Happy, too!"

"Elizabeth has inherited a _lot _of Ash," Misty smirked. "But I'm not complaining. My husband is very sweet."

"Aww, you're the cutest, Mist!" Ash chuckled, leaning forward to give his wife a kiss on the cheek.

"But I don't know if I can say the same for our son…" Misty trailed off thoughtfully.

**XXX**

Aiden grinned giddily to himself as he picked up a green plastic egg. When he shook it, the sound of metal clattering around could be heard from the inside of the oval. That tipped Aiden off to the idea that there was money stored in this particular egg.

"Yes!" Aiden cheered to himself, tossing the plastic egg into his dark wicker basket. So far, the boy had found eight different eggs. He considered this to be a great success. With his newest egg now safely stored away, Aiden started to race towards a nearby tree, thinking it was the perfect hiding place for an egg. Much to his delight, there was in fact a plastic egg hidden in a tuft of grass behind the trunk, this one purple in color. Beaming, Aiden knelt down to scoop up the prize, but before he could pick it up, it was snatched away by a different hand, causing Aiden to jump up to his feet and cry out "hey!" in protest.

"You snooze, you lose," Sam taunted, tossing the purple egg up in the air repeatedly and catching it in his little hand.

"I found that egg first!" Aiden shouted. "Give it to me!"

"You were too slow," Sam argued. "Deal with it!"

Growling, Aiden dropped his basket on the ground and lunged at Sam, tackling the boy and pulling at his hair. Sam growled and tried to kick Aiden, but that was hard to accomplish when your target was right on top of you.

With the two boys struggling so valiantly to get at one another, they were soon sent tumbling right down the hill they were currently fighting atop. They were so busy fighting, however, that they didn't even realize they had rolled down a hill until they hit the bottom and Aiden went flying off of Sam, landing in a collection of nearby bushes. Sighing, Sam got to his feet and brushed off his dark gray dress pants, glaring at the raven haired boy trapped in the bushes. Aiden missed the look, however, because he was too busy trying to pry himself from the branches that his clothes had got caught in.

"You really are dumb, you know that, Ketchum?" Sam remarked, walking over to Aiden.

"Shut up, Oak!" Aiden argued. He twisted his body around and finally managed to free himself, although he still wound up flipping over and falling headfirst through the bushes. If anything, this only caused Sam to laugh even more, leading Aiden to roll his eyes. Underneath the bushes, however, Aiden found something very interesting. Even more interesting, in fact, than any of the candy filled plastic eggs he was supposed to be finding.

"Hey, Aiden, where'd you go?" Sam finally asked, sifting through the dark leaves on the low plants to try and find his rival.

"I'm still here," Aiden's voice floated out from beneath the bushes. He then popped out from the bottom, the newfound object held in his little hands. "And I found this!"

Sam knelt down and observed what Aiden had discovered. It was an orange-brown oval, much larger than the plastic Easter eggs they were looking for. A large, cream colored crescent moon graced the front of the oval as its only marking.

"Do you know what that is?!" Sam gasped, jumping down onto his knees.

"An egg!" Aiden answered excitedly.

"A real life Pokemon egg," Sam breathed. "Just like the ones at Great Gramps' lab!"

"This is a lot more exciting than the Easter eggs," Aiden laughed, finally crawling all the way out from beneath the bushes with the egg still in his small hands.

"Yeah," Sam agreed, "but what do we do with it?"

"Huh?"

"We can't just take a Pokemon egg by ourselves," Sam furrowed his brow. "I don't know what to do with one!"

Twisting his mouth for a moment in thought, Aiden soon flashed a wide grin at Sam and suggested, "let's bring it to the Professor!"

"Great Gramps?" Sam questioned.

"Yeah! He's the Professor, so he knows all about eggs! He has them at the lab, just like you said!"

"I guess we could," Sam mused. "Okay, let's go find Great Gramps and bring him the egg!"

**XXX**

"Great Gramps! Hey!"

Professor Oak, who was still sitting with the other adults and bouncing a happy baby Elizabeth on his knee, looked up and found both Sam and Aiden to be running directly towards him.

"Sam? What is it, my boy?"

"Aiden found the coolest thing in the bushes!" Sam practically squealed as he jumped up and down.

Ash and Misty exchanged bewildered looks, surprised by the notion that their son and Gary's were actually getting along for once.

"What did you two silly boys find?" Delia giggled.

"This!" Aiden announced proudly, holding up the egg for his grandmother to see.

Soon, all four adults' faces were reflecting looks of surprise. They thought the boys were going to show them something that little kids found to be a big deal, like a peculiarly shaped rock or a found toy. Not a real _Pokemon egg._

"Where did you boys find that?" Ash asked.

"Under the bushes," Aiden replied. "I fell in after Sam and I rolled down on a hill!"

"…on accident," Sam added when he saw an unimpressed look cross his great grandfather's face.

"But we didn't know what to do with it," Aiden continued. "So…we brought it to you, Professor!"

"Well, if I'm correct, that appears to be a Teddiursa egg," Professor Oak rubbed his chin.

"Isn't that a little bit strange to find in _Pallet Town?_" Ash glanced at his mother and the famed Professor. "Growing up here, all I ever remember seeing were Pidgey and Caterpie. But definitely not a Teddiursa."

"The fact that it was hidden under the bushes makes the situation all the more strange," Professor Oak added. "Most Pokemon do not leave their eggs under bushes, nor do they leave them unguarded."

"So, are you saying that egg is an orphan?" Misty frowned. She hated to think of a poor baby Pokemon not having a mother or father around to love and raise it. It just ate away at her maternal instincts. From Professor Oak's lap, Elizabeth let out a soft whine, leading Misty to stand up and gently take the child back, no longer wanting to be separated from her baby.

"That is what I'm leaning towards," Professor Oak affirmed, smiling as he saw Misty give Elizabeth a tight hug just at the idea.

"So…what do we do with it?" Aiden asked, his voice flooded with concern.

"Hmm…I might have an idea," Professor Oak mused.

"Hey there, Gramps!"

"Ah, right on time," Professor Oak chuckled, looking over his shoulder. Walking towards the group was none other than Gary, holding hands with his pretty wife, Kayla.

"Mom! Dad!" Sam jumped up and down excitedly.

"Aw, just look at my sweet boy," Kayla cooed, moving closer to Sam and kneeling down before him. "You had a fun time with Great Grandpa, didn't you?"

"Uh huh," Sam nodded.

"Gary, it would appear your son and Ash's son have made quite an interesting discovery," Professor Oak motioned for his grandson to come closer to him.

"What is it?" Gary blinked and walked over.

"Have a look for yourself," Professor Oak held up the egg that Sam and Aiden had stumbled upon.

"Wow, a Teddiursa egg," Gary was obviously impressed.

"We don't know what to do with it, Dad," Sam informed his father.

"Ah, that's easy!" Gary chuckled, gently taking the large oval from his grandfather. "I'll take it back with me! I've been wanting to do some further research on Pokemon eggs for quite some time now. Looks like you saved me from an adventure, boys!"

"Cool!" Aiden's eyes were glowing.

"Dada?" Elizabeth glanced up at Gary, causing Ash to scowl. He knew she didn't mean that she thought of Gary as her father, but it still bugged him none the less.

"Oh, Gary, baby Lizzie is talking to you!" Kayla cooed, standing next to Misty in order to tickle the baby's cheek. "You are just the sweetest thing!"

Elizabeth babbled curiously and reached out to try and grab the woman's white sun hat with her little fingers, eventually succeeding and tugging at the brim.

"Elizabeth, don't do that!" Misty gently scolded the girl.

"Don't worry about a thing, Misty. It's quite alright!" Kayla giggled as she looked up at the gym leader with her sparkling blue eyes. "I know how curious babies can get. And Elizabeth is just precious! I don't see how anyone could get mad at a face like that."

"Me either," Misty admitted with a small giggle.

"Aiden! Sam!"

The two young boys turned around and found Michelle and Selena to be racing towards them. They both had their baskets in hand, each one overflowing with the plastic, treat filled eggs.

"We got so many eggs!" Selena cried excitedly, holding her basket out to show the boys.

"How many did you guys get?" Michelle asked.

Sam and Aiden exchanged horrified looks before letting out desolate cries and throwing themselves down on their knees.

"Oh no! We completely forgot about the egg hunt!" Sam bellowed.

"This is the worst Easter _ever!_" Aiden howled.

"This is all _your _fault!" Sam snapped, poking a finger into Aiden's chest.

"Nuh uh, it's yours!" Aiden retaliated.

"Glad to see them back to normal," Gary chuckled as the two young boys continued to bicker down on the grass.

"Yeah," Ash agreed, "watching them get along was a little bit scary, to be honest!"

* * *

><p><strong>I love writing the interactions between Sam and Aiden :P<strong>


	148. How We Met

**This is one that a lot of people wanted that I finally figured out how to write. I think it came out completely adorable, and I love it :3**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 years old**

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><p><span><strong>How We Met<strong>

Misty sighed happily and nestled her cheek deeper into the plush blanket stretched out beneath her, pulling the two small figures closer into her body. They, in turn, murmured contently and tried to get even closer to her, the three of them all huddled up together like a wild Pokémon and her babies in the wild.

By their feet, the fire roared, keeping them warm from the chill in the early March air. Misty reached her hand up and stroked one of their heads, feeling the soft locks beneath her fingers. She smiled sweetly and buried her nose in those same tresses, breathing in the sweet scent that came with being a young child.

"Are you all asleep?"

That gentle whisper caused Misty's eyes to flutter open. She rolled up her emerald orbs, finding Ash to be standing over her and smiling softly. He looked a little curious, though loving at the same time.

"No, just resting," Misty replied just as softly. "Want to join us?"

"Sure," Ash murmured, sitting down on the other side of the blanket. Pikachu jumped off of his shoulder and curled up at the foot of the blanket, wanting to be closer to the heat radiating from the fireplace. As soon as Ash settled down next to his wife, the two children cuddled up against her body looked up in interest and squealed, clambering over to their father and climbing all over his body. "Yeah, they're _definitely _not sleeping!"

"Of course not," Misty giggled. "Come on, babies, don't use your Daddy as a jungle gym."

She gently tugged at both children's shirts, managing to pull them off of Ash's figure. He continued to laugh as the twins instead chose to sit between their parents on the blanket, looking between the two wearing expressions of curiosity.

"Mommy? Daddy?" Michelle asked in an almost timid fashion. Ash and Misty both picked their heads up, smiling at the little girl.

"What is it, princess?" Ash cooed, reaching out to gently stroke his daughter's arm.

"Me and Aiden wanted to know…we wanted to know how you met!" Michelle squeaked, giggling softly afterwards.

"Ah, you're curious about that?" Ash playfully inquired.

"Yeah!" Aiden added more excitedly. "Tell us!"

"Let's see…where should I begin?" Ash wondered aloud, propping himself up on his elbows as he looked over at the twins. "Well, it was the first day of my Pokémon journey…"

_I had been travelling for only a few hours with Pikachu. I tried to catch a Pidgey, but Pikachu and I were much too strong for it and it flew away in fear-_

"No it didn't," Misty interrupted, earning amused stares from their young children. "You thought you could weaken a Pokémon by throwing a rock at it. So you did, and it flew away."

The twins burst out laughing, while a generous blush graced Ash's handsome face.

"Eh, well…anyway…"

_After that, I was still looking for another Pokémon to catch. Preferably a flying type. It was after throwing rock that I found a Spearow! But it was very mad, because Pikachu and I had stumbled into its territory during our great effort to catch our first Pokémon together-_

"No," Misty piped up once again. "The rock you threw at Pidgey missed _because _it flew away. So, that rock instead hit Spearow, who got mad because they have a much worse temper than Pidgey do."

Narrowing his eyes, Ash accused, "you weren't even there! How could you possibly know all of this?"

"My mother-in-law likes to divulge a lot of information to me," Misty teased, causing Aiden and Michelle to burst out in laughter once again.

"Well, after _that _happened…"

_The angry Spearow tried to attack me, but then it set its sights on Pikachu instead. It was jealous because Pikachu wasn't wild and had a trainer. Pikachu was brave, however, and knew how to protect himself. He thunder shocked Spearow! That was a bad move too. Spearow got even angrier and called for his friends. Pikachu started to run away, and he tried to leave me behind. But I followed after him, which was a good thing, because the Spearow began to attack him. I managed to save Pikachu from being attacked and ran away as quick as I could, but before I knew it, I fell into a nearby pond and had to start swimming for it._

Aiden and Michelle looked over at their mother, trying to figure out if their father was making anything up again. She wore a smile on her face, one that was irking Ash to some extent.

"I'm not lying!" Ash whined.

"I know you're not," Misty giggled. "Keep going! This is where the story gets good."

"Mmhm…" Ash hummed knowingly before continuing the tale just as Misty had requested.

_While I was swimming as far away from the Spearow as I possibly could, a very beautiful girl was fishing at another end of the water. Of course, I didn't know that until my jacket got caught on her line and she pulled me out! She thought I was a water type Pokémon! But when she realized it was a very handsome young trainer, she became even happier with her latest catch-_

"I did not."

Ash narrowed his eyes at Misty, who was looking rather smug. Aiden and Michelle both giggled and crawled closer to her mother, silently wondering what the real truth was.

"I was _furious _that all I caught was some kid!" Misty retaliated. "You were a major disappointment."

"Ouch!" Ash cried, causing the twins to laugh some more.

"But I _was _very worried when I saw just how injured Pikachu was…" Misty sighed, glancing over at the shallowly sleeping electric type. "He was in bad shape!"

"Hey, _I'm _the one telling the story here!" Ash whined.

"Yes, but you're not doing a very good job of it, now are you?" Misty quipped.

"I'll do better," Ash muttered.

"Prove it."

"Fine!"

_Mommy was _very _worried about Pikachu. She asked how he was doing. I thought she was asking me, however, so I told her I was fine. It was at that point that she-_

"Ash, let's leave that little detail out!" Misty gasped, a blush growing across her nose and her cheeks. Aiden and Michelle stared up at their mother in confusion, not understanding why she seemed so flustered with that little detail.

"Oh, good point," Ash agreed.

_Anyway…yeah, your Mommy was mad about that. She thought I had hurt Pikachu on purpose! But I told her that wasn't true. She believed me…I guess…and told me that I should take Pikachu to a nearby Pokémon Center that was located in Viridian City. I had never been to a Pokémon Center before; I barely even knew what they looked like! But just then, the same angry flock of Spearow that had attacked me and Pikachu showed up again. They'd found us! I had to get out of there as soon as possible. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a-_

"Beautiful, brand new, perfect in every single way and completely, undeniably, one hundred percent belonging to _me _bicycle," Misty interrupted acidly, glaring at Ash as she finished her little rant.

"Not this again, Mist. I replaced it!"

"And it took you almost two years!"

"Daddy, what did you do?" Michelle squeaked.

"I'll tell you in just a second, princess, if Mommy _stops interrupting me_," Ash growled. Misty huffed and stuck her tongue out at the man, bringing their young children some more amusement.

_A bike. I saw a _bike. _And yes, it did belong to your Mommy. It was red, and it had a basket on it. I ran over to the bike and put Pikachu in the basket before I got on the seat. Of course, your Mommy wasn't too happy about this. She whipped around, that fiery red ponytail cracking like a whip, before demanding to know what I was doing with my hands on her bike. I told her I needed it, and that I would pay her back one day. And with that, I rode off to bring Pikachu to the Pokémon Center._

"And I yelled at him the whole time he rode away," Misty seethed, shaking her head in aggravation just at the memory.

"It wasn't exactly the most romantic first meeting to ever go down, but I think it was just perfect for us," Ash concluded, a peaceful smile on his handsome face. "It was memorable."

"I guess you're right," Misty sighed, her own smile growing on her delicate pink lips.

"I like that story!" Michelle giggled, crawling over to her father and hugging his chest. "You saved Pikachu, Daddy!"

"I did!" Ash crowed, causing Misty to roll her eyes. She was still smirking, however.

"Daddy, what happened to Mommy's bike?" Aiden questioned.

"Her bike wasn't so lucky…" Ash sheepishly admitted. "Pikachu attacked the Spearow while I was trying to protect him, and he used such a powerful thunder attack that it completely destroyed Mommy's bike. And, well, when she found it all burnt up like that…"

"I carried its charred remains all the way to Viridian City until I found your Daddy!" Misty exclaimed once Ash had nervously trailed off.

"It was too heavy for you, and you fell down," Ash reminisced. "I _tried _to be a gentleman and help you up, but you smacked my hand away!"

"I didn't trust you."

"Well…I guess that kind of makes sense."

"But, Daddy _is_ right, at least he did repay me for my bike eventually," Misty sighed, her children's eyes widening with glee. "It took him a very long time, but at least over all of that time I got to know him better…and we got to become very good friends."

"And then we was born!" Aiden cheered.

"Well, yes, but not _that _fast, little guy!" Misty giggled. "It still took quite a few more years for that to happen."

Aiden smiled and laid back down on the blanket, obviously content from being told the story he and his sister had so badly wanted to hear. Michelle followed suit, snuggling up next to her brother so their heads were nestled close together. Misty giggled very quietly and craned her neck down to give each child a kiss on their head. At long last, they were both falling asleep.

"They're so precious," Misty murmured, her eyes filling with tears of happiness as she stared at them.

"Aw, are you getting a little emotional?" Ash cooed sympathetically, reaching out to stroke Misty's cheek.

"Yeah, I guess so," Misty sighed laughingly. "I can't help it. I mean, after telling that story…it makes me think that if that had never happened, we might have never met. And they wouldn't be here. And they mean _everything _to me."

"Me too," Ash agreed warmly. "But we did, and they're here. Everything happens for a reason!"

Misty smiled and laid back down on her side "I know it does." Running a hand over her bloated belly, Misty whimsically asked her husband, "Do you think this little one heard the story too?"

"I'm sure of it," Ash chuckled, resting his own hand on top of Misty's. "And if not…we can always tell it again one day to him or her."

"I'll never get tired of hearing it," Misty breathed, her eyes sparkling.

Ash smiled and squeezed Misty's hand tightly in his own. "Me either."

* * *

><p><strong>I didn't want them to just tell the story straight, so I added the element of Ash constantly changing the story to try and make himself sound better, and not as dense :P And the side comments, lol.<strong>


	149. Room Rumagging

**I've got like over five one shots finished and saved. I'm a mess, okay. But enjoy! :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 4 years old**

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><p><span><strong>Room Rummaging<strong>

Aiden and Michelle sat awkwardly on the couch of their grandparents' living room, unsure of what to do.

The house was very nice, perhaps too nice, and the two young children were afraid of messing something up. Normally, they wouldn't care. They were hyper and energetic and generally pretty destructive. But that was under their _parents' _watch. Aiden and Michelle didn't want to upset their Grandma and Grandpa.

Lynne seemed to sense this as she stepped back into the room and giggled at the sight of her two youngest grandchildren looking so tense. They were staying over while Ash and Misty attended a formal League dinner, and she was busy cooking dinner for them all.

"Aiden, Michelle, you two don't just have to sit there, you know!" Lynne giggled.

"We dunno what to do, Gramma," Aiden murmured, shifting his eyes to the side table next to the couch. There was a very expensive looking glass vase perched on it, made of all different shades of blue and green.

"I have a bunch of fun little games in the closet that you could play," Lynne suggested, walking over to the door that was located near the kitchen. She opened it up and beckoned for the children to come over to her, which they did. She showed them the stacks of game boxes that were stored in the closet, and explained that these were all from when their aunts and mother had been young, just like them. "They all loved these games! I'm sure you two can find something fun. It won't be much longer until dinner is ready, anyway."

She ruffled both children's hair before heading back towards the kitchen so she could continue cooking. Aiden and Michelle silently studied the games in the closet for a few minutes, but it was hard to decide which one they actually wanted since they couldn't read yet. Aiden sighed and stepped away from the open closet, instead staring up curiously at the staircase that led to the second floor of his grandparents' house. He was sure he and Michelle had never been up there before…maybe there was something fun to do.

"Shelly," Aiden called, catching his twin's attention. "Let's go upstairs!"

Michelle gave her brother a shocked look, which he didn't understand. It hadn't been that bad of a suggestion, had it? Did it seem that naughty?

"Aiden, we can't!" Michelle whined.

"Why?" Aiden demanded.

"We…we never been up there before…"

"Yeah, so I want to!" Aiden concluded.

Michelle twisted her mouth and gave her brother a pitiful gaze. She was always so afraid of getting in trouble…her often seen timidity was very strange to the wild and action driven Aiden.

"Pleeeease, Shelly?" Aiden begged, using his most innocent voice as he pleaded.

"Well…maybe we can…" Michelle murmured, causing Aiden to cheer excitedly. He grabbed his sister's hand and started to pull her towards the stairs. As soon as they reached the steps, however, their grandmother's voice floated out of the kitchen and alerted them that dinner was ready.

"After dinner!" Aiden chirped, running into the kitchen. Michelle sighed and shook her head, but followed after her brother. She wanted to eat just as much as he did.

The two young children sat at the kitchen table with both of their grandparents, heartily eating the lasagna their grandmother had made. It was covered with extra cheese, the twins' favorite, and served along with buttered bread and some salad, which the twins weren't keen on trying.

Their grandfather rambled on and on about the current research work he was doing. Aiden and Michelle found it to be rather boring, even though they both loved Pokémon. It wasn't fun things like battles. It was all scientific and very confusing.

"What do you two think?" Michael asked his youngest grandchildren, who had remained silent this whole time. "Do either of you want to become Pokémon researchers?"

"No," Aiden quickly replied, "I wanna be a Pokémon Master, just like Daddy!"

At this, Michael groaned and pressed his hand against his forehead, slowly shaking his head. He hated that his youngest son-in-law's job gave his only grandson the idea that he could simply attain that role. It was so unrealistic.

"And what about you, Michelle?" Michael sighed, finally removing his hand from his face. He figured that if she said gym leader, at least that was a feasible goal, since she could inherit the job from Misty.

"I wanna' be in contests!" Michelle giggled. "Like Dawn and May!"

Michael and Lynne exchanged glances. They found it rather curious that Michelle looked up to her godmothers, and not her own parents, but neither one questioned it out loud. They both knew Ash and Misty were good parents, and didn't want to make it seem like they doubted their parenting skills.

Once they had finished off dinner, Aiden and Michelle retreated back into the living room while their grandparents went to work on cleaning up. Once again, Aiden took his sister's hand, something he did when he could sense she was anxious about going along with his plans, and pulled her up the stairs that led to the second floor of their grandparents' home.

The upstairs hallway was just as nice as the rest of the house. The dark, hardwood floor was covered by a long, scarlet rug lined in white. White doors with silver handles lined the light blue walls, three on the left and two on the right with one single door at the end of the hallway. Aiden turned his brown eyes onto the closest door on the right side and scurried over to it, Michelle's hand still encased in his own. He gently pushed open the door and peered inside the room, gasping lightly as he realized who it had once belonged to.

"What?" Michelle squeaked from behind him. She was still standing out in the hallway and couldn't see past her brother.

"Look!" Aiden marveled, pulling Michelle all the way into the room. The little girl did just that, turning her head left to right and studying every inch of the room. Its light purple walls, the plush looking bed against the far wall with the bay windows above it, drawers bedecked with various photo frames that contained photos of a very familiar woman…

"Mommy!" Michelle giggled, pointing at one of the pictures.

"This is Mommy's room!" Aiden replied.

"Mommy used to sleep in here?" Michelle murmured, shuffling closer to the bed. She pressed her hands against the top of it and managed to push herself up onto the soft mattress, staring down at the comforter that covered the bed. It was white and printed with light blue bubbles; very appropriate for her mother. "It's soft!"

Aiden watched as Michelle giggled and threw herself down on the bed, lying there for a few seconds before rolling over and inching her way towards the light blue pillow at the head of the bed. Michelle buried her nose into it and took a whiff, picking her head up and laughing once again. "It smells like Mommy, too!"

The little boy made his way over to the set of white drawers that were pushed against the far left wall. They had blue crystal knobs on them, and the dresser was much taller than Aiden was. He was able to tilt his head back, however, and examine the objects on top of the drawers. There was a large collection of earrings, all pinned onto a silver lattice surrounded by white diamonds. Next to the earring holder was a porcelain bank made in the likeness of a Marill.

"Aiden, look!"

The boy turned around and found that his sister's back was to him. She was holding something in her arms, something that she had obviously found by the pillow. Twisting her body around, Michelle showed the object off to her brother with a big smile on her face.

It was a stuffed Pikachu.

"Whoa," Aiden marveled, moving over to the bed and jumping up just like Michelle had. He sat down next to her and curiously poked the stuffed Pikachu on its nose, as if that would do something.

"I bet Daddy gave her it!" Michelle crooned.

"Yeah," Aiden murmured in agreement. He raised his eyes and found himself to be staring at the shelf like space between his mother's old bed and the wall. There were a collection of picture frames sitting on the surface, each frame different and each picture inside unique. The first one was of Misty and her sisters when they were all very young, surrounded by a glittery turquoise frame. The second frame, made of glass with two thin borders of tiny diamonds racing around each side, contained a picture of Misty with an older, auburn haired woman who Aiden didn't recognize. "Who's that lady?"

Michelle leaned over and smiled as soon as she saw who Aiden was referring to. "Great Gramma!"

"Who's that?" Aiden asked again.

"Mommy's Gramma," Michelle murmured. "I was nameded after her!"

"Where's she?"

"Mommy said she had to go away," Michelle replied. "And that it was sad. But…she watches us!"

"Oh," Aiden squeaked. That seemed to be a good enough explanation for him, so he went back to examining the collection of picture frames that his mother had.

The third one contained a picture of her, their father, and Brock. They all looked quite happy and very young. It was surrounded by a crystal blue frame that reminded Aiden of the ocean. The fourth frame, which was silver and heart shaped, contained a photo of both Ash and Misty, looking considerably older than they did in the previous picture. It was innocent enough, with Misty giggling while Ash touched his nose against her cheek. He was smiling in the picture, too. It looked as though he was on the verge of laughter himself. They looked very happy.

"Mommy and Daddy," Aiden commented to his sister, pointing at the last photo. Michelle examined it herself and smiled. She thought it was very cute.

The twins soon hopped off the bed in order to explore the rest of their mother's childhood bedroom. Michelle stared down at the rug beneath her feet, the soft purple rectangle decorated with a swirly white border keeping her feet warm from the light hardwood floor underneath it.

Aiden, on the other hand, had returned to his mother's dresser and was busy going through all of the drawers. Well, all of the ones he could reach, anyway. They all seemed to contain clothes from when she was younger: t-shirts in the third highest drawer and shorts in the second. When Aiden reached the lowest drawer, that's when he found something that he had never seen before. He reached into the drawer and pulled out one of the mysterious objects, holding it up in the air as he called, "Shelly, what's this?"

Michelle spun around and raised an eyebrow. She had no idea what that strange looking thing was. Hopping off the rug, she darted over to her brother and pulled out another one of the strange objects to study it.

It reminded Michelle of her mother's bikini tops, but it was different. It was made of cotton, not the stretchy bathing suit material. But it was still pretty. Light blue in color, printed with yellow crescent moons and stars, with light blue straps. The one that Aiden was holding was yellow printed with orange flowers.

"Maybe it's a diffen't bikini," Michelle concluded, going back to her previous thought. Aiden nodded, thinking that sounded like a pretty solid deduction. Feeling bored, he threw the yellow article of clothing behind himself and yawned, getting back to his feet and trudging over to the bed. Michelle also threw away the blue version of the object, following after her brother and joining him on the bed. By now, the little boy had gathered the stuffed Pikachu in his arms and laid down, allowing his eyes to close as his head settled into the light blue pillow. Michelle grabbed a stuffed Togepi that had been sitting with the Pikachu previously and snuggled up next to her brother, also closing her eyes and nestling her cheek into the plush pillow.

**XXX**

"Wait until you two see this. It's just so precious!"

Ash and Misty exchanged curious glances as Misty's mother led them up the stairs. She walked over to the white door that led into Misty's room and opened it slowly, smiling over her shoulder at the still confused couple.

"I found them up here before and didn't have the heart to disturb them," Lynne explained, stepping fully into the room. Ash and Misty walked in behind her, and as soon as they saw what the older woman was talking about, they both cooed in awe.

Aiden and Michelle were fast asleep in Misty's childhood bed, her old stuffed Pokémon tucked away safely in their arms as they snoozed.

"Oh my gosh, this is the cutest thing I've ever seen!" Misty squealed. "And look, Ash, Aiden is holding that stuffed Pikachu you got me when we were younger!"

"Yeah, they're both so adorable," Ash chuckled. His eyes fell to the floor, where he found a pile of clothes in the middle of the room. Looking over at the dresser, he saw the bottom three drawers were pulled open. Turning his eyes back onto the clothes, Ash spotted something on the very top of the expansive pile that caused him to choke back a rather loud laugh.

Misty heard that guttural noise and raised an eyebrow. "What's up with you, Ash?"

Kneeling down, Ash picked up the blue article of clothing that Aiden had previously discarded before commenting, "It looks like the twins found something new…"

Taking one good look at the blue item, Misty's eyes snapped open as she frantically muttered, "they got to my bras?!"


	150. Magical Ponyta

**Ash and Elizabeth bonding time, because everyone seems to like that ^^**

**Elizabeth: 3 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Magical Ponyta<strong>

"Daddy, come pway wif' me!"

Ash groaned and looked over his shoulder at his young daughter. He loved the girl, of course he did, but her ideas of "playtime" tortured him to no end. She wasn't a tomboy like Michelle. No. Elizabeth was _all _girl. Tiaras and tutus and glitter.

It was the pinkest nightmare Ash could have possibly imagined.

The words _do I have to? _were threatening to leave Ash's lips, but he knew he couldn't do that to Elizabeth. So, instead, he simply agreed to it and allowed the girl to drag him into the living room, where she had apparently set up her playthings.

Standing in a straight line across the carpet were five differently colored Ponyta figures, each one with glittery strands in their colorful manes and various little accessories piled up before them. Sitting a slightly further distance away was a big, plastic castle that was obviously meant for those same Ponyta figurines. He was sure he'd find out in just a few minutes.

"Sit, Daddy!" Elizabeth ordered, settling herself down behind her toy Ponyta. Ash sighed and sat in front of them, crossing his legs and staring down at the five figures as if they were about to come alive and attack him.

"So…what are these?" Ash finally asked, pointing at the colorful Pokémon standing between him and his little daughter.

"Magey Ponyta!" Elizabeth squealed.

Ash furrowed his brow and ran those words through his brain a few times. Sometimes, it was hard to understand what Elizabeth was trying to say since she was still so young and hadn't fully mastered her speech yet. Finally, however, he thought back to the conversations Misty had with his mother and their friends about the little girl, and realized that these toys were Elizabeth's favorite: her Magical Ponyta toys.

_Oh…so _that's _what she was trying to say!_

"Magical Ponyta, huh?" Ash asked, causing Elizabeth to nod. "Do they have names or anything?"

"Yeah!" Elizabeth squeaked. She picked up the first Ponyta, who was completely pink in color. Its mane was a lighter shade than its body, a more cotton candy pink in color, with strands of hot pink tinsel strewn throughout the faux hair. "Dis is Pinky. She's my favowite!"

"Because she's pink, right?" Ash chuckled.

"Yeah," Elizabeth murmured, putting the Ponyta down. She next picked up the second one in line: this Ponyta light purple with a violet mane and tail bedecked by silver tinsel. "This is Wistewia!"

"Do you mean Wisteria?" Ash laughed at his daughter's childish lisp.

Elizabeth nodded and put down the purple Ponyta, switching her out for the blue hued one which was third in line. The color of its body reminded Ash of a cloudless sky, while its darker blue hair was similar to a sparkling ocean.

"Sky!" Elizabeth chirped.

"That makes sense," Ash commented on the Ponyta's name.

The next Ponyta in line was orange, which helped it to slightly resemble a _real _version of the fire horse Pokémon. It was still much different, however, with its body a bright amber in color and its mane and tail a vivid orange-red intermixed with strands of pure orange tinsel.

"What's this little guy's name?" Ash asked, gently patting the front of the horse figure's face with his finger tip.

"Ambew," Elizabeth replied simply.

"Amber," Ash repeated more clearly. "What a pretty name!"

Elizabeth grinned from ear to ear. She could tell that her Daddy was becoming more interested in her favorite toys! Even Ash could feel himself falling for them. Not because he liked the girly little figures, but because his daughter loved them so much. And if they made his daughter happy, well then, Ash just had to suck it up and show an interest in them, too.

The last Ponyta in the lineup was yellow in color. Its plastic body was more of a pastel shade, while the figure's soft hair and mane were a brighter, lemon like yellow intertwined with strands of gold.

"Sunny!" Elizabeth squeaked the yellow one's name.

"Okay…" Ash sighed as he studied the five Ponyta on the floor. "So there's Pinky, Wisteria, Sky, Amber, and Sunny?"

"Uh huh!" Elizabeth trilled.

"I can remember that," Ash laughed.

"We has to dwess them up, Daddy," Elizabeth very seriously informed the man.

"How do we dress them up?" Ash asked. "They're kind of small!"

Wordlessly, Elizabeth pointed at the collection of tiny materials and plastic accessories that were piled before Ash. Ash reached down and picked one up between his thumb and index fingers, carefully studying it. It was a small, silver plastic crown, dotted with light pink rhinestones.

"Dat's fow Pinky!" Elizabeth informed her father.

"I could tell from the pink," Ash commented playfully, pointing at one of the rhinestones. "Should I put it on her head?"

"Yes," Elizabeth replied.

Ash picked up the pink Ponyta, making sure to be very gentle with it seeing as that was Michelle's favorite. Holding it in his left hand, Ash slowly placed the plastic tiara atop the Ponyta figure's head until it was nestled on tight.

"There!" Ash cheered. "Which one are you dressing up, baby?"

"Wisty," Elizabeth answered, obviously not able to say the purple Ponyta's full name. "She's my othew favowite!"

"What does Wisteria wear?"

"Dis," Elizabeth squeaked, holding up a dark purple wizard hat printed with golden stars and a crescent moon.

"Oh," Ash marveled, "is she a magician?"

"Uh huh!" Elizabeth trilled. "She makes magic! One time, she tuwned Ambew into a fower! It was funny."

Ash furrowed his brow and silently wondered how in the world a plastic figurine could work magic. It then occurred to him that these little Ponyta were always on the television. It must have been a show as well, one that Elizabeth was quite fond of.

_I've been working so much lately that I hardly know what Lizzie likes anymore, _Ash thought sadly to himself, frowning as he watched Elizabeth fasten a golden cape around Wisteria's neck. _I'm starting to feel like I don't know who my daughter is! That isn't fair to me…and it's especially not fair to her._

"Daddy?"

Ash looked down at his little daughter, who at this point had stopped dressing up her Ponyta figure once she noticed that her father had a forlorn look on his face.

"You okay?" She murmured.

"Yes, pumpkin," Ash whispered, picking her up and causing her to giggle. He sat her down in his lap and hugged her against him, quietly continuing, "I'm just fine."

"What awe you doin?"

"I'm just…looking at you."

"Why?"

"Because you're so cute!"

"Oh. Okay."

Chuckling, Ash buried his nose in the girl's dark red hair and asked, "Do you like playing Magical Ponyta with me?"

"Uh huh!"

"Do you think Daddy likes Magical Ponyta?"

"I dunno," Elizabeth murmured. "You'we a boy. Boys don't wike 'em. Ai-den don't wike 'em."

"Well, maybe, but I _love_ playing with you!" Ash crooned as he gently poked Elizabeth's nose, causing her to shriek delightfully. "So…I'll play Magical Ponyta with you."

"Weally?"

"Of course!" Ash chuckled. "Whenever you'd like."

Elizabeth crawled out of Ash's lap and back onto the floor, towards her collection of colorful Ponyta figures. She picked up Amber and handed the orange pony off to her father, who studied it with his chocolate brown eyes.

"Dwess hew up!" Elizabeth playfully commanded.

"You got it, little girl!" Ash laughed, running his fingers through the pile of tiny accessories to comb through them all in order to try and find the right one for the orange toy.

As Ash and Elizabeth continued to dress up the plastic Ponyta, Misty appeared quietly in the doorway, peering through to catch sight of her daughter and husband playing sweetly together. She watched with a smile on her face as Ash finished dressing up the last Ponyta while Elizabeth dragged over the large plastic castle, excitedly telling her father what each pony did inside for fun and what they would be doing today.

She knew Ash wasn't very fond of all of Elizabeth's girly favorites, but Misty found it incredibly sweet that her husband was willing to play with them just to make her happy.

He was truly the greatest man she had ever met.

* * *

><p><strong>Yes, the Magical Ponyta are the Pokémon version of My Little Pony :P<strong>


	151. Tub Terror

**I come bearing another one shot. Hooray :D**

**Aiden and Michelle: 3 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Tub Terror<strong>

_Someone really should've warned me that raising kids is a _lot _harder than raising Pokemon!_

Ash groaned as he chased Aiden and Michelle around the house, both small children easily able to escape his desperate grasps for the both of them. Apparently, the seemingly simple announcement of "it's bath time" was enough to freak both kids out and send them running.

And of _course _Ash was currently in charge of them.

He heard the sound of small footsteps trampling downwards, which led him to the staircase. Leaning over the railing, he found both Aiden and Michelle scurrying down the steps, quickly reaching the first floor of the house. Ash swung around and made his own way down, descending as quickly as possible so he could try and catch the twins.

Aiden and Michelle saw him coming, however, and they split up, with Aiden going left and Michelle going right. Ash figured he should go after Aiden first, since the boy was a lot more stubborn and harder to catch. Running in that direction brought Ash into the kitchen, where Misty was sitting at the table before a decent sized mountain of paperwork. She raised an eyebrow at Ash's actions but said nothing, which she really didn't have to since Ash was soon sputtering himself.

"A-Aiden and Michelle, they won't take a bath!" Ash groaned, his shoulders sagging forward.

"Of course not, they hate them," Misty did not sound surprised. She didn't look it, either.

"Have you seen Aiden?"

"Of course I have," Misty sighed, a smirk overtaking her lips.

"Where?!" Ash gasped, his eyes widening.

"No, Mama…" a quiet whisper sounded.

Misty said nothing, but simply motioned her head downwards. Ash nodded, understanding what that meant, and walked closer to the table, crouching down and finding the little boy to be hiding beneath it on the floor.

"I got you, little buddy!" Ash chuckled.

Aiden yelped, and tried to get away, but Ash managed to reach out and grab the child before he could make another run for it. Ash stood back up, the squirming and disgruntled child held in his arms.

"Misty, please help me get Michelle," Ash pleaded.

"Ash, you know I've got all this work to do," Misty sighed. "That's why I asked you to bathe them!"

"I just need you to catch her," Ash sighed. "I'll do the rest. I just…can't juggle both of them at once. Please."

Misty groaned and pushed her chair away from the table, standing up and folding her arms across her chest. "Which way did she go?"

Ash quietly led her in the direction where Michelle had run off to. Eventually, they both found her hiding behind the side table in the living room, her curious peeking out from behind the wooden stand having given her away. Smiling to herself, Misty stepped forward and scooped up the little girl, who surprisingly enough didn't protest.

With both children captured, Ash and Misty carried them upstairs and into the bathroom, where the twins finally began to whine again. Misty handed Michelle off to Ash, watching with an amused expression as the two toddlers squirmed in his grasp and yanked at his shirt and hair, kicking and trying to escape once again.

"Now, all you need to do is bathe them, dry them off, and put them to bed," Misty reminded Ash. "It should be easy, now that you've got them all wrangled up. I'll close the door behind me so they can't get out again."

"Got it," Ash sighed, watching as Misty left the bathroom and pulled the door closed. Once he heard the _click _that indicated she was gone, he put down the twins and was left to deal with them yelping and pulling at his legs as he walked over to the tub in order to start running the water. "No more fussing, guys. It's just a bath! They're not so bad."

"Bad!" Aiden argued.

"Nuh uh, little man, baths are good," Ash softly argued, gently tugging Aiden's red t-shirt off. "They make you clean! You don't want to be a dirty little boy. No one likes a dirty little boy!"

Aiden scoffed, but nevertheless allowed his father to undress him. Michelle was next in line to be changed out of her clothes, of course. She wasn't happy either, but unlike Aiden, she didn't put up much of a fight. She just pouted the whole time instead.

"Aw, don't make that sad face, princess!" Ash cooed, holding his young daughter's face between his hands. "You want to play with your bath toys? Would that make you happy?"

"Baf toys?" Michelle repeated.

"Yeah, we have a whole bunch!" Ash chuckled, getting back to his feet and walking over to the tub, once again checking the water's temperature before surveying the toys that were stored in the suction cupped metal rack. "Do you want your swimming Luvdisc? I know that's your favorite."

"Yeah!" Michelle chirped. It was obvious she no longer minded the idea of a bath. Once the tub was more than halfway full with water, Ash turned off the faucet and lifted his little daughter up in his arms before lowering her into the warm water. Michelle squealed delightfully and began to splash around before taking the plastic Luvdisc from her father and sticking it in the water, watching on in awe as the toy's plastic fins began to flip back and forth, causing the plastic figure to swim through the liquid.

"Alright, Aiden, your turn!" Ash crowed, reaching down and picking up Aiden. The boy grumbled incoherently, but still allowed his father to place him in the bathtub alongside his twin sister, who was still busying herself with the swimming Luvdisc toy. "Aiden, do you want a toy, too?"

"No," Aiden mumbled.

Regardless, Ash dropped a rubber Ducklett into the water just in case his son changed his mind. With that out of the way, Ash reached for the bottle of lavender scented body wash made specifically for toddlers. The special soap seemed to help make the children sleepy, and that's _definitely _what Ash needed for them right now, considering they were to be put to bed after their bath.

He poured it into his hands and began to cleanse Michelle's body, causing the little girl to mewl happily. She liked how gentle her father was when he washed her.

"It 'mells pwetty!" Michelle shrieked as Ash worked the body wash into a thick lather.

"It does, doesn't it?" Ash chuckled. "And it'll make you nice and sleepy, too!"

He left Michelle covered in the suds for a while, since she enjoyed playing with the light purple foam. While she did that, Ash went on to rinse Aiden, who still wore a miserable pout on his face. Once he was done being lathered in the lavender wash, Ash rinsed both Aiden and Michelle down with water to get the bubbles off of their bodies, much to Michelle's disappointment.

The next step, of course, was washing the twins' hair. Ash poured the lavender shampoo that went along with the body wash into his hands and began to work it into Michelle's damp red hair, smiling as the little girl giggled at his actions.

"Bubbles!" She squealed.

"Yeah, bubbles!" Ash chuckled. "They're going to make your hair nice and clean, just like the rest of you!"

Aiden stared ahead of himself at the bathroom door, just studying the slab of white while his father was busy washing his sister's hair. While Ash was incapacitated, Aiden managed to jump out of the tub, and, before Ash could even get up, pull down the silver door handle, freeing himself from the bathroom as he ran out into the hallway.

Sighing, Ash submersed his hands underwater to wash off the shampoo before getting to his feet, staring down at Michelle who was still busy playing with the two different bath toys, her hair saturated with the white suds.

"Michelle, Daddy has to go get your brother," Ash gently informed the girl. "You stay right here and play with your toys, okay?"

Wordlessly, Michelle nodded her head before dunking the rubber Ducklett under the sudsy water. Turning on a heel, Ash all but ran out of the bathroom, making sure not to slip on any of the puddles that Aiden had left behind when he'd jumped out of the tub. Following the wet spots on the carpet that led down the hallway and the staircase, Ash eventually found himself in the kitchen again, but this time, Aiden had made no effort to hide from him.

Instead, the little boy was standing in the middle of the kitchen, giggling while staring up at his mother, who was looking at him with one eyebrow raised. As soon as she heard Ash's footsteps, Misty looked up at the young man, who groaned in fear at her oncoming reaction.

"Ash…" Misty began slowly, "why is our son running around the house naked and soaking wet?"

"B-because he jumped out of the tub!" Ash stammered frantically. "He bolted! I'm sure he's been plotting it the whole time."

"Plotting? He's _three,_" Misty sighed, getting to her feet once again. She picked up the little boy and snuggled him, not minding the fact that her clothes were becoming drenched by the bath water that Aiden was still covered in. "Come on, little man. Mommy is going to give you a bath."

Aiden groaned, but he didn't fight against Misty like he'd been doing with Ash. Ash followed behind Misty, up the stairs and back into the bathroom, where Michelle had fortunately followed his request and stayed in the tub. Misty knelt down in front of the white porcelain basin, placing Aiden back in next to his sister. She rewet his hair, the dark locks having started to dry when he'd been running around. As she poured the shampoo into her own, dainty hands, Misty looked over her shoulder and asked, "Ash, could you wash the shampoo out of Michelle's hair while I take care of Aiden?"

"Uh…sure," Ash murmured, kneeling down beside Misty to rinse out Michelle's red hair. As he washed out the bubbly suds, Ash looked over at Misty and watched her wash Aiden's hair for a few seconds before inquiring, "how come you can get Aiden to stay in the tub?"

"Because he knows what happens with Mommy when he jumps out of the tub, right, little guy?" Misty crooned. Wordlessly, and looking a little guilty, Aiden nodded his head.

"Wait…he's done that before?!" Ash's eyes widened.

"Of course he has," Misty giggled. "But I punished him when he did it! I grabbed him and I scolded him. I'm assuming you did neither of those things."

"…no," Ash slowly admitted.

"That's why Aiden did it again!" Misty laughed. "He knew he could get away with it."

"But…but…I could scold him if I wanted to!" Ash argued.

"No, they know you're too sweet," Misty refuted. "You're easy on them, honey."

"What? I am not!" Ash cried. "I'm plenty tough! They know where their boundaries with me are."

Looking between her two children, Misty smiled and asked them both sweetly, "Aiden, Michelle, do you think Daddy is a great big cuddly thing?"

"Yeah!" Michelle giggled. "Daddy's wike a _big _Teddiuwsa!"

"Daddy's not scawy!" Aiden agreed laughingly.

Ash groaned and hung his head. "Oh…my tough guy reputation…all destroyed by my precious little babies!"

Aiden and Michelle continued to laugh while Misty raised a wry eyebrow. "What tough guy reputation are you talking about?"

"The one that only exists in my mind."

* * *

><p><strong>Come on, no one ACTUALLY thinks Ash is a tough guy XD Not even himself!<strong>


	152. Cravings

**I have another one...they're just so much fun to write! And I've had like no homework :P**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Cravings<strong>

Misty couldn't believe how different two pregnancies could be, even so early on.

With the twins, she had been very angry most of the time and had only grown so quickly because there had been two of them inside of her. She hadn't been very good with eating at first, thanks to all of the morning sickness she'd experienced, but once it had subsided, all of her cravings had been for good, healthy things. Misty had eaten a lot of fruit during her first pregnancy, especially apples. That's what her body had wanted, and of course she'd obliged, because it was good for both her and the twins.

This time, Misty was not so much moody in an angry sense, but rather in a way that she tended to cry an awful lot. Her morning sickness had been just as bad as it had the first time: no better and no worse. Finally, however, she was entering her second trimester and was no longer constantly nauseous or sick. Instead, she was always hungry and looking for something to eat.

This time, fruit was of no interest to her.

Misty's cravings were a lot more intense…and a lot worse for her. She knew it too, but she couldn't control herself! It was as if the baby growing in her belly was _demanding _these foods. So…Misty gave in. She didn't know what else to do! Besides, the foods that she was craving were awfully delicious.

There were a lot of sweets: candy and ice cream. As far as real meals were concerned, Misty had found herself wanting a lot of meat, things like steak and hamburgers. _Especially _hamburgers. They had somehow gotten even more delicious over the past few weeks!

No one knew better of Misty's cravings than Ash. Hell, he was _suffering _from them. Having to wake up late at night and get her all kinds of food that no person should be eating at that hour of the night…himself included.

One such night, he was awoken by someone shaking his shoulder. He knew who, and he tried to ignore her.

"Ash…"

"Mmm…"

"Ashy, wake up."

"Mmm."

"I _know_ you're up, Mr. Pokemon Master!"

He jolted as a heavy smack on the shoulder really disrupted his shallow slumber. Turning around, he found himself face to face with Misty, who looked less than pleased at the moment. It must have been because he'd been trying to ignore her.

"What is it, Misty?" Ash grumbled in response. At this point, he was so tired that he didn't even care if Misty took her hormonal rage out on him.

"I'm hungry," Misty whispered, her expression softening as she spoke. "Could you go out and get me something to eat?"

"We have an entire kitchen downstairs filled with food," Ash muttered. "Why don't you just go down there and find something?"

"Because I want something specific, something that we don't have," Misty replied.

"And that would be?"

"A burger."

Ash just stared back at his wife, searching her face for any signs of playfulness. Unfortunately for him, there was none. She was being completely serious. Groaning, Ash looked over his shoulder and stared at the digital clock on his nightstand. In bright red numbers, it read 12:37 AM.

"Misty, it's past midnight…" Ash groaned.

"I can't help it that your kid has no sense of time," Misty muttered, rubbing her growing belly. It was already bulging out in a noticeable bump.

"Oh, so now it's just _my _kid?" Ash huffed.

"Yeah, it is when all it wants to do is eat!" Misty bit.

"Look, Mist, it's way too late for a burger, alright?" Ash reasoned with her. "I will go and get you one for lunch tomorrow. That's just as good, right?"

Much to Ash's horror, Misty sniffled as tears began to fill her eyes. She was actually beginning to _cry _over being rejected a burger. Crying over food! Now she really did seem like him, if not more ridiculous.

"B-but Ash…" Misty hiccupped. "I-I'm so hungry, a-and the b-baby…"

Ash sighed and rubbed his eyes. He was still exhausted, but seeing and hearing Misty cry killed him. It always did. He couldn't handle an upset Misty; it made him feel so bad.

"Don't cry, babe," Ash hushed, running his fingers against Misty's cheek. "I'll go get you what you want, alright? Just promise me you'll stop crying."

Misty nodded wordlessly and let one more hiccup escape from her lips as she gently wiped the tears away from her eyes. Ash slid out of bed, clad only in his T-shirt and boxers, and walked slowly out of the room. He walked quietly down the hallway, not wanting to wake up Aiden or Michelle, and soon descended the stairs. As he reached the bottom step, the sound of rapid scurries reached Ash's ears, causing him to turn around and find Pikachu running after him.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu questioned softly.

"I have to go get Misty something," Ash mumbled. "Don't ask."

"Pikachupi pi pika?"

"Yah, she's fine," Ash sighed. "Just annoying the hell out of me."

"Pika pi, pikapi."

"You want to come?" Ash repeated. Pikachu nodded and climbed up Ash until he was perched on the human's broad shoulder. "Well, I guess some company could be nice. Kay, let's head out!"

**XXX**

When Ash arrived back home with Misty's food, he was surprised to find her sitting on the couch in the den and watching TV. Before he could ask her anything, however, Misty had jumped up and run towards him, squealing and taking the bag from his hands.

"Thank you so much, Ashy!"

"…how did you know I was back…?"

"I smelt the food," Misty replied simply.

"Ah, right, your super powered nose," Ash chuckled, following behind his wife. She sat back down and smoothed out her powder blue nightgown over her bump. Ash sat down next to her and allowed his eyes to follow Pikachu as the furry yellow mouse jumped off of his shoulder and onto what was currently left of Misty's lap.

"Oh, you went with Ash?" Misty cooed, scratching behind Pikachu's ears.

"He wanted to keep me company," Ash chuckled while his partner mewled happily beneath Misty's fingers. "Just make sure you give him a ketchup packet. I promised him one."

Misty nodded her head and reached into the bag. "Sure." She pulled out one of the small plastic packets and tore off the corner, some red liquid spilling out of the newly created hole. Pikachu's eyes began to glow with excitement, causing Misty to giggle as she handed the packet off to the electric type. "There you go, buddy! You earned that."

"Ka!" Pikachu squeaked, sitting down fully on Misty's lap and sticking the top of the packet in his mouth as he began to suck out its sweet contents.

Misty's hand returned to the bag as she fished for her meal, flashing a wide grin as she found it. She was confused, however, to find two sandwiches in the bag instead of one.

"Ash, this was very sweet of you, but I don't even think I can eat two of these," Misty giggled gently. "I mean, I know you've seen me down a lot more than this in my condition, but-"

"Oh, that second one isn't for you," Ash interrupted. "That's mine."

"Huh? But I thought you said it was too late for a burger!" Misty cried, narrowing her eyes.

"It is," Ash confirmed, taking his own burger into his hands. "But you kept talking about it, and I kind of got my own craving. So, I figured I might as well go for it."

"Aww, we can sit on the couch and stuff our faces together!" Misty giggled airily, leaning into Ash and snuggling her head against his chest.

"If that's not husband-wife bonding, I don't what is," Ash quipped, causing Misty to laugh again.

"Let's see…what did you put on my burger?" Misty wondered aloud, opening up the wrapper.

"Everything," Ash snickered. "I figured you'd be happiest that way. If there's something on it you don't want, you can just take it off."

"No, this looks delicious," Misty marveled before taking a bite of the burger and adding with a full mouth, "it taftes deficious, too!"

"Hey, _you're_ always the one telling _me_ not to talk with my mouth full!" Ash chuckled, pressing Misty's lips closed with his fingers. "Eat, don't talk."

Misty nodded and finished chewing her big mouthful of food before swallowing it. Seemingly satisfied with that, Ash smiled and left a light kiss on her lips before receding and unwrapping his own burger.

"You love me, don't you?" Misty asked whimsically.

"Of course I do," Ash crooned, resting a strong hand atop her belly. "You're my wife, and you're the mother of my children. I've always loved you, Mist. Especially now! I have to make sure you get the love and care you need to help our baby grow. That's my job!"

"Even if it includes going out past midnight to get me unhealthy food?" Misty mumbled quietly. It was obvious that she was now beginning to feel some guilt for sending Ash out before.

"Yes," Ash laughed, pulling Misty's head down so he could leave a kiss atop her fiery red hair. "Even that."

Misty smiled softly and sat back up, continuing to eat her sandwich quite ravenously.

"Besides…" Ash murmured, watching Misty as she stuffed her face, "there's something incredibly attractive about you when you're eating."

"You _would _think that," Misty snorted.

"Hey, if I get to sit here and eat with you every night, going out past midnight to get the food doesn't sound that bad," Ash teased.

"I'm glad you think so," Misty hummed, finishing off the last bite of her burger, "because I'm in the mood for a little bit of ice cream…"

* * *

><p><strong>Teehee, I love writing Pokeshipping fluff ^^<strong>


	153. You Bug Me

**Here's the last of my mass collection of finished one shots :P I'll have to get to working on more, lol!**

**Elizabeth: 4 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>You Bug Me<strong>

Elizabeth was a very spoiled little baby.

She had so many toys that her parents had a very difficult time closing her toy chest. They were in her crib, in the corners of her bedroom, and lining the bookshelves. It didn't even seem to matter much, since Elizabeth seemed to show interest in only one specific toy: her stuffed Teddiursa who had been affectionately named "Teddi" by the rest of the family. Otherwise, she would look at a new toy for a few seconds, play around with it, and promptly lose interest.

Despite this, everyone continued to shower the little baby with various playthings and stuffed Pokémon. Even her parents. Misty had an affinity for baby things, while Ash just liked spoiling all three of their children.

Recently, Misty had sent Ash to the baby store in downtown Cerulean to fetch more diapers for Elizabeth. He had complained about going, trying to use the excuse that he didn't even know which kind of diapers to buy. Unfortunately for him, Misty had gone to great lengths to make sure he knew, thus giving him no choice in the matter: she had taken his cell phone and took a picture of the exact box of diapers. And just in case he forgot about _that, _she had also sent him a precautionary text that included the brand name _and _size of the diapers that Elizabeth needed.

The woman was very presumptuous.

Ash grumbled nearly the whole time he was at the baby store. Pikachu, fortunately enough, had come with him to keep the man company. For that, Ash was grateful, but he still didn't like being sent out to buy diapers. It was so…unmanly.

As he walked through the various aisles, looking solely for the diapers and nothing else, a collection of stuffed Pokémon immediately caught his attention. Specifically, a green and yellow one sticking out from beneath a pile of pastel colored Clefairy really struck him. Ash pulled the stuffed toy out and studied it, tilting it in his hands. As soon as he did that, a squeaky noise came from it, causing him to chuckle.

He knew if he brought this toy home for Elizabeth that Misty would completely freak out. But…he thought it was cute…and he _was _doing her a favor by going out and buying the diapers!

"It can't be that bad, right, Pikachu?" Ash asked, noticing the worried expression on his Pokémon's face. "Come on! It isn't fair that I can't get my own daughter a toy…Misty can't be in charge of _everything. _I'm sure it'll be fine. It's Elizabeth's toy, not Misty's."

"Pika pika," Pikachu muttered, shaking his head at his trainer's own density.

**XXX**

When Ash arrived back home a little less than an hour later with the diapers, Misty gave him a teasing smirk that Ash knew he was going to regret asking what it was for.

"That took an awfully long time," Misty quipped. "I even gave you pictures so you wouldn't get confused!"

"I knew what diapers to get," Ash defended himself, causing Misty to playfully snicker just once. "I can't help it that the store is a gigantic, baby maze…"

"Well, either way, thank you for going out and getting them for me," Misty crooned, taking the shopping bag from Ash's hands and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "It was very sweet of you."

Ash just smiled in return and made sure to reach into the bag before Misty could leave, grabbing the toy he had bought for their baby daughter. As soon as the woman walked up the stairs with the bag full of diapers, Ash skirted over to the nearby bouncer, where Elizabeth was strapped in and cooing to herself as she bounced herself up and down.

"Hi there, pumpkin," Ash cooed, kneeling down next to the pink and white seat. "Daddy got a little present for you! Do you wanna see it?"

Elizabeth stuck her tongue out and made a spitting noise, causing Ash to chuckle. From behind his back, he revealed the new stuffed Pokémon he had bought for the child, causing her emerald eyes to widen out of sheer curiosity.

"You want to play with him?" Ash continued in his high pitched voice, holding the toy out towards his baby daughter.

Immediately, Elizabeth reached out and pulled the toy out of her father's hands, mumbling and shaking it excitedly in the air. When she did this, the squeaking sound emitted from inside the stuffed Pokémon, and that was enough to send Elizabeth into a massive fit of giggles.

"You like him, huh?" Ash marveled, watching as his daughter turned the toy around to stare into its face. Opening her mouth, she stuck the stuffed Pokémon's muzzle inside and gurgled delightfully. "Huh…I guess you _really_ like him."

"Ash, have you seen my-WHAT IS MY DAUGHTER DOING HOLDING THAT THING?!"

Before Ash could even react, he was pushed out of the way by his frantic wife, who was soon kneeling before their little daughter and gasping dramatically. With her wide eyes, Misty studied the stuffed toy that was being held in her baby's grasp: pastel green with a pastel yellow underbelly and four nubby little legs. Huge, black embroidered eyes, a pastel pink antennae on its head…

"It's just a stuffed Caterpie," Ash murmured.

"Yes, a stuffed _Caterpie!_" Misty screeched. "You know I don't like bug types, Ash!"

"But it's not real!"

"I don't care! It's an exact replica, and it's creepy! Why would you ever think it's okay to give something like that to a baby?"

"She likes it!" Ash stressed.

Elizabeth giggled, as though she was agreeing with her father. She still had her stuffed Caterpie's mouth stuffed into her own.

"Mist, I know you don't like to hear it, but not all of our kids can share your fear of bug types," Ash sighed. "I know Michelle does, but it's pretty obvious that Elizabeth already doesn't."

Elizabeth pulled Caterpie out of her mouth and shook him some more, once again setting off that squeaker that was inside of the stuffed toy.

"Listen, Misty! It squeaks!" Ash laughed along with their daughter. "It's so nice and innocent!"

"…it's still modeled after a bug," Misty grumbled.

"I couldn't help it!" Ash cried. "I saw it at the store and thought it was adorable! I had to get it for Lizzie!"

At this, Misty's eyes narrowed in distrust. "Wait just one minute…is this your way of trying to convince me to not send you out for diapers anymore?"

"Uh…no?"

"Well, congratulations," Misty sighed, watching her daughter squeeze the stuffed Caterpie with sorrowful eyes, "because it worked."

Ash kept a straight face, but inside, he was celebrating.

_Yes! See, I can't screw _everything _up!_


	154. A Grave Visit

**I lied. I wrote another one shot. I can't control myself!**

**This one is kind of sad. Not gonna lie. It made me a little sad to write. But it's sweet, too.**

**Aiden and Michelle: 4 and a half years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>A Grave Visit<strong>

"Ash, there's something I want to do."

The man turned over in bed and looked at his wife, who was lying on her back and staring up at the ceiling with wide, unblinking eyes.

"What?" Ash asked curiously.

Not bothering to take her eyes away from the ceiling, or even change her expression or tone, Misty replied, "I want to take Aiden and Michelle to the cemetery where my Grandma is buried."

Ash's eyes widened at this. "You really think that you should?"

"Ever since Michelle found out she was partially named after my grandmother, she's been so curious about her," Misty continued, a small smile finally playing on her lips as she relayed her reasoning. "I tell her stories all the time, and show her pictures. Michelle really seems to love her. She tells Aiden all about her, and now Aiden is curious too. I've never taken them to her grave…so maybe now I should."

"But would they understand?" Ash inquired softly. "That's a lot for two nearly five year olds to take in."

"They know that she passed away," Misty murmured. "I think that maybe they still don't have a full understanding of what death is, but they're old enough to at least grasp the fact that she's no longer here. I would never tell them anything that would scare them. I always tell them that my Grandma is in a much better place, and if I take them to where she's buried, I don't even have to tell them that. I'm afraid that might frighten them. I can just tell them that it's a place to go to remember her. That's what I would do."

Ash didn't say anything. He just kept staring at Misty, his idle fingers gently tugging at the end of his pillowcase. Pikachu's shallow breathing filled his ears, the fuzzy yellow mouse curled up in a ball above his head. Misty finally removed her gaze from the ceiling and placed it onto Ash instead. Her expression, however, remained unchanged.

"What do you think?"

Ash let out a long breath and nestled his head deeper into the mattress. "I think…I think it's okay to do. You're right, it's not like you have to be graphic. And it's a good way for Aiden and Michelle to feel like they have some kind of connection to her."

Nodding, Misty sighed and decided aloud, "I'll take them tomorrow. And I'll be gentle with it."

"What's with all this "I" stuff?" Ash questioned, raising a dark eyebrow.

Misty's facial expression finally changed. Now, instead of stoic, she looked confused. "Well, I'm going to take them. I don't understand what you're asking me, Ash."

"I'm going too," Ash rectified, his voice sounding more confident now. "We're going to do this together."

Misty's eyes began to shine with budding tears. "Ash…"

"I never met your Grandmother either, but I know how much she meant to you," Ash continued. He took his hand away from his pillow in order to run it up and down Misty's bare arm. "And I want to be there when you bring Aiden and Michelle to her. We're all family, and we should all be together."

The tears that had been collecting in Misty's emerald eyes finally began to spill over, dotting the light green sheets beneath her head. "That's the sweetest thing I've ever heard! Thank you, Ash…that means so much to me."

The raven haired man smiled and inched closer to his wife, resting his forehead against her own. "Don't mention it, angel. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

That night, as both Ash and Misty drifted off to sleep, the Pokémon Master thought back to the first time he had visited the grave of his then girlfriend, now wife's, Grandmother…

_Ash had no idea where they could have been going. Misty had given him no indication or clue. The only thing she had said was that this was important to her, and she wanted Ash to come along with her._

_So, he had._

_Ash loved Misty. He really did. Those three not so little words, in fact, had just recently come out of his mouth in front of the young red haired gym leader, directed towards her. She had been surprised, and very happily so. She'd said she loved him, too._

_Maybe that's why she was taking him to wherever they were going. She felt that with his love, she could trust him with something important._

_So, Ash was very surprised when he realized that Misty was bringing him to what appeared to be a cemetery. Iron gates attached to stone arches, rolling green grass dotted by various styles of headstones…_

"_You're not gonna' bring me somewhere in here and ditch me, are you?" Ash had asked timidly. While he put on the "tough guy" act for the sake of impressing his girlfriend and not coming across as a "little girl," as Gary Oak would call it, Ash did have certain fears, and the idea of being left alone in a cemetery, even during the daytime, creeped him out._

"_No," Misty had sighed laughingly. "I'm not going to ditch you. Just…come with me."_

_She had reached for his hand, and Ash had allowed her to take it. She led him up the winding stone path, feeling his grip tighten as he surveyed the different headstones that were scattered throughout the grass. Misty could tell he was anxious, and part of her felt bad for bringing him here. But this was something that meant a lot to her, and she really loved Ash. She needed him to understand that this was a part of her that no one could ever take away._

_Closer to the back of the graveyard, Misty took a right, still leading Ash down the path until they were about halfway down. She turned around fully and stopped in front of a white marble headstone, her shoulders lowering slightly. Ash knew what that stance meant: she was now completely vulnerable. He had spent enough time with Misty now to understand what her various body languages meant, and that one was as clear as day._

"_Whose grave is this, Misty?" Ash asked softly._

"_My Grandmother's," Misty replied just as quietly. Looking over her shoulder, she gave Ash a forlorn look as she continued, "I come here a lot to visit her. I know she's gone, I don't pretend that she isn't. But coming here makes me feel a little better. I can almost hear her voice. I'll talk to her, ask her for help. She watches over me, after all. I feel like if I talk to her from here, there's a better chance she'll hear me."_

_Ash nodded wordlessly. He didn't want it to seem like he didn't care, because he did. He just didn't want to interrupt what was clearly special time between his girlfriend and her…deceased Grandmother. Misty, fortunately enough, seemed to have sensed this and walked right off of the stone path until her feet were in the grass. Once on the lawn, Misty sat down in the grass and brought her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs and staring at the pure looking headstone._

_During this quiet time, Ash had taken the opportunity to read the engraving on the marble tombstone. Her name had been Amy Waterflower. That Ash had already known. She had been born on April 20__th__ and, seventy years later, died on June 12__th__. She had been a daughter, a wife, a mother, an aunt, and a grandmother. _

_Looking down, Ash quietly studied the back of one of the woman's grandchildren. His girlfriend. She was so beautiful…and even from behind, Ash could tell how sad she was. This still wasn't easy for her. He too walked off of the stone path and sat down beside Misty. Unlike her, he folded his legs and pressed his hands into the soft grass that surrounded the both of them._

"_You haven't said anything yet," Ash commented quietly to his girlfriend._

"_It's hard to, sometimes," Misty muttered. Her voice was low and heavy with emotion. "I don't always know what to say. It's the worst."_

_Ash frowned. Her eyes were dull and downcast…her mouth bent into a frown…her body hunched forward. Another sign of her vulnerability. And defeat._

_So, he decided that the best thing he could do as a boyfriend was to help her out._

"_Hi," Ash murmured, feeling just the slightest bit ridiculous as he did this. Misty looked up, a confused expression on her face as her eyes flickered with bewilderment. "You don't know me…we never met. But…I'm Misty's boyfriend. My name is Ash. It's nice to meet you."_

_Misty let out an almost inaudible breath. She was now watching Ash not with a sense of puzzlement, but one of awe. Misty had simply hoped that Ash would be understanding of this…she certainly hadn't expected him to actually join her down in the grass._

"_Your granddaughter is really beautiful," Ash continued, keeping his eyes on the white marble slab standing before him. "And she's really sweet, too. Well…when she wants to be, anyway."_

_Misty growled and gently punched Ash in the arm, causing him to grimace and look up towards the sky._

"_Do you see what I mean?" Ash asked._

"_Don't listen to him, Grandma," Misty sighed, playfully shaking her head. "He's just trying to make himself look all innocent in front of you."_

"_Come on, I'm sure you know Misty is a bit of a troublemaker!" Ash laughed, eyeing his smirking girlfriend. "You should know better than anybody, in fact."_

"_Well…I suppose I can't argue with that," Misty agreed with a smirk. "Besides, you never did like it when I lied, Grandma."_

_Silence settled in between Ash and Misty once again. The air was still…it was as if the entire world had just stopped completely. Misty had gone back to staring down at the grass that surrounded her grandmother's tombstone, but Ash was not completely done yet._

"_I'm going to take care of her for you," Ash murmured. It was so quiet that Misty almost missed it. She lifted her eyes with interest, heart beating slowly in her chest. "I love Misty…your granddaughter. And you always used to take care of her. She hasn't really had anyone since then. So…I promise that I'll take care of her. For the rest of our lives I will! Misty means everything to me. I'll always make sure she's happy and well loved. I promise."_

_Misty's lips quivered as she continued to stare at Ash. She wanted to move closer to him, to wrap her arms around his body and hold him close. But it felt as though she was stuck. Like time had completely stopped._

_And, at that moment, a gentle breeze blew. It swayed the grass, and the small bunches of flowers that had bloomed throughout the well cared for field. The breeze was warm, and comforting. To Misty, it almost felt like a hug on its own. A reassurance._

"_I think…" Misty breathed to her mystified boyfriend, "that my grandmother is thanking you, Ash."_

Ash smiled to himself and pulled Misty closer into his body, splaying his hand against her upper back. She was already fast asleep, her eyes closed and breathing slow as she dreamed away in her husband's arms.

"I hope she's proud of me," Ash murmured, allowing his own eyes to slip closed. "I kept my promise to her…"

**XXX**

The next morning, Ash and Misty found themselves at the familiar iron gates and stone arches. But this visit was different from any other visit they had paid to the cemetery before.

Aiden was happily running ahead of his parents, while Michelle nervously clutched her father's leg. Eventually, she slowed him down too much, and the man had to scoop up his little daughter and carry her the rest of the way. Misty led the family, knowing exactly where to go. Ash, at this point, knew where the grave was as well, but he would always let Misty be the one to bring them there. So, they walked down that same winding stone path, with the same healthy grass sprouting out around it, until they reached the same white marble headstone that served as a marking to the memory of Misty's beloved grandmother.

Michelle, who was still being held in Ash's arms, silently demanded to be put down by tugging at her father's black polo shirt. Ash granted his daughter's wish and put her on the ground, watching as the smaller red head scurried up to her mother and held her leg this time, curiously tilting her small head.

"Mommy," Michelle finally spoke, "what's this?"

"This is where we can come to visit your Great Grandma," Misty replied sweetly. Ash's heart twisted painfully at Misty's words. He could only imagine how much she was hurting on the inside from all of this.

"I don't see her," Michelle murmured, looking around the cemetery as if she would find her Great Grandmother standing in the distance.

"No, we can't see her, sweetheart," Misty crooned softly. "But we can talk to her."

"Can she hear us?" Aiden inquired. He was now standing on the right side of his mother, his curiosity having been enough to calm him down.

Misty nodded and smiled. "Of course she can!"

Aiden took a small step forward, and then another one. He continued this act until he was standing a mere few inches in front of the white marble slab. The little boy reached out and pressed his hand against the cool surface, blinking a few times before staring up at the sky.

"Hi?" He squeaked. Aiden waited a few moments, and when nothing happened, he looked over his shoulder and frowned at his mother. "She's not saying nothing!"

"Aiden, baby, she can't answer you," Misty explained. "She can only listen to you."

"Why?" Aiden questioned.

"Because she's all the way up in the sky, and you can't hear people from up there," Misty answered, her voice cracking a bit as her throat tightened up. "But she can hear you. So you can tell her anything you want."

Squinting his chocolate brown eyes, Aiden sat down in front of the headstone and held his legs out in front of himself, bending and flexing his sneaker covered feet as he thought to himself. Finally, he seemed to get something as the little boy picked his head up and commented, "Mommy told me you have a Lapras. That's such a cool Pokémon! I wanna' Lapras."

Misty whimpered softly. She knew it probably all had to do with Aiden being so young and not having the greatest speech in the world, but the fact that he was talking to her in present tense made her heart quake with both love and sadness. Misty wished she could talk to her grandmother that way.

It was then that another whimper, but not Misty's own, caught the gym leader's attention. Michelle was still attached to her leg, and she looked rather nervous. The small girl was eyeing the ivory headstone, her eyes flickering with trepidation.

"What's wrong, princess?" Misty murmured. "Are you scared?"

Misty had certainly not wanted to do that, so she was relieved when Michelle shook her head. It was at that point that Misty assumed her daughter was just being shy. She had a habit of doing that when she was in an unfamiliar situation. Smiling to herself, Misty decided to make it her mission to make Michelle feel more comfortable with the idea of talking to her Great Grandmother. It wouldn't be too hard…she had an idea.

"Come with me," Misty urged, holding her hand down. Michelle took her mother's hand and allowed the older red head to lead her closer to the tombstone. The gym leader sat down in the same exact spot she had occupied all those years ago, when she had brought Ash to the cemetery for the first time. Michelle sat in the same spot that Ash had, right beside Misty. She was already beginning to look a little less nervous, thanks to her mother's guidance.

"Grandma, I brought two very special visitors with me today," Misty began, her voice gentle and warm. "Aiden and Michelle! I'm sure you know of them, because you watch over all of us. But I've never brought them here before to talk to you. Michelle is a little shy, though. She loves you, but she gets very nervous! My sweet baby girl is nothing like I was as a kid, huh? I bet you wish I had been more like Michelle."

Michelle bit her lower lip with one of her tiny baby teeth and gripped the emerald green grass in her fingers. She wondered how her mother knew that her great grandmother was listening to them. What if she was busy or something? Were there things to do up in the sky? Michelle wondered if her Great Grandma could fly like an Articuno. Maybe her Great Grandma had even seen an Articuno before!

"I named her after you," Misty murmured, once again catching Michelle's attention. She then realized, however, that her mother was still addressing the tombstone. Misty finally looked at the little girl and smiled, prompting, "Right, Michelle?"

"Uh huh," Michelle replied softly. "My middle name!"

"What is your middle name, baby girl?"

"Aimi," Michelle mumbled.

"Yeah, you said it right," Misty giggled. Michelle always lowered her voice when she said it, because she was afraid of getting it wrong. "And do you remember what your Great Grandma's name was?"

Michelle sat in silence for a few moments before replying in a delicate voice, "Amy?"

"Yes," Misty giggled happily. "Good girl!"

Michelle once again stared at the white marble headstone. Aiden was quiet now too. They were both just quietly observing it, wondering why it was in this specific spot that their Great Grandma could hear them.

"Great Grandma, you have a pretty name," Michelle whispered, drawing her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them. Misty smiled to herself. There was that present tense again. "Mommy named me for you…she loves you."

Aiden, who was still sitting in front of his Great Grandma's grave, was now looking over his shoulder and scanning the entire cemetery. He realized that on many of the other headstones, there were flowers and other little things left on them. Reaching into the pocket of his dark blue cargo shorts, Aiden fished out a small rock he had picked up on the way to the cemetery. He had taken it because he thought it was especially pretty: a predominantly plain gray in color with specks of glittery silver strewn throughout. It made the rock sparkle in the sunlight. Getting to his feet, Aiden walked over to the side of the tombstone and placed the rock on top of the marble slab, much to Misty's bewilderment.

"Aiden, what are you doing?" Misty called.

"I left Great Grandma a present!" Aiden chirped, pointing at the sparkling rock. "It's pretty!"

Misty cooed lovingly. "Yes, sweetie. It's very pretty! That was so nice of you!"

Michelle looked over her mother's head and found a clutch of brightly colored flowers nearby. Pushing herself up onto her feet, Michelle ran over to the blooms, her bright blue tunic printed with neon Luvdisc flying around her. She leaned down and picked a bunch of the flowers, bringing them back over to the headstone. Once there, she knelt down and rested the flowers before the white marble, gently patting them before jumping back up to her full height.

"I got you a present, too!" Michelle addressed the gravestone. "I love flowers!"

"Shelly, we should find Great Grandma _more _presents!" Aiden suggested brightly.

"Yeah!" Michelle shrieked, running after her brother as the two went off in search of more trinkets to leave at their great grandmother's grave.

As the children scurried off, Misty smiled sadly and wiped a stray tear from her eye. Another one began to fall as soon as she had swept away the first, but this one was instead caught by another hand. Peering up, Misty found Ash kneeling beside her, causing her melancholy grin to widen as a delicate blush graced her cheeks.

"They're wonderful, aren't they?" Ash asked, watching Aiden and Michelle as they skipped around the grassy field.

"Yes," Misty agreed with a small sniffle. "They are."

"Your Grandma would have thought they were perfect," Ash added, sitting in his old spot and resting his hand on Misty's knee.

"No," Misty refuted, much to Ash's surprise. "She _knows_ they're perfect." Looking up at the sky, Misty let out a soft giggle and asked, "Isn't that right, Grandma?"

And at that moment, a warm, gentle breeze swept through the quiet cemetery.

* * *

><p><strong>Once again, I love Misty's Grandmother. And I thought this would kind of be a necessary one shot. I tried not to make it too sad!<strong>


	155. Smile

**Uuugh, guys, I had the worst writer's block ever. I literally couldn't think of ANYTHING. I must have started like 10 one shots and just stopped because I wasn't feeling them. It was the worst. But I finally got something out of my system, which is good. It's cute, and simple, but it's something ^^**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 5 weeks old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Smile<strong>

"Come on, Lizzie. Give Mommy a smile!"

Elizabeth gurgled and tilted her head, her emerald green eyes widening out of curiosity. Misty was leaning down in front of her, holding the baby's favorite stuffed Pokémon in her hands and shaking the toy. That didn't seem to be doing the trick, however. Elizabeth wasn't upset, mind you. She just seemed to be very confused. Or even uncaring.

"Oh, why is this so difficult?" Misty grumbled to herself, pulling away from the baby as she dejectedly threw the stuffed Teddiursa into her lap. "It should be easy to make a _baby _laugh! Or at least smile."

"Well, technically, Elizabeth is still too young to laugh…"

"Oh, who asked you?!" Misty snapped, looking over her shoulder and throwing a harsh glare towards the person who had just dared to speak. That poor man just so happened to be Todd, who was currently at the house to take pictures of the newborn Elizabeth for a celebrity magazine. They would be the first pictures of Elizabeth the public would see, but they would also serve as portraits for the house.

"Heh…sorry…" Todd apologized shakily, a visible tremor running through his entire body.

"Oh, I shouldn't snap at you," Misty sighed, her mood changing more quickly than Todd could have possibly expected. "You didn't do anything wrong. Sorry, Todd. I'm still a little-"

"Hormonal?" Todd murmured, his eyes still wide with fear.

"Yes," Misty laughed weakly. "Hormonal. I'm sorry."

"Don't…worry about it," Todd chuckled softly, as though he were afraid doing so any more strongly would get him beat. "Not your fault."

"But I still don't know what to do about Elizabeth," Misty sighed, looking back over at the baby. She was lying atop a soft white blanket, dressed in a pure white gown with a tiered skirt and short, puffed up organza sleeves with a white headband wrapped around her little head, a flower layered on top of a small bow. "I know she doesn't _have _to be smiling, but I think it would be so much cuter. She's such a happy little baby all the time! I don't know why all of a sudden she won't smile."

"It's probably just because you want her to," Todd replied. "Let's not forget who her father is! I'm sure Elizabeth's inherited a bit of a stubborn streak."

"Though that could be my fault as well, as much as I don't like to admit it," Misty quipped.

"You said it, not me," Todd laughed.

"Maybe Aiden or Michelle can make her smile," Misty mused. "Elizabeth seems to really enjoy their company."

"It's worth a shot," Todd agreed.

"Vaporeon!" Misty called to her faithful partner, who was sitting on the couch and watching protectively over little Elizabeth. In turn, the water type picked her head up ever so slightly and mewled curiously. "Could you get Aiden and Michelle for me, please? They're playing upstairs."

"Vay!" Vaporeon squealed, jumping gracefully off of the couch and skirting towards the staircase. She hurried up and, in a matter of minutes, returned with a confused looking Aiden and Michelle.

"What, Mommy?" Aiden called, sounding a little bit irritated. He was obviously unimpressed by the fact he'd had to stop playing with his toys.

"We're trying to take pictures of Elizabeth, but she won't smile, no matter what we do," Misty replied calmly. "She loves the two of you, so I'm sure you could make her smile! Please, will you try?"

Aiden gave his mother an unimpressed look, while Michelle still seemed to be a little confounded.

"Fine," Misty grumbled. "If you two help me out, I'll get you ice cream when we're all done."

This was enough to convince Aiden and Michelle. Both children knelt down beside their baby sister and leaned down, trying to figure out a way to make her smile. Elizabeth, on the other hand, still just looked confused.

"Hiya, Lizzie!" Aiden chirped.

Elizabeth gurgled and blinked, but her lips still didn't bend into an upward curve. Aiden scowled, but didn't give up on his attempts to make the child smile.

"You're so cute!" Aiden laughed, tickling the baby's cheek. Elizabeth whined and waved her tiny fists in the air, her previously unfazed expression turning into one of irritation.

"Well, now she's frowning," Misty sighed, smacking a hand against her forehead.

"Maybe it's cause Aiden's got a scary face," Michelle giggled.

"HEY!" Aiden barked. This shout was enough to make Elizabeth burst out into full on tears, causing Misty to groan and lift the baby up in her arms.

"This isn't going to work, is it?" Misty asked aloud to no one in particular.

"It sure doesn't seem that way," Todd reluctantly agreed. "She must just not be in the mood to be all smiley. Which is normal, I guess."

Elizabeth had calmed down fairly quickly, and was now just staring up at Misty once again with a purely blank expression. Misty smiled weakly at the baby before putting her back down on the blanket and staring intently at the child.

"Oh, there just has to be some way to get her to smile!" Misty whined. "It can't be impossible. We just haven't figured out what's going to work today. I guess Lizzie just changes her mind on what exactly makes her happy."

It was at that moment that the front door swung open and was promptly closed, the tall and strong figure of Ash now standing in the living room. He smiled at Aiden and Michelle, and gasped laughingly when he was nearly pushed back against the door when the twins jumped on him.

"Wow, you two are strong!" Ash chuckled, finally managing to shake off the children. "I don't really expect that out of a couple of five year olds."

"Five and _a half,_" Michelle corrected in a serious tone before holding her arms up for Pikachu, who happily jumped into her waiting embrace.

"Ah, right," Ash snickered. "My mistake."

He patted both children on their heads before walking closer to Misty and Todd, giving the two a separate greeting from what the twins had received. When he saw the dejected look on Misty's face, however, his smile quickly became a frown.

"Hey, what's wrong, angel?" Ash asked. "You seem so down."

"It's nothing serious," Misty replied. "It's just that…well, Todd was trying to get a head start on taking Elizabeth's pictures, but she won't smile for him. Not at all! And I want her to look happy in these pictures."

"You want a smile out of her, huh?" Ash mused.

Misty nodded in confirmation. "It would be nice."

The Pokémon Master smirked to himself and knelt down beside his wife, setting his russet eyes on the now grumpy baby lying before them. She looked more angry than anything else, probably a result of the loud yell that had just made her cry. The little girl had gotten the fright out of her system, and now it had just worn down to aggravation.

Maybe she was more like Misty than anyone had thought.

"Hi there, baby," Ash cooed, causing the baby to let out a curious squeak while maintaining her angry expression. "What's with that face, huh? Why are you so grumpy?"

Elizabeth gurgled and pounded her small fists against the blanket she was settled on. She wasn't showing any signs of changing her mood anytime soon, even with her father kneeling before her. And it usually seemed that she loved him more than anyone.

"Come on, pumpkin," Ash continued on in his baby voice, "you're not even going to smile at this?"

The man stuck his tongue out, causing Elizabeth's frown to turn into nothing more than a straight line. Todd, Misty, and the twins watched on curiously as Ash stuck his tongue out of his mouth and laughed slightly, the sound muffled due to the fact his lips were still technically sealed.

As soon as he did this, however, Elizabeth smiled. And quite widely, at that.

"What?!" Misty gasped.

Ash opened his mouth and laughed more clearly this time before crossing his eyes and moving his tongue to the side of his open mouth. Elizabeth gurgled and allowed her smile to grow wider. Ash then put his tongue back into his mouth and closed it, puffing his cheeks out with air and pouting his lips out to look like some kind of fish Pokémon. Elizabeth shrieked and opened her mouth so wide that one could see inside of her toothless mouth.

"Hey, Ash got her to smile!" Todd marveled brightly, inching closer to the baby to take a picture of her.

"I don't understand," Misty grumbled, narrowing her eyes as she frantically studied her husband's being. Ash felt her eyes on him and turned his head, throwing the confused woman an innocent smile.

"It's easy, Mist! Lizzie loves it when you make silly faces!"

Misty's eyes snapped open, although she continued to stare at Ash in bewilderment. This time, however, it was because of her own density, and not her husband's seeming act of magic.

"What…you didn't think of that?"

* * *

><p><strong>Ash out thought everyone for a change. Go Ash ;)<strong>


	156. Jelly Drama

**Merp, here's part of me being sorry for not updating in forever. Another one shot! Enjoy :D**

**Michelle: 3 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Jelly Drama<strong>

"Dada, I wan' jewwy beans."

Ash raised an eyebrow and looked down towards the ground, where his daughter was holding onto his leg and staring up at him with wide emerald eyes; the same exact eyes she used when she wanted something. Three years old and she had already mastered the art of manipulation.

Ash blamed his sisters-in-law.

"Jelly beans, huh?" Ash asked, folding his arms across his chest. "And just where am I supposed to get you jelly beans, little princess?"

"The stowe," Michelle replied as though it were obvious.

"I guess I could," Ash sighed. "I know Mommy tells me not to spoil you and your brother so much, but you're both too cute to ignore! How could I possibly say no to a face like that?"

"Nope," Michelle squeaked. Ash laughed to himself. He knew that was Michelle's way of saying he simply couldn't refuse her.

"Alright, then," Ash decided. "We'll go to the store when I'm all done with training for the day! You can wait until later, right, baby girl?"

Michelle nodded feverously, her bright red locks flying all around her small face as she eagerly moved her head. Ash chuckled once again and bent down to lift the little girl up in his arms and carry her over to one of the patio chairs. Michelle was usually content enough to just sit and watch her father train with his Pokémon. She was a lot less of a troublemaker than her brother, although she had her own moments as well from time to time. Once seated, Michelle beamed up at her father and leaned back in the chair, her purple into light blue into dark blue dyed tank top and purple denim shorts bringing out the sea-like hue of the child's bright eyes. Ash returned the smile before bending down to give her a kiss on the forehead, much to Michelle's delight. She giggled as her father stood back up, winked at her, and stepped into the grass once again, his had moving to his belt as he prepared for that afternoon's training session.

**XXX**

Michelle groaned and slid down in the same patio chair. She was bored. And she wanted her jelly beans already! Her Daddy had promised to get them for her like…eleventy six years ago.

He was still standing in the middle of the yard, Krookodile and Leavanny standing on either side of him. Ash was giving some kind of command, though Michelle wasn't sure what kind. She had stopped paying attention. Finally, Michelle had had enough and leapt off of the chair, darting into the grass and jumping up and down as she repeatedly tapped the backside of her father.

"Daddy! Daddy!" Michelle whined, continuing to pat him with her small hand. "Daddy!"

Ash groaned and looked over his shoulder, catching sight of his young daughter hopping up and down. "What is it, princess?"

"I am bowed," Michelle announced.

"I'm sorry, Shelly, but I'm still not done," Ash apologized to the child, who stopped her jumping at that moment. "Do you want to go inside and play?"

"No," Michelle replied. "I wan' jewwy beans. Now, pwease."

"No, Michelle," Ash sighed.

"But I said pwease," Michelle reasoned.

"Yes, you did," Ash chuckled under his breath. He _had _to laugh at that. "And that was very nice of you! You should always say please. And I will reward you for that later by getting you jelly beans! But right now, Daddy is still training. You'll have to be patient for just a little while longer."

Michelle pouted, but gave up her fight rather easily. She simply crossed her arms and marched back over to the patio chair, pulling herself onto the seat and resting against it with her arms still folded and her eyes still narrowed with her pursed lips still sticking out. Ash smirked at this before turning his attention back onto his two Pokémon and continuing with his battle commands.

**XXX**

By the time Ash was finally done with his afternoon training session, Michelle had reached the final stage of ultimate boredom. She was practically lying down on the patio chair, trying to stick her legs beneath the left arm rest and her head under the right one. Ash sighed and returned his two Pokémon to their balls after thanking them for their work before walking over to the chair where his daughter was doing her best contortion work.

"Let's not do that, princess," Ash gently warned, picking his daughter up by her sides. "I don't want you getting stuck in there!"

"Okay," Michelle chirped, although she didn't have much say in the matter. She had already been taken off the chair by her father.

"I'm all done for now," Ash continued, a warm smile growing on his face. "Do you know what that means?"

Michelle tilted her head back to grin widely at her father. "Jewwy beans?!"

"Yes," Ash laughed. "Jelly beans! Come on, we'll go to the store and I'll buy you some for being such a good girl all afternoon!"

There was a small market not far from the house, and it was a beautiful, early summer day, so Ash chose to walk there with Michelle. He carried her on his shoulders, laughing as she chattered nearly the whole time and pointed at random things on the ground or in the sky. Michelle could often be a shy little girl, but when she was with Ash, she was the bubbliest and most talkative young thing he had ever seen.

Once they reached the market, Ash headed right over to the candy aisle (which he was ashamed to admit he could find with his eyes closed…he had a _bit _of a sweet tooth) and picked up a bag of jelly beans, much to Michelle's delight. He took them to the cashier and paid for the sweets before once again heading home, this time with the bag of jelly beans in hand. He stepped inside and watched with a smile on his face as Michelle scampered in front of him. The Pokémon Master opened up the bag before handing it off to his daughter, watching as she reached in and pulled one out: a small oval, bright orange in color.

Michelle took one look at the piece of candy before letting out an earsplitting scream and throwing the morsel on the floor, wailing as she clutched the bag in both hands and allowed tears to stream down her face.

Needless to say, Ash was totally confused.

"Michelle, why are you crying?!" Ash demanded. "You wanted jelly beans! I got you jelly beans! Why are you so upset?!"

Michelle just continued to snivel and not answer. All of the commotion brought Misty downstairs, her own emerald eyes wide with a mixture of panic and bewilderment.

"What's going on down here?" Misty asked, switching her concerned gaze between her hysterical daughter and frustrated husband. "Why is Michelle freaking out?"

Pressing his lips together, Ash turned his head to look at Misty and plainly replied, "I gave her jelly beans. That's why."

* * *

><p><strong>This one isn't supposed to make any sense XD I can't even tell you why Michelle is upset. She just freaking is XD I blame that evil orange jelly bean.<strong>


	157. Fast Friends

**Another new one shot :3 I never got to write the first meeting between Scott and Elizabeth. So...I wrote it! Enjoy :P**

**Elizabeth: 1 day old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Fast Friends<strong>

"I think Scott should meet baby Elizabeth next."

Ash peered up at his wife and raised a wry eyebrow. He truly believed his wife was kidding around with him. Her own expression changed to reflect a small smirk in response to Ash's own look of disbelief.

"I'm being serious, you know."

"But…why?" Ash managed to ask. "Aren't you two like…lifelong enemies or something?"

"We do have our differences," Misty mused, holding the newborn baby closer to her chest, "that much is true. But he _is _the one who brought me here, and stayed with me while I waited for you to get your own irresponsible ass to the hospital."

"Not in front of the baby!" Ash gasped, using his hand to cover one of Elizabeth's tiny ears.

"She's fine," Misty giggled, leaning back so his hand was no longer on the side of their daughter's head. "She's too young to understand any of that yet."

"Yeah…I'm just really protective is all," Ash murmured, leaning into the baby as a smile appeared on his face. She was so tiny and cute, all swaddled up in her pink blanket. Her eyes were closed, full lips pouting as they occasionally opened up before closing again. "I think she might be trying to talk."

"Nothing is going to come out, little one," Misty whispered, gently rocking the baby back and forth. The fingers on her left hand stroked the baby's soft red hair, of which the child had been born with an entire head of. "I think she's going to be a very ambitious little girl."

"You can guess that just by watching her sleep?" Ash chuckled softly.

"I have mother's intuition, of course I can," Misty giggled before winking at her husband.

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised if she does," Ash breathed. "She has us as parents. It would be completely out of character for her to _not _be strong willed."

Elizabeth let out a series of very shrill whimpers that caught both Ash and Misty's attention. Her eyes were still closed, but she was beginning to wiggle inside of the blanket, eyebrows twitching as the cries escaped from her lips.

"Oh, someone is getting a little bit fussy," Misty clicked her tongue, patting the baby's back. "Shush, sweetheart. I'm right here."

The baby just continued to whine, however. Looking over his shoulder at the nightstand that stood beside Misty's bed, Ash reached over and grabbed hold of the special object that he was sure would get Elizabeth to quiet down. It was a bright pink pacifier that the hospital had provided them with for Elizabeth after she was born. Both Ash and Misty had automatically assumed she wouldn't take it, because neither Aiden nor Michelle had really liked them as babies, but as it would turn out, Elizabeth _loved _having a pacifier in her mouth and every time she'd gotten cranky so far, giving her the pacifier had worked like a charm. Fortunately, as soon as Ash placed the object in front of his baby daughter's mouth, she began to suck on it and quieted down immediately.

"I can't believe how much she loves that thing," Misty giggled. "Aiden and Michelle _hated _them!"

"I guess every kid really is different, even as a baby," Ash chuckled. Looking up at Misty, he widened his eyes slightly and asked, "So…do you really want me to get Scott?"

"Yes, I would," Misty answered quite confidently. "Now would be especially good since Elizabeth has settled down. The pacifier will keep her quiet for a while."

Ash nodded and walked out of the room, down the hallway, and into the waiting room. It was there that he found Scott sitting in one of the blue upholstered chairs, staring down at his black cell phone and scrolling through…something. Probably Ash's public appearance dates.

Grinning despite himself, Ash marched forward and stood over Scott, just standing in place until the older man took notice of him and glanced up with curious eyes.

"What are you up to, Ash?" Scott asked worriedly. "You've got that 'I'm up to no good' look on your face."

"I'm not doing anything bad!" Ash chuckled. "I just need you for something."

At this, Scott raised a disbelieving eyebrow. "Me?"

Ash smirked. "Yes, you."

"And why could you possibly need me for, Ash?"

"You need to come visit the baby!" Ash replied cheerfully. "She's so beautiful."

"I'm a little busy right now…"

"Oh, whatever you're doing can wait!" Ash refuted. "She's only going to stay this way for so long, ya' know."

"I'm sure she's not going to get any bigger in the next few hours," Scott sighed.

"Come on, you can put your phone down for a few minutes!" Ash trilled. "Please? This means a lot to me…"

Scott glanced up at Ash once again and found that the raven haired man was giving him a pleading pout. Groaning, Scott stuffed his phone into his shorts pocket and got to his feet, much to Ash's delight.

"Let's make this quick, yes?" Scott pressed.

Ash nodded. "Sure, no prob. Misty is the one who really wanted me to come and get you!"

"Really now?" Scott's tone voice took on a tone of interest as he began to follow Ash down the corridor.

"Mmhm," Ash hummed. "She's really grateful to you for bringing her here and staying with her when she didn't want to be alone. I'm grateful for all of that, too. You know how much Misty means to me, so it also means a lot to me that you would go out of your way to take care of her like that."

"Well, I believe that any one in my position would have done the same thing," Scott murmured. "It was only right. We'd already been on enough of an adventure together…"

Ash smirked at this. "I can tell you think this one is just going to be more trouble for you."

"There's not a doubt in my mind," Scott deadpanned. "You know, while I was waiting with your wife, she decided to pull up her top, and I could actually see her stomach moving from the _outside. _That's not honestly the work of a _human baby,_ now is it?"

"Elizabeth is strong, _really_ strong," Ash laughed. "She gave me a kick in the face before! It actually hurt…but I can't complain to Misty because she's been used as a punching bag for the last few months."

"I would agree with you on that," Scott muttered under his breath.

Ash once again reached the door that led into Misty's room and opened it up, peering in first to make sure she wasn't doing anything that she wouldn't want Scott seeing. Fortunately, she was still just cradling the baby, and as soon as she saw Ash's chocolate brown eyes, she smiled and motioned with her head for him to come back in.

"Come on," Ash urged, strolling back inside with Scott trailing closely behind.

"You wanted to see me?" Scott asked Misty, not trying to hide the surprise in his voice.

"I did," Misty giggled. "Is that so hard to believe?"

"Just a little bit, I must admit," Scott stated.

"Well, I'm just really thankful for everything you did for me yesterday," Misty continued. "And Elizabeth too…if anything had gone wrong with me, she would've been in even worse trouble. But everything turned out okay, and I don't really think it would have if you hadn't gotten me here as fast as you did."

"That's sweet of you, Misty," Scott chuckled gently. "I'm glad I could help."

"That's why I wanted you to come in here," Misty added. "I wanted you to meet Elizabeth! You're both going to be getting well acquainted with you hanging around Ash all the time anyway, so I figured we should have a proper introduction."

"Yes, a formal meeting with my future torturer," Scott droned amusedly. "Another crazy little kid to chase me around and use me as a human jungle gym. Let me see the little menace."

Misty rolled her eyes and choked back a snort before instructing Scott to come closer. He did just that and bent down to get a good look at the baby in Misty's arms. All he had been expecting was a tiny little human being, one who looked either like Ash or Misty with black or red hair, who would probably burst out into tears at any given moment.

He wasn't expecting a beautiful, almost doll like baby with incredibly long, dark eyelashes, and soft red hair, who looked more peaceful than any other person Scott had ever met in his life.

"Hey, check it out," Ash chuckled. "He's speechless!"

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Misty murmured to the silent man.

"Yes," Scott replied just as softly. "She is. Very much so."

"Would you like to hold her?" Misty asked.

"Oh, I don't know about _that,_" Scott refuted. "That might be pushing it. I'm quite alright."

"Come on, Scott, it's easy!" Ash urged. "I was afraid to hold a baby at first too, when Aiden and Michelle were born. But it's not bad at all. Just try it!"

Before the man could argue any further, Ash lifted the small bundle out of Misty's arms and handed her off to a very surprised, if not startled, Scott.

"Ash!" The older man hissed.

"Just hold her," Ash hushed. "Don't get too scared, 'cause she can sense it."

"Well, that doesn't help me very much when you just shoved her in my arms!" Scott cried. At this, the baby opened her eyes and stared up at the man who was now holding her, continuing to quietly suck on the pacifier in her mouth. Scott let out a breathless gasp and glanced down at the infant, who had such wide, bright emerald eyes that were filled with innocence. "Uh…she's up…"

"It's okay, she's nice and calm," Misty giggled softly. "You can talk to her, you know! She likes hearing people's voices."

"Hmm…hello there," Scott mumbled to the baby, who blinked in response. "The name's Scott. I'm your father's manager. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"A little formal, but it works," Misty snickered.

"I sincerely hope that you're going to be better behaved than your older brother and sister," Scott continued. "Although, judging by the mess your mother made in the car because of you, I'm doubting it."

Ash cast his wife a confused glance, to which Misty shook her head and replied, "I'll explain later."

Wiggling slightly in the blanket, Elizabeth freed one of her tiny hands and reached it up towards Scott, trying to touch the man's face. Ash and Misty both cooed adoringly, which Scott's eyes widened in shock.

"You're…so precious, aren't you?" Scott whispered. Elizabeth sucked on her pacifier again, but kept her hand up in the air. "You want to be friends, huh? Well…I suppose we can…"

Elizabeth let out a throaty squeak from behind her pacifier and lowered her hand, gently touching the back of it to her cheek.

"Aww, that's adorable!" Misty crooned.

"Looks like Elizabeth's got a new friend!" Ash chuckled.

"You're very cute," Scott informed the baby. "I think I can forgive you for having your mother's water break all over my car."

Ash let out a sharp laugh before covering his mouth and earning a glare from Misty. Lowering his hand, Ash eyed Misty and exclaimed, "Oh my Arceus, _that's _what he was talking about? Your water broke in his car?! That's great!"

"No it isn't!" Misty and Scott exclaimed at the same time before exchanging shocked looks.

"Hey, you guys are in sync now," Ash remarked. "Look at baby Elizabeth, bringing us all together!"

"Yeah, fantastic," Misty drawled sarcastically as she rolled her eyes.

* * *

><p><strong>Scott and Elizabeth, best friends :P Not really, but ya know XD<strong>


	158. Injured Reserved

**This one focuses more on Ash and Misty as a couple. Cute fluffy-ness :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 6 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 14 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Injured Reserved<strong>

Misty had always been the kind of girl who had a tendency to remain calm in tense situations. That was part of the reason why she made such a good gym leader. She was able to keep a very level head during even the most heated of battles. When it came to certain conditions, however, Misty had the ability to become a lot more nervous.

And these kinds of circumstances usually involved her husband.

He was extremely strong willed, stubborn, and tough. Because of those personality traits, he often found himself in trouble, which usually led to Misty finding herself in a state of serious concern. She had a right to be, after all. The gym leader had lost count of how many times the man had died when they were still just children. Somehow, he had always managed to come back, which was scary enough in itself, but Misty didn't want to question any of it. It Ash wasn't around now, they would have never gotten married, and their children wouldn't exist. Those thoughts hurt Misty the most.

One sunny fall day, Ash and Misty had taken their children out to play at the park in Cerulean City. They had brought along many of their Pokémon as well, since they considered the creatures to be part of their family. Aiden and Michelle were having a great time playing with the Pokémon, especially Pikachu and Vaporeon, who were the "ringleaders" of the gathered Pokémon. Michelle liked teaching them to do different tricks and variations with their attacks, which was probably part of her aspiration to one day become a coordinator. Aiden, on the other hand, kept trying to have the Pokémon sneak in their strongest attacks at various targets. Ash was keen to his son's actions, however, and almost always managed to catch the boy before he actually called a successful hyper beam or electroball.

While the twins kept themselves busy with the Pokémon, Ash and Misty put all of their focus on baby Elizabeth, who was finally learning how to walk. She was standing up in front of her father, Ash holding her hands and smiling down at the giggling baby girl.

"I'm gonna' let go of you, okay, sweetie?" Ash cooed. "And then you'll walk to me!"

Elizabeth babbled nonsensically to herself, but still smiled up at Ash. Slowly, he let go of her hands and watched on as she just stood in place, tilting her head to the side and letting out a delicate coo of bewilderment. Misty giggled at this and grabbed Ash's shoulder, confusing her husband to some extent.

"Come here, Lizzie," Misty called gently. "Walk over here to us!"

Elizabeth didn't even bat an eyelash. Ash held his hands out towards the baby, and this seemed to give her a hint as to what to do. Giggling, Elizabeth finally took a step forward, much to her parents' delight, and continued to hobble forward until she stumbled into Ash's waiting grasp.

"Whoa, look at you, little pumpkin!" Ash gasped playfully. "That was awesome!"

Elizabeth giggled and stood up straight again, trying to lift her legs off the ground so Ash would hold her instead of making her stand. Getting the hint, Ash sat the girl in his lap and held her close to his body, resting a hand atop her small head.

"Aw, she's growing up so fast!" Misty squealed, leaning forward to kiss the child's forehead. "I can't believe she's starting to walk already."

"Mama!" Elizabeth squeaked, causing Misty to fuss lovingly over her baby.

Ash just chuckled and watched as Misty kissed the baby all over her face. He then looked over his shoulder and caught sight of Aiden and Michelle playing with all of the Pokémon and keeping the entire group entertained as their shrill and warm laughter filled the air. He could have never imagined a life this peaceful and simple as a famous figure. But it was, and Ash loved every second of it. He certainly didn't take the life he led for granted.

It was as soon as Ash allowed these happy thoughts to fill his head that the peaceful air surrounding the family was destroyed in a matter of seconds. Aiden and Michelle both let out terrified cries and ran towards their parents, instinctively grabbing onto their arms and trying to hide behind them. Elizabeth let out her own disturbed whimper, leading Ash to wrap his arms more tightly around the small girl.

"What was that?" Misty breathlessly asked her husband, heart pounding away in her chest.

"I don't know," Ash murmured, looking up towards the sky. The noise they had heard sounded like a very large stick being snapped in half…perhaps a tree. The Pokémon seemed a little scared too, but not as badly as the children or even their trainers. Rather, they seemed to be more alert, and ready to attack. Anyone harming their family was a definite no-no to those faithful creatures.

"Is it possible it could have been nothing?" Misty murmured. Silence had settled back in after that ominous noise.

"Anything is possible," Ash concurred. "But I've got a bad feeling about whatever that might have been…"

Another snapping noise sounded, causing the twins to let out more terrified shrieks. Pikachu came running over to Ash and stared up worriedly at his trainer, squeaking out a nervous, "chu, pikapi."

"I don't know, Pikachu," Ash murmured.

A loud, mechanical sound rang through the air, and at long last, the cause of the disturbance made itself known to the frightened family sitting in the grass below. It was a huge mecha, with a glass dome top and metallic green body, fixed with arms and legs that made it look like a huge robot.

"What _is _that thing?" Misty hissed, throwing Ash a terrified glance.

"I don't know exactly what it is, but I can tell you who's operating it," Ash growled.

"Who?" Misty murmured.

"Take a look at its chest," Ash replied, motioning towards the top of the robot. Misty looked up in that direction, and saw a bright red R emblemized on the machine's chest plate.

"Not those creeps!" Misty groaned.

"Excuse you, twerpette, but we're no creeps!"

The glass dome retracted backwards to reveal the three inhabitants of the huge robot. They were none other than Jessie, James, and Meowth, the very familiar and very annoying Rocket trio. Ash and Misty were genuinely surprised that after all those years, the group still hadn't disbanded. In the last seventeen years they'd spent harassing the two, their friends, and then their family, they hadn't once been successful. Yet they still managed to keep at it…and fail every time.

"Ugh, I'm so sick of you three," Misty continued in disgust. "Why don't you just do yourselves a favor and get out of here under your own power before Pikachu blows you away with his thunderbolt?"

"Because that's not going to happen today, mommy twerp!" James laughed almost deliriously.

"Yeah, dis mecha is reinforced wit' rubba coating, so no way dat' little rat is gonna' shock us!" Meowth added.

"I'll still find a way to get rid of you three," Ash snarled. "Your robots are always the lamest of the lame!"

"Oh, you think _this_ is so lame?" Jessie taunted, pressing a button on the mecha's dashboard. The left arm shot forward and the metal clamp that served as a "hand" opened up on the end of the arm, hovering over an unsuspecting baby Elizabeth and preparing to swoop down.

"No!" Misty shrieked, jumping in front of Ash to guard the baby. The metal clamp hit her in the back, causing Misty to wince and stagger a bit. Ash gasped and grabbed his wife's back out of concern, glaring up at the three cackling villains inside of their giant robot.

"Misty, take the baby and run," Ash ordered, thrusting Elizabeth into Misty's chest.

"Are you sure you can take care of them?" Misty grunted, still feeling a twinge of pain in her back from where she'd been hit with the metal.

"Of course I'm sure," Ash rushed out his words. "Just take Aiden, Michelle, and Elizabeth and hide somewhere. I won't let those losers take them, no way."

Misty nodded and took Elizabeth from Ash, tucking the now wailing baby away in her arms and holding her tightly against her chest. Looking behind Ash, Misty urged Aiden and Michelle to follow her, and assured them that they would all be fine. The three of them, the fourth being carried instead, all ran off deep inside the woods, in the opposite direction to where Team Rocket's machine stood. The three evil doers gasped from inside the hunk of metal, and Ash couldn't help but to let a wave of relief wash over him. He knew he still had to get rid of Team Rocket, but at least he had managed to get his family out of there safely.

"Excuse us, twerp, but we needed those baby twerps for the boss!" Jessie barked.

"If you honestly think I'm going to let you take my _children,_ you're dumber than I thought," Ash spat.

"That's big talk coming from such a twerp!" James cried.

"Hypocrisy at its finest!" Meowth shouted. "Take dis, twoip!"

He swung the right arm of the robot this time, and it ended up whacking Ash against the side of his head. The Pokémon Master yelped out in pain, immediately pressing a hand against where he'd been struck. When he pulled it away, he found that his fingers were coated by a light amount of blood, which caused his heart to fall in a frightened manner.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu wailed.

"It's okay, Pikachu," Ash breathed. "It's just a little bit of blood…I'll be fine. We gotta' get rid of Team Rocket."

"Pi…" Pikachu murmured.

Looking over at his and Misty's gathered group of Pokémon, Ash narrowed his eyes and tried to figure out which one he should use to take on Team Rocket. Rubber coating meant no electric attack would work…but it could become very easily heated…and burn!

"Quilava!" Ash shouted, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in his head. "Use eruption on Team Rocket's machine!"

"Lava!" Quilava cried, firing off a bevy of flames from both its head and its tail towards the green machine. As soon as the fire hit, the entire mecha began to glow red, with the Rocket trio crying out from inside. It didn't take long for the whole thing to explode, sending Team Rocket flying with their reminiscent cry of "Team Rocket's blasting off again!"

Ash groaned and allowed himself to fall backwards in the grass, earning gasps from both Pikachu and Quilava.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried in concern, running towards his trainer. He nudged the man's arm with his little black nose, and that was enough to get Ash's attention. He still didn't sit up, however. Ash just smiled weakly at Pikachu, who didn't look anymore reassured by that action.

"I'm just a little woozy, Pikachu," Ash assured. "Just let me lie down for a minute. I'll be okay."

"Pika…" Pikachu whined.

"Ash!"

The man rolled his eyes up and found Misty running towards him. She still had Elizabeth in her arms, but she was now carrying the baby against her hip and not her chest. Aiden and Michelle were by her feet, though neither one looked alarmed by the fact that their father was lying in the grass. They just thought he was relaxing after getting bad of the mean Team Rocket. Misty, however, knew better than that. She could tell something was wrong with Ash, even though he was completely conscious.

"I got 'em, Misty," Ash spoke, grinning at his wife. "We're all safe now."

"Yeah, except maybe not," Misty mumbled, kneeling down beside a bewildered Ash.

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, Ash. Don't lie to me," Misty muttered while Elizabeth babbled happily. At least she was no longer scared. "I know something is wrong. You're just lying here. You never do that!"

"Fine, I got a little hurt," Ash admitted. "But it's nothing serious. Don't worry about it."

"What do you mean by 'a little hurt'?" Misty questioned. "What happened to you?"

"The arm from Team Rocket's stupid machine hit me in the side of the head," Ash elucidated. "But I'm fine, honestly. Just needed some down time is all."

Misty bent down and studied the side of Ash's head. Tufts of black hair were in the way, so she used her fingers to gently brush them away. Once she had cleared the hair away from his skin, Misty got a clear view of the gash that had been created by the metal arm, and nearly stumbled backwards as she shrieked.

"Arceus, Ash, you're bleeding!" Misty yelped.

"I know, but it's not that bad," Ash reasoned.

"Yes it is!" Misty argued. "You've got a big cut there! And that blood isn't drying! You need to go to the hospital!"

"No I don't!" Ash argued.

"Ash, don't be an idiot," Misty growled. "You got hit, and you're hurt. Drop the stubbornness for five seconds and listen to me! Do what I'm telling you to do!"

"Misty, you worry way too much!" Ash groaned. "And you're usually the levelheaded one. What's up with you?"

"You're _hurt,_ that's what's _up_ with me!" Misty continued to whine. "I can't just sit here and watch you bleed to death! You might even have a concussion! Who knows!"

"Alright alright, just to satisfy you, I'll go to the _doctor,_" Ash sighed. "Not the hospital, but the doctor. And they'll fix me right up and prove that nothing is wrong. Okay?"

"It's better than nothing," Misty grumbled, protectively holding baby Elizabeth closer to her.

**XXX**

Ash had actually lied to Misty ever so slightly.

Instead of going to the doctor, he went to the Pokémon Center to see Nurse Joy. He and Misty were close with the one who worked in Cerulean's center, and he knew full well that she was able to treat human's minor injuries in addition to anything a sick or injured Pokémon would need.

He explained to her that he had suffered a little accident during a training session (another small fib) and that Misty was worried about him and wanted his head to be checked out. Nurse Joy did just that, and within fifteen minutes, Ash was back out.

He headed right home, where Misty and the children were, and was not so surprised to find her standing outside the door, waiting for him to return. As soon as she saw Ash coming up the walkway, Misty charged down and met him more than halfway, nervously grabbing his shoulders and peering into his wide, chocolate brown eyes.

"Well?" Misty questioned. "Are you okay?"

"Perfect," Ash replied with a laugh. "I got it bandaged up. No stitches, no concussion, no nothing."

"Just…bandages?" Misty murmured.

"Just bandages," Ash confirmed.

Smiling weakly, Misty wrapped her arms around Ash's torso and rested her head against his chest, whispering, "thank goodness."

Grinning, Ash rubbed his wife's back and informed her, "You don't always have to be so worried about me, honey. Believe it or not, I _am_ a grown man. I can take care of myself."

"I know you can," Misty sighed. "But I'm your wife. It's my job to be worried about you, even when I don't get worried over anything else in the world."

"Except for our babies," Ash snickered.

"Oh, don't even get me started on _that._"


	159. Slumber Party

**Do you like character cameos, Ash torture, and Michelle focus? ****Then this one shot is for you! XD**

**Aiden and Michelle: 6 years old**

**Elizabeth: 6 months old**

**Eva: 9 years old**

**Sage: 6 and a half years old**

**Selena: 7 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Slumber Party<strong>

"Mommy, can I have a slumber party?"

Misty looked down from where she was feeding baby Elizabeth in her high chair and found Michelle to be beaming up at her with the sweetest, most innocent look imaginable. It was the same look she pulled when she wanted something.

"A slumber party?" Misty repeated.

"I really want one!" Michelle continued. "Dakota and Vanessa and Lola have them _all the time _and they always tell me about them! I want to have one!"

"And who would you invite to this slumber party?" Misty inquired.

"Selena and Sage and Eva," Michelle recited. It was obvious she had put some serious thought into this party already. "They're my bestest friends! Please, Mommy?"

"Well, you can have Selena for sure, since she only lives in Pallet Town," Misty mused, spooning some more squash into Elizabeth's mouth as the baby whined in want. "But I don't see how you can have Sage and Eva sleep over, dear. They both live in Unova, which is very far away from here."

"Can't they come visit?" Michelle murmured sadly.

"Their families might come and visit," Misty conceded. "I'll call Iris and Bianca later and see if they have any time coming up to come over to Kanto. Sound good, sweetie?"

"Yes, Mommy!" Michelle squealed as she lunged forward to hug her mother's leg. "Thank you!"

"Don't mention it, Shelly!" Misty giggled.

**XXX**

As it would turn out, both Iris and Bianca were completely free the next week. Cilan had off from the gym, and Iris had actually been looking to take a vacation with him and the triplets. Bianca, on the other hand, was more than willing to drag Virgil away from his rescue missions in order to get a change of scenery.

With that settled, all Misty had to do now was convince Ash that letting Michelle have a slumber party was a good idea.

She decided to do it while holding Elizabeth, because Ash tended to not get as worked up when the baby was around. He was very sensitive when it came to the little girl, because it was Ash's own belief that there shouldn't be any yelling or swearing around a baby. Ash was so serious about this that he even tried to his hardest to avoid those things while Misty was _pregnant _with the children.

So, using the baby as her secret weapon, Misty waltzed down into the basement, where Ash was busy working out along with Pikachu.

_Perfect! _Misty thought to herself. Ash's mood also tended to be elevated when he was exercising, since it got more blood flowing into his head. _He'll be a little smarter than usual, too._

"Ashy!" Misty called. The Pokémon Master, who was currently doing sit ups, tilted his head back with his eyes narrowed, prepared to scold Misty for interrupting his work out. When he saw the baby in her arms, however, he let out a puff of air and effectively let go of his anger, instead getting up on his feet and walking over to her in order to tickle the baby.

"Hi, pumpkin!" Ash cooed, causing Elizabeth to giggle. "I would hold you but I'm all sweaty and gross! Yes I am!"

"Ash, I need to ask you something," Misty continued, pleased to see that her husband was now mellowed by Elizabeth.

"What's up, Mist?" Ash asked, still rubbing tiny Elizabeth's back.

"Well, the other day, Michelle came up to me and asked if she could have her first slumber party," Misty continued. "It's okay with me, but I just wanted to make sure you were fine with it also."

Ash gave his wife a side eyed glance, which she had to admit confused her. She had no idea why Ash was giving her _that _kind of look.

"There aren't going to be any boys, right?" Ash inquired.

"What? No, of course not! Do you really think I'd allow our _six year old_ daughter to have a sleepover with boys?"

"Not really, I was just making sure."

"No, it would be with three of her friends," Misty replied.

"Which friends?"

"Selena, Sage, and Eva."

"But Sage and Eva-"

"Live in Unova?" Misty finished for her husband. "I know. _But _I called Iris and Bianca, and they were both looking to come to Kanto sometime soon anyway. They wanted to make a vacation out of it, though, so they'd be staying in a hotel, not the house. But they'd still be in the region, of course."

Shrugging, Ash finally answered, "it's fine by me. They're just a bunch of little girls; I can't imagine they'd be too much trouble."

"Thank you, sweetie," Misty crooned, giving Ash a kiss on the lips. "I'll be sure to have Michelle thank you later too! When you're all done exercising of course…" Misty trailed off as she ran her hand over Ash's bicep, causing him to raise an eyebrow and smirk. She figured if her husband was sweet enough to allow their daughter to have her slumber party, she might as well stroke his ego a little bit.

"You like that, don't you?" Ash purred, flexing his arm so the muscles bulged out further.

"Of course I do," Misty drawled, putting her face in Ash's to give him a slower, more sensual kiss. "Maybe later I'll show you just how _much_ I like it."

"Oh, flirty Misty, my favorite Misty," Ash murmured, placing his hand on her shoulder and slowly moving it down. Soon enough, however, Elizabeth screeched and tugged at her father's hand, throwing the raven haired man off completely.

"Sorry, Ashy, but that's Elizabeth's territory," Misty snickered. "She doesn't like you going near it."

Ash playfully narrowed his eyes at the baby, who cooed in response. "Hey, I was here first, baby girl!"

"Don't worry, you can intrude later, when she's not around," Misty giggled before kissing Elizabeth on the top of her head. "But until then…get back to work, Mr. Pokémon Master."

Ash's eye twitched with how sensually Misty had crooned his title. Not wanting to disappoint his gorgeous wife, Ash gave her a dramatic salute, causing Misty to giggle as he once again got back down on the floor and restarted his sit ups at a rapid pace, all to show off in front of the pretty gym leader.

**XXX**

To say Michelle was excited to see Sage and Eva was an understatement.

As soon as the little green haired and brunette girls showed up at the door, Michelle squealed and hugged them both.

"Aw, isn't that just adorable?" Iris giggled. "They're such good friends!"

"It's so sweet…" Bianca crooned, rubbing the front of her belly. "I want another little girl!"

"Oh, Bianca, you know what you're having?" Misty shrieked excitedly, running up to the older blonde woman.

"Mmhm," Bianca confirmed. "A boy. I don't know _how_ I'm going to take care of five boys! The four I have now are crazy enough."

"Well, you're going from six kids to seven, so I can't imagine it getting any calmer," Iris remarked with a smile, causing Misty to giggle.

"Bianca…can we get back to the hotel room now? I need to get them busy…"

Bianca and Iris both turned around while Misty peered out the door from in between them. Virgil was standing on the lawn, with Estelle in one arm and Upton in the other, both children yelping excitedly and tugging at his blond locks. Vincent, Josh, and Finn ran in circles around his legs, screaming and jumping on one another as they tried to exchange kicks and punches.

"Oh, of course, honey!" Bianca giggled while Iris and Misty sweat dropped. "We'll catch up tomorrow, you guys. There's so much we need to talk about!"

Eva stepped away from Sage and Michelle and waved at her mother, chirping, "bye, Mommy!"

"Aw, my sweet little girl!" Bianca squealed, bending down as best as she could to give her oldest child a kiss on the head. "You be good for Ash and Misty now. And have fun with the other girls! Now, give Mommy a kiss goodbye!"

Eva stood on her tippy toes and gave Bianca a kiss on the cheek. The blonde giggled and gave Eva another kiss before their farewell session was interrupted by a loud screech of "MOMMY!" followed by an outburst of wails.

"Oh, boys, what has Mommy said about beating one another up?" Bianca scolded, walking over to Virgil and scooping up Finn, who was the one who had yelled for her and was now crying. "Virgil, you should have stopped them!"

"My hands are a little full right now," Virgil deadpanned, shifting his eyes between the little brunette girl and blond boy who were still yanking on his hair.

"Estelle, Upton, stop pulling at Daddy's hair!" Bianca gasped, trying to shoo their hands away from Virgil's head while still trying to soothe Finn. "That isn't nice!"

Eva just sighed and skipped away from the door, Sage and Michelle quickly following after her. Misty grabbed hold of the door and gave Bianca a sympathetic smile before closing the door and giving Iris a wordless, exasperated stare.

"And people ask Cilan and I why we don't have any more kids," Iris laughed. "The three we have now are _plenty._"

"Seriously," Misty sighed, shaking her head. "I mean, Ash and I have _talked _about having another one, but every time we see Bianca and Virgil I find that I'm quite content with the three we have."

While Misty and Iris were still busy discussing the rapidly expanding family of their friends, Michelle led her two friends into the living room, shooting her father an impatient look when she saw him sitting on the couch with Cilan.

"What's up, Shelly?" Ash asked.

"Daddy, you and Sage's Daddy gotta' go," Michelle informed her father.

"But, Michelle, we're talking!" Ash groaned.

"Not here!" Michelle whined. "This slumber party is for girls _only._"

"Well, I can't say I don't like hearing that," Ash sighed, getting to his feet and looking down at Cilan. "Come on, let's go into the kitchen so we don't bother the girls."

Chuckling, Cilan stood up too and waved at the three girls, sweetly telling them to, "have fun, girls! Quality time together is part of the recipe for a great slumber party!"

"Daddy, go away!" Sage whined, a blush overtaking her face.

Cilan looked bewildered, while Ash just laughed and patted Cilan on the back. "I see Sage has inherited Iris' embarrassment of you! That's great."

As the two older males left the room, Michelle climbed up onto the couch they had previously been occupying, beckoning for her friends to come join her. Sage sat on the right of Michelle, while Eva took up the left.

"Wait 'til you guys meet Selena!" Michelle informed them excitedly. "She's the bestest! And she's really nice, too!"

"Where's she from?" Eva asked curiously.

"Pallet Town!" Michelle replied cheerfully. "That's where my Daddy is from! She lives near my Grammy."

"What are we gonna' do tonight, Shelly?" Sage chirped, lying down across Michelle's lap and happily kicking her legs in the air.

"I can't tell you guys until Selena gets here!" Michelle giggled. "It's a surprise!"

At that moment, a knock on the door caught Michelle's attention and caused her to squeal excitedly, jumping off the couch and running towards the door. Eva and Sage followed behind quietly, watching on with curious eyes. Since Michelle couldn't reach the doorknob, however, Misty was the one to actually open the door and reveal the newest arrival to the house.

"Selena!" Michelle giggled, rushing forward to hug her friend. The young girl, in turn, laughed as well and hugged Michelle back.

Eva and Sage quietly studied the newly arrived girl. She had skin a similar shade to Ash's, just a bit darker, and chestnut brown hair that looked nearly black. Her eyes, which she opened once she was done hugging Michelle, were equally as dark.

Michelle grabbed her friend's hand and pulled her over to her other two friends, who were both still wearing curious expressions.

"Sage, Eva, this is Selena!" Michelle chirped. Selena smiled shyly and waved to the other girls. Sage giggled and jumped forward, causing Selena's eyes to widen to an almost comical size.

"Hiya!" Sage greeted. "You have really pretty hair!"

"Oh…thank you!" Selena giggled, her dark brown waves bobbing as she laughed.

"Guys, come in the living room!" Michelle squeaked, leading the three girls back into the room they had previously been occupying. Selena's mother had just left her things in the room amongst the other girls' belongings, and the items were all piled up in the corner. Michelle instructed her friends to get their sleeping bags and unroll them on the floor. Sage put her sleeping bag out first. It was dark purple with lighter purple violets printed up the side. Eva put hers down next. It was orange in color with an Eevee printed in the bottom right corner. Michelle had unrolled her sleeping bag to the right of Eva's. Hers was dark blue and printed with lighter blue bubbles. Selena's sleeping bag was the last one to be unfurled: dark pink in color with a lighter pink heart pattern covering it.

"Now what?" Sage questioned, sprawling herself out on her purple sleeping bag.

"Let's play truth or dare!" Michelle replied, a mischievous twinkle shining in her emerald eyes.

"How do you play that?" Selena asked quietly. She was definitely the shyest of the four girls.

"I'll show you!" Michelle giggled excitedly.

**XXX**

Once Iris, Cilan, their two sons, and Selena's mother had left the house, Misty went into the living room to check on the young girls. She nearly fell over, however, when she saw Sage climbing up the curtains like an Aipom on a vine.

"Michelle, what's going on in here?" Misty demanded.

"Truth or dare!" Michelle squeaked. "I dared Sage to climb the curtain! Look, she's doing it!"

"Right…" Misty sighed, "Well, I sort of think we should be playing something that's _just _a little bit safer than truth or dare."

She walked over to the window, intending to safely help Sage down from the curtain, but the little girl let go of the material and jumped off, landing skillfully on her feet and beaming up at Misty once she had accomplished her feat.

"I always forget you inherited your Mom's coordination," Misty giggled. Sage smirked in response and ran back over to her sleeping bag, jumping into the purple material and giggling as she rolled around.

"Mommy, we're hungry," Michelle piped up.

"You're _all _hungry, or just you?" Misty asked with a smirk.

"All of us," Michelle murmured.

"I'm hungry!" Sage squealed, throwing her hand in the air.

"Me too!" Selena agreed.

"Me three!" Eva giggled.

Misty smiled at the four excited little girls. "Okay then. Why don't you all come into the kitchen and get some dinner?"

The girls all jumped up and scurried into the next room, causing Misty to laugh to herself. She followed behind them and watched as Michelle's three friends stood behind her while the young red head set her narrowed eyes on her father and brother, who were both sitting at the kitchen table.

"Daddy, Aiden, out!" Michelle ordered. "No boys!"

"Sweetheart, not right now," Ash gently scolded the irritated child. "I have to feed Lizzie." He motioned towards the baby, who was sitting between Aiden and himself in her high chair with pureed sweet potatoes all over her face.

"I don't care, get out," Michelle whined.

"Michelle, that isn't nice!" Misty scolded her miserable looking older daughter. "Daddy and Aiden aren't going to bother you girls. Just let him finish feeding Elizabeth, alright?"

Michelle rolled her eyes, but nevertheless sat down at the table and invited her friends to join her. The other girls, however, were completely enamored by the adorableness of the baby seated at the end of the table.

"Aww, Lizzie is so cute!" Sage squealed.

"Yeah, she's like a real baby doll!" Selena agreed.

"I'm really used to babies, but Lizzie is one of the cutest babies I've ever seen!" Eva chirped.

Michelle groaned and leaned back in her chair. She wasn't mad that her friends thought Elizabeth was cute. Michelle thought she had the cutest baby sister in the whole wide world, after all. But it wasn't really fair that they were too busy paying attention to the infant to even pay attention to her. This was _her _umber party, after all! Not Elizabeth's.

"You're quite the popular little lady, huh?" Ash cooed to his daughter, moving the translucent green spoon back towards her mouth. "You've got some fans over here!"

Elizabeth pressed her lips together so Ash couldn't get the food into her mouth. Michelle's friends all giggled at the action, while Elizabeth simply started to smack her hands against the off white tray and rock her head back and forth.

"And now you're showing off to them," Ash sighed, lowering the spoon in slight defeat.

By the time Misty had served everyone their bowl of noodles, Michelle was completely annoyed and wanted nothing to do with her food. Misty was able to pick up on this very quickly when she caught sight of her daughter doing nothing but poking the pasta around with her fork instead of eating it.

"Michelle, what's wrong?" Misty asked her daughter.

"Nothing," she grumbled, continuing to play with her food.

Sighing, Misty got up from her chair and lifted Michelle up, which was actually beginning to get harder to do. She carried the pouting young girl into the next room before putting her down on the floor and folding her arms across her chest.

"Don't lie to me, Michelle," Misty warned. "You've got a miserable look on your face. What's wrong?"

"All of my friends are ignoring me because of Elizabeth!" Michelle whined. "I want to talk to them, and they only care about her."

"That's not true, Michelle," Misty sighed as she knelt down in front of the child to be at eye level with her. "They just think she's cute is all. She's a little bit of a distraction. As soon as Elizabeth goes away, they'll go back to talking to you. Once she's done eating, I'll bring her upstairs, okay?"

Michelle wordlessly nodded her head before walking back into the kitchen. Misty followed behind her daughter and smiled when she realized that Ash was all done feeding Elizabeth, now using her pastel striped bib to clean off her sullied face from the baby food.

"Perfect timing!" Misty whispered to her confused husband. She undid the bib that was fastened around the baby's neck and lifted her out of the high chair, smiling as soon as the baby let out a delightful gurgle. "Come on, little sprinkle," Misty murmured to Elizabeth, "Let's go upstairs!"

Elizabeth cooed and looked at the three girls who had been staring at her the entire time she'd eaten. They were still beaming at her, so in response, Elizabeth smiled herself and let out a high pitched giggle that made Michelle's friends squeal in delight.

"If that's the reaction you get out of a group of girls now, I don't think Daddy is going to want to see you at sixteen with a bunch of boys," Misty sighed laughingly, carrying the baby right up the stairs.

With Elizabeth gone, Michelle's friends went right back to talking with her. They all giggled and squealed and shrieked; typical little girl chat. Aiden had enough of it within five seconds and walked away from the table, much to Ash's amusement. Once the girls were done with their own dinner, they all scurried back into the living room, leaving behind a slightly flustered Ash.

"Ah, so _that's_ what it feels like to have four girls," Ash chuckled. "I think Michelle and Elizabeth are enough for me…"

**XXX**

After the girls had eaten, they managed to settle down with full stomachs. They all changed into their pajamas and sat on their sleeping bags, which they had rearranged into a small circle in order to play a board game in the center. Misty smiled at them from the doorway, glad to see that they were now playing less dangerous games than truth or dare.

"Aw, how cute!"

Misty gasped and whipped around, her eyes wide with fear. When she realized it was just Ash standing behind her, she hung her head and scowled.

"Ash…"

"Oops…I snuck up on you again, didn't I?"

Misty nodded wordlessly in response.

"Sorry, I gotta' learn to stop doing that," Ash chuckled. In his arms was baby Elizabeth, cooing and staring up curiously at her parents. This eased Misty's nerves a little, as she reached over and took the content infant from her husband's arms. Misty tickled the baby's stomach, covered by white fleece footed pajamas printed with tiny purple, blue, and yellow hearts.

"It's almost this little one's bedtime," Misty murmured, smiling as the baby started to giggle.

"What about the other girls?" Ash asked, motioning towards the doorway that led into the living room.

Laughing, Misty smirked at her husband and replied, "Silly Ash! You don't have a bedtime during a slumber party! That's the whole point of having one: staying up late with your friends and having fun!"

"I guess you're right," Ash conceded. "Aiden was bouncing off the walls before I brought Elizabeth down here. I'm sure he hasn't calmed down at all."

"I'll help you out after I put Lizzie down," Misty sighed, knowing how hard it could be to get their son to go to sleep some nights. "I just have to feed her before she goes to sleep."

"Sure thing," Ash chuckled, kissing the top of his wife's head and then his baby daughter's before both headed up the stairs. He now took Misty's spot, peering into the living room in order to see what the older girls were doing. Unfortunately for him, he stayed just a little too long, and Michelle ended up picking up her head and catching him standing there.

"Daddy!" Michelle shrieked.

"Ah, I'm sorry, princess!" Ash apologized, causing the other girls to turn their eyes onto him. "I know you didn't want any boys! And I agree with you _completely!_ I'm leaving right-"

"No, come in here!" Michelle giggled.

Ash raised a wry eyebrow, but nevertheless followed his older daughter's order. He watched as she pushed the game board away and motioned towards the once again empty center between the encircled sleeping bags, shouting cheerfully at him to sit down right there. Ash did just that and looked around worriedly at the young girls that surrounded him.

Michelle, who was for all intents and purposes the children's "ring leader," wore purple pajama pants covered in white polka dots along with a long sleeved white shirt printed with glittery purple stars coming from the right corner of the top. She had some type of ominous, silver case in her lap, of which Ash was afraid to find out what was inside.

"What have you got there, Shelly?" Ash asked rather nervously.

"Make up!" Michelle squeaked, opening up the case and revealing a wide array of blush, lip gloss, and eye shadow.

"Uh…why do you have that?" Ash murmured. "Are you girls gonna' give each other make overs?"

"We were, but we changed our minds!" Sage giggled. Her pajamas were pink and green shorts printed like a Zebstrika's hide, along with a ruffled tank top that alternated between the "wild" print and simpler, tinier polka dots in the colors of pink, blue, purple, and green.

"W-why's that?" Ash stammered.

"We came up with a better idea!" Selena chirped. Her pajamas had a long sleeved top and pants; the sleeves and pants striped in pink and white, while the solid white front of the shirt was printed with a big pink heart.

"And…what kind of an idea is that?" Ash questioned.

"We'll show you!" Eva trilled. She took a brush from the case in Michelle's grasp before shuffling closer to Ash, her white pants printed with bright orange flowers matching the short sleeved orange shirt she wore.

And it was at that moment that Ash was ambushed by four little girls armed with an entire rainbow worth of make-up.

**XXX**

By the time Misty had finished nursing Elizabeth, putting her to bed, and managing to calm Aiden down by sticking him in front of the television in her and Ash's room for a little while, she headed downstairs to once again check on the girls. She was surprised that Ash hadn't come back upstairs at all while she was busy, but she just chalked that up to one of his late night, impromptu snack sessions.

Once downstairs, Misty was greeted by a chorus of giggles that grew louder and louder until, at last, the four girls all scurried into the kitchen and beamed up at her with excited faces.

"Well, you four certainly look and sound happy!" Misty giggled. "Your game must have been a lot of fun, huh?"

"We gave up on that!" Sage squeaked.

"Yeah, we did something even more fun!" Eva agreed.

"Really?" Misty hummed. "And what was that?"

Heavier footsteps soon sounded, and before Misty could even process what she was seeing, Ash was standing behind the girls, sulking and looking quite miserable.

"Oh…" Misty murmured, "_That's_ what you did."

"Doesn't he look pretty?" Selena asked.

Misty raised an eyebrow and studied her husband's face. His left eyelid was covered in blue eye shadow, while the right one was adorned in purple. His chees featured at least five different shades of pink, while his lips were now a bright red. Some bronzer had also apparently been spread across his nose, because it was practically brown. Ash was tan, after all, so anything lighter wouldn't have shown up.

He looked like a cheaply rented clown.

"Yes," Misty choked back a laugh, "he looks wonderful, girls! Nice work!"

They all started giggling again before running towards the fridge, looking for something to eat. Misty was still trying to hold back laughter, while Ash just continued to look completely despondent. He opened his mouth to speak, but before a word could get out, Misty strode forward and grabbed his shoulder, whispering in his ear, "My make-up remover is in the far left cabinet of the bathroom on the second shelf."

"Thank you," Ash muttered, trudging past Misty. As soon as he was upstairs and out of ear shot…

Misty burst into a forceful fit of laughter that rivaled the giggles of the four little girls that had completely tortured her poor, sweet husband.

* * *

><p><strong>I cannot give Ash a break, and for that I refuse to apologize XD<strong>


	160. Shaving Face

**I've been dying to write this one FOREVER. It's just ridiculous, grown up Ash problems :P Also, we get to see sassy Drew. Yay Drew!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Shaving Face<strong>

"WHOAH!"

Misty grumbled and covered her ears with her hands, not wanting her precious slumber to be disturbed. Unfortunately for the gym leader, that wasn't going to be enough. Her hands were soon being ripped away from the sides of her head, causing Misty to groan. Finally opening her eyes, Misty glared at the man hanging over her, who still had her wrists in his grasp. That harsh stare didn't seem to bother him, however. He kept the same chipper expression, grinning so wide that Misty thought his face might just crack.

"Seriously?" Misty deadpanned.

"Misty, you're never going to guess what I found," Ash breathed.

"My pearl earrings that Aiden misplaced?" Misty asked with an air of hope.

"No, still don't know where those are," Ash mused.

"Then I'm not interested," Misty groaned, closing her eyes once again and trying to roll over onto her side. Unfortunately, Ash was still holding onto her wrists, and she found that she couldn't really move all that much. He was a lot stronger than she was, after all.

"Misty, you have to look!" Ash continued babbling on. "It's so exciting! Just open your eyes and look!"

Groaning, Misty finally opened just one of her emerald eyes and studied her husband's figure. He was leaning over her, still beaming with his eyes glittering. Misty, however, didn't really have any idea as to what she was looking for.

"I give up," Misty sighed, "what are you so excited about?"

"This!" Ash pointed at the right side of his chin. Misty furrowed her brow, but still didn't understand what Ash was getting at.

"I still don't see anything," Misty argued.

Ash leaned in closer, still pointing at that one particular spot on his face. Misty squinted her eyes to try and study the one spot Ash had his finger on. That's when Misty saw it. Right above Ash's fingertip was a small piece of dark facial hair.

"What the hell?" Misty muttered.

"I'm finally getting facial hair!" Ash chuckled joyfully. "It only took twenty seven years!"

"Good," Misty yawned. "Now that you've got it, why don't you go shave it off?"

At this, Ash frowned. "Why would I do that?"

"Because I don't like facial hair," Misty grumbled, closing her eyes one more. "Besides, you'll look weird with it. You have the cutest baby face, so facial hair will just look out of place."

"But…I don't want to get rid of it," Ash complained. "It took me so long to get it, so why would I shave it?"

"Because I just told you why," Misty groaned.

"Yeah, well…it's my face, and I don't want to shave!" Ash shouted, much like an angry little kid. "I'm going to leave that piece of hair right there whether you like it or not!"

"Fine, you do that," Misty replied far more calmly than Ash was expecting.

"Wait…what?"

"You heard me," Misty sighed, finally rolling over onto her side and nestling more deeply into the bed. "Don't shave. I don't care what you do. You want to leave your facial here alone? Then that's what you do."

"Yeah…yeah, it is!" Ash chuckled in an almost evil fashion. "That's exactly right! That's what I want to do, so that's what I'm gonna' do!"

He jumped off the bed, whooping happily as he ran back into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. With her eyes still closed, Misty rolled the orbs up behind her still closed eyelids, thinking starkly to herself: _of course you can do whatever you want. Just don't expect to get anything out of me, Mr. Pokémon Master._

**XXX**

While Misty wasn't a big fan of her husband's newest physical addition, their children might just have hated it even more than her, which was really saying something.

A few days after discovering his first facial hair, which had gone unnoticed by the two children, the strand had evolved into something more. The lower half of Ash's face was now darker than usual. He was beginning to get a beard, much to Misty's disdain.

It was at that point that the twins finally noticed something different about their father. When he first came downstairs with that emerging shadow, they both gave him curious stares, not even saying anything as they watched him walk around the kitchen before sitting down at the dinner table. That was when one of them finally decided to ask a question.

"Daddy," Michelle chirped, "you got somethin' on your face!"

"No I don't, princess," Ash chuckled. "You're so cute!"

"It's okay to get ice cream on your face," Aiden reasoned with Ash, who pulled a bewildered face at this. "Just have Mommy clean it off!"

"No, champ, this isn't ice cream!" Ash laughed, pointing at the bottom of his right cheek. "It's hair."

"Why's you got hair on your face?" Aiden questioned.

"Because when boys get older, that's what happens," Ash explained to his son. "When you grow up, little guy, you'll be able to grow a beard, too!"

At this, Aiden made a face, but it was soon replaced with a beaming expression as Misty placed a bowl of cereal in front of him and ruffled his hair.

"You don't ever have to do that, Aiden," Misty gently informed her son. "Mommy doesn't like it very much."

Ash huffed and watched his wife walk over to Michelle to give the girl her own bowl of cereal. Her belly, swollen from pregnancy, was beginning to stick out much further. She was wearing a white camisole, which was starting to not fit and was rolled up her midsection ever so slightly. Once Michelle had her breakfast in front of her, she had to sit up on her knees and give her mother's stomach a kiss. It was the young girl's new morning routine, after all.

"Aw, you're so precious," Misty cooed, rubbing the back of her daughter's head before walking over to her own seat. "Ash, we're going out to dinner with Brock tonight, alright? Don't forget that you need to come home and start getting ready right away."

"Gotcha," Ash replied before perking up. "Hey, Brock will finally get to see the start of my beard!"

"Yeah, how exciting," Misty droned as she rolled her eyes before digging into her own cereal.

Once Ash had finished his meal, he dropped his plate off in the sink and walked over to Michelle in order to kiss the girl goodbye. As soon as his lips reached her cheek, however, Michelle shrieked and pushed her father away, green eyes wide with surprise.

"What was that about, Michelle?" Ash questioned.

"Your face is scratchy!" Michelle complained, covering her right cheek with her hand. "No kissy!"

"Come on, princess, it's not that bad!" Ash fretted.

"Bad," Michelle argued, shaking her head.

Groaning, Ash patted his daughter on the head before walking back over to Misty. When he bent his head down for a kiss from _her, _however, Misty turned her own head the other way and refused him any physical contact from their mouths.

"Misty!" Ash groaned.

"I'm with Michelle on this one, Mr. Ketchum," Misty briskly reasoned. "If your face is going to scratch me, don't expect to get any kisses out of me."

Ash rolled his eyes and trudged towards the front door to head out to work. He wasn't going to let his family's disapproval get in the way of his own excitement and happiness.

That facial hair was there to stay.

**XXX**

Misty swore she had married a thirteen year old boy.

Ever since Ash had found that very first piece of facial hair, he hadn't shut up about it. To anyone. And Misty really had to assume that no one really cared. At least by their faces that's what she assumed.

It's not that none of them weren't excited for Ash, it was just that…well…he was a little bit _too_ excited. For a twenty seven year old, it was a little ridiculous. He literally told absolutely everyone they knew. The only person who seemed just as excited as Ash was Delia, and all she had done was demoralized Ash by exclaiming that she was fully convinced he'd never have to shave a day in his life.

The most interesting reaction that had been spurned by this whole…milestone was that of Drew and May. They had paid a visit to Ash and Misty at their home while on the road for a Contest. Damien and Rosie were busy playing with Aiden and Michelle, while May sat beside Misty on one of the couches in the living room. Across from them, Drew sat on the other couch alone. He was supposed to have Ash by his side, but the man hadn't come downstairs since they'd arrived.

"Misty…where is he?" May asked curiously.

"Trust me, you really don't want to know," Misty deadpanned.

"Is he…ya' know…busy?" Drew questioned, using air quotes to punctuate his last word.

"Oh, Drew, seriously?!" May shrieked.

"He'd better not be," Misty grumbled. "I'm exhausted as all hell, and I _still_ give into him. If I find out he's up there doing that, I'll beat him with my own two hands."

"Welcome to my world," May sighed.

"Hey, I'm sitting right here!" Drew cried.

"Yeah, that was the point," May sniped.

At this, Misty giggled. May could be a bit of a ditz at times, but she was still incredibly sassy and didn't take any nonsense from the human shaped ego-fest that was her husband. For that, Misty loved the brunette woman.

"Well, I hope he's not stressing you out too much," May continued, her voice much calmer than it had been before when she was chastising Drew. "You've got your little baby to be concerned about!"

"She's fine," Misty puffed, staring down at her stomach. "I get bigger every day, so she's obviously fine. At this point, she probably thrives off of the stress that Ash gives me."

"I think she just knows her daddy's personality is all, and she's not letting it bother her," May remarked, resting her hand atop Misty's obviously swollen stomach. Misty glared at the younger woman, causing her to squeak and remove her hand. That stern look was quickly rescinded and replaced with one of amusement, however, which confused May. "I'm just teasing, May. You can touch my belly, it's fine."

May giggled softly and started to rub her friend's belly again, much to Misty's own enjoyment over the brunette's easy to fluster personality.

"Ash! Come downstairs already!" Misty called, throwing her head back against the couch.

"Jeez, couldn't get up and do that, huh?" Drew groaned, wincing as he covered one of his ears.

Misty's response was short and simple. "I'm pregnant. No."

The sound of footsteps coming down the stairs caused Misty, May, and Drew to all look up the staircase, and soon enough, Ash's sock covered feet appeared. May and Drew didn't find this strange at all, because Ash always took his shoes off indoors. It was when he came into full view that May and Drew were taken off guard. Misty, of course, wasn't. She just rolled her eyes in response to it.

"Um…Ash?" May squeaked, keeping her sapphire eyes locked on her friend's face.

Chuckling deeply, Ash replied, "yeah, it's me, May! Why do you look so surprised?"

"Um…" May stammered, "you…you have something on your face."

"Ah, so you noticed!" Ash trilled, holding his chin between his thumb and index finger. "Looks good, doesn't it?"

"It actually looks like someone colored in the bottom of your face with pencil," Drew piped up.

Ash scowled at the coordinator while Misty let out a delightful giggle. She had to agree with Drew on that one. Ever since discovering his first facial hair almost a week ago, Ash still hadn't shaved, and his light five o'clock shadow was beginning to darken. Misty absolutely hated it, and Ash didn't seem to be anywhere close to getting rid of it.

"You won't be able to say that when this is a full on beard," Ash scoffed, folding his arms across his chest.

"Ew, you want a _beard?!_" May yelped before sticking her tongue out in disgust.

"What's wrong with that?" Ash demanded.

"Nothing, technically," May huffed, "but I _hate _them. If Drew ever grew a beard, I'd kick him out of our bed! Maybe even the house."

"Does he even grow facial hair?" Ash snickered, casting Drew a sideways glance.

"I've been shaving since I was seventeen, but nice try," Drew commented.

"WHAT?!" Ash shrieked. "No way! You have _not_ been shaving for _eight years._"

Drew smirked at Ash's disbelief and poorly hidden jealousy. "Sure I have. You just can't tell because I've never left a single strand of hair on my face. As soon as I got my first one, I shaved it right off. I hate facial hair. It's itchy and makes you look like a hobo. Also, May hates it, so why would I keep it? The clean shaven look is the classiest way to go."

"Yeah well, I've been 'clean shaven' my whole life, so maybe I want to look rustic for a little bit," Ash muttered dejectedly.

"Rustic is not the word you're looking for," Drew noted, earning another glare from Ash. May glanced over at Misty and saw her repeatedly rolling her eyes. Afraid that they would fall right out of her head, May tugged at her friend's arm and ushered her into the kitchen. Once inside, they stood side by side with their backs against the kitchen countertop.

"Misty, I didn't know you liked facial hair," May murmured to the gym leader sitting next to her.

"I don't, I hate it," Misty groaned. "I told him from day one to shave. He won't do it! He's too excited about actually having it. You know we actually had to go to his mother's house just so he could show her? That's right, ladies and gentlemen; this man is married and has children! I'm his _wife_ and I can't believe it."

At this, May giggled. "Poor Ash. He's just excited is all!"

"It's getting out of hand," Misty argued. "You know I haven't kissed him in a week?"

"A _week?_" May hissed, turning to give Misty a stunned look.

"A _whole_ week!" Misty added. "I refuse to do it. I'm teaching him a lesson."

"What, that you hate his new look?" May inquired.

"I will not kiss a man with fur on his face," Misty complained, sticking her tongue out for good measure. "I know Ash was always a little bothered by the fact he didn't have any facial hair, but I liked it because I think he looks so handsome without any! He's not the kind of guy who can pull it off."

"No, not really," May agreed. "He kind of looks like a little boy wearing part of a costume."

Misty pressed her lips together and restrained a laugh. She felt bad making fun of her husband over his excitement, but she just absolutely hated the hair on his face. And Misty refused to let down until Ash could see her side of the argument.

Back in the other room, Ash was now sitting beside Drew, who couldn't stop staring at Ash's new physical appearance. And not in a good way.

"Would you quit scrutinizing my face?" Ash complained.

"No, because I don't understand it," Drew quipped.

"You don't have to understand it," Ash groaned. "I'm happy with my appearance. It makes me look manlier. I'm sick of looking like a teenager!"

"Trust me, the older you get, the more you're going to _want _to look like a teenager."

"Drew, you're _younger_ than I am."

"Only by two years. I have a similar mindset to your own. Except that I'm more mature and suave than you are."

At this, Ash rolled his eyes and bit sarcastically, "yeah, okay."

Smirking, Drew flicked some hair out of his eyes and continued, "this must be pretty different for Aiden and Michelle. They've never really seen you look any different, after all. How's this going for them?"

"They don't like it, to tell you the truth," Ash murmured. "Neither of them likes it now when I kiss them because they both said my face is too scratchy. Aiden also keeps telling me I look weird, which is lovely."

"Does Michelle call you any names?" Drew snickered.

"No, she just makes faces at me whenever I go near her," Ash sighed. "I think she actually hates it more than Aiden."

"And Pikachu?"

"I don't think he cares all that much, although he's been giving me weird looks too," Ash mused. "When I told him I was keeping it, I'm pretty sure he stuck his tongue out…"

Now Drew wanted to ask his most burning question. "What does Misty think of your new look?"

Ash remained quiet for a moment before responding, "she hates it most of all. She's been refusing to kiss me ever since I started growing it. And that…well, that's sucked."

"An entire week without kissing?" Drew gasped. "Does that also mean an entire week without…?"

Ash blushed at this. "Well, yeah."

"Dude, you gotta' shave that thing, like, _yesterday,_" Drew sighed, shaking his head. "It's not worth going down the lonely road."

Ash raised an eyebrow at what was apparently Drew's name for a lack of intimacy, but chose not to ask the younger man about it. "So you're seriously telling me that part of the reason you shave all the time is because May hates it?"

"Of course it is," Drew scoffed. "You think I wanna' be in your position? Hell no! I'm a man, and I have needs. If all I have to do is take a razor to my face once a week to get some loving, then you can bet your ass I'm going to do it."

Ash puffed out some air and slunk down on the couch. He really did miss being physical with Misty. Not even just the kissing or the…more intimate stuff. He missed holding her, and cuddling her, and just being close to her. He hadn't been able to do any of that since the beard had started to grow. And neither of the twins liked it either. He couldn't even get kisses out of a _five year old_ for Arceus' sake! It may have been an exciting milestone for himself, but was it really worth having his whole family turned off from him?

"You know, this thing really _does_ itch…" Ash murmured, scratching the side of his face.

"And the longer you leave it, the worse it gets," Drew hummed.

Ash narrowed his eyes in determination and jumped off the couch, Drew's calm green eyes following him the whole time. The coordinator just watched in silence as Ash marched out of the room and back up the stairs, not saying another word to Drew before leaving. He didn't have to; Drew knew exactly what the Pokémon Master was going to do.

**XXX**

Misty and May remained in the kitchen, with Misty making tea for the adults. She stood at the stove, boiling the water while May sat at the kitchen table, chatting her friend up from her seat. Just as soon as the teapot sounded, Misty removed it from the stovetop and poured the tea into the waiting cups. Before she could hand the first cup off to May, however, Misty was lunged at by a rapidly moving figure and pushed towards the adjacent counter, the string force's arms wrapped around her.

"Ash?" May questioned confusedly.

Before Misty could even get a good look at him, Ash crashed his lips against Misty's, causing her to let out a muffled whine. After relaxing enough to actually take in the kiss, however, Misty realized that there was no scratchy feeling against her own skin. It was smooth, and…normal. A normal kiss she would have with Ash.

Once he pulled away, Misty was able to look up and properly examine her husband's face. What she was met with was the same exact face she'd known since she was just ten years old. Sweet and handsome, and smooth as a rock in a river.

"Did you…did you shave your face?" Misty squeaked, her eyes wide with surprise.

Ash eagerly nodded his head. "I finally did it! So…do I get kisses now?"

Misty scoffed and shook her head. "Well, you kind of already kissed me, didn't you?"

"Uh…yeah…" Ash murmured as he blushed. "I'm sorry, I guess I just couldn't control myself…heh…"

Misty took a step forward and rubbed Ash's cheek, smiling as she felt how smooth it was. "Of course you can get kisses now, sweetheart. Just promise me you won't try to grow another heinous beard."

"I _swear_ to you that I won't," Ash hurried out his words. "I really, really won't! As long as you keep letting me kiss you and hug you and do all of that stuff, I won't grow that itchy thing again."

At this, Misty raised an eyebrow. "Itchy? You thought it was itchy?"

"…yes," Ash admitted.

"Well, at least you learned a lesson," Misty giggled, holding her arms out towards Ash. "Come here, honey."

Ash beamed and ran into her arms, kissing her again as he ran his hands over her stomach. From behind them, May watched on from the kitchen table, one brunette eyebrow raised out of incredulity.

"This is a very nice moment," May mumbled to herself, "but I guess they forgot I was sitting here, huh?"

* * *

><p><strong>We have sassy May too :P<strong>

**I don't even know if this is possible, but meh. I don't know anything about facial hair, I'm a chick XD And I'm amused by this one because I was watching a Hoenn episode earlier where an Onix imagines Ash with a beard. I lol'd.**

**I also just love writing Drew, okay? He's excellent :P**


	161. Family Fake Out

**This one is based off of a few Pokémon episodes, specifically one from Hoenn. Once you read the one shot, you'll know which episode I'm talking about :)**

**Aiden and Michelle: 9 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Family Fake Out<strong>

Many years ago, while still travelling through Sinnoh with Ash and Dawn, Brock had remarked that once you became famous, people would try and imitate you.

This had stemmed from a rather ridiculous episode at the Twinleaf Festival in which James had disguised himself as Professor Oak at a scheduled lecture and tried to steal the audience's Pokémon for Team Rocket purposes. Fortunately, the gang had arrived just in time with the real Professor Oak to stop the evil plan right in its tracks.

Now that Ash himself was famous, however, Brock's words seemed to ring through his head quite often. As Pokémon Master, Ash was very well known and extremely well liked. People wanted to _be_ him. Especially young trainers. Why, Ash had his own little follower right in the house: Aiden. He hadn't yet encountered anyone _pretending_ to be him, like Professor Oak had twice with James, however. Ash wondered if he ever would. He had to imagine it would be very odd if anyone ever did.

Life was becoming rather hectic in the house. Elizabeth had just turned four, and the twins were preparing to leave for their Pokémon journey in just a few months. Misty was rather worked up over everything, so Ash had been trying his best to keep her together. If it was this bad _now,_ he couldn't imagine what she was going to be like in three months when the twins actually left.

While Ash was trying to maintain his family life back at home, a familiar group was walking through downtown Cerulean, cleverly disguised so no one would recognize them. It was four humans and a Pokémon, who felt the need to disguise himself along with the humans. When the tallest woman in the group caught sight of a sign hanging in one of the shop's windows, however, she stopped dead in her tracks, causing the rest of the group to bump right into her.

"OW! Mom!" The younger male whined, rubbing his forehead.

"Sorry, dear, but look!" She whispered urgently, pointing at the sign that had stopped her. He looked past the side of his mother, scanning his periwinkle eyes down the printed words.

"It seems that the Pokémon Master will be appearing at town square tomorrow to give a battle presentation," the older male hummed.

"Ooh, that sounds like the perfect opportunity for us!" The smaller girl squealed.

"That's my girl, always thinking of the team!" The older woman giggled.

"But, Jess, how could we use this as a way to snatch Pikachu?" The older male whispered to his female accomplice. "The twerp is going to be surrounded by civilians…it won't be easy to take his prized Pokémon right in front of all of them!"

"I don't care about Pikachu, not for this," Jessie snickered, finally revealing her narrowed blue eyes. "I've got bigger, better ideas than that little electric rat. And it all stems from our very celebrated past!"

The short, disguised Pokémon huffed and muttered, "who said our past was celebrated, eh?"

"Quiet, you," Jessie snarled, stepping on the Pokémon's head. "You're either all with me, or against me! What do you say?"

"Of course I'm with you, Mom!" The younger girl cheered, throwing her hand up in the air.

"Me too…I guess…" the younger boy murmured.

"I feel your pain, child," the older male groaned, patting his "son" on the boy's shoulder. "I suppose I'm in as well, unfortunately."

"Good," Jessie sneered, "now here's the plan…"

**XXX**

The next day, roughly half an hour before the event with Ash was expected to begin, an entire crowd of people had already gathered at the city's center to witness the master's lesson. The city's organizers were patiently waiting for the man to arrive, but he seemed to be running a little late.

"This isn't like Ash at all, is it?" One of the men turned and asked another.

"No, certainly not…" the second one hummed. "Misty has always spoken very highly of her husband. He doesn't seem like the kind to flake out on such an event."

"Not to worry! We're here!"

The two men turned around and found themselves staring at five familiar (or so they thought) figures. Standing in the front was the tallest one, with shaggy black hair that was doing a pretty good job of covering his eyes. A black polo shirt and dark jeans completed his look, along with black and blue sneakers.

"Ah, Master Ketchum, there you are!" The first man crowed before offering his hand to the man. "My name is Ken, we spoke over the phone."

"Ah…yes, of course!" The gruff voice replied. Ken didn't know, of course, but this was not actually Ash. Rather, it was none other than James in disguise.

"Yes, and I'm Hiro," the second man introduced himself. "Of course, Misty already knows me! It's lovely to see you again, ma'am."

"Misty" smiled almost deviously at the man. That was because, well, she wasn't actually Misty. It was just Jessie, sporting a straight, bright red wig that went just past her shoulders, along with a bright blue tank dress and nude colored wedges.

"And I see you brought the children as well," Hiro chuckled softly. "How wonderful!"

Jason, Jessie and James' "son," had been disguised as Aiden, the only son of Ash and Misty. A messy black wig, similar to the one that James was wearing, had been tugged over Jason's head. Because he and Aiden were both kid boys, Jason could simply wear one of his own outfits as part of his disguise: a blue, short sleeved T-shirt with darker blue sleeves along with a pair of light jeans and dark blue sneakers.

Jewel, the "daughter" of the older duo, had been dressed up as Michelle, Ash and Misty's older daughter. Like Jessie, Jewel was wearing a red wig, though hers was longer than the older female's. Jewel's wig hung all the way down to her chest. Her outfit was a navy blue chiffon dress printed with lighter blue flowers and light blue sandals on her feet.

The least happy of the group was Meowth, who, as the smallest member, had no choice but to pretend to be Elizabeth, the youngest Ketchum daughter. A short, darker red wig had been placed on his head, covering the cat ears and golden charm attached to his forehead. He wore the same dress and sandals as Jewel, but in pink. Jessie thought it would have been a good idea to sell the whole sisters idea by dressing the two up alike. She knew that people with multiple girls tended to do that quite often.

"Little Elizabeth looks rather grumpy…" Ken noted, staring down at the pouting "child."

Laughing nervously, the disguised Jessie lifted the equally disguised Meowth up in her arms and replied, "Yes, she didn't have much of a nap this afternoon, the poor dear!" Dropping her voice to a whisper, she hissed in Meowth's ear, "but maybe she should cheer up a little bit before I punish her!"

Meowth sweat dropped and flashed the two men an anxious smile, causing them to exchange curious glances.

"By the way, Master Ketchum, where is Pikachu?" Ken inquired. "I thought for sure you would have brought your closest Pokémon with you to the presentation."

"Oh, that poor thing is as sick as a Growlithe," James quickly refuted the idea. "He's back at home resting! But I have plenty of other Pokémon with me, don't you worry!"

"That's too bad, but nothing we can do, I suppose," Ken sighed. "Well, it's almost time to get out there! Do you know what you're going to say?"

"Of course!" James chortled, loving playing the charade of Pokémon Master. "I've got the whole thing mapped out in my big, empty head!"

As he continued to laugh, Ken and Hiro once again gave one another bewildered looks, while Jessie simply rolled her eyes in aggravation.

**XXX**

"Misty! Hurry up, I'm going to be _so_ late!"

"I'm trying, Ash! Elizabeth is being difficult!"

"Ugh, what is she doing?" Ash muttered, resting against the staircase bannister. Before he could react, a small figure came running right down the stairs, wearing a dark pink tank dress with silver rhinestones lining the neckline and a layered tulle skirt of varying shades of pink flowing around her.

"Daddy!" Elizabeth yelped, her voice sounding quite panicked.

"Why are you so worked up, pumpkin?" Ash sighed. "You're going to make Daddy late!"

"Mommy's tryna' make me wear shoes!" Elizabeth whined. "I don't wanna'."

"Lizzie, you have to wear shoes," Ash groaned. "You're not a little baby, okay? When you go outside, you need something on your feet."

"Not at the beach," Elizabeth argued.

"Yes, but this isn't the beach. It's the middle of the city. I want you to listen to Mommy and put your shoes on, okay?"

As if on cue, Misty came down the stairs herself, holding onto a pair of sparkly pink sandals with a gauzy pink flower attached to the front of each shoe.

"Let's go, Elizabeth," Misty gently scolded. "Shoes on, now."

"Nooo," Elizabeth whined, stomping her bare feet on the wooden floor.

"Elizabeth, stop acting up!" Ash warned. "Just put on the shoes, okay? I already told you that you can't go out without them on, and you're not going to change my mind."

Elizabeth pouted, but nevertheless sat down on the floor and allowed her mother to fasten the sandals onto her feet.

"Well, at least that's _one _problem down," Ash sighed. "Where are Aiden and Michelle?"

"Upstairs also, last time I checked," Misty replied, getting to her feet and smoothing out her spearmint colored organza dress. It was tight on her upper body, while the horizontally striped skirt flared out. Elizabeth put her arms up without standing up, silently informing her mother she wanted to be picked up. Sighing, Misty bent down and lifted Elizabeth up in her arms, telling Ash, "Call for them now. See what happens."

Groaning, Ash turned back towards the stairs and shouted, "Aiden! Michelle! Let's go!"

Two separate footsteps could be heard trampling down the steps, which at least put Ash's mind at ease. It didn't take long for both Aiden and Michelle to be standing in front of him, each one appropriately dressed for the early afternoon outing. Aiden sported a sage green and ice blue striped polo shirt with dark grey shorts, while Michelle wore a vintage-like turquoise lace dress with short sleeves and scalloped edges.

"Good, everyone is ready," Ash breathed, his smile growing wider when Pikachu jumped up from behind him and landed skillfully on his shoulder. "We can finally head over to the city square!"

"Even though you're going to be late as anything," Misty commented, walking towards the front door.

"Hey, for once, that's everyone _else's_ fault, not mine!" Ash argued, following closely behind.

**XXX**

Already in Cerulean's city square, the crowd thought they were listening to the great Pokémon Master. He was standing before the crowd of people, specifically young trainers who desired to be him, and grinning deliriously. James knew he was going to be able to trick all of them into doing what he wanted. They were all just dumb young kids, after all. Gullible and foolish.

_Just as a twerp should be._

"Hello, boys and girls!" The fake Ash greeted, causing all of the trainers in the audience to stare up at him with awe. "Ready to learn the ins and outs of being the world's greatest Pokémon trainer?"

"YEAH!" They all shouted at once, causing a huge grin to break out on the disguised James' face.

"Excellent!" He chuckled. "Now, before I get into the deepest part of this presentation, I'll need all of you to hand me your poke balls!"

The people in the crowd exchanged confused glances, not exactly understanding why the Pokémon Master would want their poke balls. Noticing their confusion, James began to grow rather anxious, but managed to quell those uneasy feelings by filling the young trainers' heads with his well thought out lie.

"I simply need them because they're going to be part of the exhibition!" James assured the audience, earning some understanding sighs from those gathered. Taking a sigh of relief, James motioned down to where everyone was sitting and continued, "You can just hand them off to my…wife. Yes, my wife!"

Just having to refer to Jessie as his wife made James' skin crawl, but he already had to pretend to be married to her on a day-to-day basis anyway when it came to Jason and Jewel, so at least it wasn't _too _scarring. Jessie, who was still disguised as Misty, was standing in the aisle of the collected seats with a large bag in her hands. She moved up and down each row, collecting the crowd's red and white spheres and throwing them all into the bag. Once she had pilfered each and every ball, she smiled evilly to herself and snuck backstage, being greeted by an excited Jason, Jewel, and Meowth.

"Great job, Mom!" Jewel complimented.

"Yeah, those guys have no idea we just took all of their Pokémon!" Jason added.

"It truly is a genius plan, if I do say so myself!" Jessie giggled.

Back on stage, James pulled his own poke ball off of his belt, still trying his best to imitate Ash. Having followed the twerp around for the past twenty one years, however, James had a very good understanding of how the younger male operated, and he was able to replicate it with ease.

"Yamask, I choose you!" James called, throwing the poke ball as it snapped open and revealed the ghost type Pokémon. Once again, curious whispers rose from the audience, leading James to raise a confused eyebrow.

"I didn't think the Pokémon Master had a Yamask!" One young boy asked his friend who was sitting next to him.

"Oh, silly young ones, this is my newest Pokémon!" James lied again, even more effortlessly than he had before. "I figured you should all be the first ones to see it in action!"

This was enough to settle down the bewildered crowd. Before James could even give his Pokémon a command, however, a confused voice snapped him out of his deep state of concentration.

"What's going on out there?"

Looking over his shoulder, from behind the curtain, James could see the _real _Ash standing with Pikachu on his shoulder and his wife and children behind him. Green eyes locked with brown, and it was in that moment that James became very concerned, and Ash became very angry.

"Not this again!" Ash groaned quite loudly.

James shrieked nervously and looked desperately around the stage for some means of escape. He couldn't even move before Jessie, Jason, Jewel, and Meowth accidentally stepped out in front of Ash and the rest of his family, gasping dramatically at the sight.

"Seriously?" Ash breathed, while Misty raised a wry eyebrow.

"Mommy, dat Pokémon kinda' looks like me!" Elizabeth giggled, pointing at the disguised Meowth.

"GAH! How does da baby twoip know I'm a Pokémon?!" Meowth yelped.

"'Cause it's easy!" Elizabeth giggled, although the rest of the family and everyone else who had originally been tricked by the charade couldn't agree with that statement.

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted angrily from Ash's shoulder, causing the four fakes standing in front of the real family to visibly tremble.

"Jason, Jewel, get out of here, quick!" Jessie warned quietly.

"But Mom!" Jason protested.

"Don't but me, just go!" Jessie warned. Nodding, the still disguised Jason and Jewel bustled their way out from behind the stage. Meowth tried to make a run for it as well, but Jessie grabbed him by the back of his dress and kept him firmly in place.

"How could anyone even fall for that being me?" Misty complained as she scrutinized her body double's face. "This one looks at _least _ten years older than I do!"

"Excuse me, you brat of a twerpette, but I do _not _even look remotely ten years older than you do!" Jessie snapped, her red wig slipping off her head in the process of her freak out, leading to an even bigger panic.

"Well, that explains a lot," Misty murmured to her bewildered husband.

"Team Rocket, of course it's you!" Ash shouted.

"Who else comes up with such a great plan, huh?" Jessie demanded to know.

"First of all, it's not great, it's pretty dumb," Ash seethed, "and secondly, I can't believe you went so far as to make copies of my own _kids! _That's just…weird."

"Even for you," Misty added.

"Oh, you're just asking for it!" Jessie bit.

"I don't really think so," Ash huffed. "Pikachu, use thunderbolt, please."

"Pika!" Pikachu jumped up in the air and electrocuted both Jessie and Meowth, whose disguises turned into nothing more than ashes and fell listlessly to the ground.

"That was almost _too_ easy," Ash droned.

"Now," Misty continued, her own voice crawling with fake sweetness, "would you like us to give you another little shock, or will you be on your way?"

"ON OUR WAY!" Jessie and Meowth shrieked, running on stage and grabbing James, who was still disguised as Ash and frozen in place. They pulled him off, the entire audience gasping in shock as the two strangers pulled away who they thought was the Pokémon Master. Rolling her eyes, Misty shoved Ash forward until he ended up teetering out onto the stage, causing the crowd to let our curious murmurs.

"Heh…hey, guys!" Ash greeted nervously.

Backstage, Ken and Hiro ran up to Misty, flashing her confused looks. Misty sighed and shook her head, returning the men's bewildered gazes with a small smirk of her own.

"Yeah, about that…don't ask."

* * *

><p><strong>In case you still don't know which episode I'm talking about, it's "A Double Dilemma" when Team Rocket dresses up as May, Max, and their parents. If you've never seen it, watch it! It's a fantastic episode :) I also referenced the two times when James disguised himself as Professor Oak: "Will the Real Oak Please Stand Up?" in Johto and "A Faux Oak Finish!" in Sinnoh. All good episodes :)<strong>


	162. Nieces Of My Heart

**A chapter told from Ash's POV, about some special bonding time with some special people :)**

**Dakota: 3 and a half years old**

**Vanessa: 2 and a half years old**

**Lola: 20 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Nieces of My Heart<strong>

Okay, so…I'm engaged, which I guess means I'm ready to be somebody's husband. But I'm not quite ready to be somebody's father. I think about that a lot, what it will be like if Misty and I ever have our own kids. I don't really care, either way, but I think she wants 'em. They're cute, I guess. Little kids, I mean. But I'm not really used to them. It's not like I ever had younger siblings or anything. I didn't even have cousins. My whole family was just me and Mom. The closest I ever got to siblings or cousins were my godmother's kids, but I'm a lot older than them. And I never babysat or anything like that.

So I don't really understand why Misty thought it would be a good idea for us to babysit her nieces.

There's three of them, and they're really young, but they're already a lot like their mothers. Maybe too much. That makes me nervous, because Misty's sisters are a little bit crazy.

Dakota is the oldest of the three girls. She's three and a half years old, a lot closer to four, and talks an awful lot for such a young kid. Her wavy, golden blonde hair falls all the way down to the middle of her back, Daisy crows she's never had a haircut, and she has sea green eyes that are a perfect match for her mother's. The only physical feature Dakota seems to have inherited from Tracey was his nose. And his love for art, but that's not physical. She's a little calmer than Daisy, fortunately, which I guess she got from Tracey too. But Dakota's still got a bossy streak; she's pushy and can get pretty loud. She also has a habit of announcing herself with her full name, which Misty thinks is just a phase.

Vanessa is the middle of Misty's nieces. She's two _and a half_, which she always reminds us of. Probably because of Dakota. Her hair is just beginning to form gentle waves, but it's still very thin. It's indigo, just like her mother's own locks, and ends at her shoulders. Her eyes were hazel, a lighter shade than Violet's brown orbs, wide and full of innocence. She's a sweet little girl, but it concerns me that she wants to be _just like _Dakota. That girl is literally Vanessa's idol. Even _she's_ gotten into the habit of walking around and announcing her full name to everyone!

Lola is the youngest, and I think I like her best because she's easier to manage than the older two. It might be because she's only twenty months old, but it could also be because she doesn't seem to want to take after either Dakota or Vanessa. She's obsessed with Misty, which Misty of course loves. She thinks it's the greatest thing ever. I can tell that every time Lola wants Misty's attention, Misty's eyes light up. It's Lola who makes Misty want a baby in the worst way, and that makes me a little nervous. I guess I can't blame her, though. Lola is extremely adorable. She's got bright pink hair, just like Lily, that's short and straight and fashioned into a bob. Her eyes are a clear cobalt blue, and she's almost always smiling and cheerful.

Misty has known and had a relationship with all three of these girls since the day they were born. Before they were all born, even. But I didn't. I was just now getting to know them because soon, as Misty kept reminding me, they would be my nieces too. For some reason, I found that to be just as nerve-wracking as the thought of becoming someone's father in the future. Being an uncle was definitely a lot less responsibility, but it still meant being a role model for someone else. Someone young and impressionable. I don't understand why being Pokémon Master and having kids look up to me feels so much easier, though. Maybe because these girls are related to Misty, are practically her "surrogate daughters and I fear making a mistake with them and facing my fiancée's wrath.

That's why I wasn't really looking forward to this whole "babysitting" thing. It was supposed to be to help me bond with the girls better, but all it was doing at the moment was stressing me out. I had been outside training when they'd been dropped off, and as soon as I walked in for a drink, the first thing I saw was the three of them, sitting on the couch and patiently waiting for Misty to finish speaking to their mothers.

Dakota was wearing a red lace dress with a drop waist skirt and an open white cardigan layered over it. On her feet were matching white ballet flats, with straps around her ankles and jewels on her toes, and in her hair was a headband with a big, red chiffon flower on the left side of her head.

Vanessa was dressed just as nicely, in a long sleeved, boat neck ivory top with red wave lines going across the shirt and gold buttons adorning the shoulders. Red leggings and metallic gold boots adorned her lower half, while a small gold bow was clipped onto the right side of her hair.

Lola…well, maybe she wasn't as patient as her older cousins. She was standing up on the couch, her back to me with her head tilted to the side as she occasionally bounced herself up and down. I always got in trouble for standing on that same couch when I was younger, and it was because Mom was afraid of me getting hurt. So now I was afraid of _Lola_ getting hurt! I scampered forward and picked the girl up by her sides, causing her to giggle. Biting my lower lip, I hesitantly carried her over to Misty, who looked over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow.

"She was standing on the couch," I informed her honestly, "and I got nervous."

Misty sighed and took the baby from my hands, smiling at Lola once she had her in her arms. That's when I finally got a good view of Lola's outfit: a white hooded sweatshirt layered over a light green T-shirt and orange jeans printed with white stars. White slip on canvas sneakers covered her feet, and-

"Lola, where did your hair clip go?!"

Apparently, there was supposed to be something in her hair as well. I didn't see anything, though.

"Maybe it fell out?" I suggested lamely.

"No, I know for a fact that Lola's been pulling it out again!" Lily groaned. "Lola, how many times does Mommy have to tell you not to do that?"

"Dunno," Lola murmured. I smirked at this. The kid could really care less about Lily scolding her. Maybe _that's_ why Lola was my favorite.

"If I find it anywhere, I'll be sure to put it back in her hair," Misty assured her older sister.

"Thanks, baby sister!" Lily squealed, causing Misty to scowl. "You're the best!"

"Now Misty, make sure Dakota doesn't ruin that dress of hers," Daisy instructed her youngest sister. "It's brand new, and it was _very _expensive!"

"I got it," Misty sighed, rolling her eyes for good measure.

"And don't give Vanessa any sugar," Violet added. "William and I have been clean eating and we're only giving Vanessa healthy foods."

"Right," Misty groaned, sideways glancing at me.

Once her sisters were satisfied making all of their demands and had left, Misty closed the door and sighed, leaning her already weary body against it.

"I thought they'd never leave!" Misty grumbled under her breath.

"Aun'ie," Lola giggled softly. This brought a smile to Misty's face, who proceeded to cuddle the already happy baby.

"Hey, Mist…" I began, "Daisy said Dakota's dress is expensive…how much could a dress for such a little girl possibly cost?"

"Try $130," Misty replied, causing my jaw to drop.

"I don't even spend that much on _my _clothes!" I gasped. "Dakota is so small, there's barely any fabric!"

"It's pretty ridiculous, but if that's the way my sister wants to raise her kid, I can't call her out on it," Misty sighed. "Dakota is her daughter, not mine."

At this, I bit my lower lip. "So…if we ever had a daughter…hypothetically, of course…you would raise her differently?"

This question got a genuine smile out of my pretty Misty. "Of course! We would _both_ raise her differently."

I watched silently, with a grin on my own face, as Misty walked back into the living room, still holding Lola against her hip. Dakota and Vanessa stared up at their aunt and smiled at her, much to Misty's delight. She really did love those girls.

"Okay, girls, what do you want to do today?" Misty asked. "I'd like for all of you to get to know Ash a little better!"

Dakota and Vanessa immediately turned their gazes onto me, causing my eyes to widen out of considerable fear. I couldn't help it…little girls can be kind of scary! They look innocent, but I've seen them act up before, and it's anything but sweet.

"Is he ouw Uncle?" Dakota demanded to know.

"Not yet, but he will be!" Misty replied, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up. For some reason, Dakota's tone had startled me a bit.

"Why?" Vanessa squeaked.

"Because I'm going to marry him," Misty answered. "I'm your aunt because your mommies are my sisters, but all of your uncles are your uncles because they're married to our sisters! Ash and I just aren't married yet."

"Do we _hafta_ call him Uncle Ash?" Dakota whined, causing my eyes to widen in surprise.

"Well…it would be nice," Misty murmured, seeming just as shocked as I was.

"Aah?" Lola shrieked, pointing at me and tilting her head to the side. At this, Misty giggled and offered the little girl to me, which prompted me to raise an eyebrow.

"What?" She pressed.

"You know I'm too nervous to hold her," I replied.

"But you carried her over to me before!"

"And I was terrified the entire time!"

"But look how cute she is," Misty cooed, lifting Lola up closer to my face. I narrowed my eyes, as if trying to ignore the little girl's face. It wasn't much use, though. Lola was still beaming, her bright blue eyes wide as she giggled and held a somewhat curious hand out towards me. Finally, although still nervous, I took Lola into my own arms and held her against my body, gritting my teeth together as I made sure to keep my grip around her tight.

"Aah," Lola repeated, tugging at my dark blue jacket with her little fingers.

"Aw, listen, she's trying to say your name!" Misty squealed. "I think Lola really likes you, Ashy."

"How does she know?" I couldn't help but to ask. "She's not even two years old yet. I've only known her as a baby! How could she know that I'm a good person?"

"She doesn't really _know,_ but she senses it," Misty explained. "Babies are smart like that."

"Oh, like Pokémon!" I chuckled. At this, Misty smirked and playfully shook her head, but she couldn't argue the fact. It was true, of course. She just couldn't believe that I could always find a way to connect everything back to Pokémon.

Even babies.

"Aunt Misty," Dakota finally spoke again, "can we-"

Her voice was cut off by a high pitched ring, which caught both my attention and Misty's. Peering down at her waist, Misty plucked her white and light blue poke gear off of her belt and checked the screen, rolling her emerald green eyes after seeing whatever it was that was making the phone go crazy.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I've got a challenger at the gym," Misty groaned. "Oh, I know I should have closed it! But I felt so guilty, seeing as I wasn't there most of last week due to all of the wedding shopping your mom took me to do. I know I probably shouldn't leave you and the girls here alone…are you sure you can take care of them?"

No. No, I wasn't. But there was no way I could tell Misty that! She would absolutely _freak _if I told her I was too nervous to be left alone with her, and soon to be _our_, nieces. So, I really had no choice but to pretend to be strong…and lie.

"Of course I can! Leave it to me, Mist. The girls are in perfectly capable hands!"

Misty smiled at me, albeit unsurely, but she quickly shook off that feeling and managed to give me a more confident grin. Turning towards the two older girls, Misty informed them, "you two behave for Ash, alright? I'll be back as quickly as possible!"

Misty hurried right out the front door, leaving me behind quite flustered, and the three young girls quite confused. I had no idea what to do with them, or what they even thought was fun. So, I figured that maybe just asking them would be a good idea.

"So…what is it that you girls like to play?" I queried. "Do you like…dressing up?"

Now, this was Mom's house, and I was an only child, so it's not like we have any little girl dress up clothes from when I was little. We had her clothes, and some of Misty's, so I figured that I could at least borrow some of those for the girls. The _women_ might get mad at me for it, but right now, my concern was entertaining the kids.

"Yeah…" Dakota murmured, "But not today."

"Not today?" I repeated incredulously. "Then what?"

"Paint!" Vanessa suggested in a squeaky voice.

"Oh…you want to paint?" I asked.

"Yeah!" Dakota and Vanessa both squealed.

"Okay…" I breathed. Believe it or not, I knew we had paints in the house. Mom likes to experiment with all different kinds of hobbies, and lately, painting has been one of them. I brought the girls into the kitchen and sat them all at the table, since I figured it would be easiest for them to work there. I found the jars of paint in a drawer in the living room, but discovered there was a problem with the paintbrushes: they were much too big for such little girls. I didn't have any smaller, plastic brushes that were made for children. Frowning, I carried the jars of paint back into the kitchen and put them down in front of the girls, folding my arms over my chest and trying to think up a way for them to be able to paint. Before I could come up with anything, however, Dakota had already opened up the bottle of purple paint and stuck her little fingers into the jar.

"Dakota!" I gasped, watching in awe as the girl dragged her paint covered finger tips across the white sheet of paper I had laid out in front of her.

"Fingew painting!" Dakota cheered, laughing girlishly afterwards.

"I guess it's not a bad idea," I conceded. Looking down at Lola, who was still sitting happily in my grasp, I mentally decided that she was a little too young to finger paint. I was afraid of her putting her hands in the paint and then trying to stick it in her mouth. I sighed and smirked to myself, shaking my head. I was already being weirdly overprotective, and Lola wasn't my daughter! Hell, she wasn't even my _niece_ just yet! "Lola, how about you and I play with something else while your cousins paint, huh?"

"Ya," Lola babbled, causing me to laugh.

I put her down on the floor with the intention of sitting down and playing with her, but apparently, the little pink haired girl had other ideas. She shrieked and ran back into the living room, causing me to gasp and dart after her. Fortunately, she wasn't up to anything naughty. It seemed that she just wanted to try and climb back onto the couch, which she was too small to do. Laughing, I walked over to her and lifted the little thing back up, causing her to squeak. "You sure are adventurous. I know you don't get that from your mommy, Lola! Probably from your daddy, huh?"

"Dada," Lola repeated.

With Lola back in my grasp, something sitting on the couch cushion caught my attention: a small orange bow with a white star in the middle.

"Oops," I chuckled, bending down to pick up the clip. "I guess this is what fell out of your hair before. At least I found it!"

When I held the bow up in front of Lola, she whined and turned her head away from it. That's when I got the hint that little Lola wasn't exactly a fan of the bow being clipped into her hair. Smiling sympathetically, I left it on the side table, which seemed to bring an immediate sense of relief to the child.

"There, I won't put it back in if you don't want!" I crooned, earning a smile from Lola for that one.

"Oops!"

My ears perking, I bit my lip nervously as I made my way back into the kitchen, carrying Lola the whole time. I was met with the sight of Dakota staring down at her red lace dress, which now had a splattering of purple paint on the front of it.

Wait…paint. On dress. On _expensive_ dress!

"Dakota!" I gasped, causing the little blonde to look up. "Y-your dress!"

"It's okay!" She squeaked.

"But…but your Mom…"

"I don' care," Dakota replied quite stoically. "Mommy nevew, _evew _lets me fingew paint! Not evew! This is fun!"

Even though I was well aware that Daisy was kind of psycho, I was pretty surprised that she didn't even allow her daughter to paint. Especially considering that her husband was quite the artist himself! But I suppose Daisy valued Dakota's fancy outfits more than allowing the poor kid to risk it with fun, but messy, activities.

No way was I going to make Dakota stop now.

I let her and Vanessa finish up their paintings while I played on the floor with Lola. Apparently, Lily had brought Lola's favorite toy over: a little stuffed doll with blonde string hair and a pink dress and sunhat. Just dancing the doll around seemed to make Lola happy and entertain her, so at least that was easy. After a while, Dakota and Vanessa announced to me that their paintings were done, and that they wanted to do something else now. I stood up and studied the two pieces of paper, which were both covered by an array of mixed colors that formed no particular shapes or any discernible images. I supposed this was typical for such little kids, though.

"Wow, guys, those are great!" I complimented them anyway. I assumed that would make them happy, which it did.

"Thanks!" Dakota chirped.

"I'ma give mine ta' Aun' Mis'y!" Vanessa added.

"Me too!" Dakota chimed.

"Well, she'll love them," I chuckled. "But we should let them sit on the table and dry! We don't want the paint to get anywhere. Well…anywhere that it hasn't already gotten!"

Dakota looked down at her sullied dress and giggled. I'm sure Misty wouldn't when she returned, nor would Daisy when she and her sisters came back from their shopping trip. But if I could get that smile out of Dakota and let the girl have fun for just a bit, well then, I was willing to accept punishment.

"You know, you girls have been really good the whole time your Aunt Misty has been gone!" I commented. This earned warm but curious smiles from the two older girls. Lola, of course, was still too young to fully understand, and she was too busy playing with her stuffed doll anyway. "I think I'll give you both a treat for behaving so well!"

This caused the girls to laugh wildly and begin running in circles around my legs. I was really amazed that, just about thirty minutes ago, they were both wary of me and I had no idea what to do with either of them. Now, they seemed to be pretty happy with me and my babysitting methods. It was a pretty good confidence booster for myself!

Walking over to the pantry, I opened it up and found the licorice container. It was my favorite kind of candy and, even though I really wasn't supposed to eat too much of it because sugar made me so hyper, Mom always kept some around so I could have it as a treat every once in a while. In small doses. Taking out four of the red pieces, I closed the pantry door and walked back over to the girls, handing each one two strings of licorice, much to their delight.

"There you go!" I chuckled.

"Thank you!" Both girls trilled before happily munching away at their special treats. While they were busy with that, the sound of the front door opening caused them to giggle and run back into the living room, with me following closely behind. It was, just as I had expected, Misty standing in the doorway. She seemed happy, but when she looked down and saw her two older nieces, that expression quickly changed.

"Ash!" She hissed.

"What?" I murmured. I knew I was about to get hell for Dakota's dress.

"Dakota's expensive dress is covered in paint!" Misty cried. Called it! "And after Daisy specifically told us not to mess it up!"

"I'm sorry, but the girls wanted to paint, and I thought it'd be a fun thing to do!" I sighed.

"That's fine, but you should have put something over them first!" Misty groaned. "And you gave Vanessa _licorice?_"

"Yeah, that was their reward! They've been so good this entire time!" I defended myself.

"Ash, she's not supposed to have any sugar," Misty whined. "Violet has only been giving her healthy foods! Licorice isn't healthy!"

"Maybe not, but it definitely tastes better," I grumbled.

"Ash!"

"What, it's only two pieces!" I argued. "Violet doesn't even have to know!"

Misty opened her mouth to argue with me, but whatever she had in mind was quickly cut off by the squeaky voices of the two little girls standing in between us.

"Aun' Mis'y, we hads fun!" Vanessa laughed.

"Yeah!" Dakota agreed. "Uncle Ash is the bestest uncle evew!"

Misty's eyes widened with surprise, and while mine did as well, they also shined with glee. I actually got them to call me their uncle! Without even trying! And, I had to admit, it felt pretty great. I didn't know if I could handle that role, but hearing them call me that made me a lot more confident that I could.

"You guys really had fun with me?" I asked them, the smile still playing on my lips. They both spun around and nodded vigorously, while Lola cooed and pressed her stuffed doll into my shoulder.

"Un Aah!" Lola squealed.

"Wow, even Lola is trying to call me her uncle!" I chuckled. "Guess I really have nieces now, don't I?"

I looked up from the girls just in time to see the sweetest, most heartfelt look on Misty's face. It looked, in fact, as though she were about to start crying. I was beginning to wonder if it was her "monthly gift," because she had softened up much faster than usual. That's usually what happened during it anyway.

"Oh, Ash, you're right," Misty breathed. "You really do! They're your nieces, just as much as they are mine. So…we're _both_ going to have to take the heat for letting them do all this stuff."

"I'm glad you see it that-WAIT WHAT?"

* * *

><p><strong>Teehee, Ash is learning all about being an uncle :P And that includes spoiling with some potential consequence! <strong>


	163. Just Be Cousins

**Dakota's back! But she's older here...and it's focusing on a different relationship this time. Going by the title, I suppose you can guess which one ;)**

**Aiden: 8 years old**

**Dakota: 12 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Just Be Cousins<strong>

Aiden Nash Ketchum and Dakota LeighAnne Sketchit might have been cousins, but that didn't mean they necessarily had to be friends.

Or even get along, for that matter.

The two fought so much that people mistook them for siblings. Neither one looked like the other: Dakota had wavy, golden blonde hair that was always neat. Aiden's hair was as black as midnight, and as unkempt as a Pidgey's nest. Dakota's eyes were a shimmering sea green, and Aiden's were reminiscent of melted chocolate.

They didn't act like one another either. Dakota's voice was soft, and Aiden's was always loud. She was as delicate and feminine as could be, but he was rough and extremely boyish. Putting them together almost always resulted in disaster.

That's why this meeting was one of rather prominent concern.

Daisy, Tracey, and Dakota had come over to the Ketchum house for dinner one night. Dakota had decided to bring her object of affection with her: a sweet little Purrloin named Queenie that she had brought back from Unova.

It was her pet. Not meant to be used for battles.

Michelle thought it was just the cutest thing. Elizabeth, who was still too young to understand everything about Pokémon, simply liked petting the cat (gently, as Ash had taught her) and calling her "purr-purr," because "Purrloin" was too hard for her to say.

Aiden, on the other hand, was not as impressed as his female siblings. He didn't like the idea of being so against battling with a Pokémon, and even more so than that, he didn't like the method by which his cousin had gotten the dark type. According to her, she had bought it at a pet store in Nimbasa City.

This infuriated Aiden. He thought that selling Pokémon should be a crime, even if it was just for companionship. No one should be making money off of them! Pokémon were meant to live in the wild, and be caught by trainers who would build bonds with them and work together as a team.

So, when he walked past his oldest cousin sitting on the couch in the living room and brushing Queenie's purple fur, he felt the need to go up to her and pick a fight. Because the subject just nagged at him every time she was around.

"Hey Dakota!" Aiden greeted in a grossly overjoyed tone. "Having fun with your enslaved Pokémon?"

"Leave me alone, Aiden," Dakota sighed, rolling her eyes. "I don't have time for bratty little boys."

"First of all, I'm not little, and second of all, I'm nowhere _near_ as bratty as _you_ are!" Aiden accused.

"Funny, because you certainly act like it," Dakota hummed.

"At least when I get old enough to have a Pokémon, I won't buy it from a pet store!" Aiden yelled.

"Would you keep your mouth shut?!" Dakota hissed, a shadow of fear flashing through her eyes. This confused Aiden, as he pulled himself up and blinked his own wide orbs.

"What's with _that_ reaction?" Aiden demanded. "It's the truth!"

"No it isn't!" Dakota replied through ground teeth.

"That's what you've been telling me since the first day you had Queenie!" Aiden argued, pointing at the purple cat sitting on his cousin's lap.

"Yeah, and it's a _lie,_" Dakota continued. "So quit screaming it before my parents come in here and get on my case!"

Now Aiden was just confused. "Why would you lie about something like that? What's the point?"

Huffing, Dakota rolled her eyes and replied, "to keep up appearances. Duh."

"With who?" Aiden asked incredulously.

"Mackenzie and Kitty, who else?"

Aiden pressed his lips together and furrowed his brow. Mackenzie Halestrom and Kitty Carter were Dakota's two best friends. Aiden had only met the girls once or twice, but he knew for sure he didn't like them. They were snobby and obnoxious, perhaps even more so than Dakota. Mackenzie, with her curly light brown hair always tied up into a high ponytail and light blue eyes like ice, and Kitty, with her stick straight, pale blonde hair and magenta eyes, were both Dakota's main influences. Your typical fashion obsessed, irritating pre-teen girls, only worse. They both had their own "pet Pokémon" as well: Mackenzie had a Piplup named Princess, and Kitty owned a Buneary named Bon-Bon. Apparently, though, they were both jealous of Queenie because she was a rare Unova Pokémon that almost no one else in Kanto would have.

Just another reason Aiden didn't like them.

"What do you have to impress them for?" Aiden scoffed. "They're lame."

"They're not lame, they're my friends," Dakota growled, obviously offended by Aiden's remark.

"Look, I don't exactly know how girls work, even though I've got two of 'em for sisters, but they don't sound like very good friends if you have to lie to them just for them to like you," Aiden continued.

"You're starting to sound like Aunt Misty!" Dakota whined, holding Queenie closer.

"Maybe it's because I'm her kid," Aiden deadpanned.

"Whatever. Just…drop it."

"I want to know where you actually got Queenie from," Aiden demanded.

"I told you, I got her in Nimbasa City."

"You said that was a lie."

"Only the pet shop part!"

Rolling his eyes, Aiden sat down next to Dakota, who huffed in aggravation at that simple action. "Come on, Dakota. Just tell me. I won't tell anyone else, I promise! Not even my parents!"

Raising a blonde eyebrow, Dakota muttered, "you _really_ promise?"

Aiden nodded vigorously. "I _swear._"

"Alright, fine…" Dakota sighed. "I _was_ in Nimbasa City, that's true, like I said…"

_I had gone there for a fashion show with Mom. She was modeling in it, and we were going to meet Elesa. But, until then, Mom had to get ready. It wasn't much I could help out with, although I _did _want to stick around and look at all the clothes and makeup. Dad wouldn't let me, though. He said I had to some kid stuff while we were there, because there was someplace he really wanted to take me._

_Turns out it was the amusement park. Nimbasa City is famous for it. There's a big Ferris wheel and all sorts of rides. I still wanted to spend time at the fashion show, but I figured before it I could go to the amusement park with Dad. I do love those kinds of things, after all!_

_We spent all day going on the rides and playing the different games. Dad won me all sorts of really cute stuffed Pokémon! Eventually, we stopped for a snack and sat down at a little table to eat them. What neither of us had noticed, however, was that a small Pokémon had been following us around all afternoon. Finally, when Dad and I had sat down to eat, that Pokémon decided to make its presence known to us. It jumped up on one of the empty chairs, which really surprised me and Dad. We both looked down at the same time and caught sight of Purrloin. _

_She was just the cutest thing I had ever seen! Big, green eyes, the softest purple fur, and the long, flowing tail! But I could tell that something was wrong with the poor thing._

_She was very skinny; way too skinny, in fact. Dad took a better look at her and told me it seemed that she was malnourished. I felt terrible and wanted to feed Purrloin some of my funnel cake, but Dad wouldn't let me, because he said it wasn't any good for her. Instead, he took out some Pokémon food he had brought with him in his backpack. We were going to visit Professor Juniper a few days after the fashion show, because Professor Oak had asked Dad to show her the Pokémon food that he'd been working on for him. Dad was really proud of the hard work he'd put into the food, and thought it would be the perfect thing for Purrloin to eat because it was good for her and he had plenty of it. He got a bowl and poured the food into it, and we both watched on curiously. Fortunately, Purrloin dug right in and loved every bite of it! She loved it so much and was so hungry, in fact, that she ended up eating a canister and a half of food._

_While we watched Purrloin eat, Dad told me it was obvious that she hadn't eaten in quite some time. When she was done, I asked Purrloin if she had a home or a trainer. She shook her head no, and that made me feel just awful. That's when my Dad came to the conclusion that Purrloin had been living on the streets of Nimbasa City, probably going from ally to ally in search of food and shelter. That just made me feel even worse. I couldn't stand the thought of any Pokémon living that way, especially one as sweet and adorable as Purrloin!_

_So, I decided to ask Dad if I could take Purrloin home with me. I'm twelve, after all, and old enough to be a Pokémon trainer, even though I don't want to be. And all of my friends have Pokémon of their own! I swore I would take care of her and make sure she was well fed and groomed._

_I was so happy when my Dad said yes! I picked Purrloin right up and started to pet her, which made her just as happy as I was. When I asked her if she wanted to become my Pokémon, and come back to Kanto with me, she agreed right away! I also decided that she should have a new name, since she had gone her entire life with no one to care for her, and nothing of her own. The least I could give her was a name that belonged to her. I suggested "Queenie," and she was very happy with it. _

_Dad and I brought Queenie back to Mom at the fashion show, and Mom thought she was just as adorable as I did. She was perfectly fine with me taking Queenie in as my own! A few days later, we told Professor Juniper all about it, and she was proud of me as well. She was sure that I would take very good care of Queenie, and that she'd be much happier and better off with me than living on the streets. So, after that trip, she came back home with us, and that's where we've been ever since!_

"So…that's the _real _story of how I got Queenie," Dakota finished, her tone flattening out.

Had the girl looked over, she would have seen her only male cousin's eyes shimmering. After having heard that story, he had gained so much respect for his cousin! It was really amazing that she had saved a Pokémon who had no home or steady source of food. But, one thing was still bothering him…

"Why can't you tell Mackenzie and Kitty that?" Aiden inquired. "It's a great story! Much better than a lie about getting her in a store."

"Because then they'll call Queenie a mangy stray or something like that, and I don't want that to happen," Dakota replied steadily. "Queenie is an amazing Pokémon, and just because she came off the streets doesn't mean she's not as good as a Pokémon as theirs. But there's no way I can convince them of this, so I just have to tell them a lie. It's annoying, but it is what it is."

Aiden smirked. "So…you're finally admitting they're not very good friends?"

"No, they're still my friends," Dakota snapped slightly. "But they're just a little…unintelligent is all. Not their faults. Besides, I'm just trying to protect Queenie. Not myself."

"I guess that makes sense," Aiden sighed. "Thanks for the cool story, though!"

"Yeah, well…don't get used to it," Dakota huffed as she stood up, Queenie still held in her folded arms as her lavender chiffon dress with paisley print and ruffled neckline and front coming into view. "I'm not your personal entertainment."

"Good," Aiden replied, leaning back on the couch as he folded his arms behind his head, "because I don't like clowns."

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!"


	164. Paper Cut

**Ash and Michelle fluff warning ahead :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Paper Cut<strong>

"Okay, guys, I'm going to teach you how to make paper airplanes!"

Aiden and Michelle quietly watched their father as he folded the piece of paper in front of himself in half before opening it up again and folding in the two top corners until they touched the crease that had been created in the middle of the paper. He then refolded the sheet and bent down the two sides before re-creasing the center so the two wings would stick up. Smiling, he held up the newly created paper plane for the twins to see. They both pressed their hands against the table to push themselves off of their chairs and stare in awe at the creation.

"Once you're done making them, we can even decorate them!" Ash chuckled at the twins' obvious excitement. "And then, we'll take the planes outside and see just how well they fly."

"Mine's gonna be red!" Aiden squealed, grabbing his own piece of white paper along with a red marker. He started to fold the paper, with Michelle watching on intently.

"Shelly, here's your piece of paper," Ash offered, moving a sheet of paper towards his daughter. She quietly took it and continued to watch her brother, trying to properly figure out how to fold the paper. Ash was about to offer to help, but Michelle was soon folding her paper in half and doing just as her father had taught her and her brother to do it.

As she was folding in the corners of the paper, however, Michelle accidentally ran her small finger over the edge of the paper. She instantly yelped and pulled her hand away from the paper, shrieking and panicking as she held the wrist of her injured hand in her other small hand.

"Michelle, what happened?" Ash asked, his eyes flickering with confusion and tone flooded with concern.

"Ouchie!" Michelle wailed, wiggling the fingers on her right hand in the air. "Owww!"

Getting up from his chair, Ash walked over to Michelle and knelt down to examine the child's hand. On her right index finger was a small, but bright red, cut. She had obviously given herself a paper cut from the folding the corners.

"Aw, my poor little girl," Ash cooed. "It's just a little paper cut! It'll feel better in no time!"

"But Daddy, it hurts!" Michelle gasped through a particularly loud sob.

Frowning, Ash lifted Michelle off of her seat and carried her over instead to the counter. He sat her up there so he could get a better look at the paper cut that was making her so upset. It certainly wasn't that bad, but Ash knew they could still be pretty painful, no matter the size of the cut. Besides, Michelle seemed to be very sensitive to any kind of pain, so he wasn't surprised that she was so upset by it.

"Don't worry, princess," Ash softly assured his still sniffling daughter. "Daddy is going to fix you right up!"

"We need Brock," Michelle replied glumly.

"Now why would we need Brock for such a silly little thing like a paper cut?" Ash playfully asked, although he knew his daughter was being completely serious.

"'cause he's a doctor," Michelle answered. "He can fix me!"

"Well, Brock may be a doctor, but I'm your Daddy," Ash continued. "I'm even more trained than he is to take care of this kind of stuff!"

At this, Michelle seemed to be surprised. "Really?"

"Of course," Ash chuckled, throwing in a wink for good measure. "And I'll show you just how I fix it!"

Bustling out of the kitchen and up the stairs, Ash entered the bathroom and opened up one of the cabinets, pulling out some antiseptic spray and a small bandage. It was one of the decorative ones that Misty bought specifically for the kids, though it was still wrapped so Ash had no idea what was actually on the band aid.

With his medical supplies in hand, Ash went back down the stairs and returned to the kitchen, where Aiden was still working on his paper plane at the table and Michelle was still sitting patiently on the counter.

"Ready for Doctor Daddy to take care of your little paper cut?" Ash asked his daughter with a smirk.

"You're not a doctor!" Michelle argued.

"Not a _real _one, no," Ash conceded. "I'm like a pretend doctor, I guess. But I'll fix you up just as good as any real doctor!"

Taking the antiseptic, Ash uncapped the bottle and sprayed some of the liquid onto Michelle's hurt fingertip, causing her to yelp and frantically wave her hand around in the air.

"Oops, I forgot to warn ya' that it was going to burn a little bit," Ash sheepishly admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry, baby girl."

"Yeah," Michelle agreed, a pout playing on her lips.

"But it will help your cut to heal faster," Ash reasoned. "Besides, I've got something that will make the stinging feeling go away super-fast!"

Michelle watched on in interest as her father tore the paper wrapping off of the band aid he had brought down along with the spray. The one he had ended up choosing was yellow in color and printed with happy little Bulbasaur and colorful flowers.

"Wow, what a pretty band aid!" Ash marveled, peeling the backing off of the bandage and gently wrapping it around his daughter's finger. Once it was firmly on, Michelle moved her hand in front of her face to study the band aid.

"I like it!" Michelle giggled.

"I did a good job, huh?" Ash inquired.

"Yes," Michelle finally admitted to her father.

"Oh, wait, I have one last thing to do to make your finger feel better!" Ash gasped.

"What?" Michelle questioned, blinking her wide green eyes.

Taking his daughter's right hand by her small wrist, Ash raised her fingers to his mouth and gently kissed the injured fingertip that was now being protected by the colorful band-aid.

"There!" Ash crowed. "All better, right?"

"Yeah!" Michelle shrieked laughingly. "No more ouchie!"

"That's right, I know how to fix 'em up better than anybody!" Ash laughed. "Even Brock! So, little girl, do you want to go finish your paper airplane?"

"Yes, Daddy," Michelle replied, holding her arms out so her father could lift her off of the counter. "But you gotta' fold the rest of it. No more ouchies!"

"Okay, little princess," Ash chuckled. "We'll play it safe and have me finish up the job! No problem!"

* * *

><p><strong>Ash to the rescue! Because he's definitely a better doctor than Brock ;)<strong>


	165. Elizabeth's Song

**I'm really stressed and depressed (rhyme lol) because it's the end of the semester and FINALS. Auuugh I don't deal well with stress :( Writing helps me though. So enjoy my stress fueled one shots! XD**

**Elizabeth: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Elizabeth's Song<strong>

"Tinkle tinkle ickle staw…tinkle tinkle staw staw staw."

Misty giggled softly and covered her mouth with her hand in an attempt to muffle the sound. She was peering into Elizabeth's bedroom from behind the doorframe, hoping not to get caught by the tiny girl. There was a method to her madness, of course.

It turns out that Elizabeth loved to sing, but she had never done it in front of anyone before. Misty would catch her doing it in her room while she was playing with her toys. It wasn't the most amazing singing she had ever heard, technique wise. Of course it wasn't; Elizabeth was only two years old. She still had a lisp and her vocabulary wasn't the best. She spoke like a toddler, so she sang like one too.

And Misty thought it was the most adorable thing she'd ever heard.

"What are you doing?"

Misty gasped before whipping around and quickly covering her mouth again. She found herself face to face with Ash, and once she was, she narrowed her eyes to glare at him.

"What?!" Ash whined. He didn't understand what he possibly could have done this time. He'd barely said a word to Misty, and already she was giving him the death glare!

"Shh, you have to be quiet!" Misty replied urgently and in a hushed voice.

"Why?" Ash dropped his voice to a whisper. "Is Elizabeth sleeping?"

"No," Misty answered. "She's playing."

This confused Ash. "So then why do we have to be quiet?"

"Because I'm…" Misty drew in her breath and stared silently at Ash. She didn't really know how else to word this, so she just came out with it in the best way she knew how. "Spying on her."

"Spying?" Ash chuckled. "On a two year old? What do you have to spy on her for? Did she sneak a two year old boy into her room? Has she been going hard on the milk bottle?"

"Shut it!" Misty hissed, smacking her husband's shoulder. "Or she'll stop!"

"Stop what?" Ash groaned. He didn't like not understanding what Misty was talking about.

Rolling her eyes, Misty grabbed Ash's hand and tugged him towards the doorframe so he could look in just as she'd been doing. Peering into the room, Ash stared down at his little daughter who was sitting on the floor and moving her baby rattle doll up and down. As she did that, she mumbled softly to herself, but the closer Ash leaned in, the more clear it became to him that Elizabeth was not speaking, but rather singing.

"Up and up and up and up…wike a dimey in a sky…"

"Aww," Ash cooed, smiling to himself as he kept his eyes on Elizabeth. "She's so precious!"

Unfortunately, he'd said that just a _bit _too loudly. Elizabeth's tiny ears perked and she looked over her shoulder, instantly clutching the stuffed doll to her chest and letting out a small, self-conscious whimper.

"Oops," Ash murmured, covering his mouth much like Misty had done before.

"Dada," Elizabeth noted, squeezing her toy a little more tightly.

"Heh…hi there, baby girl," Ash greeted, stepping fully into the room. "You have a lovely singing voice, you know!"

Elizabeth frowned and moved her toy up to cover her face. It was obvious that she was embarrassed. She hadn't expected to be caught singing by her parents.

"Wow, Ash, embarrassing her already," Misty commented under her breath as she too entered the room. "I thought you would save that until she was a teenager!"

"I didn't mean to!" Ash cried desperately.

Playfully shaking her head, Misty knelt down beside their daughter and gently pulled the toy away from her face. Elizabeth was still frowning, and once the toy was down, she lifted it right back up, this time covering her mother's face instead of her own.

Gasping, Misty clicked her tongue and asked, "Lizzie, why are you making me hide behind Rara?"

Rara was the name that Elizabeth had given the stuffed baby doll. It rattled, and that had always been her favorite part about it. She couldn't say "rattle," however, so instead she had simply resorted to calling the toy "Rara." It had a light colored face and hands, with sewn on brown hair sticking out from beneath a pink cap. The stuffed doll's body was covered by pink pajamas, and she had a very sweet face with embroidered closed eyes and a happy pink smile.

"No," Elizabeth whined, much to Misty's surprise. "No singy."

"Oh, you didn't want Mama or Dada to hear you singing, did you?" Misty crooned. Wordlessly, Elizabeth nodded her head. "Aw, my poor sprinkle got embarrassed. I'm so sorry, baby!"

Misty picked up the girl and sat her down in her lap, stroking the toddler's dark red hair. Elizabeth was still pouting, although now she had resorted to once again holding Rara against her body instead of up in the air.

"Daddy is right though, you do sound so pretty when you sing!" Misty added.

"Tank," Elizabeth mumbled.

"How come you don't want to sing in front of us, pumpkin?" Ash asked, sitting down in front of his wife and daughter.

"I dunno," Elizabeth replied just as softly as before, moving Rara up ever so slightly just so it would cover her mouth.

"You don't have to be so shy about it, you know!" Ash continued. "Mommy and I would love to hear you sing some more!"

"But you don't have to if you don't want to," Misty informed their toddler, who was still wearing a rather anxious look on her face.

Elizabeth sat in silence for a short moment before clambering off of her mother's lap and instead walking over to her toy chest in the corner of the room. Quickly throwing Rara on the floor, Elizabeth leaned over into the white wooden box with her name printed in pink script across the front. She dug through the mess of toys that resided inside of the chest for a little while before pulling something out and scurrying back over to her confused parents. She held her hands out in front of them and revealed a pink and white plastic microphone.

"Isn't that supposed to go on a stand?" Ash asked his wife.

"Yeah, but who knows what Lizzie did with it," Misty sighed.

"I singy now," Elizabeth announced to her parents, who both raised their eyebrows in surprise.

"You…want to sing for us now?" Ash inquired.

"Yeah!" Elizabeth giggled.

"But I thought you were too ner-"

Ash's follow up question was interrupted by Misty flying forward to cover his mouth with her hand. Throwing their young daughter a happy smile, Misty continued, "Go ahead, baby. You sing for us! We're going to sit here and listen nicely."

"Okay!" Elizabeth squeaked.

Misty finally removed her hand from Ash's mouth, earning a small glare from him. Misty playfully stuck her tongue out at the man before putting all of her attention on the toddler who was waiting to entertain them. Beaming herself, Elizabeth raised the microphone to her mouth and began to sing into it, albeit not with the correct words.

"Tinkle tinkle ickle staw…tinkle tinkle staw staw staw. Up and up and up and up…wike a dimey in a sky. Tinkle tinkle ickle staw…tinkle tinkle staw staw staw."

While Elizabeth was singing her song, Ash took a glance at Misty and realized that she had tears forming in her emerald eyes. Elizabeth was making her cry! But, judging by the smile that was also present on Misty's face, those tears were _happy_ tears. And that made Ash tear up as well.

When Elizabeth had finished, she lowered the microphone and grinned at her parents, who politely clapped for the small child.

"Oh, Lizzie, that was beautiful!" Misty cooed, wiping at her eyes to get rid of the collected tears.

"Yeah, not a dry eye in the house!" Ash agreed laughingly.

"Tank," Elizabeth replied before running back over to Misty to retake her seat in the woman's lap. Misty smiled and hugged Elizabeth close, sighing happily once the girl was secure in her arms.

"So, what changed your mind, baby girl?" Ash asked his young daughter. "You didn't want to sing for us at all before! How come you were so excited to sing for us now?"

"Mikey!" Elizabeth answered, holding up the pink and white microphone in her hands.

"…oh," Ash murmured, "so…you won't perform without your microphone, huh?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "No."

"Sounds like a certain pink balloon Pokémon we used to know," Misty giggled, throwing Ash a knowing glance.

"Don't become a little diva, Elizabeth," Ash playfully warned his daughter. "If you do, no one will hire you to sing for them!"

"Yes dey do," Elizabeth argued.

"Oh?" Ash chuckled. "And why's that?"

"I'm cute."

Misty let out a loud giggle, while Ash groaned and warily eyed his wife. "Everything she knows she learned from you."

At this, Misty giggled yet again and winked at her flustered husband. "And what's wrong with that?"

* * *

><p><strong>Speaking about finals and stress, by the way, fans of A New Era should expect to see a new chapter once the school year ends, which is next week. Terribly sorry about a lack of those updates, but it's nearly impossible to get my head into a longer story with school going on. The attention span is shot. Soon, though!<strong>


	166. Bad Brock

**I hung out with my friend today (YAY end of the semester!) and I got this idea while I was talking to her. Because we do a lot of Pokémon stuff when we hang out :P **

**Aiden and Michelle: 6 years old**

**Elizabeth: 9 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Bad Brock<strong>

_Knock knock knock!_

"Ugh, Ash could you please get the door?"

…

_Knock knock knock!_

"Ash, I'm speaking to you!"

"Gah…"

"Mommy, Lizzie put my car in her mouth again!"

"Stop putting it in her face!"

"Shut up, Shelly!"

"Aiden, don't tell your sister to shut up, that isn't nice."

_Ring! Ring! Ring!_

"ASH IF YOU DON'T ANSWER THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW I SWEAR TO-"

"Alright, alright, I'm coming!"

Ash came running down the stairs, afraid that if he went any slower Misty would beat him with her mallet, which was certainly hidden somewhere in the house. Fortunately for him, she seemed to have her hands full with the children, which was why she couldn't answer the door herself in the first place. Walking up to it, Ash undid the lock and pulled open the door, finding himself face to face with none other than Brock once it was open.

"Brock-o!" Ash chuckled delightfully. "Hey bud! What's up?"

"Everything!" Brock replied with an equally strong laugh. He offered his hand to Ash, who smirked in response and bumped fists with the older male.

"Ugh, you two are such boys," Misty groaned, wincing as Aiden and Michelle both reached over her head in an attempt to fight with one another.

"Hey there, Misty!" Brock greeted cheerfully, fully entering the house by Ash's invitation. "How's it going?"

"Oh, just _fantastic,_" Misty drawled sarcastically. She had baby Elizabeth in her arms, who was sucking valiantly on a red plastic car that Aiden had one hand on in an attempt to yank it out of the baby's mouth. His other hand was interlocked with Michelle's. The little red head was sitting on her knees behind her mother, leaning against Misty's back and tugging angrily at her brother's hand, dragging him into Misty's side so he couldn't hit the baby with his body.

"The kids seem to think she's a human jungle gym," Ash quietly informed his best friend with a small smile.

"Aw, Misty and her babies," Brock cooed, causing the gym leader to roll her eyes in aggravation. "So, I guess number four isn't coming anytime soon?"

"I'll send Ash to the doctor for a special little procedure before _that_ ever happens," Misty muttered, causing Ash to whimper quietly and subconsciously lowering his hands.

"Don't worry about it," Brock whispered amusedly to the younger male. "She's just kidding."

"I really hope you're right," Ash murmured, his eyes wide with fear. That was enough to give Misty _some _relief, although that seemed to vanish as soon as the older kids' arms hit her in the side of the head.

"So, Brock-o, what's up?" Ash asked again, leading his old friend over to one of the couches in the living room. "Something great must have happened!"

"What, I can't come over just to see my best friends?" Brock chuckled, sitting down next to Ash.

"Of course you can, but you're always so busy at the clinic that I figure something big must have happened that caused you to rush over here so quickly," Ash snickered. "I mean, really, no warning at all!"

"Okay, _something_ might have gone down…" Brock laughed huskily.

"I know that look," Ash commented slyly. "You met a girl, didn't you?!"

"Yep, sure did!" Brock crowed. "She was so hot, too. Platinum blonde hair, ice blue eyes, some freckles across her nose…ugh, just beautiful."

"You didn't just hang out with her at…wherever you were, did you?"

"It was at a bar, and no," Brock replied with a devious smirk.

"Oh man," Ash chuckled darkly.

"We talked for a little bit at the bar, a few hours, actually," Brock recanted. "Turns out she has a thing for people who take care of others. As a Pokémon Doctor, that was a home run."

"I hear ya!" Ash laughed, earning a glare from Misty. "What was her name?"

"Anna," Brock replied dreamily. "She was literally so hot, Ash. I can't even begin to explain her! I wish I had gotten a picture of her."

"You didn't?" Ash sounded disappointed, much to Misty's annoyance.

"Haha no, we were too busy doing other things," Brock quipped.

"Oh!" Ash brimmed, as though he had just caught on. "So you mean you guys-"

"Hooked up? Yes, sir!" Brock chortled, earning a vivacious laugh from his younger friend as the two exchanged high fives.

"BROCK!" Misty cried frantically, her eyes narrowed in sheer frustration. "Not in front of the kids!"

"Oops, sorry!" Brock gasped, quickly covering his mouth.

"Mommy, what's Brock and Daddy talking 'bout?" Aiden asked his mother, finally releasing Michelle's hand which caused the young girl to go tumbling backwards.

"Nothing, don't worry about it," Misty sighed huffily.

"But I wanna' know," Aiden murmured with a pout on his face.

"Aiden, you're too young to understand," Misty groaned. "Besides, Daddy and Brock are being pigs. I don't want you talking like that. Ever."

"Daddy's good!" Aiden argued, his eyes shining with tears. Ash was the boy's hero, and he got very upset whenever anyone said anything bad about him. Obviously, Misty was not immune to this little fact.

"I never said Daddy was a bad person, buddy," Misty soothed her son. "He's a very good person! Sometimes, Mommy just doesn't like the way he talks. I'm not being mean to him, okay?"

Aiden waited a few moments, but eventually he responded to his mother with a very quiet and unsure, "okay."

"Here, let's leave Daddy and Brock alone to talk, okay?" Misty asked her two older children, who looked up at her in confusion. "Mommy has to feed Elizabeth, and you two can keep me company. Sound good?"

As if understanding she was about to get fed, Elizabeth gurgled in delight and opened her mouth wide enough where the toy car fell right out and onto the floor. The drool that the car was now covered in ended up spilling onto the baby's white body suit printed with light green dots and adorned by mint hued ruffles running down the front of the layette. Misty groaned out of frustration and got to her feet before the infant could make any more of a mess. Aiden and Michelle followed suit, scurrying after their mother as she headed towards the stairs and went up the steps that led to the second floor.

"Sorry, I got a bit carried away and forgot that the kids were in the room," Brock admitted, an embarrassed blush gracing his cheeks.

"Don't worry about it!" Ash laughed cheerfully. "I'm way more concerned about them hearing bad words than something like that. They don't even understand what "hooking up" means, and I'm not going to explain it to them."

"Now I'm worried about _my_ lower half in relation to your wife," Brock murmured, cautiously eyeing his best friend.

"She would never go there with you," Ash snickered. "Just me, I promise. You might need to worry more about the upper half of your body, though. Like your head. Or your ears."

"Don't bring _that_ up, that was the _worst!_" Brock groaned, covering his ears with his hands out of habit. "Thanks Arceus Misty wasn't there last night. She would have dragged me away from Anna so fast my head would have spun!"

"Misty hasn't gone to a bar since the twins were babies," Ash mused. "I should make her go to one soon."

"Why, so you can check out the girls?" Brock asked skeptically, though still with an air of playfulness. "Misty wouldn't like that."

"Nah, I just miss going out with her like that," Ash replied. "Fancy restaurants are nice, but sometimes I want to do something a little more relaxed. Bars are always easy."

"Trust me, you're better off with the nice restaurants," Brock assured his younger friend. "A bar is no place for a married couple with kids to be hanging out at. I wouldn't even go myself if it wasn't for wanting to meet some nice girls."

"You certainly seem to have luck with it, though," Ash reasoned.

"Maybe, but these aren't the kind of girls I can see myself having a long term relationship with," Brock sighed. "None of them are ever looking for that. It's a one night kind of thing. Which is fine in the meantime, I guess. But I do want something like you and Misty have. Eventually."

"Not right now, though?" Ash clarified.

"No, I'm not ready yet," Brock admitted. "Don't get me wrong, I love having companionship! But I'm not ready to settle down just yet. My life is a little crazy, and I'd sort of feel guilty starting a serious relationship while I'm still swamped with work."

"I hear ya," Ash replied with a smile. "I know it seems like Misty and I sort of rushed into it. A lot of people ripped into us for it. But we'd been dating long enough to know it's what we wanted. And we're still _very _happy together, even if it doesn't seem like it to other people sometimes. Including you…heh."

"Nah, I know how much you two love one another," Brock chuckled. "You could never fool me. Not even with all of that fighting! Some people just don't understand the nature of your relationship. It's more unique than anyone else's I've ever seen."

"Either way, I know how it feels to be bugged about a relationship, so I'd never do that to you," Ash assured his best friend. "You just do whatever is right for you, and I'll support you!"

"Thanks bud," Brock riposted with a smile. "I always know I can come to you to talk!"

At that moment, Misty came back down the stairs, although more cautiously than she'd been going up them. She still had the baby in her arms, and Aiden and Michelle by her feet.

"It's alright, Mist," Ash called playfully. "Brock and I are done talking about "naughty" stuff. The kid friendly atmosphere has returned, so you can go back to being used as a human playground!"

"No thank you," Misty huffed. "I figured it would be good to leave you and Brock alone for a little while longer. I was going to take the kids for a walk. I'd like to get Elizabeth to take a nap, so I thought putting her in her stroller for a little while might help."

The baby giggled in response and reached up towards her head, trying to pull off the white, polka dot printed hat lined with a mint ruffle that matched her bodysuit. Misty clicked her tongue at this and shooed the baby's hands away, causing Elizabeth to babble unhappily.

Ash and Brock both chuckled at the baby's actions, watching as Misty continued down to the front door where she strapped Elizabeth into her floral printed stroller. The front door was soon opened up, with Michelle skipping out along with her mother. Aiden pretended to follow suit, but once he determined he could do it safely, the boy darted away from the door and up to his father and godfather, who both looked surprised by the boy's sudden bolt.

"Hey there, little man," Brock greeted cautiously. "What's up?"

"I wanna' know what you and Daddy were talkin' about!" Aiden chirped, a huge smile appearing on his face.

"Bud, Mommy already told you no," Ash gently warned his son. "Besides, it's just boring grown up stuff! You don't wanna' talk about that kind of stuff."

"Yes I do!" Aiden argued. "We're boys! They're girls! They're boring!"

"Hey, how about you go on a walk with Mommy and your sisters, and when you all come back, we can do something fun together?" Brock suggested to the frustrated child. "Something that's _not _too grown up for you?"

"I guess…" Aiden murmured. "Cars?"

"Sure," Brock chuckled. "If that's what you want to play with, then we definitely can!"

Aiden's smile reappeared, this time wider and more genuine than before. That was all Ash and Brock needed to see before the boy ran back over to the door and outside the house to rejoin his mother and sisters.

"Whew, that was a close one," Brock sighed, leaning back against the couch in relief.

"See, there's another reason you don't have to settle down so fast," Ash laughed. "My kids are practically _your_ kids! You have just as much a hand in raising them as I do!"

"Every time I leave this house, I think I have a few more gray hairs on my head."

"Welcome to my world, Brock-o."

* * *

><p><strong>Brock is just the carefree bachelor in my mind. He's happy that way, for now :P<strong>


	167. Grandfather Clause

**Guys, I finished my classes for freshman year of college :D Now I have finals but I can't focus on studying or my papers, so have a nice one shot that focuses on Misty's screwed up family life :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 and a half years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Grandfather Clause<strong>

As strange as it sounded, Michael found his relationship with his grandson to be rather frustrating.

The reason it sounded so ridiculous was because Aiden was only five years old. He was nothing more than a child. The boy barely knew how relationships worked outside of his immediate family. He loved his mother, he loved his father, and he loved his sister. They saw Ash's mother constantly, far more than Michael and his wife, so Aiden was very close to her. The same went for Brock.

For whatever reason, Aiden didn't seem to have as strong of a relationship with him or Lynne. The same went with Michelle. Michael was sure it had something to do with Misty. She may have been a grown adult, but she still had her problems with the two. Michael was no expert in the way children's brains worked, but he was certain that the tension between them and Misty somehow affected the twins. They obviously sensed the rigidity, and it made them hesitant. And Michael didn't want that.

Aiden was his only grandson. Misty was pregnant again, but with another girl. His older three daughters each had a daughter of their own, and then of course there was Michelle. Michael wanted to have a good relationship with the boy, and he would stop at nothing to try and get it.

Michael saw a golden opportunity to try and build up the relationship when Ash and Misty dropped the twins off at the house to be babysat while they went to one of Misty's doctor's appointments. Lynne always whisked Michelle off into the kitchen to teach her how to cook, so Michael figured while they were busy doing that, he could take Aiden outside and do something with the boy that he believed would help to give them a common interest.

His first concern arose when, at the front door, Aiden attached himself to his mother's leg and refused to let go. Misty was too big to actually lean down and get him off, so that became Ash's job. Unfortunately, Aiden was even more attached to his father than his mother, and as soon as the boy was in Ash's arms, it resulted in the man practically being choked by his young son.

"Ai-Aiden!" Ash managed to garble. "I…I c-can't breathe!"

"Don't go, Daddy!" Aiden whined.

"We'll be back before you know it, Aiden!" Misty sighed, tugging her son's arms off of Ash's neck. "There's no need to get so upset."

"I want Daddy to stay," Aiden moaned.

"Oh, sure, you want _Daddy _to stay," Misty huffed. "Yet before, it's _my _leg that you were holding onto for dear life!"

"I don't want you to go either," Aiden murmured.

"Well, that's better," Misty playfully snickered.

Michael just stood there watching the scene with one eyebrow raised, not exactly understanding the whole situation. He couldn't quite understand what the big deal was. His daughters had never fussed when he and Lynne had left for anything. They had always been content. Yet, with the twins, they seemed to become extraordinarily upset every time Ash and Misty left, and for the shortest periods of time. Michael had to wonder if the children being so attached to their parents was a bad thing. He didn't exactly agree with the way Ash and Misty were raising them, so it was entirely possible.

Lynne, on the other hand, seemed to be more understanding of Aiden's plight. She smiled sweetly and stepped forward, speaking softly into Aiden's ear and urging him to let go of Ash so the two could get going and return as soon as possible. Aiden still seemed wary, so Lynne went on to tell him about all of the fun things his grandfather had planned for the two of them that day.

"He wants to play all sorts of fun games with you!" Lynne gushed. "He's been talking about it all morning! Why don't you go with Grandpa and see what kind of fun things he's got planned?"

Aiden looked over his shoulder and stared right at Michael. The older male was always stunned by just how much Aiden looked like Ash. It was common, of course, to hear parents talk about which one their child most resembled. But with Aiden, it was almost as though he and Ash were the same exact person, physical features wise. They had the same exact coloring, although Aiden's skin was slightly fairer than his father's, probably because Misty herself was so light. Their eyes and hair were both dark, though: the same chocolate brown and the same midnight black. The eye shape was the same; even their noses were the same. The only physical feature that Aiden seemed to have inherited from his mother, in fact, was the mouth he had. Especially when he smiled. Aiden had Misty's warm, bright smile that had always managed to stop Michael's heart. He and Misty might have had their differences, but that didn't mean he didn't think his daughter was unmistakably gorgeous. Especially when she smiled. Maybe because she tended to do it so little around him now. Her smile reminded him of when she had been a little girl: far more innocent and not as uneasy. Aiden has the same exact smile, and whenever he flashed it, Michael actually could have sworn that the boy looked more like Misty than Ash. Just from that one physical feature.

Lynne's talk of fun games and exciting surprises seemed to have eased Aiden's anxiety to some extent. Enough to where he was willing to let go of his father and be placed in the arms of his grandmother. Lynne was quite happy to have accomplished this task, but almost as soon as she'd gotten the boy, she handed him straight off to Michael, who threw her a confused look.

"You two were going to do those activities together," Lynne explained calmly. "I figured you should get a head start on them."

"Sounds fine by me," Michael replied gruffly. Lynne was the opposite of him in every single way. She was far more calm and easygoing. She took life very simply, and as it came. Michael had to assume that's why they got along so well. Lynne seemed to calm the waves between them and keep everything tame. "Ready to go, Aiden?"

The boy frowned and looked over his shoulder at his parents. It was then that Michael also glanced towards them. Ash seemed a little distracted by this point, which didn't surprise the older man. Michael wasn't Ash's biggest fan, but he couldn't say he disliked the Pokémon Master. Ash was a kind boy who loved Misty and their children and took very good care of them all. Michael certainly couldn't complain about that.

And then there was Misty. Michael loved his daughter, despite her apparent disdain for him, and wished more than anything in the world the girl could find a way to forgive him and mend their relationship. She was so beautiful, probably because she looked just like her mother. But with brighter hair. Michael had always loved the color of Misty's locks. But it was still her smile that reigned supreme in his world. And there she was, showing it off now as she looked at Aiden and Michelle. Misty loved those two more than anything else in the world, and Michael was certain she already felt that way about the baby who had yet to be born…or rather, was _about _to be born. Misty was certainly at the end of her pregnancy; her white camisole was _very_ tight around her midsection. Michael had to assume that this was part of the reason Aiden was so attached to his parents. The boy was probably a little jealous.

"Take good care of them, okay?" Misty's voice snapped Michael out of his trance. He looked up and found his youngest daughter to be staring at him, a sense of near concern flashing in her emerald eyes. The smile had faded away, and she was holding onto her stomach with both hands.

"Of course I will," Michael assured his daughter. "We're going to have a wonderful time this afternoon."

"Good," Misty sighed, as though she were relieved. "Aiden, Michelle, you both behave for Grandma and Grandpa, okay?"

The twins chirped that they would, in fact, be on their best behavior, and with that, Ash and Misty were off. As soon as they were gone, Lynne brought Michelle into the kitchen so they could begin baking. Michael put Aiden down on the floor and led the child to the back door, where they headed outside. Once in the backyard, Aiden let out a delightful little giggle and ran right into the center of the yard, spinning around and expecting his grandfather to be chasing him like his father often did. That wasn't the case, however, and Aiden was now very confused about what they were doing outside.

"Okay, little guy, how would you like to study some Pokémon?" Michael asked his grandson with a big grin on his face.

"Study?" Aiden repeated, sounding bewildered.

"Yeah!" Michael chuckled. "Come on, I'll show you."

He led the young boy over to a small shed in the corner of the yard. Opening the doors, Michael walked inside and picked out a poke ball, pressing the center button and releasing a Wooper.

"Whoa!" Aiden marveled, causing Michael to smile. As a Pokémon researcher, Michael would have loved nothing more than to have his only grandson follow in his footsteps. The boy already loved Pokémon, so Michael assumed teaching him all about them would be easy.

"Now, Aiden, let's examine the color of Wooper's skin, because that's how we know if it's healthy," Michael instructed.

Unfortunately for him, Aiden had other plans when it came to the little dual type.

Grinning, Aiden jumped up and managed to slip the poke ball out of his grandfather's hand. Laughing, Aiden held it out in front of Wooper and chirped, "Okay, Wooper! My name's Aiden Ketchum, and I'm gonna' be the world's greatest Pokémon Master, just like my Daddy! So, I gotta' practice catching Pokémon! Ready?"

"Wo-pa?" Wooper babbled, tilting his head to the side.

"Go!" Aiden shouted cheerfully, running towards Wooper. Jumping up, Wooper started to run away from the boy, right out of the shed and into the yard. Aiden followed dutifully behind, the red and white sphere still held in his hand and ready to be thrown. Michael wasn't far behind, however, and eventually he managed to catch up to Aiden and scoop the little boy up, much to his displeasure. "Hey!"

"Aiden, we can't always be running after Pokémon and trying to put them into poke balls," Michael calmly explained, taking the poke ball back from his grandson. "I wanted us to study Wooper as a creature, and not use it as catching practice."

"But I'm gonna' be the Pokémon Master," Aiden whined. "I gotta' practice catching Pokémon so I can have a powerful team like Daddy!"

Michael sighed and held back the urge to roll his eyes. Becoming Pokémon Master was absolutely the worst goal a kid to have. It just wasn't realistic. Michael didn't think it was bad for the kid to _dream, _but he also thought it was very important that Aiden be able to differentiate between fantasy and reality. Becoming Pokémon Master like his father was a nice little dream, but becoming a Pokémon researcher such as himself was a much more attainable goal. As a result, Michael really wanted to get Aiden interested in the field.

"Well then, I suppose we'll have to try something a little different," Michael mused, returning Wooper to its poke ball himself. "Something you might be able to focus on a little bit better."

He carried his young grandson over to the patio table and placed the boy in one of the chairs. Shrinking Wooper's poke ball down, Michael decided to store the sphere on his belt for the time being. He knew he couldn't take his eyes off of Aiden because the child was a mischievous little thing. One small attention lapse and the kid would probably end up on the opposite side of town.

"Let's learn a little bit about Pokémon and how they live, huh?" Michael asked his grandson, who didn't look all too interested in the subject. "There's all kinds of fascinating things you can learn about Pokémon! Tell me, Aiden, what's your favorite Pokémon?"

"Blastoise," Aiden replied innocently.

"Blastoise, the final evolved form of Squirtle, eh?" Michael chuckled. "And a water type. I see some of your mother shining through! Now, let's see…you can usually find Blastoise living on island beaches, at the shoreline. But they actually prefer living by freshwater ponds and lakes! They even use their heavy bodies as a defense mechanism, and when they don't want to be attacked-"

"What kind of attacks can Blastoise learn?"

Michael blinked and looked down at Aiden. He had gotten carried away while talking about Blastoise's habitats and habits, and had ended up taking his eyes off of Aiden. The boy had his arms folded atop the table, and was grinning widely at his grandfather.

"Attacks?" Michael repeated.

"I like strong Pokémon who love to battle!" Aiden continued. "I wanna' learn about their attacks!"

"Don't you want to learn all about where the Pokémon live and how it affects them?" Michael sounded very disappointed. "Or how they manage to live in the wild?"

Aiden's smile changed into a straight line, and he simply shook his head. A quiet but firm 'no.'

Michael groaned and buried his face in his hands. He was beginning to fear that he would never find anything for him and Aiden to bond over. The boy simply wasn't interested in learning what was considered golden knowledge for a Pokémon researcher. All he cared about was strength and battling and attacks…a battler's mind. Michael had no interest in Pokémon battles. He liked to study and learn about Pokémon's natures. Aiden, on the other hand, had no interest in _that._

Moving his hands away from his eyes, Michael came to realize that Aiden was no longer sitting beside him. Gasping, Michael jumped up and looked all around him. He had lost his own grandson! And right after mentally scolding himself that he had to keep an eye on the boy!

_Misty will _not _be happy if she finds out I lost track of her son! She already seems to hate me enough, and this is the _last _thing I needed to do! Making Aiden happy is the _one _way I might be able to earn her trust back, and I've gone and lost him!_

While Michael was internally screaming at himself, a small tap on the back of his leg caused the man to spin around frantically. Looking down, he saw it was none other than Aiden who had given him the poke. Sighing and covering his heart with his hand, Michael gave his grandson a weak smile and breathed, "Aiden. There you are. Where did you wonder off to? You frightened me!"

"Sorry, I was looking in the shed!" Aiden squeaked.

"Looking in the shed?" Michael repeated. "What were you looking for, huh?"

"I dunno," Aiden replied with a shrug. "But…I found this!"

Thrusting up his hands, Aiden revealed his newest find to his grandfather: an old baseball. Michael's eyebrows shot up and he knelt down in front of his grandson, surprise coursing through his veins. "Aiden, you like baseball?"

"Yeah!" Aiden cheered. "I play on a team with my friend, Brandon! And I watch it on TV all the time with Daddy! And he took me to one too! It was my first one!"

"When? A few months ago?" Michael inquired. "A Starmies game?"

"Uh huh!"

Grinning, Michael allowed himself to chuckle as he informed Aiden, "well, believe it or not, little guy, your Grandpa really likes baseball as well!"

Aiden's eyes widened in fascination. "Really?"

"Sure do! I watch Starmies games all the time on TV. I used to take your Mommy to some of the games when she was very, very little. Your aunts didn't like it, but she sure did!"

"Whoa!" Aiden marveled.

"So, you said you play baseball, huh?" Michael questioned.

"Yeah!"

"Well then, if you play baseball, I bet you like playing catch," Michael mused.

"Daddy plays catch with me all the time!" Aiden shouted.

"Would you like to play catch with me, then?" Michael asked. "It's been a while, but I'm sure I've still got a pretty good arm!"

"Yeah, let's play!" Aiden laughed, running far away from his grandfather. Michael got back to his feet and smiled as the boy created a distance between them. Once Aiden deemed he was far enough away, he turned back around and beamed at his grandfather before chucking the baseball at him. Michael had to lunge forward, but he managed to catch the ball, much to his grandson's delight.

"Not too bad, huh?" Michael chuckled.

"You're really good, Grandpa!" Aiden complimented.

"Thank you, bud!" Michael laughed. "You ready to catch the ball now?"

Aiden nodded feverously. Pulling his arm back, Michael tossed the ball, but made sure to do so a little more gently than he might normally have. Aiden was still small and young, so he didn't want to hurt the boy. Fortunately, he seemed to have thrown the ball at a good enough speed, because Aiden was able to catch it, albeit with a slight bobble.

"Wow, look at you!" Michael crowed. "A little league superstar!"

Aiden's eyes lit up with that compliment. Aside from Pokémon battles, the thing that Aiden loved most was baseball. Being told he was good at it made the little boy very, very happy. Especially when it was coming from his Grandpa!

**XXX**

Later that afternoon, when Ash and Misty had returned from the doctor's office, they were surprised to find Lynne alone at the door with Michelle. No Michael or Aiden in sight.

"Mom, where are Dad and Aiden?" Misty asked nervously.

"Oh, you have to see, it's just the cutest thing!" Lynne crooned.

She motioned for them to come inside but to keep quiet. Leading the couple towards the den, she pointed into the room and smiled at the two of them. Peering in through the doorframe, Ash and Misty could hardly even believe what they were seeing.

Michael and Aiden were sitting on the couch together, both of them leaning forward with their eyes glued to the television screen.

"Alright, Aiden, what do you think the next pitch is going to be?" Michael asked the young boy sitting next to him.

"Fastball!" Aiden squeaked.

A shrill cry came from the television, followed by the voice of an announcer. Chuckling, Michael glanced down at his grandson in awe and gaped, "unbelievable! That's another right guess! You are really something when it comes to baseball, bud!"

"Thanks!" Aiden giggled.

"Are they…watching baseball together?" Misty quietly asked her mother.

"They've been sitting here watching it for the past forty-five minutes," Lynne hummed. "Isn't it just the sweetest?"

"Well, Aiden certainly looks happy…" Misty mused.

Ash, who was still silently watching the two, noticed something different about his young son. Gently poking Misty's side to garner her attention, Ash leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Check out Aiden's head."

Misty took a closer look at her son and realized he was wearing a hat on his head. It was violet in color with a gold star on the front featuring two red, interlocking C's.

"That's a Starmies cap, isn't it?" Misty softly asked no one in particular. She knew it was, she just didn't exactly understand.

"It is," Lynne confirmed. "It's your father's hat from when he was a little boy! He decided to give it to Aiden when he found out they both love baseball. Isn't that precious?"

"Yeah," Misty murmured, "it's cute."

Michael and Aiden were too absorbed in the game to even realize that Ash and Misty were back and standing in the doorway. Michael was just excited to have finally found a common interest between himself and Aiden that the two could bond over. He had been looking at it all wrong the entire time. Michael had only been hoping for a common interest in Pokémon, but that hadn't worked. Who would have thought it would come in the form of a sport? Something completely unrelated to Pokémon?

Michael certainly hadn't. But he was glad. Maybe now he could start to build the special kind of relationship with his one and only grandson like he'd always wanted.

* * *

><p><strong>Michael's kind of an ass hole, but at the same time I feel bad for him. He just wants to be friends with his grandson :( Even though he internally downplays his dreams and whatnot. Which is the jerk part of him. He's a very complex character, I enjoy writing him.<strong>


	168. Contest Cute

**Can't...write...paper. One shots...so many one shots...**

**Here's a Michelle one. It's cute :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 3 years old**

**Damien: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Contest Cute<strong>

"Misty…could you help me zip up?"

Michelle looked up from her coloring book and felt her jaw drop open. She had always thought her godmother Dawn was beautiful, but this just enhanced her view of the young woman.

Dawn was dressed in a gorgeous blue sequin gown, strapless and cinched at the waist with a blue ribbon and a sparkling silver brooch. It was a mermaid shape: completely tight and form fitting until it reached her knees, which was where the skirt flared out. Her dark blue hair was swept up into a loose side bun, thin strands framing her delicate face which was painted with striking, apparent make up.

Misty had bustled behind the younger woman, grabbing at the zipper and pulling it up until her dress was fully zipped. One this was done, Dawn sighed happily and smiled at Misty, who returned the action.

"Thank you so much!" Dawn breathed.

"Don't mention it," Misty giggled, gently patting Dawn on the shoulder. "You look so beautiful!"

"It's the Wallace Cup; I have to go all out!" Dawn trilled.

Michelle got to her feet and scurried over to the coordinator, gently and curiously tugging at the bottom of her dress. Dawn glanced down, and when Misty realized what Michelle was doing, she gasped and pulled the girl away from Dawn.

"Hey!" Michelle whined.

"Sweetie, don't tug at Dawn's dress!" Misty gently scolded.

"Misty, it's okay!" Dawn giggled. "She's just curious." Kneeling down as well as she could in her beautiful gown, Dawn smiled at her goddaughter and asked, "Have you ever seen a Contest before, baby girl?"

Wordlessly, Michelle shook her head.

"She's only ever watched Ash's battles, and some of mine," Misty elaborated for the child. "So nothing too flashy."

"This is going to be so exciting, then!" Dawn squealed. "Just wait until you see it, Michelle. It's amazing! All of the coordinators showing off their Pokémon's strengths and good looks!"

"Piplup?" Michelle asked softly.

"Oh, are you asking me if I'm using Piplup?" Dawn asked, earning a happy nod from Michelle. "Yes, I am! Piplup is my go to Pokémon when it comes to a big Contest!"

"What you get for winning?" Michelle inquired.

"Well, trainers like your Daddy and people who battle your Mommy win badges, right?" Dawn pressed, hoping Michelle knew that. Indeed, the small child nodded, indicating that she did. "Well, coordinators like me get ribbons when we win a Contest!"

At this, Michelle's eyes widened and sparkled. She was not a girly girl by any stretch of the imagination, but Michelle did have some more feminine tendencies. She was a lot like her mother, in fact: a little tomboy with streaks of girlishness.

"Would you like to see some?" Dawn giggled at the child's obvious excitement.

"Yeah!" Michelle cheered excitedly. Dawn got back to her feet, staying surprisingly steady on her silver stilettos that were hidden beneath the flared bottom of her floor length gown, and made her way over to the vanity she had previously been preparing at. Reaching into her pure white backpack, Dawn pulled out a shiny pink metallic case and brought it over to Michelle, once again bending down so she could be at eye level with the child. Flipping it open, Dawn moved the case closer to the young girl, and smiled as the child's entire face lit up in awe.

The pink case was lined with royal purple velvet, five indents cut into the bottom tray. Only two spots were filled: the top left and right. The ribbon on the left had a gold center, shaped as an upside down triangle with a crown gracing the top of it. The ribbon itself was light purple in color and outlined with thin white and silver stripes. The second ribbon, situated on the right, had a gold circle in the middle, emphasized by a diamond stuck in the center. The ribbon's two tails stuck out from the bottom and were dark blue, the pointed tips colored gold.

"Aren't they beautiful?" Dawn breathed. "These are just my Kanto ribbons! I already got five ribbons from Sinnoh, Hoenn, and Johto. And today, I'm going to win my third one!"

"Touch?" Michelle asked, pointing at the blue ribbon on the right.

"No, Michelle, don't touch Dawn's ribbons!" Misty sighed exasperatedly.

"Misty, it's okay!" Dawn laughingly assured the woman. "She asked! Besides, she's just the sweetest thing. And she's curious! Of course you can touch the ribbon, sweetie."

Michelle reached out and gently stroked the Contest prize, feeling the cool metal and soft ribbon beneath her fingers. For such a small thing, it was so amazingly beautiful! Michelle wanted her own ribbons, just like Dawn's.

"Hopefully after today there'll be a third ribbon in this case," Dawn sighed to herself.

"I'm sure there will be," Misty comfortingly reassured the younger woman. "You own the Wallace Cup stage, Dawn! Besides, we're all here rooting for you!"

"That's right!"

Dawn gasped and stood back up, whipping around so her back was to Misty and Michelle. Standing in the doorway was none other than May, looking as equally gorgeous as her younger friend.

She was wearing a sleeveless, nude colored mermaid dress that was even tighter than Dawn's. The neckline and her entire back were covered by a sheer material. Sequins were strewn through the neckline, down the woman's chest, stomach, and legs before trailing off at the tulle end of the dress. Cinching her waist was a nude ribbon belt, adorned by a large jeweled charm in the center. Her light brown hair was still down, but it had been curled to the point where it nearly resembled a bob, the tight and smooth loops of her hair bouncing around her cheeks and brushing against the underside of her chin. May's makeup was more natural than Dawn's, making use of the colors of pink and peach.

Michelle had found Dawn's look to be beautiful, but her _other _godmother's appearance was just as striking. May looked like a celebrity fresh off the red carpet.

"May, you look so beautiful," Dawn breathed.

"Aww, thanks, Dawn!" May giggled behind her delicate hand. "I had to make sure I looked decent for when I get up on stage with Drew. I'm so nervous…"

"Dwew?" Michelle squeaked, causing May to look down at the girl and giggle.

"Yeah, May and Drew are both top coordinators!" Misty brightly explained to her little daughter. "That means they're the best coordinators around. And they're going to open up the Contest with an appeal together!"

Michelle silently tilted her head, causing May to giggle some more. "Oh, she's so sweet! She's never seen a Contest before, right?"

"No, this is her first one!" Dawn trilled. "Isn't that so exciting?"

"I really hope she likes it," May agreed. "There's no better Contest to make your first one than the Wallace Cup! It's so glamorous!"

"I think I should take Michelle and myself up to the box now," Misty informed her friends as she picked the little girl up and held her in her arms. "After all, I don't want her missing any of her first Contest!"

May and Dawn vehemently agreed with Misty and bid the child farewell for the moment, stroking her hair and showering her with kisses before Misty carried her out of the dressing room. This didn't exactly appease Michelle, however. She wanted to stay with her godmothers and watch them as they continued to prepare for the Contest. It was truly the most amazing thing she had ever seen.

"Mommy…" Michelle whined, stretching her hand out towards the door that was quickly beginning to become further and further away.

"No, sweetie, we can't stay in there," Misty gently informed her daughter. "May and Dawn have to get ready!"

Michelle grumbled and rested her head on Misty's shoulder, still staring back at the door that had led into May and Dawn's dressing room. She wanted to watch them get ready…Michelle was so enamored by the idea of it all.

Her protests fell on deaf ears, however, as Misty just brought her up to the private box in the Contest Hall where the rest of their family was sitting. Ash was sitting in one of the seats, his head resting in his hand which was being propped up by his elbow perched atop the edge of the box. He was watching Aiden play with May and Drew's young son, Damien, the two boys examining and throwing around various stuffed Pokémon. Sitting next to Ash and chatting away were May's parents, Norman and Caroline, as well as Dawn's mother, Johanna.

Sighing, Misty put her unhappy daughter down near Aiden and Damien, encouraging the little girl to play with the boys. Michelle, however, simply folded her arms and looked away from them. Misty could feel her frustration building, so she chose to walk away and take her seat next to Ash, who had now turned his attention onto her.

"Hey there, Mist," Ash calmly greeted his wife. "How are May and Dawn doing?"

"Great!" Misty replied cheerfully. "They both look so beautiful. I can't wait to see May and Drew's exhibition appeal! And I'm sure Dawn will do wonderfully in the Contest."

Looking down once again, Ash took notice of his pouting young daughter and frowned at her stance. "Michelle looks a little grumpy."

"She's mad because I took her out of the dressing room," Misty sighed, shaking her head.

"Must be because you took her away from May and Dawn," Ash chuckled knowingly.

"Yeah…well, that and the fact I think she's starting to fall in love with the role of a coordinator," Misty added softly.

"Huh?" Ash murmured.

"For a little tomboy, she was staring at May and Dawn all dressed up like they were a pair of goddesses," Misty elucidated. "The dresses and the make-up, and the hair…Michelle seemed fascinated by it all."

Ash continued to stare at his daughter, who didn't seem to be on the verge of calming down. Standing up, he walked over to her and lifted the pouty little girl into his arms, causing her to groan in frustration.

"Come here, baby girl," Ash cooed, carrying her back over to his seat. "You're gonna' watch the Contest with me!"

"May? Dawn?" Michelle squeaked, looking down at the stage.

"Yeah, they're gonna' come out soon!" Ash chuckled. "They looked beautiful before, huh?"

"Yeah," Michelle murmured.

Suddenly, all of the lights in the Contest Hall turned off, causing Michelle to raise her eyebrows and sit up taller in Ash's lap. A set of spotlights shot out of the ceiling, circling around the stage and blue velvet curtain before they all stopped in the center of the stage, forming one large, lighted circle. Appearing on stage now, having slipped out from between the two velvet curtains, was a woman with light auburn hair and dark blue eyes, sporting a short, tight dark blue dress with two straps overlapping her right shoulder.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to this year's Wallace Cup!" She announced, causing the audience to cheer. "This Contest is coming to you from the shoreline of the beautiful Seafoam Islands in Kanto! As always, I am your host, Lilian Meridian! And I'm here with our distinguished judges: Mr. Contesta, Mr. Sukizo, Seafoam Island's own Nurse Joy, and our guest judge of honor, Wallace!"

More cheers rose from the audience when the four judges waved from their small podiums where they would judge the Contest from.

"Before we get to the main event, we have a special treat for all of you Contest fans!" Lilian continued. "Here today to perform an exhibition appeal to kick off this year's Wallace Cup are two of the world's top coordinators! Ladies and gentlemen, the hottest couple on the Contest scene, May and Drew!"

Michelle giggled excitedly when she heard those names. Beside Ash, Caroline held a curious little Damien on her own lap, while Aiden was picked up by Misty in order to see the stage below. The two royal blue curtains were pulled back to reveal May, still in her beautiful mermaid gown, holding hands with Drew, who was dressed just as smartly in a pure black tuxedo complete with a crisp white dress shirt and a black satin bowtie.

The young couple exchanged knowing, determined smirks as they each pulled out a poke ball enclosed in a translucent purple capsule.

"Beautifly, on stage!" May called, tossing her own sphere up in the air.

"Roserade, come on out!" Drew yelled, his poke ball joining May's in midair.

Both capsules had flora seals plastered on their fronts: pink for Beautifly and orange for Roserade. As both Pokémon were released, they were showered in the separately colored petals, which floated down onto them in a gentle, swirling fashion before disappearing into a flurry of sparkles.

Needless to say, Michelle already couldn't take her eyes off of the stage.

"Roserade, use petal dance!" Drew called.

"Beautifly, psychic!" May ordered.

While Roserade spun around and became surrounded by a spinning tornado of pink flower petals, Beautifly's entire body became enshrouded by a purple haze which was soon transmitted around each and every flower petal. They soon rose up above Roserade and instead surrounded Beautifly before bursting outward and surrounding both Pokémon in a series of rings. They were still glowing purple, gently glittering along the edges as they floated in midair.

"Silver wind!" May shouted.

Beautifly began to rapidly flap her wings until silver crescents appeared, crashing into the sparkling flower petals and causing them to explode into nothing more than a collection of pink and purple glitter which showered down on the bug and grass type Pokémon.

"Solar beam, Roserade!" Drew added.

Beautifly flew out of the way, and Roserade lifted up his red and blue rose hands until a ball of glowing energy formed within them. Not long after that, it was released in a quick blast, sending the falling glitter out towards the audience, and causing them to glow almost like pieces of the sun.

"Wow, that appeal was beautiful!" Misty marveled.

"Yeah, May and Drew looked great!" Ash agreed.

Dawn hadn't even gotten on stage yet, but Michelle didn't even need to wait and see her to know what she wanted. Twisting her body around, Michelle tugged at her father's shirt, catching his attention and causing him to raise a curious eyebrow.

"What is it, princess?" He asked.

"Daddy, I wanna' do dat!" Michelle cried, excitedly pointing out towards the stage.

"Do what?" Ash murmured. "Be a coordinator?"

"Yeah!" Michelle crowed. "I wanna' do pwetty stuff, too!"

Ash raised an eyebrow. He would have never guessed that Michelle would choose to become a coordinator. If anything, he'd pegged her as wanting to become the next Cerulean gym leader. Ash thought she would have made a brilliant and strong gym trainer. He had dreamed of the day she would win her first gym badge...not her first Contest ribbon. But just because he was surprised didn't mean that Ash would discourage his daughter from her new goal. He wanted his children to be happy, and that meant encouraging them to do whatever it was that they desired.

"I think you'll make a very beautiful and talented coordinator when you get older, Shelly!" Ash complimented his daughter.

"Weally?" Michelle beamed.

"Of course!" Ash chuckled. "And Daddy is going to make sure of it. I promise!"

* * *

><p><strong>And that's the story of how Michelle decided she wanted to be a coordinator :D Ash is all supportive of his little girl, even though he never expected having her be a coordinator!<strong>


	169. Mothers on Strike

**Here's the annual Mother's Day one shot! It took me like a million years to come up with this one. I was really blanking out! But, I like the idea I ended up using. Hopefully you all do too :)**

**Aiden and Michelle: 9 years old**

**Elizabeth: 3 years old**

* * *

><p><strong>Mothers on Strike<strong>

"Aiden, sweetheart, it's time to wake up!"

Aiden grumbled and slammed the pillow over his head, trying desperately to block out the sound of his mother's voice. She still entered the room, however, smirking knowingly at the large lump that was present in her son's bed.

"I know you're in there, Aiden," Misty continued in a sing-song voice. "Come on out, now!"

Aiden didn't even make a sound in response. He was hoping that if he stayed quiet and still, his mother would assume he was still sleeping and leave him alone. Unfortunately for the boy, he was going to have no such luck.

"Aiden…" Misty sighed, now getting tired of her son's act. "Come on! It's time to face the day. It's so beautiful outside!"

The boy still didn't budge. To prove her point, Misty skirted over to one of the windows in the room and pulled back the navy blue curtains, allowing sunlight to pour into the painted red room. Groaning, Aiden finally moved, but just so he could turn his body over in order to be closer to the wall.

"You can't stay under there forever," Misty warned.

"Try me," Aiden grumbled.

Rolling her eyes, Misty marched right over to the dark wooden bed and yanked the navy blue and red rugby striped quilt off of the bed, making the bump under the navy blue sheets appear more clearly.

"I found you!" Misty teased, playfully tickling her son's sides. Growling, and finally having had enough, Aiden jumped up, the dark blue sheets falling off of his body and landing listlessly around him.

"Mom! Stop!" Aiden barked.

"Aiden, don't yell at me," Misty's stern tone suddenly made an appearance.

"Why not? You woke me up!" Aiden complained.

"Because if I hadn't, you would have slept your life away!" Misty argued.

"Good, because I'm tired," Aiden bit back.

"You cannot stay in bed all day," Misty continued. "Now, I want to see you downstairs in ten minutes, fully dressed and ready for breakfast."

She turned around to walk out of the room, but before she left, Misty took one last look over her shoulder to find Aiden still sitting in bed and _rolling his eyes at her!_

"Aiden Nash Ketchum!" Misty scolded, startling Aiden to some extent. "Don't you roll your eyes at me! I asked you to do something very simple. I'm your mother, and you have to listen to me."

"I don't have to do anything," Aiden muttered, finally sliding out of bed.

"What was that?!" Misty fumed.

"NOTHING!" Aiden finally shouted, glaring at his shocked mother. "Just leave me alone so I can get dressed!"

Shaking her head, Misty stomped out of the bedroom and into the hallway, all the way down the stairs and into the kitchen. There, her two daughters were already sitting at the kitchen table, fully dressed for the day. Ash had already left, having needed to get something from Brock and stopping along the way to visit his mother.

Misty was still not impressed by Aiden's behavior, but she knew she couldn't take her anger out on her daughters. She'd have to allow herself to level out a bit before trying to take care of them.

"Mommy, I don't like dis."

Misty groaned and hung her head so low that her forehead was pressed against the counter. Sometimes, timing wasn't really up to her.

"What don't you like, Elizabeth?" Misty sighed, picking her head back up and eyeing her young daughter.

"Oatme," Elizabeth replied, unable to say the full word as she held up her pink plastic bowl.

"Elizabeth, you _asked_ me for oatmeal," Misty replied through ground teeth. "You like it!"

"I don't like dis one," Elizabeth commented calmly.

"It's the same oatmeal I _always _give you!" Misty whimpered desperately.

"It's gross," Elizabeth complained before putting the bowl back on the table and pushing it away from her. Unfortunately, the little girl had shoved it just a _bit _too forcefully, and the bowl went crashing down to the floor, spreading oatmeal everywhere. "…oops."

Misty was silently seething, and had to keep reminding herself that Elizabeth had not meant to make a mess of her breakfast. It was still annoying her, however, that Elizabeth had been so vehemently protesting the meal. It had literally only been about twenty minutes before that the girl had been _begging _her to make oatmeal! All to turn out that she didn't seem to actually want the stuff.

Sighing to herself, Misty ripped off a sheet of paper towel and quickly went to work on cleaning up the spilt oatmeal. When she was done tidying up the floor, Misty stood back up and went to throw out the sullied sheet. On her way over to the garbage, however, Misty ended up tripping over an astray shoe and nearly falling flat on her face. Groaning, she looked down and expected to find one of Aiden's sneakers thrown about.

Much to her surprise, it was actually a blue and green slip-on sandal that belonged to Michelle.

"Michelle, what is your shoe doing lying around in the middle of the kitchen?" Misty demanded to know.

"Oh, I came in yesterday from playing outside with Aiden and Lizzie and I kind of just threw them off," Michelle replied. She didn't really sound apologetic for her actions.

"How many times do I have to tell you guys not to do that?" Misty inquired. "It's very dangerous! I almost fell and broke my neck!"

"Stop yelling at me, I didn't mean to!" Michelle cried.

"Michelle, I'm not yelling at you!" Misty breathed. "I'm just telling you, okay?"

"It sounded like yelling to me," Michelle muttered.

At this point, Misty felt like her eyes were about to burst into flames with the amount of anger that was bubbling up inside of her. She had no idea why all three of her children were giving her such a hard time this morning! Sure, they all acted up from time to time, but rarely all _simultaneously! _Misty was getting a little sick of it, quite frankly.

"Mommy, can we go to the park?" Elizabeth squeaked, leaning over the back of her chair.

"No, Elizabeth," Misty quickly replied.

Elizabeth pouted at this. "Why?"

"Because tomorrow is Mother's Day, and I have to go out and find a present for your Grammy. I don't have anything for her yet."

"But I wanna' go to the park!" Elizabeth whined.

"Another day, Elizabeth," Misty groaned. "You'll just have to be patient."

"No fair!" Elizabeth cried, leaping off of her chair and stomping her feet on the floor.

"Elizabeth Dilynne, stop acting out!" Misty scolded. She could hardly believe that she'd already had to use two out of her three children's full names that morning. "Or else you'll get a timeout!"

Elizabeth folded her arms across her chest and scurried right out of the kitchen, much to Misty's aggravation. She could not, for the life of her, even begin to understand the reason her children were being so difficult.

All she knew was that she wasn't going to take it anymore.

**XXX**

Over in Pallet Town, Ash was sitting in his childhood home, along with Pikachu. He'd needed to get something from Brock over in Pewter City, but figured he should stop along the way and visit his mother. He and the family would be going over the next day anyway to celebrate Mother's Day, but Ash did love his mother and assumed a second stop couldn't hurt.

Except for the fact that his mother was beginning to get on his nerves.

"You're still changing your underwear every day, aren't you, dear?"

Groaning, Ash hit his head against the table and replied in a mutter, "yes, Mom."

"Don't talk under your breath, Ash. It isn't becoming of a gentleman."

Huffing, Ash picked his head back up and glared at his mother. Fortunately, her back was to him and she couldn't see his face.

"And don't give me such dirty looks, Ash."

This made his eyes snap open wide. _How did she know I did that?! It's like she's got eyes in the back of her head!_

Turning around, Delia eyed her son, who in return gave her a nervous smile.

"I don't know what's gotten into you, Ash, but you've got quite the attitude today," Delia scolded the man, much to his surprise.

"I don't have an attitude!" Ash argued. "I just don't like that you're treating me like a little kid! I'm an adult, Mom. I know how to take care of myself! And that includes _changing my underwear!_ I wish you would stop always asking me that question!"

"I'm just looking after you!" Delia gasped, her amberite eyes wide. It was obvious she had been taken off guard by Ash's yelp. Soon enough, however, her shock turned into annoyance. "You don't have to be so snide about it, Ash Ketchum."

"…I don't even know what that means," Ash admitted, causing Pikachu to sigh out of exasperation.

"Oh, of course you don't," Delia sighed, shaking her head. "Why don't you get going, Ash? I don't want you to be late to seeing Brock."

"Are you sure, Mom?" Ash sounded wary. "I thought you wanted to-"

"No, it's fine," Delia interrupted, which was very unusual for her. "Just get going."

Ash blinked, but nevertheless followed his mother's suggestion and bid her farewell before walking out the door, a confused Pikachu still perched on his shoulder. Delia, on the other hand, remained inside the house, arms folded across her chest as she continued to glare at the now closed front door.

**XXX**

The next morning, of course, was Mother's Day.

But there seemed to be something very unusual about it.

Ash made sure to wake up extra early so he could wrangle up the kids and help them to make breakfast in bed for Misty. By the time he was up, however, Misty was already gone. Glancing over at the digital clock on his nightstand, Ash saw that it was only eight in the morning.

"And she's up already?" Ash asked himself skeptically.

Pikachu was still sleeping on his pillow, so Ash made sure to get out of bed as quietly as possible. Once his feet hit the floor, Ash swiftly exited the room to go into the hallway and then enter each of his children's rooms. Once he had woken them all up and gotten them out into the hallway, he cautiously eyed each one.

"Did Mom come into any of your rooms this morning?" Ash inquired.

"No," all three chimed at once.

"We was sleepin', Daddy!" Elizabeth squeaked. She was wearing a light pink, flutter sleeve nightgown printed with cute little blonde and redheaded mermaids, white Seel, light green Octillery, and regular blue Horsea and Wailmer.

"Yeah, if she did, I was definitely sleeping," Michelle agreed. She was wearing a flowy yellow tank top with navy pants that were printed with tiny white dots.

"Well, I'm a light sleeper, and I _definitely _didn't hear or see Mom come into my room," Aiden added. He was still dressed in his own pajamas as well: red and blue checked pants with a dark blue shirt.

"That's so weird," Ash murmured, rubbing his chin with his hand. He suddenly felt something attach itself to his bare leg, since he was still in nothing more than his red boxers and black shirt. Looking down, he realized it was Elizabeth, who was giggling and staring right back up at him. "What's up, baby?"

"Let's find Mommy!" Elizabeth suggested warmly.

"That sounds like a good idea to me," Ash agreed.

He allowed the children to run ahead of him, and he brought up the rear. They all headed down the stairs, and were surprised to find that they hardly had to look for Misty at all.

In fact, she was just coming in through the front door, her bright red hair tied back into a ponytail and her slim body outfitted in a turquoise, racer back tank top and black capri leggings along with her blue and white sneakers.

"Misty, where you outside running?" Ash asked, his voice sounding rather stunned.

"Yeah, I wanted to wake up early and go get some exercise," Misty replied coldly. Ash blinked and drew his shoulders back.

"But…it's Mother's Day," Ash reasoned with her. "I thought you'd want to sleep in and have us make you breakfast."

"Well, I didn't want to bother any of you," Misty continued, her tone still rather icy. "Apparently, that's all I seem to do anyway."

Before Ash could get any further explanation for Misty's attitude, she darted right past him and up the stairs without another word. Blinking once again, Ash looked down at his three children, who seemed to be just as confounded as he was.

"What…was that about?" Ash wondered aloud.

**XXX**

Since Misty seemed to be in such a bad mood, Ash decided to take it upon himself to get the children ready for his mother's house. Fortunately, Aiden and Michelle were old enough to handle themselves for the most part, so it was really only Elizabeth that Ash had to concern himself with.

From her closet, he chose a pink and green batik print empire waist dress with a big green flower at the chest. He paired it with pink patent leather strappy sandals that had actually been picked out by Michelle…since Ash wasn't very good with putting whole outfits together.

"Thanks, Shelly," Ash gratefully thanked his older daughter, ruffling up her bright red hair. "I don't know what I do with your baby sister if I didn't have my princess around!"

"You wouldn't do very well, that's for sure," Michelle snickered, her sea green tiered chiffon dress flowing gently as she laughed. Strands of her red hair were being held back by pink and blue star shaped clips that were trimmed with little gemstones.

"Hey, I did just fine with you when you were a little girl!" Ash accused laughingly. "Now, where's your brother? Is he ready to go?"

"I'm here!"

Aiden came bustling out of his bedroom, having changed into a navy and royal blue color blocked polo shirt with navy cargo shorts and sandals.

"Nice job, Aiden!" Ash complimented his son. "You all look really good. Since your Mom already seems to be in a pretty bad mood, this is a great way to keep her at bay for a little while."

"Why _is_ she so mad, anyway?" Aiden asked his father.

"I wish I knew, champ," Ash sighed. "But I'm going to make it my mission today to find out why."

**XXX**

Misty was still in a mood the entire way to Delia's house, and as soon as they got there, it seemed that things were only going to go from bad to worse.

Delia was happy to see Misty and her grandchildren, but _not _Ash. In fact, she basically ignored him, which threw Ash completely off guard. The children noticed this as well, and threw their father very confused looks.

"I don't know," Ash murmured to them.

Misty caught onto Delia's mood as well, but she wasn't nearly as bewildered as her husband or children. Instead, she was intrigued. Ushering Delia into the kitchen so they could be alone, Misty faced her mother-in-law with a small smirk playing on her lips and one eyebrow raised.

"Are you not happy with Ash?" Misty asked.

"Not at all," Delia admitted somewhat sheepishly. "You see, yesterday when he came to visit, he was acting like such a brat! I didn't think I'd have to worry about such a thing since he's an adult. But I was fairly offended by the way he was acting!"

"Huh, so you and I are having the same problem," Misty mused.

"Is Ash giving you a hard time too?" Delia asked, sounding surprised.

"No, my own children are," Misty sighed. "They were acting terrible yesterday! Giving me all kinds of attitude and behaving awfully. To be honest with you, I had enough of it, and that's why I'm in such a bad mood. It just makes me feel so underappreciated, you know?"

"I completely understand!" Delia gasped, smiling afterwards. "You know, it's pretty funny that you and I are going through the same thing at the exact same time."

"Like mother-in-law like daughter-in-law?" Misty giggled, with Delia quickly joining in.

From the next room, Ash and the three children eavesdropped on Misty and Delia's conversation. It was the wrong thing to do, but at least it finally revealed to them why their perspective mothers were in such bad moods. It was because of them!

"Well, I wasn't expecting that…" Ash deadpanned.

"I didn't know that we did anything to Mom!" Aiden complained.

"I guess I did kind of give her attitude over my shoe on the floor," Michelle admitted.

"I gotted stompy," Elizabeth meekly agreed.

"And…I guess I did snap at her when she came in my room to wake me up," Aiden finally conceded.

"What did you do to Grammy, Dad?" Michelle asked.

"I guess I sort of yelled at her yesterday and accused her of treating me like a kid…" Ash groaned. "Man, that was dumb."

"What do we do now?" Aiden questioned.

Ash twisted his mouth in deep thought before getting a brilliant idea and beaming at his three confounded children. "I've got it! Come with me outside, guys. We're gonna' fix this no problem!"

Back in the kitchen, Misty and Delia's laughter had finally died down, and they were now thinking about what to do with their problems.

"Well, we can't stay mad at them forever," Delia acknowledged.

"That's true," Misty sighed. "And I do feel kind of bad…the kids have been trying to do nice things for me all day and I've just been ignoring them! I'm a bad mother, aren't I?"

"Of course you're not," Delia comforted the younger woman. "Sometimes, we let our emotions get the better of us. But that doesn't make us bad mothers! It just makes us human."

"I guess you're right," Misty agreed. "We should probably go back in there and face them then, huh?"

Delia nodded. "Yes, we should. And we should both remember that no matter what, our children love us dearly, and we love them just the same."

At this, Misty smiled and nodded feverously. They both stepped out of the kitchen and into the living room, but were surprised to find that Ash and the children were no longer waiting for them.

"Where did they go?" Misty asked, looking around the room as if they would pop out from behind a couch or table.

"That's a very good question…" Delia mused.

"Mommy!"

Misty blinked and looked towards the front door, which she hadn't realized had been left open. Running back inside the house were Aiden, Michelle, and Elizabeth. Each child had a picked flower held in their hands: Aiden a red rose, Michelle a blue iris, and Elizabeth a pink tulip.

"What is it?" Misty murmured, gently tilting her head.

"These are for you!" Michelle giggled, holding her flower out towards her mother.

"We pickeded dem!" Elizabeth shrieked laughingly.

"They're pretty, right?" Aiden cautiously asked.

At this, Misty giggled softly and teared up. "Aw…yes, they're just beautiful! Thank you so much, my little babies. I love them!"

Misty happily took the flowers from her three children and gave each of them a loving kiss on their head. While she was doing that, Ash came hustling back into the house, his hands clutching onto a bouquet of freshly picked flowers. Setting his eyes on Delia, Ash grinned at his mother and held the flowers out towards her.

"These are for you, Mom!" Ash laughed, his eyes lighting up as he did so.

"Oh…for me?" Delia sounded surprised.

"Of course!" Ash chuckled. "It's Mother's Day, isn't it? I'm…also sorry about how I acted yesterday. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. Sorry."

"Oh, thank you so much, honey!" Delia cooed, accepting the flowers from her son. "And it's alright. I forgive you."

Ash grinned, clearly pleased with himself that he'd been able to make up for the mistakes he'd made yesterday. It seemed that everything was finally back to normal!

"These flowers seem a little familiar…Ash, did you pick these from my garden?"

"Heh…uh…so Mom, do you need any help with dinner?"

* * *

><p><strong>Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! Make sure to be nice to yours today, guys. Don't make the same mistake our favorite characters did ;)<strong>


	170. Stealing the Show

**It's almost dance recital time, guys. I know because it's taking over my sister's life. And not mine. I'm sad. Stupid college.**

**So...that's what inspired this XD**

**Aiden and Michelle: 8 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 2 and a half years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Stealing the Show<strong>

"I can't believe today is Elizabeth's first recital! Doesn't she look so cute, Ash?"

"She's very…frilly?"

"Yeah, which is what makes it so cute!"

Elizabeth beamed up at her two parents with wide, glimmering emerald eyes. That afternoon was indeed her first dance recital, and the girl was all dressed up for the show. Like most little girls, her very first recital costume was as cute and girly as could be.

It was aqua and light pink in color: the leotard being aqua velvet with an attached pink bow on the very top and pink, sequin covered spandex on the bodice. The attached aqua tutu and sleeves were made up of three ruffled layers and lined with pink organza ribbon. On her head was a pink sequin headband with a pink bow that matched the one on the top of the leotard. Her dark red hair had been very tightly curled and pulled up onto the top of her head in a large bun. Elizabeth's legs and feet were covered by the standard pink ballet tights and slippers that all the little girls wore in their first recitals.

"Dada, pwincess?" Elizabeth asked, toddling over to her father and holding her arms out to him. At this, Ash smiled and lifted her up into his arms. He simply couldn't resist the precious little girl.

"Yes, baby girl, you look _just _like a princess!" Ash chuckled, gently tweaking her little nose and causing her to giggle. "A pretty little ballerina princess."

"I'ma spin!" Elizabeth announced. "Dow, Dada!"

Smirking, Ash bent down to put the little girl back on the floor. Once she was settled on her feet, Elizabeth raised her arms above her head and walked in a dainty little circle on her toes. Once she finished, she faced her father again and put her arms down, grinning so widely at him that the man could see every single one of her tiny baby teeth.

"Wow, that was amazing!" Ash marveled. "I think you're going to be a professional ballerina one day, pumpkin!"

"Thank," Elizabeth squeaked before sitting down on her butt, the frilly tutu poofing out around her and causing the little girl to drown in a sea of aqua colored tulle.

"Oh, be careful, Lizzie!" Misty fussed, picking the little girl up and instead holding the child against her hip. "We don't want to mess up your costume before the show, now do we?"

"No," Elizabeth chirped.

"Aw, my baby is so smart!" Misty laughed, giving the girl a hug. "Smart and beautiful. I'm jealous of you, Lizzie!"

"How can you be jealous of her?" Ash asked sneakily. "Where do you think she gets it from?"

"Aww, Ash, you're so sweet!" Misty squealed, turning around to give Ash a kiss on the lips. Elizabeth whined and covered her eyes, separating her fingers only a little bit to see if her parents had finished yet. They hadn't.

"No!" Elizabeth yelped, causing Ash and Misty to separate and laugh.

"Well, we'd better not upset the little star before she goes on stage!" Ash crowed.

"That wouldn't be very good, now would it?" Misty added with a delicate laugh. "Let's get Aiden and Michelle together before anything else disrupts Elizabeth's pre-show mood!"

**XXX**

Delia had accompanied the family to the recital, because she could barely contain her excitement over getting to see her granddaughter in one. She loved dancing, and had apparently tried to get Ash to take ballet class as a little boy. Ash, of course, hadn't exactly wanted that information shared with his wife and children, and was fairly embarrassed by his mother blabbing it. Ash's argument, of course, was that he had never actually _done it. _His mother had only _wanted _him to! But the thought of him in a tutu was too amusing for Misty, Aiden, and Michelle to ignore.

Brock had come along as well. Elizabeth was his goddaughter, after all. Besides, she had been completely adorable about it and made the man his own invitation to the show. Brock's heart had all but melted, and he knew he couldn't _not _go to the recital after that little act of kindness. He had been so moved, in fact, that he'd brought along a little bouquet of flowers to give to Elizabeth after the show.

"That doesn't work with women, Brock," Misty teased, "why do you think it's going to work on a two year old?"

"Must we bring up my romantic failures in front of the children?" Brock hissed, causing Misty to laugh nervously as she sweat dropped.

Ash, still embarrassed by the ballet story his mother had shared, looked over at Misty and decided it was time for him to get some retribution for his own discomfiture.

"Mist, _you_ took dance when _you_ were a little girl, didn't you?" Ash asked smartly.

Misty growled and narrowed her eyes at him. Ash knew full well that Misty had taken dance as a little girl, at the same studio Elizabeth now took it, in fact. But, unlike their little daughter, she had absolutely _hated_ it and had apparently been a terror in class.

"Oh, Misty, you were a little ballerina?" Delia crooned, causing Misty to sigh in defeat.

"Yeah, for a little while," Misty murmured. "Those were some of the most miserable moments of my life."

"Really?" Delia sounded surprised.

"I was never, ever a girly girl," Misty continued. "And ballet was just too frilly for me. I didn't want to waste my time twirling around in a flowy pink skirt. I wanted to be swimming in the pool and running around outside in the dirt! But my Grandma forced me to go to dance class along with Daisy, Violet, and Lily. They all loved it and excelled at it. I was the exact opposite."

"So what about your first recital?" Brock poked. "What was that like?"

"Hey, I never even thought about that," Ash mused, glancing at his still irritated wife. "_You _took dance class, so _you_ were in a recital too!"

"A brilliant deduction," Misty drawled sarcastically.

"What, you're going to tell me you screwed that up too?" Ash inquired.

"'Screwed up' isn't the right choice of words," Misty calmly argued. "It was more like…wasted time and effort."

"What do you mean by that, dear?" Delia prodded.

"Well, every kid has a different reaction to their first dance recital," Misty elucidated. "They're obviously not the best dancers in the entire world, or even just in the show, but everyone loves them no matter what because they're so cute and always have the sweetest costumes. As much as I hated that stupid recital, I'll never forget it…"

_My costume was very, very beautiful. Which is probably why I hated it so much._

_It was a periwinkle dress, with a flowy skirt and short, poufy sleeves that itched my arms. There were three pink roses on the waist, with pink and silver ribbons hanging from each one. There were silver sequins on the neckline, and my hair had to be curled and pulled back into a ponytail with a pink rose hairclip that had different shades of pink ribbon hanging from it._

_I remember my hair being a _huge _pain. I'd always had short hair, so curling it was hard enough. Having to put it up into a ponytail was even worse! It would barely stay up. I don't think I'd ever seen my grandmother get so frustrated with anything in her life._

_I hated the pink tights, and I hated the pink ballet slippers. The color was bad enough, but they were too tight and constricting for me. I just wanted to run around in shorts!_

_My sisters thought I was some kind of adorable, living doll. I hated them for that. They were all in the recital too, but it wasn't their first one. So my Grandma was really only fussing over me. And I hated it. I always did hate being the center of attention._

_I was only two at the time. I was one month away from being three, kind of like how Lizzie is only two months away from being three. Daisy was eight, Violet was seven, and Lily was six. I remember liking Violet's costume the best because it was red. It still had a short, poufy tutu and was covered in silver sequins, but at least it was a nice color. I remember her having a silver tiara on her head, with her hair curled super tight and pulled half back. She even had these little red puffs on her upper arms that I could only imagine were itchier than my own sleeves. _

_Daisy obviously had the most "grown up" costume out of the four of us, but it was still insanely girly and terrible. It was a turquoise leotard, and it had the long tutu instead of the short one like Violet's. The skirt was pretty. It was made of all different rainbow colors, just like the design on the front of her leotard. She had little arm puffs and a silver tiara, too._

_Lily's costume was the worst, in my little eyes. Probably even worse than my own! It was light purple in color, with pink, purple, and blue roses at the top of the leotard and printed over the short tutu, arm puffs, and down the front of her stomach. She had the same colored flowers pinned into her hair, and it made me laugh because you could barely see the pink flower. Lily didn't like that very much, my laughing._

_Anyway, when it was finally time to actually dance, I was already so over the idea of it all that it was practically worthless. I went on stage with the rest of my class, and they all danced the best that they could to that pretty, annoying jewelry box music. The whole audience thought they were completely adorable._

_I ended up being the only girl on stage who stood in one spot and didn't even bother to move. Not my arms, not my feet. Not anything. I just stood on stage with my arms crossed and a pout on my face. I was probably the most miserable kid in the building. When I got off stage, my Grandma tried to tell me I did such a good job, and that I looked so pretty dancing, but even then I knew she was just being nice because I didn't even dance!_

"So…in your first _dance_ recital, you didn't dance?" Ash questioned.

"No, because I didn't want to," Misty huffed. "And my grandmother put me back into dance the next year because she thought I just got nervous on stage!"

"Did you do the same thing the next year?" Michelle asked.

"No, that time I actually did try to dance a _little, _just to amuse her," Misty replied. "But I still looked really miserable. I made sure not to smile. It must have been at that point that my Grandma realized I hated dance, because I didn't go back anymore after that. It was the biggest accomplishment in my young life."

At this, Aiden raised an eyebrow. "So…what if Lizzie does the same thing?"

"What, just stand on stage?" Misty gasped. "No way. Elizabeth _loves _dancing. I know for sure that she does, because she gets upset whenever she has to leave the studio! And all she does now is dance around the house."

"And she's certainly not a shy little thing," Delia mused. "So she shouldn't really get stage fright."

"I'm sure Elizabeth will be just fine!" Brock assured the family. "I bet she'll bend in with the other little girls very nicely."

When the recital was underway, Elizabeth's class was the third group to perform, so at least it wasn't a very long wait. Ash and Misty watched on proudly as their little girl came fluttering onto the round stage along with the other nine girls in her ballet class. Since she was on the shorter side, Elizabeth was at the end of the line, but she looked about a thousand times happier than any other kid on the stage. Her eyes were sparkling and her smile was wide. Misty thought it was the most adorable thing, and she wouldn't stop grabbing Ash's arm and whispering in his ear how sweet their little girl was. Ash agreed with her whole heartedly, even though he felt as though she were about to tear his arm off. Delia, of course, was busy thinking she had the most beautiful and happy granddaughter in the entire world. She was probably even prouder than Ash and Misty _combined. _Aiden and Michelle were both cooing over how cute they thought their little sister was, and Brock was nearly on the verge of tears because he thought that Elizabeth was beginning to look so grown up.

And then the music started.

Elizabeth started off looking quite paced with her classmates. If anything, her moves were a little more sharp, energetic, and noticeable. Everything was perfect, for the first few seconds.

And then Elizabeth took two big hops forward…straight out of the line.

Her family's eyes widened in surprise as the little girl began to jump around the stage, waving her arms in the air as she tried to do leaps and twirls that were far too advanced for such a young dancer. That didn't stop her from _trying, _however.

Eventually, all of Elizabeth's leaping and spinning distracted the other girls, who stopped dancing and instead watched their young classmate in fascination. Gisela, the ballet teacher, was standing at the front of the stage and desperately trying to get the girls back on track, but they were all too far gone into Elizabeth's newly branded solo to be reigned back.

When the dance finally finished, Misty buried her face in her hands and shook her head, letting out a miserable groan as she refused to look back up.

"Well…she sure didn't pull a Misty," Ash commented, causing Misty to sink her head down even further.

"I guess Lizzie thought it was her time to shine," Michelle noted, rubbing the back of her neck rather nervously.

"It was…interesting, to say the least," Brock chuckled anxiously.

"This is bad, isn't it?" Misty finally asked, lowering her hands just slightly.

"Uh…not for everybody, it's not…" Aiden murmured, poking his mother before pointing at his grandmother.

Delia was up on her feet, cheering and clapping very loudly for Elizabeth, yelling about how proud of the little girl she was and how much of a star she was going to be.

"MOM!" Ash cried out of mortification. "Sit down! Don't encourage her!"

* * *

><p><strong>As you can all see, Elizabeth mostly takes after Ash, not Misty ;)<strong>


	171. Tummy Ache

**Finals. Sob. I've given up, I think. It's not really fair that all of mine are at the end of the week! I'm in summer mode already! Wish me luck, y'alls. In the meantime, here's another one shot. Have fun with it :P**

**Elizabeth: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Tummy Ache<strong>

"Lizzie, time for bed!"

Those three words that followed her name were enough to send chills up little Elizabeth's spine. She absolutely _hated _bedtime! The child herself wasn't even sure why. All she knew was that she didn't like it, and she didn't want to go to bed.

Her mother walked into the living room and found the tiny girl playing in the middle of the floor. She was already clad in her pajamas: a white one piece lined in purple and printed with pastel colored ice cream cones. The little girl was surrounded by several of her toys, mostly stuffed Pokémon and dolls. She had been playing with them all, but apparently it was time for that to come to an end.

"Let's go, baby girl!" Misty cooed, holding her arms out towards the toddler.

Elizabeth made a face and held Teddi closer to her body, letting out a soft whimper to further the pathetic look she was going for. It seemed to work, as Misty frowned and pulled her arms back to her sides.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Misty crooned. "Do you need Mommy to change you?"

Elizabeth shook her head.

"No? Then what's wrong, sprinkle?"

"Tum-tum," Elizabeth whined, throwing Teddi down and holding her hands against her stomach.

"Aw, do you have a tummy ache?" Misty fussed. Wordlessly, Elizabeth nodded her head. Cooing, Misty walked over to her daughter and scooped up the child and her favorite toy. "Don't worry, baby girl. Mommy is going to take good care of you!"

She rushed the child upstairs and, instead of bringing the little girl into her own bedroom, brought the toddler into her and Ash's bedroom. Misty sat the little girl down on the king sized bed and walked into the bathroom to gather some things. With her mother gone, Elizabeth smiled to herself and threw herself down onto her back, holding Teddi up in the air and pretending that the little bear could fly.

After a few minutes, Misty returned with a hot water bottle and a small cup of water. Elizabeth, who was still lying on her back, was gently pulled up by the woman who managed to sit the hot water bottle against her small daughter's stomach.

"Wha' dis?" Elizabeth poked at the rubber pouch, laughing when the water inside of it sloshed around.

"That's to help your tummy feel better," Misty explained. "Here, baby. Drink some water. Sometimes that helps."

She raised the small paper cup to her daughter's lips and tilted it back very gently so the toddler could drink up the water. Elizabeth finished up the liquid rather quickly, which helped Misty to feel better about the situation. Even something as small as a little tummy ache could send Misty into panic mode when it came to her children!

"Good girl," Misty complimented, standing up to throw out the used cup. On her way back from the garbage, Ash walked into the room, still dressed from the day just like his wife with Pikachu riding on his shoulder.

"Mist, what's Elizabeth doing on our bed?" Ash asked, eyeing his youngest child curiously.

"She's got a tummy ache," Misty crooned sadly. "The poor thing."

"Aw, my sweet like pumpkin," Ash murmured, walking over to the bed and sitting down next to Elizabeth. "That's no fun. Maybe if Daddy snuggles you you'll feel a little bit better!"

Picking up the little girl, Ash sat her down on his lap and wrapped his arms around her. Elizabeth giggled happily and rested the back of her head against Ash's chest, much to the man's delight. He thought his daughter was so gentle and so sweet. She was really the light of his life. Along with Misty, Aiden, Michelle, Pikachu, all of his other Pokémon, his mom, Brock…

Come to think of it, Ash had a lot of lights in his life!

"I really need to take a shower," Misty mused aloud. "But I don't want to leave Lizzie alone when she's not feeling well."

"I'm right here, babe, you can go take a quick shower," Ash replied.

"Are you sure?" Misty prodded.

"Of course!" Ash chuckled. "You can trust me with our little girl. I'll just keep cuddling her and helping her to feel all better!"

"Well…alright," Misty relented, smiling at her husband. "Thank you, sweetheart! I'll be very quick."

Misty jumped off the bed and scurried into the bathroom. Ash just continued to sit on the bed and hold Elizabeth in his arms, resting his chin atop her head and humming softly to her. He couldn't actually sing anything; his singing voice was terrible. So, from the time the children were just babies, he would hum to them. It was the best alternative he could think of.

"I wonder why you got a tummy ache," Ash finally spoke aloud, causing Elizabeth to tilt her head back and look at him. "You didn't eat too many sweets, did you?"

"No," Elizabeth chirped.

"Huh, maybe you just got upset about something," Ash murmured. "Well, that's alright. You'll feel better in no time, pumpkin!"

Elizabeth yawned and hugged the hot water bottle closer to her. Her eyes began to slip closed, and before she knew it, the little girl had fallen fast asleep in her father's arms.

**XXX**

The next morning, when Elizabeth opened her eyes, she found herself sleeping between her two parents in their bed. They were both still asleep, and she still had the water bottle resting against her stomach. Teddi was sitting up right by her head, next to and propped up by her mother's pillow.

Throwing the hot water bottle off of her body and towards the end of the bed, Elizabeth managed to crawl out from beneath the covers and take Teddi back into her hands. She crawled to the center of the bed, sitting on her knees and staring at her still sleeping parents.

Apparently, her little tummy ache trick had worked on them.

Grinning to herself, Elizabeth crawled over to the edge of the bed and hopped off, landing on her feet and scurrying straight out of the room, the smile not once leaving her face.

**XXX**

"Elizabeth, it's bed time!"

The little girl looked up at her mother and pouted. Misty blinked, not understanding why her young daughter was giving her such a miserable look.

"Is something wrong, sweetie?" Misty asked.

"Tum-tum," Elizabeth squeaked, pointing at her stomach.

"What, you've got another tummy ache?" Misty fretted.

Elizabeth feverously nodded her head. Sighing, Misty picked up the little girl and carried the child against her hip all the way upstairs. They once again retreated to Ash and Misty's bedroom, where Elizabeth was once again given the hot water bottle and a small cup of drinking water.

"Baby, what if tonight, you take the hot water bottle into your own bedroom with you, huh?" Misty asked.

"No," Elizabeth squeaked, hugging the hot water bottle closer against her body.

"Why not? Don't you like your room, Lizzie? I think you would be much more comfortable in there."

"No," Elizabeth repeated.

Frowning, Misty rubbed her daughter's back and stared at the wall that stood across from her. She couldn't understand why Elizabeth seemed to be getting such frequent stomach aches! Maybe there was something wrong with the little girl, medically speaking.

Elizabeth, on the other hand, had a smile on her face. She was happy as could be: sitting on her parents' bed under the watchful and loving eye of her mother. For her, that was _much _better than bedtime! Doing this meant she got to stay up later and get attention from her parents.

"She's got another stomach ache, huh?"

Both Misty and Elizabeth looked up, but only the youngest one had a smile on her face, which confused Ash. After all, _Elizabeth_ was the one with an upset stomach, so why was she so happy? She didn't seem like she was in pain at all.

"Apparently," Misty sighed.

Ash raised an eyebrow at this. He may not have been the smartest guy around, but contrary to popular belief, he really wasn't an idiot. Ash had been young once, like his daughter. And as a child, he had told quite a few lies.

Just like he believed his daughter was doing.

"Lizzie," Ash began slowly, "do you really have another tummy ache?"

Elizabeth waited a few seconds before nodding her head in confirmation.

"That's two nights in a row," Ash noted. "And at the same time, too! That's not very good, you know."

Elizabeth frowned, but still didn't respond with words.

"I'm afraid I might have to take you to the doctor tomorrow so he can look at your tummy," Ash continued, causing Elizabeth's eyes to go wide. "You might be very sick, and I don't want anything happening to my little pumpkin!"

"No, Dada!" Elizabeth wailed, throwing the hot water bottle away from herself and jumping up on her knees. "No!"

Misty's eyes were wide now as she stared at her husband, watching his expression go unchanging as he stared down at their frantic little daughter.

"Do you _not _have a tummy ache?" Ash asked.

"No, no tum-tum," Elizabeth cried.

"Then how come you've been telling Mama and Dada you've had a tummy ache, huh?" Ash inquired softly. "Lying isn't nice, you know. It's bad."

"Sowwy," Elizabeth squeaked.

"How come you lied about having a tummy ache?" Ash repeated.

"I no wike bed," Elizabeth replied softly.

"You don't like your bed?" Ash questioned in a bewildered fashion.

"No, Ash, she means she doesn't like bedtime," Misty explained.

"Oh," Ash breathed. "I see. So you were telling us you had a tummy ache so we wouldn't send you to bed! You just wanted to stay up with us, huh?"

Wordlessly, Elizabeth once again nodded her head.

"She was using the power of cute to toy with our emotions," Ash informed his wife, who raised a wry eyebrow at his choice of words.

"I think you've been spending too much time with my sisters, Ash."

"Well…they _are_ the ones who teach our kids this stuff, aren't they?"

"…can't argue with that."

"Don' make me go," Elizabeth whimpered, regaining both Ash and Misty's attention.

"Make you go where, sweetie?" Misty cooed.

"Bed!" Elizabeth wailed.

"Well, sweetie, you have to go to bed eventually," Misty sighed. "You can't stay in mine and Daddy's bed forever!"

Elizabeth's face contorted as she started to cry, alarming both Ash and Misty. They knew they both should've put their foot down when she started wailing, but that was kind of hard to do when your littlest child was absolutely breaking down in front of you. So, they did the only thing they could think of doing: they let her sleep in their bed.

Just for one more night.

…hopefully.

* * *

><p><strong>Misty thinks she's the tougher parent, but when it comes to them as babiestoddlers...neither one is very good with putting their foot down :P**


	172. Pikapi and Pikachupi

**DONE WITH SCHOOL YES THANK GOD LET US ALL FORGET FRESHMAN YEAR OF COLLEGE. Okay, the spring semester wasn't so bad. The first one was though. Whatever, it's done :P**

**Anyway, this one is a little different. It's sort of from Pikachu's point of view. Not fully, but it's in his state of mind from an outside perspective. And just in case you guys get confused:**

**Pikapi=Ash**

**Pikachupi=Misty**

**Pipika= Aiden**

**Pipikachu= Michelle**

* * *

><p><strong>Pikapi and Pikachupi<strong>

Even though he was "just a Pokémon," Pikachu had experienced just as bag of a life change as his Pikapi and Pikachupi had.

He was part of their family, after all. He wasn't "just a Pokémon" to them. Pikachupi called Pikachu his best friend. And since Pikachupi loved Pikapi so much, she loved Pikachu just the same. She would never be cruel or cold to him. Sometimes, Pikachu thought Pikachupi was sweeter to him than she was to Pikapi. And Pikachu certainly wasn't going to complain about that.

Anyway, things were a little different now. Pikachu had noticed how much things had changed since Pikapi and Pikachupi had mated. They had little Pichu now, though they weren't actually real life Pichu.

They were humans.

In "pika-speak," "pichu" just meant "baby." Pikachu knew, of course, that Pikachupi wouldn't have actually had real Pichu. That would have been strange, since she and Pikapi were both humans. Pikachu had been expecting human babies.

Despite being anything but a wild Pokémon, however, Pikachu was still rather naïve when it came to how humans mated, and how the babies came to be. Admittedly, he had thought Pikachupi would lay eggs. So he never said anything about it, even when her stomach started to grow. Pikachu knew that was just because of the egg. Or eggs.

But the proper time frame passed, and there were no eggs. Pikachu became worried about his Pikachupi, and had to bring up that concern with Pikapi. After all, Pikapi had never mated before. Maybe he didn't understand that there was something wrong with his Pikachupi! And Pikachu didn't want Pikapi to feel responsible should anything happen to Pikachupi.

Fortunately, Pikapi knew everything it was fine. He had laughed, in fact, when Pikachu brought up his worries. That had ticked Pikachu off at first. So much so, in fact, that he had used a good thunderbolt attack on his dear trainer. Pikapi, of course, was used to the shock, and wasn't at all affected, save for some sizzling clothes in the aftermath. Pikapi ended up explaining that humans didn't lay eggs, but rather they gave live birth. The thought terrified Pikachu, and he was nervous for Pikachupi. She didn't seem scared at all, however. For that, Pikachu admired her. She was a very beautiful, brave human. Pikachu thought that she and Pikapi made an excellent pair.

Pikachu, for one, thought that human pregnancy was very interesting. Pikachupi got much bigger, which was strange, but otherwise she acted like any other expecting Pokémon: she was tired and protective and very particular. Especially about the house. Pikachupi had become so picky about all the furniture. She wanted to change everything around. That reminded Pikachu of any Pokémon that was going to be a parent. So that didn't make Pikachupi too different.

It was what was going on in her belly that really intrigued Pikachu. Pikachupi would let him curl up near her belly to feel the babies move around. It was so warm and nice. Sometimes, when Pikachupi would take a nap, Pikachu would join her and take his nap on top of her belly. Those had been peaceful times for Pikachu, even if Pikachupi might not have enjoyed them as much due to being so uncomfortable.

Now that the babies had actually been born, Pikachu was adjusting to having them in the house.

They were very odd little creatures. Easily the tiniest human beings Pikachu had ever seen. They smelled like a mixture of Pikapi and Pikachupi. One looked just like Pikapi, and the other one just like Pikachupi. He thought that was kind of funny. They were very cute, though. And they weren't _too _intrusive. Pikachu was used to sharing Pikapi's attention with all of the other Pokémon anyway. He wasn't the jealous type. Pikachu knew the babies needed their parents. Besides, they were typically very quiet. Unless one or both of them were hungry, needed to be changed, or wanted Pikapi or Pikachu. Then they would mewl quite loudly.

Their names had translated quite nicely for Pikachu. He called the boy Pipika, and the girl Pipikachu. All he had to do was switch Pikapi and Pikachupi's names around. It worked out wonderfully, he thought.

Pikachu had almost always slept in Pikapi and Pikachupi's bed, usually at the foot or on Pikapi's pillow. With the arrival of Pipika and Pipikachu, however, Pikachu found it more prudent to sleep in the babies' cribs. He was fiercely protective of the newborns and would threaten to thundershock anyone he didn't trust with them. Those little humans were his family, after all. It was Pikachu's job to protect them from harm.

Pikapi and Pikachupi were very grateful to Pikachu for his services. For this, Pikachu was glad. He had heard all too much that many parents were afraid to have their Pokémon near their babies, even their closest partners! Why, people had even said right in front of Pikachu that they hoped Pikapi and Pikachupi wouldn't let him anywhere near the babies once they were born! Pikachu couldn't believe the nerve of some people.

Fortunately, Pikapi and Pikachupi had never once considered that idea. They both wanted the babies to be very close to Pikachu. They both knew that Pikachu would never hurt their twins, and that it would in fact be the opposite. They knew all along that Pikachu would be their protector.

"Look how much they love you, Pikachu!" Pikachupi would coo while Pikachu gazed at the babies. They, in turn, would stare at the little yellow mouse with wide eyes full of bewilderment. It seemed that they didn't understand Pikachu just yet.

Pikachu loved them himself, though. He would help Pikachupi and Pikapi to bathe the babies by bringing them soap and towels. Pikachu was amazed by the fact that Pikachupi didn't groom the babies like a Pikachu would to its Pichu. Obviously, they didn't have enough fur to do that. Pikachupi didn't even have enough fur to snuggle the babies in! So, occasionally, Pikachu would just lick the top of the babies' heads to fix their wispy hair that often went astray. It liked to stick up in all different directions unless Pikachu took proper care of it. Pipika's hair always popped back up regardless, which Pikachu just assumed the boy had inherited from Pikapi.

When night time arrived, Pikachu liked listening to Pikachupi sing the babies to sleep. That was another thing most Pokémon couldn't do, unless they actually knew sing as an attack. Pikachu certainly couldn't sing to the babies himself! And Pikachupi had one of the loveliest voices Pikachu had ever heard.

He would sit on Misty's shoulder and stare down at the babies, who were almost always swaddled up in the soft blankets they had come home from the hospital in. Pipika tended to fall asleep before Pipikachu; Pipikachu always wanted more attention. Sometimes, Pikachupi had to hold her just to get her to settle down. Pikachu could already see a lot of Pikachupi's fire in the baby girl.

One night, after Pikachupi had managed to lull the infants to sleep, she glanced over at Pikachu, who seemed confused by her eyes' sudden change of direction.

"Pikachu, have you ever thought of being a daddy?" Pikachupi asked.

Pikachu scoffed and rolled his eyes, haplessly muttering, "pika, Pikachupi. Pikachu pika pipi."

"Aw, but why not?" Pikachupi giggled. "You were always so good with Togepi! I think you'd make a wonderful dad to some little Pichu."

"Pipipi pikachu pi," Pikachu reasoned. He had been quite good with little Pipipi, but that was much different. Pikachu thought he was good with Pipika and Pipikachu as well, but that didn't mean he wanted any children of his own. Pikachu was much happier being a house Pokémon and battle partner than a paternal figure.

"Well, alright then," Misty laughed warmly. "I suppose I could share my little babies!"

Pikachu twitched his ears and once again looked down at the babies. Their chubby, blushing faces and tightly closed eyes, little button noses and tiny hands curled up into fists. Pikachu really did find them to be very cute.

He certainly didn't mind having them around.

* * *

><p><strong>This wasn't really a substantial plot, just fluffy nonsense that I wanted to experiment with :3<strong>


	173. Heels

**DONE WITH SCHOOL! Bye bye freshman year, I'm glad you're done with :P**

**Anyway, to celebrate, here's a new one shot! Some nice mother/daughter bonding for you guys :P**

**Michelle: 13 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Heels<strong>

Michelle stared at her mother as if the woman had just slapped her.

"Why are you giving me that look?" Misty raised an eyebrow.

"…I'm not wearing those," Michelle pointed at her mother's hand without looking down at the article held between her fingers.

"Why not?"

"They're…evil!"

"You've never worn them before, how could you know?"

"Because they _look _evil!"

Misty sighed and strode forward, right past Michelle, until she was standing before the side of the girl's bed. Turning around, Misty held her arm out and dropped the pair of offending objects down on the top of the mattress.

"Michelle, you're thirteen years old," Misty began, trying to keep her patience. "You need to learn to start dressing like a young woman."

"I wear dresses for my Contests!" Michelle argued.

"Yes, I know, sweetheart," Misty sighed. "Because you kind of _have _to. But when it comes to other times…you just don't want to do it."

"If you're referring to Dad's dumb League thing, you already know I'm wearing a dress," Michelle grumbled, folding her arms across her chest.

"Oh, I know that," Misty nodded, "it's the _shoes _we're having an issue with here." Michelle rolled her eyes, earning a click of the tongue from Misty. "Don't roll your eyes at me, Michelle."

"I'm not rolling my eyes at _you,_" Michelle replied smartly before nodding her head towards the pair of shoes sitting idly on her bed. "I'm rolling my eyes at _them._"

Misty sighed and placed a hand against her forehead. She loved her daughter, but having one who was a teenager with out of control hormones was proving to be a very difficult experience. "Michelle, honestly, they're just _heels. _It's not that bad!"

"Yeah, not that bad until I put them on and break my neck!" Michelle argued.

"You can't show up at the party wearing flats, you're too old to be wearing those kinds of shoes at such a nice event," Misty shook her head. "Besides, you're a lucky girl! Elizabeth would _kill _to wear those shoes! She's been begging me to let her wear high heels since she was three."

"So let _her _wear them!" Michelle whined.

"You know I can't do that, sweetheart," Misty scolded lightly. "Elizabeth is only seven. She's too young for heels."

Michelle grumbled incoherently and walked over to the side of her bed, glaring down at the felonious shoes with narrowed emerald eyes. They didn't have all that high of a heel, maybe two inches at the most. They were made of silver satin, with three thin straps that would go over the front of her foot, and a trio of silver jewel embellishments going up the front.

"They're very pretty," Misty commented from behind her daughter.

"That doesn't mean I want to wear them," Michelle mumbled.

Placing her hands on Michelle's shoulders, Misty spun her daughter around and stared the disgruntled teenager in her eyes. "Michelle, _every_ girl has to wear heels eventually. It's all a part of growing up!"

"Well, growing up is dumb," Michelle remarked.

"Now you sound like your father," Misty replied with a smirk.

"Mom, _please_ don't make me wear those shoes," Michelle begged.

"You're acting like I'm torturing you!" Misty giggled sadly. "And I don't want you to think that, princess. I just want you to be able to start maturing into a beautiful young woman! You're a very beautiful girl, Michelle, and I know that the older the get, the more beautiful you'll become. I just want to be able to help you properly portray that."

"I can look just as beautiful in flats!" Michelle whined.

"Of course you would," Misty agreed. "But I really want to see you wearing heels. Please? For me?"

Michelle groaned and picked up the left shoe, carefully examining it. She dug the bottom of the heel into her right palm and grimaced. It hurt…she could only imagine how hard it would be to walk in the stupid things. Probably like walking on stilts. And what if she fell? That would hurt even worse than putting the spike of the heel in her hand.

"I don't wanna die, Mom," Michelle groaned.

"Oh, Michelle, don't be so dramatic," Misty sighed, plucking the silver heel out of her older daughter's grasp. "You'll practice walking in them, and then you won't fall."

"What, I have to _practice _wearing heels?" Michelle nearly snapped. "That's so dumb! They're _shoes!_"

"Yes, but they can be a little hard to walk in at first," Misty reasoned with the flustered girl. "It's not so hard to practice walking in them! You just scuff up the bottom of the shoes and get your feet used to being in them. Especially your ankles."

"I don't want to do extra work just to wear shoes that I hate," Michelle complained. "That's stupid! Just let me wear flats, please?"

"No, sweetheart, you can't," Misty groaned. "Look, I understand how you feel, but-"

"How could you possibly understand how I feel?" Michelle interrupted. "You wear heels all the time! It's easy for you!"

At this, Misty's eyes widened. "Michelle, do you think I've never had a problem with heels? Do you think I've known how to walk in them since I was a little girl? Because, when I was younger, I was an even bigger tomboy than _you_ were! The first pair of heels your Aunt Daisy gave to me I threw right out the window."

"You didn't," Michelle gasp laughingly.

"I sure did," Misty snickered. "I carried them into my bedroom, opened up the window, and tossed them into the bushes. Daisy didn't find them for a whole two weeks."

"Why would you do that?" Michelle giggled.

"Because I was a terrible, terrible teenager," Misty replied with a smirk. "I was moody and miserable. I don't ever want you to be like me when I was your age! It was like a nightmare. And I'd like to make life a little easier for myself and your father."

"At least _I_ didn't try to throw my heels out the window," Michelle pointed out.

"That is true," Misty conceded. "And I'm very glad you didn't! I understand how much you hate them, Shelly. To be perfectly honest with you, even though I wear them a lot now, it's only because I have to. I still don't really like them. I would much rather walk around in sneakers or flip flops. Even flats! But I can't do that because I'm an adult. Besides, if I didn't wear heels your father would completely tower over me and that's still not something I'm comfortable with."

"You mean Daddy was shorter than you at one point?" Michelle laughed.

"Yes, for a very long time," Misty confirmed. "I bring it up every now and then to get on his nerves, but he's taller than I am now so that doesn't really work out."

Michelle was still giggling softly, but she was now staring at the silver heel that was in her mother's hand. Reaching out, she gently took the shoe and studied it herself, emerald eyes still full of mistrust as she stared at the fancy footwear.

"So, what do you say?" Misty inquired. "Will you try them just for me?"

After a few moments of quiet deliberation, Michelle answered, "fine. I'll try them for you. But no guarantee that I'll like them!"

"I don't need a guarantee," Misty assured the younger girl. "If anything, you and I can commiserate on how horrible the things are."

* * *

><p><strong>Like mother, like daughter, right? Except for the throwing of shoes out a window XD<strong>


	174. Frozen Face

**This one is a classic lie that parents tell their children. What is it? You'll figure it out quickly enough ;)**

**Aiden and Michelle: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Frozen Face<strong>

"Aiden, if you keep that up, your face will freeze like that!"

The little boy scowled at his mother, who was giving him a disapproving look in addition to that stern warning. The child liked to make silly faces: sticking his tongue out and crossing his eyes. But his mother _always _caught him and _always_ told him that his face would freeze up and he'd be stuck like that forever.

"Nuh uh," Aiden refuted.

"I know it will," Misty replied. "I've seen it happen before."

Aiden didn't believe that, not for a second. Raising an eyebrow, he hopped in front of his mother and demanded to know, "who?"

"I knew lots of little boys when I was your age who got their faces stuck that way," Misty explained effortlessly. "Their mommies always warned them that it would happen, but they didn't want to listen. I bet their faces are still frozen like that today!"

Aiden scoffed. He still didn't believe all of that nonsense. It sounded like a silly, made up story.

"Does this look good, Mist?"

Misty raised her eyes from Aiden to her husband and groaned dramatically when she saw him holding up sea green tiles to purple paint.

"No, Ash, that looks terrible," Misty sighed. "We're trying to do a bathroom, not the set of a children's television show. Try looking at blue paint instead."

"But I don't know what _kind _of blue!" Ash complained.

Shaking her head, Misty stepped forward to try and assist Ash in picking out a paint color that would match the tile. Looking to his right, where his parents were standing, Aiden caught sight of his twin sister holding onto their father's leg and rubbing her cheek against his pants. She was beginning to look a little sleepy. Probably because the home improvement store was so _boring._

Looking to his left, Aiden realized the opposite side of the aisle was covered entirely by mirrors. Grinning to himself, the young boy ran up to one of the mirrors, a floor length one, and leaned into it so he was even closer to his face. Aiden was so close to the mirror, in fact, that when he laughed, his breath fogged up the glass. Furrowing his brow, Aiden opened his mouth wide and tried to look as far into his mouth as he possibly could. It was hard to do that, however, so he stuck his tongue out as far as it would go. That seemed to help. He raised one eyebrow and tilted his head, touching his own cheek to his shoulder.

"Aiden, what did I say about making those faces?"

Blinking, Aiden whipped around and found his mother looking over her shoulder with her arms folded across her chest.

"I dunno," Aiden drawled, giggling after the fact.

"You know exactly what I said," Misty sighed. "Now cut it out. You don't want your tongue sticking out of your mouth for the rest of your life!"

Huffing, Aiden sidestepped over to the next mirror. It was smaller and more decorative: rectangular in shape and bordered by an antique silver frame. Sticking his fingers in the corner of his mouth, Aiden pulled it open and once again stuck out his tongue, wiggling it up and down as he squeezed his right eye shut and tried to widen the left one.

"Aiden!"

Groaning, Aiden lowered his hands and once again turned around to find his mother giving him the same disapproving stare that he'd received every time he'd started making faces.

"How come you always catch me?" Aiden complained.

"I've got eyes in the back of my head," Misty quipped. "You know that, silly boy!"

"Nuh uh, I checked, and you don't!" Aiden argued.

"That's because they're hidden from naughty little kids like you," Misty teased. "If you could see them, then you would know when I was looking at you!"

Aiden still found his mother's arguments to be incredulous. Scoffing, he rolled his eyes quite dramatically, which caused Misty to gasp rather loudly.

"Aiden, stop with the faces!"

"It's not a face!" Aiden cried.

"Yes it is," Misty disagreed. "Your eyes are going to get stuck in the back of your head! You'll have to look at your brain for the rest of your life."

"Shelly says I don't gots a brain," Aiden replied.

Misty glanced down at her young daughter, who in turn looked up and gave her mother a very tired, but innocent, look.

"Michelle, that's not nice," Misty gently scolded.

"But neifer is lying," Michelle defended herself.

"Michelle!" Misty wheezed.

"Mistyyy," Ash whined like a needy child, "I really need help picking out the paint! I don't know what colors look good together!"

"Ash, just hold on for one second!" Misty snapped.

"But I'm _so_ confused!"

"Oh my Arceus," Misty sighed, rolling her eyes before smacking a hand against her forehead.

"Mommy, don't do that!" Aiden shouted, catching the woman off guard. "Or it gets stuck like that!"

Narrowing her eyes, Misty started to rub her temples as she muttered, "I'm stuck alright. I'm stuck in a warehouse of nightmares…"

* * *

><p><strong>Poor Misty :P Tables turned on her by a 4 year old boy.<strong>


	175. Paparazzi Attack

**I'm having an obsession with Misty's nieces at the moment. I really like writing them. So...have this one shot about her and Ash's adventures with them :P**

**Dakota: 4 and a half years old**

**Vanessa: 3 and a half years old**

**Lola: 2 and a half years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Paparazzi Attack<strong>

"Ah! No, Dakota!"

"I'm gonna' get you!"

"Ahh!"

Looking over her shoulder, Misty glared at her older sisters, who were all lying on their beach towels and chatting with one another, not even paying attention to their daughters' antics. Leave it up to Misty to have to babysit even when her sisters were around.

"Dakota, Vanessa, be careful," Misty called out to the two young girls. "Come over here to me, okay?"

The little girls, who had been chasing one another in the ocean where the water was deep enough to reach their waists, scurried over to their youngest aunt as quickly as possible, grinning up at her like they had done nothing wrong. Which they really hadn't, in hindsight. Misty just worried over them very easily.

"Aunt Misty, we was just playing!" Dakota chirped.

"I know you were, sweetie, and that's okay," Misty hushed. "I just want you two to stay closer to me so I can make sure nothing happens to you both."

Misty watched as Dakota jumped high above the water, her bikini striped in coral, red, white, yellow, and navy blue coming into view. Vanessa let out a burst of shrieking laughter as she charged right after her older cousin, her own sky blue bikini printed with pink and green paisley and lined with light pink ruffles covered in white polka dots. Misty sighed and rubbed the side of her face, wondering how this little vacation had ended up becoming more stressful than running the gym.

"No, Lola! Don't cover my eyes! I can't see where I'm going!"

Looking over her shoulder, Misty found Ash ambling towards the ocean with little Lola sitting on his shoulders, her small hands covering his eyes and blocking his view. Misty couldn't help but to smirk to herself. At least Ash was having just as hard of a time as she was, if not worse. They had been married for six months now, and the little girls, despite their original trepidation, _adored_ their Uncle Ash just as much as they loved Misty. They thought he was "so much fun" and "very, very cute," which always made Misty smile.

"I'll help you out," Misty finally relented, walking out of the ocean and pulling Lola's hands away from Ash's eyes, causing the little girl to laugh and Ash to sigh out of relief.

"Thanks, Mist," Ash breathed.

"Don't mention it!" Misty giggled.

"Auntie!" Lola cried, reaching out towards Misty and causing Ash to huff.

"Oh, sure, now that _she's_ here, I'm dead to you," Ash grumbled.

"Of course she wants me, I'm her favorite auntie in the whole wide world!" Misty cooed, lifting the two and a half year old off of her husband's shoulders. "Hello, Miss Lola. You've been having fun with Uncle Ash, haven't you?"

"Uh huh!" Lola chirped. "He chaseded me 'wound in the sand!"

"Wow, that sounds great!" Misty marveled. "I wish I could have been running around with you guys!"

"You can't do dat, Aun' Misty," Lola sternly reminded her aunt. "Babies!"

"Yeah, that's not very good for them," Misty agreed, rubbing the bottom of her burgeoning belly. "I have to be a good mommy and keep them safe!"

Ash smiled at his wife and her choice of swimwear: a halter top bikini with thick black stripes and a background that slowly transformed from white to dark blue, with all the shades in between. She had refused to buy any maternity bathing suits, since it was already August and she was only five months along. With twins, however, her belly was a lot more noticeable, and it was very obvious that she was pregnant. Ash thought she looked very good, however. She made a very beautiful pregnant woman, he thought.

"Earth to Ash?"

The man was snapped out of his thoughts by Misty's vivacious laughter. Lola soon joined in on it, although her own giggles were more high pitched and childlike. Rolling his eyes, Ash just smirked at the girls and slowly shook his head.

"Haha, very funny," he teased. "Let's all laugh at Ash because he was thinking about how pretty his wife is."

"Aw, is that why you spaced out?" Misty cooed. "That's precious."

"Auntie's the pwettiest auntie in the wowld!" Lola shouted, throwing her arms up in the air and making them form a semi-circle to demonstrate her point.

"Oh my gosh, you two are making me blush!" Misty squealed, sheepishly turning her face away. "I sure am a lucky lady, huh?"

"I'd say so," Ash chuckled.

"Auntie, wawa?" Lola squeaked, pointing behind her at the bright blue ocean.

"What is it sweetie, you want to go swimming?" Misty asked.

"Yeah!" Lola giggled.

"That sounds good to me; I probably shouldn't leave Dakota and Vanessa unattended any longer," Misty mused. "Would you like to join us, Ash?"

"Well, it sure beats lying on the sand with your sisters," Ash muttered. "I don't understand why they're off doing that while we're supposed to be _vacationing. _You can lie around and talk anywhere!"

"That's what they like doing, I guess," Misty sighed. "And it's why we got stuck babysitting when we totally shouldn't have."

"But you wove me, Aun' Misty," Lola whimpered.

"Oh no, of _course _I love my sweet little Lo!" Misty trilled, tickling the toddler's bare stomach. She, like her two older cousins, was wearing a bikini: Lola's a ruffled seersucker top in the colors of blue, pink, and green with green bottoms and a pink ruffle skirt. Misty's tickles quickly cheered the girl up, who roared with laughter as she held her aunt's shoulder with her little hands and ran her foot against the woman's rounded stomach. "And I'm very happy to be going swimming with you, little lovey."

"Uncy Ash, too?" Lola asked, staring at her uncle with wide, innocent blue eyes.

"I love you just as much as Aunt Misty!" Ash laughed. "You're a pretty cool little girl, Lola. I like playing with ya'."

Beaming, Lola pointed at his lower half and added, "Pwetty bafing suit."

At this, Ash blushed. He didn't like the notion that his swimsuit was "pretty." Truthfully, Ash was a terrible shopper and did very little of it himself. As a kid, he had been used to his mother buying and making clothes for him. He was an adult now, and a married man. So of course, that had changed.

He now relied on his _wife_ to do those kinds of things for him, although Misty was a terrible seamstress. So she just bought everything.

She had purchased him a brand new pair of swim trunks specifically for the trip: they were pool blue and printed with white scallops. The reason Misty had chosen them was because they reminded her of Oshawott and his scalchop, and that made them "too cute" for Misty to ignore.

The man figured he should probably start trying to buy his own clothes.

"Thanks Lola," Ash sighed, hanging his head in shame.

"Aw, Lola, we don't call boy things 'pretty!' It embarrasses them!" Misty laughed, while Lola looked confused. "We call them 'handsome' instead. Can you say that?"

"Hanfome," Lola tried, grinning afterwards. She thought she had it.

"Good job!" Misty complimented, not having the heart to correct the child. With that, they had finally arrived back at the spot that Misty had previously occupied while watching Dakota and Vanessa. The two little girls were still splashing around and chasing one another, which brought a smile to Misty's face. "Want to play with Koty and Nessie, Lo?"

Lola beamed as soon as she heard her cousin's nicknames and nodded. Bending down, which was already starting to become a bit of a problem, Misty placed Lola in the water and made sure the little girl was steady before standing back up to her full height and pressing a hand against her back.

"You all play nice, now!" Misty giggled, causing Lola to look up at her aunt with a worried look.

"Hey, Mist, she looks nervous," Ash noted.

"What? Of course my little Lola isn't nervous!" Misty refuted. "She's a tough little cookie!"

"Uncy!" Lola wailed, turning around and charging towards Ash, attaching herself to the young man's leg.

"What?!" Misty gasped.

"See, I told you," Ash scoffed.

"Oh, who asked you?" Misty grumbled.

Kneeling down, Ash pulled Lola closer to himself and asked, "what's wrong, Lola? Are you afraid to go further into the water? I'll hold ya', if you want!"

"No," Lola whined, "I not scawed of wawa."

Ash was obviously surprised by this. "You're not? So what is it?"

Wordlessly, Lola pointed up at a nearby jetty while staring at Ash. Following his young niece's finger, Ash looked at the top of the rocky heap and found a small collection of photographers standing atop it, taking photos of the young couple playing with their three nieces in the ocean.

"Oh man," Ash groaned.

"What is it, Ash?" Misty asked. "Why is Lola so upset?"

Standing back up, and this time holding Lola in his arms so she could look back towards the beach and not near the jetty, Ash motioned his head towards the rocks and murmured, "See for yourself."

Misty looked in that direction and cursed under her breath before turning her attention back onto Ash, who looked partially annoyed and partially upset.

"The stupid paparazzi!" Misty hissed. "How is it that they always manage to find us?"

"I'm sorry, Misty," Ash apologized. "This is all my fault. If I wasn't Pokémon Master, those creeps wouldn't follow us around everywhere we go. This whole vacation is going to be ruined thanks to me."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Ash," Misty sympathetically crooned to her husband. "You didn't ask to be hunted down like a wild Pokémon. You wanted to become Pokémon Master because you love what you do! Not for all of this nonsense. You haven't ruined anything! It's not like you invited them here. They're just creepy and seem to have tracking devices on us or something."

"I know, but I still feel bad," Ash fretted. "Poor Lola is terrified! Fortunately, Dakota and Vanessa are too busy playing to notice them. But I bet they'd be scared too. And what about our own kids? I know once they're born, the paparazzi will be on them just the same, if not more! I'm scared for them, Misty."

"Well, we can't worry about that at the moment," Misty sighed, placing a protective hand on her stomach. "For now, we have to focus on our nieces, and getting those weirdos out of here for _their_ sakes."

"But how?" Ash questioned. "You know that being nice and polite has never worked. Just asking them to leave won't get us anywhere!"

"Which is why we're _not_ going to ask," Misty replied with a smirk, much to Ash's horror. "We're going to take care of them _my_ way."

"I don't like that little glint in your eyes…"

**XXX**

After convincing Dakota and Vanessa to get out of the water with the promise of a fun little game, Misty led her husband and three nieces towards the jetty, keeping her emerald eyes locked on the top of the rocky quay as they snuck around like a group of skilled ninjas.

"Misty, when are you going to tell us the plan?" Ash demanded, still carrying Lola in his arms.

"Shh!" Misty hissed, pressing a finger against her lips. "When we get closer…"

Eventually, they reached the back of the stone wharf, Misty resting herself against it while still looking up. Ash joined her, while Dakota and Vanessa circled around their aunt and uncle's feet and waited patiently for some kind of direction.

"Well?" Ash whispered.

"They're all confused," Misty began, her voice just as quiet as her husband's. "I can tell. Look, they're scanning the whole beach for us."

Ash glanced up at the gathered photographers and realized that they were, in fact, looking all around the beach for any sign of the group. Their cameras were down, which meant they were at their most vulnerable.

"Okay, so they don't know where we are," Ash concluded. "Now what?"

"Let me show you," Misty giggled, bending down and scooping up a handful of sand. Looking down at her young nieces, Misty instructed, "Now, watch me closely, sweethearts! And don't tell your mommies that I taught you how to do this."

Looking back up atop the jetty, Misty set her target and nodded just once to herself before pulling her arm back and throwing it back forward after a short second, chucking the sand directly at the wondering paparazzi. It hit them all dead on, causing the group to shriek and start running around wildly like a group of confused Rattata.

At this, Dakota and Vanessa shrieked with laughter, and Lola looked up curiously. Ash, on the other hand, was staring at his wife with wide, disbelieving eyes.

"Misty!" He hissed.

"Come on girls," Misty urged, completely ignoring Ash's frantic expression. "Take some sand and throw it at those mean people up there!"

Giggling like the little girls they were, Dakota and Vanessa gathered up sand just like their aunt had shown them and tossed it at the photographers standing on the jetty. It hit, and the photographers only began to freak out even more. Dakota and Vanessa were laughing so hard that they nearly fell onto the sandy ground. Lola, who know understood what was so funny, decided that she wanted to try it out for herself. Patting Ash's shoulder to gain his attention, which worked like a charm, Lola pointed at the ground and requested, "Down."

Ash obliged, although he didn't really want to, and placed Lola down by his feet. Crouching down, Lola scooped up a small handful of sand before standing back up and throwing it at the paparazzi. Surprisingly enough, that managed to hit as well, and the group of paparazzi were now howling out of confusion.

"Misty!" Ash gasped, once again picking up a giggling Lola to keep her away from the sand. "You seriously cannot teach our nieces to do this kind of stuff! Is this how we're going to raise our children?!"

Ash's voice had been a little bit too loud for Misty's comfort, so she grabbed his arm and pulled him behind a large, nearby rock that could hide them from the prying eyes of the paparazzi. Dakota and Vanessa followed suit, not wanting to be left behind. Ash, however, wasn't so sure that he wanted his nieces to hear this conversation.

"Lo, how about you, Koty, and Nessie go play in the sand?" Ash asked, putting Lola back on the ground.

"Kay!" Lola chirped, running up to her older cousins and urging them to play in the sand with her.

"Ash, what the hell was that about?" Misty demanded.

"I know you're upset about the paparazzi tracking us down here and scaring Lola. I am too," Ash reasoned with her. "But do you really think teaching the girls to throw _sand _at them is sending the right message?"

"Yes," Misty replied simply. "You said it yourself. Nicely asking them to leave us alone has never worked, and it never will. If they're not going to respect us, then I'm certainly not going to respect them. It works two ways, Ash."

"But…throwing sand at them?" Ash groaned.

"You don't mess around with my family, Ketchum," Misty seethed, glaring back towards the jetty. "I'm _insanely _protective of my nieces. And you. And don't even get me started on the babies I'm carrying. I know it may seem extreme, but I won't let anyone do anything to any of you. Even if it was something as small as scaring Lola. That's _not _okay with me."

"So…what are you saying?" Ash murmured. "That you were just teaching the girls to stand up for themselves or something?"

"That's actually a lot more eloquent than what I was thinking of," Misty sheepishly admitted. "But yes. I want them to understand that they can't let anyone take advantage of their family."

"I guess I can accept that," Ash sighed, smiling sweetly at his wife. "I might not completely agree with it, but at least I understand."

"I'm glad," Misty trilled happily before adding seriously, "Besides, we all know my sisters aren't going to teach their daughters about this kind of stuff. Unless it has to do with shoes or boys, forget about it."

"Can't argue with that."

* * *

><p><strong>If I was famous, I'd totally do that to the paparazzi XD Why not? They're annoying lol.<strong>


	176. Team Mom

**Guys, guess what? It's my BIRTHDAY :P I really liked this one, so I switched its place with another one. Cause I can :P That one will go up tomorrow. Yay summer!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Team Mom<strong>

"Daddy, I think I'm gonna' hit a home run today!"

"You do, huh?" Ash chuckled. "And why do you think that is?"

"Because you're gonna' be watchin' me!" Aiden chirped.

"Ah, so you want to hit one for me, huh?" Ash questioned kindly.

"Yeah!" Aiden cheered.

Because of his very busy schedule as Pokémon Master, Ash often missed Aiden's baseball games. It absolutely killed the man, because he loved his son more than anything and was so proud of the little boy for playing the sport. According to Misty, he was very good. For the first time in a long time, however, Ash's weekend was completely free, which meant he would be able to watch Aiden play in his baseball game. Needless to say, Ash couldn't have been more excited. And it seemed that Aiden was sharing in his sentiments.

"Here, let me fix your hat before we go," Ash murmured, kneeling down in front of Aiden to adjust the little boy's bright blue baseball cap. It was a bit crooked, but once Ash got his hands on it, he managed to straighten the hat out. "There! Now it's perfect!"

"Thanks, Daddy!" Aiden laughed, tilting his head back so he could see his father past the visor.

"Don't mention it, little man," Ash murmured, patting Aiden's shoulder before getting to his feet. Pikachu came scampering into the room and clambered up Ash's body until he was perched on the man's shoulder, causing Ash to smile and scratch the electric mouse behind his ears. "You're excited to come watch Aiden play baseball too, aren't you?"

"Cha!" Pikachu squeaked.

"Let's go!" Aiden shouted cheerfully, spinning around and marching towards the front door.

"Hold on, champ!" Ash chuckled. "We can't go just yet!"

At this, Aiden whipped back around and pouted. "Why not?"

"Because we have to wait for Mommy and Michelle," Ash elucidated. "They're almost ready, so it'll just be another minute at most, I bet."

Frowning, Aiden slumped his shoulders and groaned, "Daddy, does she _have_ to come?"

Ash blanched at this. "Aiden, that's not nice to ask about your sister. She loves you and loves to watch you play!"

"No, not Shelly," Aiden refuted. "Mommy."

"_Mommy?_" Ash repeated, furrowing his brow in bewilderment. "Why wouldn't you want Mommy to come?"

"Because-"

"Okay, boys, we're all set!"

Aiden threw his father a desperate glance, but Ash chose to ignore it. He didn't understand why his son would be so upset about Misty coming along. He loved his mother! Besides, she attended all of his games when Ash wasn't there. And he knew for a fact his wife was _very_ supportive of their son when it came to baseball! So Aiden's wariness was very strange to Ash. In fact, it didn't make any sense to him.

Michelle appeared before her mother, scurrying down the stairs before attaching herself to her father's leg and beaming up at him. She was dressed for the nice spring day in a white shirt printed with three big starfish in the colors of blue, red, and pink with denim Capri pants and light blue high top sneakers with a pink tongue and piping.

"Aw, my little princess looks so cute!" Ash cooed, patting his daughter atop her head. "Where did you leave Mommy, huh?"

"She's coming," Michelle replied effortlessly, still leaning against his leg.

Just as Michelle had promised, Misty came down the stairs with a big smile on her face and a plastic bag in her hands, which caused Ash to raise a curios eyebrow.

"Misty, what's the bag for?" Ash asked, pointing at it.

"Oh, this just has some different kinds of cookies in it that I picked up from the bakery!" Misty replied warmly. "It was my turn to bring the little boys a snack for after the game, and I thought they would really like these!"

"Aw, well, isn't that _sweet_ of you," Ash commented, eyeing his still flustered son.

"Mommy, aren't you tired?" Aiden tried, putting on a sugary sweet smile for good measure.

"Oh, Aiden, I know you're worried about me, but you don't have to be!" Misty crooned, much to Aiden's horror. "I am _just_ fine. You know I wouldn't miss your game for the world! Besides, we talked about this. Daddy and I are going to spend as much time with you and Michelle as possible before the baby is born!" Misty placed a hand on her burgeoning midsection to emphasize her point. "We don't want either of you feeling left out."

"Okay," Aiden drawled, "but…you can stay here and sleep!"

"Buddy, I don't have to sleep," Misty giggled. "I got plenty of sleep last night! I think it's _adorable_ that you want to take such good care of me, though. Really, I appreciate it!"

Aiden cast his father one last pleading look, but Ash still didn't understand why Aiden was so against having his mother come to the baseball game. It was then that Ash realized that maybe Aiden really _was _just worried about Misty. He was protective of the woman, maybe just as much as Ash was. Aiden did want to be just like him, after all. And the thought of this made Ash smile.

"You're the best son a mommy and daddy could have asked for, champ," Ash informed Aiden, who finally seemed to have just given up on trying to get his message across. Wrapping his arm around Misty's back so his hand was resting on her belly, Ash continued, "I'll keep an eye on her, little guy. Don't you worry! Mommy is in very good hands. Promise!"

Shaking his head, Aiden tugged his baseball cap further down on his head and began to mentally prepare himself for the long morning he had ahead of himself.

**XXX**

"_Moooom_, stop it! They're _fine!_"

Misty snickered softly at this. Aiden only called her "Mom" when he was being a grumpy little thing. And right now, he was just a bit annoyed because she was busy retying the shoelaces on his royal blue baseball cleats.

"I just want to make sure they're nice and tight!" Misty cooed. "We don't need these to come undone when you're running the bases, now do we?"

"I wanna' be with my friends," Aiden whined. "Lemme go!"

"Oh, Aiden, you're just a little fussy because Daddy is here to watch you, I know," Misty whispered, causing Aiden to furrow his brow. "But you'll be just fine! Daddy and I are proud of you no matter what. Now, give Mommy a kiss before I let you go."

Aiden grumbled at this. He didn't want to give his mother a kiss. She thought he was a baby or something! Sensing her son's agitation, Misty smiled softly and pulled Aiden forward until her stomach got in the way, at which point, she gave the little boy a kiss on the cheek.

"_Moooom!_" Aiden cried, rubbing at his cheek with the white sleeve of his baseball jersey.

"Okay, okay, no more," Misty sighed laughingly as she got back to her feet and tickled under the boy's chin. "I'll go away now."

Aiden turned away from his mother and ran off onto the field, where his friends and teammates were already practicing for the game. Breathing out sadly, Misty headed over to the bleachers where Ash was already sitting with Michelle, watching as the little girl happily pet Pikachu who now sat on his trainer's lap.

"Hey," Ash sweetly greeted his wife as she took a seat next to him. "Is Aiden all in order?"

"Yeah, he's fine," Misty answered softly.

"Are you okay?" Ash inquired, blinking out of confusion.

"Yeah," Misty repeated, turning her head to show Ash a sad smile. "Sometimes, I just forget that our baby boy is growing up. And whenever it hits me…it hits me like a train."

"Aw, it's okay, honey!" Ash reassured his wife. "I think we all forget sometimes. But we should be really proud of all the stuff he does as he gets older! He'll still be our baby, no matter what."

"Even if he doesn't like hearing it?" Misty quipped with a sly smile.

"_Especially_ if he doesn't like hearing it," Ash chuckled. "Besides, you'll be back to babying someone soon enough!" He patted her belly, which was covered by an aqua colored empire-waist top spotted with tiny white dots. "I think this might just be your hormones taking over."

"Could be," Misty admitted sheepishly, turning her own head to smile at Michelle as the little girl busied herself with petting Pikachu.

Back on the field, Aiden nervously slipped his catching glove on while trying to avoid eye contact with his best friend, Brandon, who was standing right next to him in an identical uniform.

"You mean your daddy came today and your mommy _still_ came too?" Brandon asked.

"I tried to make her stay home!" Aiden whined. "Didn't work."

"This is bad, isn't it?" Brandon murmured.

"Uh huh," Aiden sighed.

While the two boys were busy talking to one another, a new figure appeared and took a seat next to Misty, who was staring intently at the field while Ash rubbed her back.

"Another weekend at the baseball field, huh?" Forrest sighed, eyeing Misty.

"I think it's fun!" Misty giggled, finally taking her eyes off of her son. "Besides, Aiden looks so cute in his little uniform! And I think it's wonderful to watch them play. They get so into it!"

"Or maybe that's just you…" Forrest muttered.

"What?" Misty questioned, narrowing her eyes.

"Heh, nothing! I didn't say anything!" Forrest laughed nervously, leading Ash to look between the two gym leaders without a sense of understanding.

Soon enough, the game was underway. It was a home game for Aiden and Brandon's team, so they weren't up to bat until the bottom of the first inning. They started the game at their defensive positions: Aiden playing third base and Brandon playing shortstop. Ash thought it was cute that the two little friends played positions that were so close to one another. Aiden even assisted in a double play, much to his family's delight. Perhaps it was just his bias, but Ash thought his son was a pretty awesome baseball player!

When the bottom of the first rolled around, it turned out that Aiden was batting second. Misty explained to Ash that the boy usually hit in the third or fourth spot, but that the coach would switch all of the boys around every once in a while to give them all an opportunity. Aiden had been hitting very well as of late, so he'd been given the second spot in the lineup.

When he stepped up to home plate, his baseball cap having been replaced by a bright blue batting helmet and his catching glove traded in for blue and black battling gloves, Misty cheered so loudly for the little boy that Ash nearly fell off of the bleachers. He turned his head to give her a wide eyed stare, but Misty was far too distracted by their young son to even notice. Misty's shriek had been so loud and excitable that Aiden could hear it all the way down on the field. He grimaced at the noise, knowing this was just the beginning.

_Why couldn't Daddy listen to me?_

As Aiden stepped into the batter's box and timidly tapped his bat against home plate, Misty continued to cheer for him, causing Forrest to give Ash a disbelieving look that seemed to silently read: _this is what you've been missing at the games._

Ash set his eyes back on his wife and was suddenly brought back to earlier in the morning, before the family had left the house for the baseball game. All of Aiden's pleads to leave Misty at home, his urging for her to stay there and sleep…

He wasn't concerned about her well-being. He was bothered by her _actions_ during the games!

"Oh no," Ash groaned, burying his face in his hands.

As it would turn out, Misty's fervent cheering for her son was the _least _of the boy's problems. And he knew it, too. The problem was that Ash didn't. He thought that all of the cheering was what bothered Aiden. It couldn't get any worse than that, right?

Wrong.

After Aiden ended up striking out, Misty growled and laced her fingers through the intertwined metal of the bleacher fence, pressing her face right up against it as Forrest and Michelle prepared for the same little show they had to deal with at every other game they'd been to that season.

"What?! How was that a strike? That wasn't even close!" Misty yelped.

"Misty, cut it out!" Ash gasped, trying to pull his wife away from the fence. She was holding onto it too tightly, however, and couldn't be moved. "Come on! Just leave it!"

"No, they're cheating my baby!" Misty argued. "I will _not_ just leave it! That wasn't a strike and the umpire knows it!"

Not only was the _umpire _glaring at Misty, but so was Aiden. He practically ran away from home plate, keeping his narrowed eyes on Ash the entire time as if to say "this is what I was trying to tell you!"

"I can't believe it," Ash groaned, tilting his head back, "my wife is one of _those_ parents…how embarrassing."

"WHAT WAS THAT, ASH KETCHUM?!"

"Nothing!" Ash hissed urgently. "Just get away from the fence before you get us all thrown out! Or worse: you get Aiden to throw his batting helmet _at_ us!"

* * *

><p><strong>Poor Aiden :P<strong>

**Anyway, you guys should totally leave me a review as a birthday present! Pweeeease? :3**


	177. Three and Oh No

**So, in case any of you don't know (or don't remember!) Ash's "official" birthday is May 22nd, according to a novelization. Which I think is pretty awesome because it means his birthday is two days after mine :P **

**Anyway, since today IS Ash's birthday (and in my world, by the way, he is NOT still 10!) it's time for an Ash birthday one shot! **

**Aiden and Michelle: 8 years old**

**Elizabeth: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Three and Oh No<strong>

"Happy birthday…Ash?"

Misty raised an eyebrow as soon as she walked into the kitchen. Ash had work that day, so she knew he'd be up early and waiting in the kitchen for her to make his breakfast. She did in fact find him there, but not at the table. Or even in front of the fridge. No, he was huddled up in the corner, looking fairly miserable. Even from the back.

"Ash, are you…okay?" Misty asked, her voice sounding very confused.

"Yeah…sure…let's go with that."

Misty blinked, but didn't have time for any further questions before her and Ash's three children came brushing past her in an eager search for their father.

"Happy birthday, Daddy!" All three of them trilled at the same time, positively beaming at the back of his head.

"…thanks."

This sucked all of the energy right out of the kids. They all turned around and gave their mother worried stares, to which she wasn't sure how to respond. She _herself_ didn't even know what Ash's problem was!

"Mama, is Dada sick?" Elizabeth asked, shuffling closer to her mother.

"I don't think so, baby, but I could be wrong," Misty mused, lifting the little girl up into her arms. Still not understanding what was going on, Misty walked over to her husband and knelt down beside him in order to feel his forehead for fever. "Well, you're not hot…I mean, you are, but not in _that _sense…"

"Gross!" Aiden commented loudly from behind, causing Misty to smirk at him over her shoulder.

"Well, if Daddy's not sick, why is he so sad?" Michelle inquired.

"Yeah, no one should be sad on their birthday!" Aiden added. "You get presents!"

"Oh Aiden," Misty giggled at her son's innocence. "Of course that's all that's on your brain when you hear the word 'birthday'! You're such a silly boy."

"I'm not silly, I'm _smart,_" Aiden argued, tapping the side of his head.

Walking back over to her two older children, Misty whispered to them, "I think I might have to speak to your father alone. Something really is bothering him, and I've got to figure out what. Would you two mind keeping Elizabeth busy while I get it out of him?"

"Sure!" The twins chimed together.

"Thanks, you guys!" Misty crooned as she handed Elizabeth off to Michelle. "You're both so helpful."

She watched them shuffle off into the living room. Once they were gone, Misty sighed and made her way back over to Ash, who hadn't moved out of his crouching position at all.

"Alright, Ashy, the children are in the other room, so whatever it is you need to tell me, spit it out now," Misty calmly informed her husband.

"I don't need to tell you anything," Ash mumbled.

"Oh, that's the longest and most coherent sentence I've gotten out of you this morning!" Misty cheered. "I consider that progress."

Ash sighed and slumped his shoulders forward.

"Ash, come on, why are you so miserable?" Misty prodded. "It's your birthday! Didn't you hear how excited your children were? They wanted to surprise you! And I know for a fact they have presents for you upstairs! So, why don't you cheer up and enjoy your birthday?"

"Because I can't."

"Why not?"

"I just…can't."

"I refuse to accept that until you give me a valid excuse as to why," Misty huffed.

"You're not my teacher," Ash sighed.

"No, but I'm your wife, which means I'm ten times scarier," Misty teased. "So, you'd better fess up now, sweetheart. Otherwise I'm taking out the ruler, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah…I just don't want it."

"Seriously?" Misty groaned. "You're being so impossible! I mean, you're not even letting me flirt with you! What's gotten into your brain?"

"I'm sorry," Ash sighed, finally getting to his feet so he could face his frustrated wife. "I don't mean to be so snippy. I'm just a little depressed is all."

"Well, that much is obvious," Misty replied. "But I don't know why. Care to share?"

Biting his lower lip, Ash trailed his eyes across the floor and muttered in response, "mmfause I 'eel 'd."

"…I didn't understand a single word of that," Misty deadpanned.

"Because I feel old!" Ash cried, picking his head up and squeezing his eyes shut as he made the more clear confession.

"Well, I understood _that,_" Misty commented.

Ash groaned and allowed his shoulders to sag. He was about to head back into his little corner of depression, but Misty grabbed his arm before he could do that.

"Ash, why on Earth do you feel old?" Misty questioned.

"Because I'm thirty," Ash continued.

"So?" Misty demanded.

"…that's old!"

"I'm turning thirty in two months, how is that supposed to make me feel?" Misty enquired.

"I didn't say anything about you. _I'm_ the one that's old here! I'm older than you!"

"You've _always_ been older than me, Ash! Ever since the day you were born."

"I don't know, I just feel so old," Ash huffed. "I'm not in my twenties anymore. All of the good stuff happened when I was in my twenties! I became Pokémon Master, we were engaged and then married, we had our kids…what's so exciting about entering my thirties?"

"You haven't even experienced anything at this age yet," Misty argued. "How do you know it's going to be so bad?"

"Because Aiden, Michelle, and Elizabeth will all leave for their journeys while I'm in my thirties!" Ash gasped. "This is a _horrible _age, Misty! Not only am I getting old, but I'm losing my kids!"

"We're not losing them, you're so dramatic," Misty sighed. "And you're always the one telling _me _this! We have to encourage them to follow their dreams. And they'll always be our children, no matter what. They're not leaving, just growing up. Isn't that _always _what you tell me?"

"Yeah, but it's different from this age…" Ash muttered.

"Oh boy," Misty groaned, smacking her forehead. "Ash, you are _thirty. _Not sixty! Get a hold of yourself, honey."

"I can't, it's too hard," Ash complained.

"Well then, I'll make it easier for you," Misty finalized, walking towards the doorway that led into the living room.

"How?"

"Since you're so afraid of losing your children due to the inevitability that is growing up, I'm going to make sure you enjoy the time we have with them while they're still young," Misty explained, causing Ash to raise an eyebrow. "Aiden! Michelle! Elizabeth! Come back into the kitchen, please!"

The three children came scurrying back in, and their faces lit up when they realized their Dad was out of the corner.

"Daddy!" They all shrieked, running towards him and attaching themselves to his body.

"Man, you guys are strong for little kids!" Ash gasped, staggering backwards slightly as the children clung to him.

"We're not little!" Aiden argued. "Only Lizzie is!"

"No!" Elizabeth shouted.

Chuckling, Ash bent down and picked Elizabeth up, holding the young girl against his body. "Being little isn't so bad, Lizzie. It means that Daddy can hold you like this! I can't carry Aiden and Michelle around like this. It would look too silly!"

"Silly!" Elizabeth repeated, giggling afterwards.

"Daddy, can we give you your birthday presents now?" Michelle asked, staring up at her father with wide eyes and an even bigger smile.

"Sure, I'd love to see them!" Ash laughed. "Want to run upstairs with your big brother and sister, Lizzie?"

"Yeah!" Elizabeth chirped.

Ash put the toddler back on the floor and watched on in awe as she ran right after them, as quickly as her little legs would take her. As soon as they were gone, Misty laughed and skirted forward, wrapping her arms around Ash's neck.

"See?" Misty teased. "I _knew_ that they would make you feel better!"

"Yeah, they really did," Ash mused happily. "They always seem to make me happy." Gazing at Misty, Ash quietly studied his beautiful wife for a few silent seconds before adding, "Could I ask for something else for my birthday?"

"Something else?" Misty repeated.

"Well, yeah, thirty is kind of a big deal, right?" Ash questioned rhetorically.

"I suppose you could say that…" Misty trailed off before grinning at her husband. "What is it that you want, sweetheart?"

Moving his hand from Misty's back onto her flat and toned stomach, Ash whimsically requested, "I want another baby."

Misty was surprised the wish didn't make her hit the floor.

**XXX**

"WHAT?!"

Misty winced at May and Dawn's very loud reactions. They were staring at her with shocked expressions, and while Misty knew exactly why that was, it sure didn't make her feel any better about the situation.

"That's…so random," May noted.

"Yeah, what brought that up?" Dawn added curiously.

"His birthday," Misty replied meekly.

"Does he _always_ ask for a baby for his birthday?" May questioned.

"No, he's _never _asked for one!" Misty complained. "I got pregnant twice and neither one was planned!"

"Why does he want another one all of a sudden?" Dawn mused.

"Because he thinks having a baby around will make him feel younger again," Misty explained. "That's my theory, anyway. I mean, think about it. We were really young when we had the twins, and we were still pretty young when we had Elizabeth. I'm not saying we're old, but he's having a mini midlife crisis or something, and he thinks he is. So, having another kid would bring back those days, so to speak."

"Wow, I didn't know Ash could be so deep," May hummed.

"Oh, I don't know if that's what he's really thinking, it just seems like the most likely answer," Misty conceded. "For all I know, he just wants to have another baby because he likes it when I'm pregnant. But I don't, and it's _my_ body, not his. I'm not exactly in the mood for nine months of pain and suffering."

"And being fat," Dawn piped up.

"Yes, that too," Misty sighed, resisting the urge to shake her head at Dawn's shallow lapse.

"But I thought you and Ash were open to the idea of having more kids," May broke back into the conversation.

"We were, but I think I've changed my mind," Misty sighed. "I love Aiden, Michelle, and Elizabeth _so _much. And I wasn't expecting any of them! It would be a different story if we were to have another surprise like they were. Then I'd be very much open to welcoming another child! But since I'm now actively thinking about it, I don't feel prepared. It makes me nervous. I just want my three babies for now."

"Then you need to nip this right in the bud!" May cried, banging her fist on the table and startling both Misty and Dawn.

"What do you mean?" Misty managed to ask, though she was still taken off guard by May's sudden spike in determination.

"You can't just let Ash think he's getting another kid!" May continued on quite valiantly. "You have to be assertive and tell him no!"

"May, do you really think I let my husband walk all over me?" Misty deadpanned.

"Well, I…uh…"

"I'm _Misty,_ May."

"Right. Sorry, I got a little too excited."

"It's…alright…" Misty stammered, raising a wry eyebrow at the now bashful brunette. "Anyway, knocking him down a peg isn't the approach I want to take. It's not like Ash is arrogant or controlling. He's the sweetest husband ever! He's just being irrational at the moment. A baby isn't going to make him feel any younger, and I just need to find a way to get him to realize that."

"But how?" Dawn questioned.

"I think I've got an idea…" Misty trailed off, her lips curving up into a sneaky little smirk.

**XXX**

That night, Ash celebrated his birthday with a dinner at his mother's house in Pallet Town. Misty had wanted to throw him an extravagant party, since it was his thirtieth birthday, but she then figured that might not be the best idea, since he was pretty miserable about the milestone.

The meal was a bit more crowded than the usual family dinner. Ash, Misty, Aiden, Michelle, Elizabeth, and Delia had been joined by Brock, May and Drew along with their two children Damien and Rosie, as well as Dawn and Kenny with their little daughter Kady. It was far more lively than usual, but Ash liked it that way. It was still calmer than a party, after all.

He had forgotten about the "misery" of turning thirty for now, but Misty knew it was only because he had the idea of a new baby running through his head. She sighed and took in a forkful of spaghetti, knowing full well that she'd have to open Ash's eyes up once they were all done eating.

Delia, being the loving mother that she was, had made all of Ash's favorite dishes. There were only fourteen people at the table, and one of them was still a bit too young to eat most of the food, but Delia had made enough for what seemed like at _least _twenty. Spaghetti, steak, two different kinds of salads, mixed vegetables…Misty could hardly keep track of it all.

Once everyone had finished their meals, Elizabeth decided to present Ash with another gift she had made for him during the day while he was at work: a drawing of Pikachu sliding down a rainbow with balloons tied to his waist.

"Oh, Lizzie, you have such a wonderful imagination!" Ash chuckled, pulling in his daughter to give her a kiss atop her head. "I love it! Thank you, baby girl."

"You'we welcome," Elizabeth squeaked.

"I'm going to bring this right upstairs and put it with my things so I don't forget it!" Ash informed the girl, ruffling her hair before getting up from his seat and heading up the stairs. Out of the corner of her eye, from where she was helping Delia wash the dishes, Misty saw Ash move, and she knew right away it was her time to strike.

"Delia, is it alright if I come back in five minutes?" Misty asked. "I…need to use the bathroom quickly."

"Oh, of course, dear!" Delia giggled. "You don't even have to ask!"

Smiling, Misty put down her plate and hurried toward the staircase. She moved swiftly up the stairs and listened intently for Ash. She heard the sound of a zipper coming from his childhood bedroom, and instantly darted into the room. Ash was standing in front of his bed, slipping Elizabeth's drawing into his training duffel before zipping it back up again.

"Ash," Misty piped up, causing Ash to look over his shoulder and smile.

"Hey there, Mist," Ash greeted. "What brings you up here?"

"The birthday wish you gave me earlier today," Misty replied quite plainly.

"Oh," Ash drawled, smirking as he flirtatiously eyed his wife. "Did you come up here to get started on it?"

"Huh? No, don't be such a pig," Misty scolded, causing Ash to frown. "I came up here to _talk_ to you about it. Not to start working on it."

"Well…what do you want to talk about?" Ash questioned.

"Sweetheart, I know you're upset about your new age," Misty began, moving closer to her husband. "But having a new baby isn't going to solve anything. It isn't going to make you feel any younger. If anything, it's going to make you feel even older."

This seemed to bewilder Ash. "How could it possibly make me feel older? I get to come home from work and play _games_ with them! It makes me feel like a kid all over again!"

"Yes, they do that later on, when they get older themselves," Misty agreed. "But what about when they're little babies, Ash? Do you remember what our lives were like when the twins and Elizabeth were first born?"

"I remember them being so cute and tiny, and cuddly…" Ash recanted with a smile. Misty, however, was not about to be fooled by Ash's trip down only the _happy _side of nostalgia lane.

"Really? Because I remember a lot of crying, and a lot of nights of not getting any sleep, and a _lot _of spit up."

Ash winced at this. He couldn't deny those facts. He loved his children, of course he did, and he loved having sweet little babies in his life. But they were not easy to care for. That much was true.

"Do you remember what you found a few months ago?" Misty continued. "On your head?"

"…a gray hair?" Ash muttered.

"Yes, and you weren't very happy about that little gray hair, now were you?" Misty prodded.

"…no."

"If we have another baby, you're just going to get even more gray hair," Misty concluded, causing Ash's eyes to widen and his hands to fly to his head. "I understand why you were asking me for this, Ash, but it isn't the answer. I love you dearly, and so do our children. They're still young, you know. And they need you every single day! And you're certainly not old in their eyes. Or mine. Isn't that all that matters?"

Ash thought about this for a few moments before looking back up at Misty and giving her a small but confident smile. "You're right, Mist. I'm sorry about all of that."

"You don't have to be sorry for _anything,_" Misty crooned, standing up on her tippy toes to kiss the tip of Ash's nose. "You were just a little bit scared."

Ash blushed at this accusation. "I was _not_ scared!"

"Oh, sweetie, don't be so stubborn," Misty whispered, rubbing Ash's strong chest with her dainty hand. "Everyone gets a little scared every now and then. Even the great Pokémon Master."

And with that, Ash smiled sweetly at his wife and craned his neck down to lock their lips together, giving her a long and loving kiss that Misty returned with such great fervor that the entire kiss could only be performed by an energetic, loving, and _young_ couple.

* * *

><p><strong>See how I connected it back to an old one shot I wrote? I was proud of that XD <strong>


	178. No

**More Aiden, more Aiden, because he's such a little cutie :P**

**Aiden: 15 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>No<strong>

Little Aiden was a very impressionable child.

He liked to repeat actions and words especially. Lately, he had been picking up words rather quickly when someone said them around him enough. His new favorite had been learned after spending time with his father in the kitchen.

The boy had been seated on Ash's lap during schedule discussions, much to Scott's displeasure, but Ash didn't care and wanted to keep the toddler with him. It was just easier, since Michelle had been clingy with Misty as of late. The little girl didn't want to share her mother with anyone, and that included her twin brother.

Aiden was busy waving a red plastic stacking ring in the air, watching it with intent brown eyes until Ash's voice caught his attention.

"No."

The child looked up and let out a curious coo too soft for Ash to hear. The raven haired man was wearing a stern expression and glaring at the older man sitting across the table, which caused Aiden to tilt his head.

"Ash, why must you be so difficult?" Scott sighed as he rubbed his temples. "It's easy, really."

"No," Ash repeated, shaking his head.

"What've you got against going to a fashion show?" Scott asked, impatiently tapping his pen against the top of the kitchen table.

Ash raised an eyebrow and leaned forward to emphasis what was about to come out of his mouth. "One: I'm not into fashion. Two: Misty would absolutely _kill me _for going to something that involves half naked women who aren't her."

"She's too jealous, Ash," Scott used a warning tone. "She should know better than to think you're going to run off with one of them."

"Oh, she knows I'm not going to," Ash replied. "It's just the idea of me staring at them that she doesn't like. And I would call her crazy for it too, but you know what? I hate it when she looks at other guys. So I guess we're both jealous nutjobs, then."

"I'd say so," Scott mumbled, causing Ash to smirk and roll his eyes. "So, no fashion show?"

"No."

"Are you sure?" Scott pushed after a moment of silence.

"Positive."

"You're _sure_ you can't-"

"No, Scott."

"Alright, alright," Scott sighed as he threw his hands up in defeat. "No fashion show. Understood."

"No!" Aiden squeaked, causing Scott to lower his sunglasses and curiously eye the boy.

"Hey, sounds like he learned another new word!" Ash chuckled, peering down at his smiling son. "This kid is a genius, I'm telling you. He learns a new word like…every day! His IQ must be really high."

"Takes after his mother then," Scott muttered playfully.

"Hey!" Ash cried.

"I'm just teasing you, son," Scott sighed with a laugh thrown in for good measure. "Your battling skills make up for what you lack in book smarts."

"That's true," Ash conceded. "But I really think Aiden's gonna' be a smart little guy! Right, buddy?"

"No," Aiden replied before sticking the plastic red ring in his mouth.

"Sounds like he's got a new favorite word," Scott remarked.

"It'll only last for a little while," Ash assured. "In a few hours, he's going to find an all-new word to be obsessed with. This isn't the first time this has happened."

"No!" Aiden squeaked.

"See?" Ash laughed. "He agrees!"

**XXX**

"Come on, sweetie. Time for Mommy to change you!"

"No!"

Misty stood up to her full height and raised an eyebrow. Aiden was standing up in his and Michelle's playpen, his little fingers gripping the side as he beamed up at his mother.

"Ash, when did our son learn _that _word?" Misty called darkly.

"Today," Ash replied, poking his head into the living room. "Why?"

"That is the worst word for a toddler to learn!" Misty groaned.

"Why?" Ash repeated.

"Because then they use it constantly," Misty sighed, rubbing her temples. "Aiden thinks this is a game! He's going to use _that_ word to answer every question we ask him now!"

"Oh…" Ash murmured. "I just thought it was kind of cute…"

"It's not, it's bad," Misty sighed. "Now we've got to try and figure out a way to get him to stop saying it."

"No," Aiden gurgled before beginning to bite on the side of the playpen.

Misty groaned and buried her face in her hands.

"It's is weird, he's never been this hung up on a word before," Ash commented. "What's the big fascination with 'no'?"

"No!" Aiden repeated.

"ASH!" Misty shrieked.

"Oops!" Ash gasped, covering his mouth as his eyes widened.

"Ugh, you need to think before you speak," Misty grumbled. "Where did he even learn this word from, anyway?"

"…heh…"

Misty raised an eyebrow at the tiny noise that had escaped her husband's lips. "Do you know something that I don't, Ash Ketchum?"

"Uh…no?"

"Are you lying to me?"

"No? Yes? Uh…maybe?"

"So that's a yes."

"…yeah."

Sighing, Misty tilted her head back as she folded her arms and demanded to know, "alright, Ash. What's up with you? Where did he get the evil word from?"

"Me…" Ash squeaked.

"I should have seen that one coming," Misty breathed. "What were you talking about in front of him?"

"I was going over my schedule with Scott, and I told him I didn't want to go to a certain event he had scheduled for me," Ash explained. "That's when I used the…'bad' word. A few times."

"The fact that it came out of _your _mouth probably makes Aiden love it all the more," Misty complained. "He's completely infatuated with you."

"Really?" Ash murmured, his eyes widening.

"You haven't noticed?" Misty asked, causing Ash to shake his head. "I know Aiden isn't even two years old yet, but you're definitely his role model. His eyes just light up when he sees you! It's so sweet."

"Aww, that's awesome!" Ash marveled, his eyes now shining. "I can't believe I never noticed that before."

"Wait…" Misty mused, "Since Aiden loves you so much…maybe you can unteach him 'no'!"

"Come on, Mist," Ash snickered. "Even I know that 'unteach' isn't a _real _word!"

At this, Misty pressed her lips together and narrowed her eyes. "Not my concern right now."

"Right. Sorry."

"Anyway, there has to be some way you can use your influence on him to get Aiden to stop using that word so much," Misty thought aloud. "But how?"

From inside the playpen, Aiden shrieked and pulled himself back up to his feet, grinning at his bewildered mother and father. "No!"

"Aiden, would you like Mommy to change you now or later?" Ash asked.

"No," Aiden replied.

"Uh uh, I didn't say that," Ash warned. "I asked when. Do you want her to do it now, or in a little while?"

"Now," Aiden chirped, causing Misty's eyes to widen.

"How did you-"

"I remember reading somewhere that if you only give the kid two options instead of making it a simple question, they're more inclined to not answer the way you don't want them to," Ash chuckled before winking at the woman.

"Huh, not a bad idea," Misty mused. She walked over to the playpen and lifted Aiden out of it, grinning at the happy little boy once he was in her arms. "Good thinking, Ash!"

"Heh, thanks, I try," Ash laughed.

"But…if you knew that would stop him from saying it earlier, then why didn't you use it?" Misty questioned.

"Well, I didn't know that you hated that word so much," Ash defended himself. "I thought it was kind of innocent."

"Well, you didn't mean to, so I couldn't possibly be mad at you," Misty conceded, smiling sweetly at her husband. "Besides, you really saved the day!"

"I did, didn't I?" Ash crowed, proudly puffing out his chest.

"Alright, let's not get ahead of ourselves, Mr. Pokémon Master."

* * *

><p><strong>Yep, apparently, most people don't want their little kids to learn the word "no," because then it's all they'll use. Ash didn't know that, lol.<strong>


	179. Teething Trouble

**I love writing, yes I do :P Can I stop, no I can't XD**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Teething Trouble<strong>

Having two babies at once had proved to be quite the challenge.

If one started crying, the other would try and compete. It was often frustrating for their two young and tired parents, but that didn't mean Ash and Misty didn't love their children. It was just hard sometimes to feel like they had a normal life when it came to raising the two. Especially when the babies were going through significant changes.

Like teething.

They were five months old, and Aiden was beginning to get his first tooth. Misty hadn't been sure why the little boy had been so inconsolable. He had started crying for hours on end, which was very unusual for the baby. His appetite dramatically decreased, and on top of all of that, he was _always_ drooling.

It was Delia who had realized that the baby was teething. As soon as she saw Aiden drooling nonstop, she smiled sadly at Misty, who had been holding the baby beneath his arms in an attempt to soothe him.

"He's teething, Misty," Delia informed the worried mother, who looked over with wide green eyes. "Aiden's got his first tooth coming in!"

"Really?" Misty marveled, turning the baby around so he was facing her. The little boy still looked completely miserable, but facing his mother seemed to help with some of the whimpering. Gently pulling down his lower lip, Misty examined Aiden's gum, where a tiny line of white was poking through on the left-middle side. "Oh my gosh, I see it!"

Aiden howled pitifully, causing Misty to withdraw her hand from the baby's mouth. Smiling sadly, Delia got up and patted the boy's head, cooing, "The poor dear. I think he's taking after his daddy! Ash was so miserable when he was teething. I thought the screaming would never end! But, don't worry. I learned a lot of things from that experience, and I know just what might help poor little Aiden out!"

Delia bustled into the kitchen, and soon returned with a damp washcloth. Kneeling in front of the baby who was sitting on Misty's lap, Delia gently opened up Aiden's mouth and tried to get him to chew on the cold, wet cloth. Aiden, however, didn't seem to want any of it. He whined and started tugging at the cloth, as if trying to pull it out of his mouth.

"Aiden, sweetie, it's okay!" Delia hushed. "This is going to help you!"

Aiden whimpered miserably and finally yanked the cloth out of his mouth, tossing it on the floor before letting out a yelp and bursting into tears once more.

"He's so upset," Misty murmured, her lips bending into a frown. "Maybe the cloth was too soft?"

"It could be…" Delia mused. "Maybe we should go out and get him a teething ring. There's a lovely little baby boutique at the marketplace that sells all kinds of wonderful things. I buy Aiden and Michelle little gifts there all the time! It's a short walk from here, and it's a lovely day out. Perhaps the warm weather will calm Aiden down as well!"

"It's worth a try," Misty agreed. "Michelle is still upstairs napping anyway, and Ash is busy napping along with her! I'm sure we'll be back before either one wakes up."

**XXX**

Misty had been correct. By the time she and Delia had returned, Ash and Michelle were still fast asleep upstairs in his old bedroom. It was such a sweet sight: Ash lying on his bed with Michelle curled up and snoozing away on his chest. That was enough to melt Misty's heart.

She and Delia's visit to the baby boutique had proved to be fruitful. They had purchased a set of three water filled teething rings that would have to be put in the freezer until they became solid. Delia figured that the blue, red, and orange rings would be better for Aiden, since they would be hard. He hadn't seemed to enjoy the softer cloth.

While those froze, however, he would still need something to chew on. That's where the ring of links came in.

It was a black and white striped ring with eight other, more colorful rings attached to it. It was made of hard, but lightweight plastic, and didn't need to be frozen in order to be used. Misty figured it would be the perfect substitute to the others until they were completely frozen. So, while Delia was in the kitchen putting the three other rings in the freezer, Misty dangled the other set of rings in front of Aiden, hoping he would take some interest in the little toy.

"Look, sweetie!" Misty cooed. "You can chew on these pretty rings, and they'll make you feel better! Your mouthy is a little sore, huh?"

Aiden gurgled softly and reached up to touch the colorful rings that his mother was dangling in front of him. He laced his tiny fingers through the blue one, causing Misty to smile with hope.

"It's nice, right?" Misty murmured. "You want to chew on it? Put the ring in your mouth?"

She tried to move the ring closer to the baby's mouth, but Aiden didn't seem to appreciate that move either. He whined and turned his head away, once again reaching up with his hand but to instead swat the rings away.

"Oh no," Misty groaned.

"What is it, dear?" Delia questioned, re-entering the living room with a bewildered look on her face.

"Aiden doesn't want anything to do with this," Misty sighed, holding up the collection of colorful rings. "I tried to get him to chew on one, but he just wasn't having it."

"Oh no," Delia groaned. "Well, it's going to be a while before the other rings are completely frozen. And if he didn't like the cloth _or _the regular rings, something tells me he's not going to like the frozen rings either."

Aiden started whimpering again as tears collected in his brown eyes. Gasping sharply, Misty gently opened the boy's mouth and started to rub where the tooth was breaking in with her finger, feeling absolutely desperate and confounded.

"I don't know what else to do for you, baby boy," Misty whispered as Aiden continued to sob. "I know it hurts, but I'm trying to help you! You're being very grumpy and you don't want to try anything that will help. That's not making it easy for Mommy!"

"Mornin' guys…what's up?"

Misty and Delia peered up the staircase, where they found Ash standing on one of the steps with Michelle in his arms. He was rubbing his eyes, and as he did that, the baby girl he was holding cooed curiously and turned her head to stare behind herself.

"It's mid-afternoon, Ash," Delia sighed.

"Sorry, I forget stuff after a nap," Ash chuckled sheepishly, causing Misty to shake her head. "So, what did you guys do while Shelly and I were sleeping?"

"We found out why Aiden's been so grouchy," Misty replied.

"Really?" Ash sounded impressed. "Why?"

"He's teething."

"Oh…that makes sense," Ash murmured.

"Yeah, but nothing is helping him out with the pain," Misty sighed. "We've been trying everything! Cold, damp cloth, teething rings…he's miserable no matter what."

"That's really strange," Ash fretted. "Maybe he's just hungry?"

"No, if anything, his appetite has decreased dramatically," Misty refuted.

Frowning, Ash made his way down the rest of the stairs until he was sitting next to Misty on the couch and gently patting the baby boy's head, who was still whimpering. Misty stopped rubbing his gum, since it obviously wasn't helping him to feel any better, and gently bounced the baby up and down on her lap.

"Don't be so sad, little guy," Ash crooned. "Mommy's just trying to help you!"

Aiden was still whimpering, so Ash lowered his hand to rub the baby's cheek. Turning his head, Aiden stared at his father's hand for a short moment before grabbing onto it with his own little hand and cooing softly in place of his miserable sobs.

"Huh?" Ash murmured.

"Looks like you distracted him," Misty quietly noted.

"Hey, I guess I did!" Ash chuckled. "See? There's no need to get so worked up, little guy. Dada knows it's painful, with the teeth coming in and all, but we're just trying to help you! That's all."

Still holding onto Ash's hand, Aiden turned his head to the side and began to nibble on Ash's finger, causing the man to raise a curious eyebrow. Misty and Delia, on the other hand, were rather surprised.

"Aw, that's not for you, baby boy!" Ash laughed. "That's my finger. I need that for stuff!"

"He seems…happy," Delia noted, pointing at Aiden. The baby was smiling as he gummed Ash's finger, eyes shining with surefire contentedness that Misty hadn't seen out of the boy for _days._

"Yeah!" Misty agreed. "I guess we didn't need to run out and buy all of those teething rings. Turns out Ash's fingers are even better than all of that stuff!"

"Uh, guys, he can't chew on my finger forever!" Ash exclaimed. "I need to use my hands! They can't be stuck in a baby's mouth all day!"

"But you have to admit that it _is_ keeping him quiet _and_ happy, dear," Delia prodded.

"I guess…" Ash sighed.

From his other arm, Michelle began to whimper, causing Ash to look down at the now moping little girl. Kneeling down in front of the couch, Delia opened up the baby's mouth and gasped, much to Ash and Misty's horror.

"What is it, Mom?" Ash inquired.

"It would seem that Michelle has her first tooth coming in as well!" Delia replied. "On the bottom front, just like Aiden. But her tooth is coming in on the _right_ side instead of the left!"

"Two teething babies at once?" Misty groaned. "This is like a bad nightmare!"

"Ash, give her your other hand," Delia suggested.

"What? No way!" Ash argued. "It's bad enough I've already got one hand incapacitated by a baby! I don't need _both _of 'em to be used as chew toys!"

"But do you _really_ want your baby girl to be suffering through the agonizing pain of an incoming tooth?" Delia hummed smartly.

Frowning, Ash finally sighed in defeat and offered his other hand to the whimpering baby girl. With his fingers in view, Michelle cooed curiously and grabbed one of them, gumming happily at it just like her brother was doing with the other hand.

"Aw, isn't that adorable?" Misty crooned.

"Yeah," Ash deadpanned, "just precious."

* * *

><p><strong>Ash: the perfect teething ring XD<strong>


	180. Ice Cream Treat

**When Misty's away, Ash will get food the best way he knows how: by not cooking it :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 9 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 3 and a half years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Ice Cream Treat<strong>

"Whoa."

Ash chuckled at the reactions of his three children. It was no big secret that he was a terrible cook. Anything that involved a stove or oven or even a microwave was too complicated for Ash. It was so bad, in fact, that Misty had forbidden him to use any of the appliances, _especially _when she wasn't around. And this afternoon just so happened to be one where Misty was out of the house.

She was at her monthly gym leader summit, which left Ash in charge of the house _and_ children for the day. Ash loved spending time with his children and asserting his role of being the leader of the house, but what he _didn't_ love was the uncertainty that came with meals. The fact that Ash couldn't cook was bad enough, but the fact that none of the kids could ever agree on what they actually wanted to eat was even worse. It just resulted in a lot of yelling and arguing and sometimes, in the case of Aiden and Michelle, pouncing on one another.

Ash had already broken up one fight over breakfast, and he was not about to do the same thing for lunch. Having to threaten to send Pikachu after them once was enough, even though deep down they all knew Pikachu would never attack any of the children.

That didn't mean Ash couldn't go without feeding the kids, though. Aiden wanted pizza, Michelle wanted sandwiches, and Elizabeth…well, she wanted a milkshake.

Ash, fortunately, didn't have to cook any of those, but he still didn't want to make three different meals. Well…order one and make the other two. Misty had always told him that letting the kids all have different things for meals was sending the wrong message, and that in order to combat that, they would have to encourage the children to eat whatever it was that was being made by her, or decided on by Ash. So, he had put himself in charge of deciding lunch for that. It would be something delicious, something they could all agree on, and most importantly, something that didn't require Ash to utilize any of the flammable appliances in the kitchen.

And that something…was ice cream.

He had gone out and run to the store, after putting the twins in charge of little Elizabeth, and picked up a wide array of choices for everyone to choose from in order to make their sundaes.

"Alright, guys, here's what your choices are!" Ash announced, walking back over to the counter and standing next to the three tubs of ice cream. "We have chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry. You can choose one, or two, or my personal preference, all three."

"Sounds good to me!" Aiden laughed.

"I bought lots of things to put on the ice cream too!" Ash chuckled, moving on past the ice cream containers. "Let's see…there's chocolate sauce, marshmallow sauce, rainbow _and _chocolate sprinkles, gummy Pokémon, chocolate chips, whipped cream, and cherries."

The children's eyes widened at this, and Elizabeth, the youngest of the group, squealed and ran right towards the counter. Jumping up and down, she lifted her arms up in the air and shrieked, "I want, Daddy! I want!"

"Okay, okay," Ash laughed, lifting the little girl up and sitting her down on the counter. "But I think I may need to help you out, pumpkin. I love ya', but you can get a little messy when it comes to stuff like this!"

"Strawberry, Daddy!" Elizabeth cried, pointing at the ice cream. "Strawberry!"

"Alright, I'm on it," Ash sighed playfully as he began to scoop the ice cream out into a bowl. Strawberry was Elizabeth's ice cream of choice because it was pink in color. Once he had put enough ice cream in the bowl, Ash handed it off to his youngest daughter, who giggled in delight and started surveying her options. "Aiden, Michelle, what do you want? Can you get your ice cream on your own?"

"Of course, Dad, we're not babies," Aiden scoffed.

He grabbed the same scooper Ash had used for Elizabeth's ice cream and took hearty scoops of all three flavors. As soon as he was done, Michelle snatched the scooper out of his hands and took some strawberry and chocolate for herself. The girl, much like her mother, didn't like vanilla ice cream. It was too plain for her and didn't taste like anything.

"I wish you would eat vanilla, Shelly," Ash playfully complained, holding his hand out for the ice cream scooper. "Then you'd eat all three like me!"

"Vanilla is gross," Michelle complained, handing off the scooper.

"Ah, just like Misty," Ash sighed. "Nothing I can do about that, I guess!"

"Daddy, help!"

Looking up at Elizabeth, Ash's smile instantly faded into a frown as he gasped loudly and allowed his eyes to widen dramatically. Elizabeth, who was still sitting on the counter with her ice cream bowl on her lap, was covered in whipped cream and chocolate sauce, both of which were also flowing over the sides of her bowl.

"Oh no," Ash breathed.

"She's a mess," Aiden added.

"Mom's not going to be happy when she sees that," Michelle sighed.

"Lizzie, why would you do that?" Ash groaned, hurrying over to his messy daughter. "You know that stuff doesn't belong on _you!_ It belongs on your _ice cream!_"

"I dunno' what I was doing," Elizabeth squeaked.

"Clearly," Ash sighed as he hung his head in apparent shame.

"But now I taste good!" Elizabeth chirped, sticking her chocolate covered fingers in her mouth to clean them off.

"Maybe, but you sure don't look good," Aiden scoffed.

"Hey!" Elizabeth cried.

"Alright you two, no more arguing!" Ash complained. "I've got to get Elizabeth cleaned up before Mom-"

"Before I what?"

Ash's eye twitched as he spun around and found Misty standing in the doorway of the house, her arms folded as she examined the cluttered and now very messy kitchen counter.

"Uh…nothing?" As croaked lamely.

"Hi, Mommy!" Elizabeth called, waving her sticky fingers in the air.

"Um…I can explain why Elizabeth is covered in ice cream toppings," Ash quietly continued, his eyes nervously darting back and forth.

"Oh, I'm not surprised by _that,_" Misty assured her husband. "I more want to know why all of you are eating _ice cream_ for lunch in the first place."

* * *

><p><strong>She was expecting someone to be messy, but it's the whole "dessert for lunch" thing she's not getting :P<strong>


	181. My Parade

**Ahh Memorial Day. The tradition for my family and I is to go to my town's parade, because either me or my sister is always in it, basically. Yay marching band! And Girl Scouts once but we don't talk about that, nope.**

**So, that's my inspiration for this one :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 8 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 2 and a half years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>My Parade<strong>

"Daddy, does the pa'de have Pokémon?"

"Yes, baby girl! It does!"

"What kinda' Pokémon?"

"Well…I'm not really sure. It changes every year! But I'm sure there are going to be some amazing ones!"

"An' foats?"

"Foats…?"

"Yeah! The pwetty caws!"

"Oh, you mean a float! Not really."

"Why?"

"This is a small parade, sweetheart. Not one of the big ones that you see on TV!"

"So…no boons?"

"Uh…boons?"

"The big, foaty ones dat look like the TV shows!"

"Oh, balloons! None of those either, pumpkin."

Elizabeth furrowed her brow. She didn't understand the point of a parade when there were no big, spectacular things like floats or balloons. That was just dumb! A parade without any of those fun things was just people walking down a street.

"Ash, could you put Lizzie in the wagon, please?"

"Sure thing, Mist."

Elizabeth was broken out of her thoughts when her father lifted her up beneath her arms and sat her down in the blue and red plastic wagon that had originally been used by her older siblings when they were younger. Elizabeth liked it because there was an attached canopy that kept her shaded from the hot sun, but at the same time, she hated being in the wagon because she liked running around and exploring. But that seemed to make her parents nervous, especially when they were going somewhere as crowded as downtown during a celebration.

The only other good part about the wagon was that there were two seats, but of course only one of Elizabeth, so the other seat could be used by her dear companion, Teddi. Elizabeth treated the stuffed bear like a real person, as most little kids did with their toys, and thought that anything less than his own seat was unacceptable to the little pokedoll.

Also as most little kids did with their toys, Elizabeth tended to carry on conversations with Teddi. He never really answered her back, but Elizabeth believed he understood her. He gave her looks that seemed to imply that he did, anyway. So she would talk to him about all kinds of stuff, for advice and the like.

"I think dis pa'ade is gonna' be dumb," Elizabeth informed Teddi. "No foats _or _boons!"

Teddi slumped to the side of his seat, causing Elizabeth to blow out a puff of air that pushed her dark red bangs off of her forehead. Misty had fashioned her short hair into bouncy little pigtails, adorned by corkscrewed ribbon holders in the colors of red, white, and navy blue. The hair ties perfectly matched her flowy, striped sundress and red and blue jelly sandals.

When they finally reached downtown, Elizabeth peered out of the wagon and found throngs of people lining the streets, waiting for the parade to begin. This confused the little girl to no end. Why would so many people want to watch a boring parade? Didn't they understand there were no floats or balloons? Maybe they didn't! That would be a terrible thing, to be expecting something amazing and to be bored instead.

Glancing up, Elizabeth realized that her parents were not exactly paying attention to her. They were busy talking to one another, while at the same time keeping an eye on Aiden, who was trying to climb a lamppost to get a better view of the street. Michelle was standing right below him, continuously rolling her eyes and shaking her head. With all of them distracted, Elizabeth saw the perfect opportunity to go on a little adventure of her own!

Lying Teddi down on his seat so no one would see him, Elizabeth clambered out of her side of the wagon and began to push through the crowd of people. Pikachu, who had been sitting lazily atop Ash's head, had a clear view of Elizabeth scurrying away, and knew he'd have to stop the little girl. Getting Ash's attention would only stir up more trouble, so Pikachu just jumped onto the ground and followed after the toddler himself. He was used to chasing young ones around, between Togepi and Axew, and then Aiden and Michelle. The electric mouse was surprised he didn't have any gray fur.

Since he was so small, Pikachu was able to easily dart in between the gathered people. He kept his beady black eyes locked on Elizabeth the entire time, not willing to lose sight or track of the mischievous young child. She managed to run so fast, with a pair of such small and short legs, too! Pikachu tried to pick up the pace, but that wasn't helping much. Elizabeth was moving much faster than he was! Eventually, she made it to the street corner, and effectively, into the street. Pikachu wasn't as nervous about it, since they had been closed off to traffic for the parade, but that still didn't mean he _wanted_ her in the street. The parade was going to start soon, after all!

"Pikapichu!" Pikachu cried, causing Elizabeth to spin around and raise her eyebrows.

"Pikachu, do you wanna' come on my 'ventuwe with me?" Elizabeth squealed delightfully.

"Pi," Pikachu cried, shaking his head. "Pikachu! Pikapi pi Pikachupi pikachu…"

"I don't undewstand you," Elizabeth whined. She was too young to fully understand Pikachu's language. Heck, she could barely understand what her _parents _were saying when they talked to her! She just thought Pikachu was fun to play with because he was so furry and cuddly.

"Cha…" Pikachu sighed, his ears drooping as he lowered his head. In that short time frame, however, Pikachu had put his head down long enough to lose track of Elizabeth. Gasping, the electric type ran out to the same spot where Elizabeth had just been standing and looked around frantically. When he turned his head to the right, he finally caught sight of Elizabeth running down the street, towards where the parade was set to step off.

"Pikapichu!" Pikachu cried, running in the same direction.

"Haha, you can't gets me, Pikachu!" Elizabeth yelled over her shoulder through a fit of giggles. Pikachu, in turn, just let out a disgruntled groan and tried to push himself a little bit harder in order to catch up with the little girl.

As she was running away from Pikachu, Elizabeth wasn't paying attention to where she was going and ended up bumping into someone's legs, causing her to stagger backwards with a small squeak.

"My goodness! Someone is in quite the rush!"

Elizabeth peered up and found herself staring at a man dressed in a black top hat and a shiny red jacket with two long coattails and a black cane in his hand. He was smiling, and seemed to be joking around with Elizabeth, but she was still a smart little girl who had learned manners from her parents.

"Sowwy," Elizabeth shyly murmured.

"That's alright, little one!" The man chuckled. "You must be very excited for the parade to begin! Am I right?"

"No," Elizabeth replied honestly.

"Oh, why ever not?" The man questioned.

"'Cause it gots no foats or boons!" Elizabeth cried.

The snappily dressed man raised an eyebrow, because he didn't exactly understand what a "foat" or a "boon" was. Either way, he didn't want such a young child to not be excited for something as incredible as a parade!

"Aw, no little girl shouldn't be excited about a parade! As the parade master, I can't have that!"

Elizabeth's eyebrows shot up. "You'we a pawade mastew?!"

"Sure am!" The man bowed to the small red head and took off his hat as he did so. "The name is Owen! What's your name, little one?"

"Elizabeth."

"Ah, what a beautiful name!" Owen crowed. "Well, Elizabeth, I think you should help me out with today's parade! Would you like that?"

"Okay!" Elizabeth giggled.

Owen lifted his top hat off of his head and put it on Elizabeth's instead. It was a bit big on her, and ended up slipping down over her eyes, but once it did, she lifted it up and once again revealed her bright emerald eyes. Chuckling, Owen handed her his black cane and asked, "Do you know how to dance, little girl?"

"Yeah!" Elizabeth chirped. "I'm a ballewina!"

"Good!" Owen cheered. "You can dance down the street with that cane, just like in those old time movies! It really gets people excited for a parade! Think you can do that, my special little helper?"

"Yes!" Elizabeth trilled.

"Alright then!" Owen finished. "You go on then, little parade master!"

Elizabeth shrieked with laughter and spun on her toe as she started dancing back down the street. Pikachu groaned and once again whipped around to set off after the girl. He swore, anymore of _this _and he'd surely develop a severe case of vertigo.

As the little girl performed leaps and turns down the street, holding on desperately to her top hat and fancy cane, with Pikachu racing right after her, her parents just so happened to hear all of the giggling from the crowd and turned their heads to see what was causing such a stir. It was enough to even bring Aiden down from the lamppost; something his own parents couldn't even accomplish.

"What's going on?" Ash wondered aloud.

"I don't know," Michelle replied just as cluelessly. "It must be something pretty funny, though! Everyone's laughing."

The entire family turned their attention onto the street, just in time to see their youngest member strutting down the pavement, beaming with sheer joy and excitement as she danced her way along. An exhausted and unamused Pikachu was close behind, looking ready to pass out at any moment.

"Oh no," Ash groaned, burying his face in his hands.

"What?! How did she get out?!" Misty shrieked, peering into the wagon to verify that Elizabeth was, in fact, the little girl marching down the street.

"I guess Lizzie decided to make this her own parade?" Aiden suggested lamely.

"She's always loved being the center of attention," Ash sighed, not bothering to move his hands away from his face. "I wonder who she gets _that_ from."

* * *

><p><strong>Between this and the dance recital, can't you just tell that Elizabeth craves the attention? XD<strong>


	182. A Loyal Companion

**Everyone knows about the relationship between Ash and Pikachu, so here's one about Misty and her own partner (in my headcanon future world :P) Vaporeon.**

**Aiden and Michelle: 6 years old**

**Elizabeth: 6 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>A Loyal Companion<strong>

Throughout her career as a Pokémon trainer, Misty had gone through several partners. The first of these had been her Starmie, who had been given to her as a child as her first Pokémon by her grandmother. After that had been Togepi, the small baby Pokémon who had chosen Misty as a trainer after assuming the red head was her mother. Once Togepi had evolved into Togetic and released to protect the Mirage Kingdom, Tracey had given Misty a new Pokémon egg that hatched into Azurill: the baby of his own Marill. Misty had loved the little thing and treated it just the same way she had Togepi. Over time, however, Azurill grew up and matured, eventually evolving twice: first into Marill, and finally into Azumarill. It was still one of Misty's strongest and most loyal Pokémon, but it was much more independent than it had been as a baby.

Misty had always felt a hole form in her heart as her partner Pokémon matured and outgrew their need to be babied. They were still her Pokémon, of course, and they all became very powerful battlers who were great to rely on. But with the change of personality that often came with evolution, it was harder to try and keep her Pokémon to an old routine. After all, Misty didn't want them to be unhappy. That would make her a bad trainer.

And that's what made Vaporeon such a different Pokémon.

By the time Azurill had evolved into Marill, it had already become a very independent Pokémon. Marill still loved Misty, and loved being her companion, but it didn't need to be watched at every moment and carried around everywhere. Tracey was the one who had noticed Misty feeling down after this, and as a result, was the one to persuade Professor Oak to give the young woman a brand new egg so it could hatch into another baby Pokémon for her to nurture and raise.

When the egg ended up hatching into an Eevee, Misty couldn't have been more thrilled. She had _always _wanted an Eevee! The little brown fur ball, as it would turn out, was actually a ball of energy. She (another big surprise to Misty, as female Eevee were very rare) would run around everywhere, wanting Misty to chase after her. Eevee was a little troublemaker, much like Togepi had been. She often found herself caught in very sticky situations, leading Misty to have to save the little thing. It was a very tiring job, Misty had found. She hadn't been that motherly to a Pokémon since Togepi!

Despite that adventurous and energetic personality, Eevee was still a young Pokémon who viewed Misty as her mother. She liked being carried around and cuddled. She also liked being the center of Misty's attention. When Misty had first started dating Ash, that hadn't sat very well with Eevee at all. She was jealous, and it showed tremendously. After bonding with Pikachu, however, Eevee had learned to love and accept Ash. Things got much easier after that.

Misty had loved Eevee because she never thought she'd have to evolve the little thing. After all, special circumstances were required for such an event, and if Misty didn't _want _Eevee to evolve, she just didn't have to use a stone or special method! As Eevee grew up, however, she began to grow very strong. Too strong, in fact, for her small body. Misty knew that leaving Eevee as she was would just be holding her back. The power that Eevee possessed was incredible, and it needed to be evened out. So, with Eevee's approval, Misty used a water stone to evolve the small Pokémon into a beautiful Vaporeon.

With the evolution, of course, came the personality change. It was a different change than what Misty was accustomed to, however. It was true that Vaporeon had become more mature, and not nearly as dependent on Misty, but in place of that need to be babied came Vaporeon's need to be _protective._ She still refused to leave Misty's side, but not because she wanted attention. Vaporeon feared that if she was put in a poke ball all the time, something bad would happen to her trainer, and she'd be unable to prevent it. So, Vaporeon followed Misty around everywhere, ready to attack anyone who might have posed a threat to her beloved trainer. It was definitely different, but Misty really enjoyed it. She found Vaporeon's need to protect her to be very sweet. The water type was easily the most loyal Pokémon Misty had ever owned.

Years had passed since then, and Vaporeon was still Misty's loyal companion. She was a strong battle partner who was almost always used in gym matches. When she wasn't battling, however, Vaporeon was living in the house, much like Pikachu did. She was almost like a pet to the rest of Misty's family…or at least her children.

Vaporeon loved lazing around the house. It was her favorite hobby. After all, she wasn't a young Eevee anymore. Battling and training took a lot out of the water type. So, she would try and find a cozy place somewhere in the house, usually on a couch or in the sundrenched window, and take a long nap. The bubble jet Pokémon also enjoyed resting in front of the fireplace, where a slab of marble was laid down. Lying there kept her cool, which was especially nice when she was feeling too hot.

One particular afternoon, while Vaporeon was trying to take a nap in front of the fireplace, she allowed her tail to sway back and forth, just hovering above the floor. Nearby, Misty had put down Elizabeth, the baby of the family, before heading back into the kitchen to begin working on dinner. Elizabeth was at first content just playing with her colorful stacking rings, but she was soon enough distracted by Vaporeon's swaying tail. Back and forth and back and forth…

It practically hypnotized the little girl.

Cooing curiously, Elizabeth pushed herself up onto her hands and knees and began crawling over to the lightly snoozing Vaporeon. Once close enough, she quietly watched the tail for a few short moments before reaching out with a chubby little hand and grabbing onto Vaporeon's light blue fin. This awoke the water type almost instantly, causing her to lift her head up and narrow her black, cat like eyes at the little baby who was situated behind her.

Vaporeon didn't like it when the children interrupted her naps. She knew they liked to play, but nap time for her was certainly not play time for them. Not in her mind, anyway. In theirs it seemed to be. Sighing, Vaporeon reluctantly got up to her paws and turned around in order to face the baby, who was grinning widely at the water type. Vaporeon just sighed and shook her head, although a small smile was playing on her lips. The children, as disruptive as they could be, were very cute. Especially when they were babies. They also meant a lot to her trainer. Probably the whole world, in fact. So, Vaporeon made it her mission to protect the children as well.

Skirting over closer to Elizabeth, Vaporeon picked the baby up with her teeth, biting down on the back of the infant's white romper bedecked by multi-colored bubble print and a ruffled blue neckline. Elizabeth squeaked as she was hoisted into the air, hanging from Vaporeon's mouth like a baby Eevee when its mother picked it up by the scruff of its neck. With Elizabeth's romper caught tightly between Vaporeon's teeth, the fully evolved Pokémon carried the baby back over to her stacking rings and gently placed her on the ground in front of them. Elizabeth whined and peered up at Vaporeon, who smiled encouragingly at the young child.

"Vay, vaporeon," she softly murmured. "Vay vay vaporeon, poreon!"

Elizabeth, however, didn't seem okay with whatever it was Vaporeon was trying to tell her. Letting out a loud, ear splitting shriek, Elizabeth snatched the top red ring off of her toy and chucked it as forcefully as she possibly could at Vaporeon. All the bubble jet Pokémon had to do in order to dodge the ring was crouch down, and it went flying straight over her head. This only seemed to upset Elizabeth even more as she grabbed hold of the next ring from the stack, this one orange in color. She hocked it at Vaporeon, and this time, the water type used a short blast of her hydro pump to knock the ring right down. Elizabeth blinked as soon as the ring clattered to the ground, but this time, it did not upset her. If anything, in fact, it seemed to placate her. Giggling softly, she grabbed the yellow ring and tossed it at Vaporeon, her eyes lighting up as Vaporeon spun around and smacked the ring away with her mermaid like tail.

"Poreon!" Vaporeon chirped as Elizabeth continued to laugh.

"Oh, I'm sorry Vaporeon. Did Elizabeth wake you up?"

Vaporeon and Elizabeth both looked up, having heard a very familiar voice. Misty was standing before the both of them, throwing her loyal water type a sympathetic glance.

"Vay…vaporeon, vaypor," Vaporeon replied.

"I still feel bad," Misty sighed, bending down to lift up Elizabeth. "Why must you be such a little troublemaker, huh? You're like Vaporeon when she was just a tiny Eevee! I bet you're grouchy because you haven't been fed in a while, huh?"

Elizabeth whimpered and looked over her shoulder, down at Vaporeon. The water type's tail was still swishing from side to side, and she was very calm. This seemed to rub off on Elizabeth, who let out a quiet huff and grabbed a fistful of her mother's shirt.

"Alright then, Mama will just have to let you eat," Misty cooed, kissing the top of Elizabeth's head. "It'll make you happy _and _keep you out of Vaporeon's way for a little while."

As Misty left the room, Vaporeon found that she was no longer in the mood for a nap. The children had a habit of doing that to her: riling her up a bit. Not to the point of hyperactivity, of course. Vaporeon hadn't been that way since her Eevee days. But now she was a bit more restless. She was in the mood to stalk around, maybe jump up onto some chairs and keep a close eye on Misty and Elizabeth. Sometimes, when Vaporeon stuck around the kitchen, Misty would give her ingredients from the dinner she was making, and that was incentive enough to hang around.

Once she walked in, Vaporeon found Misty standing in front of the stove, her back facing the doorway with Elizabeth being held securely against her chest. Vaporeon could only see the top of the baby's head, covered by soft, dark red hair. It reminded Vaporeon of Pikachu's fur.

Before she could jump up onto one of the kitchen table chairs, Vaporeon was stopped in her tracks by the devious older duo known as Aiden and Michelle, who both slid effortlessly in front of her with big grins on their faces.

"Vaporeon, let's play!" Michelle cheered.

"Yeah, we wanna' make an obstacle course, and you can run it!" Aiden added.

"Vay…" Vaporeon purred.

"Guys, I don't think Vaporeon wants to play right now," Misty gently informed her two older children. "She was taking a nap before, and your little sister woke her up. I already feel bad enough!"

"But Mommy, Vaporeon _wants _to play!" Michelle tried.

"Really?" Misty asked skeptically, leading Michelle to nod feverously. Sighing, Misty eyed her loyal partner and asked, "Vaporeon, do you want to play with the twins? Or are you too tired?"

Vaporeon allowed her ears to twitch for a short second as she thought that one over. She wasn't exactly in the mood to play, especially when it apparently involved running and jumping and all of that. But Aiden and Michelle were sweet, if not rambunctious, children, and Vaporeon didn't want to let them down. Playing with the children would make them both happy, and it would probably make Misty happy as well.

"Vay!" Vaporeon confirmed in a very chipper manner, nodding her head for added validation.

"Well, alright…" Misty sighed before letting out a loving giggle. "Thank you, Vaporeon! You really are the best Pokémon in the whole wide world."

"Poreon!" Vaporeon trilled, jumping back to her paws and giving Misty a stoic swish of her mermaid tail before flitting after Aiden and Michelle, preparing herself for a long afternoon of unexpected playtime.

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><p><strong>Vaporeon is kind of like a cat, I guess. But more playful. And she's more loyal, like a dog. Misty totally needs one in the anime, I think.<strong>


	183. Leader of Annoyance

**This one focuses on the relationship Ash and Misty have with one another. I.e. no kids. Enjoy it :P**

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><p><strong>Leader of Annoyance<strong>

"_Misty, let me see a picture of your babies! They must be so grown up!"_

"_Do you know what I had to do yesterday? I had to reorganize the entire perfume shop! It was the worst! Let me tell you all about it…"_

"_Why do we have to do that? It's going to ruin my new manicure!"_

"_Ugh, I'm so tired; can't this just be over already?"_

"_Surge doesn't know what he's talking about. No offense, but you don't. That idea is just ridiculous!"_

"_Well, I had more wins last month than Misty, didn't I? I'm the better gym leader, then!"_

"_At least _I _don't freak out challengers like Sabrina. I'm tough, and that's much different than being a creepy weirdo."_

"_Don't you people realize that I have to run an etiquette school _and _a perfume store on top of being gym leader?! My life is a thousand times harder than all of yours!"_

Misty slammed the front door of the house behind her and stomped into the house, right into the living room. Ash was sitting on a nearby chair, reading a pile of papers. Before he could even greet Misty, she stormed right over to the couch and grabbed one of the pillows, smashing it against her face as she screamed into it. Once the muffled shout stop and she slowly moved the pillow away from her face, Ash let out a small snicker and raised a knowing eyebrow.

"I would ask what you're so angry about, but I already know."

"Yeah, the same thing it is every damn month," Misty replied with a scowl, tossing the pillow back onto the couch. "Erika just being her obnoxious self. What else is new?"

"Nothing much, apparently," Ash quipped.

"She can't be the only irritating gym leader in the whole world, can she?" Misty asked, lowering herself onto the couch. "There just _has _to be gym leaders in other regions who are just as annoying and obnoxious as she is."

"Oh, trust me, there are," Ash muttered under his breath. It was loud enough, however, for Misty to hear.

"Wait…you're telling me there are?" Misty piped up.

"Oh sure," Ash chuckled. "I've met them all through traveling, so I know a thing or two about each and every one! Besides, I think you sometimes forget that I _am_ the Pokémon Master, and I have to work with every single gym leader. Not just the ones stationed in Kanto. Trust me; Erika's not so bad compared to some of the other gym leaders out there."

"Hurry, give me an example!" Misty yelped, causing Ash's eyes to widen in shock. "Heh, sorry honey. I just…you know how frustrated I am after these stupid meetings! Erika drives me so crazy. I need some kind of validation that she's not the only lunatic out there."

"Well, you've met Whitney before, I know, but she can get pretty annoying at times," Ash elucidated. "She's super sweet, and always means well. But her brain isn't always there. She's a little air headed, if you know what I mean. Super forgetful and _loves_ to talk about herself."

"I suppose I could see that," Misty reasoned with a small smile.

"Once we were at an event for the Johto League, and Whitney realized she'd left her bag back at the hotel," Ash continued. "So, you know what she did?"

"I don't know, she went back and got it?" Misty guessed lamely.

"Oh no," Ash let out a short laugh. "She asked _me_ to go back to the hotel and get it for her."

"What?!" Misty gasped. "You? The Pokémon Master?"

"Yep," Ash clicked his tongue.

"Oh Ash, please don't tell me you went back to get it," Misty groaned.

"I did," Ash chuckled softly.

"Why would you do that?" Misty inquired.

"Because I don't like asserting my position on people. It just feels wrong," Ash sighed. "I know I'm higher up than Whitney and that I have a _lot_ more power than she does. But I'm not going to let that go to my head. I still need to be a perfect gentleman, like Mom always reminds me!"

"And I think that's wonderful," Misty added. "But it's still pretty…wrong of her. How come you never told me this, by the way?"

"Because it happened not long after the twins were born. You were still really…uh, well…"

"Hormonal," Misty finished for him.

"Yeah, that," Ash admitted with a blush gracing his cheeks.

"Don't worry about it, I know it's the truth," Misty giggled.

Furrowing his brow, Ash put down the papers he was holding and continued, "But Erika, Whitney…they're not nearly as bad as _one _gym leader I know."

This seemed to surprise Misty. Wore than Erika _and _Whitney? "Have I met this gym leader before?"

"No, you haven't," Ash replied. "And I'd like to keep it that way. If you ever met her…I'm afraid you'd kill her or something. You two are _so_ different that it's pretty crazy."

"Oh, well she sounds like fun," Misty laughed teasingly. "What's her name? Where's she from? What type does she specialize in?"

"Man, I feel like I'm having a conversation with Michelle right now with all of those questions flying at me!" Ash laughed strongly. "Alright, let's see. Her name's Skyla, and she's from Unova, which is why you never met her. She specializes in flying types."

"Skyla? That's a pretty name," Misty commented.

"Yeah, too bad her _personality _isn't so pretty," Ash scoffed.

"Wow Ash, you rarely talk about people this way!" Misty marveled. "She must be a real pain, huh? What did she do?"

"Well, the first time I met Skyla was when I was travelling through Unova with Iris and Cilan," Ash explained. "When we got to her gym, we found out that she was no longer having _real _battles. She was having these things called 'air battles,' where she would play the battle in her head and decide that way if you won a badge or not. It was ridiculous! Cilan and I were both _furious._ The reason she invented those stupid air battles was so she would have more time to fly her plane around."

"Sounds a _lot_ like three other girls back when they were in charge of a certain Kanto region gym," Misty muttered amusedly.

"That's exactly what it reminded me of, only worse," Ash grumbled. "Who's to decide that you're too weak and _refuse_ you a badge without actually battling? Cilan and I both challenged her to a proper gym battle. He lost, but I won. After that, Skyla promised to take her job more seriously. But after I became champion and began to prepare for challenging the Master, and I was able to see all of the gym leaders from a different perspective, I realized that Skyla still wasn't taking her job as a gym leader too seriously. She hadn't resumed those lousy air battles, but she was still blowing challengers off a lot. I knew I couldn't leave that alone. So I decided to confront her about it…_again._"

"What happened then?" Misty prodded.

"She just sort of giggled and shrugged it off, said it was no big deal," Ash answered. "And then, the weirdest part for me was that she began _flirting _with me."

"Flirting?" Misty repeated, her eyes flickering back and forth. "Wait a minute…you were already champion, and you were trying to become Master…you were dating _me!_"

"Yes. Yes I was," Ash sheepishly responded.

Misty snarled at this. She was fiercely protective of Ash and their relationship. It was hard enough having female _fans_ all over him, but when it came to people like her fellow _gym leaders_, Misty just found it downright offensive. "She knew, didn't she?"

"…yes," Ash sighed.

"Wow, no wonder I haven't met this little tramp," Misty sarcastically marveled. "I would've found her stupid little airplane and had Gyrados eat it."

Ash tried to give his wife a discouraging look, but he just couldn't do it. He started to laugh, earning a more genuine smile from Misty. She loved it when Ash found her to be charming or amusing. Even more so, she loved it when he was laughing or smiling!

"Don't worry, I fended her off," Ash assured his now wife. "I told her straightforward that she knew I had a girlfriend, and she shouldn't have been doing what she was doing."

"And was she sorry for it?" Misty huffed.

"Absolutely not."

"Figures."

"I still see her a lot, at League functions and stuff," Ash continued. "And I see her gym records, too. They're so bad…she has a lot less battles than any other leader in Unova. I guess talking to her twice wasn't good enough."

"The only thing worse than a gym leader who doesn't take her job seriously is a gym leader who doesn't take her job seriously _and _thinks she can take advantage of my Ash," Misty sighed, shaking her head. "At least Erika never hit on you."

"No, she hates me," Ash snickered.

"I'd rather her hate you than be trying to get with you," Misty decided. Standing up, she walked over to Ash and kissed the top of his head, adding, "Thanks for making me feel better, honey. I always know I can come home and count on you!"

"Aw, thanks, angel!" Ash crooned. "That makes me really happy."

"And at least now I know there are gym leaders just as bad as or worse than Erika," Misty giggled. "That's actually quite comforting!"

"I'm glad you know that too," Ash chuckled. "As long as I can continue keeping you away from Skyla!"

* * *

><p><strong>Aww, Ash is so good at making Misty feel better :P<strong>

**Yeah, see, I always hated Erika. I thought she was annoying as all hell. Which is why I write her that way :P Same goes for Whitney and Skyla, but Skyla for me is the worst. Between her voice and the way she talked in the show...bleeeegh. She's easily the most annoying gym leader, in my opinion. And she doesn't take her job seriously either. So I just decided to make her an Ash chaser on top of it :P I mean, come on. Just because they're all gym leaders and whatnot doesn't mean they're always going to like each other. **

**This is the "grown up" version of the anime, after all. Not everything is touchy feely here ;)**


	184. Gentle

**Daddy Ash fluff with Pikachu thrown in for good measure :P I'm in a fluffy mood ^^**

**Aiden and Michelle: 2 years old**

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><p><span><strong>Gentle<strong>

"Pikapi…"

Ash smiled down sadly at his electric partner, who was sitting on his lap. Pikachu had a look of fear plastered on his face, and his long, slender ears were hanging down low. Sitting across from the two of them were Aiden and Michelle, blinking their wide, innocent eyes and throwing their father confused stares. They didn't understand why he had made them sit down and dragged Pikachu into the room. The electric mouse certainly wasn't happy about it.

"Dada?" Michelle murmured, placing a finger against her lower lip.

"You don't know why I wanted you guys to come sit with me and Pikachu, do ya'?" Ash elaborated.

"No," Aiden helpfully replied.

"Well, I've been watching you guys play with Pikachu and the other Pokémon recently, and I've noticed you haven't been very gentle with them like I taught you to be," Ash explained. "You two have been playing too rough with them."

"Wuff?" Michelle repeated.

"Yes, rough," Ash sighed, laughing slightly at his daughter's lisp. "Especially poor Pikachu…"

_It had all started about a week ago, as Ash remembered it._

_He had just come home from a long day of work out at the training facility, and Pikachu was just as tired as he was. Knowing the mouse would probably like to take a little nap before dinner, Ash dropped him off on the living room couch, where he most liked to take his post-work naps, and headed into the kitchen where he knew Misty would be busy preparing dinner._

_After spending some time in the kitchen, talking to Misty about their perspective days, Ash was alerted by the sounds of Pikachu yelping unhappily. His eyebrows shooting up, he ran back into the living room and was greeted by the sight of Aiden pulling on Pikachu's ears, and Michelle tugging at his tail._

"_Hey!" Ash scolded, stepping back into the living room and picking Pikachu straight up off the couch. The electric type was growling and emitting sparks from his cheeks, ready to use thunderbolt as protection. When he realized he was no longer being "tormented" by the tiny twins, however, he yielded his electric build up and blinked confusedly instead. _

"_Dada, Pika won' pway!" Aiden shouted._

"_Make 'im pway!" Michelle added._

"_Guys, I can't _make _Pikachu want to play," Ash sighed. "He's very tired! We did a lot of training today, and it kind of drained him."_

"_But…pway," Aiden squeaked._

"_Maybe Pikachu will play with you guys later, after he's had a bit of a rest, okay?" Ash tried. "Besides, it wasn't very nice of the two of you to pull on his ears and tail. That hurts him! I taught you to be gentle with the Pokémon, right?"_

"_No?" Michelle chirped._

"_Yes I did," Ash chuckled. "I taught you no tugging and pulling. You don't like it if someone pulls on your hair, right?"_

_Michelle shook her head. Smiling and feeling satisfied with the way he had handled the situation, Ash put Pikachu back down on the couch and encouraged Aiden and Michelle to follow him into the kitchen. They did, although not happily. They were evidently bored and wanted to play. Once dinner was finished, Pikachu had regained much of his strength, just as Ash had predicted, and was ready to play with the twins. They were happy, and everything seemed to have gone back to normal._

_The next day, however, saw a repeat of the twins' apparent mind lapses when it came to how to treat a Pokémon. They had both been sitting on the floor, petting Pikachu, while Ash went through his poke gear._

"_Pika…"_

"_Pika, no!" Michelle whined._

"_Stay!" Aiden demanded._

_Ash looked up from his poke gear and found Aiden to be tugging on Pikachu's left arm, while Michelle was yanking the right. Pikachu looked absolutely miserable, pouting and drooping his ears and once again preparing to unleash a thunderbolt._

"_Guys, come on!" Ash gasped, throwing his device on the couch and jumping up to once again grab Pikachu. This time, the little mouse was a bit too charged up, and ended up shocking Ash just as soon as he'd been lifted._

"_Dada?" Michelle murmured, watching on with her brother as their father groaned out of pain. He was covered in ashes, his hair poofed up as electricity crackled off of him every few seconds._

"_I'm…good…" Ash managed to wheeze before shaking himself out and returning to his regular appearance. "There. Much better!"_

"_Pi…" Pikachu whined, once again lowering his ears. This time, however, he didn't look sad or tortured. He looked very apologetic. _

"_Don't feel bad, buddy!" Ash chuckled as he patted the mouse's head. "I know you only do that to protect yourself. Better me than the twins, huh?"_

"_Kachu."_

"_Dada, can we has Pika?" Aiden inquired, reaching up with his tiny hands._

"_No, you cannot have Pikachu back," Ash scolded gently. "I told you guys yesterday about playing rough! You just keep hurting Pikachu, and that's not nice."_

"_No, we pwayin'!" Aiden argued._

"_You're not playing _nice,_" Ash sighed. "And until you both remember _how _to play nice, you can't play with Pikachu."_

That's what had led them to this. He _had, _in fact, let the twins play with Pikachu during the last week, but only if he or Misty were watching them. That was getting a bit old, however. After all, they might have been young, but Ash was very used to leaving the two alone with Pikachu! They had always treated the little mouse very nicely, never pulling or tugging at him. But apparently, they had forgotten those lessons. So, it was time for a bit of a refresher course, it seemed.

"Guys, do you remember when you were both _very _little and I taught you how to be gentle with Pokémon?" Ash asked. Both children nodded in response. "Well, just because you're both older now doesn't mean you shouldn't be gentle with them. You still need to play nice!"

"I pway nice," Michelle whined.

"You two aren't bad, I know that," Ash hushed. "You've just been a little forgetful! See, Pikachu's a little nervous right now. He's afraid of getting yanked at again!"

Aiden and Michelle looked down at Pikachu, who still didn't look happy to be trapped on his trainer's lap. When he locked eyes with the twins, the Pokémon shrieked and began to visibly tremble, much to the twins' horror.

"See? He's a little bit scared," Ash informed the twins. "You have to show Pikachu that you can be gentle with him!"

Reaching out with her little hand, Michelle gently patted the top of Pikachu's head. When her palm first came in contact with his head, the mouse flinched and froze in place, expecting to be pulled at. When he realized that Michelle was just gently stroking him, however, he opened up his eyes and stared at the little girl who was currently petting him.

"Good Pika!" Michelle giggled.

"Chaa…" Pikachu sighed happily, picking his ears up again as he twitched them back and forth.

"Shelly, see how Pikachu's ears are twitching like that?" Ash asked, motioning towards the mouse's bobbing ears.

"Yeah!"

"When his ears do that, it means he's really happy!" Ash laughed. "Isn't that right, Pikachu?"

"Pika!"

"You like being pet like that, don't you?"

"Ka!"

Still chuckling, Ash looked between his children and showed off a bold smile. "Hey, you know what else makes Pikachu really happy?"

"No," they both trilled at once.

"Pikachu really likes to be tickled!" Ash replied. "Aiden, champ, why don't you try tickling him?"

The little boy scooted forward and started to tickle Pikachu's sides, much like his mother or father would do with him. Pikachu squealed and started to giggle, causing Aiden himself to light up and laugh along with the little mouse.

"Pipipipi!" Pikachu tittered.

"See how much he likes that?" Ash marveled.

"Yeah!" Aiden laughed, drawing his hands back and pressing them together.

"Pi-ka!" Pikachu cried happily, holding his paws out towards Aiden.

"Huh?" Aiden squeaked, tilting his head.

"Aiden, Pikachu wants you to keep tickling him!" Ash informed the confused toddler. "It makes him happy!"

"Okay!" Aiden threw his hands out again and started attacking Pikachu with tickles, causing the mouse to yelp joyfully and rapidly shake his thunderbolt-shaped tail as he was tickled.

"There you go!" Ash chuckled. "You two are finally remembering how to be gentle! Isn't this a lot more fun than pulling at Pikachu's ears and tail?"

"Yeah!" Aiden and Michelle agreed together.

Ash snickered softly as the electric mouse continued to laugh and chatter happily under the children's attention.

"It's a lot more fun for Pikachu, too!"

* * *

><p><strong>I used the BW scene where Ash is petting and tickling Pikachu for inspiration. If you've never seen it, search online for "Ash tickling Pikachu." It's beyond precious and will change your life.<strong>


	185. Proud Papa

**I can't stop it with the Ash fluff I've been having so many Daddy!Ash feels lately, it's really bad :P**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Proud Papa<strong>

_10 years ago…_

"Look at those big, brown eyes. Just like his daddy!"

Ash switched his eyes from Misty onto the tiny newborn baby cradled in her arms. The little boy, Aiden, swaddled in a light blue blanket, staring up at his mother with those same eyes she had just been fawning over. Springs of thin, fluffy raven hair stuck up from and covered his head, two specific strands hanging down between his eyes, much like his father. They were shorter than Ash's, though, for obvious reasons.

"Aiden," Misty whispered, patting the baby's backside as she moved him closer to her face, "where's Daddy?"

The baby mumbled, nothing coherent of course, but actually turned his eyes onto Ash. The older male's heart jumped up into his throat, but Aiden didn't seem at all affected. He just stared at Ash, as if trying to figure out who the man actually was. Misty, however, was fully convinced that he knew.

"Ash, isn't he the smartest baby in the entire world?" Misty gasped, her entire face lighting up. "He knew to look right at you!"

Ash smirked and shook his head at such an idea. "Maybe because I'm the only other person in the room."

"Oh, stop selling yourself short," Misty chided. "He loves you! You're already a good daddy."

This seemed to strike a chord with Ash. His face fell, quite visibly, and that in turn caused Misty to frown as well.

"No, Ash…"

"I'm sorry, Misty, I just-"

"We said we were going to stop blaming ourselves!"

Ash swallowed thickly and hung his head, combing his fingers through his tangled black locks as he refused to look Misty in the eye. "If I had just been here, then maybe-"

"It wouldn't have made any difference, Ash," Misty hissed with a scowl. "You didn't do anything to her! It's not our fault! It's not!"

Misty's adamant yelling and visibly tensed body seemed to displease the baby who was residing in her arms. He let out a small but miserable whine, his face contorting as he prepared to cry. Frowning, Misty touched a hand to the baby's head and began to stroke his soft black hair, hoping to soothe him.

"I'm sorry, baby," Misty whispered to Aiden, her throat tightening as tears threatened to fall from her eyes. "I got upset about your sister, and that made _you _upset. I'm sorry, Aiden."

Ash watched on as Misty slowly rocked the baby back and forth, her breath becoming shallow as she tried to hold back sobs. That didn't exactly make Ash feel good about himself. It hadn't even been _two days _yet, but he already felt like he was failing as a father! And that was his biggest fear.

"Misty…" Ash breathed, reaching out to touch his wife's trembling arm. Before he could even lay a fingertip on her, however, the door to her room opened up, a curious nurse poking her head in and scanning the room to make sure everyone was awake.

"I'm sorry to bother you," she piped up, now stepping fully into the room. "But I have someone here who would like to see you three."

It was at that moment that Ash and Misty realized the nurse was holding a tiny pink bundle in her arms. The same tiny bundle who was constantly being taken away from them for tests, examinations, emergency situations, and recuperation attempts.

"She's…okay?" Ash murmured.

"She's been doing very well today!" The nurse replied warmly. "We've been monitoring her very closely since last night, and her breathing has steadily improved. But she's been very irritable as well. We believe it's because she's been separated from you two for such long periods of time. So, since she's shown such marked improvement, we deemed it safe for her to go back to her mommy and daddy for a little while!"

"Oh, this is the best news I've heard all day!" Misty breathed, hugging Aiden closer to her chest. Ash was smiling just as wide as she was, and his eyes were lit up like stars. From the nurse's arms, the bundle let out a sharp cry, causing her to coo and look down at the infant.

"I know, you're _so_ excited to be back with your family!" The nurse crooned. "And I see someone who's _so_ excited to have his little girl back…"

Ash's heart all but stopped as the nurse approached him, her smile widening as she moved closer and closer to him. Finally, when she was right in front of him, she held out her arms and offered him the tiny baby who was squirming in her arms. Holding his own out, Ash took the baby, something he had grown much more comfortable with in the past few days. Once she was resting in his arms, Ash breathed out and stared down at her face. Much to his delight, she was awake.

"Hi, princess," Ash whispered, his eyes stinging with budding tears. "Hi, Michelle."

The little girl raised her two small fists up to her cheeks and continued staring up at her father. Her big eyes…so green and so full of innocence…

By the time Ash looked up again, the nurse was already gone. It was just him, Misty, and their two newborns again. He turned his head towards Misty, who was watching him curiously, a very tiny smile on her face. She had obviously been watching him ever since the nurse had handed off the baby.

"You look so beautiful, baby girl," Ash murmured. "Even more beautiful than the last time I saw you. Stop getting so pretty on your daddy! I don't want boys running after my princess."

"Ash…" Misty beckoned, "come over here. We shouldn't keep Aiden and Michelle apart for so long."

Ash nodded and got out of his chair, choosing instead to sit beside Misty on her bed. Misty inched over, closer to the right, and laid Aiden down by her side. Ash did the same with Michelle, putting her down right next to Aiden. The two new parents watched as the babies turned their heads and stared at one another, studying each other's faces as though they hadn't seen each other in years and were trying to recognize one another.

"Look in their eyes," Misty murmured. "I can tell that they're happy! They missed each other so much."

"Well I missed _seeing_ them together," Ash replied, kneeling down beside the bed to give each baby a kiss on the head. "They're twins. They grew together, and they were born together. They belong together. Always."

"Oh Ash…" Misty cooed. "I don't care what you say, or what you think. You're going to be an amazing father. You already are."

At this, Ash blushed, but didn't say anything in response. He just smiled to himself, staring down at his newborn children, silently hoping that his wife was right about him.

_8 years ago…_

"Aiden! Michelle! Get out from underneath the bed! You need to go to sleep!"

From underneath Aiden's bed, where the two children were hiding, they started to giggle, much to the irritation of their mother. She loved her children, of course she did. But they were at the wonderful age known as the "terrible twos," and they were definitely living up to the old standard.

"Please?" Misty beckoned to the twins. "If you come on out, Mommy will give you both some warm milk! Would you two like that?"

All she got in response were more high pitched giggles. They were _definitely _trying her patience at this point, and Misty couldn't help but to put a scowl on her face as her hands tightened into fists by her sides.

"Hey, Mist! What's going on?"

Misty spun around and found herself face to face with her husband. He was happy, but as soon as he saw the glower on her face, that expression fell into one of moderate concern.

"Our children won't listen to a thing I say!" Misty complained. "I've been asking them to get into bed for almost twenty minutes now!"

"And where are they?" Ash questioned, looking around the room for their two rambunctious children.

"Hiding under Aiden's bed," Misty grumbled in response.

Smirking, Ash began to walk over to the white toddler bed where his two children were evidently hiding under. Their giggles soon sounded off again, causing Ash's grin to stretch even wider. The twins may have been sly, but they definitely weren't very good at executing it.

"Alright you two, no more playing!" Ash called. When he got no response except for another fit of giggles, Ash shrugged and continued, "Okay, guess you guys just won't get a bedtime story, then!"

_This _got the twins' attention. They both clambered out from beneath the bed, beaming at Ash and jumping up and down, demanding to hear the story they were apparently being promised.

"Okay, okay!" Ash laughed as the twins jumped close enough to him where they were grabbing onto his pants and tugging wildly at the material. "Get into Aiden's bed. I'll come too!"

Aiden and Michelle both hopped right into the white toddler bed that they had just been hiding under, tangling themselves beneath the light blue sheets covered by red, green, black, blue, and orange cars. Ash looked over his shoulder and smiled victoriously at his wife, who rolled her eyes in response. He walked over to the bed as well, crawling in and settling himself between the two children. They both giggled and rested themselves on their father's body, obviously finding it quite comfortable.

"Should I bring Daddy a storybook to read?" Misty asked, beginning to walk over to the lone bookshelf in the room.

"No!" Aiden and Michelle chimed together.

"No?" Misty repeated rather incredulously.

"Daddy has a stowy!" Aiden replied.

"Yeah, 'bout Pokies!" Michelle added.

"Oh, I get it," Misty murmured. "Daddy tells you stories about his Pokémon! They must be very nice stories."

Ash chuckled softly and winked at his amused wife. "Would you like to stick around and hear one?"

"I suppose so," Misty purred teasingly as she sat down at the end of Aiden's bed. "I've got nothing else to do! Even though I'm sure I've heard every story before. I bet I was there for most of them when they actually happened!"

"Then how about I tell a story from when you weren't there?" Ash teasingly asked.

"Oh, now _that _sounds interesting!" Misty giggled, resting herself on her husband's legs. "I'd love to hear one of those!"

And so, Ash went on to tell the tale of when he, Iris, and Cilan became trapped in a mansion filled with mischievous Litwick during a bad thunderstorm back during his travels in Unova. He told the twins, and Misty, all about how the Litwick used their psychic powers to move furniture and even himself around, and how they cut off his pokedex so he wouldn't know that they sucked out the life energy of people and Pokémon. He and his friends had even had to save Team Rocket from that terrible fate!

By the end of the story, Aiden and Michelle were fast asleep, still lying on either side of their father. Their arms and legs were hanging all over the place: across his chest, his stomach, and his hips. Misty was still on his legs, but at least she was awake. She peered up at her husband and smiled at him. Misty had thought that Ash would be annoyed, what with having been turned into a human mattress by their two children, but the look on his face was exactly the opposite. He looked extremely content, in fact, and quite happy on top of it.

"How are you going to get out of that?" Misty questioned, motioning towards the two children who were sprawled across his body.

"I'm not sure," Ash admitted. "I'll have to do it nice and gently so I don't wake up either one of them, though!"

Misty got off of Ash's legs and walked over to the head of the bed, gently lifting Michelle up into her arms so she could put the little girl back into her own bed across the room. She knelt down and kissed the toddler on her head before standing back up and turning around to see what Ash was up to with Aiden. Currently, he was just managing to remove the smaller boy's arms and legs from where they rested on his body. With that complete, Ash was able to slip out of the bed and properly pull the sheets over Aiden's sleeping figure. With Aiden tucked away safely for the night, Ash smiled down at the boy and ran a hand through his raven locks. From behind, he suddenly felt a hand grip his shoulder. Looking over that same shoulder, Ash found Misty to be standing right behind him and beaming at him.

Ash smiled goofily at this and let out a husky, but quiet, laugh. "What?"

"You're so cute," Misty whispered. "And you're so good with them. They listened to you when I didn't even stand a chance! You really are an amazing dad."

Ash bushed at this. "I don't know about that…"

"Well, I do," Misty piped up, giving Ash a kiss on the cheek. "You should be very proud of yourself."

_4 years ago…_

"DADDY!"

Ash panicked at this. He glanced down and peered into the baby swing sitting before him, where the small child sitting inside of it was whimpering and scrunching up her face. Her attempts to sleep had been thwarted, and now, she wasn't a happy thing.

Picking his head up, Ash found both Aiden and Michelle to be running towards him, huge smiles on their faces. They both appeared ready to shout again, which was what led Ash to raise a finger to his lips and quietly shush the two, causing them both to frown and furrow their brows.

"What?" Michelle squeaked.

"You guys have to be a little quieter," Ash explained, glancing back down at the baby in front of him. "Elizabeth is trying to take a nap."

Aiden and Michelle both got down on their knees and peered into the pink and brown swing. Their baby sister was residing in it, and she _definitely _didn't look too happy.

"Oops," Michelle murmured. "Sorry, Lizzie."

Aiden, who was sitting on the opposite side of his twin sister, grabbed the swing and began to slowly rock it back and forth, just as his mother usually did. Elizabeth's face relaxed as she was swung gently back and forth, soft coos escaping her lips as she was lulled into sleep.

"Look, I fixed it!" Aiden giggled, continuing to rock the swing even as Elizabeth drifted off.

"Yeah, you really did," Ash quietly marveled.

"We didn't mean to make Lizzie sad, Daddy," Michelle whispered to Ash, an upset look gracing her cute face.

Ash smiled reassuringly at his older daughter. "I know you didn't, don't worry about it, princess! It's hard with a new baby in the house, I know. Sometimes, when you two were babies," he now shifted his eyes between both Michelle _and _Aiden, "I forgot that you needed a lot of sleep. And sometimes I would get a little too loud and wake you guys up. Mommy was never very happy with me when I did that."

"Silly Daddy!" Michelle giggled.

"I never did it on purpose," Ash chuckled along with his daughter. "But I was…well…I was young. I didn't know anything about babies. So sometimes I made mistakes. But I don't think I messed anything up too bad. What do you guys think?"

"No, Daddy, you love us!" Michelle replied warmly.

"I do," Ash agreed with a smile. "I do love you both more than anything. And now I love Elizabeth more than anything, too."

"Daddy, how old are you?" Aiden asked rather suddenly. He was still rocking Elizabeth's swing back and forth.

Ash blanched out in shock at the question. "Uh…what?"

Aiden smiled and held his hand out towards Ash, every last finger outstretched. "I'm five and a half. How old are you?"

"Uh…I'm 27, buddy. Why?"

Ash was waiting for his son, or even his daughter, to shout that he was old and to start laughing over it. The shocked looks both were currently wearing seemed to support such a result.

"Daddy, you're little!"

Ash blinked. _That _certainly wasn't the response he'd been expecting. "What do you mean I'm little?"

"You're little!" Michelle repeated. "But you have lots and lots of babies!"

Ash's entire face turned bright red at this. "I only have three of you! And you and Aiden are twins, so that barely counts!"

"Why?" Aiden questioned.

"Because you two were born at the same time," Ash replied. "So that doesn't really count. We got two babies at once!"

Michelle crawled into Ash's lap, much to the man's confusion. He continued to blink out of bewilderment, glancing down at the little girl as she rested against his chest and giggled softly. Wrapping his arms around his daughter, Ash smiled and continued to watch her as she tilted her head back to beam at her father.

"You're little, Daddy!" Michelle giggled. "You're the best little Daddy ever. You're cute!"

"Oh, you think I'm cute, huh?" Ash chuckled.

"Yes," Michelle replied rather seriously. "Mommy says you're very handsome, Daddy!"

"She does tell me that an awful lot," Ash replied.

Aiden finally let go of Elizabeth's swing and crawled over to his father, gently nudging his left leg and causing Ash to look down at him. "Are we a good brother and sister to Lizzie, Daddy?"

"Of course you are!" Ash crooned. "You guys make great big siblings! I'm really proud of the two of you and how you've both gotten used to having Elizabeth around. You love her very much, and that's all I could ask for as your dad."

"But we have to take care of her, too!" Aiden cried. "Like you, Daddy!"

"Huh? Like me?"

"Yeah, we gotta' protect Lizzie and love her, too!" Michelle agreed.

"Guys…that's so sweet," Ash chuckled softly, hugging both giggling children tightly against his body. "I love you two so much!"

_Present day…_

Ash beamed at his two older children. The day before had been their tenth birthdays, and today, they were leaving on their journey together.

Michelle already had her starter Pokémon: a Pichu who she had rescued one day earlier. Aiden was in the middle of picking his own starter Pokémon, although Ash knew exactly who Aiden was going to pick. The boy had chosen his starter all the way back when he was just two or three years old.

"So, Aiden, who will it be?" Professor Oak asked the contemplative boy.

"Squirtle!" Aiden replied, Ash mouthing the same name behind Aiden's back. Misty caught sight of Ash's mimicking act and playfully elbowed him in the side, earning a smirk from her husband.

"We all knew it was going to be," Ash reasoned with her.

"I'm so happy he picked the water type!" Misty giggled.

"Mommy, can I have one, too?"

Misty looked down by her leg and found Elizabeth to be staring up at her and pouting in want. Smiling sadly, Misty picked up the little girl and held her close. "Not yet, sprinkle. You're only four! In six more years, when you're Aiden and Michelle's age, you'll be able to pick out a Pokémon of your very own!"

Elizabeth frowned, clearly not happy with this answer. Noticing his youngest daughter's displeased expression, Ash took her from his wife and reassured her, "don't worry, pumpkin. That day will come before you know it! But until then, Daddy has lots of Pokémon stories to tell you that should be able to keep you entertained."

The little girl still looked a little disappointed, so Ash kissed her forehead to try and put a smile on her face. It worked, as the child was soon giggling and pressing her small hands against either side of Ash's face. Misty just watched on in glee, loving the always sweet interactions between her husband and daughter.

"Dad! I finally got my first Pokémon!"

Ash looked around Elizabeth and found Aiden grinning up at him, holding out the red and white sphere that contained his newly awarded Squirtle. The boy's eyes were glowing, and it was clear as day that he was over the moon with this new milestone.

"Aren't you proud of me, Dad?" Aiden asked.

Chuckling softly, Ash put Elizabeth down by his feet before patting Aiden on the head and assuring the boy, "son, I'm proud of you no matter what. I'll _always_ be proud of you! Your sisters, too."

"Well, Aiden and I are still going to work our hardest in gym battles and Contests!" Michelle piped up, scurrying over to where the rest of her family stood. "We know you'll always be proud of us, Dad, but we want to give everyone a reason!"

Elizabeth whined and ran over to stand between her two older siblings. She stared at both of them in want, until Aiden finally lifted her up in his arms and gave her a reassuring hug. Michelle giggled and soon joined in on the hug, wrapping her arms around both Elizabeth _and_ Aiden so the little girl was caught in between them.

"We raised them really well," Ash murmured, turning his gaze onto Misty.

"Yeah, we did," Misty agreed, nodding her head. "I told you from day one you'd be an amazing father. And I was right. You should be so proud of yourself, Ash. Because I know for a fact that _I'm_ proud of you."

"I guess I am," Ash mused. "But I'm more proud of the kids we've had and raised together. I couldn't be any prouder, really. They're so kind and smart and determined…I've been proud of them since the day they were born, and now look at our oldest two. Off on their very own journeys. I don't know how much prouder I could be."

As both he and Misty returned to watching the children hug and laugh amongst themselves, Ash couldn't help but to smile to himself and try not to let any tears fall from his deep brown eyes.

He really hadn't done a bad job. And the pride he had in his children, in all three of them, reflected that.

* * *

><p><strong>I liked the idea of seeing the relationship between Ash and the twins at some different ages. It shows just how close he is to them and why he has such a sense of pride when it comes to them :)<strong>


	186. Babysitting: Professor Oak

**It's been a while since the last babysitting installment. So, let's go! This time, it's Professor Oak's turn :P**

**Elizabeth: 5 months old**

* * *

><p><strong>Babysitting: Professor Oak<strong>

"Thank you so much for offering to watch Elizabeth, Professor! It really means a lot!"

"Don't mention it, my boy!" Professor Oak chuckled as he took the baby girl from Ash's grasp. "It's not a problem at all!"

Elizabeth, who was now in Professor Oak's hands instead of her father's, cooed and curiously glanced up at the older man. Professor Oak sensed the child's eyes on him and smiled down at her, causing the baby to tilt her head out of bewilderment.

"I don't really wanna' tell you how to take care of a baby, because I'm sure you know how…" Ash continued.

"You don't have to worry about a thing, Ash. She's in good hands!" Professor Oak reassured the younger man. "Besides, Misty already gave me all of the details over the phone. I know exactly when to feed her and all of that. We'll have a wonderful time together!"

"Great!" Ash chuckled. Leaning down, Ash gently tickled Elizabeth's stomach and cooed, "Daddy has to go now, baby girl. He and Mama have something to do with your big brother and sister! But don't you worry, pumpkin. Professor Oak is going to take the best care of you! And we'll be back before you know it!"

Elizabeth cooed curiously, not understanding what her father was saying, or even what he was doing. Chuckling, Ash kissed the baby's forehead, causing her to whine softly. He smiled and gently patted the top of her head, still confusing the little girl. Suddenly, the sound of a car's horn honking caused Ash to stand back up to his full height and sigh, much to Professor Oak's amusement.

"Misty, isn't it?" The older man playfully inquired.

"How'd ya' guess?" Ash muttered sarcastically.

Professor Oak smiled and motioned his head towards the front of the lab. "You should probably get going before she gets anymore impatient! I think you've said enough goodbyes to Elizabeth. What do you think, little one?"

Elizabeth let out a small yawn and turned her head away from Ash to instead stare into the inside of Professor Oak's lab.

"Guess you're right," Ash sighed. "Alright, I'll see you both later! Have fun, guys!"

As Ash walked away, Elizabeth didn't at all seem to mind. In fact, she hardly noticed. She was too busy looking inside of the laboratory from her spot in Professor Oak's arms. Chuckling, the older man stepped back inside and closed the door behind him, juggling the small girl's diaper bag on one shoulder while holding the baby in his arms.

"My goodness, you certainly are alert!" Professor Oak remarked. "You remind me very much of your father when he was just a baby!"

Elizabeth stuck out the tip of her tongue and puffed her cheeks out. She continued looking around as Professor Oak carried her up the stairs and into the room where he conducted all of his research…and handed out starter Pokémon to beginning trainers.

"I'm afraid I don't have a playpen anymore, not since Sam's grown up," Professor Oak informed the baby, referring to his great grandson. Elizabeth didn't seem to mind, however, instead choosing to blow a small bubble out of her mouth and giggle when it popped. Professor Oak let out a small laugh of his own before walking into the center of the room and setting Elizabeth down on the floor. "The next best thing I can do is spread out a nice, big blanket and surround it with pillows. That always worked when my own children were babies and we didn't have a playpen, after all. Some things just need to be done the old fashioned way!"

Elizabeth watched after the older man as he walked over to a nearby shelf and pulled down a tapestry blanket made up of bright, vibrant colors. The little girl squeaked and leaned herself back until she was lying down on the floor, rocking herself back and forth as she held her little arms up in the air.

"Gary's wife gave me this blanket as a gift, and I keep forgetting to put it in the living room," Professor Oak rambled on, closely examining the blanket. "It's a little too vibrant for my tastes, which is maybe _why _I keep forgetting to put it where it belongs. It doesn't exactly match the décor of my longue either! Kayla and I certainly have varied interests from one another. She's a sweet woman who means well, though. Besides, I suppose this blanket is coming in handy now, isn't it?"

Elizabeth, who was still rocking herself back and forth, finally managed to roll herself over onto her stomach. The baby girl squealed in delight and picked her arms and legs up in the air, waving them wildly before once again resting all of her limbs on the ground.

"Oh my! You did that all by yourself!"

Professor Oak scooped up Elizabeth, causing the baby to squeak out of surprise. She mumbled to herself and looked back, staring up at the older man with her wide green eyes. He, in turn, simply chuckled and placed her back down on the colorful blanket, which was admittedly much more comfortable than just lounging on the floor.

"There! Much better!" Professor Oak crowed.

Elizabeth hiccupped and once again rolled herself over onto her front. She giggled and rested her cheek against the blanket, kicking her legs up in the air. Professor Oak was a little confused as to why Elizabeth seemed to enjoy doing that so much, but he didn't see any harm in it. So why try to stop the little girl?

"Now all we need are some pillows to put around the blanket," Professor Oak commented aloud, not even remotely catching Elizabeth's attention. "That will keep you inside the area!"

As Professor Oak walked into the next room, Elizabeth pushed herself up onto her hands and knees and stayed like that for a few shaky seconds. Once she finally got her balance, Elizabeth giggled and stuck one of her arms out, trying to move forward.

"Ah, here we are!"

With a squeak, Elizabeth fell back on her stomach and blinked. Professor Oak had returned with an armful of throw pillows, which he promptly lined the perimeter of the blanket with. Elizabeth watched on in awe, not exactly understanding why the older man was in such a rush to surround her with the fluffy pillows. It reminded her of when her big brother tried to play games with her, which usually got him into trouble with Mama. Mama didn't like it when big brother trapped her with pillows and blankets and the like. Elizabeth didn't really mind. She just liked being the center of attention.

"There, all safe!" Professor Oak sighed, standing back up to his full height. "I should see what's in the diaper bag. Your mother told me there'd be some toys in there for you to play with!"

Indeed there were. Three, in fact. There was Elizabeth's favorite of the bunch, her stuffed Teddiursa. In addition to the cuddly little bear, there was a stuffed baby doll that rattled when it was shaken, and a plush white blanket trimmed in pink satin ribbon with the fluffy head of a Girafarig sticking up from the center.

"Yes, these are all lovely playthings for you!" Professor Oak marveled as he dropped off each one near the baby. Elizabeth really only showed interested in her Teddi, grabbing him by the head and sticking his little ear in her mouth. "So far you've proven to be a very easy baby, Elizabeth! Your mother and father are a very lucky pair!"

Elizabeth yawned around Teddi's ear before putting her head down on his own and closing her eyes. Professor Oak smiled to himself. Elizabeth was _so _easy to take care of that she even put herself to sleep! It was good timing as well. He had to start preparing for his weekly Live Caster show, and that would be very easy to accomplish while the baby was napping.

As Professor Oak walked away, his footsteps audible, Elizabeth opened her eyes once again and picked her head up. She peered just over the pillows and saw the older man walking away from where she'd been laid down. Giggling, she once again pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, more steadily than last time to boot. She put her hand down in front of herself and then the next one, beginning to crawl forward. Elizabeth grinned, loving this new feeling of mobility. She continued to crawl right towards the wall of pillows that Professor Oak had constructed, sticking her hand out and pushing it against the barrier. After a few gentle shoves, the pillows tumbled down, creating an easy opening for the young girl. Cooing, she continued to crawl forward, pushing the fallen pillows out of her way with her little hands and knees as she made her way across the floor.

Professor Oak was already busy with his broadcast and hadn't noticed Elizabeth making her escape from the makeshift playpen. He was simply grinning and starting off the show as he always did: with a Pokémon poem.

"Pichu, young and small," Professor Oak recited, "The tiny mouse Pokémon; playful and hungry."

Elizabeth stopped crawling for a short moment to stare up at Professor Oak in slight awe. Now that he had recited his Pokémon poem, it was time to begin the next (and main) part of the show: the Pokémon lecture!

Professor Oak pulled a poke ball out of his lab coat Pokémon and held it up in front of the camera. "Now, as you might have guessed from today's poem, the subject of our lecture today shall be Pichu!"

He pressed the center button, releasing the small electric type so it was standing on the counter next to him. Seemingly confused, Pichu tilted its head to the side, big ears twitching as it let out tiny squeaks of bewilderment.

"Pichu, of course, is the pre-evolved form of Pikachu!" Professor Oak continued. "It is a pure electric type, but is too young to actually control its power just yet. Sometimes, the force of its electricity attacks can cause fatigue or even injury!"

Pichu put its head back upright and twitched its ears once more. It was sensing something. Glancing down at the floor, the tiny mouse Pokémon caught sight of Elizabeth and squeaked happily. Without a second thought, the baby Pokémon jumped off the counter and scurried towards the baby on all fours. Professor Oak, however, was not at all disturbed or even affected by Pichu's sudden dash. His eyes hadn't even followed after the tiny mouse.

"Pichu, being a baby Pokémon, is full of adventure and wonderment," Professor Oak continued. "We can see what's gotten Pichu so excited, and how it explores its surroundings!"

Professor Oak walked over to the camera to readjust it so it would be focused on the floor, where Pichu had scurried off to. As soon as Pichu came into view on the camera's screen, however, Professor Oak was stunned to see that the reason Pichu had become distracted was because of _Elizabeth. _He gawked and looked over to the makeshift playpen, where he saw the toppled over pillows spread across the floor.

"Oh dear," Professor Oak murmured, worriedly furrowing his brow.

Elizabeth giggled as Pichu jumped onto her back and then onto her head, leaning down to try and examine the baby's face. Elizabeth rolled her eyes up and gurgled before lowering her head so Pichu would slide off. The tiny mouse landed back on the ground with a small thud, but didn't seem too disturbed by the fall. Instead, the baby Pokémon twitched its ears again and stood up on its tippy toes to press its black button nose against Elizabeth's own small one.

"Uh…as you can see, Pichu get along very well with humans, especially ones as young as themselves!" Professor Oak stammered, trying to keep his lecture on track despite the unexpected diversion. "It's almost as if they have an innate understanding of one another, which all connects back to my research studies about the interactions between humans and Pokémon!"

Once the lecture was finished, and Professor Oak had signed off from his show, he let out a relieved sigh before picking up Pichu's poke ball and returning the tiny mouse Pokémon to the safety of its sphere. As soon as the baby Pokémon was sucked up by a bright red light, Elizabeth whined unappreciatively and reached her hand up towards Professor Oak, as if silently asking for her new playmate back.

"No no, that's certainly enough for one day, Lizzie!" Professor Oak chuckled tiredly, bending down to lift the little girl up into his arms. "Perhaps you're a bit more of a handful than I thought. Although, in my defense, your mother and father didn't tell me you could crawl!"

Elizabeth whimpered and opened her mouth, sticking a finger in as she let out soft cries. Professor Oak, who had already raised two children, a grandson, and a great grandson, knew exactly what that meant: she was hungry.

"Alright, little one, let us fetch you that bottle I saw before!" Professor Oak crowed, walking over to the bag and pulling out a pink baby bottle full of milk. He heated it up to just the right temperature and held it in front of Elizabeth, who smiled and started drinking out of it right away.

"You know, Elizabeth, the more time I spend with you, the more I realize that not only do you _look _like your father, but you have a personality nearly identical to his as well!" Professor Oak laughed. "A true female Ash! Am I to assume your mother has her hands full with the both of you? And your brother, too. He's just like Ash as well! Such a strong personality is hard to banish. But you're going to be just fine, little one. With that kind of personality, there's nothing you can't do. I think we proved that today, now didn't we?"

Elizabeth just stared up at the older man with wide, emerald eyes as she continued drinking from the bottle.

"You've even got the same appetite to boot," Professor Oak murmured amusedly.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, catching Professor Oak's attention. He walked downstairs and to the door, where he found Ash and Misty to be standing with their arms crossed against their chests. He raised a curious eyebrow, while Elizabeth gurgled delightfully as she continued to drink from the bottle.

"Aw, my baby!" Misty cooed sweetly, reaching out to take the baby from the older man. She settled Elizabeth into her own arms, holding the bottle herself in order to continue feeding the baby.

"You two are certainly back early," Professor Oak remarked.

"It's the doctor's office, so we have to try and speed it up when it comes to Aiden and Michelle," Ash snickered. "They're not exactly the types who enjoy getting checkups."

"They make me feel guilty for taking them," Misty muttered.

"Yeah, but we have to!" Ash soothed his wife, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as he smiled down at the busily eating Elizabeth. "Besides, it wasn't so bad at the end. They got distracted by the TV!"

"Oh," Professor Oak marveled, "and what were they watching?"

"Your Live Caster," Ash responded simply, causing Professor Oak to sweat drop. "They always watch it at home and keep quiet during it, so I guess watching it at the doctor's office worked out just the same!"

"Their favorite part must have been when Elizabeth showed up playing with Pichu," Misty continued with a smirk.

Professor Oak blushed and slightly hung his head. "Ash, Misty, I'm so terribly sorry-"

"You don't have to be sorry!" Misty giggled. "It was really cute! Watching her play with Pichu was so sweet. I was surprised you let her on the show!"

"Well, I didn't really," Professor Oak admitted. "I'd made a little enclosure for her, but she got out of it."

Ash and Misty exchanged bewildered glances before asking at the same time, "how?!"

"She started crawling and knocked the pillows I used as a barrier right down," Professor Oak explained. "I was just as surprised as you two are now! You didn't tell me she could crawl."

"Because she _can't!_" Misty cried frantically. "At least…she _used_ to not be able to…"

"Looks like our little girl learned a new trick," Ash chuckled.

"Isn't five months a little bit early to be crawling?" Misty asked.

"Maybe she's just super smart!" Ash suggested.

"Sometimes babies start to do things a bit earlier than others," Professor Oak helpfully explained. "It's possible she might even forget how to crawl in just a few days and won't pick it up again for another few months! But for now, it looks like you two will have to start baby proofing parts of the house."

"Leave it up to Elizabeth to learn something new after spending some time with the great Professor Oak," Misty giggled, once again glancing down at her baby who was still busy with the bottle.

"I totally called her being smart!" Ash crowed. "Maybe we should leave her with the professor more often!"

Misty sighed and shook her head. "Now now, Mr. Pokémon Master. I think your daughter has caused _enough _trouble for him today."

* * *

><p><strong>Guys, I need your help! I'm beginning to run out of ideas of who else can be featured in the babysitting chapters. So, I'm asking you all for suggestions! Who would YOU all like to see babysitting Ash and Misty's children? Remember, we've already seen Barry, Brock, Dawn, Gary, May and Drew, Max, Iris and Cilan, Tracey and Daisy, and now Professor Oak :) Leave me your character suggestionswishes in the reviews! Because I'm seriously out of ideas :P**


	187. Heartbeat

**Remember when I said I get all my one shot ideas in bed? Well, here's some more proof of that XD**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Heartbeat<strong>

Ash couldn't sleep.

He rolled to the left. He rolled to the right. He lay on his back. He laid on his front. He covered his head with his pillow. He counted Mareep in his head.

Nothing worked.

Sighing, the man eventually gave up and slipped out of bed, leaving behind a tangled mess of crisp white sheets. Pikachu, who had no trouble falling asleep, was sprawled out on the pillow beside Ash's, ears twitching in his sleep. Ash looked over at his partner and smiled softly to himself.

_He must be having a nice dream. Wish I was, too._

Ash tilted his head back so he was staring at the ceiling. That was pure white as well. He let out a puff of air and folded his arms across his chest, putting his head back in the upright position as he began to pace the floor. His feet sunk into the plush crimson carpet, but not even that could help soothe him. He felt like his eyes were being held open by tape, with no hope of closing them.

"I hate hotel rooms," Ash muttered under his breath.

More specifically, he hated feeling like he was _living _in one, especially when he was away from his family. Ash missed his wife and children so badly, especially when he was on the road for this long. All of his travels from city to city, making appearances and battling in exhibition matches for throngs of fans, young trainers, League executives…

He was tired.

But he couldn't sleep.

Trudging over to the wooden desk that was tucked away neatly in the corner of the room, Ash lifted the top of his black luggage and turned on the lamp so he could properly see the inside of the baggage. Beneath a pile of t-shirts, Ash pulled out a CD, contained in a plastic green case. He eyed it carefully, still confused due to the lack of writing on either the case or actual disc. It was unmarked, and his wife hadn't told him what the CD contained. She had simply handed it off to him before he left.

"_I know how hard it can be for you when you're away from home, and all of us," Misty had told him._

"_Especially now," Ash muttered, placing a hand against the side of his wife's stomach. It was rounded, quite obvious, and he knew that inside, beneath his palm, his unborn baby daughter was fast asleep._

"_I've already told you that you don't have to worry about me," Misty soothed. "I'm very capable of taking care of myself. Your mother and Brock live nearby, and so do my parents and my sisters. Besides, Aiden and Michelle make the best company!"_

"_Our best friends are a pair of five year olds," Ash sighed, causing Misty to giggle. "When they said having kids changes everything, they weren't kidding."_

"_Yeah, but you and I both know we wouldn't trade our babies for anything in the world," Misty sighed. "They're too precious. And, even though they can drive us crazy most of the time, they also tend to keep us pretty sane."_

"_I couldn't agree with you more," Ash groaned. "I don't know how I'm going to survive two weeks without them. Or you. Or our little baby. This isn't fair."_

_Misty smirked at her husband. "It might not be fair, but it's your job."_

"_Still not fair," Ash droned, pulling Misty closer into him so her stomach was pushing against his own. "No way I can go two weeks without this. I can barely go two _hours _without touching you! I'm going to go to bed at night crying."_

"_Don't do that!" Misty laughed sympathetically._

_Ash shook his head and gave his wife a sad smile. "I will. You can't stop me."_

"_Maybe I can't stop you," Misty breathed, "but I can _try._"_

"_And just how do you think you can do that?" Ash asked teasingly._

_Misty pulled away from Ash, causing him to whimper playfully as she stepped backwards. She winked seductively at him before sidestepping over to the kitchen table and picking up a jewel toned green CD case._

"_Hey, it's your favorite color!" Ash chuckled. "Was that a coincidence?"_

"_Nah, it was on purpose," Misty replied, holding it out towards Ash. "Here. Take it. But don't listen to it until you're away from home and you can't sleep at night."_

"_Oh, it's like a music CD?" Ash inquired, taking the case from his wife._

_Misty shrugged. "I guess you could say that. Just wait until you're in the hotel. It will help you, I'm willing to bet. I can't promise, but if I know my Ashy like I _think _I do, then this CD will make you feel just the tiniest bit better about being away from home."_

Ash gently toyed with the CD case for a few extra moments before opening it up and gently removing the delicate disc with his fingers. He slipped it into the stereo that sat on the nightstand next to the bed and hovered over the machine, waiting for the music to play. When nothing came out, however, Ash stood up straight and raised a curious eyebrow.

"Did I break it?" Ash muttered to himself.

Suddenly, a sound came out of the stereo. Then another one. And another. They started coming faster and faster, in a very rhythmic fashion. Ash let out a short breath and closed his eyes, listening intently to the noise emerging from the speakers.

_Thump thump thump thump thump…_

"My baby," Ash whispered, a smile growing on his face.

Feeling more content, Ash climbed back into bed and pulled the covers back over his body. He looked over his shoulder and found that Pikachu was still fast asleep, undisturbed by his trainer's constant movement. Ash rested his head on the pillow and stared at the stereo, still grinning to himself as the sound reverberated from it.

It all made sense now. Ash understood why Misty had given him the CD, and why she thought it might help him be able to get through the night. He knew he couldn't be with Misty or the twins when he was away. He couldn't sleep next to his wife, or even sit next to her. He couldn't play with his children. He couldn't put his hands on Misty's stomach and feel their baby move and kick.

But at least now he could go to sleep listening to her heartbeat.

* * *

><p><strong>I just think Ash is the sweetest, ok :P We all know he would be the cutest Daddy ever :3<strong>


	188. Puddle Play

**I feel like I haven't written any Misty centered one shots lately. I've been focusing a lot on Ash as a dad, but not her as a mom. Let's change that, shall we? ;)**

**Elizabeth: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Puddle Play<strong>

"Mommy! Mommy! It stopped raining!"

Misty, who was sitting at the kitchen table, rested her head in her hands and allowed her eyes to slip to the floor as Elizabeth came charging in. The young girl's ponytail was bobbing eagerly behind her head, the pink ribbon tied around it bouncing just as much.

"Did it?" Misty murmured, glancing out the window. The sky remained rather gray and dreary, but all was calm now. The pouring rain had indeed ceased, and the vicious wind seemed to have died down as well.

"Mommy, I wanna' play."

Misty once again turned her attention onto her young daughter and showed the girl a small smile. "We already played, Lizzie!"

"No, Mommy," Elizabeth sighed dramatically. "I wanna' play _outside!_ In the puddles!"

"In the puddles?" Misty repeated. Elizabeth nodded her head feverously, and the ponytail went bouncing again. "Why do you want to play in those, sprinkle?"

"Because it's fun!" Elizabeth giggled. "I'ma get my boots, Mommy!"

"Wait, Elizabeth!" Misty cried, holding her hand out to try and stop the child. It was no use, however, as she bustled right up the stairs to fetch the proper attire. Sighing, Misty reached for her cup of tea and took a long, contemplative sip of it. Even with Ash out of the house, away for work, it felt like he was still there somehow, because Elizabeth had taken after him so much. She was all action, no thought. Watching after Elizabeth made Misty feel older and older every single day, but at the same time, it made her feel like a kid again herself. It was really just the strangest thing.

"Mommy, I need help."

Misty smirked to herself and put her cup back down on the table. Elizabeth was once again standing by the side of her chair, a frown having replaced her excited smile from before. In her left hand, she held her two rain boots, and in the right, her rain jacket. Misty knew full well the little girl couldn't put any of those things on herself; she'd just wanted to see how long it would take for _Elizabeth_ to remember this little fact.

She stood up and lifted Elizabeth, sitting the little girl in the same chair so her legs were dangling off the side. Misty picked up the rain boots first: light pink in color and covered with white polka dots, bordered by fuchsia pink on the bottom and top of the boots. She slipped them onto Elizabeth's feet, making sure the little girl's pants were neatly tucked away into the shoes so they wouldn't get wet while she was splashing around outside. Once the little girl's boots were securely on, Misty grabbed the rain coat off the floor that perfectly matched Elizabeth's boots. It was fuchsia, just like the border on her shoes, and adorned by the light pink with white polka dot print trimming on the pockets, cuffs, and hem. Misty slipped the jacket onto her small daughter before buttoning up the front, slipping each pink button through its coordinating hole.

Once finished, Misty beamed up at her little daughter and even let out a small giggle. "There, all set!"

Elizabeth grinned herself and slid off the chair, landing right on her boot covered feet. Now that she was properly dressed to brace the puddles, Elizabeth reached out for her mother, who was confused by the action.

"Mommy, you play too!" Elizabeth cried.

"Me?" Misty repeated, pointing at herself.

"Yeah!" Elizabeth giggled. "Play!"

Misty sighed and smiled sadly at her daughter. Poor Elizabeth didn't understand that splashing around in puddles wasn't exactly viewed as a fun activity by people her age. She knew, however, that part of this came from Ash being her father. The man was a true kid at heart, and had he been home, he would have jumped right into a puddle as soon as Elizabeth asked. And truth be told, Misty really didn't want to let her daughter down.

"I guess I can," Misty finally conceded, causing Elizabeth to whoop with joy as she ran towards the front door.

Misty followed after the young girl, picking her ice blue, zip up rain jacket from the hooks. She had a much nicer rain jacket than this one: a designer, white A-line trench coat adorned by gold buttons. A rain jacket that nice, however, was not acceptable for jumping around in puddles. That was mostly meant for her nice outings with Ash when there happened to be rain, or gym leader and League meetings on a rainy day. Playing with Elizabeth outside called for her simpler, less expensive and fancy coat. Once her jacket was on, Misty slipped her feet into her simple black rain boots adorned by nothing more than a decorative buckle on the top side of each shoe.

"Vaporeon!" Misty called. The water type came trotting into the foyer, looking up expectantly at her trainer for her next command. "Lizzie and I are going outside to play in the puddles. Want to come with us?"

"Por," Vaporeon meowed in response, shaking her mermaid-like tail back and forth.

"What did she say, Mommy?" Elizabeth asked excitedly. She hoped that had meant yes.

"Vaporeon would _love _to come with us," Misty giggled. "She's very excited to go outside and play in the puddles! Wanna' know how I know that?"

"Yeah!"

"She shook her tail back and forth," Misty replied, much to Elizabeth's fascination. "She's done that ever since she was just a baby Eevee! That's how I know she's excited about something."

"Wow," Elizabeth marveled before bending at the knees to crouch down and smile at Vaporeon. "You like puddles too, Vaporeon?"

"Vay!" Vaporeon replied, once again moving her tail side to side.

"Mommy, look, she did it!" Elizabeth gasped, jumping up to her full height and grabbing her mother's leg, all while pointing excitedly at Vaporeon. "She shook her tail like you said!"

Misty giggled and winked at her daughter. "No one knows my Vaporeon better, sweetheart!"

She opened up the door, both Elizabeth and Vaporeon scurrying past her legs to begin playing. Elizabeth charged down the walkway and took a running leap into the puddle that had formed right in front of the brick. The water splashed up all around her, causing the young girl to giggle and march in a small circle, looking down in order to watch the water rise and fall around her pink rubber boots.

Vaporeon, on the other hand, ran smoothly towards another puddle close by and skidded into it. Once her paws were securely atop the water, which was naturally where Vaporeon's body set itself instead of being submerged, her entire body turned into nothing more than a hazy blur of blue.

"Mommy!" Elizabeth shrieked, looking franticly towards the house.

"Oh, sweetie, it's okay!" Misty giggled, walking towards her daughter. "Remember how I taught you that Vaporeon can make her body disappear in water? And she's done it in the pool and the ocean before?"

"Uh huh…" Elizabeth murmured.

"Well, a puddle may be small, but it's still a body of water," Misty explained. "So, she can melt her body in puddles as well! Isn't that cool?"

"Yeah!" Elizabeth chirped. With that small issue settled for the child, she started to run down the sidewalk, hopping into another puddle and repeating exactly what she'd done with the first one. Misty called for Vaporeon, who loyally followed after her trainer, causing her body to return to normal as she exited the puddle. They both trailed Elizabeth, Vaporeon occasionally joining the small girl in a puddle to splash around or show off her "body melting" ability. Misty was mostly watching on, but sometimes, by the urging of Elizabeth, she too would hop into the puddle and splash around. Usually when Elizabeth found an especially deep one that spanned several feet and could comfortably fit all three of them into the puddle at once.

Before long, the clouds in the sky began to part, and the sun came out. It didn't take long for a beautiful, vibrant rainbow to stretch across the clearing sky, hanging high above Elizabeth's head as she marched and stomped through the puddles that lined the street and sidewalk. Misty was the first to look up and notice it, and once she did, she smiled widely and hurried after her daughter.

"Lizzie!" Misty called, finally catching the attention of her child. "Look up in the sky!"

Elizabeth tilted her head back and stared into the now blue stretch. When she saw the rainbow, Elizabeth gasped and lowered her head so she could grin excitedly at her mother. "A rainbow!"

"Isn't it pretty?" Misty giggled. "I don't think I've ever seen such a bright rainbow before!"

Elizabeth scurried over to her mother's loyal partner and bent down to speak in her ear. "Vaporeon, see it? See the rainbow?"

Vaporeon looked up in the sky and mewled happily once she saw the rainbow. Elizabeth, in turn, giggled and began to run circles around her mother, who looked quite amused with her young daughter's reaction.

"Mommy, when Daddy comes home, I'ma tell him _everything!_" Elizabeth squealed.

"Everything?" Misty mused.

Elizabeth nodded at this. "Uh huh. The stuff I learned 'bout Vaporeon, and the rainbow, and how we played together! In the puddles!"

"I'm sure Daddy will love hearing all of that, sprinkle," Misty murmured lovingly. She didn't think she was a bad mother, not at all. But Misty really looked up to the way Ash fathered their children, and whenever she could get their children so excited about something or even teach them something new, it made her heart soar and gave her that much more confidence in her parenting skills.

Elizabeth jumped forward and hugged Misty's leg, rubbing her cheek against the woman's knee. "I love you, Mommy."

Misty smiled at this and bent down to pick up Elizabeth and hug the little girl against her body. "I love you too, baby girl. I love you _so_ much."


	189. New Room

**You may have noticed that, although Elizabeth's room was painted a certain way in the story where she was born, it's different in these stories. So why is that? You'll find out in this story ;)**

**Elizabeth: 3 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>New Room<strong>

"Mommy! Daddy! Help!"

Ash and Misty came running into Elizabeth's room, afraid that the little girl had gotten hurt. What they found, however, was that the young girl was sitting at the foot of her bed and waiting patiently for them to respond to her frantic cry.

"Lizzie…" Ash began curiously, "what's up?"

Looking around the room, Elizabeth frowned and continued, "My walls awe gween."

Misty raised an eyebrow at this. "Sweetheart, your walls have _always_ been green."

Elizabeth furrowed her brow at this. "Weally?"

"Yes," Misty giggled. "You're so silly, sprinkle!"

Just as she and Ash turned around to leave, Elizabeth called out to them again, "Change it!"

This stopped Ash and Misty again and caused them to spin back around. Elizabeth still looked very serene, as though the suggestion she had just made was completely viable and realistic.

"Lizzie, sweetie, why would you want to change the color of your room?" Ash chuckled softly.

"I don't wike gween," Elizabeth replied. "I wike pink!"

"But almost every little girl in the whole wide world has a pink room!" Ash exclaimed. "You're the only kid I know who has pretty, light green walls!"

"Not to mention the bubbles your Uncle Tracey drew and painted on the walls all by himself," Misty added. "They're my favorite!"

"But it's fow a _baby,_" Elizabeth groaned. "And I'm _not_ a baby!"

"Hey, Mommy and I have a green room!" Ash tried. "And _we're _certainly not babies either!"

"I don't wike gween," Elizabeth repeated.

Ash sighed, but Misty didn't make a single sound. Instead, she grabbed Ash's arm and turned him around so he was facing her, much to his surprise.

"What?" He asked.

"Maybe Elizabeth has a point," Misty murmured.

"WHAT?!" Ash gasped.

"Just hear me out!" Misty pleaded. "I know you're not completely excited by the idea of changing Elizabeth's room around, but she's just trying to voice herself! She's three years old, Ash. She's beginning to test out her independence! That's just her little personality shining through, and I think we need to encourage her to keep doing that!"

"By repainting her whole room?" Ash groaned.

"I know her bedroom is really sweet, and I'll miss the way it looks now," Misty conceded. "But she does have a point. It's been this way since she was born. Aiden and Michelle got put into their own rooms at this age, and they got to pick whatever they wanted. They moved out of a shared room, from when they were babies, and got to make the first big decisions of their lives. I think we owe it to Elizabeth to let her do the same!"

Ash frowned and looked around the room once again. "Every time I step in here, all I can think of is Elizabeth as a tiny baby lying in her crib. Or you rocking her to sleep in the rocking chair."

"Maybe that's a problem then," Misty whispered, softly eyeing her husband. "Remember, she's growing up. And the room should grow up _with_ her."

Ash sighed and hung his head. He didn't want to admit it, but Misty was right. He didn't hate admitting that because he didn't like being wrong, but because he didn't want to face the fact that his baby girl was growing up.

She was still just that to him: a baby.

**XXX**

"Okay, Elizabeth. What color pink do you like for your room?"

Elizabeth looked up at her mother with wide, disbelieving eyes. "Thewe's diffewent pink?"

"Of course there is!" Misty giggled. "Just look at all of these different shades!"

She pulled out several paint swatches, with varying degrees of pink squares lining each strip of paper. They all had different names; names that didn't really tell you anything about the shade. In fact, they were all a little strange.

"What's dis one?" Elizabeth asked, pointing at one of the lighter shades on the swatch.

"That one is called 'Pink Moment,'" Misty replied. "It's very pretty!"

"What about dis one?" Elizabeth continued, pointing at a slightly brighter shade.

"That's 'Zany Pink.' It's cute too! But more of a hot pink than the first one. I think it might be too bright for your bedroom, sweetie."

Elizabeth twisted her mouth and pointed at a pink square so light that it looked nearly white. "Dis one?"

"That's 'Angelic.' It's very, _very _light. I don't think it'll look very pink when it goes on a wall."

Ash walked into the room and looked at all of the pink paint swatches scattered across the kitchen table. It looked like one of Elizabeth's many art projects. Furrowing his brow, he walked up to the table and picked up one of the paper strips, studying the pinks that were covering the belt. "Reverie Pink," "In the Pink," "Azalea Flower," "Loveable," "Lotus Flower"…they all seemed the same to Ash. Pink after pink after pink.

"Ash," Misty's voice broke him out of his trance, "what do you think of this color? It's mine and Lizzie's favorite so far."

Ash peered down and saw Misty's finger pointing at a light pink square in the middle of her own strip.

"Uh…it's pink?" Ash lamely commented.

"It's actually called 'Cheery,'" Misty giggled. "I think that's a perfect shade of pink for our little girl! She's certainly a cheerful one. Plus, it's a little brighter. I'm afraid that if we choose a pink that's too light, it'll come out making the walls look white."

Putting down his swatch, Ash knelt down next to Elizabeth and beamed at the little girl, who smiled right back. "Hey, Lizzie, did you know I still remember the name of the green I picked out for your walls now?"

The little girl's smile twisted into a smirk of disinterest. "No."

"It was so nice," Ash sighed lovingly at the memory. "It looks just like sea foam green, but the _real _name of the color I picked was 'clean green.' Isn't that nice and calm? And the light blue I chose for the bubbles was called 'waterfall.' Aren't those such pretty names? Perfect for such pretty colors! You don't really want to take such _pretty_ colors off your walls, do you?"

"Daddy, I want pink!" Elizabeth chirped, his face falling as hers lit up.

"Ash," Misty warned sternly, causing the man to look up at her again. "We talked about this, remember? It's Lizzie's room, and it's Lizzie's choice. She wants her room to be pink, so we're going to pick a nice shade of pink."

Getting back to his feet, Ash plucked the swatch out of Misty's hand and studied the shade of pink that Elizabeth had apparently selected as her favorite. It was so girly, and so different from what her room looked like now. But Misty was right. It was bright and pretty and reminded him very much of his daughter. The seemingly odd name that had been bestowed upon the shade now seemed perfectly fitting.

"I think you're both right," Ash concluded with a small smile. "This one right here, 'cheery,' is the one you have to go with. It's nice!"

Giggling, Elizabeth turned towards her mother and cried, "Mommy, we _gotta _do that one! Daddy wikes it the bestest!"

"That makes it the prettiest pink, huh?" Misty asked.

Elizabeth feverously nodded her head. Misty giggled and looked up at Ash, who seemed surprised by Elizabeth's main reason for choosing that specific shade.

"Well, you heard her, Ash," Misty continued. "If you approve, and it's your favorite, then it's Elizabeth's favorite too. 'Cheery' it is!"

**XXX**

Ash, who was still plagued by the memories of having to paint Elizabeth's room before she was born, wasn't looking forward to doing it all over again now that she wanted to repaint the walls.

Fortunately, this time, he had the help of his wife _and _his daughter to get the job done.

"This isn't so bad!" Ash crowed as he ran a paint brush down the length of one of Elizabeth's wall. "Much better than the first time I had to paint your room, pumpkin."

Elizabeth turned towards her father and smiled at him out of genuine interest and curiosity. "Why?"

"Well, the only people I really had to help me last time were Aiden and Michelle," Ash mused. "Uncle Tracey drew and painted the bubbles for me, but that was after I had already painted all of the walls myself. Mommy couldn't help me, because your room was a surprise for her. I kinda' gave it to her as a birthday present!"

"I couldn't have helped Daddy anyway," Misty commented from the opposite side of the room, where she was busy painting the wall on that side. "You were in my tummy, and at that point, you were way too big for me to move around like this!"

"Not to mention that I wouldn't have let you help anyway," Ash added. "You breathing in all of the paint fumes would have scared me half to death! I wasn't about to endanger my little pumpkin before she was even born."

"Oh," Elizabeth breathed. She was situated just below her father, helping to paint the lower half of the wall, where she could actually reach. "What about Aiden and Michelle?"

Ash raised an eyebrow at this. "What do you mean, sweetie?"

"What about theiw wooms?"

"Oh!" Ash chuckled. "That. Well, you see, pumpkin, when Aiden and Michelle were babies, they slept in the same room. Mommy and I thought it would be a lot easier to take care of them that way! They each got half of the room to themselves. Aiden's side was blue, and Michelle's was pink. Our house wasn't done yet when we found out they were going to be born, but I still wanted to paint their room! So, even though the rest of the house wasn't complete, Mommy and I went inside and I spent an entire day painting the walls while Mommy sat her cute little butt in a chair and _watched_ me."

"Hey!" Misty cried indignantly. "I was pregnant then too! Maybe you should just stop painting walls when I'm pregnant!"

"That'd be great, except the whole reason I was painting the rooms in the first place was _because _you were pregnant," Ash chuckled, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "Besides, I was just teasing ya', Mist. I would have scolded you if you'd tried to help me."

Misty smiled contently in response. "I know you would have, honey. You love me so much! And I love you very much, too."

"No mowe love!" Elizabeth cried, startling her parents. "Paint!"

"I think we've upset the boss here," Misty giggled.

"Hey Lizzie, maybe we'd be more focused if you were paying me and Mommy," Ash teased.

"Daddy, I don't got any money," Elizabeth replied smartly.

"Yeah, I'm doing this job for free!" Ash playfully argued. "You know what happens when you get something done for free, baby girl? You've just gotta' go with the flow."

"Daddy, you got lotsa money," Elizabeth deadpanned. "Pay youwself!"

Ash's eyes widened at this, while Misty nearly fell on the floor laughing. "Oh man. Ash dear, it looks like Elizabeth knows how to talk the talk! She's not messing around over there."

"I don't know why everyone says you take after me," Ash grumbled as Elizabeth let out a girlish giggle. "All I ever see is a little mini Misty!"

**XXX**

By the end of the day, Elizabeth's room had finally been repainted. The green walls adorned by light blue bubbles had been replaced by solid pink, warmer and girlier than what had previously been painted on the walls.

Ash and Misty both sighed and sunk down to the floor, resting against one another's backs. They had a habit of doing that when they were exhausted, and really had ever since they were children. Misty let out a soft sigh and tilted her head back until it was resting on her husband's shoulder.

"Finally…" Misty groaned.

"Yeah, it's not so easy, huh?" Ash panted.

"Tell me in advance the next time we're going to have to paint a room," Misty sighed. "I'll make sure to get pregnant beforehand."

"Mommy! Daddy! It's pewfect!"

Ash and Misty turned their heads and found Elizabeth twirling around the room like a little ballerina, obviously excited by their finished project.

"How does she have so much energy left?" Misty whined out of jealousy.

"Because she only painted the bottom of the walls," Ash replied. "And when she got bored, she'd stop and run off to play."

"Wish I could have done that," Misty remarked, turning her head so her nose was poking against the side of Ash's neck.

"Me too," he agreed. "But you have to admit, it's really cute to see how excited Elizabeth is. She really loves the way her room looks now! And all it took was some paint."

"See, I told you it wasn't a bad idea," Misty breathed out softly. "In fact, it's perfect!"

"I need a new bed!"

Ash and Misty's eyes widened as they both looked over towards the center of the room, where they'd moved Elizabeth's bed for the painting. The little girl was standing in the middle of the white toddler bed, handed down to her from either Aiden or Michelle, with a big smile on her face.

"New bed?" Ash repeated with a groan. "One step at a time, Lizzie!"

* * *

><p><strong>Sweet little Lizzie, working her charm :P I love her, haha.<strong>


	190. Gotta Catch Ya Now

**I'm not gonna lie, guys. I've always had a hard time watching the infamous "Gotta Catch Ya Later." Ever since I was little, lol. It was too sad for me! I just watched the whole episode on my phone the other day (yay Pokémon TV app!) and I do love it, despite it being horribly depressing XD So, I decided to write a parallel to it that's a little happier. Because Ash and Misty don't split up :)**

**Elizabeth: 6 months old**

* * *

><p><strong>Gotta Catch Ya Now<strong>

"Oh my, she's such a happy little darling!"

Misty watched on with a smile as Nurse Joy gently tickled baby Elizabeth's cheek, causing the infant to gurgle happily and kick her legs from where she was held in her mother's arms.

"Isn't she so beautiful and smiley?" Misty agreed with a laugh. "I'm so in love with her! She's an absolutely perfect baby."

The baby opened her mouth and let out a high pitched, slightly unhappy squeak. Misty smiled sympathetically and reached into her bag, pulling out a light yellow pacifier to stick in the baby's open mouth. As soon as it was in, Elizabeth went back to being happy and quiet.

"She's absolutely precious," Nurse Joy marveled. "You and Ash are so lucky! You have three such beautiful children. I've never seen little ones as happy and well raised as yours! They're lucky to have such wonderful parents as well."

"Do you hear that, Lizzie?" Misty asked her baby daughter, who didn't pay her mother any mind. "You're a lucky little girl!"

"Misty!"

The woman raised an eyebrow and turned to face the doors of the Pokémon Center. Ash was running inside, straight towards her, a look of slight panic set into his chocolate brown eyes.

"Ash, why are you here?" Misty inquired. "And what's got you so worked up?"

"I came to pick up Pikachu from his checkup. Shouldn't you be at the gym?" Ash asked, causing Misty to blink out of bewilderment. "The League is in a few months, and there's probably a huge influx of trainers coming in!"

Misty scowled at this. "Ash, I _am_ allowed to have a life outside of the gym, you know."

"I didn't say you can't," Ash reasoned with her. "I just want to make sure you don't miss anything."

"I won't," Misty grumbled. "You don't have to keep tabs on me like I'm a little kid, you know. I'm a grown woman, and I'm perfectly capable of taking care of my own gym!"

"I know you are," Ash sighed. "I was just saying-"

"You don't have to say anything!" Misty growled. "You're doubting me just like everyone else!"

"What are you talking about?" Ash questioned incredulously. "I don't doubt you as a gym leader! No one does! You're just being crazy!"

"Oh, so that's what you think, huh?" Misty huffed before turning on a heel and marching towards the door of the Pokémon Center. "Come on, Lizzie. Obviously, your Daddy doesn't think I'm a good enough gym leader!"

As soon as Misty was gone, Ash turned towards Nurse Joy with widened, shocked eyes. "What was that about?! Did I really sound like I didn't trust her?"

"No, that's not it at all," Nurse Joy sighed sadly.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked.

"Misty has always been very sensitive about her role as gym leader," Nurse Joy explained. "My mother used to tell me that when Misty was a little girl, and her grandmother was still the gym leader, Misty looked up to her immensely and wanted nothing more than to be exactly like her. Everyone in the city thought her grandmother was the best gym leader they'd ever had. When Amy died, however, it was as though all of Misty's admiration for the role had died with her. She became scared to be gym leader. She didn't think she could ever be as good as her grandmother. Misty became the official gym leader around the same time I became the full time nurse here, and she was always so nervous. I knew, however, that wasn't her nature. It wasn't like her at all, really. What you said to Misty seemed like no big deal, I know, but to her, it set off the uncertainty in her brain. If she doesn't think she's doing a good enough job, she gets so anxious. Misty feels like making a mistake is letting her grandmother down. So, any corrections or questioning that she receives causes her to panic. Misty just can't help it."

Ash frowned and looked down sheepishly at his feet. "I didn't mean to…I would never upset Misty on purpose. Now I feel awful. I thought she was just overreacting, but…I understand. What a mess."

"Now Ash, you don't have to be so hard on yourself either," Nurse Joy assured the man as she walked back towards the desk where she could retrieve Pikachu from the back. "If you just explain to Misty that you didn't know, I'm sure she'll understand! She may have a hot streak, but she loves you more than anyone. And you're the one person I know who can help her."

"You're right," Ash breathed. "I am. And I will."

**XXX**

"How could Ash say that to me? How could he doubt me? I get so worried…what if I'm really not good enough? What if Grandma would be ashamed of me for all the things I've done?"

Elizabeth cooed softly from her mother's arms and rested the back of her head against the woman's chest. Misty whimpered sadly to herself and held the baby more tightly. Elizabeth, and Aiden and Michelle when they were around, always helped Misty to feel better. Even when they were so little, like Elizabeth, that they couldn't even speak.

But maybe that was better. It kept Misty's anxiety to a minimum. Or, at the very least, didn't worsen it.

All of her walking eventually led Misty to Cerulean Park. The upset gym leader looked around with cloudy eyes. She loved the park, almost as much as she loved Cerulean Cape. In this case, the park was closer, however. And it was nice and quiet since it was late in the afternoon. Misty's first intention was to sit down on a nearby bench, but her path was soon blocked by three familiar figures.

"What the-"

"Well well, if it isn't little miss gym leader!"

Misty narrowed her eyes at the skinny brown haired man standing across from her. Flanking his two sides were a taller blue haired male and a shorter, more rotund male with an unfortunate bowl cut.

"You three," Misty hissed. "What are you creeps doing here?! I thought you were banned from participating in official Pokémon League matches for life."

"Yeah, so?" The brown haired leader snickered. "That doesn't stop us from participating in rogue battles! The Invincible Pokémon Brothers cannot be stopped, no matter how hard you try!"

"Yeah, you tell her, Kim!" The chubby man laughed.

"You're all so pathetic," Misty grumbled, turning to walk away.

"Aw, and who is _this_ little munchkin?"

Misty's heart lurched when she realized that Kim was now standing face to face with Elizabeth, the creepy fighting trainer bent at the knees so he could be at eye level with the baby in her arms.

"None of your business," Misty seethed, turning around fully so Kim couldn't be near her.

"What, I'm not even allowed to know the kid's name?" Kim teased, jumping around to Misty's front once again. "That's hardly fair!"

"She's _my_ daughter, and that's all _you_ need to know," Misty bit.

Elizabeth sucked on her pacifier just once and glanced up at Kim with her bright emerald eyes. Smirking, Kim quickly thrust his hand forward and yanked Elizabeth's pacifier out of her mouth, much to Misty's horror and the two other brothers' delight.

"You jerk!" Misty yelled, reaching up for the pacifier that Kim was holding up in the air. "Give that back! How dare you steal from a _baby!_"

Elizabeth's lips trembled and bent into a frown as her eyes filled with tears, her tiny little fingers clenching in want. Misty took a threatening step towards the thief, but Kim's two brothers quickly scurried behind him to show off their solidarity.

"What, you think a little girl like _you_ would be able to go up against all three of _us?_" The blue haired man snickered.

"The mommy wants to stand up for her stupid little baby," the fat man bit.

Misty's eyes widened at this. "Did you just call my daughter _stupid?_"

"Yeah, Kai, did you call the baby stupid?" The blue haired brother teased.

"Well, Kail, I was always taught to tell the truth," Kai sniped.

"Yeah, no big deal," Kim tittered at Misty's furious reaction. "I'm surprised you're not used to hearing that! Isn't your baby daddy a complete moron or something?"

"I heard he's dumber than a bag of rocks," Kail remarked.

Her anxiety finally reaching its breaking point, Misty reached into her bag and pulled out a poke ball, holding it out threateningly in Kim's face. "You want a fight, jerk? I'll give you one! I don't normally get involved with people who are the same height as my five year olds, but I'll make an exception for someone as disgusting as you."

Kim's entire face turned red at the insult towards his height. "You think you're real funny, don't you, bitch?"

"I do," Misty hummed, chucking her poke ball so it nearly hit Kim square in the face. The red and white sphere popped open and unleashed a bright blue light that soon turned into the solid form of her Politoed.

"That dumb Pokémon again," Kail muttered.

"Show her what for, Kim!" Kai cheered.

"Oh, don't you worry about a thing," Kim assured, pulling out his own poke ball. "I'm going to prove that this city's gym leader is nothing but a sham. A dirty excuse for a _real_ gym leader!"

He released his Hitmonchan and smirked at Misty, who didn't at all seem concerned. Politoed, who still remembered Hitmonchan and his horrible trainer, glared at the fighting type who was standing across from himself.

"Politoed, water gun!" Misty shouted.

It hit Hitmonchan directly, sending the fighting type backwards and into the grass. Kail and Kai both gasped out of horror, while Misty just smirked to herself. From her arms, Elizabeth squeaked curiously, although she still had a frown on her face.

"You're going to pay for that!" Kail accused, causing Misty to raise a curious eyebrow. "Help out, Hitmonlee!"

"You too, Hitmontop!" Kai cried.

The two other fighting types appeared and circled Politoed, just as they had all those years ago back in Viridian City.

"Hey, this isn't fair!" Misty shouted. "You can't have three Pokémon against one!"

"Oh, what's it matter?" Kim teased. "This isn't an _official League_ match! So there are no _official_ rules! You can't tell me what to do!"

"Yeah, you're a lousy gym leader anyway!" Kai added.

"We should've taken that title away from you when we had the chance," Kail agreed. "Then maybe this city wouldn't be so ashamed of their own gym!"

Just as those words left Kail's mouth, Ash was running past in search of his disgruntled wife. When he heard that, however, he stopped and whipped his head around.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried from his shoulder.

Ash saw Misty standing before the three Pokémon Brothers, her face looking positively red. He saw Elizabeth in her arms, staring at the strange men before her, oddly enough with no pacifier in her mouth. That's when he realized that the shortest of the brothers had the baby's yellow pacifier in his hand.

He had stolen it from Elizabeth!

"I don't think so," Ash growled, storming into the park.

While the Invincible Brothers were laughing at Misty's obvious distress, they remained completely oblivious to the fact that Ash was standing nearby with a glare on his face and an equally angry Pikachu on his shoulder.

"What's the matter?" Kim sniggered. "Are you going to cry again? A little cry baby gym leader? How pathetic!"

"Pikachu, thunderbolt!"

The three brothers and their Pokémon were all electrocuted in the blink of an eye. Misty winced and took a step back, Politoed following suit. As soon as all of the brothers were down and charred, Ash stomped forward, setting his angry russet eyes on Kim, whose arm was sticking up in the air, stolen pacifier still in hand.

"Ash…" Misty murmured.

The man snatched the pacifier out of Kim's hand, remarking, "I believe _this_ doesn't belong to you."

Kim struggled to get back up, and unfortunately for him, Ash was ready to offer assistance in a rather harsh way. He grabbed Kim by the shirt and yanked the short man up, holding him directly up to his face. This was so high up for Kim that he was dangling above the ground. Ash's hand was clenched so tightly around the material of Kim's shirt that his arm muscles were tensed and _extremely _apparent. Once Kim finally found the strength to open his eyes after the thunderbolt attack, he found himself staring into Ash's hate-filled eyes that were burning like fire.

"Uh oh…" Kim murmured.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Ash quipped sarcastically. "But I see you and your stupid brothers are just as annoying as you were all those years ago."

"You…you're always coming to the rescue of that insufferable little red head, aren't you?" Kim choked out. "Can't she fight her own battles?"

"She sure as hell can," Ash bit. "Why do you think she's a gym leader? She beat you, didn't she? She beat you all those years ago when you tried to take her gym away from her, didn't she?"

Kim's eyes snapped open. "How did you-"

"What, you think I didn't know about that?" Ash interrupted with a cackle. "Because I do. And I know for a fact that Misty kicked your ass."

"Dumb luck…"

"Was it?" Ash continued. "The only dumb thing I see around here is you. And your two brothers. My _wife?_ Not so much."

"You're the dumb one here," Kim wheezed. "You think she's actually a good gym leader?"

"I _know_ she is. I know she's a _great_ gym leader, in fact," Ash replied strongly. "The entire city is proud of her, but I'm prouder of her than anyone else I know. They love her. She represents them all with perfect grace and strength. There hasn't been a gym leader as good as her since her grandmother. And don't pull the 'you're just saying that because you're her husband' card. I'm the _Pokémon Master_. I know talent when I see it. Which is why I can safely say you and your brothers aren't so invincible. In fact, you three pretty much suck."

Kim had no response for this. Ash, however, still wasn't exactly done. He pulled Kim closer to him and squeezed his shirt more tightly, causing Kim to let out a shriek of fear.

"Oh, and one more thing," Ash drawled. "If you _ever,_ and I mean _ever,_ bother my wife or daughter _again,_ I can guarantee that you won't be walking out of this park on your feet like you are today."

With that settled, Ash dropped Kim from the exact height he was currently dangling at. As soon as the insufferable trainer landed on his back, his brother gasped and hurried forward, lifting him up and running out of the park before Ash could get his hands on any of them.

"Huh, maybe he wasn't walking out of here anyway!" Ash chuckled to himself.

"Ash…"

The man glanced up and found Misty staring at him with a look of admiration. Elizabeth, from her arms, babbled and smiled at her father. Ash stepped forward and put the pacifier back in her mouth, laughing to himself as the baby giggled happily once she had it back.

"There you go, pumpkin," Ash murmured, leaning down to kiss the top of the baby's head. "Daddy wasn't going to let that mean man take that away."

"Ash, how did you know I was here?"

Ash looked up at Misty and smiled sweetly at her. "I didn't. I was running around like a madman looking for you. I just so happened to be running past the park when I saw that you were caught up with those three."

"Thanks for your help," Misty muttered.

"Even though you didn't really need it?" Ash added knowingly. Misty turned her eyes up with a look of surprise. "I can practically read your mind at this point, you know."

"Yeah," Misty murmured, sheepishly turning her head away.

"Look, I'm sorry, Mist," Ash continued, gently grabbing his wife's shoulder. "I shouldn't have questioned you about the gym. I know you've always wanted to be just as good as your grandma, but I didn't know you were actually _that _anxious over it. And I'm sorry I triggered that."

"It's okay," Misty replied. "I should have told you in the first place that's why I'm so sensitive about the job. I was just afraid you'd tease me or something."

Ash smiled sadly at this. "I would never tease you, sweetheart. You never teased me about wanting to become Pokémon Master as a kid, so why would I do that to you? It's part of who you are. You shouldn't try to hide it, Misty."

The woman smiled bashfully and blushed at this. "So, Ash, when you told Kim that you think I'm a great gym leader, because you can recognize talent…you actually meant that?"

"Of course I did," Ash breathed. "I knew how good of a gym leader you were _before _I became Pokémon Master. I've always known."

"Oh, Ash…" Misty whimpered happily.

Elizabeth giggled from Misty's arms, and this caused Ash to smile and take the baby from her. "You're just happy I rescued your pacifier, huh? Don't worry, baby girl. Daddy will never let _anyone _hurt you. Or Mommy. You don't mess around with my pretty girls!"

Misty smiled to herself and hugged Ash from the side. He took his free arm and wrapped it around her back, kissing the top of her head and holding her close.

"I love you, Ash," Misty whispered. "Thank you for helping me."

"Don't mention it, angel," Ash replied whimsically. "I'll always help you, no matter what. You don't even have to ask."

* * *

><p><strong>I don't like those Pokémon Brothers. They're worse than Team Rocket, I think. And they really seem to have it out for Misty. Hence Ash threatening to beat them up. He loves his Misty too much to let anyone even THINK that :)<strong>


	191. A Tale of Two Fathers

**Father's Day chapter! Yes, it's a day early, but I'm afraid I won't have time to update tomorrow because I'm going to a baseball game with my own dad :) So, have it as an early present! You guys know how much I love my Daddy Ash fluff ;)**

**Aiden and Michelle: 2 years old**

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><p><strong>A Tale of Two Fathers<strong>

"Go! Chawizawd!"

Michael watched on with narrowed eyes as his only grandson tossed a poke ball. It was real, but empty: it belonged to Pikachu who was never inside of it.

"What attack is Charizard gonna' use, buddy?"

Aiden pursed his lips and glanced up at his father, who was standing across from him with a smirk on his face.

"Fwamefrower!" Aiden replied cheerfully.

"Whoa, that move is super powerful," Ash marveled. "You think you can handle that, little buddy?"

Aiden nodded his head vigorously in response. "Uh huh! Fwamefrower!"

"Hey!" Ash laughed, playfully jumping to the side. "I don't have a Pokémon, champ! You almost hit me with that flamethrower!"

All Aiden did in response was laugh. Ash lifted the boy up into the air, causing him to shriek. Michael was still watching from the patio, as if judging every single move that Ash made with the boy. Eventually, Ash lowered Aiden to his hip and gave the child a small bounce before carrying him over to where Michael sat.

"Ash, do you really think it's prudent to be teaching your son such things?" Michael sighed, gently shaking his head.

"Prudent?" Ash chirped. "What does that mean?"

Narrowing his eyes, Michael replied huffily, "I mean do you really think it's a good idea."

"Oh," Ash breathed. "I don't see why not! He's just playing!"

"Yes, but often times, such a young child can't differentiate between playtime and reality," Michael explained. "You're encouraging him to only think of Pokémon as battle tools."

"No I'm not," Ash calmly defended himself. "He knows that Pokémon aren't _battle tools. _They're our friends and partners. Battling is only part of a person's relationship with their Pokémon."

Michael let out a low chuckle despite himself, which ticked his son-in-law off to some extent. "That's not exactly what I mean, Ash."

"Then what're you talking about?" Ash demanded.

"I understand that you and Misty both have careers that involve battling Pokémon, and that you'd like your children to do the same, but why not teach him about other jobs that involve raising and working with Pokémon? Not everyone can be a successful battler, you know."

Ash rolled his eyes. Michael was completely _obsessed _with the idea of Aiden becoming a Pokémon researcher, just like he was. The poor kid was only two years old, but Michael had his heart set on the idea, whether he chose to admit it or not.

"I'm okay with whatever Aiden _or_ Michelle choose to become when they get older," Ash explained. "But for now, Aiden's a little boy, and he wants to be like me. Isn't that normal for a kid?"

Michael shrugged at this. "I suppose, but you should give him an inkling that such a goal is fairly unattainable."

"Why would I do that?" Ash argued. "He's _little. _You don't know how strong of a battler he's going to be! Anything is possible."

"Always looking on the bright side," Michael sighed, getting up from his chair and walking into the house. Ash growled at this, but his attention was torn away as soon as Aiden tugged at his shirt. "What is it, bud?"

"Dada, Gwampa angwy?" Aiden asked.

"No, little guy," Ash hushed, holding the back of his son's head before leaving a kiss in his springy black hair. "He's not angry. Especially with you. Grandpa just doesn't understand sometimes."

"Why?" Aiden squeaked.

"I'm not sure," Ash replied honestly. "That's something you'll have to ask Mommy. Speaking of which, why don't we go inside and see her, hmm?"

"Mama!" Aiden cried happily, causing Ash to smile. It made him happy whenever he saw just how much Aiden and Michelle loved their mother. He had always wished Misty had more people in her life to love her the amount he did, and Aiden and Michelle were those people. She was practically life itself to them.

He carried the boy back inside, through the same door that Michael had gone through. This led him into the kitchen, where no one currently was. There were a couple of pots boiling on the stove, however, and the oven was lit up with something cooking inside. Walking into the living room, Ash found his wife, daughter, and mother-in-law, but not Michael. For that, Ash was silently grateful.

"Hello, Ash!" Lynne greeted cheerfully. She had always liked the man, despite her husband's apparent hesitance. "Did you and Aiden have a nice time playing outside?"

"Yeah, this little guy's got quite the imagination!" Ash chuckled as he playfully patted his son's small stomach, causing him to giggle. "We were having pretend Pokémon battles out there. Well, he was. He sent a Charizard after me!"

"A Charizard?" Misty gasped out of jest. "Aiden, why not a water type? Don't you want a water type like Mama?"

"Mama, I wike Bwastoise bestest," Aiden reminded his mother, causing her to beam.

"Oh, of course! How could I forget that Blastoise is your favorite Pokémon?" Misty sighed. "Silly Mama."

"I think Aiden was just pretending he had a Charizard because he saw me training with mine the other day," Ash commented. "He's the popular pick right now!"

"Fwamefrower!" Aiden yelled again, causing everyone in the room to laugh.

"Nah, no more flamethrower, buddy," Ash cooed. "Not indoors, anyway! You want to go sit with Mama and Michelle? You want to play with them?"

Aiden nodded his head, causing Ash to laugh. He knelt down beside Misty and handed off the young boy, much to her delight. She held him in her arms for a short moment and snuggled him, smiling as the boy giggled.

"Aw, you're so cuddly!" Misty crooned. "My sweet baby boy."

Lynne, who had been watching on the whole time from the couch, giggled softly herself before getting to her feet and announcing, "I should go check on dinner. The water should be done boiling soon enough!"

"Do you need any help, Mom?" Misty offered kindly.

Lynne smiled sweetly at her daughter. "No dear, it's quite alright. You stay in here and play with Ash and the twins! It's Father's Day, after all, so you should be spending time with your husband!"

Misty smiled appreciatively at her mother who soon disappeared into the kitchen. With Lynne out of earshot, Ash turned towards his wife and threw her a miserable glance, which confused Misty. It was a complete 180 from how he had just been conveying his emotions.

"What is it, honey?" Misty questioned.

"Your dad was like…questioning my parenting skills outside," Ash murmured, not wanting Lynne to overhear.

"What do you mean?" Misty replied in a similarly hushed fashion.

"He was basically asking me why I was letting Aiden have a pretend battle," Ash sighed. "He really hates the idea of Aiden looking up to me. He doesn't want Aiden to be a trainer."

"I don't care what he wants," Misty scoffed. "Aiden's _our_ son, and even more so than that, he's his own person. Once he's old enough, _Aiden_ will decide what he wants to be, and no one else."

"I know, and I agree with you," Ash murmured. "But…you don't really think I'm a bad father, do you, Mist? For letting Aiden play that way, I mean. Is imagination really such a bad thing?"

"No, dear, there's nothing wrong with it at all," Misty comforted her husband. "Children are _supposed_ to play pretend and be creative! You're such a good dad for encouraging Aiden to be that way!"

"Then how come _your_ dad makes it sound so _bad?_" Ash all but whined.

"Because my father is a little delusional," Misty sighed. "He never was a normal dad, really. He was sort of…not there a lot. When he was, for those short first two years of my life, he was playful enough. He'd go swimming in the pool with me and throw me up in the air…even carry me on his shoulders sometimes. But he was very rarely around. And you know that not long after I turned two, he and my mom went away for a very long time. I didn't get to know him again until I turned sixteen. By then, he was just a stranger to me. He couldn't put me on his shoulders or toss me in the air. I was a teenager, and he didn't understand me either."

"But you know him better than I ever knew _my_ dad," Ash reasoned. "I never even met him…the jerk."

Misty smiled sadly and shook her head. "I might as well have never met my dad. Like I said, he was a stranger. He was an only child, like you, but _unlike_ you, he never really was a kid. He was never playful or anything like that. That's what Mom tells me, anyway. Dad was always serious, always focused. Part of the reason I was so attracted to you was because of your innocence, and how sweet you were. Even as you grew up, deep down inside you always had that childlike shine. And you never lost it. It made you so fun and carefree, and more so than that, I knew it would make you an excellent father one day."

Ash blushed at this. "You…you thought about me as a dad before we even had Aiden and Michelle?"

"I thought about you as a dad before we were even together," Misty whispered somewhat sheepishly. "I always would have preferred it to have been with me, but either way, I knew that whoever you had children with would be very lucky. And being that woman, I can now say with absolute certainty that I am _very _lucky."

Ash inched closer to Misty and caught her mouth with his own. Misty moaned and grabbed Ash's shoulders, gripping them desperately with her fingers before wrapping them with her arms. Ash, in turn, lifted Misty into his lap and kept his hands firmly on her sides, squeezing her gently as the two exchanged their obvious display of affection.

"Ick!"

Misty turned her head, although Ash hadn't bothered to stop, choosing to simply kiss her temple over and over again. That small cry of protest had come from none other than Michelle, who was now grinning sneakily as she clapped her hands together.

"Shelly…" Misty moaned, hugging Ash's shoulders a little more tightly, "this is Daddy's present! Isn't today his special day?"

Michelle nodded her head in response.

"And he's the very best daddy in the whole wide world, isn't he?"

Michelle nodded again.

"So he deserves some nice kissies, right?"

Michelle nodded once more, this time more feverously than the last two. Her smile even widened on top of it. Ash grinned against Misty's skin before giving her another kiss, which sent a shiver up Misty's spine.

"See? Our babies agree with me," Misty whispered. "And their opinion on you being a good dad is the most important of them all, don't you think?"

"Yes," Ash agreed, finally pulling away so he could play with Misty's gently tousled hair. "Thank you, Misty."

"I should be thanking _you,_" Misty giggled, poking Ash's nose.

Ash was curious now. "Why me?"

Smiling, Misty rested her forehead against Ash's and replied sweetly, "because it's Father's Day, and you're the best father anyone could ever ask for. You love and care for our children, and I couldn't be more grateful. Aiden and Michelle mean _everything _to me, and you feel the same exact way. For them to have this amazing life, one so much better than I ever had, is all I could have asked for. Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Ash murmured, giving Misty another, though smaller and more chaste, kiss. "I wouldn't think of doing it any other way."

* * *

><p><strong>I still lovehate Misty's dad. He's honestly a jerk, but there's something appealing about him and his jerkiness :P He's just fun to write, I guess!**


	192. Kisses

**Hellooo, everyone. I have another one shot for you! Let's keep the party train going :P**

**Michelle: 1 year old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Kisses<strong>

"Ash! You'll never guess what I taught Michelle to do!"

Ash raised an eyebrow and whipped around just in time to see Dawn scurrying towards him. In her arms was little Michelle, who had just turned a year old. The baby was so sweet, and looked even sweeter in the girly outfit Dawn had dressed her in that morning: a light blue dress printed with pink and white flowers and adorned by cap sleeves, an empire waist, and two pink stripes at the skirt's hem. To match the dress, Dawn had slipped a white headband with an attached pink flower around Michelle's head, much to Misty's displeasure. She absolutely _hated _those frilly headbands on her baby girl, but she also didn't have the heart to tell Dawn that.

"What?" Ash asked rather nervously. He'd taken a step forward in order to gently stroke his daughter's cheek, causing her to coo and smile at him. This, in turn, made Ash feel more comfortable, and he too smiled back at his baby.

"I'll just show you!" Dawn giggled. She shifted Michelle in her arms so the baby was facing her instead of Ash. Looking down at the infant, Dawn grinned and crooned, "Michelle, can you give Auntie Dawn kissies? Give me a kissy!"

Michelle smiled softly and crashed her lips against Dawn's cheek before pulling away and allowing her eyes to widen out of sheer joy.

"Yay, kissy!" Dawn crooned, causing Michelle to laugh herself.

"Wow, Dawn, that's adorable!" Ash chuckled. "Misty is gonna' be thrilled! She's been trying to get Aiden and Michelle to give her kisses for the longest time. Aiden's idea of a kiss is opening his mouth and smashing heads with her, though."

"I bet Michelle will even give _you_ a kiss!" Dawn trilled.

"Yeah, I guess," Ash replied nonchalantly. "I mean, I'm sure she will, but I kind of expect that anyway."

"Shelly, give Daddy a kissy!" Dawn cooed, holding Michelle beneath her arms and out towards Ash. The little girl furrowed her brow and slightly tilted her head in response. Ash chuckled softly and moved closer to Michelle, expecting her to kiss him the same way she had done to Dawn.

But Michelle didn't even move.

"Wait, what?" Ash deadpanned, his head snapping up as his eyes widened.

"Huh, that's strange…" Dawn turned Michelle around. "Michelle, what's the matter? Don't you want to give Daddy kissies?"

Michelle raised an eyebrow and stuck her fist in her mouth. Ash's front of indifference had quickly turned into obvious hurt. Clearly, pretending not to care whether or not his daughter actually gave him kisses was not going to work. Because he did care. And she hadn't given him one.

And it hurt.

"Why won't she kiss me?" Ash complained, as though it was Dawn's fault.

"I don't know, maybe she's just being stubborn!" Dawn cried, moving Michelle closer to her again. "Come on, Shelly, Daddy wants a kissy from you!"

Michelle smiled once she heard the word "kissy" leave Dawn's mouth, and lifted her head up to try and give the coordinator a kiss. Dawn sighed sadly, but still showed Michelle a smile, not wanting to discourage her from performing what she had just been taught. It had taken some time, after all, and Dawn wasn't about to ruin all of her hard work.

"I don't understand," Ash groaned. "She should kiss me, right? I didn't do anything wrong!"

Dawn giggled, although it wasn't out of happiness. The giggle was mostly to cover up for the nervousness that she had gained from Ash's obvious panic. "Ash, no need to worry! I'm sure Michelle will give you a kiss later today. She's probably just a little tired right now, that's all!"

"Maybe…" Ash muttered, his brow furrowing slightly. He was still afraid that Dawn might be wrong.

But he didn't want to think about it like that.

**XXX**

Later that night, Ash had sprawled himself across the living room floor on his stomach, resting his head on his folded arms as he stared down little Michelle, who sat up across from him playing with a set of colorful plush blocks.

"Come on, Michelle, this isn't fair," Ash murmured. "Why won't you kiss me? I'm _Daddy! _You love me, yeah?"

The little girl didn't even glance up at him as she picked up the big purple block and shook it back and forth nonsensically.

"I know you can't answer me," Ash grumbled, casting his eyes down to the floor, "but I wish you could. I'm just confused!"

Michelle finally looked at her father and stopped shaking the toy block. Ash too turned his eyes back up onto Michelle. The two stared at each other silently for a few seconds. Then, out of nowhere, Michelle let out a half curious, half delightful coo and tossed the plush block right in Ash's face. He squeezed his eyes shut and sighed, lowering his head until his face was completely hidden by his arms.

"Oh, Michelle…"

The baby giggled and picked up another plush cube: this one blue in color. As she repeated her actions from before with the purple block, Misty stepped into the room and found Ash lying before the girl, looking utterly defeated based solely on his body language.

"What happened?" Misty asked tiredly. "Did Michelle throw her blocks again?"

Ash picked his head up and raised a curious eyebrow at this. "How did you-"

"It's a common occurrence," Misty giggled in response. "She's been doing that pretty often. She thinks it's a game or something, even when I tell her we don't do that. So you don't have to get so upset about it, sweetheart!"

"That's not why I'm upset," Ash groaned, lowering his cheek back down to his arm. "Getting the cube in the face only added to my demoralization."

Misty stood in her spot with wide, unblinking eyes. When she didn't say anything in response, Ash looked up at her and tilted his head. This is when Misty finally realized that he seemed confused.

"Oh, sorry," Misty murmured as she shook her head out. "Sometimes, when you use words that I don't think you know, I get taken off guard."

"Me too," Ash agreed, slowly nodding his head.

"So, if that's not the problem…what is?"

Sitting up fully, Ash sighed and explained, "Dawn taught Michelle how to give kisses. But she won't give any to me! She'd give Dawn as many kisses as she asked for, but when it comes to me, Michelle shows absolutely no interest."

Misty's eyes lit up at this. "Michelle knows how to kiss now?!"

"Yeah…"

Instantly, Misty knelt down beside the little girl and scooped the child up in her arms, beaming down at the now confused little red head who was still holding the plush cube in her hand. "Shelly, baby, will you give Mommy a kiss? Show Mommy how you kiss!"

Michelle giggled at this and craned her head up to press a delicate, and still somewhat uncoordinated, kiss on her mother's cheek. Misty gasped and grinned at the little girl, who returned that smile in full.

"Oh my gosh, you really did learn how to kiss!" Misty breathed. "That's amazing!"

"Yeah, except she won't kiss _me,_" Ash grumbled.

"Aw, Daddy is jealous," Misty cooed, causing Michelle to laugh once again.

"It's not funny!" Ash whined. "Is there something wrong with me? All I want from her is _one_ little kiss! But when I ask, like you or Dawn did, I get ignored! In fact, she looks at me kind of funny. I feel like I'm being judged by a baby!"

He crawled forward and took the baby from Misty, causing the little girl to squeak curiously. Ash groaned and furrowed his brow, basically having a staring contest with the small child in his hands.

"I don't get it," Ash murmured. "I'll kiss you…why won't you kiss me?"

He leaned forward and kissed the baby on her forehead. Michelle smirked at him and looked up. That's when, at long last, she pursed her little lips and tapped them against Ash's own before pulling away and giggling. Ash's eyes snapped open, and his grip on Michelle tightened to some extent.

"…what?"

Squealing, Misty hurried over next to Ash and beamed at him. "She just kissed you, Ash! Michelle kissed you!"

"Mi-Michelle…?" Ash stammered. "That…you kissed me! You gave me a kiss!"

Michelle smiled at her father once again, this time in an almost sly manner. Ash chuckled joyfully and gave his daughter another kiss, this one atop her head. Michelle shrieked delightfully and gave him another kiss in return, much to Ash's satisfaction.

"Well, would you look at that…" Misty murmured, causing Ash to raise his eyebrows.

"Look at what, Mist?"

"Michelle wouldn't kiss you when you _asked _for a kiss, but she _did _kiss you after you gave her one first," Misty explained.

"So?"

Misty giggled at this. "Ash, I think our daughter was playing 'hard to get' with you!"

"…what?!"

"She was making it difficult for you, teasing and playing," Misty continued. "Michelle made you _work _for that kiss! Just asking for one obviously wasn't going to get you anywhere."

Ash huffed and looked back down at his daughter. She was still grinning at him, however, and Ash found it very hard to keep up with his own frustrated attitude. So, instead, he let it go and instead smiled back at his little girl.

"You are a little troublemaker, aren't you?" Ash asked, causing Michelle to giggle again. She had no idea what her father was saying, that much was true. But his voice and the fact it was directed towards her was enough to make the little girl beam like the sun. "You like to freak Daddy out. You're just like Mommy! That's not fair."

"Life's not fair," Misty quipped, taking the baby back from Ash. "Guess you'll just have to live with us the way we are, right, baby girl?"

Michelle sighed happily and rested her head against her mother's chest, causing Misty to giggle happily to herself.

"That's alright," Ash murmured, reaching out to stroke the tiny girl's feathery red hair. "I would never want you two to change anyway. Even if I have to work for every kiss I ever get!"

* * *

><p><strong>Michelle is so silly, even as a baby! She wanted more out of her Dad than anyone else. She wants ALL of his attention ;)<strong>


	193. Babysitting: Violet

**Hey guys. Sorry for the lack of updates recently. I just really haven't wanted to write, to be honest. On top of being very busy with cousins and friends going to prom and graduating...not a good combo.**

**But...here's one for you guys! A new babysitting one, too.**

**Aiden and Michelle: 4 years old**

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><p><strong>Babysitting: Violet<strong>

Michelle scowled at the girl sitting across the room from her.

She was just a seven year old, looked all innocent. She was a pretty girl, too, with wavy blue hair and hazel eyes.

But Michelle knew she was evil.

That girl was Vanessa, her cousin. She and Michelle were quite the opposites. Vanessa was as girly as could be, with a penchant for things like lace and glitter. She loved shoes and shopping, dressing up and dreaming of being a movie star.

Michelle didn't care about any of that.

She was, by Vanessa's standards, a tomboy. Violet, Vanessa's mother and Michelle's aunt, however, insisted that the little girl was nowhere near as tomboyish as her mother at that age. It was true that Michelle didn't enjoy shopping, and didn't care what her clothes looked like, although it _was _her dream to become a gorgeous coordinator like her godmothers. She liked playing rough, especially with her father, and her favorite hobbies were drawing and coloring.

It was just Michelle's luck that her parents had left her in the care of her aunt Violet while they ran some errands. Her uncle William, Violet's husband, wasn't around. He had work. He _always_ had work. Michelle felt that every time they saw Aunt Violet and Vanessa, Uncle William was nowhere to be seen. He worked more than her own father, and he was the _Pokémon Master!_

She glanced over to the corner of the room. Aunt Violet was sitting in a chair, painting her nails. She had offered to paint Michelle's, but the little girl wanted nothing to do with that. Her brother, Aiden, was sitting in the other corner of the room, his face buried in his red handheld console, playing some kind of stupid video game. Michelle huffed and looked back over at Vanessa.

The girl was being quiet, at least. She was usually quite loud and hyper, especially when paired with their oldest cousin, Dakota. Now, however, she seemed to be preoccupied with her doll. Michelle knew from experience that while Vanessa had many, _many_ dolls, that one was her favorite. She treasured it, in fact, and brought it on any and all long distance trips.

The special doll's name was Willow. That was Vanessa's middle name as well, hence the origin. Willow, the doll, had curly blonde hair and, just like Vanessa, hazel eyes. When the doll was tilted backwards, her eyes would close. She was even wearing the _same dress_ as Vanessa.

Vanessa had been brushing the doll's hair since Michelle had arrived. The blue-haired girl showed little to no interest in her aunt and uncle's arrival or departure. The same went for the presence of her two cousins. Michelle sighed softly to herself. Vanessa was becoming just as boring as Dakota, and that was an all-time low.

Suddenly, Vanessa lowered the doll onto her lap and locked eyes with Michelle. The younger girl cooed softly, and curiously, but couldn't tear her emerald eyes away from her cousin's seemingly contemplative hazel ones.

"Mommy!" Vanessa suddenly called, finally turning her head away from Michelle. "Can we do hair?"

Michelle raised an eyebrow at this. She didn't, for the life of her, understand what that meant. "Do hair?" She had heard her parents say "do battle" before, but that had to do with Pokémon, and their jobs.

"Of course, Nessie!" Violet giggled, getting to her feet and scurrying over to where her daughter and niece sat. "This is going to be so much fun! I have just the things I need upstairs!"

As soon as the older bluenette skirted away, Vanessa turned her attention back onto Michelle. This time, she did not look so intense, but rather happy. Almost _too_ happy for Michelle's comfort, in fact. That big smile and the sparkling eyes were bringing some fear into the younger girl.

"Michelle," Vanessa began, her voice brimming with anticipation, "aren't you excited?!"

"…for what?" Michelle finally squeaked.

"To do our hair!" Vanessa giggled in response. "Well, for my mommy to do our hair. She's the best! She's almost as good as Aunt Daisy!"

Michelle grimaced at this. She still wasn't entirely sure what "doing hair" meant, but if it involved her aunts being good at it, then it meant the activity was going to be girly. Like…_really_ girly. Michelle didn't like being really girly! She was really mad at herself for not bringing a sketchpad along to draw in.

As Michelle silently fumed over this fact, Violet returned downstairs with an armful of various supplies. From what Michelle could see, there was a hairbrush, hair spray, and a spray bottle. Once Violet put them down on the side table, Michelle could also see hair ties, ribbons, bows, and clips.

"Nessie, would you like me to do your hair first?" Violet asked.

"No way!" Vanessa giggled, jumping to her feet. "You should do _Michelle's_ hair first!"

The younger girl's eyes widened at this. Before she could protest, or even react, Violet scooped her up and sat back down on the chair in the corner, placing the little girl down on her lap.

"You are going to look so pretty when I get through with you, Shelly!" Violet crooned. "I've been practicing all different kinds of hairstyles lately!"

Michelle grimaced and looked towards her brother, silently pleading with her brother to come and rescue her. Unfortunately for the young girl, he was too immersed in his video game to even notice her plight. At this, Michelle huffed and let out a soft whine, one far too quiet for Violet or even Vanessa to hear.

"Mommy, we should make Michelle's hair curly!" Vanessa suggested brightly.

"Oh, she would look so _beautiful _with curly hair!" Violet agreed. "You really would, Shelly! Your mommy looks _so_ beautiful when _she's_ got her hair curled!"

"Mommy's hair's not curly!" Michelle cried.

"No, it's not," Violet replied with a giggle. "But sometimes, when she's getting dressed up really pretty, she'll curl it!"

"Mommy's not girly," Michelle added, throwing in a pout for good measure.

"Vanessa, sweetie, if I'm going to curl Michelle's hair, I'll need my curling iron," Violet spoke to her daughter, apparently ignoring Michelle's latest complaint. "Would you mind running upstairs and getting it for me?"

"Okay!" Vanessa squeaked, the hi-lo skirt of her pink, yellow, and orange striped dress flowing behind her as she scurried towards the steps. Once she was up the stairs, and out of ear shot, Michelle decided to make her objections more vehement…and audible.

"Aun' Violet, why you gotta' do my hair?" Michelle whined.

"Because it's fun, sweetheart!" Violet replied warmly. "Don't you just love getting all dressed up?"

"…no."

"Oh, I'm sure you do!" Violet gasped playfully. "Every little girl loves that!"

"No," Michelle argued softly again.

Vanessa soon enough came bounding back down the stairs, her mother's purple ceramic curling iron held firmly in her little hands. The black rubber cord was wrapped around it, the plug for the outlet dangling from the center. Michelle glared at the tool as though it were her greatest enemy in life, which it was right now, in all honesty.

"Thank you, Nessie!" Violet trilled, taking the curling iron from her daughter.

"You're welcome!" Vanessa squeaked in such a sickeningly sweet voice that it made Michelle want to scream.

Violet went to work on unwrapping the cord and plugging it into the outlet. She held it up in the air, away from Michelle, and watched on until the red light began to flicker, alerting her that the iron was now hot enough to use and be effective. She took a section of Michelle's bright red hair into her fingers and wrapped it around the hot metal rod of the tool, allowing it to transfer into the locks so they would be caught in place.

Michelle sat with a glower on her face as Violet went on to curl her entire head. Vanessa watched on with sparkling hazel eyes, her doll resting against the wall and long forgotten. Michelle wanted to grab a fistful of the girl's bright blue locks and yank on them until they fell out.

But, according to her mother, pulling on other people's hair wasn't nice.

As soon as all of Michelle's hair was curled into tight, bouncy ringlets, Violet went to work on decorating the back of her niece's head with a collection of tiny, metallic silver clips in the shape of stars. Violet would pinch one curl and pull it up, securing it with the clip before moving on to another ringlet. Eventually, five small clips adorned the back of Michelle's head, accenting five little curled sections that had been pulled up by Violet.

"Oh, Mommy, Michelle looks _so_ pretty!" Vanessa gushed. Michelle once again set her emerald eyes on the older girl in order to glare at her. She was beginning to not care what her mother had taught her, and was seriously considering reaching out to tug at Vanessa's hair.

"Come on, Michelle, you have to admit that you look beautiful!" Violet cooed. "Like a little angel!"

Michelle rolled her eyes. She didn't _want _to look like an angel. It was too much for her!

She wanted to open her mouth to argue again, although all of her previous attempts hadn't done a thing to help her, but Michelle's plan was thwarted when Violet haphazardly trilled for her to "close her eyes!"

That's when a sweet, fruity scent filled Michelle's nostrils, a heavy and cool mist falling down upon her head and shoulders. Michelle whined and squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for her aunt to finish showering her in the strange spray. Once Violet was done, Michelle opened her eyes and reached up with her small hands, gently touching her newly curled hair. It was now crunchy, and very rough to the touch.

"What's that?" Michelle asked, a low growl evident in her voice.

"It's just hairspray, sweetie!" Violet answered cheerfully. "I sprayed it in your hair to keep your curls in place. Otherwise, they'll fall out too easily!"

Michelle huffed at this. That stupid hairspray…she didn't _want _her curls to stay put! She wanted them out. She wanted her regular, straight hair back! Now her whole head was itchy thanks to that stupid spray. When she reached up again, however, this time to scratch her head, Violet gently grabbed the little girl's wrist and pulled her hand away from the stiff curls.

"Hey!" Michelle whined.

"Don't touch your hair, Shelly," Violet shushed. "You'll ruin it!"

Michelle narrowed her eyes and slid off of Violet's lap. As soon as her feet hit the floor, making an audible sound, Aiden _finally _looked up from his video game in order to see his sister's new appearance. He raised a curious eyebrow at her curly head, but lost interest soon enough and quickly returned to his handheld.

"Do mine next, Mommy!" Vanessa shrieked, jumping onto Violet's lap and excitedly swinging her legs back and forth. Violet giggled and picked up the hairbrush she had brought downstairs with her, gently pulling it through her daughter's wavy blue hair.

With both Violet and Vanessa distracted, Michelle ran towards the back door, which was located in the kitchen. She managed to get up onto her tippy toes and reach the door handle, pulling it open and running outside, completely unnoticed.

While Violet was busy curling her daughter's hair, and just finishing up, the ringing of the doorbell caused her to pick her head up and let out a quiet sound of interest. Vanessa beamed and jumped off of her mother's lap, scurrying towards the door as she yelled out, "I got it!"

The girl answered the door, Violet trailing close behind. As soon as Vanessa managed to open up the black wooden door, she had to look up in order to meet the eyes of her aunt and uncle, which caused the child to smile and release a bubbly giggle.

"Hiya Aunt Misty! Uncle Ash!" Vanessa greeted sweetly.

"Hello, Nessie," Misty giggled. "Where is your mommy?"

"I'm right here, little sister!"

Misty smiled at her second oldest sister, despite the use of the nickname that she hated oh-so-much.

"Were Aiden and Michelle good for you?" Misty asked.

"Of course!" Violet trilled. "Those two are so sweet! Aiden just sat and played his little video game the whole time."

"And Michelle?" Ash pressed.

"Oh! I did her hair!"

Both Ash and Misty's eyes widened at this.

"Violet, why would you do that?" Misty asked tersely.

"Because I knew she would look cute with her hair curled," Violet replied meekly.

"But she hates that kind of stuff!" Misty retaliated. "You know she does!"

"Don't worry, Misty, she's fine!" Violet scoffed. "She sat nice and patiently while I curled her hair, clipped it up, and even put spray in it!"

"So…where is she now?" Ash asked.

At this, Violet blinked and twisted her mouth in thought. "That's…a good question…"

"VIOLET!" Misty fumed, her emerald eyes lighting up with fury. "You were _supposed_ to be watching her! And now you don't know where she is?!"

"Well she couldn't have gotten far, right?" Violet squeaked.

"Your house _is gigantic,_" Misty deadpanned. "She could be _anywhere_ around here!"

"I know where Shelly is."

Ash, Misty, Violet, and Vanessa all looked down to find Aiden standing near them, his red video game system now closed and held in only one of his small hands.

"Aiden, champ, where is your sister?" Ash inquired.

"She went outside," Aiden replied calmly.

The three adults ran for the back door, leaving a bewildered Vanessa behind with a seemingly uncaring Aiden. As soon as they all reached the glass paneled door, they peered out beyond the brick patio and found Michelle rolling around in the grass and dirt, her arms, legs, and clothes covered by grass stains and smudges of dark dirt.

"Oh Arceus," Misty hissed, pulling the door open and running outside towards her daughter. "Michelle, what in the world are you doing?!"

Michelle finally stopped rolling and thrashing around and picked her head up to stare at her mother. Her formerly coiffed hair was now sticking up in all different directions, some curls fully undone while others were beginning to become knotted and matted. Blades of grass were caught in some of the bright red spirals, and a medium sized leaf even fell from the top of her head.

"I was fixing my hair, Mommy," Michelle replied effortlessly.

"Fixing it in your own little world, I suppose," Misty sighed.

Violet let out a horrified wail as she ran up next to Misty, crazily eyeing the small girl sitting on the ground before them.

"Her beautiful hair!" Violet moaned.

"Told you she hated it," Misty hummed.

* * *

><p><strong>Violet doesn't know how to deal with a child who doesn't like frills and such :P<strong>

**Oh, just wanted to add a note. I know I've had a few reviewers say that Misty's sisters seem OOC because they don't use "like" every other word. I did that on purpose. They're adults in this story, and by that age, REALLY shouldn't be talking like that. They also don't speak like that in the Japanese version, it's a dub thing to make them sound "extra dumb."**

**It also annoys the ever loving HELL out of me. So...no "like" in their vocab here. If I heard a woman in her late 20s/early 30s talking like that...I'd be embarrassed for them :P**


	194. Car Seat

**I'm really proud of myself for writing another new one shot :D I've lost so much desire to write lately it's been scaring me. But maybe now I'm a little bit better ^^**

**Michelle: 5 years old**

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><p><span><strong>Car Seat<strong>

"Hey, Brock! Just the man I wanted to see!"

"…Ash, why are you acting like we just bumped into each other?"

"Because we did, you crazy guy!"

"No, you came to my office. On your own power."

"Haha yeah, okay, Brock. Whatever you say."

Brock sighed and looked over his shoulder. He had been examining a young girl's Cleffa, giving it a checkup, when Ash had unexpectedly waltzed in with a Cheshire grin and a melodic, almost sing-song voice. That's how the Pokémon Doctor knew his best friend wanted something out of him.

"What do you need, Ash?"

The Pokémon Master gasped dramatically at this, causing Brock to sigh and hang his head. "_What?_ Want something? I can't just come visit my _best friend_ while he's in the middle of a very busy day of work at his Pokémon clinic?"

"Not unless you want something," Brock scoffed.

"Okay, fine," Ash muttered in defeat before pulling up next to Brock and looking at the older man with pleading brown eyes. "Here's the thing. You know that Misty and I are having a baby, right?"

Brock turned towards Ash and raised an incredulous eyebrow. "You mean _that's_ why she's put on so much weight?! And _only _in her stomach?!"

Ash furrowed his own brow and pulled his shoulders back in response. "Alright, alright, I get it. You don't have to mock me."

"Just spit it out, Ash," Brock groaned, returning to his look over of the small pink Pokémon sitting on the table before him. "I don't mean to be so callous, but I _do_ have a lot of work to do today. Whatever you need out of me, just say it."

"Well, I don't really have much of an idea of when the baby is actually going to be born, because Misty has to remind me of her due date every single day, and we had such a big problem last time that I don't know if it's going to happen again," Ash continued. "Which means I need to get the car seat in as soon as possible. And I have to make sure it's in the right way, otherwise the hospital is going to keep my baby or something."

Brock raised another eyebrow at this, but chose not to speak or correct Ash. It just wasn't worth it.

"And you did such a good job with the twins' seats last time that I thought you'd be willing to do it again this time around," Ash finished.

"I did do a good job with those, didn't I?" Brock chuckled as he proudly puffed out his chest.

"The best," Ash agreed. "So, could you do it again?"

Brock smiled sadly at his longtime friend. "I wish I could, Ash. Really! But I've just got so many patients lined up that I won't have any time to step out of the office. Hell, I don't think I'll even find time for a lunch break!"

At this, Ash's face fell. "But…what am I supposed to do with the car seat?"

"You can put it in yourself, can't you?"

"Well, I tried that the first time, but…"

"You failed miserably," Brock finished for Ash when the younger male trailed off.

"Why do you have to put it like _that?_" Ash groaned, hanging his head in shame.

"Sorry, but it _was_ pretty bad," Brock laughed softly despite himself. "Either way, I have faith in you, Ash! You're older, wiser, and more experienced with these kinds of things now. Besides, I'm pretty sure the car seat comes with instructions. So just follow those."

Ash frowned. "But…what if there are no instructions? What if I _lost them_ by accident?!"

"It's called the internet, Ash."

"…I hate technology."

**XXX**

Ash glared at his current worst enemy, sitting in the grass of the front lawn before him.

The chocolate brown infant seat, adorned by pink on the hood and middle of the seat with a print of pink, white, and brown circles. It was cute, and perfect for a little baby girl.

It was not perfect, however, for Ash to actually put _in _the car.

"You're going to be the death of me," Ash muttered as he picked up the seat and carried it over to the car. He freed one arm to open up the door, and as soon as he did, he was met with the obstacle of two booster seats already in the backseat: red with black sides in the middle and a corresponding light blue seat closer to him on the side.

"Ugh, I forgot about the twins' seats…" Ash groaned, slamming the door shut before making his way over to the opposite side of the car. He repeated his actions of prior: opening up the door in order to get inside the car. This time, there was no booster seat in his way. That made things about one percent easier for him.

"Now…how do I do this?" Ash murmured, reaching into his pocket to pull out the folded instructions he had stuffed into it before going outside with the seat. Nearly every inch of the paper was covered in directions, with only three pictures thrown in to assist. They weren't even _real _photos of the car seat, but rather illustrated ones in black and white.

"Yeah, this helps," Ash remarked sarcastically. He placed the instructions inside of the car seat, perching them up so he'd be able to read them while trying to install the seat. He ducked his head inside of the car and started to read the first block of instructions, squinting his eyes out of confusion as the words got jumbled around in his head and sent his mind wandering. "What in the hell is this telling me to do…?"

"DADDY!"

Ash shrieked and picked his head up so fast that he ended up smashing it against the roof of the car. Whining, he pulled his head out and started rubbing the afflicted area, turning around to give whoever it was who had distracted him (and caused him to inadvertently injure himself) a sad glare. Unfortunately for him, it was Michelle, and Ash couldn't stay mad at the little girl for anything.

"What is it, princess?" Ash sighed.

"Wanna' play?" Michelle asked, holding up a medium sized, blue and white rubber ball. "I got a new ball!"

"I'd love to, but I can't right now," Ash replied.

At this, Michelle pouted. "Why not?"

"Because I have to put the baby's seat into the car."

Michelle laughed, her eyes lighting up as she giggled at her father. "Silly Daddy! The baby's not born yet!"

"No, but I still have to put the seat in," Ash remarked.

"Why can't the baby sit in my seat?" Michelle asked, pointing towards the light blue booster seat that was on the opposite end of the backseat. "I'm a big girl, I don't needs it anymore."

"You may be a big girl, princess, but you still need your car seat," Ash chuckled. "Besides, the baby can't use your seat! Maybe when she's older. But that seat doesn't work for such a tiny baby."

Michelle tilted her head to the side. "Why?"

"A new little baby has to sit facing backwards," Ash explained. "It keeps them safer! _You_ had to sit that way in the car when you were just a tiny baby, after all."

"That sounds like a real pain in the butt," Michelle squeaked, holding her ball above her head.

"You got that right," Ash sighed, returning to trying to install the infant seat. He heard small footsteps shuffling from behind him, but he didn't have time to get back out from inside the car to look. He knew it was Michelle, he just didn't know where she was going. Fortunately for him, she was old enough and smart enough to know that playing in the street was a big no-no. If anything, she was probably going to play with her ball further up the driveway, or even on the sidewalk.

So, Ash was rather surprised when the door opposite of him opened up, just the top of a bright redhead visible from the open door.

"Michelle…" Ash warned.

The small girl popped up, her face coming fully into view. She was smiling boldly at her father, emerald eyes shimmering with hints of both playfulness and mischievousness. Michelle clambered fully into the backseat, small enough to walk between the front and back rows and up to where her father was busy trying to properly put in the infant seat.

"I will help!" Michelle announced in her squeaky little voice, holding her hand up to further promote her volunteerism.

"Michelle, sweetie, you're too young to help," Ash reasoned with the child. "Getting this thing in isn't easy. I appreciate you trying to help, but if _I _can hardly do it, _you_ certainly won't be able to."

"Two peoples is better than one," Michelle recited. "That's what Mommy says!"

"Right…"

"So, I can help!"

Ash groaned and began to rub his temples. While he was busy with that, Michelle made it her mission to move closer to the baby seat in order to examine it. She studied both sides, the inside, and even the hood, pulling it down and then back up. It was a strange contraption, she concluded. But, she also thought at the same time, it should be easy enough to secure on the actual car seat.

By the time Ash looked back up, he found Michelle pulling the far left seatbelt across the baby seat, slung over the closed hood and beneath the handle. She next grabbed the belt from the middle seat, where Aiden's red booster seat was located, and pulled it across the infant seat to the opposite side in the same fashion that she had done with the first belt.

"Michelle, what are you doing?" Ash finally managed to ask.

"Helping!" Michelle chirped before clicking the middle seatbelt into its holster. The thick, black nylon straps were now pulling the seat and holding it tight against the back of the car's second row, with the front completely blocked off. There was literally no possible way of fitting anything at all into the seat with it placed that way.

"Oh…Arceus," Ash groaned, smacking his forehead.

"You can buy me ice cream later 'cause I helped," Michelle informed her father before turning around and running back towards the open door, hopping right out of the car and scurrying back to wherever she had put down her ball.

"Hey, you didn't help me at all!" Ash argued, leaning further into the car. At that moment, the seatbelts gave way to the infant seat's weight, no longer being able to hold it back. They both slipped out of their holsters, snapping back against the leather of the regular car seat as the infant seat shot forward and collided with the side of Ash's head. "OW!"

Ash jumped back and up, once again smashing the top of his head against the roof of the car. Using one hand to rub the top of his head, and the other to massage the side of his face, Ash opened up his eyes and glared at the brown and pink seat that was now wedged between the first and second rows.

"I hate you so much, baby seat."

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah, definitely not safe ;)<strong>


	195. Bathroom Blunders

**I love summer. Can school not be a thing anymore? That'd be awesome :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 3 and a half years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Bathroom Blunders<strong>

"Mommy…Mommy…"

Misty groaned and squeezed her eyes shut more tightly, as if _that _would stop the squeaky and incessant calling of her name.

"Mommy…"

Misty sighed and finally allowed her eyes to flutter open. It burned, even in the darkness. Forcing herself up with her hands, Misty looked down towards the floor at the side of her bed and found Aiden standing there and staring right back up at her.

"Aiden, what's wrong?" Misty grumbled tiredly, rubbing one of her eyes to try and stop the sting.

"I have to go to the bafroom," Aiden softly informed his mother.

Misty raised a bewildered eyebrow at this. "Okay…so…go to the bathroom."

"I can't!"

"Why not?" Misty groaned.

"Mommy, I can't go by myself," Aiden fretted. "I dunno where it is!"

"Yes you do, sweetheart."

"Nuh uh, it's dark."

Misty huffed and lowered her head once again, squeezing her eyes shut for a quick second before opening them up again and clambering out of bed. She thought Aiden just needed her to lead him to the bathroom, so she was surprised when she felt one of his little hands reach up and brush her leg.

"Aiden?" Misty muttered tiredly.

"Hold my hand, Mommy," Aiden murmured.

"You really need me to hold your hand? Just to get to the bathroom?"

"Yes, Mommy."

Misty bit her lip, but nevertheless, she put her own hand down and took her son's into it. From the bed, the still sleeping Ash let out a loud, obnoxious snore, causing Misty to roll her eyes. Of course _he _never got woken up by the kids. It was always her. She had bragged about it at first, but now she realized it wasn't really something to be proud of.

She led Aiden out of the room, the young boy shuffling quickly alongside her. It was quite obvious that he had to go to the bathroom quite badly. Why he couldn't have just gone on his own Misty didn't understand. Aiden may have been newly potty trained, but he was nearly four years old. Misty thought that getting to the bathroom on his own wouldn't have been so bad, especially when he was able to get into her and Ash's room on his own with no (apparent) problem. But Misty didn't want to question and upset the boy. That was the _last _thing she wanted. It may have been nearly three in the morning, but she couldn't take her exhaustion out on Aiden. No way.

Once they finally got to the bathroom door, Misty let go of Aiden's hand and expected him to step into the bathroom. He walked slightly in front of her, but stopped before he could actually get into the bathroom. Misty was about to ask him what was wrong, but that question would be quickly answered without any vocalization.

She suddenly felt something wet beneath her feet, causing the woman to unwittingly shriek and jump a little bit. She glanced towards Aiden, who was sheepishly looking down towards the floor in a valiant attempt to avoid eye contact with his mother.

"Aiden…"

"Uh…I hads an accident, Mommy."

"No kidding," Misty groaned as she trudged off into the bathroom to get supplies to clean the mess up. Aiden may have been potty trained, but that didn't mean he didn't have any stronger of a bladder. The accident, of course, wasn't Aiden's fault. He _had _been trying to use the bathroom, after all. Turns out they had just waited a little bit too long.

Fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately for her), this happened enough that Misty knew exactly how to deal with it, and fairly quickly at that. She'd have to clean up the carpet, and then Aiden, before changing his pajamas and putting him back to bed.

At least he no longer had to use the bathroom…

She started to clean up the mess, and Aiden, who for once didn't seem overly bothered by his little accident, rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet while patiently waiting for his mother to finish cleaning up the floor so she could get to him. He was just kind of uncomfortable, and wanted to be washed up with a fresh pair of pajamas.

While Misty was busy cleaning up the considerable mess on the carpet, the sound of soft footsteps padding on the carpet moved closer and closer to the mother and her son. They eventually got very close before stopping, the person responsible for the footsteps letting out a hushed noise of interest. Misty glanced up and found herself staring up at the towering figure of Ash, who had his eyes half closed with a hand under his shirt, rubbing his shoulder.

"Misty?" Ash murmured. "What are you doing? And why is Aiden up?"

Misty narrowed her eyes at this series of questions. "You don't want to know."

"Uh…okay," Ash replied through a massive yawn.

"Mommy, I have to go to the bafroom…"

"Ugh, Aiden, no you don't!" Misty whined, hanging her head.

"That wasn't me, Mommy!"

Misty looked back up and found Aiden blinking out of confusion. Pressing her lips together, Misty looked over her shoulder and found Michelle standing behind her, a worrisome look plastered on the little girl's face.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"…Misty, why did I just step in something wet?"

* * *

><p><strong>I know, sometimes you guys don't like it when I torture Ash too much (even though it's not REALLY torture, y'know :P) so this time, I gave a little bit to Misty XD They need to share too, lol.<strong>


	196. Oh Nose

**Okay, I THINK I got my muse back. I think, lol. Let's see how it goes!**

**I got this idea after watching last week's episode of BW...and an experience of my own, lol.**

**Michelle: 3 and a half years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Oh Nose<strong>

"Ow…"

Ash raised an eyebrow and peered over his shoulder. Sitting behind him, on the floor, was Michelle, looking rather distraught and uncomfortable. She had a pout on her face, her lips bent into a frown. On top of that, her nose was twitching, as though she were about to burst into tears.

"What's wrong, princess?" Ash asked kindly, turning around and kneeling down so he could be at eye level with the child.

"My nosey's botherin' me," Michelle murmured, furrowing her brow out of frustration.

"Oh, well that's no good!" Ash exclaimed. "Why's it bothering you?"

"I dunno," Michelle muttered before letting out a staggering breath and, to finish off the dramatic action, sneezing right in Ash's face.

The father let out a shrill yelp and fell backwards, his eyes squeezed shut from the simple, though admittedly disturbing, deed. Michelle squeaked out of horror and crawled forward, placing her hands on her father's leg and staring up at him in concern.

"Daddy?" She wailed, her bright green eyes filling up with tears as she examined him.

Ash stuck out his tongue slightly and re-opened his eyes, smiling down at the little girl. His grin disappeared, however, when he realized that his daughter was about to cry. Frowning instead, he lifted her up and sat her in his lap, gently stroking the girl's long and silky red hair.

"How come you're crying, baby?" Ash asked gently.

Michelle let out a small snivel and looked up sheepishly at her father. "Don't be mad, Daddy."

Ash seemed genuinely confused by this concern. "Why would I be mad, princess?"

"'Cause I sneezeded…in your face."

"Oh, is that all?" Ash chuckled at the notion. "I wouldn't get mad at you for something silly like that! You didn't mean to! Besides, your nose is bothering you, right?"

Michelle silently nodded her head in confirmation.

"So that's why you sneezed in the first place," Ash continued. "Obviously, whatever is in your little nosey is just trying to get out! Or, it's at least bothering you enough that you had to sneeze."

Michelle whined again and rested herself against Ash's body. The young man smiled to himself and gently rubbed the little girl's back, hoping to comfort her some more. While he was doing this, Michelle sneezed once again, this time a bit more forcefully than the first.

"Man, you've really got something good in there, huh?" Ash asked, earning a silent nod from his daughter. "Don't be upset, princess. Daddy is going to fix you, no matter what!"

"But I dunno what it is," Michelle murmured, wiggling her nose as she spoke.

"That's true, we don't know exactly _what_ is causing you to sneeze like that," Ash reasoned. "But I bet we can figure it out! We'll work together."

Michelle kept on wiggling as her nose as whatever was caught inside continued to bother her. Ash twisted his mouth in deep thought, trying to think up what could possibly be making his daughter so uncomfortable. And sneezy.

"Did you get a toy stuck up there or something?" Ash murmured, tilting his daughter's head back to look up her nose.

"No," Michelle squeaked with a small giggle.

"What about candy?"

"I don't gots nothing up my nose, Daddy!" Michelle laughed.

"Yeah, I guess you wouldn't really be sneezing if that were the case," Ash agreed. "You'd probably just have a harder time breathing instead. You're not, are you?"

Michelle silently shook her head.

"Then I wonder what else it could be," Ash mused. "One time, when Emboar was a Pignite, he got a bullet seed stuck in his nose and couldn't use any of his attacks. Not at fully power, anyway. But you're not a Pokemon, so we can't figure anything out that way…"

Michelle sniffled before unleashing another sneeze. This time, when she sneezed, a puff of blue powder shot out of her nostrils, floating in the air for a few moments before dissipating into nothing.

"Whoa, what was that?" Ash wondered aloud.

"I dunno," Michelle murmured, sounding rather sheepish.

Ash furrowed his brow at this. "I think you _do_ know, Michelle."

"No…"

Ash crossed his arms against his chest. "Michelle, what did you do?"

"I didn't do nothing, Daddy…"

"Michelle…"

"I sniffeded some soap in the bathroom," Michelle finally admitted, a pout replacing her former look of sheepish indifference.

"How could soap get stuck in your nose?" Ash mused. "Wait a second…soap from _which_ bathroom?"

"_Your_ bathroom, Daddy."

Ash started to wrack his brain as to what kind of soap he and Misty had in their bathroom that was blue and devised in such a fashion that it could have gotten into Michelle's nose with nothing more than a simple sniff. Then, his eyes widened.

Misty had a soap ball by the bathtub that was powdery and broke apart very easily. And it was light blue in color, too…

Picking Michelle up, Ash carried her up the stairs and into his and Misty's bedroom, then through the bathroom door. He stopped in front of the white tub, surrounded by blue and silver marble, and scanned the surface for what he was looking for. He finally found it by the head of the tub, near the silver handles and faucet, sitting in a decent pile of powder with a crack going down the middle.

"Is _that _what you were smelling?" Ash asked his daughter, pointing at the powdery blue sphere.

Michelle peered down at the marble that surrounded the tub and nodded briskly. Ash sighed and held Michelle out in front of him instead of at his side.

"Oh, what am I going to do with you?" Ash sighed playfully.

"Get the soap outta' my nosey!" Michelle cried, scrunching up her nose as she whined.

"But Michelle, the only way you can get the soap out of your nose is if we…" Ash trailed off, allowing his thoughts to consume him as he blinked.

"If we what?" Michelle squeaked.

"Don't worry, baby girl! I got it!" Ash chuckled, much to the child's confusion. He once again held her against his hip and hurried out of the bathroom, then the bedroom, and finally into the hallway and down the stairs. He made his way into the kitchen to enter the backyard through the back door, where he promptly stepped off of the patio and sat Michelle down in the grass, taking a seat next to the still bewildered young girl.

He had remembered exactly what Iris had done to solve Pignite's problem back during their travels through Unova. It was true that his situation had been _slightly _different from Michelle's, since he'd actually had something stuck in his nose. That had actually been worse than Michelle's case, however. If Iris' little trick had worked when it came to getting a stray bullet seed out of Pignite's nose, than surely it would work on some soap that Michelle had inhaled!

Ash plucked a blade of grass from the ground and looked back over towards Michelle, who was busy running her tiny hands over the grass in a gentle fashion. Smiling, he reached out and gently tickled the grassy strand in front of Michelle's left nostril. Her nose twitched, once and then again, before she pulled back and let out three sneezes in rapid succession. With each sneeze, a cloud of blue powder emerged from Michelle's nose. By the time she had unleashed her third and final sneeze, Michelle settled down and looked up at her father with wide, surprised eyes.

"Did that help?" Ash asked amusedly.

"Yeah…" Michelle murmured before rubbing the front of her nose. "Sneezy hurts!"

"It hurt, huh?" Ash chuckled, picking Michelle up and placing her in his lap. "Well, sneezing out all of that soap couldn't have helped."

"It smelt pretty, Daddy."

"I'm sure it did, baby. I'm sure it did."

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah, once when I was younger, I sniffed a ball of soap in a store at the mall and I got a bunch of it up my nose, by accident. It burned like hell, not gonna lie XD<strong>


	197. The Lone Nephew

**Time to give Misty's sisters some more focus! I like them a lot :P**

**Aiden: 5 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>The Lone Nephew<strong>

"…so, what do we buy for a boy?"

"How should _I_ know?"

"How should _any _of us know? We only have girls!"

Daisy, Violet, and Lily were all standing at the front of a baby boutique, all three looking utterly lost. Misty had recently been complaining that Aiden and Michelle were growing much too fast for her, and that neither one seemed to be fitting into any of their clothes anymore. Her three older sisters, self-proclaimed fashionistas, had decided to take it upon themselves to buy some new clothes for their nephew and niece. It didn't matter what age they were shopping for; all three believed they had _much _superior taste in clothing than their baby sister.

The only problem was that, well, there was a _boy _involved.

They all had daughters. And on top of _that, _they all loved frilly, designer labels that involved lots of pink and sparkle.

They couldn't buy those kinds of things for Aiden, however.

So, in order to get into the right frame of mind, Daisy, Violet, and Lily all decided to start with the girls' clothes. That would be easy enough for them, and once they had that out of the way, they figured it would be easier to focus on their new territory.

"I say we each pick out one outfit we like," Daisy announced. "And maybe we'll even pick out a little treat for the two cutie pies, since I just can't resist spoiling them!"

"Sounds good to me!" Violet agreed with a giggle.

"Same!" Lily trilled.

Daisy's pick, since she knew Misty wasn't the biggest fan of pink, was a ruffled chiffon bodysuit printed with tiny turquoise dots and adorned by gauzy, turquoise rosettes at the neckline.

Violet, who had the upcoming summer months in mind, selected a yellow and white seersucker dress embellished with three red, yellow, and blue flowers beneath the right strap.

Lily wasn't exactly keeping Misty's own interests in mind, and chose an outfit that had absolutely stolen her own heart: a sailor inspired set that included a pink and white striped top with a nautical collar and front tie paired with white pants.

With all three outfits selected, the sisters also agreed on two separate sets of diaper covers: a trio with different colored flowers, because they figured it would remind Misty of them, and a second trio with water types, including Wailord, Octillery, and Krabby, because they _knew _Misty would like them.

"Wow, that was like…so easy!" Lily laughed.

"Of course, because we're _so _good at picking out clothes for little girls!" Violet trilled. "We're super experienced!"

"But now we need to find outfits for Aiden," Daisy broke in, causing her two younger sisters to sigh. "Don't worry, it can't be _that _hard! Let's go check out the boys' section!"

As soon as the three sisters got there, they realized it was actually going to be _much _harder than they had even expected.

There was no pink. At all. No ruffles or frills, flowers or lace. Hell, there weren't even any _sequins_ to go off of!

"Everything is so…solid," Violet muttered, plucking a blue and white striped t-shirt between her fingers.

"Pretty boring if you ask me," Lily added.

"Guys, come on," Daisy urged. "We've each got to find one outfit!"

"But…none of this is cute," Violet whined with a pout.

"I don't think it's actually _that_ bad," Daisy hummed.

"Really?" Lily remarked before holding up a plaid shirt in the colors of red, blue, and brown.

"Okay, fine, it's _that _bad," Daisy groaned.

"Can't we just find something in the girls' section that isn't overly girly?" Lily complained, causing Daisy's eyes to widen in shock.

"No, Lily, we are not bringing our _nephew _girl's clothes!" Daisy shrieked.

"Yeah, that'd be a new low, even for us," Violet begrudgingly agreed.

"Misty would have our heads," Daisy added.

"And I don't even want to _imagine_ what _Ash _would do if we ever brought his _son_ a _girl_ outfit!" Violet screeched. "He's a sweet man, but a really scary daddy when he gets ticked…"

"Fine, fine, it was just a suggestion!" Lily panicked, holding her hands up in front of herself.

It took the sisters _twice_ as long to gather clothes for Aiden than it did for Michelle. None of them were entirely _thrilled_ with their picks, either. Sure, the clothes they had managed to find were cute, but not in the girly way that they were all familiar with.

Daisy had picked out a light blue romper embroidered with tiny sailboats. It was cute enough for her, and water themed, which was always a big hit with Misty.

Violet had also selected a romper, although hers was green and covered by little embroideries of blue Wailord. It was quite similar to what Daisy had chosen, but Violet really didn't like anything else she had seen, and she refused to just settle when it came to fashion.

Lily had been the most difficult out of the three to impress. She had picked up about five different outfits and put them all back one by one before coming to a final decision on a light blue and white striped polo paired with navy shorts.

"At least it's _kind of_ like what I picked out for Michelle," Lily muttered.

Once that difficult task had been completed, the three sisters went on to get their little extra gift, which proved to be much easier than selecting the actual outfits. There were no cute diaper covers like there'd been for girls, however, so they instead got him a pack of reversible bibs consisting of blue and brown argyle print along with a trio of preppy, light blue and navy socks.

"I think we did good!" Violet crooned, causing her sisters to nod in agreement.

"I bet Misty is going to be _so_ happy!" Lily giggled.

**XXX**

"…you guys didn't have to buy new clothes for the twins, you know."

Misty furrowed her brow as her sisters all sat in a row across from her, grinning so wide that she feared all of their faces would crack.

"Of course we did!" Daisy trilled. "Aiden and Michelle are our nephew and niece. You told us they were growing out of their clothes, so we wanted to help out!"

"I was going to go out shopping and buy them some new things," Misty murmured.

"Yeah, but we have a better eye for fashion than you," Violet remarked.

Misty raised an eyebrow at this. "But…they're just babies."

"That doesn't matter, they still need to look good!" Lily refuted.

"Arceus…" Misty groaned, rubbing her temples.

"But the outfits are _so_ cute, aren't they?" Daisy prodded.

"Well yeah…"

"And do you even know how hard it was for us to pick out boy clothes?" Violet stressed. "They're not frilly or pink!"

"Makes it super challenging," Lily agreed.

Misty, at this point, had her entire face buried in her hands. "It's not that hard…you guys are just…dense."

"What, _you_ think it's _easy _to pick out boys' clothes?!" Lily gasped.

"Yes, I do, because I have a _son!_" Misty growled. "I also have a husband who can't buy his own clothes. So if you think finding _boys' clothes_ is hard, you don't even know how bad shopping for _men's clothing_ is."

"If I were you, I would just buy Ash nothing," Daisy advised.

Misty raised an incredulous eyebrow. "Why would I do that?"

"Because he's got a _fantastic _body," Daisy explained. "That man could walk around naked, and I guarantee you that no one in their right mind would…well…mind."

Violet nodded at this. "I agree."

"Totally," Lily added.

"Guys, that's my _husband _you're talking about!" Misty shrieked, her whole face turning red.

"Oh Misty, relax, we're not going after him," Daisy hushed. "_Everyone_ knows how hot he is."

Misty rolled her eyes and threw her head back until it hit the couch. As soon as it made contact, the sound of crying from upstairs pierced the air, causing Misty to groan and sink down onto her side.

"Misty, shouldn't you…like…go get the baby?" Violet asked.

"I'm tired," Misty whined.

"And the baby is cranky, and sad," Lily retaliated. "What if Aiden or Michelle is up there crying and thinks their mommy hates them?"

"Not helping!" Misty screeched as she jumped to her feet and ran up the stairs like she'd just been shot out of a canon.

"Oh my gosh, Lily!" Daisy shrieked, gently smacking her sister's arm.

"What?" Lily questioned innocently. "It worked!"

Misty returned rather quickly, and much to her sister's surprise, with only one baby.

Even more surprising was the fact that it was Aiden.

"Aiden?" Violet questioned aloud. "But he never cries! Right?"

"He cries, just not as often as Michelle," Misty sighed. "But this is _really _weird because I just fed him! And usually, right after he's eaten, he's very happy and _very _sleepy."

"Well, he just sounds _really_ upset to me," Lily remarked, causing Misty to growl at her.

Aiden continued to sob, and Misty retracted her angry glare to instead coo lovingly at the baby and continue to try and soothe him. Daisy, Violet, and Lily furrowed their brows before smiling at one another all at the same time, as though they had telepathic powers of some sort.

"Misty, could I hold Aiden?" Daisy trilled, holding her arms out towards the younger woman.

"Why do _you_ want to hold him?" Misty asked skeptically. It's not that she didn't trust her sisters with the babies. She knew that they loved them, and were actually responsible with children since they each had a daughter of their own. The timing just seemed strange to her, as Misty knew from experience that none of her sisters really enjoyed a crying baby.

"Because I totally bet I could make him feel all better!" Daisy giggled.

Misty sighed. She didn't necessarily want to hand Aiden over, by Daisy seemed pretty confident in the idea. Besides, she was absolutely _exhausted, _and she would appreciate any kind of help she could get. Even if it came from her less-than intelligent big sisters.

"Come on, sweetie," Misty murmured to Aiden as she walked towards the couch opposite to where she'd just been sitting. "You're gonna' go see Aunt Daisy! She wants to make you feel all better! Yeah…here you go…"

Daisy took the sobbing little boy from Misty and smiled down at him. Almost instantly, Aiden stopped crying and was reduced to nothing more than series of desolate hiccups. This shocked Misty more than anything else. Daisy hadn't even _done _anything!

"Aw, you're such a cutie!" Daisy squealed. "Even when you're crying!"

Aiden gurgled curiously and blinked his big, brown eyes.

"Yeah, he's like, so handsome!" Violet added with a giggle.

At this, Aiden smiled and moved one of his hands up, sticking his fist into the side of his mouth as he stared up at his aunts and cooed joyfully.

"We may be lousy at picking out clothes for a little boy, but we sure are good at making him happy!" Lily remarked.

"Yeah, I don't know how that works," Misty murmured.

Aiden mumbled to himself and took his fist out of his mouth, instead choosing to hold his hands out towards Daisy. The blonde curiously tilted her head, not understanding what Aiden wanted. She bounced him up and down a few times, and when she stopped, Aiden smirked and let out one shrill, screeching laugh.

"Oh, I think _now_ I understand why Aiden woke up so cranky!" Daisy giggled.

"What? Why?" Misty asked, bending down to be at eye contact with her oldest sister.

"He needs his diaper changed!" Daisy laughed. "I can't believe _I_ picked up on that before _you_ did, Misty."

"Ugh, Aiden, why do you have to be such a troublemaker?" Misty sighed, reaching out for the boy again.

"Wait, I'll do it!" Lily offered, taking the surprised baby boy from Daisy and stunning her sisters.

"Lily…" Misty warned.

"It's fine!" Lily giggled. "I finally learned how to pick out boys' clothes, and Aiden loves me! So, changing his diaper will be _sooooo_ easy."

Lily jumped off the couch, carrying Aiden all the way up the stairs. Daisy, Violet, and Misty watched her go, Aiden peering at them over his aunt's shoulder and smiling the entire time.

"Overconfidence _has _always been a problem of hers," Violet sighed playfully.

"Uh…she _does_ know that changing a _boy's_ diaper is more difficult than changing one for a _girl_, right?" Misty asked the other two.

"EWWW! MISTY! HE _PEED _ON ME!"

"…I guess she knows _now._"

* * *

><p><strong>Teehee...I like creating trouble for these poor guys :P<strong>


	198. Pikachu's Surf School

**New, summery one shot! And this one has another special cameo from an old character ;) Who could it be?**

**Aiden and Michelle: 3 and a half years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Pikachu's Surf School<strong>

"I wanna'! I wanna'!"

Pikachu squeaked out of concern as Aiden, who had been playing with the little electric type alongside his twin sister, ran away from him and further into the ocean.

"Pipika!" Pikachu cried.

Fortunately, the little boy was stopped in his tracks by Misty, who scooped the child up and held him securely against her body, much to the child's disdain.

"Mommy!" He whined.

"Aiden, you know you can't just go running off into the water all by yourself," Misty sighed. "Did you really think you were going to get away with that?"

"Uh huh."

Misty giggled at her son's mischievousness and lifted him up to her face so she could give him a kiss. At this, Aiden playfully whined and turned his head away, which just led to Misty kissing his cheek while the little boy's resolve broke away into giggles.

"My little boy," Misty cooed, lowering him once again and stroking his pitch black locks. "What were you trying to do, anyway? What did you see that got you so excited?"

"That!" Aiden yelped, pointing out deeper into the ocean.

Misty turned her head and caught sight of a group of surfers riding the waves that rose and crashed that far out. They did so with impeccable ease, even beyond what Misty _herself _could comprehend. She may have been a water type specialist with amazing swimming and water ballet skills, but when it came to surfing, Misty wasn't the greatest. She preferred to use her actual body in the water, and didn't like having to rely on anything else.

"Oh, you want to surf?" Misty questioned.

"Yeah!" Aiden giggled.

Misty smiled at her son's enthusiasm. "You're a bit too young to be doing stuff like that just yet, little guy!"

"Nuh uh, no I'm not!" Aiden argued.

"Aiden…"

"Daddy says I'm a man!"

Misty laughed at this. "Oh, sweetie, you're so cute!"

"Nuh uh!"

"You're our _little_ man, sweetheart. Too little of a man to be going surfing!"

Aiden whined and looked over his shoulder so he could once again watch the surfers. Pikachu, thanks to his super tuned hearing, had heard Aiden's entire conversation with Misty, and knew just the way to cheer the little boy up. The small yellow mouse nudged Michelle, who giggled in response but soon got the idea and followed after the electric type. They skimmed the shoreline, Pikachu darting ahead of Michelle while the little girl made sure to keep her feet in the tide so they wouldn't touch the hot sand.

Ash, who had been watching Aiden and Misty from a short distance while also keeping a second eye on Michelle and Pikachu, noticed that the two were making their way across the shore. He wadded towards Misty, who was still tickling Aiden and showering the young boy with her attention.

"Misty," Ash questioned, "do you have any idea where Pikachu and Michelle are going?"

Misty's head snapped up, and she too caught sight of the ragtag duo making their way across the beach. Her heart shot up into her throat, as her eyes widened with fear.

"I'll go after them," Ash murmured, comfortingly patting Misty's shoulder before charging through the water. Aiden finally tore his attention away from the surfers and instead placed it on his father, watching quietly and intently as the man ran through the water in an effort to catch up to his daughter and partner Pokémon.

It was hard to move in the water, but Ash was still bigger and stronger than Michelle, so he was able to get even with the young girl rather quickly. Pikachu, on the other hand, was smaller but quicker and more agile anyway, and was still darting down the shoreline. Ash wasn't as concerned with Pikachu running off, however, because he knew the electric type was just fine on his own. It was _Michelle _who could often get herself into a spot of trouble if left to her own devices.

"And where were _you _off to, little girl?" Ash playfully asked Michelle, tickling her stomach.

"I was followin' Pikachu!" Michelle giggled.

"I see," Ash murmured. "And where is _Pikachu_ going, huh?"

At this, Michelle silently shrugged.

"Pikapi!"

Ash looked back towards the shoreline. Pikachu, who had just called out to him in order to get his attention, was now running right back to his trainer, sitting atop a small surf board. He pushed it through the water with his tail, almost like an ore. At this, Michelle giggled. She found Pikachu's various quirks to be very cute.

"Pikachu, where did you get that surfboard from?" Ash asked warily.

"Pika-chu," Pikachu replied, pointing back towards the shore.

"So you just took it?" Ash sighed.

"Pi…"

"Whoa, a surfboard!"

Ash looked over his shoulder and locked his eyes on Aiden, who was still being held in Misty's arms. The young boy's eyes were glimmering, and he was holding his small hands out towards the surfboard, fingers clenching in obvious want.

"Do you want to stand on it?" Misty asked. She didn't mind that so much, so long as the little boy didn't try to take the board out towards the waves.

Aiden emphatically nodded his head in response to that question. Misty wadded over to the surf board and stood Aiden up in the center of it, holding onto his sides the entire time for fear of him slipping off.

"Mommy, let go!" Aiden whined.

Misty frowned at this. "Aiden, I don't want you to fall off…"

"I won't! Let go!"

Misty sighed and released Aiden's sides. The little boy giggled and held his arms up in the air, beaming down at his mother and father who couldn't help but to smile back in response.

"Pika!" Pikachu squeaked from the back of the surfboard, his tail still bobbing up and down in the water.

"Look, I'm surfin'!" Aiden squealed.

"Yeah, you look so cool!" Ash chuckled. Michelle just silently eyed her brother up and down, not fully understanding what was going on.

"HEY!"

Aiden shrieked and stumbled, falling right over the side of the surfboard and slipping into the ocean. Ash gasped, while Misty immediately dove beneath the water. She emerged in a matter of seconds, clutching a soaked and slightly shaken Aiden.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Misty fussed over the boy. Aiden's only response was to spit out a stream of ocean water from his mouth and cough afterwards.

"Where did that shout come from?" Ash wondered aloud, looking towards the shoreline. What he found was a familiar looking man, with broad muscles and sky blue hair, looking down in the same spot where Pikachu had taken the surf board from.

"Pika?" Pikachu squeaked to Ash.

"Yeah, it's Brawly!" Ash chuckled.

Brawly looked up at the sound of his name, and his angry expression quickly melted away when he realized that Ash was the one staring back at him.

"Hey, Ash!" Brawly greeted, rushing into the water to meet the Pokémon Master. "Long time no see!"

"Yeah!" Ash agreed cheerfully before adopting a fairly sheepish look. "Oh…I'm sorry that Pikachu took your surfboard…"

"Pi…" Pikachu chimed in apologetically.

"Oh, that," Brawly murmured, looking over at the board. "Ah, don't mention it! I was just a bit scared when I didn't see it where I'd left it!"

"He doesn't normally do stuff like that," Ash explained, "but, you see, my son wouldn't stop whining that he wanted to surf, so Pikachu just wanted to make him happy."

"Ah, so your little boy wants to become a surfer, huh?" Brawly chuckled, eyeing the small boy in Misty's arms. "That's radical!"

"Uh, yeah, sure," Ash laughed nervously. He always found Brawly's surfer vernacular to be a little strange.

"Hey there, little dude!" Brawly greeted Aiden, moving closer to Misty and smiling down at the boy before moving his blue eyes up towards the red head holding him. "And good afternoon to you, Misty."

"I'm married, Brawly," Misty trilled playfully in a sing-song voice, her eyes shimmering with mischievousness.

"Man, you _accidentally_ hit on the Pokémon Master's woman _once,_ and she'll never let you forget it!" Brawly laughed heartily.

"I'm awfully good at that," Misty purred, causing Aiden to glance up at her. "So, what are you doing here?"

"I heard the waves here were A plus!" Brawly crowed, shielding his eyes from the sun so he could look out deeper into the ocean. "Turns out the rumors were true! I decided to take a little vacation from the gym out in Dewford and head on over to Kanto to check out these waves. I've already conquered the tides in Hoenn, after all!"

"That figures," Misty giggled sweetly.

"Mommy," Aiden finally squeaked, catching Misty's attention, "dat surfboard is too small for him!"

Misty's entire face turned red when Aiden pointed a little finger at Brawly. "Aiden, don't do that! It isn't polite! And that nice man has a name!"

"Misty, it's totally fine!" Brawly chortled. "The little guy's just excited is all! Reminds me an awful lot of _me_ when I was a kid!"

"Who's he?" Aiden finally asked, causing Misty's blush to increase.

"My name's Brawly, little man," Brawly introduced himself to Aiden. "And I'm a gym leader all the way from the Hoenn region! You know where that is?"

Aiden silently shook his head.

"Of course you know where that is," Misty cooed to the boy. "That's where May and Drew live!"

"Oh," Aiden murmured.

"And your name is Aiden, right?" Brawly asked kindly. Aiden wordlessly nodded his head. "Awesome! You want to surf, don't you, little dude?"

"Uh huh," Aiden chirped.

"Well, that's great!" Brawly crowed. "I'm a surfer myself, you know."

Aiden's eyes widened at this. "Really?!"

"Sure thing! I travel far and wide, looking for all the best waves! And that surfboard over there, the one your Pikachu found, is a lot smaller than the ones _I_ use because it's for my Pokémon!"

"Pokémon can surf, too?" Aiden questioned.

"Sure thing!" Brawly confirmed. "I train fighting types, but they all love the water and surfing! I not only train them in battle, but on the waves, too!"

"Even Pikachu can surf!" Ash added, causing Aiden to gasp.

"No way, I never knew that!" Brawly remarked.

"Yep, he learned to surf a long time ago, while we were training on an island for the Pokémon League," Ash explained. "Pikachu really can do it all, huh, buddy?"

Pikachu chuckled sheepishly at this and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well then, Pikachu, how would you like to help me teach the little guy how to surf?" Brawly asked the small electric type.

"Ka?" Pikachu asked, pointing at himself.

"Brawly, you really want to teach Aiden how to surf?" Misty asked.

"Of course!" Brawly chuckled.

"But isn't he a little bit too young?" Misty tried again.

"Nah, he seems to be just about the same age I was when I started to learn how to surf!" Brawly refuted. The look of horror on Misty's face, however, led Brawly to assure her, "don't worry, I'm not gonna' put the little guy up against any _real _waves! I'll just stand him up on the board! Promise!"

"I guess that's okay," Misty sighed, glancing down at Aiden. "What do you say, buddy? You want Brawly and Pikachu to teach you about surfing?"

"Yes!" Aiden chirped, earning a smile from his mother. She handed the little boy off to Brawly, who didn't at all seem intimidated by the child.

"Okay, little guy!" Brawly cheered. "You're gonna' learn how to be an awesome little surfer dude! My Pokémon's surfboard will be the perfect size for you to learn on! Let's go stand you up on it and see how it feels."

Brawly lifted Aiden out of the water and instead stood him up on the small surfboard. Aiden giggled at this and waved his arms up and down.

"Wow, totally rad trunks, little guy!" Brawly chuckled, motioning towards the younger boy's red trunks with white sides and black piping.

"Red is my favoritest color!" Aiden cheerfully informed Brawly, who smiled in response.

"Okay, now I'm gonna' let go of you," Brawly informed Aiden. "You stay nice and still on that board, 'kay little dude? That way you won't fall off!"

"Okay!" Aiden chirped, throwing his arms down by his sides. Slowly, Brawly released his grip on the boy, but still kept his hands close by in case the child was to accidentally slip.

"Pipika pi-ka!" Pikachu cheered as soon as he was sure Aiden had his balance.

"Way to go, little man!" Brawly praised the young boy as well. "Want me to pull you around in the water for a little while?"

"Yeah!"

Ash and Misty watched on as Brawly pulled the miniature surf board through the water, Aiden managing to stand on it the entire time, giggling and holding his arms out towards Brawly. Pikachu, meanwhile, sat on the back of the surfboard, twitching his ears back and forth while keeping a close eye on Aiden.

"I can't believe Brawly is here," Misty commented to her husband.

"Yeah," Ash agreed.

"It's a good thing Pikachu took his surfboard and not some random person's who we don't know," Misty continued.

"Yeah…I'm gonna' have to talk to Pikachu about that."

* * *

><p><strong>I wasn't going to add Brawly at first, but I needed someone who could own the surfboard, and I decided on him! He's a pretty cool guy :P<strong>


	199. A Purrloin of Trouble

**Oh look, it's another one shot I started FOREVER ago but didn't finish until now! I'm a mess.**

**Michelle: 5 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>A Purrloin of Trouble<strong>

"This is a whole new place you've never seen before, right baby girl?"

Michelle moved her head around, as if examining her surroundings. Tilting her head up towards her father, she made an indiscernible baby noise, earning a little chuckle from Ash.

"Aw, you think it's interesting, don't ya?"

Ash was walking through the forest that out skirted Striaton City, in an effort to try and soothe his cranky young daughter. At least, that was his original intent. She was calm now; her back against Ash's chest with her little legs hanging over his strong arms as her big emerald eyes carefully studied everything that breezed by her and her father as he strolled down the path.

He hadn't been back to Unova since Iris and Cilan's wedding, Ash realized. Not much had changed, but it was exciting in the fact that his little girl had never seen the place. And although she was only a baby, Ash thought she was able to pick things up pretty decently. After all, she always seemed to pay attention to him when he talked.

Somewhere nearby, the sound of rustling bushes caught Ash's attention, and stopped him in his tracks. He waited a few moments until it went off again.

Ash looked around for the source of the sudden noise. "Hmm, what was that?"

"Ma!" Michelle blabbered, holding one of her little hands out.

Ash looked down at the baby. He wasn't entirely sure of why he was asking this question, because he knew he wouldn't get a response. "Do you see something, sweetheart?"

"Gah," Michelle cooed, lowering her arm and looked up at her father again with wide, curious eyes.

"That's weird," Ash murmured, once again turning his head from side to side. He subconsciously held Michelle a little tighter, for fear that someone would jump out of the trees and try to tear the precious baby away from him. The scenario wasn't likely, but Ash was extremely paranoid and protective. So that happened to be his first conclusion.

The rustling continued to get louder and louder until a dark purple flash appeared before the Pokémon Master, causing him to jump back in surprise.

"What…what was that?!" Ash gasped.

A feline Pokémon was perched on all fours before Ash, staring up at him with its devious, half lidded green eyes.

"Da?" Michelle cooed, squirming gently in Ash's arms.

"It's a Purrloin," Ash stated in awe.

"Gah!" Michelle shrieked, waving her little arms excitedly.

"Do you like the pretty Purrloin?" Ash cooed.

"Purr?" Purrloin meowed, tilting its head to the side.

Michelle squealed and clapped her hands together, clearly having the time of her life by simply watching the devious Pokémon standing in front of her.

"It's a cute little Pokémon, isn't it?" Ash laughed. "You've gotta' be careful though, princess! Purrloin can be awfully tricky!"

"Aah," Michelle marveled, causing Ash to chuckle once again.

The purple cat took that opportunity to dart away while Ash wasn't looking. Michelle had seen it, however, and allowed her emerald eyes to follow after the devious Pokémon. When Ash once again looked down, he realized that the Purrloin was now missing.

"Hey, where did it go?" Ash wondered aloud.

"Awa," Michelle babbled, reaching a tiny hand up towards her father. Ash smiled and nuzzled the tiny being's palm, gently tickling her with his nose and making her giggle.

While Ash was distracted by Michelle, Purrloin watched on from overhead, atop a branch of a tree from which the devious Pokémon had climbed. Its emerald green cat eyes followed Ash's every move, from the delicate tilt of his head to the way his arms tensed every time he hugged Michelle closer to his body. Purring sneakily, Purrloin smirked to itself before taking one skillful leap off of the edge of the branch, flying through the air before landing on all fours atop Ash's head.

"Huh?" Ash murmured, curiously rolling his eyes up to try and get a better look at whatever had just landed on him. "Purrloin?"

Michelle too caught sight of the purple cat, now standing atop her father's head, and laughed wildly at the Pokémon. She thought it was such a silly thing to stand on her daddy's head. What a silly Pokémon!

"You sure are happy," Ash murmured to the baby, his own soft chuckles escaping every now and again.

With both humans distracted by its antics, Purrloin turned around on Ash's head and reached its little paws into Ash's backpack, swatting out a small, light pink blanket and draping the material over the back of its neck before jumping off of Ash's head and landing back on the ground, scurrying away before the Pokémon Master could see what was stolen.

"Huh, that sure was strange," Ash commented, tilting his head back and forth. "I guess that Purrloin was just playing, huh?"

"Pa," Michelle spat before leaning back against Ash's chest and letting out a big yawn.

"Aw, you're getting sleepy, aren't you?" Ash cooed. Michelle's head began to slump to the side as her eyes began to close. "I should probably bring you back to the house now. Mommy will put you down for a nap! She'll be happy to see you're nice and calm now."

Ash carried the little girl all the way back to Iris and Cilan's home, located just down the street from the Striaton Gym. The other children had already been put down for their naps, but when they had tried to do the same with Michelle, she had thrown an absolute fit. That's where the crankiness had begun, which led to Ash taking her for a walk. As soon as Ash entered the house, he was greeted by the sound of absolute silence, save for the quiet whispers coming from the living room where Misty, Iris, and Cilan had all congregated before Ash had left. He walked into that same room and smiled at three, giving the widest grin to Misty, who seemed quite pleased to see that Michelle was finally falling asleep.

"Wow, that really worked!" Misty murmured, getting to her feet and walking over to Ash. She gently took the baby from him and cradled her close, rocking the child back and forth as her eyes slipped further closed.

"Yeah, I showed her around the forest for a little while," Ash replied. "We saw lots of trees, and wild Pokémon…oh! We saw a-"

"Ash, could I have Michelle's blanket?"

"Huh?"

"Her pink blanket," Misty elaborated. "She likes to be wrapped up in it while she sleeps."

"Oh, right!" Ash chuckled, pulling off his backpack and unzipping the back compartment. He started to dig through the bag, and that digging soon became a more panicked rustling.

"Ash, where's the blanket?" Misty asked calmly.

"I…uh…I…don't know?"

"_Ash!_" Misty hissed, gritting her teeth together. "I gave you that blanket for safe keeping! How could you have _lost_ it?!"

Iris and Cilan watched on with bewildered eyes as Ash continued to dig through his backpack, Misty glaring at her husband while still rocking the baby in her arms.

"I swear I didn't lose it! I never took it out of my backpack!" Ash cried. Suddenly, his arms stilled and he looked up slowly, staring off into the distance. "Unless…"

"Unless _what?_" Misty seethed, not sounding any more amused than she had before.

"That Purrloin must have taken it!" Ash gasped, causing Misty to raise an eyebrow and Cilan to let out a shrill cry, much to everyone in the room's horror. Michelle whimpered from the sudden loud noise, and to stop it from happening again, Iris slapped a hand over her own husband's mouth.

"That was an awfully frightened shriek," Misty commented.

"He's afraid of Purrloin, although I'm not entirely sure of why," Iris grumbled. "He never talks about it!"

"They're so evil…" Cilan murmured. "Why would you ever trust one of those conniving creatures, Ash?!"

"Michelle thought it was cute!" Ash defended himself. "Besides, it wasn't doing anything wrong. It was just playing around! How was I supposed to know it was going to get into my backpack and steal Michelle's blanket?"

"Because no matter what, Purrloin will always find a way to be deceitful!" Cilan cried.

"He's crazy, I swear," Iris muttered.

"We have to go back to the forest and find that Purrloin," Misty grumbled, turning her attention back onto Ash. "It couldn't have gotten _that_ far, right?"

"Probably not," Ash sighed, "but you should stay here, Misty. I don't want Michelle to wake up and get cranky again."

"Ash…" Misty warned.

"Just watch her, okay?" Ash pleaded. "I'll come back with the blanket, I promise. And Cilan and Iris will help me too!"

"Says who?" Iris huffed.

"I'm not going to look for some evil Purrloin!" Cilan yelped, grabbing a pillow from the corner of the couch and holding it over his face.

"_Fine,_ I'll go with you," Iris grumbled, standing up from the couch and gently shoving Cilan by the shoulder, accentuating the action with a desolate, "but only because my husband is such a big baby!"

"Hey…" Cilan whimpered from behind the pillow.

**XXX**

Ash and Iris were soon back in the forest, looking around desperately for the Purrloin who had stolen Michelle's beloved baby blanket.

"Where is that sneaky little cat?" Iris muttered under her breath. "It _has _to still be around here somewhere! You're sure this is where you saw it?"

"Positive!" Ash sighed.

"Well, how could we possibly be missing a cat carrying around a baby blanket?" Iris stressed.

"I don't know!" Ash whined. "Maybe we're just not looking hard enough."

"Loin…purr…"

Ash and Iris both looked towards the ground, where from underneath a nearby bush, a pink blanket covered creature was slinking out.

"Hey, that's Michelle's blanket!" Ash gasped.

"Which means it's Purrloin beneath it," Iris concluded.

"Alright," Ash seethed, taking a threatening step forward, "let's get my baby girl's blanket back!"

"Not so fast," Iris hissed, throwing her arm out in front of Ash and effectively stopping him in his tracks.

"Huh? Why not?"

Incredulously eyeing her friend, Iris replied, "You can't just waltz up to a Purrloin and attack it! They're _very_ fast, and even trickier."

"So, what? You're saying it can outsmart us?"

"Me? No. You? Maybe," Iris quipped.

"Hey!" Ash whined.

Unfortunately, he'd protested a bit too loudly, and it caught the attention of Purrloin, who peered up at the two humans from beneath the soft pink blanket. Ash bit his lip, while Iris scowled at him and resisted the urge to smack him behind the head.

"Nice going, _Ash,_" Iris bit.

"I didn't do anything!" Ash complained.

"Loin!" Purrloin purred, smirking at the two and attempting to dart away with the blanket still draped over its body.

"Oh no you don't!" Ash shouted. Looking at his shoulder, Ash requested, "Pikachu, use quick attack!"

"Pika!" Pikachu chirped, leaping off of Ash's shoulder and shooting towards Purrloin, dashing much faster than the devious purple cat who had stolen Michelle's blanket. He managed to cut in front of the dark type, causing Purrloin to skid to a halt and gasp. Pikachu was growling at the cat, not willing to let it get away with the baby blanket.

"Purr…" Purrloin meowed out of fear.

"Alright, Pikachu, that's enough," Ash murmured, kneeling down next to Purrloin and taking the blanket off of it. The devious Pokémon glanced up curiously at Ash, who smiled sweetly at the creature in turn.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu questioned.

Ash threw a sympathetic look towards Pikachu. "I know you're upset because Purrloin stole Michelle's blanket, but that doesn't mean we should fight with it!" Ash looked towards Purrloin and patted the bewildered dark type on its head. "I know you're not a bad Pokémon, Purrloin."

"Ash, it stole your daughter's blanket right out of your backpack," Iris deadpanned.

"I know, but I got it back, didn't I?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, but-"

"It's fine," Ash cut the woman off, once again grinning at Purrloin. "You're free to go, Purrloin! Try and keep yourself out of trouble from now on, 'kay?"

"Purr purr," Purrloin purred happily, jumping onto Ash's shoulder and rubbing against his cheek before jumping into the air and running deeper into the forest. Smirking, Ash stood up to his full height and allowed Pikachu to get back on his shoulder, where Purrloin had just been.

"See? Nice and easy!" Ash chuckled.

"I guess so," Iris muttered.

"Pika!" Pikachu trilled happily.

Ash suddenly raised an eyebrow and adjusted his backpack. Iris watched him with a certain sense of bewilderment, tilting her head to the side and blinking just a few times before finally giving up and shaking her head.

"What is _wrong_ with you, Ash?"

"My backpack feels a _lot_ lighter than when we came out here…" Ash muttered, slipping the bag off of his shoulders and zipping the back compartment open to scour through it once again.

"Oh please," Iris groaned, "you are so ridiculous-"

"THAT PURRLOIN STOLE MY BOX OF COOKIES!"

* * *

><p><strong>I don't know why this one took me so long to finish...I think it's funny :P<strong>


	200. Birthstones

**Today is July 12th, which is my headcanon day for Misty's birthday! This also happens to be the 200th one shot in the series, which is really kind of crazy XD But, what's a better way to celebrate this milestone then by dedicating it to my favorite character of all time?**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 11 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Birthstones<strong>

"Come on, you two, we have to hurry!"

Aiden and Michelle looked curiously at their father, who had a somewhat aggravated expression set on his handsome face.

Michelle tilted her head. "Why? Where else do we have to go, Daddy?"

"Uh…nowhere," Ash admitted with a slight blush.

"Then why do we have to hurry?" Aiden scoffed as he folded his arms.

Sighing, Ash allowed his shoulders to fall before admitting, "I just really hate the mall, okay?"

"Then why are we here?" Aiden questioned.

Ash frowned. "Because we have to get Mommy a present. You know that."

"Then why does it have to be from the mall?" Aiden continued.

Grimacing, Ash turned his gaze onto Aiden and prompted, "You are just _full _of questions today, aren't you, buddy?"

Aiden shrugged at this. "I guess. But you didn't tell me why."

"Because the easiest thing to buy for Mommy is jewelry," Ash explained. "And the mall has all of the best jewelry. So, as much as I don't like coming here, I sort of have to."

A gentle coo brought the three family members' attention to the stroller that Ash had one hand on. The baby inside was smiling up at him, her bright green eyes sparkling as she made happy little noises to no one but herself.

"Aw, you're so cute," Ash chuckled.

"Daddy, if you got Mommy a birthday present already, then why do we have to come to the mall?" Michelle chirped.

Ash's entire face turned red at this inquiry. "Uh…because maybe I didn't buy Mommy a birthday present just yet…"

Both Aiden and Michelle's eyes widened at this. Simultaneously, Elizabeth stopped cooing, as if she too knew her father was in deep trouble.

"Daddy!" Michelle scolded.

"I was busy!" Ash immediately cried.

"Mommy's gonna' be mad," Aiden warned in a sing-song voice.

"No she isn't," Ash refuted, "because she's _never _going to find out I got her present the day before her birthday!"

"But Daddy, you always buy Mommy jewelry," Michelle complained.

"What's wrong with that?" Ash questioned.

"It's _boring,_" Michelle answered easily.

"No way, Mommy loves it when I buy her jewelry!" Ash argued. "She wears it all the time!"

"But they all look the same," Michelle whined.

Now _this_ concerned Ash. Michelle might have been young, quite young, but she was still a girl. And even though she was also a bit of a tomboy, she still thought jewelry was sparkly and pretty. In fact, this little five-and-a-half year old girl probably knew more about jewelry than Ash _himself _did.

And the fact that she believed the things Ash picked out for Misty were _boring _freaked him out.

"Well…what do I do?" Ash asked.

"Buy something pretty! And diff'ent!" Michelle squeaked.

"But what's so different?" Ash questioned again.

"Come on, I'll help you!" Michelle chirped, jumping up and down by her father's side. "Let's go, let's go!"

"Okay, I'm coming…" Ash sighed, finally putting both hands back on Elizabeth's stroller so he could push it. Michelle was still hopping along by his side, while Aiden was wearing a completely identical expression to his father: one of sheer boredom and apparent regret for ever coming in the first place.

Once they finally reached the jewelry store, Michelle let out a high pitched giggle and scurried inside. Ash sighed and looked down at Aiden, who was still pouting and moping.

"Come on, little guy," Ash laughingly prodded. "Let's follow your sister."

"Ma…" Elizabeth squealed, throwing her hands up in the air.

"No, not _you,_ pumpkin," Ash chuckled, "the _big_ sister! But, you're following along too."

Ash and Aiden both entered the store, where they found Michelle with her hands and face pressed up against the glass of the lighted display case, standing on her tippy toes so she could actually see inside of it.

"See anything good, princess?" Ash asked whimsically.

"Daddy, there are such _pretty_ diamonds in here!" Michelle squealed.

"Pretty diamonds?" Ash murmured, kneeling down next to Michelle. He peered into the case and chuckled, realizing what Michelle was looking at. "Oh, sweetie, those aren't diamonds!"

"But they're pretty colors," Michelle squeaked, pointing at one of the jewels.

"Yeah, those are called birthstones," Ash replied. "There's one for every single month! And, depending on which month you were born in, the color of your birthstone changes!"

Michelle raised an interested eyebrow at this new (to her, anyway) information. "Which one's mine, Daddy?"

"Well, you and Aiden have the same one, because you were both born in December," Ash explained. "So, you guys have…this one…right here!"

Ash pointed a finger at a pretty, light blue stone that reminded Michelle of ice. She cooed and marveled at the stone, while Aiden popped up between her and Ash, his brown eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Oooh, its light blue!" Michelle squealed. "That's my most favorite color!"

Aiden, however, didn't seem as entertained as his sister. "Why can't it be red?"

"Because December doesn't have a red stone," Ash replied.

Aiden pouted at this. "Why not?"

"I don't know," Ash replied with a shrug. "I didn't choose which month got which stone! If I did, I would totally give myself a different one."

"Which one's yours, Daddy?" Aiden prodded.

"This one," Ash answered, moving his finger over to a dark green gem that reminded the twins of leaves on the forest trees. "It's called emerald."

"Which month's that for?" Aiden squeaked.

"May," Ash chuckled. "It's an okay one, I guess. Mommy loves it because it's green, and that's her favorite color. I'm with you though, little man. I kind of wish my stone was red. Or blue. I like those colors the most. But emeralds are some of the most precious and expensive gems in the world, apparently, so that's kind of cool!"

From inside of her stroller, Elizabeth cooed curiously, causing her father and two older siblings to look up. She was peering through the opening of her stroller, pouting her lips and staring at all three of her family members with wide, unblinking eyes.

"Aw, she's lonely," Ash crooned, standing up and lifting the baby out of her stroller. "Is that better, pumpkin?"

"Dada!" Elizabeth trilled, causing Ash to chuckle happily to himself.

"Hey, which one is Lizzie's birthstone?" Aiden called from the floor.

Ash blinked and knelt back down, this time with Elizabeth in his arms. She giggled and started patting her little hand against the glass, right above where all of the colorful gemstones were displayed.

"Hmm…Lizzie's birthstone is…oh, right here!" Ash gasped, pointing at a light green stone. "Hers is called peridot."

"It's green, like yours, Daddy!" Michelle marveled.

"But lighter," Aiden added.

"Yeah, Lizzie has a very pretty one," Ash agreed. "I think I like hers a lot better than mine! Mommy really loves Elizabeth's stone, too."

"Is that 'cause it's green?" Michelle asked.

"Yep," Ash laughed, "exactly why!"

"So…which one is Mommy's?" Aiden finally asked, putting his face up against the glass.

"Mommy's birthstone is perfect for her," Ash chuckled. "Check it out!"

He pointed at a bright red stone, shining intensely like frozen fire. Aiden and Michelle both marveled over it, while Elizabeth let out a completely unrelated giggle.

"Hey, _Mommy's_ is red!" Aiden shrieked.

"That's a ruby," Ash explained. "I think it's perfect for Mommy because it's so fiery, just like her!"

"But Mommy likes water Pokémon, Daddy," Michelle murmured, not understanding what her father meant.

"Yeah, she does," Ash chuckled. "But I mean her _personality!_ Mommy is a very fiery person. She's a tough one, isn't she?"

Suddenly, Michelle's eyes lit up, even more so than when she'd first set them on the birthstones, and she beamed up at a very confused Ash.

"What is it, Shelly?" Ash asked.

"Daddy, you can buy Mommy all of our birthstones!" Michelle squealed.

"Yeah!" Aiden agreed.

"You think?" Ash murmured.

"Yeah, they're pretty!" Michelle trilled. "And then she has something for _all _of us!"

"Mommy loves all of us!" Aiden added.

"Mama!" Elizabeth giggled.

"I guess that wouldn't be such a bad idea," Ash mused. "Mommy does really like birthstones…she even has them on her engagement ring! So, I guess I can't go wrong with that. But…what kind of jewelry do I get her, then?"

"Don't worry, Daddy!" Michelle giggled. "I got it!"

**XXX**

The next morning, as it usually happened every single year, Misty was awoken by her eager children jumping on the bed. Except for Elizabeth, of course, who was too young for that. Ash had also learned his lesson from Mother's Day, and chose to hold the little girl in his arms instead of putting her down on the bed where she could have been potentially pounced on.

"Happy birthday, Mommy!" Aiden and Michelle trilled as she finally sat up to stretch. Misty giggled at this and smiled at the two children, looking quite enamored by their cheerfulness.

"Aw, thanks you guys!" Misty laughed. "You're all so sweet!"

"We got you a present, Mommy!" Michelle continued, her eyes glimmering.

Ash cleared his throat at this, causing Michelle to look over her shoulder and giggle nervously at her father's look of disapproval.

"Okay, _Daddy_ got you a present," Michelle corrected herself, "but _I _picked it out!"

Misty smirked at Ash, who looked rather sheepish. "That's perfectly fine. I think it's really sweet that you guys all got me a present together! I have the best family in the world."

"Yeah, but you didn't see the present yet!" Michelle chirped, bouncing around on her knees until she was facing Ash. "Show her, Daddy!"

"Okay, okay!" Ash laughed. "I'm going to get it."

He walked over to his nightstand, still holding Elizabeth against his hip, and opened up the top drawer, pulling out a long, slender rectangular box that was wrapped up in blue and green wrapping paper that looked like it was painted with water colors along with a bright green ribbon.

"Oh, the outside is so pretty!" Misty marveled. "I can already tell that whatever is inside is going to be beautiful!"

Elizabeth giggled and reached out for the box, trying to get her tiny little fingers onto it. Ash, however, playfully clicked his tongue and held the box up in the air and out of reach, causing everyone else to laugh.

"Now now, baby girl," Ash cooed, "your birthday isn't for another month! You'll get a nice present then."

"Or two," Misty quipped, knowing full well how spoiled all three of their children were.

"Or _twenty,_" Ash muttered, causing Misty to smirk once again. Smiling sweetly, Ash lowered the box and handed it off to Misty, who happily took it and started to tug at the ribbon.

"Hurry, Mommy!" Aiden cried. "Open it!"

"I am!" Misty giggled. "I don't want to ruin the pretty wrapping, sweetheart."

"Oh, I do," Aiden squeaked.

"Yes, I know you do," Misty laughed playfully.

She finally got the ribbon off and then the wrapping paper, until all she was left with was a bare white box that was just waiting to be opened. She pulled off the top and, when she saw what was sitting inside, her eyes lit up with pure admiration.

"Oh, Ash…" Misty breathed.

Inside of the box was a sterling silver bracelet, with five birthstone crystals in the shape of hearts adorned between pieces of silver. The crystals were in a very specific order: first emerald, then ruby, two blue topazes in the middle, and peridot last. It was obvious that the order was that of each person's birth: Ash, Misty, Aiden, Michelle, and finally, Elizabeth.

"Isn't it pretty?" Michelle giggled, breaking her mother out of her trance.

"Yes, it's _stunning,_" Misty murmured, her smile stretching across her whole face. "It'll go _perfectly _with my engagement ring! And it has all of our birthstones on it, too!"

"You like it?" Aiden asked excitedly.

"Oh, I _love_ it!" Misty squealed, grabbing Aiden and Michelle and giving them hugs and kisses. "Thank you two _so_ much!"

"You're welcome!" They both squeaked.

"Oh, but Daddy bought it!" Michelle reminded her mother, looking back at Ash with a big smile.

"Thanks for reminding everyone, Shelly," Ash chuckled.

"I didn't forget," Misty teased, her eyes sparkling as she reached up towards her husband. "I know it was you! Come here, Mr. Pokémon Master."

Ash smirked and climbed onto the bed, sitting a content baby Elizabeth in Misty's lap. The gym leader smiled and kissed the top of her daughter's head before pulling Ash in to lock their lips together, resting her hand on the back of his neck and toying with his springs of raven hair.

"Blegh," Aiden spat, covering his eyes with his hands.

Ash chuckled and broke the kiss, instead resting his forehead against Misty's and rubbing his hand against her bare shoulder.

"I'm glad you like it," Ash murmured. "And, even though I bought it, it _was_ still Michelle's idea."

Misty smiled at her husband. "It's okay, I told you that I love that you all put your heads together. Besides, those are all different, individual birthstones! You guys must have picked that out such a long time ago."

Ash smirked at his wife, ignoring his older children's muffled laughter from the background and hiding the fact that he was about to break out into a sweat. "Anything to give you the perfect birthday, angel."

* * *

><p><strong>It's not exactly what I was expecting to write, but for the 200th, it's not so bad: it shows off the family dynamic, Ash and Misty's love for one another, AND Daddy!Ash and Mommy!Misty fluff :P A combination of all of my favorite things!<strong>

**And thanks to all of you guys for sticking around with me this long. For something I do just for fun, you guys really give me a lot of confidence and determination to keep writing! So, I'm very grateful to all of you guys! You all rule :D**


	201. Toddler Twerps and Tiaras

**One shot 201. How awesome :P This one was inspired by the DP episode "Borrowing on Bad Faith." Enjoy!**

**Elizabeth: 2 and a half years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Toddler Twerps and Tiaras<strong>

"Come on, Jewel! Just do it for Mommy, please?"

"Mom, stop it! I'm _ten;_ I'm too old for those pageants!"

"But you _love_ being the center of attention!"

"Yeah, that's true. But that doesn't mean I want to be in pageants again! I've already won every title possible, so why should I keep going? It's just going to look desperate at this point."

Jessie huffed and eyed her daughter warily. From the background, James, Jason, and Meowth watched in on fright. James, especially, had been acquainted with Jessie long enough to know that denying her of what she wanted would end badly for the one refusing her. On the other hand, Jessie treasured Jewel more than anyone else in the world, and would never snap at the girl.

In essence, Jewel was the _only _one who could actually defy Jessie and live to tell the tale.

"Oh, you used to look so cute in those frilly little dresses," Jessie crooned, causing Jewel to roll her eyes. "Beautiful, like a little princess!"

"Nice try, Mom," Jewel snickered, "but I'm not going to enter a pageant."

Jessie pouted at this before spinning around and beaming directly at a startled Jason.

"Jay-Jay," Jessie trilled, using her son's despised nickname, "would you like to do Mommy a favor?"

"I'm not entering a pageant either!" Jason cried.

"Why not?" Jessie whined. "Boys do it all the time!"

"Yeah? Well, not this one!" Jason yelped, pointing at himself.

"Jessie, you can't force them to do something they don't want to do," James reasoned with his longtime partner, who had once again adopted her miserable sulk.

"Yeah, dey're too old for dat kinda' stuff!" Meowth agreed.

"OH, WHO ASKED YOU TWO?!" Jessie stormed, causing Meowth to jump into James' arms. Jason just rolled his eyes up from where he stood in the middle, watching the scene above him out of sheer bewilderment. Jewel, on the other hand, simply sighed and shook her head. She found her family to be absolutely ridiculous, although she _did_ love them.

As James and Meowth cowered out of fear, a trifling collection of giggles filled the air, causing the gathered members of Team Rocket to stop in their tracks. They all looked around, confused as to where the giggles were coming from. Suddenly, from behind a nearby bush, a small red-headed girl popped out, and it was clear that _she_ was the one who was making all of the noise.

"Hey, wait a minute…" Jewel murmured, eyeing the little girl as she waltzed on by.

"That kid seems familiar…" Jason added.

"That's the twerps' baby!" Jessie gasped.

"What's she doin' wanderin' around out here without da twerps, then?" Meowth questioned.

"Who knows," James murmured.

The small girl, however, was showing no signs of stopping, and before anyone knew it, she was heading straight towards the _end of a cliff._

"She's going to fall!" Jewel shrieked, covering her mouth out of shock.

Heart racing, Jessie immediately took off after the child, running as fast as her legs could take her so she could catch up with the little girl. As soon as Jessie got behind the child, the toddler was leaning over and about to take the biggest tumble of her young life.

Fortunately, Jessie was able to reach forward and grab hold of the little girl before she actually fell off of the ledge, leading the rest of the team to let out the breaths they'd been holding ever since the child had made her way to the edge of the cliff.

"That was close…" Jessie muttered, turning the little girl around so she could properly see her face. The evil woman was scowling, fully prepared to give the toddler a full-on scolding for what she had done…and for forcing her to run.

As soon as Jessie saw the child's face, however, she couldn't bear to even _raise her voice_ towards the little thing.

The small child had the sweetest, biggest eyes that were sparkling like sea glass, thanks to their emerald green hue. Her skin was light but still warm, almost like a little porcelain doll. Her cheeks were graced with a precious, light pink blush; not one of embarrassment or fear, but rather a simple depiction of her innocence and youth. The girl's hair, however, was her most striking feature, aside from her beautiful pair of eyes. She had dark red locks, too bright and warm to be auburn but not light enough to look like fire. Her hair was soft and thin, delicate and grown just to her shoulders. A thin veil of bangs curtained her forehead, dancing idly above the same sparkling orbs that Jessie kept on returning to.

And then the child let out another lighthearted giggle that all but melted Jessie's usually cold heart.

"Oh, aren't you just a doll!" Jessie squealed, giving the child a tight squeeze.

"Um…is Mom going gaga over our enemies' kid?" Jewel deadpanned.

"Sure looks like it," Jason muttered.

"Elizabeth!"

The small girl in Jessie's arms squeaked at this, peering over the woman's shoulder with her emerald eyes. Jessie, too, turned her head to see who had been calling for the child. At the sound of those familiar voices, Jason and Jewel both gasped and ran to hide behind a nearby collection of bushes so they would be out of sight. Just as the evil team was expecting, Ash and Misty both came storming into the clearing, their eyes wide and filled with obvious terror.

"Team Rocket?" Ash muttered out of confusion.

"Ash, they have Elizabeth!" Misty gasped, pointing at the small girl in Jessie's arms. At the sound of her name, Elizabeth giggled and rested her head against Jessie's chest, bringing up a strong sense of determination for the magenta haired woman.

"Oh, calm yourself, twerpette," Jessie scoffed, causing Misty to glower. "I wasn't doing anything to your precious baby. In fact, I saved her little butt!"

Misty raised an incredulous eyebrow at this. "What do you mean you _saved _her?"

"I'm assuming you took your twerpish little eyes off of this precious angel, because she came wandering out of some bushes and toddled right to the edge of this cliff," Jessie explained, pointing behind her at the spot where she had just saved the toddler. "She would have fallen right off if I hadn't grabbed her in time!"

Misty's eyes widened once again as she ran over to that very spot, peering over the ledge. Ash soon joined her, and the two found themselves staring at least twenty feet down, where a narrow river ran down a hard, dusty path.

"Oh my gosh," Misty breathed, covering her mouth out of terror. "Ash, she would have-"

"I know," Ash grumbled, cutting her off. His hands were actually _trembling_ as the very thought ran through his head.

Turning around, Misty smiled weakly at Jessie and murmured, "Well…thank you very much, Jessie. Really, that means _everything_ to me."

As Misty thanked Jessie for saving Elizabeth, a genius idea popped up into the villainess' head, causing her to force back a devious smirk so neither Ash nor Misty would catch onto her.

"Whatever, twerpette," Jessie scoffed, causing Misty to furrow her brow. "If you're _really_ so grateful to me for saving your little girl, you and your equally twerpy husband will do me a favor."

"What kind of a favor?" Misty demanded to know, sounding rather skeptical about the whole deal.

"There's a sweet little pageant going on in the next town today, and I just so happened to be the queen of the circuit back in my day!" Jessie sighed, causing Ash and Misty to exchange bewildered glances. "So, I believe it'd be an _honor_ for your baby twerp if you two would let me enter her into the pageant."

"What?! No way!" Ash argued.

"But Ash…" Misty whispered.

"No, nuh uh, that's _never _going to happen," Ash growled, narrowing his eyes at Jessie. "It's bad enough she's part of Team Rocket, but putting my little girl into one of those stupid pageants is a whole 'nother story!"

"What are you talking about?" Misty sighed.

"Those pageants are _terrible!_" Ash whined. "They're like Contests, but you use a little kid instead of a Pokémon! It's total exploitation!"

"…you've been talking to Cilan on the phone again, haven't you?"

"Well, how else would I know what 'exploitation' means?!"

Sighing, Misty shook her head at her husband's little fit. "I don't think we have much of a choice, Ash. Jessie really _did_ save Elizabeth. If all she wants to do is enter our daughter in a silly little pageant, then we should probably let her. It's better than her taking Elizabeth and forcing her to become a member of Team Rocket or something."

"I guess…" Ash muttered, still not sounding happy about it. Walking in front of Jessie, much to the villainess' aggravation, Ash bent down so he was at eye level with his young daughter. "Lizzie, do _you_ want to enter the pageant? Daddy isn't going to let _anyone _make you do something you don't want to do."

Giggling, Elizabeth nodded her head, with a big smile on her face.

"Uh…does this kid talk or what?" Jessie deadpanned.

"Of course she does," Ash replied. "Say hi, Lizzie!"

Elizabeth looked up at Jessie and smirked, to which Jessie smiled sweetly back in return.

"You'we a bad lady," Elizabeth chirped, causing Ash and Misty's eyes to widen.

"Oh, how sweet!" Jessie shrieked, her whole face lighting up much to Ash and Misty's surprise. "She knows that I'm a world class vileness! What a smart baby!"

"World class?" Misty repeated skeptically.

"Oh boy," Ash muttered under his breath, smacking a hand against his forehead.

"Come along, precious doll," Jessie crooned to Elizabeth as she began to march out of the forest. "To the pageant we go!"

Ash and Misty were quick to follow after Jessie, not exactly willing to leave their child alone with her. As soon as they were all gone, Jewel popped out of the bush she'd been hiding in with a furious expression on her face and her hands balled into fists. Jason too put himself back into view, and threw his sister a sympathetic and concerned glance.

"Jewelley?" He asked timidly.

"I can't believe Mom replaced with me a tiny twerp, just like that!" Jewel howled, her purple eyes burning with fire.

"But Jewel, darling, you didn't _want_ to enter the pageant!" James appealed to his daughter.

"That doesn't mean my spot can be taken by some twerp baby!" Jewel shouted. "That little, tiny brat thinks she's better than me? Well, she's not! And I'm going to show her! Let's go, you three!"

"What do we gotta' do?" Meowth complained.

"You're going to help me!" Jewel all but screamed, causing the three other males to all panic.

"Yes ma'am!"

**XXX**

"Oh my goodness, she's just so beautiful!"

"…uh…"

"What _in the world_ did you _do_ to my _daughter?!_"

Jewel huffed at Ash's reaction. "Oh please, twerp. Your little girl looks absolutely stunning! She's a perfect little pageant girl! Isn't that right, darling?"

"I'm a pwincess!" Elizabeth squealed, spinning around in a circle.

The little girl looked like she was about to go to her sixteenth birthday party…or even her wedding. The dress had a white, halter corset top adorned by silver gemstones and beading. Just beneath the halter was a pair of ruffled, off-the-shoulder straps in the colors of pink and white. The short, puffed out skirt attached to the bottom of the dress was reminiscent of a ballerina's tutu, made up of layers and layers of pink and white ruffles, just like her sleeves. A pair of strappy silver sandals had been slipped onto the girl's feet, with just the smallest hint of a heel at the back. Because Elizabeth's hair was so short, Jessie had pinned plenty of extensions onto her head; long and curly locks that now ran all the way down to the middle of her back. By some miracle, Jessie had gotten a pair of fake eyelashes onto the squirmy little girl, and painted her eyes with glittery pink eye shadow. Even Elizabeth's lips were glimmering with light pink gloss.

"I feel so bad," Ash groaned, burying his face in his hands.

"At least Elizabeth is happy," Misty sighed, watching as the little girl hopped up and down so her skirt would flutter around her.

"So, what's the kid's special talent?" Jessie asked.

"Special talent?" Ash and Misty repeated simultaneously.

"It's not just about looking like a beautiful little princess!" Jessie snapped, causing Ash and Misty to take a step back while Elizabeth giggled. "She needs to have something that will impress the judges!"

"Yeah, but she's not even three years old yet," Ash murmured. "So it's not like she has some kind of crazy, exceptional talent."

Jessie knelt down and narrowed her eyes at Elizabeth, who giggled and poked at Jessie's nose like it was a button. Scowling, the woman plucked Elizabeth's hand away from her nose, causing the young girl to laugh again.

"She takes ballet lessons, so she knows some of that," Misty suggested.

"It's run-of-the-mill, but it'll have to do," Jessie sighed.

"Well then, Ash and I should probably go sit in the audience," Misty mumbled, grabbing her husband's hand. "Come on, sweetheart."

"Huh?" Ash gasped, whipping around. "What do you mean?!"

"Well, we can't just stay with Jessie and Elizabeth the whole time," Misty reasoned.

"Yes we can!" Ash argued, pointing at Jessie. "I don't trust her."

Jessie smirked at this. "Well, it's too bad that your baby girl _does!_"

Ash looked down and found Elizabeth hugging Jessie's leg and smiling up at her. His heart shot all the way up into his throat, and his entire face paled.

"See?" Jessie huffed.

Elizabeth beamed up at her parents and waved a small hand at them, much to their surprise. "Bye, Mommy! Bye, Daddy!"

As soon as the horrified look crossed Ash's face, Jessie broke out into near maniacal laughter. Ash's stomach turned, and he was absolutely ready to run back to the Pokémon Center and get Pikachu to thundershock the female member of Team Rocket. He knew, however, that Misty wouldn't allow that.

"Ash, let's _go,_" Misty stressed, pulling her dejected husband away from Jessie and Elizabeth. He kept his eyes locked on the little girl, who by now had placed all of her attention onto Jessie and was beaming up at the devious woman. Ash growled, but Misty had already dragged him halfway out of the backstage area. There was no going back now.

And he _hated_ it.

**XXX**

"That baby twerp is _not_ going to beat me at my own game. This is my specialty! And she thinks she can just waltz on in here with Mom and win. Well, not likely!"

James, Jason, and Meowth stared at Jewel in awe. She had dragged them all to where the pageant was taking place and signed up right away, before disappearing into the back to fully prepare herself for the spectacle. The girl was still hiding behind a curtain, getting dressed while the male members of Team Rocket waited in fear for her to emerge.

"I'm just grateful she hasn't ripped off any of our heads yet," Jason quipped, only half teasingly.

"_Yet_ is the key word there, my boy," James sighed.

Suddenly, the red curtains separated, and Jewel reappeared before the rest of the team. They all eyed her curiously and gasped, seeing that the girl had completely transformed herself while hidden behind the velvet drapes.

She had changed out of her standard Team Rocket uniform and into a floor length, purple frock with a one shoulder neckline; two beaded straps on the left and a jeweled flower on the full right shoulder. The bodice was covered by silver sequins, gemstones, and beading in the shapes of flowers. The skirt was covered by flowers made of ribbon, with purple sequins scattered between each and every faux bloom. For her hair, Jewel had gathered the usually waist-length blue locks and pulled them back into a curly French twist, adorned by tiny, sparkling hairclips that were in the shape of flowers. Her makeup was dramatic and very apparent: blue, glittery eye shadow and purple eyeliner. She had applied fake eyelashes to her eyelids, just as Jessie had taught her, and amplified them with pitch black mascara.

"Wow, Jewel, you look purr-fect!" Meowth complimented the girl before chuckling.

"Hmph, _this_ will show that baby twerp what for," Jewel scoffed. "I'll be back to being Mom's big star before any of you know it!"

**XXX**

"Oh, Ash, just look at how _cute_ our baby is up on stage!"

"Hmm…"

"Ash, pick your head up!"

The Pokémon Master grumbled and shook his head, which was hidden in his hands.

"Why won't you watch Elizabeth?" Misty sighed. "She looks like such a sweet little ballerina doll! I know you, Ash, and your heart will just melt when you see it!"

"Because she's doing it for Team Rocket!" Ash complained. "I can't support that, even if she _is_ my baby girl."

"She's not really doing it for Team Rocket," Misty reasoned with her husband. "Only Jessie. And _only_ because she saved Elizabeth! Otherwise, I wouldn't have allowed this. No way, no how."

Groaning, Ash finally looked up and caught sight of his young daughter, standing on the stage amongst many other young girls dressed in a similar fashion to her. To Ash, however, Elizabeth was the most beautiful one of them all. Her big smile made all of her tiny baby teeth visible, her small hands clapping in front of her body out of sheer excitement that she was too young to know how to handle.

She looked so stunning, even though Ash didn't want to admit it. Solely because it had all been _Jessie's_ doing.

"Isn't she just _adorable?_" Misty crooned. "I think you and I should enter Elizabeth into pageants more often!"

Ash turned his head to glare at his wife for that comment. "Now you're pushing it."

Jessie, meanwhile, was poking her head through the back curtain and glaring at Elizabeth's back. The girl may have been cute, but her good looks were only going to get her so far. Otherwise, she was an absolute _failure._ No charisma at all!

"Hey! Baby twerpette!" Jessie hissed. Somehow, this actually captured Elizabeth's attention and caused her to turn around to face the curtain where Jessie was peering out from. "Do me a favor, kid. Could you maybe _wave_ to the audience? You know, like you're saying hi? Do you _know _how to do that?"

Elizabeth grinned and nodded her head so vigorously that the fake curls bounced all around her face. She spun back around and started waving her little hand back and forth, taking her idle left hand and sticking her fingers in her mouth, her lips bent into a smile the whole time.

From the end of the stage, Jewel glowered at Elizabeth and started to make her way closer to the center of the stage, the silver kitten heels hidden beneath her floor length dress clicking angrily as she stormed across the floor. Eventually, she glided up next to Elizabeth and growled, leaning down so she could be at eye level with the toddler.

"Hey, twerp!" Jewel bit, causing Elizabeth to squeak and turn around once more. Jessie, who was still watching from between the curtains, gasped out of shock and quickly retreated behind the velvet, while still keeping an ear out for her daughter.

"Twe?" Elizabeth murmured, tilting her head to the side.

"Yeah, you, a twerp," Jewel sneered, narrowing her purple eyes. "So you think you can just come up on this stage and one up me, huh? Well, I've got news for _you,_ carrot top! It's not going to work! So why don't you just take off those gaudy fake curls of yours and march off the stage like a good little twerp, huh?"

Elizabeth smirked at this and let out one small giggle before sticking her tongue out and spitting at Jewel. The older girl shrieked and jumped back, while Elizabeth just continued giggling before scurrying off towards the back curtains, disappearing between the opening in the middle.

Backstage, she ran straight into Jessie, glancing up at the irritated evil woman. Jessie had one eyebrow cocked with a vein popping out of her forehead. Elizabeth cooed curiously at this and once again stuck her fingers in her mouth.

"I can't believe Jewel actually changed her mind!" Jessie hissed. "That girl is just as sneaky and devious as I am…I couldn't be more proud!"

Jessie's suddenly happy tone and disposition caused Elizabeth to giggle and clap her hands. She never quite understood _why _people got happy, but she really liked it when they were. So, Elizabeth would always join in and be happy, too.

"But you and I still have to do our best to win," Jessie cleared her throat, once again addressing the toddler who stood before her. "So, it's time to go out there and show them how you dance, little doll!"

"I'm a ballewina," Elizabeth informed Jessie, standing on one leg and sticking the other one out in front of her.

"Yeah, I'm aware of that, kid," Jessie sighed, grabbing Elizabeth's hand and dragging her back towards the dressing rooms in order to change for the talent portion.

As Jessie pulled Elizabeth away, Jewel also re-emerged backstage, glaring at James, Jason, and Meowth, who were all sporting nearly identical, nervous smiles.

"You looked wonderful out there, dear!" James drawled shakily.

"Yeah, like a…a princess…" Jason added timidly.

"Shut it!" Jewel snapped, causing them all to jump backwards. "I can't be happy until I beat that little twerp for the crown! It belongs to _me_, not _her!_ She won't win!"

And with that, the angry, blue haired girl stormed past her teammates, mentally preparing herself for the talent stage.

**XXX**

"Okay, doll face, are you ready to show everyone just how wonderful of a ballerina you are?"

Elizabeth blinked and stared up at Jessie. The little girl had been changed out of her frilly pageant dress and into a fancy ballet costume: a pink leotard and tutu adorned by foil dots, with silver sequins lining the edges of the tutu's layers along with pink marabou trim at the neckline, and equally pink feathers at Elizabeth's waist atop the tutu and in her curly red hair as well, which had been pulled back into a bun.

"Itchy," Elizabeth complained, pulling at the leotard portion of the costume.

"I don't care," Jessie grumbled, turning the girl around and scooting her towards the curtain. "Now, get out there and show the judges how you dance!"

Elizabeth poked her head out through the curtains and stared into the audience. Everyone giggled, murmuring about "how cute" the little girl was. Ash and Misty both smiled at her, and in turn, Elizabeth giggled and hopped out onto the stage. She beamed and held her arms out at her sides, and then above her head, as she held her leg out behind her, her foot completely flexed and not at all pointed.

"That is a _terrible_ arabesque!" Jessie hissed, narrowing her eyes as the little girl continued her act.

Elizabeth put her arms _and_ her leg down, still grinning as she started to run around in a small circle, running and running until she got so dizzy that she began to stumble and nearly fell down.

"What a _dreadful _excuse for a pirouette," Jessie muttered, resting her head in her hand.

Finally, Elizabeth got her balance back and once again held her arms out to the side, taking a small run forward before jumping up in the air, her front leg halfway up while her back leg was bent with her knee facing the ground.

"And that grande jete…_awful!_" Jessie shrieked.

Once she had finished, Elizabeth ran back through the curtain, beaming at Jessie as she scurried straight towards the woman.

"Well, that was a fairly terrible performance," Jessie sighed, causing Elizabeth's smile to fade. "You may be cute, but you _are_ still made of twerp DNA. It's unfortunate, really."

Elizabeth stood up and down on her tippy toes, staring down quietly at her pink ballet shoes as she did this. While Elizabeth was busy being more bashful than usual, the crowd broke out into a _huge_ burst of applause. As curious as ever, Jessie peered out from behind the curtain and gasped at what she was seeing.

Jewel, dressed in a black, white, and turquoise gymnastics leotard with two different shoulder straps and adorned by rhinestones, was performing various tricks; backflips and cartwheels and handstands. They were all things, of course, she had learned through her training as a Team Rocket operative.

"Oh, just look at her!" Jessie marveled, the woman's dark blue eyes glittering as she watched Jewel's performance. "My little girl is _so_ amazing!"

Elizabeth finally looked up from her ballet slippers and gazed at Jessie's back. Now that the woman was distracted, Elizabeth made a run for it, right through the backstage and into the outdoors, where she bustled through the audience until she found her mother and father sitting in the front row, watching Jewel in complete rapture.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Elizabeth squeaked to get their attention. It worked, and as soon as the two looked down and found their little daughter to be staring up at them with a big smile on her face, they exchanged fascinated looks.

"Lizzie, how did you get out here?" Misty cooed, picking up the little girl and sitting the child on her lap.

"I raned, Mommy," Elizabeth replied simply.

"Ran?" Misty repeated, albeit correctly. "What do you mean you ran, sprinkle?"

"From da evil lady," Elizabeth answered.

"Evil lady?" Misty murmured.

"She's talking about Jessie," Ash chuckled. "Isn't that right, pumpkin?"

Elizabeth grinned and feverously nodded her head, the pink feathers bouncing atop her head. Ash beamed at this and took his daughter from Misty, holding the girl up in the air and causing her to shriek with laughter.

"Oh, I knew my baby girl loved us more than anyone else in the world!" Ash crooned before lowering the toddler and giving her a kiss on the forehead. "But still, don't scare me like that again! Okay, baby?"

"Kay kay, Daddy," Elizabeth squeaked, leading Ash to hug her tightly while she continued laughing.

**XXX**

"I told you all I would win this pageant!"

Jewel stood before the male members of Team Rocket with a devious, yet still proud, grin on her face. Sitting atop her head was a silver tiara, which she had been awarded with upon winning the pageant, and effectively beating out little Elizabeth.

"Yes, you did!" James agreed.

"And ya' followed trough!" Meowth added.

"It just goes to show you that twerps are no good at anything, no matter how old they are!" Jewel quipped.

"My little girl has learned so well!"

Jewel gasped as she was suddenly engulfed in a tight hug by Jessie, whose sapphire eyes were sparkling out of love and excitement.

"Mom?" Jewel choked.

"You're still the little pageant queen, aren't you?" Jessie crooned. "Just like your mommy!"

Huffing, Jewel turned her head away out of annoyance. "Is that why you ditched me for some twerp baby?"

"I'm sorry, dear!" Jessie apologized. "But, when you said you didn't want to enter the pageant and continue my legacy, well…I got a little carried away. Won't you forgive me?"

Jewel finally smirked and eyed her mother. "Well…you know I can't stay mad at you, Mom."

"Exactly as I thought!" Jessie squealed, hugging Jewel more tightly.

"Besides, there's still that little twerp hanging around…" Jewel mused. "So what good are we if we don't swipe her while we have the chance?"

Jessie gasped and covered her heart with her hand. "You really _are _just like your mother!"

When the whole group turned around, however, they realized that Elizabeth was missing. She was no longer standing near Jessie…or anywhere backstage, in fact.

"The baby twerp got away!" James gasped.

"Just like her parents…" Meowth muttered.

"Don't worry, we'll get her next time!" Jewel giggled mischievously. "I'm sure of it!"

"Yeah, I bet she'll miss me eventually," Jessie remarked, causing everyone else to roll their eyes out of frustration.

* * *

><p><strong>This one was really long...but it kind of needed to be. Team Rocket can even be outsmarted by a 2 and a half year old...isn't that awesome XD<strong>


	202. Movie Misadventure

**Here, have a Aiden story. Because he's such a cute little troublemaker :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 6 years old**

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><p><span><strong>Movie Misadventure<strong>

"Whoa."

Aiden was just six years old, but he sometimes tended to think he was much more an adult. A grown up. A man.

Like his father.

The little boy didn't necessarily _want _to be a little boy. Sure, he loved playing for his baseball team and playing with his toys. He loved watching cartoons and playing video games. But he wanted to become a Pokémon trainer. He had to be ten to do that. He also wanted to be a big, famous hero.

Again, like his father.

But then again, his father was a grown up, and he still watched cartoons and played video games. His mother didn't really like that. Aiden did, however. He thought it just made his father even more fun and awesome.

Aiden wanted to be just as cool as his dad when he grew up.

There were other reasons why Aiden wanted to be a grown up. He was staring at one right now, in fact.

Misty had taken him and Michelle to the movie theater. She had felt that lately, they were feeling neglected because of baby Elizabeth, and that was the last thing she'd wanted. So, Misty had left Elizabeth with Delia for the afternoon and taken the twins out for some fun. A new kids' movie had just come out, one that both of the twins had expressed interest in seeing. Misty figured it would be the perfect way to give them some attention.

While she was buying the tickets, however, Aiden had wandered off towards the wall in order to inspect the various posters of new and upcoming attractions. He had finally started to learn how to read, and he was curious about the different movies. One specific movie had _really _caught his attention and piqued his interest, however.

Aiden was actually able to read the title of the movie off the top of the poster. It was called "_Banette's Haunting_." He remembered seeing the commercials for it on TV, and thinking it looked like the coolest movie. From what he could remember, it was about a Banette who had been abandoned by his trainer many years ago, and was left stuck inside of an old, abandoned mansion. When a new family moves in many years later, however, the Banette starts to haunt them and cause bad things to happen to every single one of them.

Aiden thought it looked like an amazing movie.

"Okay, Aiden, I got the tickets!"

The young boy spun around and found his mother walking towards him with a smile on her face. Michelle was skipping alongside her mother, looking just as pleased as the older female.

"Mommy, I wanna' see _this _movie!" Aiden cheered, pointing up at the poster he'd just been reading.

Misty allowed her eyes to scan the poster. It was so dark looking: a dark red background with the shadow of a Banette printed on it, the only real visible part of the haunting Pokémon being its glowing red eyes.

"Aiden, sweetie, that movie is too scary for you," Misty reasoned, not able to tear her eyes away from the poster. It was just _so_ creepy looking!

"Nuh uh!" Aiden argued.

"Besides, you're too young to go see it anyway," Misty sighed, pointing at the bottom of the poster. "See? It's rated R. Which tells me it's _definitely_ not appropriate for a six year old boy."

"What's R mean?" Aiden squeaked.

"It means that the movie is for adults only," Misty explained.

"Why?" Aiden questioned.

"Because it's too scary for kids," Misty continued. "They give the movies ratings that way you aren't surprised when you go to see it. And, it's for _me_ to know that I shouldn't let you watch it."

Aiden pouted at this. His mommy didn't know _anything_ about the movie! She was only _guessing_ it was scary because of what the poster said. But Aiden thought the poster looked cool! His mommy was just trying to be no fun and keep him away from what was probably the coolest movie ever.

"Mommy, can we get popcorn?" Michelle piped up, patting Misty's leg to get the woman's attention.

"Oh, of course, sweetie!" Misty giggled. "Aiden, come along now."

Aiden was still pouting, and tried not to follow Misty. As soon as she looked over her shoulder and realized he wasn't following, however, the little boy sighed and began to trail behind her. He didn't want to get in trouble, after all.

"Aiden, you don't have to be upset about not seeing that scary movie!" Misty crooned to her obviously annoyed young son. "The movie that _we're_ going to see is so much better than that one!"

"Yeah!" Michelle agreed. "_Pokémon Party_ is going to be the best movie ever!"

Aiden just continued to scowl. He knew that movie was meant for kids. But maybe it was more meant for babies. After all, the entire movie was about a group of Pokémon trying to throw a party for their friends while everything went wrong. Aiden thought he was much too old to be watching such a film.

After Misty had bought the popcorn and drinks for the movie, they all walked towards the hall where all of the screening rooms were. Misty handed their tickets off to the usher, and they then headed into the hall. As they walked down, passing by each and every door, Aiden examined the posters that were hung next to each room, indicating which movie was playing inside of that theater. _Pokémon Party_ was playing in theater five. Coincidentally, _Banette's Haunting_ was playing right next door, in theater six. That's when Aiden got a brilliant idea.

He fell behind and watched as his mother and sister headed towards the door that led into theater five. As soon as his mother had opened the door, Aiden darted towards the next theater, where _Banette's Haunting _was showing, and snuck in through the door.

The lights in the theater were out, save for the flickering light coming from the movie screen. Apparently, the movie had already started. Aiden smirked to himself and continued to sneak his way into the theater. He didn't want to move any further down the aisle, for fear of being caught, so he just stood at the top, his brown eyes widening as he set them on the large movie screen at the head of the room.

There was Banette, hovering above a man and a woman who were hugging each other out of fear. The ghost type Pokémon's eyes began to glow bright red, similar to how he looked on the poster, and suddenly, knives began flying towards the two, causing them to shriek. As soon as one of the knives went through the man's stomach, Aiden yelped and covered his eyes, trembling as he refused to look back up at the screen.

It was at that same moment that the door to the theater opened up once again, though Aiden was too absorbed in his own terror to notice it. The person who had just entered the theater walked up behind Aiden and picked him up, causing the young boy to let out a petrified scream. This was loud enough to actually catch the attention of everyone who was sitting in the theater, watching the movie. They all turned around and blinked, which led to Aiden's "rescuer" smiling nervously before apologizing and carrying the frightened boy right out of the theater.

Once Aiden sensed that he was out of the room, he uncovered and open his eyes, turning his head around to stare at whoever it had been who'd "saved him" from the scary movie.

As it would turn out, it had been Misty.

She turned Aiden around and glared at the little boy, who blushed in response. He was obviously embarrassed and perhaps even ashamed about what he had just done. He knew he was going to get a firm scolding from his mother.

"Aiden, what did I say about that movie?" Misty questioned.

"You said I was too little for it," Aiden replied, "and…that it was too scary."

"And what you saw in there…was it too scary for you?"

Silently, Aiden nodded his head.

"Mommy was right, wasn't she?"

Again, a wordless nod from the little boy.

"At least you learned your lesson," Misty sighed, putting Aiden down on the floor and smiling at him. "See, sweetheart? Mommy wasn't trying to lie to you and not let you have fun. I was trying to _protect _you! I knew that movie would scare you."

"I'm sorry, Mommy," Aiden murmured.

"You don't have to be sorry, baby," Misty giggled softly. "Like I said, you learned your lesson. I guess you just had to see what all of the fuss was about for yourself!"

Looking up at Misty, still with that sheepish little expression, Aiden quietly requested, "can we go see _Pokémon Party_ now?"

"Yes, sweetheart," Misty laughed, leading the young boy towards the proper theater. "Let's go see _Pokémon Party_."

* * *

><p><strong>Am I the only one who thinks Misty should be glad he didn't sneak into a movie that was rated R for like...nudity and that kind of stuff? XD<strong>


	203. Father Figure

**Yay, another one. I've been writing to distract myself. From stuff. It's much better than when I couldn't do it, though! Besides, I ADORE this one and have been meaning to write it _forever._ So, I really hope you guys all love it as much as I do!**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Father Figure<strong>

"You _must_ be joking me."

Ash looked up sheepishly at his wife. He had been training with Pikachu, but somehow, that session had turned into nothing more than playtime. Ash had wound up chasing Pikachu all around Pallet Town, and as a result, he was now covered in patches of dirt, his hair completely disheveled with his hat hanging halfway off of his head.

"Heh…hey, Mist…"

"Ash, you were supposed to be _training,_" Misty stressed. "You know, for that big tournament you have coming up?"

"Yeah, I know," Ash murmured, sheepishly poking his fingers together. "But, you see, Pikachu tackled me, so I had to get back at him…"

"So you chased him all over town?" Misty sighed.

"Well…yeah…"

Misty groaned and threw her head back, earning a hearty but still caring chuckle from her husband.

"Come on, Mist," Ash teased. "There's nothing wrong with having a little fun!"

"Oh, Ash, it's not _that_ I'm worried about," Misty grumbled. "It's just…you don't really take anything seriously, do you?"

Ash furrowed his brow at this. "Of course I do."

"I just don't understand how someone like you can have the greatest set of assets in-"

Misty's response was cut off by a guttural laugh from Ash. She raised an eyebrow and eyed him curiously, to which the young man instantly stopped and pulled back in a sheepish manner.

"Uh…you said assets..."

"So?" Misty pressed.

"Heh…_ass_…" Ash laughed once again.

Misty's eyes widened at this. "For real?!"

"I'm sorry!" Ash apologized laughingly. "It was just funny!"

"Ash, you need to start acting like an adult," Misty breathed, causing his face to fall.

"I thought you loved my innocence and youthful charm…" Ash murmured, sounding rather defeated.

"I do, you know that I do. In fact, it's probably my _favorite _part of you," Misty comforted. "I'm not asking you to change who you are. But we're…going to be parents. I'm having a baby. And sometimes I question if you're ready for it."

Ash's eyebrows shot up his forehead. "Of course I'm ready for it! I'm mature!"

"Ash, just the other day, you started laughing over _how_ I got pregnant," Misty groaned. "You're 21 years old! You shouldn't be laughing over something as simple as sex!"

Ash started to laugh, but as soon as Misty shot him daggers, he covered his mouth with his hands and attempted to choke back the chuckle. Sighing, Misty hung her head and began to rub her temples. She felt a _severe_ headache coming on, but she was afraid to take any form of medication now that she was pregnant.

"Ash, for my own good and the _baby's_ own good, I need to walk away from you right now," Misty admitted, picking her head up and holding her hands in the air.

"Why?" Ash whined.

"Because you're causing me stress!" Misty snapped before taking in a deep breath and relaxing herself. No stress. Stress was bad. "Just…not right now. Not right now."

As Misty walked away from him, Ash watched after his wife's back as she walked away, his eyes eventually traveling down towards her very attractive-

"Pikapi!"

Ash glanced at the ground and found Pikachu glaring at him. This brought a deep blush to Ash's face, causing him to chuckle nervously and rub the back of his neck; a very old and undying habit.

"Heh…you saw that, didn't you, buddy?"

"Pi-ka."

Sighing, Ash allowed his shoulders to sag forward as he lowered his head. "Man, Misty is right. I guess I'm not very serious. Or mature."

"Pika-chu, pikapi," Pikachu comforted his trainer. "Pika pikachu pi-ka pikachupi pika-chu."

"But I have time to change," Ash murmured. "That's what you're saying, right, Pikachu?"

"Ka," Pikachu confirmed.

"Yeah, you're right," Ash breathed. "I can become more serious and mature! I can show Misty that I'm ready to be a dad!"

"Pika!" Pikachu trilled, nodding his head in agreement.

"That's a great idea, Pikachu!" Ash chuckled. "In fact, I'll begin today!So…I should probably start by taking a shower, huh?"

"Chu."

**XXX**

"Okay, class! This is Misty, the Cerulean City gym leader!"

The little boys and girls standing before the young woman all _oohed_ and _aahed_ out of fascination. Misty giggled, finding the children's reactions to be completely adorable. She was used to having the local kindergarten class from the Pokémon Academy visit the gym as they did every year, but this time, it almost seemed to have a deeper meaning to her. She would look at each and every one of the small beings and couldn't help but to imagine them being her own. She wanted her baby now more than ever.

Even if Ash didn't seem to be as committed as her.

"Good morning, everyone!" Misty greeted cheerfully, giving the children a small wave.

"Good morning," the children echoed back, albeit more shyly than the gym leader.

"So, I know you all came here to learn about a gym and see how it works and what it's like to be a gym leader," Misty began, her sweet tone and warm smile making the young children more comfortable, "but how would you all like to see some Pokémon first?"

All of the children started to rapidly nod their heads, except for one small girl in the back who Misty couldn't really see. One of the children's hands, belonging to a young boy, shot up in the air, causing Misty to giggle softly.

"Yes?" Misty asked, nodding towards the boy.

"What kind of Pokémon do you have?" The boy questioned excitedly.

"Well, I'm sure you all know that every gym leader specializes in one specific type of Pokémon, right?" Misty enquired, once again causing all of the students to nod. "Can anyone guess what my type is?"

"Oh, oh, I know!" A little girl squealed, jumping up and down. "You have water type Pokémon! Right?"

"Yes, I do!" Misty giggled. "Water types are _my_ specialty. I think they're very powerful and wonderful. They're the perfect type to represent Cerulean City!"

"How many Pokémon do you have?" Another little boy questioned.

Misty smiled and winked playfully at the child. "I think it's a lot easier if I just _show_ you!"

She walked over to the nearby metal rack, where she stored her battle partners when she wasn't working. Picking up the poke balls, she enlarged each and every one before tossing them all in the air, watching as each one burst open and released the Pokémon that was contained inside. Before long, she had her entire team standing in front of her: Azumarill, Vaporeon, Politoed, Corsola, Starmie, and Staryu. In the pool were Goldeen, Horsea, and Gyarados.

The children were in awe of all of the water types now standing in front of them; perhaps even more so than when they'd first seen Misty.

"Aren't they amazing?" Misty crowed. "I also have a Luvdisc, but I don't use him to battle. He lives outside in the aquarium! But I can take all of you to see him later."

"Which one is your strongest Pokémon?" The first boy who had raised his hand asked.

"Hmm, that's a very good question," Misty mused. "I would definitely have to say Gyarados. He's _so_ powerful that I can only use him on the most experienced trainers! He knows all sorts of amazing attacks like hydro pump and hyper beam. He can even use flamethrower!"

"But I thought Gyarados was a water type," a third little boy squeaked.

"He is, but just because a Pokémon is a certain type doesn't mean it can learn attacks from _other_ types!" Misty informed the boy. "For example, Vaporeon can use ice beam, which is an _ice type_ attack, and Corsola can use shadow ball, which is a _ghost type_ move!"

"Whoa," the little boy breathed, causing Misty to giggle again.

"Would you guys like to come see my Pokémon up close?" Misty asked.

"Yeah!" They all cheered, running straight towards Misty with shimmering eyes.

"Remember to be careful with the Pokémon!" The teacher warned. "Be nice to them!"

Misty smiled down at the students, who were obviously _enthralled_ with the creatures. Many of the girls were cooing over how cute Vaporeon was, while the boys were all excited over how powerful Gyarados seemed. Some of the students were laughing and watching Politoed dance, while others admired the shining jewels that both Staryu and Starmie possessed.

While they were all busy playing with the Pokémon, a blue beam shot out from the metal rack standing behind Misty, disrupting a group of children before forming into the shape of Misty's dopey and undependable Psyduck.

"Psy-aye?" He quacked, causing the students to blink curiously.

"Psyduck, I told you not to do that!" Misty scolded. The duck tilted his head to the side, and the students finally giggled, crowding around the duck Pokémon and patting his head, much to the water type's delight.

Misty sighed and shook her head, although a smile had finally returned to her face. She couldn't exactly be _mad _at Psyduck when he was making the students so happy! When she looked back up to where the students had originally been standing, however, she realized that a little girl was still standing in the same spot, her arms drawn into her chest with her little fists pressed against the bottom of her chin. She was wearing an anxious look on her face, and didn't seem to be in any hurry to move.

Misty approached the teacher, who was standing nearby but paying attention to the children who _were _playing with the Pokémon.

"Excuse me, Miss Gabriella, but why does that little girl look so nervous?" Misty asked, nodding her head towards the lone student.

"Oh, that's Emma," Miss Gabriella sighed sadly. "She's a very sweet girl, but she's also very shy and fearful. She's afraid of Pokémon."

"But she goes to the Pokémon Academy," Misty murmured.

"Her parents sent her, but I don't think she really enjoys it," Miss Gabriella replied. "She doesn't mind learning about them, like the types and the characteristics. But every time we have a real life demonstration, like this one, she just wants nothing to do with it."

Misty frowned at the little girl. It was painfully obvious just how uncomfortable she was in the presence of so many Pokémon. Misty, who had loved the creatures all of her life, could never imagine actually being _so_ afraid of them.

Except for bugs. She could understand that.

With the rest of the students preoccupied by Misty's Pokémon, and Misty busy staring at Emma and thinking of what to do, Ash waltzed right into the battle area, a big smile on his face. When he heard the squeaky, happy cries of the young students, he stopped in his tracks and looked over towards the group, his eyes widening. He had completely forgotten that the kindergarten class was coming to visit the gym that day! Misty _certainly_ wouldn't be happy to see him disrupting her little lesson, and that wasn't going to help Ash prove his point to her that he could be more mature. Just as he was about to turn and leave, however, he realized that there was one little girl standing far away from the rest of her classmates and looking rather terrified.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu squeaked from Ash's shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm not sure…" Ash murmured. He knew, or at least his _brain_ was telling him, that he should not have been there. But seeing that little girl so afraid and all alone…his _heart _was telling him to do something.

And Ash always listened to his heart, not his brain.

So, putting on a sweet, caring smile, Ash walked over to the young girl and knelt down in front of her, causing her to glance up at him with her aqua eyes. As soon as she saw Pikachu, however, she let out a miserable little whine and looked back down.

"Hi there," Ash greeted softly. "What's your name?"

"Uh…Emma," the little girl murmured shyly.

"Emma?" Ash repeated. "That's a very pretty name. It's nice to meet you, Emma!"

The little girl nodded just once, but didn't bother to pick her eyes up again. She was staring at the floor, and nervously shifting from foot to foot.

"My name is Ash," the Pokémon Master continued, completely undeterred by the little girl's lack of interaction. "Do you know who I am?"

Still looking down, Emma shook her head.

"I'm the Pokémon Master," Ash whispered as though he wanted to keep it a secret between the two. One of Emma's eyebrows raised in intrigue, but she still didn't bother to look up. "But, more importantly than _that,_ I'm married to that pretty lady right over there."

Emma _finally_ lifted her head so she could look in the direction where Ash was pointing. She locked her eyes onto Misty, who by now had once again become distracted by the rest of the young students in the room.

"Miss Misty?" Emma murmured, glancing sideways at Ash.

"Yeah, but you can just call her Misty," Ash chuckled. "She and I both _really _love Pokémon! They're a _very _important part of our jobs. You like Pokémon, don't you, Emma?"

Emma once again looked down at the floor and shook her head, this time more vigorously. Ash frowned. A little girl afraid of Pokémon? That was the most heartbreaking thing he could have possibly imagined.

"How come you don't like 'em?" Ash asked curiously.

"They're scary…" Emma replied softly. "I'm scared of them."

"Oh, Pokémon aren't scary!" Ash assured the girl. "They're our friends!"

Emma whined and shook her head once again.

"How come you think they're scary?" Ash questioned.

Emma remained silent for a moment before answering, "They attack. They can hurt you. That's _scary._"

"A Pokémon won't ever hurt you on purpose," Ash promised the girl. "Those attacks are just for battling! Misty and I battle Pokémon _all _the time, but we've never used an attack on a person. We never would."

The young girl finally lowered her arms and instead chose to nervously rub her upper arm while still avoiding eye contact with Ash. Her straight, dark blonde hair began to fall over her face, as though curtaining her still present anxiety.

"Hey, I've got a great idea!" Ash crowed, lifting Pikachu off of his shoulder and instead holding the mouse in his arms. "Why don't you meet my best buddy, Pikachu? He's not scary at all!"

Emma looked up very slowly and stared at Pikachu. The electric type twitched his ears and beamed at the little girl, who still looked extremely hesitant.

"I've known Pikachu since I was just ten years old," Ash explained. "At first, he wouldn't listen to a single thing I said! He and I didn't get along at all. But after I saved him, he and I became the best of friends, and we've been that way ever since!"

The young girl blinked and continued to stare at Pikachu, who did not seem at all bothered by the child's obvious trepidation.

"Say hi, Pikachu!" Ash chuckled.

"Pika!" Pikachu greeted warmly.

"Emma, you should pet him," Ash softly suggested to the young girl. "Pikachu loves it!"

"Uh…" Emma squeaked, clutching her hands and glancing up nervously at Ash.

"Here, I'll show you!" Ash laughed. He put Pikachu down between them, causing Emma to gasp and take a small step backwards. Reaching down, Ash began to stroke the top of Pikachu's head, causing the electric type to mewl happily as his ears began to twitch more rapidly, his tail moving back and forth.

"_Cha…_" Pikachu sighed happily, his eyes closing in bliss.

"See?" Ash trilled. "Now you try!"

Emma gulped, but slowly reached her hand out, the sleeve of her red uniform blazer pulling back as her arm stretched. Finally, her fingers touched Pikachu's soft yellow fur, and as soon as they did, Emma's bright, aqua eyes widened out of surprise. Pikachu twitched his ears and smiled at the girl, who now seemed frozen in place.

"Isn't Pikachu so soft?" Ash asked. "Some people don't realize how soft his fur is! A lot of people expect it to be rough. But Pikachu is actually pretty fluffy!"

Emma blinked and began to slowly pet the electric type's head. Pikachu once again closed his eyes and began to swish his tail, murmuring happily as Emma patted him.

"There ya' go," Ash chuckled, watching as Emma pet his partner Pokémon. "See? Pikachu's not gonna' hurt you! He would never attack a person."

A smile finally appeared on Emma's face. She giggled and took her hand away from Pikachu's head, instead holding her arms at her sides and pulling at her red and gold plaid skirt as she continued to eye Pikachu.

"You're…nice," Emma informed Pikachu, who beamed in response.

"Pi-ka!" Pikachu chirped.

"I wouldn't lie to you!" Ash laughed. "Pikachu is a nice Pokémon. Most Pokémon are!"

Emma glanced up towards the pool, and pointed at the atrocious Pokémon swimming around. "Even that one?"

"Oh, Gyarados?" Ash chuckled. "Yeah, him too! Even though it doesn't look like it. Trust me, Misty would _never _have a bad Pokémon!"

The young girl hedged at this. "But he looks so scary…"

"Hey, I'll tell you a secret," Ash whispered, causing Emma to lean in closer to him. "When Misty was a little girl, she was _afraid _of Gyarados."

Emma's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yeah, she was _really_ scared of him. But one day, she was in trouble, and Gyarados saved her! That's when Misty learned not to be afraid of him. Now, they battle together all the time!"

"Whoa," Emma breathed, still staring at Gyarados. Eventually, she turned her head back towards Ash and then glanced down at Pikachu, who squeaked happily and jumped into her arms. At first, the girl was startled, but once she settled down, she giggled and nuzzled the top of his head. "You really _are _cute, Pikachu!"

"Pi!"

Emma giggled and gave Pikachu a hug before looking up at Ash, who was smiling happily at her.

"Mr. Ash, can I ask you something?" Emma squeaked.

"You can just call me Ash," the raven haired man chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck as he blushed, "but sure!"

Watching for a short moment as Pikachu batted at the gold bow tied in front of her scarlet blazer, Emma giggled and then turned her attention back onto Ash. "You love Misty a lot, don't you?"

Ash drew in a breath and looked up at the gym leader, who was still busy observing the other students and idly talking to the teacher. She looked so pretty in her sleeveless black shirt dress…so grown up and mature. And there he was in a t-shirt and jeans, with his hat and his fingerless gloves.

No wonder Misty didn't take him seriously.

"More than anyone could ever know," Ash breathed.

"Huh?"

Ash blinked hard and glanced back down at Emma. She was still holding Pikachu, although she now looked a little confused. He had obviously been a bit too quiet with his last answer…maybe because he hadn't really meant to voice his thoughts.

"I do love her a lot," Ash answered warmly. "I think she's an amazing gym leader, but an even more amazing person. You could learn a lot from Misty. I know I have."

Emma smiled at this. She looked like a little doll, Ash thoughtfully noted. A very beautiful little girl who he had helped to overcome her fear. It was amazing, really.

"You're really nice, Ash!" Emma giggled.

"Oh…thanks!" Ash chuckled, finding himself blushing again.

"You're going to be a very good daddy one day," Emma commented, causing Ash's eyes to widen. Unaffected by his reaction, Emma allowed Pikachu to jump back onto Ash's shoulder before waving at the both of them and running to join her classmates. As soon as Emma joined in with the other children, Miss Gabriella and Misty took notice right away, and both gasped out of sheer surprise. Ash stood up and tried to sneak out of the room, but something, or rather _someone_, had grabbed him before he could make his escape. Nervously looking over his shoulder, Ash found himself staring at exactly who he'd been expecting.

"I'm sorry," Ash quietly apologized. "Really, Misty, I am. I'll just go-"

"You don't have to go anywhere," Misty giggled, spinning Ash around so he was fully facing her. "You helped Emma, didn't you?"

"Well…yeah…I guess I did," Ash murmured awkwardly.

"Honey, relax, I'm not going to get mad at you," Misty assured her husband. "That was incredibly sweet of you!"

"Thanks," Ash chuckled, smiling at his wife. "But it was nothing, really."

"It sure meant a lot to her. I can tell! Look at how much fun she's having now with her friends!"

Ash peered over Misty's shoulder and found that Emma was kneeling down beside Vaporeon, petting the water type's head just as she'd been doing with Pikachu before. Ash smiled at this, and then back at Misty, who was positively beaming.

"You know what she told me?" Ash asked whimsically, causing Misty to smirk and raise an eyebrow.

"I have no idea," she replied honestly. "What?"

Grinning, Ash looked down sheepishly at his sneakers before replying, "She told me I'd make an excellent dad someday."

"Someday, huh?" Misty questioned playfully.

"Well, technically she said 'one day,' but that's like the same thing, isn't it?" Ash asked in a completely serious manner.

"Yes, it is," Misty sighed laughingly. "So I guess no one can see my belly yet, huh?"

Ash smirked and rubbed his hand in a circle against Misty's midsection. "You don't _have_ a belly!"

"Not now, but it's coming," Misty giggled, looking down at Ash's hand.

"And I can't wait until it does," Ash chuckled, kissing Misty atop her head. "It'll just make our baby all the more real."

Misty smiled and turned her eyes up towards Ash, gently pinching his cheek before striding back towards the students, commenting to her husband, "She's right, you know."

"Huh?" Ash muttered, causing Pikachu to sigh and shake his head.

Misty giggled and turned back around, giving Ash a very confident smile. "You're going to be great."

* * *

><p><strong>I literally got this idea years ago but never actually wrote it. I finally did, and I'm pleased with how it turned out :3 <strong>


	204. Push Play

**I just realized this has a very similar title to another one shot in here *cue angry face* But I guess that doesn't really matter because they're both really different from one another :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 8 years old**

**Elizabeth: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Push Play<strong>

"Lizzie, bring me the ball!"

The little girl pouted at this and held the bright pink ball above her head. Aiden laughed and held his arms out towards the toddler, who didn't seem at all affected by such an action.

"Come on, Lizzie!" Aiden chuckled. "I want to play with the ball _with_ you!"

Elizabeth lowered the ball and instead hugged it against her body. She started to shuffle towards Aiden, who was still reaching out for the ball. As soon as she was just about a foot away from her brother, however, the little girl shrieked with laughter and started to run in the opposite direction, still holding onto the ball.

"Elizabeth!" Aiden whined, getting to his feet and chasing after the little girl. She was very tiny, and as a result, very fast. Fortunately, despite being older and bigger than his younger sister, Aiden was very strong and agile, so he was able to keep up with the toddler. It was good, not only for playing, but also for having to catch up to her whenever she tried to run in the street or forest, where their parents didn't want her playing. Aiden was very protective of Elizabeth, and always made sure she was safe.

The little girl was still making her dash, giggling and holding the big, rubber ball in front of her body. That seemed to be her ultimate goal at the moment: making sure Aiden didn't get his hands on it.

"Stop running, Lizzie!" Aiden complained.

Elizabeth finally stopped in her tracks and spun around, her pink and white striped pleated skirt twirling around her. She smiled at Aiden and then giggled, her emerald eyes sparkling with sheer happiness.

"Hey, you listened!" Aiden chuckled. "Good girl."

He started to walk towards Elizabeth, but as soon as he was close enough, the toddler shrieked and started to run away again, causing Aiden to huff out of annoyance.

"Elizabeth…" Aiden muttered before taking after the child once again.

The little girl was really booking it, so Aiden once again began to exert himself in order to catch up to her. He was soon at her side, which Elizabeth fully noticed and didn't seem to mind at all. In response, she just let out another squeaky giggle and continued running.

Aiden narrowed his eyes before smirking. He had an idea. He knew _just_ the way to stop Elizabeth in her tracks, and back to playing _with_ him instead of _against_ him!

"Hey, Lizzie!" Aiden called, finally causing Elizabeth to skid to a halt. He followed suit and smiled down at her while she blinked curiously. "I've got a really awesome idea!"

"Wha'?" Elizabeth squeaked.

"Let's play tag," Aiden suggested. "Doesn't that sound like fun?"

Elizabeth frowned and tilted her head. "Ta'?"

Aiden blinked at this. Hard. "You don't know what tag is?"

Slowly, Elizabeth shook her head and held the ball closer to her body. She didn't always like it when new things were suggested to her, but she was better with dealing with them than her older sister had been at her age.

"It's really easy," Aiden explained. "All you have to do is run, and then the other person comes after you and tries to tag you!"

"Shelly?" Elizabeth murmured.

"What?" Aiden asked. "You want Michelle to play with us?"

Elizabeth beamed and nodded her head. She loved Aiden, _adored_ him in fact, but loved it even more when both of her big siblings played with her. Elizabeth wanted nothing more than to be like the both of them. Or at least watched over by the two.

"Uh…okay," Aiden sighed. "I'll go get her then! But…you have to come with me. Mom and Dad don't want me to leave you alone. So…come with me, okay?"

Elizabeth dropped the ball onto the grass and instead held her hand out towards Aiden. The boy sighed, but took the little girl's hand regardless. It _was_ a little embarrassing, but no one was around to see it. And if it made Elizabeth happy, then Aiden couldn't deny her.

He led her back towards the house and poked his head in through the front door. Michelle was sitting on the floor in the middle of the living room, running a light blue brush through Pikachu's fur while the electric mouse chattered happily.

"Hey, Shelly," Aiden called, catching the girl's attention. "I'm going to teach Elizabeth how to play tag, and she wants you to play, too."

Michelle grimaced at this. "Tag? Right now?"

"Elizabeth _really_ wants you to play," Aiden sighed. As if on cue, the little girl squeezed in between her brother and the door and held her hands out towards Michelle, beaming the entire time.

"Shelly?" Elizabeth squeaked. Michelle groaned and put the brush down. She never _could_ say no to her baby sister.

"Hey, Pikachu, want to come outside and play with us?" Michelle asked the yellow mouse.

"Ka," Pikachu replied simply, scurrying towards the couch and jumping up on it, curling himself into a ball and promptly falling asleep.

"Oh, sure, life is easy for _you,_" Michelle grumbled as she got to her feet and followed her two siblings outside.

They stopped on the grass, gathered in a small circle. Elizabeth, since she was so much smaller than her two siblings, stared up at them in awe, looking between each one as they debated who should be "it" first.

"Maybe Lizzie should be it first," Michelle suggested. "Then she can see what to do."

"Good idea," Aiden chuckled, glancing down at his little sister. "Okay, Lizzie, you're going to be it!"

"It!" Elizabeth chirped.

"Yeah! Come get us!" Michelle giggled before turning on a heel and making a run for it. Elizabeth squeaked and watched as Michelle ran like a Rapidash, her red hair flowing behind her.

"Michelle, slow down!" Aiden cried. "Otherwise Elizabeth will never be able to catch you!"

"Oh, right," Michelle murmured, stopping in one place. "I think sometimes I forget she's so much smaller than us."

"Tag!"

A small smack on the knee caused Michelle to look down, where she found little Elizabeth beaming up at her. The toddler's tiny hand was resting on her older sister's leg, and it was at that point that Michelle's entire face turned red.

"AIDEN!" Michelle snapped, causing her twin to laugh.

"I'm sorry!" Aiden chuckled. "I didn't mean to!"

"You're a jerk," Michelle muttered.

Elizabeth, who was not deterred by her older sister's scorn, spun around and grinned at Aiden. "Shelly it?"

"Yep, now Shelly is it!" Aiden laughed. "You'd better run from her!"

Elizabeth yelped and started to run far away from Michelle, her hair and skirt flying around her as she flew around the yard.

"Oh, Lizzie doesn't have to worry about _me_, because _you're_ my main target!" Michelle seethed, her angry words pointed at Aiden.

The boy gasped and started to run away, Michelle hot on his trail the entire time. The older girl even ran past Elizabeth several times, but paid the younger girl no mind. She only had eyes for Aiden, and those eyes were seeking some _serious _revenge. Eventually, she managed to get up close, right behind her brother, and smack a hand against his back. Hard.

"Tag! You're it!" Michelle crowed as Aiden stumbled forward. Luckily, he managed to catch himself before he made a face plant. Straightening himself out, Aiden glared at Michelle, who didn't seem at all affected by his harsh look.

"Fine," Aiden muttered, causing Michelle to giggle and run off in the opposite direction.

As Michelle ran that way, Elizabeth was coming back around the house. Apparently, she hadn't _stopped _running. Smiling, Aiden started to run, once again trying to catch up to the little girl just as he'd done when she was keeping the ball away from him. This time, however, his objective was to actually get _her_, and not some rubber ball.

Once he pulled up to her side, Elizabeth shrieked and sped up her pace, trying to get away. Aiden, however, was not about to let that happen and upped his speed just as the toddler had. As soon as he was back at her side, Aiden reached out and laid a hand on Elizabeth, grinning as he did so.

"TAG!" Aiden shouted as he got Elizabeth.

Unfortunately for Aiden, however, he'd underestimated the strength of his "tag."

Because Elizabeth was so small and light, his push had been a bit too forceful. It sent Elizabeth barreling down towards the ground, and because she'd been running, she'd hit it _hard._

"Yes, I got you, Lizzie!" Aiden cheered, a huge grin gracing his face.

A shrill wail from the ground quickly cut off his celebration, however. When he looked down, Aiden found Elizabeth to be crumpled up in a ball, body trembling as she cried and cried.

"Uh…oh…" Aiden murmured.

"Hey, Aiden! I thought you were it! How come you're not…why is Elizabeth on the ground crying?"

Aiden peered up and found Michelle staring down at Elizabeth with a bewildered expression. Biting his lip, he hurried over to his twin's side and began to attempt to explain himself.

"I…I…I tagged her, but I guess I tagged her too hard!" Aiden cried.

"Did you push her?!" Michelle gasped, eyes widening.

"Not on purpose!" Aiden shrieked.

Elizabeth's blubbering wails just continued, freaking out her older siblings each and every time one sounded.

"What do we do?" Michelle hissed.

"I don't know!" Aiden shouted.

"Maybe we should get Mom…"

"No!" Aiden argued.

Michelle raised a curious eyebrow at her brother's reaction. "Why not?"

"Because then she'll know _I'm_ the one who hurt Elizabeth!" Aiden wailed. "And I didn't mean to!"

"She'll understand it was an accident," Michelle tried. "Mom knows you would never hurt Lizzie on purpose!"

"But sometimes she can get _really _mad when she's upset. And she's _so_ crazy protective of Lizzie!" Aiden yelled.

"Yeah, but she's really protective of us, too," Michelle pointed out. "I don't think Mom would yell at you for making a mistake!"

Aiden twisted his mouth and looked away from his twin in a sheepish, practically embarrassed, fashion. Elizabeth was still crying, and that's when Aiden was reminded that his potentially getting in trouble wasn't the real problem at the moment. Sighing, he knelt down besides Elizabeth and picked the small girl up, brushing the blades of grass off of her outfit as she continued to sob.

"Please don't cry, Lizzie," Aiden begged softly. "I'm _really_ sorry! I didn't mean to push you like that!"

The little girl whimpered and rubbed at her eyes. Aiden looked down and realized her whole outfit, that pretty striped skirt and the turquoise polo shirt, was covered in grass stains and patches of dirt. Her left knee was scraped, and so was her right elbow. Her knee was worse than her elbow, however, with visible blood intermixed with the dirt.

"Oh, you're hurt," Aiden muttered. "I'm so sorry, Lizzie! I'll fix you, I promise. Then Mom will never know and never be able to kill me!"

"Why would I want to kill you, Aiden?"

The boy shrieked and looked up, where he found Misty hovering over him with a bewildered look on her face.

"And why is Elizabeth crying?" Misty asked, her voice becoming wary.

"Uh…well…we were playing," Aiden began. "Me, Shelly, and Lizzie. We were teaching Lizzie how to play tag! She really liked it, I think."

"Okay…" Misty murmured, "So then why is she so upset?"

"Well…when it was my turn to be 'it,' I might have…tagged Lizzie a little too hard…on accident! I really didn't mean to, Mom!"

Misty smiled softly at this. "Oh, Aiden."

She reached down and picked up the toddler, holding the child against her body. Elizabeth was still wailing, although she was now able to bury her face into Misty's chest to muffle the sound a little more.

"I'm really, really sorry, Mom!" Aiden continued frantically. "I didn't mean to hurt Lizzie! Not at all!"

"Aiden, honey, it's okay!" Misty laughed, despite the situation. "You don't have to get so worked up. I know you would never hurt your baby sister on purpose. You just forgot she's so much smaller than you."

"Yeah…" Aiden murmured.

"It's not the first time it's happened, sweetheart," Misty comforted the young boy, who raised a curious eyebrow. "You've always loved Lizzie so much, and you've always loved playing with her! But, since you are so much older and bigger than her, you can often forget that she needs to be played with more carefully than someone your own age and size. Like Michelle!"

The older girl's ears perked at the sound of her name. She peered up at her mother, afraid that she was now in trouble for something. When Misty threw the girl a reassuring smile, however, Michelle knew she was okay.

"I know, but I'm sorry…" Aiden fretted.

"You don't have to keep apologizing, sweetie," Misty giggled, stroking Aiden's pitch black hair. "I'm not mad. And I'm sure Elizabeth will be able to forgive you!"

"Maybe not," Aiden muttered.

"I wouldn't be so sure about _that,_" Misty sang, causing Aiden to look back up. "She's not crying anymore!"

Elizabeth sniveled and peered up at her mother, who grinned encouragingly at the child.

"Hi, sprinkle," Misty cooed. "Are you okay?"

Elizabeth whined softly but nodded her head.

"Is it your knee that's hurt?"

The toddler stretched her leg out and examined her knee. When she saw the scrape, she looked up at Misty once again and nodded.

"Mommy will fix that," Misty assured the girl.

"Ouchie," Elizabeth squeaked.

"Yeah, but that's just a little ouchie," Misty crooned. "You'll be okay!"

Elizabeth looked over her shoulder and blinked at Aiden, who still looked _extremely _remorseful for his actions.

"You know that Aiden didn't mean to hurt you, right, Lizzie?" Misty asked kindly.

"Uh huh," Elizabeth murmured.

"You _love _Denny, don't you?"

"Uh huh."

Aiden smiled at this. It made him feel a lot better to hear his sister say that. He was really afraid he'd hurt her too badly for any form of forgiveness.

Then again, he could sometimes be a bit _too_ dramatic, and Elizabeth was a very forgiving little soul.

"Well, I think we should bring you inside and fix up that little knee of yours," Misty suggested. "What do you say, Lizzie?"

"Denny!" Elizabeth chirped, turning her body around in her mother's arms and holding her arms out towards a surprised Aiden.

"Huh?" Aiden murmured.

"I think Elizabeth wants _you_ to hold her instead of _me,_" Misty giggled. "It's too cute for me to even be offended!"

Misty handed the toddler off to Aiden, causing the little girl to coo happily.

"Hey, I'm not Dad!" Aiden complained.

"You should be grateful, sweetheart!" Misty giggled. "It certainly means that Elizabeth loves you!"

"Yeah, and that she doesn't hate you instead!" Michelle added with a playful trill.

"Thanks, guys," Aiden muttered, his brow flattening out as Elizabeth smiled and patted a hand against the middle of his face. "Really."

* * *

><p><strong>I know people like the sibling dynamic, so I tried to make it just the three of them for a little while. Misty kind of had to come in at the end, though. But I do like just writing the siblings by themselves! They're all such trouble :P<strong>


	205. Talk Show Trouble

**Guys, I went to a concert last night and it was so awesome. But now I'm going away again next week, so I need to get up some more one shots before I go! We can get started with this one :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 6 years old**

**Elizabeth: 6 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Talk Show Trouble<strong>

"And that is reason number fifteen why you two appearing together on a talk show is an excellent idea."

Misty shot Ash a glare, although it went by unnoticed by the raven haired man seated next to her. He, instead, was too busy giving his manager a wide eyed stare. Scott, currently the center of Ash's attention, was standing at the head of the kitchen table with his arms folded across his chest, and a piece of paper placed in front of him on the table's surface.

"Nice going, Ash," Misty bit.

"Why me?!" Ash gasped dramatically, finally whipping his head around to face Misty.

"He made that list because _you _dared him to!"

"I didn't think he could actually come up with fifteen valid reasons!"

"He's Scott! He _loves_ publicity! And money! Of _course_ he could come up with fifteen valid reasons!"

Ash whined and hung his head, while Scott laughed victoriously. Misty, on the other hand, was not nearly as happy as the man, and was rolling her eyes with great fervor and irritation.

"This will be easy for the two of you," Scott assured the disgruntled couple. "Ash, you remember Rhonda, don't you?"

Ash blinked at this. "Uh…Rhonda?"

"Oh, Ash, you know who she is!" Scott chuckled.

"Uh…"

"Yeah, Ash," Misty growled, narrowing her burning emerald eyes, "who _is_ Rhonda, huh?"

"Misty, quit it!" Ash droned again. "I don't know what Scott is talking about! Err…_who_ he's talking about."

Sighing, Scott placed a hand on his forehead and shook his entire head, closing his eyes behind his dark sunglasses out of sheer frustration. "She used to be the host of _Sinnoh Now_."

"Oh, _now_ I remember!" Ash trilled, his whole expression brightening as his mind processed this bit of information. Misty, meanwhile, gripped the side of the table and fought the temptation to slam her head against its wooden surface.

"Right…" Scott sighed, still shaking his head. "Anyway, Rhonda has since become the host of her very own talk show, although you're probably not aware of that fact."

"Oh, she's _that_ Rhonda," Misty murmured, tapping her chin. "I watch that show a lot. This is awkward."

"You're turning into me!" Ash chuckled.

"Please don't ever say that," Misty muttered.

"Her talk show is very popular," Scott continued, slightly elevating his voice so Ash and Misty would get the hint to quit interrupting him. "It gets the network's best ratings, and all of the big stars go to her for their televised interviews."

"Well, I haven't!" Ash chirped.

"Please stop talking," Misty pleaded, covering her eyes with her hands.

"You're right, you haven't," Scott replied with a smirk. "Up until _now_, anyway."

Ash went back to sulking, while Misty returned to rolling her eyes.

"So, here's how it's going to work," Scott started up again, this time pointing two fingers: one at each person sitting across from him. "What both of you are doing now? That's _not _going to happen on that show."

"But I'm not doing anything," Ash defended himself.

"You're moping around like a kid," Scott sighed. "None of that for Rhonda."

"Got it…"

"And Misty, you are _not_ to roll your eyes at any time on that set, either."

"Arceus, you're talking to _me_ the way I talk to my _children_," Misty groaned.

"I have to make sure you don't do anything to embarrass yourself _or_ your reputation on national television," Scott preserved. "Publicity is good, but _bad _publicity is deadly."

Misty raised a wry eyebrow. "Where'd you get that cheesy one liner from?"

"He came up with it himself," Ash supplied. "In fact, I think it was invented around the time you were pregnant with the twins, and we were out shopping, but your hormones were going all crazy and you couldn't control yourself, so you jumped at me and I-"

"That's _exactly _when it was invented, and why we _don't _talk about that situation!" Scott interrupted.

"Funny, I seem to remember it more pleasantly than you do," Misty hummed, her eyes finally showing off the mischievous sparkle that Ash loved so much.

"I'm with Misty on this one," Ash chuckled.

"Well, what was pleasure for _you_ was an absolute headache for _me_," Scott sighed. "So, I'd prefer it if we could keep to the _safe_ answers on this show and _not _create any trouble."

"You mean trouble for _you?_" Misty questioned.

"Of course."

Now it was Misty's turn to pout. "But I _love_ creating trouble for you!"

Scott lowered his sunglasses specifically so he could glare at Misty, though the woman didn't seem at all affected by the harsh stare. Ash leaned over and patted his wife's thigh, causing her to raise an eyebrow once again and turn her head to stare at him.

"Come on, Mist, let's just give him this one," Ash whispered. "Besides, you and I _both_ know the kids are going to create trouble for him as soon as we get back."

Misty smirked at her husband. He could be _so_ dumb, yet _so_ wise at the same time. "You've got a point, Mr. Pokémon Master."

A loud _bang _from outside caused the three adults to look up and towards the door, which was soon opened up with Aiden and Michelle's small heads poking through.

"Daddy, how do you get a dent out of a car?" Aiden squeaked.

"MY BABY!" Scott shrieked, turning on a heel and running faster than anyone in that room had ever seen him do so.

"_Or_ they could create trouble for him before we even leave the house," Misty muttered, still staring off in Scott's war zone path as though she had just witnessed the most fascinating thing she'd ever see in her life.

**XXX**

"You know, I don't always like being on TV, but the hair and make-up that come along with it I can live. They do a _much_ better job than I ever could!"

"Speak for yourself."

Misty pulled herself away from the lighted vanity mirror that she'd been staring into and instead looked over towards her husband, giggling at his current situation.

He was seated in front of a different vanity, his eyes sealed shut as a young woman covered his face in nude powder. It formed a smoky cloud around his head, enough to cause Ash to cough.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" The woman giggled, pulling the powder brush away from Ash's face. He opened his eyes up, and found that he had to blink them several times just to get his vision back.

"Not a fan of the make-up, huh, Ashy?" Misty crooned playfully.

"I don't know how women stand using that stuff every single day," Ash grunted, allowing a final choke to leave his throat. "It's like torture. And it doesn't even feel good once it's on!"

"I don't like it that much," Misty mused. "I just wear it because I kind of feel obligated. I've got paparazzi on my ass all the time, so I can't exactly go outside looking all haggard and gross. Doesn't mean I enjoy putting it on every single day, though."

Ash smiled sweetly at his wife. "You could never look gross. You're the most beautiful girl in the whole wide world! Other than our daughters, of course. But that's because they look just like you!"

"Aw, Ash, you're so sweet," Misty murmured, walking up to Ash and bending down to kiss him on the lips. "But remember, Elizabeth looks just like her daddy! Red hair and green eyes aside."

"She's still much more beautiful than I am," Ash purred, causing Misty to smirk.

"Perfect! Use all of that on the show!"

Ash and Misty sighed simultaneously and turned their heads to find Scott standing behind them, looking quite pleased with the conversation that he'd clearly just eavesdropped on.

"Scott, this is why you need to stay on the _business_ side of publicity," Misty calmly illuminated. "You're not very knowledgeable when it comes to human interaction."

"I know plenty about all of that," Scott dismissed the gym leader, waving a haphazard hand in the air.

"Not exactly," Misty breathed. "You see, you think everything has to be rehearsed and well-practiced. Which is a _business _approach. But Ash and I both know, as celebrity figures, that the key behind these interviews is to be natural and honest. Not to say anything stupid or offensive, of course, but to be endearing and open yourself up. That way, people see you as someone they can relate to, and not just someone who's been put on a pedestal solely because of their talents and profession."

Scott's sunglasses nearly fell off of his face, while Ash punctuated the moment with a hearty laugh.

"Misty is so smart, isn't she?" Ash crowed. "She explains stuff _so_ much better than I ever could!"

"You got _that_ right…" Scott murmured, while Misty smirked at his obvious amazement.

"I promise that you don't have to worry about a thing, Scott," Misty trilled. "Ash and I are responsible people. We'll get through this interview with grace and poise. You don't have to be so nervous about everything, you know. It gets fairly tiring."

Scott hummed and pushed his sunglasses back up the bridge of his nose so they once again covered his eyes. "Very well. You're on in five minutes."

"Perfect," Misty warbled, smiling at Scott as the man walked away, occasionally looking back over his shoulder at Misty with a look of shock.

"Wow, Misty, you really surprised Scott!" Ash laughed, finally sliding off of his make-up chair.

"I like to save my knowledge on this kind of stuff until he's least expecting it," Misty explained, her smile becoming more earnest. "The look on his face is always priceless, and it gets him to keep his mouth shut for a little while. A double win."

Ash wrapped his arms around Misty's waist and pulled her into him, resting his head on the woman's shoulder as he pressed his lips against the side of her neck.

"Have I ever told you that I love you?" Ash murmured.

"Every single day," Misty replied whimsically. "And it never gets old."

"Oh, how sweet!"

Taken off guard by the sudden voice, Ash squeezed Misty's midsection more tightly and looked over her head. Misty let out a small "oof" when Ash embraced her more roughly, but otherwise didn't protest or try to escape.

"Hi, Rhonda!" Ash chuckled, finally letting go of Misty and moving towards the brunette.

"Ash, it's so good to see you!" Rhonda exclaimed. "I feel like it's been forever!"

"Yeah!" Ash agreed laughingly. "It has been a long time, hasn't it?"

"We've both been so busy, it makes sense!" Rhonda giggled. She allowed her blue eyes to wander off to the side, where Misty was still standing somewhat awkwardly behind her husband. "Oh my goodness, is that your wife?"

"Oh, yeah!" Ash chuckled, reaching out for Misty's hand and pulling her forward. "Rhonda, this is Misty, and Misty, this is Rhonda!"

"It's lovely to meet you," Misty politely greeted, bowing before Rhonda. "I watch your show all the time on TV!"

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine!" Rhonda gasped, shaking her head. "This is an honor, really! And might I say, you are absolutely _stunning_. Even more so in person!"

"Oh my gosh, that's so sweet!" Misty giggled, holding a hand over her heart. "Thank you!"

"I'd love to stay and chat some more, but if I do, I won't have any questions left to ask you on the show!" Rhonda laughed, winking at the couple. "So, I'll see you out there in just a few minutes!"

Ash grinned and nodded at this. "Got it!"

Before Rhonda could walk away, a boom mic hit her atop the head, causing the brunette's sweet expression to automatically change into one of absolute fury.

"JACK!" Rhonda shouted, whipping around and glaring at a large, brown haired man who had been standing behind her. "If you keep hitting me with that thing, you're not going to have a job by the end of the day!"

"Sorry," Jack apologized quietly before following after the now fuming talk show host.

"Uh…should we have witnessed that?" Misty asked her husband, squeezing his hand a little more tightly.

"Yeah, don't worry about it," Ash chuckled, pulling Misty against his side. "This has been happening ever since I traveled through Sinnoh and first met Rhonda. She threatens to fire him all the time, but I don't think she actually has the heart to do it."

"Maybe so, but I wouldn't mess with her," Misty mused. "I know a fiery woman when I see one. She makes _me_ look like a softie!"

"Don't tell Scott that," Ash laughed, gently tickling Misty's cheek. "You're my number one weapon when it comes to him!"

"Don't worry, I won't," Misty giggled, not being able to resist even the tiniest of all tickles. "Now quit tickling me! I can't go on TV all red in the face!"

**XXX**

"We have two _very_ special guests joining us for today's show! They're arguably the world's most famous and beloved couple; he's the Pokémon Master and she's the Cerulean City gym leader! Please welcome Ash and Misty Ketchum!"

The two stepped out on stage, hand –in-hand and smiling as the audience cheered for them. Rhonda had stood up from her chair and was patiently waiting for the couple. Once they were both in front of her, they shook hands with the host and took their seats across from her, waiting patiently for the cheers from the audience to die down.

"Welcome, you two!" Rhonda greeted Ash and Misty once again. "Thanks for being here!"

"Well, thank you for having us," Ash returned kindly, just as Misty had taught him to do when he first earned his title.

"I just have to say, Misty, because I'm _so _impressed by your figure, you just had a baby, didn't you?" Rhonda questioned.

"Six months ago, almost," Misty confirmed, nodding her head with a smile.

"You look absolutely _incredible!_" Rhonda gushed, motioning towards Misty's slender figure while the audience broke into applause again. "Just great!"

"Oh, thank you!" Misty giggled. She had been outfitted in a form fitting white sheath dress adorned by black piping in an hourglass frame that left no part of her figure camouflaged. "I had to work pretty hard to get it back, so…I'm proud of it."

"So, you have the six month old little girl…Elizabeth, right?"

"Right," Ash replied, jumping back into the conversation, "and then we have our older two, Aiden and Michelle."

"And how old are they now?" Rhonda asked.

"They're six _years_ old," Ash chuckled. "They're quite a bit bigger than the baby."

"Oh, I think…do we have a picture of them?" Rhonda questioned, her eyes turning up towards the screen that was hung up behind her. "We do! Look at how cute they are!"

The audience cooed at the adorable photo of Aiden and Michelle holding little Elizabeth up between themselves, all three children smiling and looking quite happy. Misty, meanwhile, simply smirked and turned her eyes onto a surprised looking Ash, who was sitting back in his chair with a slack jaw.

"I didn't give anyone a picture of the kids…" Ash murmured.

"I have a feeling I know who did, and I'll give you a hint," Misty whispered. "His name has five letters in it and he never leaves us alone."

Ash gasped softly and turned his head towards Misty. "Why would _Brock_ give Rhonda a picture of the kids?"

Misty groaned and smacked a hand over her face, shaking her head at Ash's cluelessness.

"They are really cute, though, aren't they?" Ash commented, mostly in response to Rhonda's own remark. "They're like…the best little buddies ever."

"Ash is basically just a big kid himself, so playing with them is the most fun he could possibly have," Misty added with a giggle. "He's a wonderful dad. He'll honestly do anything for those three. _Except_ for changing diapers."

The audience laughed while Misty cast her husband a sideways glance. He, in turn, smiled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck out of habit.

"I'm no good at that," Ash admitted. "I really only do it when there's no other choice. But I _do_ help out with everything else!"

"Which must be hard when you're _so_ busy all the time with your job," Rhonda pressed, leaning forward in her chair.

"I mean…I guess," Ash pondered. "I never really feel stressed or anything at home with my family. That's where I get rid of most of my stress, actually. I _like_ coming home from training and battling all day to three rambunctious kids. It's all play and no work."

"I can understand where Ash comes from, actually," Misty jumped in. "There's a lot of pressure on you when you're this kind of figure. There's not really a lot of room for error. It's easy for you to get judged for doing something, whether it's right or wrong. But your children really don't care about that kind of stuff. As long as you love them, everything is fine."

"That's actually a very good point," Rhonda agreed, causing Ash and Misty to smile. "And you both _are_ under a very big microscope."

"It's slightly frightening," Ash admitted through his smile, earning laughter from the audience.

"I imagine it must be difficult to have so many people looking up to you and following your every move, especially young trainers," Rhonda continued.

"No, I don't mind being looked up to," Ash refuted. "I think that's the fun part of it! I love it when young trainers ask me for advice or tell me I'm their role model. That's an awesome feeling! It's more of the feeling that you could get banged up really bad if you make a mistake. You're definitely not just any other person. I think I'm just as normal as anyone else, really, but obviously my actions are more scrutinized."

"You just have to ignore what they say sometimes," Misty added. "At first, I used to get so upset by all those rumors they would start about us. Things like we were going to break up, we didn't want our children, he's cheating on me…I couldn't stand it. But it happened so often that I really had to teach myself not to get upset about it. Because it's not worth it when I _know_ they're all lies."

The audience once again cheered, causing Misty to giggle. She always felt more confident when she knew she had people behind her, even though confidence wasn't exactly one of Misty's biggest problems in the first place.

"That was actually my next question," Rhonda piped up. "You're both obviously very accomplished in your own right. Misty, you'd be well known even without Ash. But, since the two of you are together, that just puts even _more_ attention you. Is it hard to deal with knowing you're this big power couple and you have to share this sense of fame?"

"A lot of people think that," Misty laughed softly. "But I don't think it bothers us too much. Well, not me, anyway…"

She glanced over at Ash, who was sitting in his seat with a charming little smile on his face. Once again, the audience laughed, as did Rhonda.

"Nah, I'm just kidding," Ash chuckled. "It doesn't bother me at all. I didn't marry Misty because she was a gym leader, after all. I didn't start dating her because she was a gym leader. It's like I said before, we're both still normal people, just because we're under a microscope. I'm with Misty because I love her, as a person. We knew the fame was going to be a factor, but when you care _that much_ about someone, you can't let it bother you. You just kind of deal with it together."

The audience cooed, and Misty threw Ash a loving glance.

"You're so sweet," Misty sighed under her breath, causing Ash to wink at her.

"So, Misty, all of that added attention doesn't bother you?" Rhonda questioned.

"I can't say that it does," Misty replied honestly. "The only thing that would sometimes get to me was when, during certain times, I was kind of just looked at as Ash's little doll or something. Like when I was first pregnant. People weren't looking at me as Misty, or even as Ash's wife. I was basically just the one he had chosen to have his kids. The tabloids would call them his 'Pokémon Master babies.' That bothered me, but only because I didn't exactly feel like I was being looked at as a person. I mean, I guess part of it could have come from the fact that he's the youngest Master ever, and that it'd been such a long time since one actually had children on the way instead of already being born and basically being older. But it was still frustrating. It was better this time around, with Elizabeth. I was finally viewed as his wife, and not just some…baby machine. But I understand that as Master, he has more fame than I do as a gym leader. So none of that bothers me. It would be silly if it did."

The rest of the interview went off without any difficulties. Ash and Misty talked more about their jobs and their relationship, with Scott watching on from the wings the entire time with a gigantic smile stretched across his face. He just _loved _it when things went his way!

Of course, _his_ way was always the _right _way, in his mind.

When the interview ended, Ash and Misty both shook Rhonda's hand and headed towards backstage, where they would undoubtedly find Scott waiting for them.

"That was _brilliant_, you two!" Scott crowed. "I was completely enraptured the whole time! And, even better than that, _nothing_ went wrong! Ash didn't say anything stupid, and Misty, you didn't get defensive about anything!"

Ash and Misty both glared at Scott, causing him to chuckle nervously and take several steps backwards.

"He _does _have a point, I guess," Misty begrudgingly admitted. "The interview was pretty great!"

"Yeah, I liked the way it turned out!" Ash agreed. "Besides, Scott doesn't give us enough credit. He thinks _everything_ we do is automatically gonna' go wrong!"

Suddenly, Ash's poke gear rang, causing him to blink before moving his hand to his belt and unclipping the device, pressing on the screen to answer the call.

"Hi Mom," Ash greeted. "What's up?"

…

"Uh…"

Misty raised an eyebrow at this. "Ash, is something wrong?"

Ash bit his lip and slowly lowered the poke gear, covering the receiver so his mother wouldn't hear him speaking to Misty. "Mom wants to know how to get paint off of a car without ruining it."

"DID THOSE KIDS GET TO MY CAR _AGAIN?!_"

Misty looked up at Ash with a half amused, half startled expression. "Looks like something went wrong after all."

"Yeah…" Ash murmured, shifting his eyes around the room to try and avoid Scott's furious glare, "but at least it wasn't _exactly _our fault…"

* * *

><p><strong>I was mostly focusing on Ash and Misty doing some "famous people" stuff, but of course I needed to throw some Scott torture in there :P Especially since he was the one who had tortured Ash and Misty first!<strong>


	206. Casino Crazy

**Soo I went to a concert last week in a casino resort, and I'm not 21 yet. So, basically, just LOOKING at the differently colored carpeting puts a target on your back XD Hence, my inspiration for this one shot! There's a LOT of character, so...try to keep up :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 2 months old**

**Damien: 5 years old**

**Rosie: 2 years old**

**Basil, Kokum, and Sage: 6 years old**

**Brandon: 6 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Casino Crazy<strong>

"…do they even know _how_ to gamble?"

"I know Drew doesn't. What about Ash?"

"Not a chance in hell."

"And Kenny?"

"Kenny barely knows how to play _Go Fish_."

"Cilan?"

"He calls himself a 'casino connoisseur,' but he calls himself a connoisseur of basically everything else in the world, too. So who knows."

"Maybe Brock or Forrest is teaching them. I know they're both very good with card games."

The five women were all gathered by the division that separated the casino from the rest of the hotel, peering over the partition in order to keep an eye out for their perspective husbands, who had all run off without warning to test their luck on the slot machines and at the card tables.

Misty sighed and rested her head in her hand as she propped her elbow up on the top of the short wall, her other hand clutching the handle of a stroller as she slowly and aimlessly moved it back and forth.

"We should get in there and gamble ourselves," May huffed.

"We can't," Misty sighed. "We got stuck with all the kids, remember?"

From inside her own gray and light pink stroller, May's young daughter Rosie shrieked and chucked a handful of cheese crackers at her mother's face, causing May to scowl.

"How could I forget?" May muttered.

"At least the older kids are behaving," Iris commented as she choked back a laugh at May's torment.

"Um, guys…" Dawn squeaked, "Look around…"

May, Misty, Iris, and Olivia, Forrest's wife, did just that, and quickly realized that all of the children who were _not _confined to a stroller were nowhere in sight.

"They ran off _again?!_" Iris fumed.

"This is getting pretty old," Olivia agreed with a sigh.

"Look at me, Mommy!"

Misty, who immediately recognized that squeaky little voice, whipped her head around and gasped at what she found. It was Aiden, trying to scale a quartz statue sticking up from the ground in the middle of a circle of marble benches.

"Aiden, get down from there!" Misty hissed.

The young boy smirked and began to climb even higher. Growling, Misty let go of Elizabeth's stroller and stormed over to where Aiden was creating his mischief. Fortunately, she was a tall woman, and was able to just reach up and grab her son before he could get any further.

"Hey!" Aiden whined.

"You know you shouldn't be doing that!" Misty scolded her son.

"But it's fun!" Aiden giggled.

"If you keep _that_ up, I'm going to put _you_ in a stroller," Misty threatened, causing Aiden to gasp.

"_Noooo!_" Aiden whined. "Mommy, strollers are for _babies!_"

"They're also for naughty little boys who don't know how to behave themselves," Misty muttered, putting Aiden down by the side of Elizabeth's stroller. "Now, don't leave my sight again. Understand?"

Aiden huffed, but didn't give any actual response to his mother's warning. He did, however, allow his chocolate brown eyes to fall back to where he'd previously been climbing the quartz, and caught sight of Damien poking his green haired head out from behind one of the marble benches.

At the same time, May _also_ caught sight of her young son.

Narrowing her eyes, May motioned for the boy to come over to her. At the action, Damien scoffed, but still slid off of the bench and trudged over to his mother. He was the spitting image of his father, save for May's beautiful blue eyes, but had inherited his mother's personality instead of Drew's; sweet and carefree, but adventurous and slightly mischievous at the same time.

"_Whaaat?_" Damien whined.

He could also be quite stubborn when he wanted to be…just like May.

"I know that you're up to no good, young man," May replied sternly. "I don't want you running off anymore! Just because Daddy isn't here to rein you in doesn't mean you can just ignore me!"

Damien snorted, narrowing his sapphire eyes, but staying in one place. At least he understood when his mother had had enough with his antics and when to stop.

"Where's Brandon?" Olivia wondered aloud. "He's almost never apart from Aiden when we get together!"

"Isn't that him over there?" Dawn queried, pointing towards the nearby ice cream shop. Indeed, the young boy was standing in front of two young girls, both of whom were holding ice cream cones and looking highly confused. It was clear, even from that distance, that Brandon was flirting with them both.

"Just like his uncle," Olivia groaned. "_And_ his father!"

The woman scurried over to her son and apologized to the bewildered young girls before pulling a visibly flustered Brandon away from the duo.

"Mommy!" Brandon complained.

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you, Brandon: no flirting!" Olivia sighed. "You're too young for any girlfriends!"

She placed the boy in front of Aiden, causing the raven haired boy to smirk out of both amusement and satisfaction.

"How come you didn't come with me?" Brandon questioned broodingly.

"'Cause you know I don't like girls," Aiden replied simply. "They're _boring!_ I like climbing stuff."

"Basil, Sage, Kokum, and Michelle are still missing," Misty grumbled.

"Well, I can guarantee you that Sage and Michelle are together," Iris noted. "But Basil and Kokum? I just hope they haven't killed each other yet."

Michelle and Sage, fortunately enough, hadn't gotten themselves into any trouble. They had simply become enchanted by the candy store, and had wandered inside without permission from either of their mothers. It was _Dawn_ who located the two, after spotting them with their hands and faces pressed against one of the display cases near the door.

"Now it's just Basil and Kokum," Iris moaned. "It _would _be my sons. And to think, they take after _Cilan._ Yeah, right."

"Get back here, Basil!"

"Nuh uh!"

As if on cue, the boys came into view, running down the concourse and between the throngs of people who were moving back and forth. They all looked rather perturbed by the children's actions, and Iris found herself to be _just_ as annoyed as those who were being disrupted.

She was also embarrassed on top of it.

"BASIL! KOKUM!" Iris shouted. The two young boys both skidded to a halt, knocking into one another in the process. "Get over here _right now!_ I mean it!"

Not wanting to experience anymore of their mother's wrath (which they both knew through experience to be legendary) both boys ran over to Iris, looking parts bashful and parts terrified.

"Don't do that again!" Iris growled. "I didn't raise you both to be a couple of maniacs! You know better than to be running through a crowd like that! _Daddy_ wouldn't be very pleased to hear about this, now would he?"

"Don't tell Daddy!" Basil and Kokum cried simultaneously, causing Iris to smirk. Both boys really admired their father, and never wanted to do anything that would purposely upset him.

"I suppose I won't," Iris hummed teasingly. "As long as you both stay out of trouble from now on."

They both nodded eagerly. That was easy enough to accomplish, after all.

With all _nine_ of the children back where they belonged, their mothers all sighed and leaned against the barrier that kept them out of the casino.

"I really do wish we could go gamble like the guys," Dawn muttered.

"Nothing is stopping you, Dawn," Misty remarked with a raised eyebrow. "You're the _only_ one of us who doesn't have a kid!"

"Yeah, but I feel bad leaving you guys out here while I go play with the guys," Dawn replied. "It's not necessarily _fair_, you know."

Olivia twisted her mouth in contemplation before picking her head up, a lock of light brown hair falling in front of her hazel eye.

"You know, there _is_ a babysitting place here," Olivia commented. "The kids could still all play together, but at least they'd be contained. And then we could go into the casino!"

"It's not a bad idea, but Elizabeth is only two months old," Misty murmured, looking into the stroller. Elizabeth blinked her wide eyes and gurgled curiously, causing Misty to sigh and return to moving the stroller back and forth in an attempt to lull the baby to sleep. "I don't know if they'll be willing to watch such a young kid."

"Why not? She's adorable!" May giggled.

"She's also very quiet," Iris added. "After all, doesn't a baby that small only sleep?"

"I don't know, you tell me," Misty grumbled, pushing Elizabeth's stroller in front of Iris. The purple haired woman peered in and found Elizabeth to be wide awake. "This kid doesn't really seem to enjoy sleeping all too much."

"But she _is_ still quiet," Iris pointed out. "It's worth a shot!"

"Yeah, the worst thing that could happen is Elizabeth acts up and you have to go get her!" Dawn trilled.

"I guess…" Misty trailed off uncertainly.

"Come on, let's go!" May giggled as she began to push Rosie's stroller along. "I can't wait to go show those boys a thing or two!"

"May, do _you_ know how to gamble?" Iris asked curiously.

"Not really, but I'm a _much_ faster learner than the guys," May chirped, causing the rest of the women to sweat drop nervously.

**XXX**

"Okay. Aiden, Michelle, you two behave while you're here, okay? And keep an eye on your little sister."

The two children watched as their mother smiled at them and stood back up to her full height, looking towards the door where the rest of her friends were waiting for her.

"Come on, Misty!" Dawn giggled. "They'll be fine!"

"Right," Misty sighed, a confident but somewhat shaky smile appearing on her face. "Of course."

They all left the room, leaving the children behind with the employees who worked the babysitting service. Aiden and Michelle exchanged curious glances before turning to their friends, who seemed just as bewildered as they did.

"What's _this_ place?" Damien squeaked.

"It looks _boring_," Sage complained, looking around the room.

Rosie, the youngest of the group other than Elizabeth, was just happy to be out of stroller and running about freely. She scurried over to Elizabeth's stroller and began rocking it back and forth, giggling as she did so. Remembering his mother's words to him, Aiden approached Rosie and gently pulled her away from the stroller.

"What do we do now?" Brandon questioned.

Basil twisted his mouth and looked around before setting his green eyes on the door at the head of the room. "Hey, the door is wide open!"

This caught all of the children's attention. They too looked towards the open door, and all seemed to come to a quiet agreement.

"Are you thinking what _I'm_ thinking?" Brandon playfully asked Aiden, who slowly nodded his head in agreement.

"But what about Elizabeth?" Michelle questioned.

"The ladies that work in here can watch her!" Sage chirped.

Before Michelle could respond, Rosie let out a shrieking laugh and ran straight out of the room, her Beautifly printed skirt flying behind her like a cape.

"Rosie!" Damien gasped.

"We have to go get her!" Kokum cried.

Their original plan already forgotten, or perhaps now put even further in motion, the older kids all bolted out of the room, running straight after the little brunette girl who had managed to escape before the rest of them.

"Rosie!" Damien kept yelling.

"Come an' gemme!" Rosie giggled, continuing to run.

"We have to get her!" Damien wailed. "Mommy will _kill _me!"

"My mommy's gonna' kill _me_ when she finds out I left Lizzie!" Michelle shouted at the frantic boy.

"Me too!" Aiden whined.

"Oh, shut it!" Michelle argued. "You wanted to leave anyway!"

"I think this is fun!" Sage laughed.

"Not really!" Brandon argued.

**XXX**

"Alright! I got a seven, a cherry, _and _a horseshoe!"

"…Ash, that doesn't mean anything."

"Uh…it doesn't?"

"Nope."

"In fact, it means you lost."

"What?!"

Forrest smirked and shook his head, while Drew started laughing so hard he nearly fell off of his own seat. Ash growled and narrowed his eyes at the top coordinator, who didn't seem affected by Ash's harsh glare.

"Come on, _you_ suck at this, too!" Ash argued.

"Maybe so, but at least _I _know that three different symbols don't mean anything," Drew remarked.

"Man, I'd love to go play at one of the card tables, but I'm afraid to leave you four sad sacks here alone," Forrest commented, pointing his finger between Ash, Drew, Kenny, and Cilan.

"Hey, I know what I'm doing!" Cilan whined.

"You got scared when the lights went off on the machine, so I don't think you really do," Forrest replied with a snicker.

"I'll admit that I'm not very good at slots, but I _do_ enjoy all of the free alcohol being passed around in here," Kenny piped up, sounding completely unapologetic for his confession.

"I second that!" Drew agreed. "But I _don't _admit that I suck at gambling."

"You probably should. It would save you a _lot_ of aggravation and embarrassment in the long run."

Drew's eyes widened as he whipped around and found his wife to be standing behind him with her arms crossed and a smirk plastered on her face.

"May, what in the hell are you doing here?!" Drew gasped. "Where are the kids?"

"I left them at the resort's babysitting center," May replied easily. "The girls and I wanted to gamble, too!"

"What do you mean you and the girls?" Ash muttered, his brown eyes shifting from side to side. "WAH!"

"Gotcha!" Misty giggled, having thrown her arms around Ash's shoulders and alarming the Pokémon Master.

"Misty?!" Ash shrieked.

"I know for a _fact _you don't know _what _you're doing," Misty teased, pushing Ash off of his seat. "Here, let _me _show you how to work the slots."

Ash folded his arms and cocked an eyebrow as he tilted his head to the side. "What do _you_ know about gambling?"

Misty turned her eyes up and threw Ash a demure expression. "I grew up with three sisters who were constantly dragging random boys into the house and drinking before noon. _Believe_ me, I know a thing or two about gambling."

While Misty was busy "teaching" Ash about the fine art of gambling, Kenny glanced up at Dawn, who smiled sweetly at him in response. They, of course, had no children, so Kenny couldn't be upset with her as the rest of the men could. In fact, he didn't really mind that Dawn was there. Sometimes, hanging out with the guys could get a little rough for him. He liked that Dawn was more gentle and calm.

"Do you know how to do any of this, Dawn?" Kenny curiously questioned his wife.

"No," Dawn replied with a sweet laugh. "But, I do like all of the free alcohol!"

"Hey, that's just what I said!" Kenny chuckled.

Dawn's eyes sparkled as her joyous smile increased in size. Reaching out, she ran a finger down Kenny's chest and purred seductively, "well, don't you and I have the same mind, hmm?"

"Heh…you could say that…" Kenny murmured, his whole face turning red.

"We don't need to play these silly old games, now do we?" Dawn whispered.

"Uh…no…"

Glancing up with her blue eyes, which were now narrowed like a sneaky Purrloin's, Dawn hummed, "I see a nice little spot over there with _lots_ of alcohol and _lots_ of open space. Shall we, my big, strong Empoleon?"

Kenny snickered amusedly at this. "Of course, my sweet, little Piplup!"

As they snuck away, Iris was busy trying to work the controls of Cilan's slot machine, causing the connoisseur to cry out in protest.

"Iris!" Cilan whined.

"Cilan, move!" Iris growled. "You don't know what you're doing!"

"But I'm a-"

"You are _not_ a casino connoisseur!"

Olivia, on the other hand, found herself smirking at Brock and Forrest, who seemed unaffected, or at least unsurprised, by everyone else's actions.

"So, how's it been going in here?" Olivia asked mischievously, her tone indicating that she knew full well of her husband and brother-in-law's plight.

"About as well someone challenging me in the gym with a Suicune," Forrest muttered with a defeated sigh.

"They're certainly not the most proficient gamblers I've ever met," Brock added.

"Well, at least they're _trying_ to understand," Olivia sighed laughingly.

"Yeah, except for Kenny," Forrest noted. "That guy doesn't really care."

"Speaking of which…" Brock murmured, looking around his brother, "where _is_ Kenny? And Dawn, for that matter?"

"Huh?" Olivia hummed, looking over her shoulder. "But…Dawn was just here!"

"ROSIE!"

The adults who were all gathered at the slot machines stopped immediately, whipping their heads around and looking confusedly all around the casino.

"Uh…did someone just yell my daughter's name?" May quipped curiously.

As if on cue, the little girl came storming past her parents and all of their friends, giggling and running like a mad person.

"Rosie?!" Drew and May shrieked simultaneously.

As soon as the young girl ran past them, Damien was soon behind, obviously chasing after the younger girl. The rest of the children were right behind, each one looking more frantic than the last as they tried to catch up to their two friends.

"Uh…" Ash muttered confusedly.

"HEY! YOU KIDS GET BACK HERE!"

A security guard was the next person to be seen running past the group of bewildered, and now mortified, adults. He was in hot pursuit of the trail of children running through the casino…a place where they were not even supposed to step foot in. He and the children were so busy running through the casino, in fact, that none of them took notice of Dawn and Kenny standing by the bar in the middle of the room, a drink in each of their hands as they both made out and ground up against one another on the wall, getting _far_ too hot for a public place.

"We're in trouble, aren't we?" Drew sighed.

"Not as much trouble as the kids," Iris scoffed. "We didn't let 'em out of the babysitting place, after all."

Ash's eyes widened and he turned his head towards his wife. "…Mist, where's Elizabeth?"

Her entire face turned red as she jumped to her feet and grabbed at her neatly coiffed locked with her hands. "Oh my Arceus, I _told_ Aiden and Michelle to keep an eye on her!"

"Aiden and Michelle might be in a _little bit_ of trouble, too," Cilan jibed with a small, hesitant laugh.

* * *

><p><strong>I've never really gotten to write Kenny and Dawn all too much, so this was a good example of how I see them as a couple: overly sexual and sooo sickeningly sweet (like with the nicknames) that you can barely stand it XD They're kind of like the party animals of the group, since they don't have any kids yet.<strong>

**Oh, and this is also the first time I've written about Forrest's wife, Olivia! She's also an OC :P**


	207. Parent Variant

**This one's kind of just...fluff. No plot or anything. It's basically a big description of Michelle's personality, and how Ash and Misty deal with it since she's nothing like either of them :P **

**Aiden and Michelle: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Parent Variant<strong>

In many ways, Ash and Misty were a lot alike.

Both were stubborn, determined, and rather hard headed. Neither one was really afraid of anything (save for Misty and her severe phobia of bugs) and both were quite brave. They were both very outgoing, not at all shy or bashful. For them, socializing and meeting new people was very easy.

So, their young daughter's drastically different personality was rather confusing for them.

Michelle was a very sweet little girl. She had been ever since she was a baby. But, also since she'd been a baby, Michelle had been very timid. _Very _timid.

She was, for lack of a better word, a cry baby. Michelle was easily frightened and tended to break out into tears quite often. The thing that seemed to scare her more than anything was meeting new people. It worked her up like nothing else. She didn't always cry in the case of meeting new people, but she certainly shut herself off to them. Meeting someone she was unfamiliar with would lead to Michelle hiding behind either Ash or Misty's legs, or demanding to be held by them. Once she was, she would hide her face in their chest or the crook of their necks. Michelle tried to escape the socialization as much as humanly possible.

She was fearful and coy, _literally_ afraid of her own shadow. Trying new things bothered the little girl much more than they should have. That included anything from foods to experiences. Michelle preferred to remain in her comfort zone, and any attempts to be taken out of it led to some serious outbursts.

When Michelle was alone with her family, however, she was much more outgoing. She liked to wrestle with Ash and sing little songs for Misty. She argued with Aiden all of the time and never hesitated to shout at him when he did something to bother her. Michelle loved all of the Pokémon her parents owned and enjoyed playing with every single one. Even the bigger, "scarier" ones like Infernape and Gyarados. She just didn't like bugs, that was all. Otherwise, she was very outgoing with and open to all of the creatures.

But with strangers? Or people she didn't know very well? It was _such_ a different story.

Neither Ash nor Misty understood it. They didn't understand how they had ended up with a little girl who was so different from either of them. They had never encouraged her bashfulness. In fact, they had always tried to get her to be more outgoing and less afraid.

But that was just her personality. For now, it was going to remain unchanged, no matter how hard they tried.

That wasn't to say that Ash and Misty didn't love their daughter, however. They _adored_ her, _treasured_ her, and _loved _her and Aiden more than anything else in the whole entire world. Her personality was far different from theirs, and they sometimes had a habit of forgetting that and didn't even know how to handle it, but they tried their best. They tried to make her feel comfortable, and not work her up too much.

Misty loved carrying the children around anyway. And while Aiden was at the age where he decided being held by his mother wasn't a cool or fun thing to do, Michelle still craved the attention and was constantly begging to be held and cuddled. Misty, of course, was not one to refuse such requests. She would hold Michelle tight and play with the girl's hair if she became upset. That always helped to calm her down.

Other than her parents and brother, Michelle was most comfortable with her grandmother Delia, Brock, May, and Dawn. The last three were her godparents, so it was only natural for her to feel comfortable with them. Despite her closeness to them, however, she still had a habit of being shy around their significant others: May's husband Drew, and Dawn's boyfriend Kenny. If Michelle spent enough time with them, however, she would open up more and not be as timid around them.

Delia was an entirely different story. Michelle _loved _the woman. She asked to see her constantly, even though the family never went very long without seeing her anyway. There were usually visits at _least_ once a week, either in Pallet or with Delia coming over to Cerulean. Delia, who had begged Ash for grandchildren for _so_ long, adored her grandchildren and basically _smothered_ them with love and attention. Michelle, being a little girl, was extra fun for Delia. The two would cook together, and tend to the flowers and vegetables in the garden. Michelle loved learning and practicing all of the home skills. She even liked to help her "Grammy," as Delia was called, with cleaning around the house.

Michelle might have been quiet and shy, but she certainly wasn't a dainty little girl. Her wrestling matches with Ash aside, Michelle didn't like clothes and shopping. She was willing enough to wear dresses, but made faces every time the idea was brought up. The little girl also _despised_ the color pink, and usually refused to wear it in any fashion.

Just because she wasn't a fan of those things, however, didn't necessarily mean that Michelle was a total tomboy, either.

She liked playing with dolls. Not to the point of obsession, but she enjoyed it enough to have a few of them, and often asked her mother to play along with her. Misty, who had been more of a tomboy than Michelle, had still enjoyed dolls as a child as well, and never minded playing along with the girl. In addition to her dolls, Michelle had a fascination with jewelry and perfume. Not make-up, mind you. She hated the stuff and never wanted it anywhere near her face. She simply liked the way perfume smelt, and all of the different glass bottles it came in.

Out of everyone, _Ash _had the hardest time adjusting to his daughter's personality. Ironically enough, he was sometimes the only one who could calm her down when she got all worked up.

Ash was so _outgoing_ that he often forgot his daughter was so _shy_. He would try too quickly to bring her into new situations, and it would lead to a small meltdown from the child. He would also forget that Michelle was timid around certain people, and would simply usher her to speak to them or be outgoing. Every time this happened, Michelle would burst out into tears, simply becoming overwhelmed by everything. And, oddly enough, Ash was the first one to comfort her…and actually have it work.

It was not easy for Ash and Misty to remember that their daughter was so different from the both of them. They tried their hardest, but neither one could admit that they were perfect. Michelle was certainly a happy little girl, despite her obvious timidity.

And that was all Ash and Misty could ask for.

* * *

><p><strong>I was basically Michelle as a kid XD Except I was actually very girly, lol.<strong>


	208. Approval

**Wow, I started this one like forever ago. I finally finished it! If you like Ash and (older) Michelle bonding, this one's for you :P**

**Michelle: 13 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Approval<strong>

"Are you _ever _going to tell your father?"

Michelle frowned and stared up at her newly anointed boyfriend. He was such a handsome young man, with glowing light skin, dark purple hair, and eyes such a dark brown they looked nearly black. He looked quite a bit like his father, and Michelle knew that _her_ father would absolutely hate it.

Sensing his girlfriend's distress, Jake sighed and gently stroked her cheek. "He won't be mad at you."

Michelle shook her head. "You don't know that."

"I do," Jake stressed. "He's your Dad; he loves you more than anything in the entire world. My Dad feels the same way about me, even though everyone views him as a cold hearted monster."

"You know that I don't," Michelle quickly supplied. "Your Dad does have a nice side…but you know that his rivalry with my Dad was really intense…I don't want my own father to disown me."

"He's not going to do anything like that," Jake couldn't help but to chuckle. "Maybe he'll try to kill _me_, but he would never harm his first born daughter."

Michelle smirked and looked up at the purple haired trainer. "You really think so?"

Jake grinned "I _know_ so! I have faith in you, Shelly."

Michelle grinned and nodded, suddenly feeling much more confident when it came to sharing this news with her father. "Thanks, Jake. I think I'll go tell him now!"

"Atta girl," Jake murmured as he stroked her bright red locks, which he was infatuated with. "Come back to me when you're done."

"Of course," Michelle breathed, giving Jake a hug before running out of the city's Pokémon Center and onto the sidewalk, heading towards home.

She was in Cerulean City, and Jake was staying at the Pokémon Center, although Michelle had offered him the guest room at her house. He was too afraid, however, and Michelle knew it was because of her father. And probably because of Aiden as well. The young coordinator knew that the boys were rivals, but she didn't like how much Aiden disdained Jake.

Michelle had tried time after time to show Aiden how good of a guy Jake was, but Aiden would have none of it. He firmly believed that Jake was just as bad as his father had been, and that Michelle was far too good for someone like Jake.

It was true that Jake hadn't started off as the kindest trainer or even person. He had been confrontational to Aiden and rude to Michelle. Like her mother, however, Michelle was not the kind of girl to just sit back and take it. She would get right back in Jake's face, giving him tastes of his own medicine repeatedly. Soon, he began to soften towards the coordinator, and she warmed up to him as well.

It didn't take long for that mutual respect to turn into something more, as the two young trainers developed feelings for one another. Michelle had already talked to her mother when these feelings emerged, but she never bothered to tell her father, since she assumed that there was a chance they would never expand upon those feelings. But they had, and now the two were dating. And Michelle had to confront her father about it.

She knew how he felt about the boy. It wasn't a positive sentiment. Michelle could only hope that her father would be more willing to accept her happiness and ignore the fact that it was Paul's _son _she was dating. Most of the time, her father was a rational man, but when it came to things like this, he could be less than understanding, and far more hot headed. Michelle was wishing for the former.

Reaching the decently sized, yellow sided home next to the Cerulean City gym, Michelle sucked in a deep breath and approached the front door. As she reached for the door knob, she could hear loud crashing and some faint explosions coming from the back of the house. She blinked and thought for a moment, before realizing that her father was probably training his Pokémon in the backyard.

Biting the inside of her cheek, Michelle slowly walked around the house until she had reached the backyard. Just as she had guessed, her father was standing in the middle of the yard, calling out attacks to Oshawott. Michelle watched in awe as the cute little water type fired off various attacks at multiple targets, such as trees and cardboard circles set up on wooden poles.

"Great job, Oshawott!" Ash complimented the sea otter Pokémon, who hurried over to his trainer in a rush of excitement. "That hydro pump of yours is really coming along!"

"Osha!" Oshawott chirped, jumping up and down.

"D…Dad?" Michelle called out uncertainly, once she was sure that he wasn't about to give Oshawott any other attacks.

Turning around, the Pokémon Master beamed at the sight of his oldest daughter, his chocolate brown eyes sparkling. "Shelly!"

Momentarily forgetting about the task at hand, Michelle grinned just as wide as her father and ran towards him, right into his waiting arms. Hugging him as tightly as she could, Michelle murmured, "I missed you so much, Dad!"

"I missed you too, princess," Ash chuckled, lifting her off the ground and swinging her around in a circle, causing the teenage girl to laugh. "I can never get used to you and your brother never being around!"

"Is Aiden here yet?" Michelle asked. She and her brother travelled together, but they had separated several hours ago so Michelle could meet up with Jake at the Pokémon Center, unbeknownst to her brother.

Ash smiled as he set Michelle back down. "Yeah, he came home about two hours ago." Adopting a confused expression, Ash mused, "I was wondering why you didn't come back _with_ him."

Michelle blushed slightly, and she quickly turned her face away so her father wouldn't see it. "It's not a big deal, Dad. I just had a few errands to run."

"You really are taking after your mother," Ash muttered, smirking as he shook his head.

"Osha! Oshawott!"

Michelle and Ash both looked down, finding Oshawott lunging at Michelle's legs. Giggling, the coordinator kneeled down and stroked the top of the water type's head, earning some content sighs from the sea otter.

Michelle smiled at the little creature's obvious excitement. "Hey there, Oshawott! I missed you too, little guy!"

After watching his daughter and Pokémon interact for awhile, Ash cleared his throat and asked, "So, Michelle, what's been happening on your journey? Anything interesting?"

Michelle's heart started to race. "Yeah…I guess you could say that…"

Ash raised an eyebrow. "You sound kind of nervous, Shelly. Is something wrong?"

Michelle stood up and wrung her hands together. "_I _don't think so, but you might think different than I do."

"Do you want to talk to me about it?" Ash murmured.

Feeling unable to speak, Michelle looked down and nodded sheepishly. Smiling, Ash withdrew Oshawott's poke ball and called, "alright, Oshawott. I've got to have a father-daughter talk, so you can take a little break for now!"

Cheering, Oshawott happily returned to his poke ball without protest. Chuckling, Ash clipped the sphere back onto his belt before turning back to his daughter and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Now, what is it that you want to talk about, sweetheart?"

Michelle's heart lurched at the nickname. The gentle way her father said it, the obvious love in his voice…there was no _way _she could do this!

"It's…just…" Michelle's voice faltered as shook her head and continued to look down. "I just wanted to tell you that I love you."

Ash raised his eyebrows. "That's it?"

Michelle closed her eyes. "Yeah, that's it."

Ash, however, wasn't really buying it. "I think there's something _else _you wanted to talk about, princess."

"Says who?" Michelle huffed.

Ash smirked. "Oh, don't get all Misty on me, now. I always thought you were much easier going than her!"

Michelle tilted her head upwards to look at her father once again. "Does Mom know that you say these things about her?"

"Heh, no…" Ash admitted, rubbing the back of his neck in a sheepish manner. "So no tattling, got it?"

"My lips are sealed," Michelle promised with a wink.

"I always knew you were my favorite," Ash teased, gently hugging Michelle around her neck. As the girl giggled, Ash separated himself from her and asked, "How am I going to get this out of you?"

Michelle's laughter stopped instantly and she shrugged, honestly having no answer for her father.

Ash snapped his fingers together after a moment of deliberation. "I've got it! What if I take you to Cerulean Cape? Would you like to talk about it there?"

Michelle's eyes lit up. "You would really take me to Cerulean Cape?"

Ash chuckled and kissed the top of his daughter's head. "Really take you there? Michelle, I've been taking you there since you were a little girl! So why not now? I know it's probably your favorite place in the whole world."

"_One_ of my favorites," Michelle corrected.

"Either way," Ash sighed, gripping the girl's shoulder, "what do you say? To the Cape? But you have to promise me that when we get there, you're gonna tell me what you started off with."

Michelle thought this proposition over for a minute before smirking and nodding. "To the Cape!"

**XXX**

Michelle giggled and leaned over the white picket fence, staring into the bright blue ocean that was calmly sparkling bellow them.

"Michelle, you told me if I took you here, you'd tell me what was up."

The coordinator blinked and looked up at her father, who had his arms folded atop the fence that he too was leaning over.

"Oh…right."

"You can tell me anything, princess," Ash reassured, gently rubbed the back of his daughter's neck. "You know that!"

"I guess…"

Ash frowned at that response. "You don't think you can?"

"I'm just nervous is all," Michelle sighed. Glancing back down, she murmured, "You have to promise me you won't get mad."

"I promise."

"I mean it, Dad!" Michelle wailed as her eyes snapped back up. Ash was a little startled by Michelle's sudden cry, but didn't have any time to voice that because she just kept going. "You really do have to promise. Like…pinky swear promise!"

"Whoa," Ash whistled, "it's serious then."

"Dad…" Michelle whined.

"Alright, alright, fine," Ash sighed, holding out his right hand and extended his smallest finger. "I _pinky swear _to you that I won't get angry."

Pursing her lips together, Michelle contemplated it for a moment before linking fingers with her father. Ash chuckled softly and swung their hands back and forth a few times before unlacing their digits, causing Michelle to laugh as well.

Ash smirked and gently nudged his giggling daughter with his elbow. "So, will you tell me now?"

"Yeah…" Michelle sighed, running a hand through her ginger hair. Making sure that she wasn't looking at her father, Michelle continued, "Dad…I…have a boyfriend."

That was met by silence, causing Michelle to wince. Cautiously, she turned her head to look at his face, trying to get an idea of what his feelings were based on his expression. He was staring dead ahead, lips set into a firm line and his eyes not blinking once. He looked contemplative, but Michelle could tell that something was bubbling under the surface.

"Daddy…" Michelle tried.

Sighing, Ash hung his head before turning it and smirking at a thoroughly bewildered Michelle. "I _knew_ I should have locked you in the house until you turned thirty."

He had said it with obvious playfulness, but a hint of remorse was still detectable in his tone. Michelle, however, was not exactly relieved to have gotten that fact off of her chest. Because she hadn't even gotten to the _worst_ part of it yet. The part that she really thought her father would get her for.

"Is that what you were so afraid to tell me?" Ash asked with a small laugh, breaking Michelle out of her terrified trance. "I guess I really struck some fear into you with all of those boy threats! I'm kind of proud about that. So, who is this guy and where does he live?"

"Dad!" Michelle hissed, causing Ash to chuckle some more.

"I'm just kidding, princess!"

"You might not be for long," Michelle muttered under her breath.

"Huh?"

"Uh…nothing?" Michelle replied lamely.

"You haven't told me the guy's name yet!" Ash cried, as though Michelle could have possibly forgotten this little fact.

"Because you threatened to go to his house and beat him up!" Michelle argued.

"I won't, I won't," Ash hurriedly promised. "Just tell me!"

Biting her lip, Michelle looked away and muttered the name so quietly that Ash couldn't hear her. He leaned in closer to the girl and questioned, "What?"

Once again, Michelle incoherently mumbled the boy's name. Ash leaned in some more, until his body was overlapping Michelle's. She tried to fight her smile, and then her laugh, but the more Ash leaned in, the harder it became. Eventually, Ash was relying on Michelle's own weight too much, and the two went toppling down towards the ground, both breaking out into a furious fit of laughter.

"Dad!" Michelle complained laughingly from beneath her father. "Get off! Come on!"

"I'm trying!" Ash chuckled, pushing himself off of the girl. She gave him a parting elbow to the chest, just for good measure, and smirked at him once she managed to sit up fully as well.

"Ow," Ash whined, rubbing the now sore spot on his chest.

"You deserved it," Michelle squeaked simply.

"Misty," Ash replied in a sing-song voice, earning a teasing glare from his daughter. "Come on, Shelly, just tell me his name!"

Michelle's shoulders fell, along with her face, but she knew she couldn't hold back the truth from her father any longer. So, she sucked in a deep breath, looked away from him, and softly replied, "Jake."

"Jake?" Ash repeated, sounding half thoughtful and half confused.

"Uh huh."

"I feel like I've heard that name before…"

"You have…"

Ash raised one eyebrow. He seemed quite surprised by this fact. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"Wait…Jake…Jake…"

Michelle waited for her rather dense father to make the connection. When he _finally_ did, he gasped dramatically and stared at his sheepish daughter with wide, stunned eyes.

"Michelle…" Ash breathed, "you're dating _Paul's son?!_"

"I'm sorry, Daddy!" Michelle wailed, her cheeks flashing red. "I know how you feel about Paul, and that you two were the most bitter of rivals! I know! But Jake isn't _anything_ like his father! He's sweet! He'd _never_ hurt me!"

Ash furrowed his brow and bowed his head. Now, instead of looking bewildered, he just looked frustrated.

"He keeps his hands to himself," Michelle muttered, causing Ash's head to snap up. "Mom told me if I ever got a boyfriend that I had to make _sure_ you knew that! I'm not stupid!"

"Well, that's _slightly_ comforting," Ash grumbled.

Michelle frowned. Her father seemed _so_ disappointed, and that was the last thing she'd wanted. She may have _really_ liked Jake, but she _loved _her father. And she didn't want to be disowned by him just because of some boy. Her family always came first, no matter how much it might have hurt her now.

"I understand, Daddy," Michelle murmured, finally causing Ash to pick his head up. "I'll break up with him as soon as I can."

"What are you talking about, princess?" Ash asked softly.

"You don't like Paul, so you don't like Jake," Michelle explained. "I don't want you to hate me. So…I'll break up with him. And then you don't have to be upset."

Ash smiled sadly at his daughter. "Oh, sweetheart, do you _really_ think I could be mad at you for dating someone that you care about?"

Michelle awkwardly shifted from side to side. "Well…yeah, when it's Paul's kid."

"I don't care that he's Paul's son," Ash assured the girl. "If Jake makes you happy, then that's enough for me! I'm not going to reject you for it. Nothing you could _ever_ do would make me hate you, princess. I love you _way_ too much! You're my baby girl. And you always will be."

Michelle beamed at this and threw herself at her father. Ash, in turn, smiled himself and wrapped his arms around the girl, hugging her tightly and refusing to let go.

"But if he hurts you…" Ash began, cautiously eyeing his now smirking daughter.

"Quit it, Dad."

"I'm serious! _No one_ hurts my baby girl!"

"Including _you?_" Michelle asked, choking slightly afterwards. This is what gave Ash the hint that he was squeezing his daughter just a bit too tightly. Blushing, he let go of the girl and watched as she giggled, her green eyes sparkling with mischievousness.

"Misty," Ash muttered, leading Michelle to wink playfully at him.

* * *

><p><strong>Of course Ash would never hate his daughter :3 Even if she's dating the spawn of Paul ;)<strong>


	209. Don't Go

**Yep yep, another one :P I leave for vacation tomorrow for a week, so I wanted to get one last one out before I left!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 3 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Don't Go<strong>

"NO! DADDY!"

Misty's eyes nearly bulged out of her head as Michelle let out that ear splitting, horrifying scream, running far away from her mother like a wild Pokémon after an attempted capture.

And all because Ash had taken a single step towards the front door.

"Baby," Ash murmured, finally walking away from the door so he could kneel down and be closer to the little girl, "I'm going to come back. You know I'm not going anywhere for long! I'm just going to a battle tournament. That's all! I'm coming back!"

Michelle started to sob now, rapidly shaking her head as she wailed. She was practically _hyperventilating,_ much to her parents' horror. They had never seen anything like this out of her before. Sure, she had acted out and cried. Plenty of times, in fact. But screaming bloody murder _just _because her father was leaving?

That had _never_ happened.

"Oh, please don't cry!" Ash begged, his face contorting into an expression of obvious hurt. "I _hate_ to see you cry!"

But Michelle just kept on wailing. Screeching and blubbering and shrieking. Ash's pained expression only grew more aggrieved. Misty knew firsthand how much Ash _hated_ seeing someone he loved so upset. Especially when it was either her or their children. That basically killed the man.

"Michelle, please…" Ash whimpered.

Michelle ran towards her father and straight into his arms, burying her face in his chest. He could feel his dress shirt and tie becoming drenched with her tears. He had yet to put on his suit jacket, and now he was grateful for that. He didn't need every single article of his clothing to be tear stained, after all.

"Please, princess," Ash whispered, rubbing the back of the girl's head. He glanced up at Misty, silently pleading for her to help him.

"Okay, Michelle," Misty cooed, moving closer to where Ash was engulfing the little girl in a hug. "Come on, we have to let Daddy go!"

"NO!" Michelle screamed, although her voice was still muffled against Ash's body.

"Where is this coming from?!" Ash frantically whispered to his wife. "She's seriously freaking out!"

"I really don't know," Misty sighed, bending down to grab hold of the little girl. "Please, Michelle, come with Mommy. You're going to make Daddy so late!"

"I'll be back before you know it, sweetheart," Ash softly reassured the child. "Just three days, that's all! And I know that my big girl can handle that. She's super tough!"

Michelle let out a desolate moan, but otherwise had stopped crying. Misty finally managed to wrangle the little girl away from her father, and chose to keep the child in her arms now for fear of a repeat performance.

"I'll call you every single night," Ash promised his little daughter, his voice full of remorse. "Really, I will! And I'll bring you back a special surprise, too! I bet you'd just love that, wouldn't ya', Shelly?"

Michelle rubbed at her eye with the palm of her hand, dragging it down her cheek and then staring at her hand, as if she would be able to see the tears she'd just wiped away. She was now absorbed in this and wasn't listening to her father at all. In fact, she was flat out _ignoring_ him.

Ash sighed, but knew there was nothing more he could do for his daughter. He couldn't just skip the tournament because she was upset, after all. This was his job, and while it sometimes got tough with a wife and children in mind, Ash still loved it and wasn't exactly eager to mess it up.

So, he had to go.

"Make sure to keep her busy, okay, Mist?" Ash asked.

"Sure thing," Misty replied. "Her _and_ Aiden. Although I don't think our little boy is quite as upset as his sister."

Ash raised an eyebrow and glanced around the living room. "Where _is _Aiden, anyway?"

"I think he's upstairs playing with his cars," Misty replied. "Is that where your brother is, Shelly?"

The little girl sniveled and rested her head on Misty's shoulder. Again, no answer. Not even an acknowledgement. Misty smiled sadly at Ash, who frowned in response.

"It'll be fine," Misty whispered to her flustered husband. "I promise."

"Misty…" Ash muttered, "Am I doing the right thing?"

"Of _course_ you are," Misty comforted the young Master. "This is your _job_, Ash! Don't worry about Michelle. I'll take care of it."

**XXX**

"Michelle, please, you need to eat your dinner."

The little girl twisted her mouth and pushed her bowl of pasta away from her. Aiden, who was sitting beside his sister, had no problem digging into his own meal, and didn't even pay attention to Michelle's obvious distress.

"Come on, Shelly, why won't you eat?" Misty sighed.

"I don' wanna'," Michelle muttered, folding her arms and looking down at the floor.

"Daddy wouldn't be happy to know that you're not eating," Misty tried, although Michelle's expression didn't change. "What if I call him and tell him that?"

"I don' cawe," Michelle grumbled, putting her arms down by her sides and gripping the sides of her chair.

Misty sighed and hung her head. She couldn't understand why Michelle was so upset. She knew the little girl adored her father, and always missed him when he left to battle. But this was _so_ unusual. Michelle had never acted out to this extent before. Sure, she'd cried and whimpered and pouted. But at this point, she was being completely impossible.

Misty barely knew what to do with the kid.

Breaking the young mother out of her thoughts was the sound of a chair scraping against the kitchen floor. Michelle, as it would turn out, was the culprit of this. She had pushed herself away from the table and hopped down from the chair, scurrying into the living room before Misty could even get a sound out.

"Ugh, she thinks she's thirteen," Misty muttered, pushing her own chair away from the table. "Aiden, Mommy will be right back, okay?"

"Mmf!" Aiden replied, his mouth stuffed with pasta and leaving him unable to give a coherent answer.

Misty stepped into the living room, where she found Michelle curled up in a ball at the end of the couch. Sighing, she shook her head and walked over to the little girl, sitting down next to her and waiting a few moments to see if Michelle would acknowledge her presence. She never did, however, and that's when Misty finally spoke up.

"Michelle, what's wrong?" Misty crooned. "I don't like seeing you so upset."

Once again, Michelle didn't answer. She just tucked herself away more deeply into the couch cushion.

"I _know_ you miss Daddy," Misty continued. "I miss him too! But he'll be back before you know it, and when he does-"

"Nuh uh!" Michelle interrupted, causing Misty's eyes to widen.

"What do you mean 'nuh uh'?"

"Daddy's not comin' back," Michelle muttered, picking her head up to glare at her mother. "Not evew."

"Michelle, what in the _world_ are you talking about?" Misty gasped, looking rather hurt by the very accusation. "Of _course_ Daddy is coming back! What gives you such an awful idea?"

"I heawd Daddy talkin' to Gwammy, and he said dat he weft and nevew came back," Michelle explained softly, tears once again building up in her emerald eyes.

"Who was he talking about, Michelle?"

"He said dad," Michelle squeaked, her voice barely above a whisper. "And _he's_ Daddy."

"Oh, oh no," Misty hushed, picking up the little girl and sitting the child in her lap. "Oh, sweetheart, that's why you got so upset when Daddy left?"

"Uh huh."

"He wasn't talking about himself, seashell," Misty murmured, using Michelle's favorite nickname as she stroked the little girl's hair. "He was talking about…_his _daddy."

Michelle turned her eyes up at her mother. "Daddy's daddy?"

"Yes, Daddy's daddy," Misty repeated softly, a small smile playing on her lips. Not because of the topic at hand, but just because her daughter was so cute. "He wasn't a good man. Not like Daddy. But Daddy is different. He's _very _different! Daddy would never leave us, seashell. You understand that, don't you?"

Michelle sniffled just once and slowly nodded her head.

"I know that Daddy would never do such a thing," Misty continued. "He's so, _so_ wonderful, Michelle. I know you know he's a good Daddy, and that you already love him. But he's the best man I've ever met. He loves the three of us more than anything. I promise."

Finally, for the first time that day, Michelle smiled. She smiled softly and rested her head against her mother, feeling much more content and less afraid. Her mother was right, for sure. Her daddy would come back before she knew it.

And she couldn't wait until he did.

* * *

><p><strong>Poor little Michelle, all startled that her daddy would actually abandon her. But of course Ash would never do that! He's too sweet :P<strong>


	210. Here For You

**I'm back from vacation y'all! A day early, because my Dad got sick, but meh. You get a new one shot out of it! XD And it's really long. And features Brock! So you enjoy it :P**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Here For You<strong>

"Oh, Ash, get over yourself. I don't want to go to this stupid class either!"

"But _I'm_ not the one having the babies! Why do _I_ have to go?"

"Because you're the one who knocked me up, so you're going to be the one helping me through the 'beauty' of childbirth."

Ash furrowed his brow and whined, while his wife simply smirked at the man's displeased reaction. "Ya' know, I talk to Mom an awful lot, and _nothing_ she's been saying about the actual birth sounds beautiful."

"That's because it's not," Misty hummed, flinging her purse over her shoulder and opening the front door of Delia's house for her and Ash to leave. "It's _very_ painful, _very_ intense, and _very_ messy. If I had told you these things up front, there's not a chance in _hell_ you would have ever _touched _me."

"Of course I would have," Ash muttered as he followed behind Misty, making sure the door was fully closed and locked before they took off. "I just would've actually bothered to use protection is all."

"Well, you didn't, and there's no turning back now," Misty giggled just once as she rubbed her huge stomach. "You're stuck with a Wailord of a wife for the next ten weeks, and we're _both_ stuck going to this childbirth class for the next eight of them."

"Aw, you're not a Wailord," Ash crooned, causing Misty to playfully roll her eyes. "Besides, you know that I like you pregnant! I think you look cute, and I like feeling the babies kick and stuff. I can't say I'm excited about two months of baby school, though. Why do we _have_ to go?"

"It's not like a law or anything, so _technically_, we don't have to go," Misty reasoned. "But your mother highly suggested it, and she's actually had a kid, so I'm inclined to listen to her and take her advice."

"If by 'highly suggested' you mean she brought it up at least five times a day," Ash grumbled, mentally flashing back to all the times his mother had slipped the brochure into his training duffel, Misty's favorite books and magazines, and uncomfortably discussed the topic at length during all three meals of the day.

"Oh, she's just trying to help," Misty sighed, glancing down to look at her shoes and scowling once she remembered her stomach was in the way.

"I guess, but it's not like she's a total expert, right?" Ash questioned. "She only had one kid, after all."

"That's still more experience than _I_ have," Misty argued. "Besides, she may have only had one kid, but he turned out to be pretty great. I hope I can do _half_ as good of a job as she did."

Ash turned his head and beamed at Misty, who was still being her stubborn self and refusing to look at her husband, who she'd just complimented so lovingly. Chuckling, Ash threw an arm around Misty's shoulders, taking the young woman off guard and causing a jolt to travel up her spine.

"You're really sweet, you know that, Mist?" Ash mused, his chocolate eyes twinkling with glee.

"Yeah, when I want to be," Misty muttered, shaking her head before glaring up at Ash. "And don't tell _anyone_ about that side of me, got it?"

"Ah, _there's_ the girl I know and love!" Ash laughed, kissing the woman atop her head. "You know that I'll never tell a soul about your soft spot. It's our little secret!"

"Good," Misty grumbled before softening her features and smiling at her husband. "I like it that way."

**XXX**

The class was being held at the Pallet Town Medical Center, where Misty was hoping to have her twins. It had a more relaxed atmosphere than a regular hospital, which Misty appreciated since she found hospitals to be so horrifying. Her husband had also been born in the very same building, and Misty wanted nothing more than for their own children to be delivered there as well.

Ash and Misty were quite obviously the youngest couple in the room, but neither one seemed to mind. Ash was rather oblivious to the strange stares that came his and Misty's way due to their very youthful appearances, and Misty simply dealt with the criticism by scowling, glaring, and growling at the ones who dared to judge her and her husband. Misty just couldn't understand all of the scrutiny, though she just assumed it was because she and Ash were such a high profile couple. People seemed to think they were on the verge of becoming teen parents or something, which was probably the stupidest thing Misty had ever heard. She and Ash were not teenagers, they were 21. Which was still young, but not teenager young. They both had steady, well-paying jobs, and were _married_ to one another. Misty didn't think their ages mattered at all.

"Do you think they're comfortable in there? I wouldn't be."

Misty was snapped out of her thoughts by her husband's pensive voice, and his finger poking into the side of her stomach. His inquiry had been loud enough to earn a pair of disbelieving stares from the older couple sitting next to them. Misty glowered at the two, and they instantly looked away in a sheepish manner, pretending that Ash and Misty had never been in their sight.

"Maybe not anymore, I think it's a little tight now," Misty mused, playing into Ash's curiosity. "They're both an awful lot bigger than they were even a few weeks ago. Having to share the space definitely doesn't help."

"They're gonna' have to share a lot, because they're twins," Ash pondered. "Think that'll bother them?"

"Hopefully not," Misty sighed, leaning back on her palms. She was exhausted and just wanted to get the class over with for the day, despite the fact it hadn't even started yet. "We just have to make sure they both know they're equally loved, and that even though they're twins, they're their own people. You know, individuals. We can't treat them like a two for one deal."

Ash looked up at Misty and grinned, much to her bewilderment. "You're really smart, Mist!"

"Thanks, I try," Misty yawned, her eyelids fluttering once or twice as she struggled to push herself back up. "I'm _so_ tired. I don't like this whole thing already! I want to take a nap. Can we leave yet?"

"No," Ash replied firmly, finally straightening out his back so he and Misty were eye-to-eye. "You're the one who was adamant we come here!"

"Yeah, but that was before I got super sleepy," Misty grumbled. "Growing people is hard! I'm tired. I want to take a nap. And then I want to eat cake. A _whole_ cake. Ice cream cake. With the chocolate cookie pieces."

"That's…awfully specific," Ash murmured.

"What can I say," Misty trilled, finally picking one of her hands up to place it on her belly. "I'm a girl who knows what she wants."

"I see."

"And being here right now is something that I _don't_ want!" Misty practically shouted, causing Ash to jump and everyone else in the room to turn their heads in order to stare at her. "Let's just leave."

"We can't!" Ash groaned. "We need to make it through at least one class, just for Mom's sake."

"How come _you're_ being the sensible one now?" Misty huffed while a pout overtook her face. "That's _my_ job."

"Believe me, it still is," Ash sighed. "I'm only in favor of staying because it might get Mom out of our hair for a little while concerning this whole thing. If I can go a whole _day_ without finding her stupid pamphlet in my duffel, I'll be a happy man."

"Is it that bothersome?"

"Yeah! I tried to get Pikachu to eat it the other day, but he wouldn't. He's such a suck up when it comes to Mom. And you, for that matter."

"Hmm."

"What?" Ash asked incredulously. "You don't find it annoying when that dumb piece of paper falls out of your training magazines?"

"Of course I do," Misty replied nonchalantly. "But I love Delia too much to complain. You know that."

"Besides," Ash continued thoughtfully, "how bad can this thing possibly be? All we're doing is learning about birth and stuff! Which is actually pretty gross now that I think about it, but whatever. At least we get to spend the hour with each other!"

"We'd be spending the hour together anyway, and if it was at home, we'd be doing activities that are a lot more fun than this."

"True."

"Ugh, I can't believe you dragged me here," Misty muttered, narrowing her eyes as she tilted her head back to stare at the ceiling.

"Right, because _I_ didn't complain the whole way here while _you _were telling me this was the right thing to do," Ash grumbled under his breath.

"Hey! Ash!"

The young man looked away from his disgruntled wife and towards the doorway of the room, where he was more than shocked to find Brock standing with a bag in his hands.

"Brock, what are you doing here?" Ash asked through an amused chuckle. Hearing their good friend's name, Misty tilted her head back down and looked over her shoulder, emerald eyes widening when she caught sight of Brock.

"I stopped by your house because I have a special delivery for you, but your mom told me that you and Misty had headed for the medical center," Brock explained. "I was going to leave the bag with her, but I wanted to bring it to you myself! Like I said, it's special."

"What is it?" Ash questioned.

"More of Pikachu's favorite food," Brock replied brightly, stepping fully into the room and kneeling down next to Misty's opposite side. "I know how much the little guy loves my special recipe, and when you told me the other day that he was running low, I decided to whip up another batch just for him!"

"Brock, you're the best buddy a guy could ask for!" Ash laughed, taking the plastic bag from his older friend. "Pikachu is going to be _so_ happy when I bring this back to him!"

"Yeah, where is that mouse, anyway?" Brock murmured, looking around the room. It was strange to see the Pokémon Master without his beloved partner sitting on his shoulder, after all.

"I asked him to come to the class with us, but he wasn't into it," Ash answered with a shrug. "He'd rather take a nap on the couch."

"Me too," Misty muttered, causing Ash to dramatically roll his eyes.

"Is someone here tired?" Brock trilled playfully.

"More like exhausted," Misty sighed. "I barely get any sleep anymore! And it's not going to get any better when those two actually vacate my body."

"Well, at least the class should be interesting," Brock tried.

At this, Ash raised an eyebrow. "Really? It's interesting?"

"Maybe I only think so because I'm a doctor," Brock mused, causing Ash to nearly fall flat on his face. "You, on the other hand, might not be so into it. Especially if they show a video…"

Ash's entire face turned so pale he looked fairer skinned than his wife. "What video?"

"Maybe you should get going, Brock," Misty commented, once again sounding bored with the whole situation. "This isn't a class about Pokémon health care, after all. I think this one might be a little too grisly for you."

"I bet I could handle it," Brock scoffed.

"Guys, seriously, what kind of video?" Ash prodded.

"Okay, class, we're almost ready to begin!"

Brock looked towards the front of the room, where that heavenly voice had come from, and as soon as he saw who had uttered those words, his eyes practically burst into nothing more than glitter while steam seemingly began to pour straight out of his nostrils.

It was a beautiful young woman, who seemed to be around Brock's age of 26, with golden locks of hair that were curled at the ends and ran all the way down to her waist. Her eyes were a bright, warm crimson that glimmered in the light, and her skin was smooth and pale.

Naturally, Brock thought she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.

"Oh…uh, excuse me, sir?"

The infatuated Pokémon doctor was brought back down to Earth when he realized that the beautiful woman was now standing right in front of him, holding her hands behind her back and blinking rather wildly.

"Heh…heh…hi…" Brock greeted lamely, causing Misty to roll her eyes and Ash to look between the two with a sense of interest.

"This class is only for expectant parents, and I know for a fact you're not the Pokémon Master," the instructor commented, pointing towards an obviously annoyed Misty.

"Of course not! I can explain that!" Brock chuckled warmly, leading Misty to raise a wry eyebrow. "You see, my name is Brock, and I'm a Pokémon doctor from Pewter City! I also just so happen to be a close family friend of these two, and have been appointed Misty's birthing coach when Ash undoubtedly passes out during the delivery."

"Hey, no you weren't!" Ash argued. "And I'm _not_ going to pass out!"

"Oh…well that makes sense, then!" The woman giggled, causing Brock to grin rather deliriously. "You sure are a wonderful friend!"

"Yeah, a real gem," Misty muttered sarcastically.

"So, what's your name?" Brock drawled, practically drooling out of his mouth.

"Alexandra," the blonde replied effortlessly. "It's lovely to meet you, Brock! I can't wait to see how you do with my coursework! _Especially_ since you're a Pokémon doctor…"

Brock's entire face turned red as he fell on his back, leaving Alexandra to laugh once again and flitter back towards the front of the room. As soon as the older man catapulted himself back into sitting position, Misty gave him a solid whack upside the back of his head.

"Ow!" Brock wailed.

"Just what do you think you're doing?!" Misty hissed.

"Misty, do you _see_ Alexandra?" Brock sighed, staring at the blonde woman once again. "She's gorgeous!"

"Yeah, great," Misty hurriedly scoffed. "But this isn't a place for you to pick up chicks! This is a class for me and Ash to learn about what it's going to be like when it comes time for me to give birth. It's not a singles bar!"

"And there's nothing a beautiful woman loves more than a compassionate man who's willing to help his friends," Brock countered, rubbing a hand against Misty's heavy bump. "Especially when it comes to their two unborn children!"

"Why'd you have to bring up me passing out?" Ash demanded to know. "I'm not gonna'! That's embarrassing!"

"Ash, it's fine, I just needed an excuse to stay in here!" Brock stressed. "But, in all fairness, you already passed out once before during this whole pregnancy thing."

"What?! No I didn't!"

"Ash, yes you did," Misty sighed. "You fainted when you found out we were having twins."

"…oh. Right."

"You two don't have to worry about a thing," Brock assured his friends, still beaming at Alexandra. "I think you two are forgetting that I have nine brothers and sisters. Trust me, I know a thing or two about this birthing business!"

"Great," Misty drawled sarcastically. "Too bad Ash and I _don't!_"

"It'll be easy!" Brock chuckled.

"The first thing we're going to need is a focus object," Alexandra explained to all of the couples (and Brock) in the room. "The focus object, of course, is something to concentrate on while you're giving birth!"

Ash smiled and took Misty's hand into his own, bringing a delicate blush to the gym leader's face.

"I can be your object, Misty!" Ash offered. "You can just look at my face the whole time!"

"Aw, Ash, that's so sweet of you!" Misty giggled.

"Actually…" Brock murmured, taking Misty's head into his hands and turning it so she was staring at the front of the room. "I was thinking _Alexandra_ could be your focus object!"

Misty's enamored expression quickly changed into one of aggravation. "She's not going to be in the room while I'm giving birth. Therefore, she cannot be my focus object. I am _NOT _focusing on _your_ object of affection!"

Once again, Misty's angry shout caught the attention of everyone else in the room, including Alexandra. Brock chuckled nervously and patted Misty's stomach, crooning, "oh, those crazy hormones again!"

"I'll show _you_ crazy hormones," Misty threatened, having to be restrained by a fairly nervous Ash.

"Come on, Misty, there's no need to get so worked up!" Brock promised, all while keeping an eye on Alexandra. "Ash can be your focus object, sure. But what about your breathing? Let's work on that!"

"We're not _up_ to that part yet," Misty hissed.

"Yeah, but you'll get there eventually! Come on, let me show you!"

"No! This is awkward!"

"Ash, tell her this isn't awkward."

"It's awkward, Brock."

"Is…everything alright back there?"

Alexandra had posed that question, leading both Ash and Misty to glare at the man sitting by Misty's left side. He, on the other hand, only seemed to become even _more_ love-sick with that action, and jumped up to join Alexandra at the front of the room.

"Oh yes, just fine!" Brock trilled. "I think she's just a little nervous is all! But that's okay, that's why I'm here to help! And I promised to help in any way that I possibly could!"

With his last statement, Brock dramatically threw his arms out to his sides and ended up hitting the button on a nearby TV set with his right hand. The screen came to life with a _very _vivid scene of a woman giving birth, and nearly all of the guys in the room groaned simultaneously.

Except for Ash. Who simply turned a sickly shade of white and muttered, "oh, _that's_ the video," before promptly passing out by his wife's side.

"Oh, yeah, I've got two _great_ guys here for me," Misty remarked sarcastically before looking down at her belly. "I apologize in advance for these two, little ones. Trust me, you're both in for a _wild _ride."

* * *

><p><strong>Come on, if Ash was your dad and Brock was your godfather, you'd be in for a lot of fun too! Even if Misty views it as more insanity than fun... :P<strong>


	211. Monsters

**Ash and Michelle father/daughter fluffy time :P Yay!**

**Michelle: 3 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Monsters<strong>

"Daddy! Daddy!"

Ash groaned and rolled on top of his wife, who gasped dramatically in response.

"Ash! You're crushing me!" Misty choked out furiously, trying to push her husband off of her.

"Hmm…"

"Ash, get the _hell_ off of me!"

The man's eyes finally fluttered open, and he found himself face-to-face with his concerted wife. Frowning, he quickly rolled off of the woman and flashed her an apologetic look, which didn't seem to be doing much good in Misty's world.

"I'm sorry, Misty," Ash apologized softly. "I was just having some kind of weird dream, and I guess I rolled a bit too much in my sleep because of it. I didn't mean to…uh…crush you."

"And what kind of a dream were you having, Mr. Pokémon Master?" Misty quipped, folding her arms across her lilac lace covered chest.

Ash let out a soft yawn and began to rub his still sleepy eyes. "Well, I was dreaming that someone was calling me…they sounded kind of scared."

"Hmm," Misty hummed curiously, looking over her shoulder. "That might not have been such a dream there, Ashy."

Ash blinked and looked towards the bedroom door, where Misty had turned her head to. Standing in the doorway was none other than Michelle, looking rather nervous. Her bright red hair was disheveled, and she was holding a stuffed Pikachu half way in front of her face. Her toes were digging nervously into the plush carpet, butterfly printed pajama pants curtaining the back of her small feet.

"Michelle, what are you doing up so late?" Ash asked softly, his chocolate brown eyes flickering with concern. He made sure to keep his voice low so that the little electric mouse curled up on his pillow wouldn't be disturbed.

"Daddy, thewe's a monstew in my woom," Michelle murmured, squeezing her plush toy just a bit more tightly.

"A monster?" Ash repeated sleepily.

Silently, Michelle nodded her head.

"Oh, princess, there's no such thing as monsters!" Ash gently assured his daughter. "I promise you'll be fine. Go back to sleep."

"No, Daddy," Michelle whined, now shaking her head instead. "You hafta' get rid of it!"

"Michelle, I already told you, there's no-"

Ash was cut off by a jab in the ribs, courtesy of his disenchanted wife. He let out an anguished whimper and rubbed the afflicted area, although Misty didn't seem to be bothered by her husband's obvious discomfort.

"Go get rid of the monster, Ash," Misty murmured.

Ash whipped his head around with wide eyes that bore into Misty. "You've got to be kidding me, Mist! There's no such thing as-"

"Our daughter is frightened and knows _you're_ the only person who can help her," Misty hissed, causing Ash's formerly stunned face to soften. "Get the hint?"

"Yeah, I got it," Ash breathed as he slid out of bed, rubbing a hand against his bare chest as he moved towards the door. It had been a hot day, and an equally hot night, so he'd made the decision to sleep in only his white and blue striped boxers.

He was regretting that action _now_, however.

"Alright, Shelly," Ash sighed, "show me where this monster is."

"Up," Michelle squeaked, holding her arms up in the air. Ash knew exactly what that meant and groaned as he threw his head back.

"Michelle, come on, why do I have to carry you back there?"

"'Cause the monstew might eat me," Michelle whimpered before burying her face into the top of her toy Pikachu's head. "Daddy…"

"Okay, okay, Daddy's not going to let that happen," Ash shushed, bending down and scooping up the little girl with complete ease. "You'll show me from up here, okay?"

Michelle silently nodded her head once more. Ash padded out of the bedroom and down the hallway before entering Michelle's own bedroom. The entire way there, Michelle had one arm looped around the back of her father's neck while she kept half of her face hidden in the man's strong and bare chest, trying not to look out into the dark house all too much.

"So, where's this monster?"

Ash's voice finally brought Michelle's full face out of hiding. She blinked her emerald eyes a few times to get used to the light that now filled the room thanks to the switch Ash had flipped. Once they were adjusted, Michelle started looking around the room before holding out the arm that wasn't relying on Ash's neck and pointing at the closet on the far side of the room.

"He's in thewe," Michelle whispered.

Ash pursed his lips and walked towards the closet. The closer he got, the more Michelle began to tremble against him. The man slid open the white wooden door, and Michelle shrieked and buried her face fully into Ash's chest. Just as he'd been expecting, however, the young father was met with nothing more than racks of his daughter's clothing and cubbies with shoes in them.

No monsters.

"Michelle, there's no monster in here," Ash softly informed his daughter. She looked up slowly and timidly, her wide eyes blinking as she stared into the small space. "See? Nothing!"

"He got out," Michelle puffed, her eyes once again filling with fear. "Daddy, he got out!"

"Huh?"

"What if he's undew my bed now?!" Michelle wailed, taking her formerly free arm and slinging it around Ash's neck to join her other arm. "Daddy, help!"

"Shelly, it's okay!" Ash sighed. "I'll check under your bed, too, alright? I bet he's not there, either."

He turned on a heel and marched towards the white wooden bed, placing Michelle back in the center much to her displeasure. Kneeling down, Ash peered under the bed and scanned his eyes around, finding nothing beneath the furniture.

"No monster down here," Ash murmured, getting back to his feet. "I think you're safe, Michelle."

She frowned at this, not looking overly pleased with her father's response. "Daddy, I'm scawed. What if he comes back?"

"He's not gonna' come back," Ash assured, momentarily forgetting that monsters didn't actually exist.

"How do you know?" Michelle whined, throwing her stuffed Pikachu against the mattress. It seemed now that her previous fear was transforming into frustration.

"Because I won't let him," Ash replied in a determined fashion, grinning boldly at his young daughter.

She watched on in fascination as her father stepped into the middle of the room, holding his arms down by his sides and looking around a few times before crossing his arms against his chest.

"I guess you got scared and ran off, huh?" Ash questioned to no one in particular. "That should teach you a lesson about scaring my little girl."

Michelle cooed softly and kept her eyes on her father, who was now beginning to pace back and forth across her hardwood floor.

"You'd better not come around here and frighten her again," Ash continued, one eyebrow cocked in annoyance. "Or else you'll be sorry! I'm the Pokémon Master, and I've got _lots_ of friends who are willing to help me scare you off!"

He stopped and tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling for a moment before lowering it and smiling at Michelle, whose whole face was lit up with excitement.

"Feel better?" He asked softly.

"Yes, Daddy," Michelle murmured, lying down on her side and curling up into a ball. "Fank you!"

"Don't mention it," Ash murmured, walking over to the bed and pulling the sheets back over his little girl. "Go back to sleep now, princess. I'll see you in the morning."

He leaned down and gave her a kiss on her temple before walking out of the room and back to his own, where Misty was still sitting up in bed, waiting for him to return.

"You're still up?" Ash asked in interest.

"I was curious to see how it went with Michelle," Misty replied innocently. "Also, I can't really fall asleep unless our bodies are touching."

"You naughty girl," Ash teased with a smirk on his face.

"Hey, I didn't say _anything_ about sex," Misty quipped. "You know that does nothing to help put me to sleep. Or you, for that matter."

Ash chuckled and winked at his wife as he crawled back into bed. "Nah, just revs me up some more."

"Whatever," Misty grumbled, although her lips were bent into a smile. "So, is everything okay? She's not scared anymore?"

"Nah, I told her that I scared the monster away," Ash answered. "She fell right asleep after that! Guess she feels safe now."

"She does," Misty murmured. "Do you understand now why I told you to stop bringing up the whole 'monsters aren't real' thing before? Michelle is just a little girl, and she thinks that they are. In her world, it's _your_ job to protect her from that kind of stuff!"

"That makes me happy," Ash quietly admitted.

"She trusts you," Misty giggled, leaning forward to give her husband a kiss on the cheek. "It _should _make you happy! It means you're a good daddy."

"Yeah?" Ash murmured, his eyes turning dark. "Bet that turns you on, huh?"

Misty smirked and gave her husband a side eyed stare. "Really?"

"I think that monster found a way into my body," Ash elucidated, holding a hand over his heart. "Because I have a _monster_ need, if you know what I mean."

"Ugh, you're so _cheesy_, it's awful," Misty groaned. "Seriously. You're actually, like, the lamest person _ever_."

"Maybe so, but you still love me," Ash joked.

Misty scowled at Ash and threw one leg over his lap, straddling him so the purple satin on the bottom of her nightgown rode up her thighs.

"Shut up before I change my mind, _Mr. Monster,_" Misty purred as she leaned over to kiss the foolish but devoted man she loved so much.

* * *

><p><strong>I love Michelle and Ash together. They just work so well together when I write them ^^<strong>


	212. Crime Time

**I'm on fireee. I am NOT looking forward to this writing streak ending when school starts up again :/ Can we cancel school? That'd be fun. Anyway, I really love this one shot. It's Lizzie centric, and you all know how much I love the little girl ;)**

**Aiden: 9 years old**

**Elizabeth: 3 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Crime Time<strong>

Elizabeth loved the toy store.

It was probably her favorite place in the whole entire world, in fact. They had everything a kid could ever dream of! Stuffed Pokémon, board games, puzzles, and even those noisy video games that her big brother loved so much!

Whenever her mother took her to the toy store, Elizabeth was always excited. She usually left with at least one toy, because her mother couldn't help but to spoil her. Going with her father was even better, because he bought her even more toys than that.

Today, however, she was with her mother. They had only gone in the first place because they needed to buy Rosie a present for her birthday. Either way, Elizabeth knew she was going to leave the store with _something _for herself. Her mother may not have been as big of a pushover as her father, but Misty was still fairly easy to persuade with the right pout.

What caught Elizabeth's attention that day was a shiny gold badge, like something Officer Jenny would wear on her uniform. Lately, Elizabeth had become very friendly with Cerulean's Jenny. She often saw the police woman walking around town, and would run up to her to chat. Elizabeth liked finding out what kind of bad people Officer Jenny had caught. It was good to know what to do and what _not_ to do!

Picking up the badge, Elizabeth scurried up to Misty as fast as her little legs would take her and patted the woman on her leg. Misty, who had been busy perusing a shelf full of pink poke dolls, glanced down and saw the shiny gold badge that her young daughter was holding up.

"Mommy, I can has?" Elizabeth squeaked, widening her emerald eyes for good measure.

"Oh, you're getting on your beggy face, aren't you?" Misty crooned, causing Elizabeth to stick her lower lip out even further. "You don't have to do that, sprinkle. I'll buy you your little badge."

"Okay!" Elizabeth chirped, holding the emblem against her chest. "I hold it."

"Alright, you do that, sweetheart," Misty giggled before motioning her head. "Come on, let's go find Rosie a good birthday present!"

**XXX**

As soon as they'd left the store, Elizabeth had Misty pin the badge onto her shirt. Once it was on, Elizabeth felt as though she herself was Officer Jenny! And, as such, she was going to make it her job to protect the things _and_ people in her house.

Just like Officer Jenny did with the city!

As soon as they got home, Elizabeth decided to start laying the law down with the rest of her family. She made her first mission a rather simple, but in her mind, important one: to guard the fresh batch of cookies her mother had just made.

The plate full of sweets may have been perched high up on the counter, too high for Elizabeth to actually reach, but she made due with just standing in front of the cabinets. She had hired Pikachu as her Pokémon partner, since neither her mother nor father had a Growlithe.

"You can't use fwamefrower, but you can shock bad peoples," Elizabeth instructed Pikachu. The small mouse had simply squeaked in response, not having the heart to tell Elizabeth that he would never intentionally shock anyone in the family.

It didn't take long after Elizabeth had stationed herself in the kitchen that she got her first licks in. Aiden, who had a nose just as powerful as his father's, came darting into the kitchen, having eyes only for the fresh cookies on the counter. He started to make his way towards the plate, and was so fixated on the treats that he didn't even see Elizabeth standing in front of the counters…and in his way.

"Hey!" Elizabeth shouted, pushing her hands against Aiden's knees. This finally stopped the boy in his tracks and caused him to look down. When he saw Elizabeth, he raised a wry eyebrow and straightened out his body, while the little girl glared up at him in response.

"Outta' the way, squirt," Aiden calmly demanded. "I've gotta' get one of those cookies! Or five."

"No!" Elizabeth argued.

"Says who?" Aiden scoffed.

"Me!" Elizabeth chirped. "I'm in chawge of the cookies! You can't has!"

"Uh, I live in this house, so I _can_ have," Aiden retorted, reaching out for the plate once again.

"No!" Elizabeth yelled once more, this time slapping Aiden's knee with her little hand.

"_OW_! Elizabeth!" Aiden shrieked, grabbing hold of his knee and jumping up and down on his uninjured leg. "That actually _hurt_!"

"You leawned a lesson," Elizabeth scolded, wagging a small finger at her brother. "No takin'!"

"Oh, I am _so_ telling Mom on you," Aiden hissed, bending down and sticking his tongue out at the little girl. Elizabeth, however, was not one to back down or be intimidated easily. Instead, she stuck her _own_ tongue out, and glared at her brother while she did so. Finally giving up on the subject, Aiden rolled his eyes and stormed out of the kitchen, leaving behind a very satisfied Elizabeth.

"Didn't I do good, Pikachu?" Elizabeth squealed excitedly, turning towards the electric mouse who had been sitting on the counter next to the cookie plate. "Aiden didn't take da' cookies!"

"Pika," Pikachu replied softly, not exactly wanting to encourage the child's admittedly alarming behavior.

Elizabeth's next perpetrator would be a bit more difficult than the first. It was hard enough being the smallest person in the house, so Elizabeth was already at a disadvantage. Aiden might have been bigger than her, but this person was even _worse_, as far as size was concerned. And his _appetite_? Well, that was even worse, too.

"Hey there, Lizzie!"

The little girl glared at her father as he walked into the kitchen. At least _he_ had actually noticed her before the cookies. The sweets were the main reason he had come into the room, however. Elizabeth's mother had always told her that her father had a sense of smell like no other.

"Daddy…" Elizabeth warned as her father moved closer to her.

"I'm just here to get some cookies, pumpkin!" Ash chuckled as he continued walking over to the counter. "I'm not gonna' disturb whatever game you and Pikachu are playing!"

"Pikapi…" Pikachu murmured, jumping off the counter and onto his trainer's shoulder.

Elizabeth kept on glaring at her father, but that angry little expression didn't seem to have much of an effect on him. He just kept getting closer and closer, Elizabeth's little fists beating against his shins not even doing any good. He effortlessly reached over and grabbed three cookies from the plate.

That's when Elizabeth basically lost her mind.

She let out a shrieking scream, causing Ash to gasp and nearly stumble backwards. Before he could do anything else, Elizabeth grabbed hold of his pants and began pulling him towards the living room, much to Ash's shock.

"Elizabeth, what's going on?!" Ash gasped.

"You awe undew awwest!" Elizabeth shouted, still dragging Ash into the living room.

"Under arrest?" Ash repeated in a bewildered fashion. "Why?"

"You stealeded cookies!" Elizabeth accused, letting one hand fly off of Ash's pants in order to point at him.

"I didn't steal them!" Ash cried, temporarily forgetting that he was arguing with a three-year-old. "I was hungry! Mommy made those cookies for _all_ of us!"

"You wasn't 'pposed to have any 'til _aftew _dinnew!" Elizabeth carried on. "You bwoke da' law!"

"Huh?" Ash murmured.

Elizabeth scowled and pointed at the shiny gold badge that was pinned onto her shirt. Ash studied the small object and realized that his daughter was playing pretend. As a police officer.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, kid, but I miss when you were only interested in playing princess," Ash grumbled.

"You'we goin' to jail!" Elizabeth cried, completely ignoring her father's complaint.

"I don't see any jail around here," Ash sighed.

Elizabeth blinked, dropping her angry expression as she stopped to think for a short moment. She soon let go of Ash's pants and ran towards the couch, pulling off all of the cushions and pillows as she began to rearrange them in the corner of the room. They soon formed a two sided barrier, with the wall making up the rest of the tiny square. With that completed, Elizabeth marched back towards Ash and once again grabbed his pants, pointing towards her newly erected jail cell.

"Dere," Elizabeth replied simply.

Ash groaned and hung his head, squeezing his eyes shut tight. "Elizabeth-"

"NOW!" Elizabeth screamed.

Ash's eyes widened and he scampered towards the makeshift cell, hopping over the gathered cushions and unsurely sitting down in the open center. Not wanting to be incarcerated like his trainer, Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder and instead chose to sit by Elizabeth's feet.

"Traitor," Ash muttered as he eyed Pikachu. The electric type, in turn, frowned and allowed his ears to droop by the sides of his head.

"Yay! I catcheded my fiwst bad guy!" Elizabeth cheered. "And it was Daddy!"

"Elizabeth, how long do I have to stay in here for?" Ash sighed.

"You gotta' be in jail fow ten whole yeaws!" Elizabeth replied jauntily, holding all five fingers on both of her hands up in the air.

"Ten years?!" Ash cried. "You'll be out of the house by then!"

"Mommy will let you out," Elizabeth squeaked.

"Oh joy," Ash muttered, raising the three cookies to his face. "At least I still have these."

He stuffed them all into his mouth at once, for fear of Elizabeth trying to take them away. Fortunately, the young girl was much too preoccupied with guarding the "jail cell" to notice that her father was eating his "stolen goods."

"Yep," Ash breathed after successfully swallowing the treats, "that was _definitely_ worth being arrested."

"Ash…what's going on in here?"

The man looked up to find his wife standing in the doorway, looking utterly confused. Before he could answer, Elizabeth giggled and ran up to her, jumping up and down with sheer excitement.

"Mommy! Mommy! Daddy got awwested!" Elizabeth trilled as though it was the best news she could ever possibly give.

Misty just blinked, obviously not understanding what was going on. "Uh…what?"

"He stealeded cookies!" Elizabeth elucidated, pointing a little finger at the imprisoned Ash. "So, he had to go to jail."

Misty raised an eyebrow and picked her head up to once again stare at her husband. He looked utterly ridiculous, sitting between the mounds of pillows and cushions with his legs bent and his knees pulled all the way up to his chest. It was obvious that the cell Elizabeth had built was far too small for Ash's much larger stature.

"Well, this isn't the first time I've seen my husband in a jail cell," Misty sighed. "Although this one certainly isn't as intimidating as the first one."

"Misty, don't bring that up in front of Elizabeth!" Ash wailed.

"Lizzie," Misty cooed, smiling as she knelt down in front of her young daughter, "I need Daddy to…well, not be in prison. Could I please bail him out?"

Elizabeth tilted her head to the side. "What's dat mean, Mommy?"

"It means that I'll pay you to let Daddy go," Misty answered.

Elizabeth's eyes widened in interest at this offer. "What do I get?"

"Well, what do you want, sprinkle?"

Elizabeth pursed her lips and tapped her foot on the floor a few times before beaming at her mother and clasping her hands in front of herself. "I wanna' have noodles!"

"You want noodles for dinner?"

The small girl nodded her head rapidly. They were her favorite, after all.

"Alright then!" Misty trilled. "I'll make us noodles for dinner. Just let Daddy out of jail and I'll go start cooking."

Elizabeth nodded and ran back towards her little self-made jail cell, where Ash was still sitting in a crumpled up position.

"Okay, Daddy, you awe fwee to go!" Elizabeth crowed, holding her arm out towards the living room doorway.

"How generous of you," Ash muttered as he got to his feet and stretched himself out. He stepped over the cushions and eyed Pikachu, who hadn't moved from his position even though Elizabeth had. "And _you_. Don't expect to find any noodles in your bowl at dinner."

"Pi," Pikachu spat, although he still looked remorseful for having abandoned Ash.

"Come on, Pikachu!" Elizabeth giggled, picking up the mouse and running out of the room with him. "We gotta' watch da cookies again!"

"Ka…"

Ash turned his attention onto his wife, who was smirking knowingly at him with her hands on her hips.

"I'm getting too old for this," Ash deadpanned.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have stolen my cookies," Misty retaliated. "Then you wouldn't have ended up in jail!"

"Oh, shut it."

* * *

><p><strong>Ah yes, Ash in prison. Who would've thought? ;) I mean, it already happened once, but really. Ash in jail. Pfft. Even THAT time was a mistake! The poor guy was just hungry...like always :P<strong>


	213. The Letter

**Today is August 5th. You know what that means? It's Elizabeth's birthday! And, like I do for all of the characters in this story, I've written a special birthday one shot for her :)**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 1 year old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>The Letter<strong>

"There…all done."

Pikachu blinked and looked up at his trainer, twitching his ears out of curiosity. Ash was holding a piece of paper in his hands, staring down at the sheet with contemplative brown eyes.

"Pikapi?" Pikachu questioned. He'd been busy eating his lunch and hadn't been paying attention to whatever it was that Ash had been doing.

"Oh, it's nothing, Pikachu," Ash chuckled softly. "I had a lot of thoughts running through my head, so I wrote them down on here. It's kind of embarrassing though…"

"Pi-ka," Pikachu squeaked.

"I'm definitely not a writer, that's for sure," Ash muttered as he continued to stare down at the piece of paper. "And I definitely don't want _anyone _reading this."

Pikachu watched in fascination as Ash got to his feet and walked from corner to corner of the break room, looking behind different pieces of furniture and even inside cabinets. Finally, he decided on the far left corner, where a garbage can was situated. He folded the piece of paper three times, until it was in a neat rectangle, and then knelt down in order to hide the paper behind the garbage can.

"Ka," Pikachu trilled.

"Ha, it's fine," Ash laughed, flashing Pikachu an innocent smirk. "I just…needed to get something off of my chest. But it's really no big deal. Are you all done eating?"

Pikachu nodded swiftly, his ears bobbing up and down.

"Great," Ash chuckled. "I guess we should head back outside and continue training, huh?"

"Pika," Pikachu whined, his ears drooping down by the sides of his head.

"I know, it's really hot outside," Ash sympathized with his partner Pokémon. "But we've gotta' work hard if we want to stay the best! I'll bring extra water outside with us, okay?"

"Pi," Pikachu muttered, still not happy with the situation.

"And if you do your best, I'll give you guys some _extra _breaks," Ash teased with a wink. This finally gave Pikachu the strength to get up and scurry towards the door, Ash laughing and quickly following after the electric type.

Once Ash and Pikachu had left the room, the top of the trashcan lifted as three heads poked out of the stainless steel container. They eyed the doorway, and then looked around the room. Once they realized that it was completely empty, they all hopped out and grinned deviously.

"Sounds like the twerp's got a secret," the female all but sang.

"And he stashed it right behind us!" The male chuckled.

The smallest member of the trio hustled towards the back of the trashcan, where he reached behind it with a paw and pulled out the folded piece of paper that Ash had hidden.

"Jackpot!" He chuckled crazily.

"Open it up, Meowth!" The human male cheered.

"No, don't listen to James!" The female argued.

James frowned at this and pulled his shoulders back. "But Jessie…"

"It won't be any interesting if we read the twerp's confession," Jessie explained. "What's written on that paper could be a whole _bunch _of things! Maybe even something to destroy his precious little career!"

"It makes ya' wonder, doesn't it?" Meowth questioned.

"Perhaps he cheated on the twerpette," James suggested.

"Well, she's not exactly a catch," Jessie muttered. "Though I don't condone cheating. If someone did that to me, I'd punch their lights out."

"Hey, what if he not only _cheated_ on her, but da twerp is _still_ with the other woman!" Meowth speculated.

"And he and his mistress are going to have a child together!" James squealed.

Both males were soon met with a swift fist against the back of their heads. As they lay on the floor, writing in pain, Jessie stood glaring above them, with her hand still balled into the fist she had used to hit them.

"You two are both morons," Jessie hissed.

"But it could be the truth!" James whined.

"If that were the truth, I would actually feel _bad_ for the twerpette!" Jessie stormed. "And I would feel bad for the baby twerps, too! Do you really think the twerp would do such a _stupid_ thing?"

"Famous people do stupid stuff," Meowth reasoned.

"Maybe, but I think the twerp is too dense to even _think_ about _that_ kind of nonsense," Jessie huffed. "He's not the sharpest tool in the shed. Besides, that red headed twerpette has him wrapped around her finger. They're just two twerps who were made for each other."

"Well, if you don't think he was having an affair, then what else could it be?" James questioned.

"Yeah, 'cause dat would _definitely_ t'reaten his career," Meowth added.

"Maybe it's not something that could end his career," Jessie mused. "Just…publically humiliate him."

"But how?" James asked. "What could publically humiliate him?"

"Maybe his pants fell down durin' an intaview or sometin'," Meowth remarked.

"That _would _be rather embarrassing," James agreed.

"Whatever is written on this paper is worth some serious cash…" Jessie mused aloud. "I say we hand it over to one of those trashy celebrity magazines for a worthy pay day!"

"You really think they'll pay for something like that?" James queried, pointing at the folded paper in Jessie's hands.

"Of _course _they will," Jessie scoffed. "Those magazines will pay _bundles_ just for a picture of him hugging the twerpette out in public! Can you imagine how much they'll fork over for some kind of admittance in the twerp's own handwriting?!"

Meowth hid his arms behind his back and slowly nodded his head. "She's got a point."

"But we can't very well hand that in as ourselves…" James sighed.

"Oh, James, so naïve," Jessie grumbled. "You just follow my lead, same as always."

**XXX**

The trio decided to sell the paper anonymously. And by "anonymously," that meant dressing up in business attire and facing the editor of one of the Pokémon world's most popular celebrity magazines: PokéStar.

"So, I heard you've got some exclusive information about the Pokémon Master," the man began, leaning forward on his desk. With his hands pressed together and his outrageous green suit on full display, the disguised trio couldn't help but to be reminded of their tyrant boss.

"Yes, sir!" Jessie giggled, holding the folded piece of paper out in front of herself. "Right here!"

The editor raised a wry eyebrow at this gesture. "Where did you find that?"

"At the training facility where the Pokémon Master works every single day!" James trilled.

"Yeah, it musta' fallen outta' his pocket or sometin'!" Meowth added with a hearty laugh.

The editor hummed and opened up the folded paper, allowing his nearly translucent blue eyes to scan the page. The further down he got, the more his smirk grew. The disguised members of Team Rocket all eyed one another curiously, although they couldn't fight the feeling of excitement building within each of them. It was quite obvious that the man was pleased with what had been brought to him.

"So, pretty good, right?" Jessie prodded.

"Yeah, what're we gettin' fer-" Meowth blabbed before having his mouth covered by an irritated Jessie.

"It's definitely interesting," the editor muttered. "I'm intrigued."

"So you'll use it?" James questioned warmly.

"Yeah, I don't see why not," the editor sighed, resting the piece of paper on his desk. "_Anything_ that involves the Pokémon Master gets magazines moving, especially when it's an exclusive."

"Great! Happy to help you move those trash pamphlets!" Jessie crowed, completely missing the editor's aggravated expression. "So now it's just a matter of payment, hmm?"

The editor smirked once again and leaned back in his chair. "Of course. We'll get to discussing that straight away."

Jessie, James, and Meowth all laughed and gave each other high fives, clearly pleased with their performance.

"Who knew the twerp would actually be beneficial to us!" James cheered.

"It's a real twoipish miracle!" Meowth agreed.

**XXX**

"MISTY! MISTY!"

The woman groaned and rolled over on the couch, burying her head in her arms. She was trying her hardest to drown out the rampant pounding on the door, and the screaming of her name. She just wasn't in the mood.

"MISTY!"

She moaned and stuffed her face into the cushions of the couch, still trying to ignore the noise. It finally stopped, and Misty smiled to herself, realizing she must have won. At long last, she was able to free her face from between the cushions and _properly _begin her afternoon nap.

Until she felt a tap on her shoulder.

Reluctantly, Misty opened one eye and found…

"_DAWN!_"

Misty shrieked and nearly fell off the couch. The familiar blue haired coordinator took a step back, eyeing Misty like she was a crazy person.

"What…how…how did you get in here?!" Misty gasped.

"Well, you weren't answering me when I knocked on the door, so I just used my key," Dawn explained, holding up the metal tool as though it were no big deal.

"Where in the _hell_ did you get a key to my house?!" Misty yelped.

"Misty, why _wouldn't_ I have a key to your house?" Dawn asked with a giggle. "My godchildren live here! I always have to be prepared!"

"Aiden and Michelle are napping upstairs, for once in their lives," Misty complained. "Why would you have to use the key _now?_"

"Oh, I wasn't worried about them," Dawn refuted. "I needed to come in to talk to you!"

Misty closed her eyes out of frustration and buried her face in her hands. "So, you broke into my house…to _speak to me._"

"I didn't break in. I have a key."

"Oh Dawn, you're lucky you're so charming," Misty sighed, finally picking her head back up. "What is _so_ important to talk about that you had to use your 'emergency key' to come into the house?"

"Have you seen the newest issue of PokeStar?" The bluenette asked urgently.

"No," Misty replied through a yawn. "I haven't."

"Well, there's something in it I think you'd might like to see…"

"Oh, what is it this time?" Misty asked in a bored fashion. "Ash having an affair?"

"No."

"Me and Ash getting a divorce?"

"No."

"Me being pregnant?"

"No."

"Ash getting someone _else_ pregnant?"

"No."

"Huh, those are all the usual suspects," Misty murmured, tapping her chin in thought.

"It's none of those things," Dawn replied, sitting down next to Misty on the couch and placing the magazine on her lap. "I think you're going to be pretty surprised when I show you."

Misty blinked and leaned in closer to Dawn so she could better see the magazine. Since it wasn't any of the typical headlines she saw when it came to her and Ash, she was actually curious, if not a little nervous, to see what the big story was.

So, she watched as Dawn flipped to the article, right in the middle of the magazine, and began to read whatever it was that had been written about her husband.

**XXX**

That same afternoon, when Ash came home from work, he was more than surprised to see Dawn sitting on the floor of the living room, playing with Aiden and Michelle while Misty sat next to her and held baby Elizabeth on her lap.

"Dawn?" Ash asked, causing the coordinator to look over her shoulder. This also distracted the twins and sent them racing towards their father. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I just…decided to drop by," Dawn giggled. "You know, since I was in the region and all."

"If by 'dropping by' you mean using a key to _get in here_ and scare the _life _out of me," Misty muttered, causing Dawn to giggle and Ash to raise an eyebrow.

"But we had so much fun playing with her, Daddy!" Michelle giggled, hugging her father's leg.

"Aw, I'm sure you did, princess!" Ash chuckled. "You love your Aunt Dawn!"

While he was busy with the still bustling twins, Dawn nudged Misty's side and flashed the gym leader an encouraging smile. Sighing, Misty returned a sweet smirk and kissed Elizabeth atop her head before handing the baby off to Dawn. As Misty stood up, she heard Elizabeth coo and giggle as Dawn tickled her, and that only broadened her smile.

"Ash," Misty trilled, patting her husband on the shoulder to get his attention, "come with me."

"Huh?" Ash murmured. "Where?"

"Into the kitchen," Misty replied, walking towards the room. She stood by the table and waited for Ash to get the twins back over to Dawn before he himself could join her. Once he did, he adopted a concerned expression, to which Misty retaliated with a delicate smile.

"Did I do something?" Ash questioned.

"No, well…nothing _wrong_ anyway," Misty replied, her eyes glimmering with an emotion that Ash couldn't quite place his finger on. For some reason, Ash thought it looked like…pride?

"What did I do that wasn't bad, then?" Ash murmured. "And how come I'm in trouble for it?"

"Oh, Ash, you're not in any trouble," Misty sighed laughingly. "I think what you did was very sweet!"

Ash raised an eyebrow. Now he was _totally _lost. "What did I do?"

Misty giggled lovingly at this. "Silly Ash. You wrote that precious letter for Elizabeth!"

Now _both_ of Ash's eyebrows shot up as his eyes widened to an almost comical size. "A letter for Elizabeth?!"

"Well, yeah," Misty murmured sweetly. "You wrote it for her and sent it to PokeStar to be published, didn't you?"

"NO!" Ash cried, causing Misty's face to fall. "I…I wrote that letter during one of my training breaks last week! I had so many thoughts going through my head, and I was bored, so I wrote them all down on paper. But I was kind of embarrassed about it, because I didn't think it was very good at all! It seemed so…strange to me, like it was all jumbled up! So, I folded up the paper and hid it in the break room, in a place where I _thought_ no one would find it."

"Well, I guess someone found it and sold it to PokeStar then," Misty mumbled thoughtfully.

"Oh, this is _so_ embarrassing," Ash groaned, burying his face in his hands. "When Lizzie grows up, she's going to _hate me_ for this!"

"Ash, Elizabeth could never hate you," Misty assured her husband. "Besides, that letter was the sweetest thing I've ever read! It wasn't bad at all."

"Yeah right," Ash scoffed. "You're just telling me that to make me feel better. _And _because you're my wife!"

"Oh please, when has that ever stopped me from teasing you before?" Misty huffed. "I'm being completely serious. I was amazed that you wrote that letter on your own! Err…you _did_ write in on your own, right?"

"Of course I did," Ash muttered, a blush now gracing his handsome face. "It was the most genuine thing I've ever written. Other than our vows, of course. But even then, I got advice from Mom and Brock! I wrote that letter completely on my own, and I was afraid it was terrible."

"Well, I'm telling you, _very_ honestly, that the letter wasn't terrible at all," Misty assured her husband in a gentle, caring voice. "It was incredibly sweet, and it was easy to tell that you poured your entire heart into writing it. I can't _wait_ to show it to Elizabeth when she gets older."

Ash smiled at Misty and engulfed her in a tight hug, sighing and resting his head atop her own, too busy to even take notice of the still-open magazine sitting on the top of the kitchen table.

_Elizabeth,_

_One year ago, on August 5__th__, you were born._

_That sounds really simple, doesn't it? It's a fact, after all. Nothing fancy or fluffy about it. All I have to say is that you were born._

_Because it was what came _after _that fact that my life was changed._

_When you're born, it only takes a second. It's a simple action (okay, maybe not _simple. _Don't ever let Mommy know I said that, okay?) and it's over as soon as it begins. Because, after you're born, you start living. You take your first breath after you're born, you open your eyes after you're born._

_For you, little pumpkin, you stole my heart after you were born._

_The first time I held you, you were so tiny. Like…_really _tiny. You didn't even weigh five-and-a-half pounds! You were barely five pounds, in fact; only a pound heavier than a Pichu! But you were so beautiful. I could tell from the second you were born (yes, in that one quick second!) that you were gorgeous. I thought you looked just like your mama, but then we realized (well…everyone else told _me_) that you and I have the same exact face. But that's okay, because you're way prettier than I could ever _hope _to be. Next to you? I'm pretty rough looking._

_Anyway, I remember holding you, so tiny and cute, all wrapped up in your cuddly pink blanket and fast asleep. Being born is tough work, I guess. But I held you so close to my chest, and I couldn't even smile. I was so overjoyed and overwhelmed that my whole face was frozen! After a few seconds, though, I managed to at least open my mouth and get out my first words to you. And I still remember what they were._

"_I love you."_

_It was the only thing I could think of. The only words that would come to my mind. All I knew, at that very moment, was that I loved you so much, more than I could even comprehend. _

_I still feel that way. I still love you so much that I can barely understand how it works. Then again, it's the same way with your mommy, and your big brother and sister. I love the four of you so much, and I would do anything for you all. Being a dad is hard work, but it's fun work, too! I love playing with you, and holding you, but most of all, I love it when you smile at me and laugh those bubbly little laughs of yours. You're such a happy little thing!_

_Mommy says you get that from me, too._

_I don't know. I guess what I'm trying to say is that…I can't believe you're already a year old. It's like you were just born yesterday! But…you weren't. It was one year ago. My life changed one year ago. Our entire family's life changed one year ago._

_I don't know if I'm the best dad in the world. I just hope I'm a good enough dad for you, and for Aiden and Michelle. I hope you love me half as much as I love you, and I hope I can give you the best life you could ever imagine. After all, you're my little pumpkin, and the final piece of our family puzzle._

_I love you just as much as I did the day you were born. That will never change. And you'll always be my baby girl, no matter what._

_Happy first birthday, pumpkin._

_Love you always, Daddy_

* * *

><p><strong>I know, the letter might seem a little OOC for Ash. But I tried to make it not as coherent (because his thoughts were sort of jumbled up) and just sort of emotional, from his heart. I think if he really tried hard enough, he could get something like that out :) Especially for his daughter!<strong>


	214. Diet Disaster

**I was given special inspiration for this one...I quite like it :P And if you like Pikachu, this chapter is for you!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 6 years old**

**Elizabeth: 9 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Diet Disaster<strong>

"Gah!"

"Elizabeth, no, don't crawl away from me!"

The baby didn't seem to want to listen to her mother and just kept on moving, giggling as she padded along. Sighing, Misty caught up to the girl and scooped her up, wanting to keep the infant out of trouble.

"You're so much like Ash; adventurous _and_ a bad listener," Misty muttered while the baby cooed and clapped her hands together. "The fact that you can crawl now doesn't help matters."

Elizabeth glanced up at Misty and stuck her fingers in her mouth, pulling at her full, pouty lips and gurgling incessantly.

"Oh, you're hungry," Misty noted, smiling at the little girl. "Okay, Mommy will feed you!"

"Pikachupi!"

Having heard Misty, Pikachu's head had snapped up from where he'd been sleeping on the couch. His eyes were glimmering and tail swishing, obviously excited at the prospect of food.

"Are you hungry too, Pikachu?" Misty giggled.

"Pi-ka!"

"Okay, then I'll get you something to eat also!"

Pikachu got up onto his paws and jumped at Misty, perching himself on the woman's shoulder. Misty grimaced as soon as he landed, but just assumed it was because she hadn't been expecting it. She walked into the kitchen and put Elizabeth down in her high chair, moving over to the cabinet to get some baby food for her daughter.

"What do you think I should give Lizzie for lunch, Pikachu?" Misty asked, examining the various glass jars that were stored in the pantry.

"Pika?" Pikachu suggested, pointing a paw at one of the orange filled jars.

"Blegh, not those disgusting carrots," Misty fussed. "I wish Ash would quit buying those! He knows I won't feed them to her. That's _his_ job."

"Pi."

"I think I'll give her peas," Misty mused, picking out one of the green jars. "And if she eats all of _that_ up, she can have apple cinnamon oatmeal for dessert!"

She pulled out the tan jar as well before closing the pantry door and placing both jars on the kitchen table so she could open up them up after tending to Pikachu.

"I'll get you your food first, though," Misty murmured, much to Pikachu's delight. She opened up one of the top cabinets and pulled out the canister emblemized with a lightning bolt. It was filled with the special food that Brock made for Pikachu, and the little mouse just couldn't get enough of it. Misty pulled off the lid and poured half of the food into a blue bowl for the electric type, settling it down on the table. "There you go, buddy!"

Pikachu squeaked happily and jumped off of Misty's lap, settling himself in front of the bowl and promptly chowing down on his lunch. By the time Misty had uncapped Elizabeth's peas and the little girl had only gotten halfway through the jar, Pikachu was finished with his own meal.

But he was still hungry.

Picking up the bowl with his little paws, Pikachu toddled over to Misty and held the bowl out towards her, catching the woman's attention.

"Oh, what is it, Pikachu?" Misty questioned. "You're all done?"

"Pika! Pika-chu, pi!" Pikachu chattered.

"You want more?" Misty repeated.

"Pi!"

"Alright…I suppose a little more couldn't hurt," Misty replied with a smile. She put the jar of peas down away from Elizabeth so the baby couldn't play with it and once again fetched Pikachu's canister of food. She poured the rest of its contents into the bowl that Pikachu was still holding before patting the mouse on his head and sitting back down in front of Elizabeth. "Is that better, Pikachu?"

"Ka!" Pikachu chirped, once again sticking his face into his bowl and gulping down the rest of his lunch.

**XXX**

"Mommy! Mommy!"

"Hey, Mist! We're home!"

Misty came down the stairs with Elizabeth in her arms, beaming at her husband and two older children who had all just walked through the front door.

"There are my babies!" Misty giggled, addressing Aiden and Michelle. "Did you two have fun with Daddy today?"

"Yeah!" Aiden squeaked. "I _love_ the training 'cility!"

"Lance bought us candy!" Michelle added.

"I told him not to," Ash calmly defended himself when Misty threw him a knowing glance.

"It's alright, a little every once in a while isn't going to hurt!" Misty laughed. "Besides, candy is an awful lot better than when he bought them those gold pacifiers."

"True," Ash agreed.

"Pikapi!"

Before he could react, Ash was tackled in the chest by Pikachu, who was clearly excited to see his trainer.

"Hey there, buddy!" Ash chuckled. "We missed you today! But I guess you really needed the day off, huh?"

"Pi," Pikachu confirmed.

"Da!"

Ash looked down at Misty's arms, and found Elizabeth reaching out towards him with a big smile on her smile.

"Aw, someone missed her daddy!" Misty cooed, holding the baby out for Ash. He smiled and took her with his free left arm after switching Pikachu over to the right. Once he was holding onto both of them, however, he raised an eyebrow out of confusion.

"Is something wrong, Ash?" Misty asked.

"Uh…why does Pikachu feel heavier than Elizabeth?" Ash questioned as he lifted one arm up and then down in an alternating pattern.

"Heavier? No way!" Misty refuted. "I _just_ took Elizabeth to the doctor last week for a checkup, and he told me she weighs fifteen pounds. Pikachu is supposed to weigh around thirteen."

"I'm telling you, Pikachu feels way heavier!" Ash exclaimed.

"Ka!" Pikachu argued.

"I'm sorry, Pikachu, but it's true," Ash sighed. "Tell me what _you_ think, Mist."

He handed both Elizabeth and Pikachu off to Misty, who held one in each arm just as Ash had. After a moment of deliberation, her eyes widened, and she stared back up at Ash.

"Oh my gosh, you're right!" Misty gasped. "You know, before, Pikachu jumped on my shoulder, and it felt an _awful_ lot different than when he usually does it. I thought I was just making things up, but now it's starting to make sense!"

"Pi-ka, pikachupi!" Pikachu complained loudly.

"Pikachu, we're not trying to be mean! Honest!" Misty crooned to her husband's partner. "It's just an observation!"

"But I'm still taking you to Nurse Joy to see what's up," Ash informed the displeased mouse. "If something is wrong and I don't catch it, I'll never be able to forgive myself."

"Pi," Pikachu muttered, still looking rather miffed with the whole situation.

**XXX**

"Good afternoon, Ash! What brings you to the Pokémon Center today?"

"Hi, Nurse Joy!" Ash greeted. "I'm here because I think Pikachu needs a bit of a checkup. Misty and I noticed something last night, and I'd like to get it checked out."

"Oh?" Nurse Joy questioned before motioning for Ash to follow her to the back. "What seems to be the problem?"

"Well, we sort of realized that Pikachu feels a lot heavier than Elizabeth," Ash explained. "I mean, I know that Elizabeth is a small baby, and she weighs less than most kids her age, but the difference was pretty noticeable."

"No problem! I'll look into it!" Nurse Joy assured the Master as they entered one of the examination rooms.

"Thanks," Ash sighed gratefully.

Nurse Joy picked Pikachu up from where he sat on Ash's shoulder and placed the electric type on a nearby scale. She leaned in and started to adjust the sliders on the number line until it stopped bobbing back and forth.

"Oh my goodness," Nurse Joy breathed.

"What is it?" Ash questioned. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm not sure…" Nurse Joy trailed off, causing Ash's heart to shoot up into his throat. She removed Pikachu from the scale and instead placed the mouse on the examination table. A typical checkup then occurred: shining light into Pikachu's eyes, ears, and down his throat, feeling his stomach and checking his reflexes, as well as the amount of electricity that was currently being stored in his cheeks.

"How's he looking, Nurse Joy?" Ash murmured.

"Pikachu is perfectly healthy!" Nurse Joy concluded, lowering her stethoscope after listening to Pikachu's heartbeat.

"Thank goodness," Ash sighed, covering his heart. "That's a relief!"

"But…"

Ash picked his head back up and cautiously eyed the nurse. "What do you mean 'but'?"

"You do know that the average weight for a Pikachu is thirteen pounds, correct?"

"Yeah," Ash replied, slowly nodding his head.

"Well, according to the scale, _your_ Pikachu weighs nearly _twenty_."

"PIKA?" Pikachu gasped while Ash's eyes widened.

"Whoa, buddy!" Ash whistled, glancing down at his partner Pokémon. "You've really let yourself go, huh?"

"Pi…" Pikachu whimpered, bowing his head in shame.

"How much food do you give him a day?" Nurse Joy queried.

"I give him a bowl of food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner," Ash replied. "He likes to eat at the same time as the rest of us."

"Is that _all _you give him?" Nurse Joy prodded, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, no…" Ash admitted. "He gets some treats a few times a day, too."

"What kind of treats?"

"Special Pokémon treats. But, he also _really_ loves ketchup, so sometimes he'll get a ketchup packet as a treat instead."

"…and how often do you give him a…ketchup packet?"

"Two or three times a day, I guess," Ash mused.

"And that's all?" Nurse Joy continued.

"Well…sometimes, when we're training, and he gets really tired and thirsty, he likes to drink my energy drinks instead of water. He really likes orange soda, too. And sometimes I'll give him a little something off of my own plate. Like eggs during breakfast, or a piece of burger from dinner…"

"A piece?" Nurse Joy repeated. "How _big_ of a piece?"

"Like…half of it," Ash responded, causing Nurse Joy's eyebrows to shoot up her forehead.

"How many hours of training and battling does he do a day?" Nurse Joy demanded.

"Hmm…well, if we get to work at nine, and I exclusively battle until five, and I'm splitting up the time between my current team, Pikachu will _usually_ get around four or five hours a day."

"And he's still overweight…" Nurse Joy murmured.

"Pi!" Pikachu spat, not liking the comments being made by the humans that surrounded him.

"I'm sorry, Pikachu," Nurse Joy apologized earnestly. "But I'm afraid we're going to need to do something about this."

"Like what?" Ash questioned.

"Pikachu is going to have to be put on a diet," Nurse Joy answered, causing both Ash _and_ his Pokémon's eyes to widen once again.

"A diet?!" Ash repeated.

"I'm not saying not to feed him, of course," Nurse Joy continued. "Just limit the amount of snacks and human food you're giving him. Just stick to the three meals a day, along with one or two special treats during the day. No more ketchup packets or sugary drinks!"

Pikachu pouted at this. He didn't understand why Nurse Joy was trying to ruin all of his fun. Life was only so long, after all! It wasn't fun if he couldn't eat what he wanted and enjoy himself. Besides, how come _Ash_ could eat twice as much as him and not get fat?

That was one of life's greatest mysteries for the (no longer so) little mouse.

**XXX**

"FAMILY MEETING!"

Aiden and Michelle came trouncing down the stairs, with Misty bringing up the rear. All three looked thoroughly bewildered as they stared back at Ash, who was standing in the open doorway with a serious look on his face and an unhappy Pikachu slung over his shoulder.

"Ash, what's with all the shouting?" Misty complained. "I just put Elizabeth down for a nap! Do you _want_ to wake her up?"

"No, sorry," Ash lowered his voice. "But this is important. Everyone in the living room. Now."

"Daddy, you never call family meetings!" Michelle whined. "Only Mommy does!"

"Well, there's a first time for everything," Ash noted.

"Mommy, don't you gotta' get Lizzie?" Aiden asked as he continued down the stairs.

"No, sweetie, Elizabeth is too young for family meetings just yet," Misty giggled. "She wouldn't understand anything we're saying anyway!"

She and the twins all took a seat on one of the couches, while Ash stood before them with his hands on his hips and a rather remorseful look on his face.

"So, what's this meeting about?" Misty asked. "Pikachu's appointment at the Pokémon Center?"

"That's _exactly_ what it's about," Ash confirmed, slowly nodding his head.

"What happened?" Misty continued. "Is he okay?"

"Pikachu is fine," Ash replied. "But, and forgive me for saying this once again, buddy…he needs to go on a diet."

Aiden, Michelle, and Misty stared back at Ash with unchanging, static expressions. Pikachu only became more miserable, and Ash only became more confused.

"What?" Ash chirped.

"Did you just say Pikachu needs to go on a _diet_?" Misty murmured, raising a wry eyebrow.

"I did."

Misty just blinked and shook her head. "Uh…what?"

"He's let himself go, apparently," Ash explained. "It might partially be my fault. Either way, Nurse Joy says he's too heavy right now, and he needs to lose some weight."

"How much does Pikachu weigh?" Misty questioned.

"Twenty pounds," Ash responded.

"WHAT?!" Misty gasped.

"Pikachu is fatter than Lizzie!" Michelle giggled, causing the electric mouse to grumble.

"Michelle, don't call poor Pikachu fat!" Misty scolded her young daughter. "It isn't nice! Besides, this is all your daddy's fault anyway."

"Hey!" Ash wailed.

"Well, Ash, who's the one that's always giving Pikachu extra treats and human food?" Misty shot back.

"…no comment."

"Well, I have to start making dinner," Misty sighed, getting up from the couch and walking towards the kitchen. "Ash, you'd better not give Pikachu any pre-dinner snacks!"

"I'm not gonna'!" Ash groaned.

**XXX**

Once dinner was ready, Ash took one of Pikachu's food canisters out of the cabinet and poured half of its contents into the mouse's blue bowl. With dinner now in front of him, Pikachu was able to forget about his miserable day at the Pokémon Center and cheer up for a little while.

Misty had made meatloaf for dinner, which neither Aiden nor Michelle particularly enjoyed. In fact, they both disliked it so much that they would have rather had their sister's _baby food._

While Ash and Misty weren't looking, Aiden plucked a piece of meatloaf off of his plate and threw it into Pikachu's bowl. The mouse squeaked and looked up at the young boy, who grinned encouragingly at the electric type before turning his attention back onto the table. Pikachu glanced down at the meat in his plate and contemplated what to do. He _knew_ he shouldn't be eating it…but it looked _so_ good. And the _smell_…that was an entirely different story.

So, since no one actually saw the meat get thrown into his bowl, Pikachu stuck his face in and scarfed down the discarded scrap.

Michelle, out of the corner of her eye, had seen what her brother had done. Normally, she would have tattled on him, like any good sister would, but she hated meatloaf enough to think that Aiden had made a wise move. So, making sure her parents weren't looking, Michelle picked up a piece of meat from her own plate and tossed it into Pikachu's bowl.

Pikachu was more than surprised. After that whole family meeting about his diet, the twins were _still _feeding him from their plates! Pikachu downed the strip of meatloaf and sat back up with a smirk on his face. He always _knew_ those two kids were his favorites in the house!

It didn't take long for him to polish off the rest of his dinner. Frowning, Pikachu picked up the bowl with his teeth and scurried over to Ash's chair, jumping up and down to catch his trainer's attention. When he finally did, Ash frowned and glanced down at the mouse.

"Pikachu, what are you doing?"

"Pi-ka!" Pikachu whined after dropping his bowl on the floor.

"You finished all of your food?" Ash questioned.

"Pi."

"And you're still hungry?"

"Chu."

"Pikachu," Ash sighed, "you know that we-"

"Ash, didn't you only give Pikachu half of the can?" Misty interrupted.

Ash furrowed his brow. "Yeah, that's what he gets for each meal."

"But…I've been giving him a whole can!"

"WHAT?!" Ash shrieked.

"I start off giving him half the canister, but then he always asks for more!" Misty cried. "I thought that's what _you_ did!"

"NO!" Ash gasped. "He only gets half! Always! And you're blaming _me_ for him gaining weight?! It's starting to sound like it's _your _fault!"

"Oh, don't pin this one on me, Ash Ketchum!" Misty growled. "I'm not the one giving him ten ketchup packets a day!"

"I never give him ten! Only two or three!"

"Yeah? Well, that's two or three too many!"

While Ash and Misty bickered, the sound of Pikachu scarfing something down caught Ash's attention and pulled it away from Misty.

"Hey! I'm not done yelling at you!" Misty whined, obviously disliking Ash's apparent disregard for their argument.

"Aiden, Michelle…" Ash sighed, picking his head up to glare at the twins. "Which one of you is feeding Pikachu your meatloaf?"

"He/she is!" Aiden and Michelle shouted simultaneously, each one pointing at the other.

"I told you guys that Pikachu is on a diet!" Ash groaned.

An awkward silence fell over the family, all while Aiden and Michelle exchanged bewildered glances before turning back towards their father.

"What's a diet?" Aiden squeaked, causing Ash to nearly fall off of his chair. Pikachu, on the other hand, simply smirked to himself and gleefully shifted his tail back and forth.

He _definitely_ knew the twins were his favorites.

* * *

><p><strong>Remember when Pikachu used to be all pudgy and round, and now he's all skinny? I actually like skinny Pikachu better, not gonna lie. But I liked chubbier Pikachu's personality better! He's a little too sweet now. I think Pikachu still needs some sass ;)<strong>


	215. Night Terrors

**Here's a fun one for you guys. I got this idea from untitledmind, of course ;) This one upholds the T rating, that's for sure :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 8 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 2 and a half years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Night Terrors<strong>

_Thump._

Aiden moaned and turned over in his bed, squeezing his eyes shut more tightly as he pulled his sheets up past his neck.

_Thump._

Aiden bowed his head beneath the comforter and pulled his knees up to his chest.

_Thump thump thump…_

Aiden growled and threw of all of his covers as he slammed himself down on his back, opening his eyes and staring at the ceiling of his bedroom through the dark. _Something, _and he wasn't sure exactly what, kept making noise, and was preventing him from staying asleep. He was a light sleeper; he always had been, so the constant noise wasn't at all helpful.

Part of him, deep down inside, was afraid that someone might have been trying to break into the house. If that were the case, however, he knew Pikachu would have woken up right away and charged to the door. And his father would have been right behind. But Aiden knew for sure his father wasn't up and about. He would have heard _those_ footsteps.

They would have woken him up already.

Sliding out of bed, Aiden strode out of his room and across the hallway, into his twin sister's bedroom. When he stepped in, her back was facing him, and her body was slowly rising and falling with every breath she took. Quietly, Aiden began to walk towards the bed, trying to keep his breathing soft and even.

_Thump._

Aiden threw his head back and dramatically rolled his eyes. Just as he did this, Michelle sighed and sat halfway up, her red hair completely disheveled and thrown over her face like a veil.

"Hey, that woke you up, too?!" Aiden whispered.

Michelle gasped and nearly fell out of her bed, whipping around and glaring at her brother as she held a hand over her now wildly beating heart.

"_Aiden!_" She hissed.

"Sorry, I just wanted to see if all of that noise was bothering you, too!" Aiden cried. "Obviously, it is."

"What _is_ that?" Michelle groaned, rubbing at her eyes.

"I don't know," Aiden grumbled. "But it's been going on for the past ten minutes."

"Do you think someone might be trying to break in?" Michelle asked, too tired to even pretend to be frightened by the prospect.

"I already thought of that, and I don't think so," Aiden replied. "I would have heard Dad and Pikachu running."

Michelle whined softly and started to rub her eyes once again. She was a much heavier sleeper than her twin. In fact, it was pretty hard to wake Michelle up. So, whenever she _was_ disrupted from her precious slumber, she had a habit of becoming rather angry and volatile.

Just like her mother.

_Thump._

"Oh my gods," Michelle grumbled, throwing herself back down on her bed and picking up her pillow in order to repeatedly slam it over her face.

"Seriously, what _is_ that?" Aiden demanded.

"It's annoying," Michelle's muffled voice responded.

"Shelly! Denny!"

Aiden looked over his shoulder, while Michelle finally removed the pillow from her face and sat up. Elizabeth came running into the dark room, with no attempt to be quiet like her older brother. The little girl looked half scared, half annoyed as she entered the room, dragging along her stuffed Teddiursa and switching her eyes between her brother and sister as she waited for them to ask her what was wrong.

"What's wrong, Lizzie?" Aiden grumbled, knowing that's exactly what the child wanted.

"Somefin' woke me up!" Elizabeth complained.

"What woke you up?" Michelle questioned, expecting a very specific answer.

_Thump._

"Dat," Elizabeth squeaked.

"This is so bad," Aiden sighed. "It even woke _Lizzie _up!"

"I'ma gets Mommy an' Daddy," Elizabeth offered, turning around to try and run out the door.

"Not so fast, squirt!" Aiden hissed, causing the little girl to skid to a halt. "We can't always just go to Mom and Dad when something's wrong."

Elizabeth tilted her head at this. "I do."

"Yeah, but that's because you're a _baby_," Aiden teased, causing Elizabeth to scowl.

"Can you two not fight in my room?" Michelle complained. "I don't need anybody's blood on my nice floors! And by _anybody_, I do mean Aiden."

Elizabeth giggled, while Aiden smirked at his twin sister. "Oh, please. I would never get beaten up by an almost three-year-old."

"Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night," Michelle hummed smartly.

_Thump._

"Well _that _sure doesn't!" Aiden quipped, jabbing his finger at the wall.

Michelle scrambled up onto her knees and crawled over to the head of her bed. She pressed her ear against the wall and held her breath, listening closely for some kind of tell-tale sound _other _than the constant thumping she and her siblings kept hearing.

"Michelle," Aiden whispered, "What are you-"

"Shh!" Michelle hissed, causing Aiden to jump.

She raised an eyebrow and pressed her ear against the wall once more. The more closely she listened, the better she was able to hear through the wall. Eventually, she caught onto a noise that made her eyebrows shoot up her forehead, and her head to turn back towards her siblings.

"What?" Aiden muttered when he saw Michelle's stunned face.

"Come 'ere," Michelle urged, waving her fingers at Aiden and Elizabeth.

Aiden groaned, but regardless, picked up his little sister and carried her over to Michelle's bed, sitting the toddler on the mattress before climbing on himself. He ambled up next to Michelle and pressed his own ear against the wall, listening for whatever it was that Michelle had apparently heard.

"Do you hear it?" Michelle whispered after a moment.

"Yeah…" Aiden murmured.

"I wanna' heaw, too!" Elizabeth whined.

Michelle sighed and picked the toddler up by her sides, holding the child against the wall. Elizabeth started by pushing the _front _of her face against the surface, causing Aiden to groan and roll his eyes.

"Denny, shh!" Elizabeth scolded. "I can' heaw!"

"No kidding," Aiden scoffed, gently moving his younger sister's head so her _ear_ was the part of her body pressed against the wall instead of her whole face. "Try _that_."

"Oh," Elizabeth squeaked, blinking her wide, green eyes so her thick eyelashes fluttered like the wings of a Butterfree. "I heaw now!"

"It sounds like Mom and Dad, doesn't it?" Michelle questioned.

"But they sure are making some weird noises," Aiden mused.

"Should we…go check on them?" Michelle suggested.

"Nah, they're probably fine," Aiden refuted. "Maybe Dad is just trying to fix the bed or something."

"Maybe Mom has to change the sheets because he wet the bed," Michelle warbled. "Wouldn't be the first time a guy in this house has done that…"

"You know I had a tiny bladder!" Aiden hissed, poking a finger in his amused twin's face.

"What do you think is going on, Lizzie?" Michelle whimsically asked her younger sibling, choosing to ignore her twin's fury. "…Lizzie?"

After getting no immediate answer, Aiden and Michelle both looked down, where they found little Elizabeth curled up in a ball on Michelle's pillow, fast asleep with Teddi being squeezed between her arms.

"She's out," Aiden sighed.

"And right on my pillow, too," Michelle grumbled, folding her arms across her chest.

"That's called 'karma,' sis," Aiden bit with a smirk, leading Michelle to snarl and punch him in the arm. "OW!"

"And _that's_ called a punch," Michelle quipped, jumping off of her bed and heading towards the door.

"Hey, where are _you_ going?!" Aiden cried.

"To sleep in _your_ bed," Michelle snapped. "Since Elizabeth took mine."

"Hey! What about me?" Aiden complained.

"Elizabeth has a bed, you can go sleep in hers," Michelle giggled as she continued to walk out.

"That's a _toddler bed_! I'm not going to fit in that!" Aiden argued, jumping off of the bed and following after his sister. "Get back here!"

**XXX**

The next morning, Aiden, Michelle, and Elizabeth all appeared downstairs for breakfast, still confused from their little adventure the night before. Elizabeth, because she was so young, didn't care as much as her older siblings. She was too preoccupied with making Teddi dance on the table.

Ash was already sitting at the table when the three got downstairs, and Misty was standing in front of the stove cooking. Ash was chuckling at Elizabeth's actions and asking her innocent questions about the little bear.

The question next asked by Aiden, however, was _not_ as innocent. Even though he didn't realize it.

"Mom, Dad, what was with all of that noise last night?" Aiden piped up.

Ash's eyes widened, and Misty nearly dropped one of the pans on the floor. The boy looked between his parents, and Michelle did the same. Elizabeth, just as before, was preoccupied and off in her own little world.

"Uh…what noise?" Ash pretended to play dumb.

"There was all of this banging going on," Aiden explained. "It was…it was like something kept hitting the wall!"

Misty's entire face turned red, while Ash's did the same. Aiden and Michelle only became more confused by the whole situation. Finally, _Elizabeth_ decided to ask her own question.

"Mommy, did you gets a ouchie?" Elizabeth squeaked.

"An…an ouchie?" Misty repeated, her voice trembling. "Wh-what makes you think I have an ouchie, sprinkle?"

"'Cause I heawd you making noise in youw woom," Elizabeth replied, still bouncing Teddi up and down on the table. "An' you wew asking fow Daddy!"

If Misty's face was to be considered red _before, _it was now positively scarlet.

"That's _exactly_ what happened, pumpkin!" Ash finally crowed, causing Misty to look over her shoulder.

"Wait…Mom got hurt?" Michelle repeated.

"Yeah, that's why you heard all of that noise," Ash quickly explained. "You kept hearing all of that noise because Mommy kept running into things in the room! It was too dark for her to see, and she was trying to find the light switch. So, she got some ouchies, and I had to help her fix them!"

"Oh," Elizabeth awed before hugging Teddi. "Mommy okay now?"

"Yes, Mommy is _just _fine!" Ash chuckled. "I made sure of it."

Misty let out a sigh of relief, and was finally able to finish making breakfast without dropping anything on the floor or allowing any of the food to burn. As soon as everyone was finished, and the kids had left the room, Misty shot her husband a _terrified_ glance, to which he frowned in response.

"That was _too_ close for comfort," Misty muttered.

"Good thing they're still young and naïve," Ash agreed.

"You need to learn to keep it down," Misty sighed, leading Ash's eyes to widen.

"ME? You must be joking," Ash deadpanned.

"I am not!" Misty shrieked.

"Oh, please, I'm not the one making all the noise," Ash scoffed. Making the pitch of his voice higher, Ash closed his eyes and began to shriek, "Ash! Oh, Ash! _Ah!_"

Misty covered his mouth with one hand and used the other to whack him upside the head.

"Ouch!" Ash whined, his voice returning to normal as he rubbed the sore spot.

"Don't do that while the kids are in the house!" Misty hissed.

"It didn't stop us last night," Ash grumbled.

"We're going to have to learn to control ourselves," Misty sighed. "Aiden and Michelle are getting older. If they figure out what's _really _going on in our bedroom…I don't want to think about it."

"Hey, they should be grateful!" Ash argued. "If we didn't do _that_, none of them would be here!"

Misty narrowed her eyes at Ash and leaned down on the table. "Yeah, and if _your mom_ never did that, _you _wouldn't be here either."

"UGH! MISTY! GROSS!" Ash shouted, squeezing his eyes shut and covering his ears. "I don't want to think about _that!_"

"Good, so _our_ children shouldn't have to think about it, either," Misty quipped.

"Blegh," Ash whined, sticking his tongue out and shaking his head. "I'll _never_ be able to get that image out of my head…thanks a lot, Mist."

"Just picture _my _face instead," Misty giggled playfully, throwing in a flirtatious wink for good measure.

"Should I include all of your shrieking and yelping in that fantasy, too?" Ash wisecracked.

"Watch it, mister," Misty scolded. "Otherwise, you won't be hearing _anything_ for a long, _long_ time."

* * *

><p><strong>Oh, the trauma XD Like Ash said, good thing they're all too young to actually know what was happening :P <strong>


	216. Clean Sweep

**Got a new one finished! I've been focusing so much on Alphabits (shameless self promotion) that it's taken me a little longer to finish these one shots! I'm quite fond of this one, though. Classic Ash :P**

**Elizabeth: 9 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Clean Sweep<strong>

"Ash! Get down here, now!"

The raven haired man came trampling down the stairs, a newly awakened baby Elizabeth in his arms as he stepped into the kitchen. He walked in to find Misty's back facing him, but even just looking at her from that angle, Ash could tell she wasn't happy.

He had learned an awful lot about her body language over the last 18 years.

"What's up, Mist?" Ash asked cautiously. He didn't want to get his head bitten off, after all. He knew Misty was perturbed, but he wasn't entirely sure of just how annoyed she actually was. So, it was best to tread lightly in such a situation.

"I asked you _three days ago_ to clean the kitchen floor!" Misty complained, finally whipping around to face her husband. She looked aggravated, but definitely didn't seem ready to kill him. So that was good.

"I'm sorry, Misty," Ash apologized earnestly. "I've been meaning to do it, but I've just been so busy with work!"

"It's alright," Misty sighed. "But I _really _want this done by the end of the day!"

"Uh…the end of the day?" Ash murmured.

"It shouldn't be that hard," Misty continued. "Just use a mop and keep the kids out of the kitchen. Because as soon as their feet hit the floor, it's just going to get all dirty again."

"But, Misty-"

Ash's weak protest was cut off by a shrill ring, one that made Elizabeth giggle and clap her hands together. Misty looked down at her waist and found her poke gear ringing madly, causing her to sigh and tilt her head back.

"Oh, I have to run to the gym," Misty groaned. "A challenger just decided to show up. Why do they always do this during my lunch break?"

"They must have some sort of alert system in their head," Ash blankly replied.

"Could be," Misty grumbled, pressing a button on the side of her poke gear to silence it. With that accomplished, Misty managed to put on a wide grin while striding forward to tickle Elizabeth, who giggled happily in response. "Mommy will be right back, little sprinkle! You be good for Daddy until then, okay?"

Elizabeth cooed and grabbed her mother's finger with her little hand, pulling it away from her body and staring up at her mother the entire time.

"Oh, getting defiant already, I see," Misty murmured playfully. "Well, I'm going to tickle you later all I want, and you won't be able to stop me, little girl!"

Elizabeth let out a more curious coo and tilted her head, all the way until it hit Ash's chest. He smiled sweetly at this, rubbing the little girl's back as he beamed.

"Remember, Ash, clean the floors," Misty calmly reminded her husband as she walked towards the front door.

"Got it," Ash droned, making a silly face at his baby daughter who laughed in response.

As soon as Misty was out the door, Ash sighed and looked around the room, allowing his chocolate brown eyes to scan each and every corner.

"Da…" Elizabeth babbled.

"I wish you knew how much I hate cleaning, pumpkin," Ash muttered. "It honestly has to be the worst thing ever. Other than when Mommy promises Daddy something _super special_ and then _falls asleep_ before she can keep her word."

Elizabeth blinked and stared up at her father, waiting for him to speak again.

"But…I know if I don't clean the floor, Mommy is going to come back and be very, very mad," Ash continued, causing Elizabeth to smile gently. "I'm lucky she wasn't already that pi-uh, I mean _ticked_ off."

"Da?" Elizabeth squeaked, waving her hand in the air.

"What is it, pumpkin?" Ash queried, watching her arm go up and down. "You want to go down?"

"Da!" Elizabeth chirped.

"I guess that makes sense," Ash murmured. "You love crawling around _everywhere _now, don't you?"

The baby made a joyful, throaty noise, and continued to wave her arm around. Chuckling, Ash bent down and placed the infant on the floor, watching as she successfully got onto her hands and knees and began to scoot around the kitchen.

"You're a real pro at all this crawling business!" Ash laughed. "I'm proud of you, Lizzie!"

"Ba ba ba…" Elizabeth sputtered as she began to make a circle around the kitchen table.

As Ash watched his little daughter crawl around on the floor, rubbing his chin in thought, an idea popped into his head. His eyes widened, and he allowed his lips to curve up into a smile.

"Ash, you're a _genius_," Ash muttered to himself, his eyes twinkling with thought.

**XXX**

Misty walked back through the front door of the house with a big smile on her face, and a twinkle set in her bright emerald eyes.

"Ash, I have to tell you about this battle!" Misty crowed, marching into the kitchen. "I _totally_ wiped the floor with that kid!"

"Ma!"

Misty hummed happily to herself, knowing there was only one person in the house who made noises like that. When she looked down and saw the child, however, Misty's eyes widened and her smile disappeared.

"ASH!"

The Pokémon Master popped back into the kitchen, a banana in one hand and a bar of chocolate in the other. Both were bitten into it, and his mouth was currently stuffed; probably with a mixture of both food items.

"Hey, Mist!" Ash greeted after swallowing his mouthful of food.

"What is this?" Misty hissed, motioning towards the floor.

Elizabeth, who had ceased crawling in order to look up at her parents, was still on her hands and knees. She had the sweetest, happiest smile on her face, but not even _that_ was enough to distract Misty from the current matter at hand.

"Oh, isn't this great?" Ash chuckled. "Check it out!"

He picked up the baby and held her out towards Misty, who didn't look any more amused than she had two seconds ago. Attached to the little girl's white footed pajamas printed with pastel pink roses were stringy, mop-like pads that were dripping with soap and water. Streaks and rings of suds were visible on the floor were Elizabeth had obviously been crawling.

"I turned Elizabeth into a human mop!" Ash crowed. "How awesome is that? All she's doing is crawling around on the floor, but at the same time, she's cleaning up! It literally just came to me!"

"Ash, _you _were the one who was supposed to be mopping the floor!" Misty cried.

"But you know how much I hate chores!" Ash reasoned. "Elizabeth doesn't even know she's doing them! She just thinks she's crawling around. And you know how much she loves to crawl!"

Misty sighed and shook her head. "Sticking your chores on a nine month old is a new low, Ketchum."

"She was having fun!" Ash wailed.

"Ma?" Elizabeth babbled.

"Don't worry, sprinkle," Misty cooed. "Mommy will take those icky things off of your pretty pajamas right away! Yes she will."

"I wasn't torturing the baby!" Ash argued.

Misty turned her nose up at Ash and walked right out of the room with the baby, making sure to hold the little girl at a distance so none of the soapy water would drip onto her clothes. Once Misty was sure they were out of Ash's earshot, however, she gave the baby a look over and twisted her mouth in sincere thought.

"Hmm, I wonder if I stuck some sticky pads on you and let you crawl behind the furniture," Misty murmured. "Then you could pick up all of the dust that I can't reach."

Elizabeth cooed softly and tilted her head to the side, not understanding a single word her mother had just said to her.

* * *

><p><strong>Misty thinks Ash has a good idea, but she's not gonna' let Ash know that ;) Who needs to do chores when you have a baby who can unknowingly do them FOR you? XD<strong>


	217. School Daze

**Sooo school starts soon (you may all boo along with me and throw various garbage items) and because of this sad, sad fact, I have written a school-inspired one shot. I actually started this one forever ago (as I typically do...bad me) and FINALLY finished it up! This is actually a pretty important one to the plot of my stories as far as (slightly) older Elizabeth goes, so I figured it was about time for me to put it up :P**

**Elizabeth: 5 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>School Daze<strong>

"Well well well, if it isn't the most beautiful gym leader in the entire world."

Misty sighed softly as she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her slender midsection. Raising a delicate eyebrow, she purred, "are we really going to play this game, Mr. Pokémon Master?"

Misty felt herself being spun around so her emerald eyes could lock with a pair of bright russet ones.

Ash grinned sweetly at his wife. "Aw, you knew it was me."

"Of course I knew," Misty giggled as she danced her fingers up Ash's chest, "I would know your wonderful voice from anywhere. Besides, who else compliments me like that?"

Ash's eyes were half lidded now. "Everyone should. Because it's true."

Misty felt her face flush as she pushed up slightly onto her toes in order to press her lips against Ash's. Before they could begin kissing, however…

"Come back here, Pikachu!"

Misty and Ash jumped apart from each other when a furry yellow flash darted in between them. They didn't even have time to think about continuing before another blur followed suit, giggling wildly as it flew in between the interrupted couple.

Ash groaned and shrugged his shoulders forward in an _I give up _fashion. Misty, meanwhile, furrowed her brow and set an agitated glare on the little girl standing several feet away from her.

"Elizabeth…"

"Yes, Mommy?" Elizabeth squeaked as she looked up with the sweetest smile either adult had ever seen. Misty's angry face instantly evaporated, while Ash cooed softly and hurried over to the girl, picking her up and hugging her tightly.

"Aw, I have the cutest little girl," Ash murmured happily.

"_We_," Misty smirked as she corrected her husband, "_We_ have the cutest little girl."

Elizabeth pointed at the floor. "Daddy, can I go down now? I wanna' play with Pikachu more!"

Ash kissed her cheek and lowered her back onto the ground. "Sure thing baby." The little red head giggled again and scampered after the electric type, leaving behind her still enamored parents.

With a little gasp, Misty shook her head and cried, "Ash, no! She was bad! We're not supposed to fall for her sweetheart looks!"

"But we did," Ash murmured, frowning slightly.

"Lizzie's got a little too much vigor, don't you think?" Misty mused.

"She's just a kid," Ash replied with a shrug, "of course she's gonna' be hyper."

"But she seems even more hyper than Aiden and Michelle _combined_," Misty bemoaned. "I think we need to find some kind of outlet for her energy."

Ash tilted his head. "Like what?"

"The Pokémon Trainer's Academy," Misty answered, grinning at her husband.

Ash blinked. "The what?"

Misty sighed and rubbed at her temples, frustrated with Ash's density. "There's a school here in Cerulean City for children who are aspiring Pokémon trainers. My grandmother sent my sisters and me there when we were younger because she knew we'd be the gym leaders one day. It's just like any other school, but instead of lessons in things like math and science, the students learn all about Pokémon. You know, different battle techniques, strategies, types…all of that."

"I don't know Mist," Ash sighed as he scratched his head. "You really want to send Lizzie away?"

Misty looked disgusted by the thought. "It's not sending her away. It's only during the day! Besides, Elizabeth loves Pokémon enough. She'd probably have a lot of fun there! I know I did."

"I don't know," Ash sounded very skeptical, "you know I don't really trust anyone with my little baby girl…."

Misty folded her arms and shook her head. "She's not really a baby anymore, Ash. You're gonna' have to learn to let her go."

"But _I _wanna be the one to teach her all about Pokémon," Ash muttered as he pouted, "I don't want to hand that responsibility off to some stranger."

Misty smiled up at her husband and reached for his hand, holding it tightly in her own. "But that's the thing Ash. You're a very unique trainer. You'll be able to teach Elizabeth certain things that the school can't. It's good for her to have two different perspectives, don't you think?"

"I guess," Ash still didn't sound _or_ look convinced.

"Tell you what," Misty whispered, gently nudging Ash, "I'll take you and Lizzie to visit the school. Just a little tour, alright? And then we'll take it from there."

"Fine," Ash sighed, "if you insist."

**XXX**

Elizabeth furrowed her brow and looked around the room full of children her age. They were all wearing matching outfits: the boys in blue blazers with red ties and black pants, and the girls in blue and while sailor type shirts with a red bow on the front and blue skirts.

"Doesn't this look like so much fun, sweetheart?" Misty knelt down next to Elizabeth and gleefully asked the child. Elizabeth simply shrugged in response, not knowing what else to say. It didn't look overly interesting, since all the kids were doing was running around and playing. It was the same thing that Elizabeth did at home.

Smiling, Misty continued, "They don't just play, you know. They get to learn all about Pokémon! Doesn't that sound exciting?"

Elizabeth frowned. "Daddy teaches me about Pokémon."

At this, Ash beamed proudly. He was glad to know that his daughter was aware of the fact that he took great delight in helping her to learn about his beloved creatures.

"I know he does, pumpkin, but other people can teach you about Pokémon, too!" Misty giggled airily. "What if I introduce you to Miss Wendy? You'll see, she's very nice!"

"You're nice, too," Elizabeth murmured.

Misty frowned, pulling her daughter into a hug. "Oh, sweetie, why are you being so shy all of a sudden? You're usually so outgoing and energetic! But ever since we got here, you've been acting completely different."

Looking her mother straight in the eyes, Elizabeth asked in a very serious manner, "Mommy, are you tryin' to get rid of me?"

Simultaneously, Ash and Misty were convinced that their hearts had just broken. The question hadn't even been posed to Ash, yet he felt incredibly guilty. Immediately, Misty raised her hands to Elizabeth's head in order to smooth out the child's dark red hair, frowning as she silently soothed the girl.

"No, baby girl, not ever," Misty replied gently to her daughter. "Mommy would never, ever do that. I just thought you would have fun at school, getting to play with other kids and learning all about Pokémon! I know how much you loved playing with Aiden and Michelle, but they're on their journeys now. And Daddy and I have noticed that ever since they left, you've gotten much more hyper. It's because you don't have your brother and sister to play with, isn't it? You're a little lonely, huh?"

Elizabeth, at first, looked like she didn't particularly want to answer that question. Eventually, however, she nodded and kept the sad look on her face before admitting, "I miss Aiden and Shelly, Mommy."

Misty smiled sympathetically and hugged the girl. "I know, baby, we all do. But this is why school might just be a good thing for you. You'll be able to make new friends who can play with you!"

"But what about Aiden and Shelly?" Elizabeth whispered, still looking and sounding terribly concerned.

Ash knelt down and gently stroked his youngest child's hair. "Your new friends won't replace your big brother and sister, pumpkin. Aiden and Michelle will always love you and be there for you! But when they're not around, it's a good idea for you to have some other people to play with."

Elizabeth kept quiet, but nodded in response. Sighing sadly, Misty took Elizabeth's hand into hers and stood up, gently tugging at the child's arm.

"It's okay, Elizabeth. We'll see what happens, okay?" Misty murmured, smiling down lovingly at her little girl. "If you really don't like it here, then I'm certainly not going to force you to go. I want you to be happy! You know that, don't you?"

Elizabeth nodded wordlessly. With her daughter feeling just the least bit more comfortable, Misty walked towards the back of the classroom, where a young woman was getting together various things needed for arts and crafts.

"Excuse me, Miss Wendy?" Misty asked.

The woman spun around and beamed at the sight of the gym leader. Elizabeth, in turn, was busy studying this stranger. She had long, light brown hair and sky blue eyes, with a sweet, pink lipped smile and gently blushing cheeks. She was very pretty, Elizabeth noted to herself.

"Misty, the gym leader!" Miss Wendy gasped. "It's an honor!"

"Thanks," Misty giggled, nervously rubbing the back of her neck. It was a habit she had picked up from her husband. "Who I'd really like you to meet, though, is Elizabeth!" She motioned down towards her young daughter, who was still staring up rather curiously at the brunette woman.

"Hello, Elizabeth!" Miss Wendy waved at the child. "It's so nice to meet you!"

Elizabeth said nothing in response, earning her a small nudge from Misty and a hushed prompt of, "what do you say, Lizzie?"

"Hi," the little girl squeaked.

"Oh, she's so sweet!" Miss Wendy giggled.

"I was looking to possibly have my daughter start attending the school," Misty explained, "but I won't do it if she feels uncomfortable. She's never really been away from me and my husband, after all. So, I thought she could stay here for the afternoon and get a feel for what it's like to go to the academy. Would it be alright if she stayed and got to know some of the students?"

"That sounds wonderful!" Miss Wendy nodded. "I'm sure Elizabeth will love it!"

"Great!" Misty chirped. Kneeling down once again, Misty turned her daughter around and informed her, "Lizzie, Daddy and I are going to leave you here alone for a little bit, alright?"

"But why?" Elizabeth practically moaned.

"Daddy has never been to the school, so he doesn't know anything about it," Misty explained. "Not even what it looks like!"

"You've been here before?" Elizabeth whispered.

"I used to go here when I was a little girl, just like you!" Misty replied, gently poking the child's nose and causing her to giggle. "I came with my sisters, but we were all in different classes. I loved this class the most! It was so much fun. I made a few friends, and I got to learn all about Pokémon!"

"Whoa," Elizabeth softly marveled.

"So, I want to show Daddy all of the school, so he can see how wonderful it is, too!" Misty continued. "After all, he wants to make sure it's perfect for his little pumpkin!"

"That's me!" Elizabeth squealed, her eyes widening at the notion.

"Yes, it is," Misty laughed softly, nodding her head. "So, is that okay with you? We won't be gone for long! You can meet some of the nice little boys and girls here and maybe make some new friends!"

Elizabeth remained silent for a moment, thinking about it before smiling softly and nodding her head.

"That's my girl!" Misty cheered, kissing Elizabeth on the top of her head. "You have fun now, alright? And be good! Promise?"

"Yes, Mommy," Elizabeth trilled.

As soon as Misty left, Elizabeth didn't know what to do. She was just standing by herself, feeling rather uncomfortable and awkward. Elizabeth was by no means a shy girl. In fact, she was very bubbly and outgoing. But this was a very different situation. It was an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people. Elizabeth didn't know if she could just go up to someone and start talking to them! Her mommy and daddy had taught her not to talk to strangers, after all.

"Who are you?"

Elizabeth blinked and spun around. A young boy, the same one who had just asked that simple question, was standing in front of her, a bewildered look on his young face. He was a cute little thing, with boyishly messy brown hair and bright amber eyes with an apparent golden tint to them.

"My name's Elizabeth," the small red head squeaked.

"You don't go here!" The boy cried.

"My mommy and daddy want me to," Elizabeth explained. "I hafta' look at it and make friends. That's what Mommy said."

"Oh," the little boy murmured, gently cocking his head to the side before putting it back upright and smiling. "Okay! I'll be your friend!"

"Really?" Elizabeth chirped.

The boy nodded, his smile growing in size. "Uh huh! I'm David!"

Elizabeth smiled at the boy and giggled softly. In turn, David blushed slightly and held his arm out towards a nearby table.

"Come on!" David urged laughingly. "Come play!"

Elizabeth followed after the young boy and soon found herself at the little table, sitting in one of the equally small chairs and being handed a piece of paper by David.

"What do you do here?" Elizabeth squeaked.

"Lots of stuff!" David replied. "Now, we're coloring!"

Elizabeth looked down at her sheet and realized there was a printed picture of a Pikachu on it, with no color present inside of the thick black lines.

"Hey, Pikachu!" Elizabeth marveled.

"You know Pikachu?" David questioned.

"Yeah!" Elizabeth giggled. "My daddy has a Pikachu!"

"Whoa, really?" David breathed.

"My daddy is the Pokémon Master!" Elizabeth added, picking up a yellow crayon and beginning to fill in the lines. To her, this was a perfectly normal thing to say, and it wasn't exactly a big deal. According to David's face, however, it was.

"WHAT?!" David shrieked, many of the other children in the room turning their heads to stare at him. "Nuh uh!"

"Uh huh!" Elizabeth retaliated. "And my mommy is the gym leader!"

"No way!" David argued.

"Yeah way!" Elizabeth shot back.

David scoffed and picked up an orange crayon to begin coloring in the picture of Charmander he had in front of him. "You're lying."

"I am not!" Elizabeth snapped, pushing herself up on the table with her hands. "Take it back!"

"No!" David cried.

"Take it back!" Elizabeth demanded again, balling one of her little hands into a fist and holding it up in front of David's face.

"Stop!"

David and Elizabeth both whipped around and found themselves to be staring at an anxious looking young girl with straight, raven locks and sapphire blue eyes.

"Maria, you're no fun," David complained in a whiny fashion.

Elizabeth furrowed her brow and stuck her yellow crayon in the girl's face, causing her to yelp and jump back. "Who are you?"

"M-Maria…" the girl stammered.

"She's my friend!" David added cheerfully, as though Elizabeth hadn't been about to punch him in the face only seconds before.

Elizabeth blinked and looked back down at Maria, whose mouth was twisted into an unfamiliar shape. "You don't talk a lot, huh?"

Maria whined softly before shaking her head.

"She's shy," David supplied for the girl.

"My big sister used to be shy," Elizabeth began, her small lips curving up into a tiny smile at the thought of Michelle. "That's what my mommy says! But now she's not. And she's a coordinator!"

"Your sister's a coordinator?" Maria gasped, her eyes widening.

"Mmhm, and she's really good!" Elizabeth giggled.

"I wanna' be a coordinator!" Maria shrieked excitedly in her high pitched, young girl voice. "They're so pretty!"

"I know lotsa' coordinators!" Elizabeth continued. "Like my Aunt May and Aunt Dawn!"

Maria's jaw dropped at this. "May and Dawn?!"

"Yeah…" Elizabeth murmured.

"Those are my most favoritest coordinators!" Maria squealed. "They're so pretty! An' they have the _cutest _Pokémon!"

David, who by now was wearing an obviously impressed look on his face, was switching his attention between both Elizabeth and Maria.

"I have _lotsa_ stories 'bout them!" Elizabeth giggled, sliding off of her chair and standing in front of Maria with a smile on her face. "Come on! I'll tell you!"

"Huh," David muttered to himself, taking one last look at his unfinished picture of Charmander before following after the girls.

**XXX**

When Ash and Misty arrived back at the classroom after taking a tour of the rest of the school, they were surprised to find that Elizabeth wasn't standing around waiting for them like they had somewhat expected.

"Where's Lizzie?" Ash asked his wife, as if she would know the answer.

"I…don't know," Misty replied honestly.

"Oh, Master and Mrs. Ketchum, there you both are!" Miss Wendy crowed, shuffling over to the couple. "Elizabeth has been having so much fun since you two left!"

"Really?" Ash and Misty asked simultaneously.

"Yes!" Miss Wendy giggled. "She's made a couple of friends, it would seem."

The young kindergarten teacher motioned towards the far corner of the room, where Elizabeth was sitting with David and Maria and apparently enrapturing them. The two other children were excitedly leaning into Elizabeth with big smiles on their faces, occasionally asking questions to which Elizabeth happily replied.

"I don't know why we're surprised," Misty addressed her husband. "Elizabeth has always been a bubbly, outgoing little girl."

"Yeah, it's just…she seemed so unsure about being left here," Ash added. "I thought she wouldn't try at all! She's pretty stubborn, too."

"David is one of our most exuberant students, so I'm not surprised he made fast friends with Elizabeth," Miss Wendy mused. "But Maria is a very different story. She _loves_ Pokémon, but she's a very shy girl. She has friends in the class, but she doesn't talk much. I've never seen Maria so animated before! Elizabeth has really opened her up."

"In only about an hour, too…" Misty hummed.

"And Elizabeth looks really happy!" Ash chuckled, walking over to where his daughter was sitting with her new friends. "Hi, pumpkin!"

"Daddy!" Elizabeth shrieked, jumping up and straight into her father's awaiting arms to be picked up. David and Maria, meanwhile, both stared at the man in shock, their eyes wide and jaws dropped open.

"Wow, it's the Pokémon Master!" David marveled.

"See?" Elizabeth droned, playfully sticking her tongue out at David. "I _told you_ he was my daddy!"

"That's the coolest thing _ever!_" David squealed, getting to his feet and jumping up and down, much to Ash's amusement.

"I think Elizabeth will have fun here," Misty commented to the young teacher standing next to her.

"Maybe even as much as your husband," Miss Wendy giggled, motioning towards the raven haired man who was currently being asked what appeared to be a million questions by the obviously excited David.

* * *

><p><strong>Yes, so Elizabeth actually DOES go to school. And those are her two best friends. I've mentioned them in other one shots before, but well, here they are now :P Now I can actually write other stories about Elizabeth being in school!<strong>


	218. Gifted

**Wow, so you guys really liked last chapter, huh? I'm glad! Since it was a pretty popular update, I decided to expand upon it a little more and add a second school related one shot for Elizabeth :) Enjoy!**

**Elizabeth: 5 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Gifted<strong>

"Mommy! I forgot!"

Misty watched on in curiosity as Elizabeth slid off of her chair at the kitchen table and ran towards the front door, where she'd dropped her light pink backpack as soon as she'd come home from school.

"What did you forget, sprinkle?" Misty questioned, getting up herself and following after the child. "Did you leave something at school?"

"No," Elizabeth squeaked. She had unzipped the back compartment and was now digging through the bag, obviously searching for something specific. Eventually, she pulled out a slightly crumpled piece of paper and held it up towards her mother, much to Misty's confusion. "This is for you!"

"For me?" Misty repeated.

"It's from Miss Wendy," Elizabeth added.

"What is it?" Misty asked, taking the paper from her young daughter.

"I dunno," Elizabeth murmured. "Miss Wendy gave it to me before I left an' told me to give it to you!"

Before Misty could ask any other questions, the little girl had run out of the foyer and up the stairs. Sighing, Misty shook her head and allowed her eyes to scan the piece of paper that Elizabeth had handed off to her.

"What?" Misty muttered to herself, her eyes narrowing in scrutiny.

"Misty, I'm home!"

The gym leader jumped and looked towards the door, surprised to see her husband standing in the doorway with a huge grin on his face.

"You're…early?" Misty murmured questioningly.

"Yeah, I finished up pretty quickly today," Ash replied with a grin. "So, what are you reading? Something good?"

"Um…I'm not sure," Misty breathed.

"Well, what is it?" Ash pressed, allowing Pikachu to jump off of his shoulder in order to search for Elizabeth.

"It's a letter from Miss Wendy," Misty sighed.

"Elizabeth's teacher?" Ash queried. "Why would she send a letter home?"

"It says she wants to have a meeting with us," Misty explained before handing the letter over to Ash. "But it doesn't say why."

Ash read the paper up and down before looking back up at Misty and frowning at her. "Do you think Elizabeth got in trouble?"

"I hope not, but I guess anything is possible," Misty muttered.

"No it's not!" Ash gasped, throwing the piece of paper down by his side. "Our little girl is the most well behaved kid I've ever met! There's _no_ way she would ever act up and get in so much trouble!"

"Except for when she gets angry?" Misty reminded her husband, who blushed in response. "She takes after me. I think you forget that sometimes."

"I really hope she didn't punch someone," Ash groaned.

"Guess we won't know until we talk to Miss Wendy tomorrow," Misty grumbled, picking up Elizabeth's backpack and hanging it on the hook where it actually belonged. "No wonder Elizabeth was trying to pretend she didn't know what the letter was about."

**XXX**

The next afternoon, Ash and Misty went _together_ to pick Elizabeth up from school. When they first walked in, they found her playing with David on the floor. Maria wasn't there, obviously having already been picked up.

"Oh, Master and Mrs. Ketchum!" Miss Wendy greeted kindly. "I see Elizabeth gave you my letter."

"Yes, she did," Misty sighed, attempting a smile.

"Well, she seems to be preoccupied with David at the moment, so why don't we go talk on the other side of the room while she plays?" Miss Wendy suggested.

Misty nodded and began to follow after the young teacher with Ash at her side. "That sounds fine."

The couple sat down in front of Miss Wendy in a pair of very small chairs that were obviously meant for the young children in the class. Misty was a tall woman, so it wasn't very comfortable for her, but it was even worse for Ash, who was taller _and_ more built than she was.

"I'm sorry about the chairs," Miss Wendy earnestly apologized. At least she was also sitting in the same sized chair. "They seem to only give us small things because we're a kindergarten class!"

"That's alright," Misty giggled, shifting her eyes to the side in order to catch sight of Ash gripping the sides of the chair in an attempt to stay on.

"So, I wanted to talk to you about Elizabeth…" Miss Wendy began, tucking a strand of purple hair behind her ear.

"Can we apologize in advance?" Ash asked, causing the teacher to raise a curious eyebrow.

"We know that Elizabeth can get a little testy when she gets upset, so whatever she did, she didn't _exactly _mean to do it," Misty explained. "It's almost like a switch gets turned on when she's mad, and afterwards she just forgets what happened."

"Like in those superhero movies!" Ash added brightly.

"Of course, she still knows that doesn't make it okay, and we'll have her apologize for whatever she did wrong," Misty continued. "I just hope all she did was snapped some crayons in half and _not_ broke some kid's nose."

"Elizabeth hasn't done anything wrong," Miss Wendy informed the two parents, who both froze in place. "I'm so sorry you thought that was what this meeting was about!"

Ash and Misty exchanged terrified glances before looking back at the teacher with nervous smiles.

"Heh…forget we said anything, then!" Ash tried.

"Yeah, please continue!" Misty trilled awkwardly.

"No, Elizabeth is a very, _very_ sweet girl," Miss Wendy assured the two. "Ever since she's come into my class, she's made friends with almost every child and is exceptionally kind to everyone! She's very good with sharing and her manners are exquisite."

Ash victoriously pumped his fist in the air while hissing a joyous _"yes!"_ under his breath, earning a discouraging elbow in the side from his wife.

"She's also very good with participation," Miss Wendy carried on. "She always raises her hand and is willing to speak in front of the class. Elizabeth certainly isn't shy, and that's a good thing!"

"So…is the point of this whole meeting just to tell us how good Elizabeth is in class?" Ash questioned, earning yet another jab from Misty. "I'm not complaining! Of _course_ I love hearing that Elizabeth is well behaved and extroverted! I'm just curious is all."

"No, that's not the main point of this meeting," Miss Wendy giggled softly. "You see, even though we are a school for future Pokémon trainers, we still conduct testing for the basic learning skills that all children should have. This includes reading, writing, and math. The test scores just came back yesterday, and it was my first chance to examine them and see where each child is at with their skills."

"Oh no," Ash groaned, burying his face in his hands.

"I get it now," Misty sighed, shaking her head. "Elizabeth didn't do well, did she?"

"Actually…" Miss Wendy murmured, pulling out what must have been Elizabeth's test results and giving them one more look over, "Elizabeth got the best score in the class."

Once again, Ash and Misty exchanged stunned looks. This time, however, instead of being relieved that their daughter hadn't been beating up other children, they were just taken off guard.

"Wait…what?" Ash drawled.

"Usually, a student will show strength in one or maybe two subjects, but all three is very rare," Miss Wendy explained. "Elizabeth, however, did _amazingly_ well in all three! In fact, these scores point to all the signs of Elizabeth being a gifted child."

"Gifted?" Misty repeated. She knew what it meant, of course. She was just…surprised.

"This seems to be surprising information for you both," Miss Wendy noted. "Have you never picked up on Elizabeth's proficiency for these things?"

"Not really," Misty replied honestly.

"Elizabeth never really seemed to like reading," Ash explained. "I've read stories to her ever since she was a baby, and once she finally started being able to read on her own, I've always asked her if she wanted to read the stories herself. But the answer is always no."

"And sometimes she'll write little stories or songs, but she never lets any of us look at them," Misty added.

"The math I have no clue about," Ash finished, shaking his head.

"That's interesting," Miss Wendy mused. "Sometimes, children just pick up on these things and run with them. My guess is that's Elizabeth's case. I just wanted to have this meeting with you to discuss her scores and ask if it was alright for me to give her some advanced classwork that would be more up-to-speed with her level of intelligence."

Misty shrugged and slowly nodded her head. "I'm okay with it. What about you, Ash?"

"Yeah, I think that's fine," Ash agreed.

"Mommy! Daddy!"

Elizabeth was now bolting towards her parents, and was soon enough standing by the side of Misty's chair, trying to clamber into the woman's lap. Giggling, Misty picked up her daughter and sat the child in her lap, toying with the bright red ribbon that had been tied into her hair.

"Hello, sweetheart!" Misty crooned. "Did you have fun today?"

"Yeah!" Elizabeth giggled. "I colored, and we got to read a story about Pokémon, and guess what, Mommy?"

"What, sprinkle?" Misty murmured lovingly.

"We got asked what was Pikachu's bestest attack, and I knew! I got it right, Mommy!"

"Wow, aren't you just the smartest little girl!" Misty cheered. She had always said that in a cute fashion, but apparently, that statement now had some serious merit to it.

After Ash and Misty bid farewell to Miss Wendy and gathered all of Elizabeth's things, they decided to test their little daughter a bit on the way home.

"So, Lizzie, how would you like to read your own bedtime story tonight?" Ash asked sweetly.

"No, Daddy!" Elizabeth laughed at the idea. "I don't like reading!"

"How about helping Mommy write a little story for Grandma?" Misty tried.

"No," Elizabeth murmured. "That's boring."

"Hey, what's two plus two?" Ash blurted, not sure of how else to test his daughter's math skills.

Elizabeth looked over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow at her father's inquiry. "I don't care, Daddy."

"Of course not," Ash groaned, hanging his head.

"Whoa! Cool!"

Ash looked back up and found Elizabeth to be scaling a nearby fence, trying to peer over it for some reason Ash wasn't entirely sure of.

"No, baby!" Misty scolded, gliding forward and lifting her daughter off of the fence. "Elizabeth, that isn't a smart thing to do! You could get hurt! Why would you do something so foolish?"

"Mommy, I saw Butterfree!" Elizabeth cried. "I wanted to look at the Butterfree!"

Misty glanced up at her husband, who shrugged in response. Sighing, Misty placed the young girl back on the ground and gently patted her head, urging the child to, "stay out of trouble the rest of the way home, okay?"

"Okay!" Elizabeth giggled before continuing to skip down the path.

"So…she's really gifted, huh?" Misty murmured to her husband.

"I believe it," Ash countered. "I've said since the day she was born that she was going to be really smart. I guess she just doesn't like to flaunt it!"

"Or maybe she just doesn't care enough," Misty suggested thoughtfully.

"When the teacher said Elizabeth was gifted, I was afraid she was talking about the aura," Ash whispered.

"Oh, don't bring that up," Misty groaned.

"Well, that obviously wasn't it," Ash continued. "I guess she wouldn't really be able to show that off, anyway. She doesn't know about it."

"True," Misty sighed.

"I wonder if she's smarter than me…" Ash muttered, rubbing his chin in thought.

"It's a possibility," Misty quipped.

"Hey!" Ash cried.

"Well, you asked…" Misty burbled before giggling at her husband's flushed face and hasty reaction.

* * *

><p><strong>Elizabeth was always intended to be the smartest kid. But the reason it's not really "noticeable" is because, like Ash said, she doesn't like to flaunt it, and like Misty said, it's because she doesn't care enough to do so. Elizabeth just acts like a little girl, but really she's very smart :P<strong>


	219. Water Wary

**Okay, so the last two one shots I wrote were school related, but it's still summer. And I'm not looking forward to going back to school myself. So, let's have some more summery one shots, shall we? **

**Aiden and Michelle: 2 and a half years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Water Wary<strong>

"Oh, I just can't _wait_ until the twins see the water park! They're going to be _so_ excited!"

"I don't know if they're going to be as excited as _you_ are, Mist," Ash remarked with a small chuckle.

"I can't help it!" Misty whined with a pout. "You know how much I love the water! And the twins have only been in the pool or at the shoreline! But now that they're bigger, I feel much more comfortable bringing them to the water park. And I think they're going to love it!"

"They are pretty adventurous," Ash admitted. "Well…at least _Aiden_ is."

Michelle was, in fact, far more hesitant than her twin. New experiences and trying out unfamiliar things were not the little girl's fortes'. Both parents occasionally forgot this little fact, but at the moment, it appeared that Misty was the only one not being mindful of the child's anxiety.

"Everything will be fine," Misty assured her husband. "We're all going to have lots of fun! I'm sure of it!"

"Misty is right, dear!"

Ash raised an eyebrow and looked over his shoulder, where he found Delia walking towards him with a big smile on her face. She was carrying one child in each arm; the young grandmother loved spending as much time with her grandchildren as possible when they were together.

"Aiden and Michelle will have so much fun at this little place!" Delia giggled.

"I think you're just happy because Misty invited you along," Ash sighed.

"Oh, Ash, don't be foolish," Delia clicked her tongue. "I wouldn't lie about what I think my grandchildren might enjoy! You really think either of us would go out of our way to torture these two precious angels? That's a terrible thought!"

"You said it, not me!" Ash cried, waving his hands in front of himself. "Besides, I'm not looking for them to be miserable. Of course I'm not! I'm hoping they'll have lots of fun, too."

Michelle let out a small grumble and rubbed her eyes, causing Ash to coo and take the little girl out of her grandmother's hold.

"Aw, the car ride must have made her sleepy," Delia crooned.

"Come on, princess, it's time to wake up!" Ash chuckled. "We're going to have some fun!"

"Okay, Daddy," Michelle murmured, earning a smile from Ash.

"You'll wake up, I promise," Ash chuckled. "You will when you see all of the fun rides this place has!"

**XXX**

Once the family had reached the cabana they had rented for the day, Misty went to work on covering the twins in sunscreen, just as she always did when they were going out in the sun. Neither one liked it, and both protested when she applied it, but that wasn't going to stop Misty from doing her job.

"Where should we take the twins first, Mist?" Ash asked, holding a map in front of himself and studying each of the attractions. "It has to be one of the kiddie rides."

"Well, I know there's a big pirate ship in the middle of the park that's like a big water playground," Misty suggested, all while urging Aiden to put his blue camouflage sandals back on. "I bet they would love that!"

"What do you say, guys?" Ash asked, putting the map down on the cabana's table and kneeling down in front of the twins. "Want to go play in the pirate ship?"

"Yeah!" Aiden cheered, jumping up and down with excitement. Michelle on the other hand, was much quieter than her brother, and was more concerned with pulling at the bright pink bow at the waist of her navy blue, polka dotted one piece.

"Michelle, what about you?" Misty asked kindly, hoping to get the young girl's attention.

Michelle shrugged and began to scuff her light blue flip flops, adorned by flower in the front, against the ground.

"Pipikachu!" Pikachu squeaked, jumping onto Ash's bare shoulder and holding a paw out towards Michelle.

"Wow, Michelle, Pikachu is going to come with us and play with you guys!" Ash crowed. "Doesn't that sound like a lot of fun? You _love _playing with Pikachu!"

Michelle smirked, the same kind of side-smile her father had, and held her arms up towards the man. "Up!"

"Alright, I'll carry you there," Ash chuckled, lifting the child up beneath her arms and causing her to giggle. "Arr, who's my big girl?"

"Me," Michelle murmured, patting herself on the head.

"That's right," Ash laughed, giving Michelle a kiss on the cheek.

"Delia, would you like to come with us?" Misty asked, grabbing hold of Aiden's hand to keep track of him.

"I might venture out later," Delia giggled, pulling her sunglasses on over her eyes. "For now, I think I'd just like to relax here!"

"Sounds good to me," Misty chirped. "Maybe I'll be able to join you when the twins tire out!"

"Or get hungry," Ash commented amusedly. "Whichever comes first."

"Probably the hunger, knowing them," Misty sighed.

"Mommy, I wanna' _gooo!_" Aiden whined.

"And, unfortunately, right now, they're just impatient," Misty grumbled, leading Aiden out of the cabana with Ash trailing closely behind.

**XXX**

"WATEW SLIDE!"

"Aiden, no! I have to take your shoes off, first!"

Ash chuckled as he watched his son bolt for the small water slides emerging from the front of the big pirate ship, with Misty desperately running after him. Michelle wasn't as interested in the action, and was too busy reaching up and tickling Pikachu beneath his chin.

"Pipipipi!" Pikachu tittered.

"Silly Pikachu!" Michelle giggled.

"Okay, Michelle, time to play!" Ash cheered, his voice distracting Michelle from the electric mouse. She whimpered softly as Ash removed her flip flops and stored them in a nearby cubby before walking closer to the big, water spouting pirate ship. She looked up at her father with pleading eyes, but he didn't even notice. Pikachu did, however, and promptly went to work on trying to comfort the child.

"Pika, pipikachu!" Pikachu squeaked. "Pi-ka pi!"

Michelle put her head down and deeply furrowed her brow. She hoped, deep down inside, that her father would magically sense her fear, and carry her away from the strange contraption that she couldn't understand. He never did, however, and just kept walking towards the fake boat. Finally, when he stopped in front of a fountain of water spurting up from the side of the ship and tried to place Michelle in front of it, the little girl lost her patience and finally threw a fit.

"NO!" Michelle screamed, kicking her legs like a maniac.

"Michelle, what's wrong?" Ash gasped, tightening his grip on the girl.

"NO NO NO!" Michelle wailed, covering her eyes with her hands. "I don't like it!"

These fervent cries caught Misty's attention, who had just managed to grab hold of Aiden in order to pull off his flip flops.

"But you _like_ the water!" Ash tried. "It's not scary!"

Michelle whined and held her hands in front of herself, turning her head away with her eyes still squeezed shut. Misty sucked in her breath and felt her heart completely shatter. It was as if the entire world around her had just imploded.

_How could this be?_

Misty just continued to watch with shocked eyes as her daughter screamed and wailed until Ash finally carried her away from the fountain, holding her close and allowing the child to bury her face in his chest.

_My daughter…she hates water._

**XXX**

After that incident, Misty found herself to be positively down.

Aiden tried to play with her, and Misty made sure to act happy and fake a smile in front of the boy so he wouldn't get upset or worried. When he wasn't looking, however, Misty took it upon herself to mope and sigh. It seemed like such a foolish thing to get worked up over, but to Misty, it wasn't. Water was all she had ever known. It was her first love. It was a part of her identity, who she was, and her family history.

Michelle seemingly hating it _so much_, to the point of tears and hysterics, made Misty feel like a failure.

She just didn't understand. Michelle _loved_ going swimming at home. The gym's pool, in fact, seemed to be her favorite place in the entire world. The little girl, despite her timidity and fearful tendencies, had never cried or acted up at the sight of the pool. She was drawn to it like a water type.

Something had obviously changed.

Soon enough, and fortunately for Misty, Aiden began to complain that he was hungry. Misty picked the little boy up, put his shoes back on, and carried him (surprisingly without complaint from the child) back to the cabana, where Delia was sitting on a longue chair and smiling down at Ash and Michelle, who were playing together in the sand.

"Hey, Mist!" Ash greeted cheerfully. "Did Aiden get hungry?"

"Yeah," Misty sighed sadly, putting the boy down near his father and sister. Ash frowned at Misty's obvious distraught, but didn't say anything else.

"Well, we have a menu right here to look at, and they'll bring the food right to us!" Delia warbled, walking over to the table beneath the cabana and picking up the laminated paper that had been laid in the center. "How wonderful!"

"Gwammy, I wan' pizza!" Aiden cried, throwing his arm up in the air.

"You do, do you?" Delia giggled. "Well, I bet you they have that! Let's just see…"

Ash, who had completely zoned out and was still staring at Misty, decided he couldn't just leave his wife to mope around like that. He couldn't imagine what could have possibly happened while she was playing with Aiden, but he figured it was best to ask and work things out.

"Aiden, Michelle, you look at the menu with Grammy, okay?" Ash crooned, standing up and dusting the sand off of his legs. "Mommy and I are going to go for a little walk."

Misty picked her head up in interest at this, while the twins just squeaked out of apparent approval. Pikachu, who innately sensed his trainer's intentions, nodded and jumped between the twins, picking up the play where Ash had left off.

"We are?" Misty asked, raising a wry eyebrow.

"Yes, we are," Ash replied confidently, holding his hand out towards Misty. "Come on."

Misty rolled her eyes, but nevertheless, she took her husband's hand and walked alongside him as he strode away from the cabana.

"You know," Misty began, "when I was younger, and my grandmother told me we were going for a walk, it was because I had done something bad, and the 'walk' was a way for me to know I was in trouble."

"You haven't done anything wrong," Ash assured with a chuckle before trailing off. "At least…not that I know of."

"I haven't, I swear," Misty grumbled.

"Well, I'm not stupid," Ash countered, twisting his mouth and shifting his eyes from side-to-side. "Err…not as stupid as people think, _anyway_. But…when you came back with Aiden, I noticed that you were kind of upset."

"I'm not upset," Misty refuted hastily.

"Yes you are," Ash sighed. "I could tell from a mile away! Aiden didn't say something to you, did he?"

Misty narrowed her eyes at her husband, who blinked curiously in response. "_Aiden _is a two-and-a-half year old boy. Of course not."

"I was just checking!" Ash cried.

"No, he was fine," Misty murmured. "He was having so much fun playing in…in the water."

"Okay…" Ash hummed, "so then how come you're so upset?"

"Well…" Misty murmured, not exactly wanting to come out with it. She wasn't necessarily good with sharing her feelings, even with her husband. It made her feel too vulnerable. Besides, she was afraid that Ash would find her reason for worrying to be stupid. "I was watching you and Michelle while we were at the pirate ship, and-"

"You saw Michelle freak out."

Misty raised an eyebrow and looked over at Ash, who was smirking at her.

"How did you-"

"Mist, everyone within a _ten mile radius_ could hear Michelle freaking out!" Ash laughed. "She may be a shy little thing, but _man_ she'd loud when she wants to be!"

"It's not funny!" Misty shrieked, her cheeks turning red.

"Oh, Misty, I'm not laughing at her," Ash soothed. "I would never laugh at our daughter! Especially because she was scared!"

"But why was she scared?" Misty ranted, furiously shaking her head. "I don't understand it. I don't! She's always _loved _the water! And now she hates it all of a sudden? How could this be?! Nothing ever happened! Water isn't something she should be afraid of!"

Ash pulled his shoulders back, blinking rapidly at his wife's obviously distressed state. "Misty…she wasn't afraid of the water."

"Yes she was!" Misty cried. "She was yelling 'I don't like it' when you put her in front of the fountain!"

"Because she didn't like the _fountain!_" Ash groaned.

"Wait…what?"

"She's used to _swimming_ in water, not having it shoot out at her," Ash sighed. "That's what freaked her out. Not the fact that it was water!"

Misty twisted her mouth and shifted her eyes away from Ash. "You know that for sure?"

"Of course I do," Ash scoffed. "But I can prove it to you, if you really want."

Misty huffed and crossed her arms against her chest, not saying a single word in response.

"Well, I know it would make you _feel_ better, so I'm just going to prove it to you anyway."

Misty gasped as Ash yanked at her arm and began to drag her back down the path towards the cabana. She snarled at him for almost separating her arm from the rest of her body, but otherwise didn't protest. She would like to see how Ash was going to prove this to her, but she didn't necessarily want him to know that. As soon they reached the cabana, the young couple saw their two children playfully covering Delia's feet with sand and giggling as they did so.

"Oh, there you two are!" Delia exclaimed. "I just ordered food for all of us, but it'll take about a half hour for all of it to get here."

"That's fine," Ash replied calmly. "I've got something I need to show Misty, anyway."

Delia raised an eyebrow and watched on as Ash picked up his young daughter, causing her to shriek excitedly with laughter.

"Hey, princess," Ash murmured enthusiastically, "want to go to the kiddie pool for a little while before we eat?"

"Okay, Daddy!" Michelle giggled.

"What about you, buddy?" Ash asked his son, holding Michelle against his hip. "You want to come play, too?"

"Yeah!" Aiden cheered, jumping up to his feet and beaming.

And so, the small family made their way over to the nearby wading pool, to which Aiden instantly ran into, once again without allowing Misty to remove his flip flops.

"That boy just doesn't like to wait," Misty sighed.

"Daddy, Daddy, down!"

Misty turned her attention onto Ash, where she found their young daughter pointing towards the pool and staring at it with shimmering eyes.

"You sure are in a rush, huh?" Ash chuckled.

"Daddy, I wanna' go!" Michelle whined.

"Okay, okay!" Ash laughed, sliding off Michelle's flip flops and placing her on the ground. Within seconds, Michelle had run straight into the pool with a happy, girlish shriek, and was now jumping up and down in order to make the water splash around. Misty could only watch on in fascination, with an itchy smile quickly growing on her face.

"See what I mean?" Ash pressed, Misty's grin becoming infectious for his own. "Michelle _does_ love the water! I guess trying to throw her into something a little more intense than swimming too quickly was just a bad idea."

"You're right," Misty murmured, slowly nodding her head. "And thank goodness you are."

"Michelle would never upset her mommy that way," Ash teased, earning a scowl from his wife.

"It's still not funny, Ash!"

"I never said it was funny, Mist," Ash softly assured his wife. "I understand. I mean, if I thought that either of our kids hated Pokémon, I would be heartbroken! I mean, I would never force them to like Pokémon if they were really that afraid of them, but it would be pretty hard for me to except. So, trust me, Misty. I don't think you're crazy."

Misty smiled and rested her head on the man's shoulder. "You're so sweet, Ash."

"Thanks," Ash hummed amusedly. "I try!"

* * *

><p><strong>Misty would definitely freak if her kids didn't like the water. Like just go ballistic. Good thing that's not the case! Maybe one day Michelle will like that big, fun pirate ship :P<strong>


	220. Battle of the Ballerinas - Part One

**I decided to try something a little different. Something fun. I love ballet, I love the water ballets Misty's sisters always put on, and I love Elizabeth. Elizabeth also loves ballet. So, I figured, let's combine all of these things and write a TWO PART story! Most exciting part of it all? Elizabeth's not so little in this one ;) That's right. Older Elizabeth! In fact, I don't think I've ever written her this old before. So...let's see what she's like, shall we?**

**Elizabeth: 8 years old**

**Dakota: 18 years old**

**Vanessa: 17 years old**

**Lola: 16 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Battle of the Ballerinas - Part One<strong>

Elizabeth couldn't help but to be jealous of her three older cousins.

They all seemed to think they were _so_ much better at ballet than she was. And just because of the way they looked! Sure, they were all slender and toned, with long, stem like legs that were seemingly quintessential when it came to having that "real" ballerina look.

Elizabeth had always been at a disadvantage to the three older girls. She was just as skinny as they were, but she was also very petite. She had always been tiny, smaller than most girls her age, and that was always her handicap when it came to dance. Now that she was growing up, however, Elizabeth's legs were finally beginning to get longer and lankier, just like her mother and older sister. And her cousins, too.

It had been a bit of a setback at first. The growth spurt had caused Elizabeth to lose a lot of her flexibility. Suddenly, her splits weren't flat, and her leaps had lost their height. She worked on regaining it every single day, even when she didn't have ballet class. Elizabeth would sit in a split while doing her homework, practice her leaps out in the backyard while Pikachu and Vaporeon ran alongside her, and perform stretching exercises while watching TV.

The girl ate, slept, and breathed dance. She _loved_ it. Her passion for the art was just about as strong as her father's was for training Pokémon. What irritated Elizabeth the most was the fact that her cousins weren't as passionate about it as she was. They just happened to have the natural talent for it. But they didn't work _half_ as hard as Elizabeth did. They never practiced in their spare time, and even when they _had_ class, they often skipped it. Elizabeth found the whole thing to be extremely unfair.

Now that she was older, dancing in the studio wasn't becoming enough for Elizabeth. She wanted to do it more and more. And she wanted to perform for more and more people, as well. Her recitals were always fun, but they were on a small scale. Elizabeth wanted to show a _huge_ crowd of people her talent, and how hard she'd worked to perfect it.

That's why she wanted to star in one of the water ballets.

Elizabeth knew full well that the water ballets were a family tradition. Her aunts, when they weren't modeling and acting and doing all of that crazy stuff that her mother called "fake jobs," wrote and produced amazing underwater shows that incorporated all aspects of ballet. They were very popular among the citizens of Cerulean, and even beyond. Because of her mother's (and, subsequently, her aunts') rising fame, the ballets' lore had stretched to other towns and cities as well, and people traveled from all over to see the productions.

She'd wanted to be in one since she was just a toddler, but Elizabeth had always been told she was too young. Year after year she was "too young." But she just kept on asking anyway. Elizabeth was persistent, to say the least.

The girl knew for a fact, however, that her mother had begun appearing in the water ballets when she was her own age. And to her, this meant that she too was now old enough to be in a show herself. Unfortunately for Elizabeth, however, the ballets weren't always consistent. It depended on her aunts' work schedules, although those words had always made her mother roll her eyes. Elizabeth understood…sort of.

For years now, she would sit in the den and watch videos of all of the old water ballets. Elizabeth's favorite part of the shows, other than all of the ballet of course, was her mother. Misty was Elizabeth's idol. The girl wanted to be just like her mother. Unfortunately, Misty had never been disadvantaged like Elizabeth. She was naturally talented with the perfect ballerina body, like her nieces, and never needed extra training. Misty also had never quite cared about the damn things, but she did care enough to actually practice and try her hardest. And whenever she had snuck away, it was to train her Pokémon and practice becoming gym leader, which Elizabeth could respect. She couldn't respect her cousins' excuses of shopping and boys, however. Those were just dumb. Elizabeth was as girly as they came, but she still thought shopping and boys were pretty dumb, _especially_ when compared to ballet.

Watching the videos now, Elizabeth knew for a fact she could do every single one of those moves. In fact, she could practically perform each production in her _sleep_. Especially all of Misty's roles. Elizabeth's dream was to be the star, just like Misty.

She had worked hard and waited an awfully long time. Elizabeth knew her turn would soon come.

**XXX**

"Mommy! I'm home!"

Misty poked her head out of the kitchen and smiled at her young daughter, who had just returned from school. Elizabeth returned the grin as she dropped her light blue and pink backpack on the floor.

"Elizabeth, don't do that," Misty scolded, her smile quickly evaporating. "You know your backpack doesn't belong on the floor! Besides, every time you leave it there, your father ends up tripping on it when he comes home from work."

"Well…maybe Daddy shouldn't be so clumsy," Elizabeth commented, picking her backpack up and slipping it onto a nearby hook.

"True," Misty agreed. "But you also shouldn't be messy."

"Fair enough," Elizabeth squeaked, shrugging her shoulders as she waltzed over to the kitchen table for her after school snack. "Did you have any challengers at the gym today?"

"Of course I did," Misty giggled, placing some apple slices in front of her daughter.

"Did you kick their butts?" Elizabeth asked with a big, mischievous smile.

"Oh, Lizzie, that's not nice," Misty sighed, shaking her head. "But yes, I did."

"I knew it!" Elizabeth trilled, stuffing one of the slices in her mouth. "You'we the beft, Mommy!"

"Don't talk with your mouth full!" Misty reprimanded with an exasperated sigh. "I think you've been spending too much time with Daddy."

"I've always been like Daddy," was Elizabeth's cheeky response. "That's what you said! Ever since I was a baby. Right?"

"Yes, I did say that," Misty hummed amusedly, sitting down beside her daughter. "I've always said that." Elizabeth giggled softly to herself and picked up another piece of apple to eat.

"So, guess who I talked to today?" Misty continued, snatching one of the apple slices for herself.

"I don't know," Elizabeth chirped. "Who?"

"Aunt Daisy."

"Aunt Daisy?" Elizabeth repeated. "Did she say anything interesting?"

"What do you mean by 'interesting'?" Misty asked curiously.

"I mean anything not about modeling or shopping or her dates with Uncle Tracey," Elizabeth quipped.

"Now you sound like me," Misty mused, earning an entertained smirk from her daughter. "But no. None of that…weird stuff. In fact, it's something I think you'd be pretty interested in hearing."

"Yeah?" Elizabeth pressed, resting her arms against the top of the table and leaning forward in her seat. "What is it?"

"She and your other aunts are putting on a brand new water ballet," Misty explained, leading Elizabeth's eyes to widen. "It sounds like it's going to be wonderful! You know _Swanna Lake_, don't you?"

"Of course I do!" Elizabeth shrieked, pushing her hands against the table and effectively lifting herself out of her chair. "Every single ballerina in the whole wide world knows _Swanna Lake_! It's one of the most famous ballets _ever!_"

"Well, your aunts have decided to put on a water version of the ballet," Misty giggled at her daughter's obvious excitement. "They've just finished writing the show, in fact!"

"Mommy, I _have_ to be in the ballet, please!" Elizabeth pleaded, her eyes widening as they sparkled. "I'm old enough now! I can be a water ballerina! Please? Pretty, _pretty_ please?"

"Lizzie, it's okay! You don't have to beg!" Misty laughed. "I already asked your Aunt Daisy if this could be your first water ballet."

"And what did she say?" Elizabeth demanded to know. "Did she say yes? If she said no, I'm gonna' cut off her hair while she's sleeping, 'cause I'm old enough now!"

Misty's eyes widened at this. "Elizabeth!"

"Sorry," Elizabeth grumbled, finally putting herself back in the chair she had so excitedly jumped out of upon the news of a new water ballet at the gym.

"Well, it's a good thing she's already said yes, then, because now I won't have to worry about any of that," Misty muttered before smirking, earning a delighted squeal from her daughter.

"Oh, _finally!_" Elizabeth cheered, jumping out of her chair fully this time and standing on the floor as she raised her victorious fists above her head. "I'm finally going to be in a water ballet! I can't wait! It's going to be so much fun!"

"I knew you'd be excited," Misty giggled, catching Elizabeth in her arms as the overjoyed young girl launched herself at the gym leader. "Now, go do some homework before you have to get changed for ballet class. I don't want you to be late when Maria's mother comes to pick you up!"

"Okay, Mommy!" Elizabeth warbled, jumping away from her mother and running back towards the front door where her backpack was hung up.

"Oh, Lizzie?" Misty called questioningly, causing her daughter to skid to a halt. "Just out of curiosity…before, when you said you were old enough, did you mean for the _water ballet_, or to cut off Aunt Daisy's hair?"

"Both!" Elizabeth quipped before giggling and continuing to run towards her backpack.

"Oh, what have my genes done?" Misty sighed, plucking another apple slice and benevolently popping it into her mouth.

**XXX**

The next day, Misty sent Elizabeth next door to the gym to begin preparing for the water ballet. She had warned her daughter beforehand that Dakota, Vanessa, and Lola were all going to be in the show as well, and that Elizabeth was going to have to put up with them, no matter the circumstances.

Elizabeth had agreed to this, although she had secretly crossed her fingers behind her back while making the promise. If they got too annoying, she was going to do something. The girl just couldn't stand listening to boy talk for hours on end!

Just as she had assumed, her cousins didn't really seem like they wanted to be there. They were all sitting side-by-side, swinging their legs off of the gym benches as they texted on their cell phones.

"Hey, guys," Elizabeth greeted, trying to be as sweet as possible. "Who are you all texting?"

"Each other!" Vanessa replied with a giggle.

At this, Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "But…you're all sitting next to each other. Can't you talk that way?"

"Silly little Elizabeth, that's not as fun!" Dakota crooned.

"She's just too young to understand," Lola reminded her two older cousins, who both nodded in agreement.

The young red head groaned and tossed her pink and black polka dot dance bag on the floor. She _understood_. She just thought they were all dumb. Elizabeth was so sick and tired of being treated like a baby. She may have been _the baby_ of the _family_, but that didn't mean she should be treated like one. She was an eight year old with a higher level of intelligence than other kids her age, for Arceus' sake!

Elizabeth tugged her red and white sweatshirt printed with faded pink flowers over her head and tossed it over her dance bag, revealing her standard black leotard and pink tights. When she looked up at her cousins, however, Elizabeth realized that _none of them_ were in their own ballet outfits.

"Guys, where's your leotards?" Elizabeth squeaked, scurrying closer to the bleachers and curling her fingers over the ledge. "And your tights? How come you're not dressed for ballet?"

"You ask _so_ many questions," Dakota sighed, causing Elizabeth to furrow her brow.

"Leotards aren't fashionable," Vanessa explained. "They're all like…the same. They're _so_ boring."

"Besides, we _just_ went shopping this afternoon, and we want to show off our new outfits!" Dakota squealed, motioning at her pink, wide neck raglan top that had been paired with a flared, faux leather skirt.

"Aren't they, like, _so_ cute?" Vanessa giggled. She was wearing a blue lace, cap sleeve dress, along with a pair of black leather boots.

Lola, who was more tomboyish than her two older cousins, didn't say much about her outfit, although she still seemed pleased with it. She had on a flowy black tank, embroidered down the chest in red and white, and some dark wash skinny jeans.

"Yeah, _real _cute," Elizabeth muttered, rolling her eyes as she knelt down to unzip her dance bag.

"Aw, you don't have to get so upset, Lizzie!" Lola giggled, finally standing up and walking down from the bleachers. "You look absolutely _adorable_ in your little ballet outfit!"

"I'm not adorable!" Elizabeth argued, jumping back up with her pink ballet slippers in hand. "I'm serious!"

"Whatever you say, little ballerina princess," Vanessa crooned, sticking her phone into her nearby purse and beaming down at Elizabeth.

"We have, like, the _cutest_ little cousin _ever_," Dakota bragged, to which Vanessa and Lola vehemently agreed.

Elizabeth scoffed and kicked off her pink canvas slip ons, replacing them instead with her well-worn ballet slippers. Obviously, her cousins still only thought of her as a baby, and weren't going to take her seriously unless she forced them to. So, she'd just have to prove to them that she was serious, passionate, and most importantly of all, _not_ a baby.

"Okay, girls! Are you almost ready?"

Dakota, Vanessa, and Lola all smirked to themselves. Elizabeth watched on curiously, one hand still clutching the front of the bleachers while the other one was pulling her leg over her head for a good stretch. Daisy walked into the gym with a big smile on her face, although that grin soon disappeared when she saw that her daughter and two oldest nieces were not properly dressed.

"Dakota, I asked you three to get ready!" Daisy sighed.

"We _are_ ready, Mom," Dakota scoffed, flipping her wavy golden hair over her shoulder.

"You're not dressed the right way!" Daisy exclaimed, pointing at the teenager's newly purchased outfit.

"Please, when you're good enough at ballet, you don't have to be dressed for it," Dakota laughed. "Besides, I have a skirt on! And the lady who sold me this top at the mall called it a 'ballet tee,' so I think that counts for something."

Daisy looked towards her youngest niece for _some_ form of sympathy, but all the little girl could expend was another dramatic roll of her emerald eyes.

"Okay, let me see what all four of you can do," Daisy stated, folding her arms across her chest. "Let me see your relevé."

Elizabeth skipped towards her aunt before steadying herself and putting her two feet together in fifth position: aligning the toe of her right foot with the heel of her left. Raising her arms above her head and gently bending them at the elbows, Elizabeth pushed herself up onto her toes, squeezing her knees tightly together and making sure to keep her shoulders down and her head up.

Daisy smiled at Elizabeth, who was too focused to return the action. The young girl certainly had amazing form. Just as good, in fact, as the three older girls standing next to her. That wasn't the only test Elizabeth had to pass, however.

"Now, an arabesque," Daisy instructed.

Elizabeth put her heels back down on the floor and nodded intently. Lowering her arms down to her sides, Elizabeth stuck out her right leg, with her toe pointed, and then raised it up in the air so it was parallel to the ground. She lifted one arm up, and set the other one out to the side. She stood on her standing foot flat for a few seconds before pushing herself up onto her toes so she was once again standing in relevé.

Once again, Daisy was impressed. Her youngest niece had really amazing lines. Then again, so did Dakota, Vanessa, and Lola. All of their statures, in fact, were very similar. Except for Elizabeth's shorter legs.

"Elizabeth," Daisy spoke, catching her youngest niece's attention as the child lowered her foot and put down her arms. "I'd like to see some turns. Can you do that for me?"

"Sure," Elizabeth trilled. "What kind of turns?"

Daisy was slightly taken by surprise with that question. "Oh…uh…any kind you want, I suppose."

"Oh, can I do fouettes?" Elizabeth asked excitedly. "I've been practicing them in class! I want to be able to do the 32 fouettes en tournant, just like in _Swanna Lake_!"

"32 turns? Like…_in a row?_" Vanessa marveled.

"Yeah!" Elizabeth chirped. "It's really, really hard. I can only do a few fouettes in a row for now. But…I'm working on it!"

"You don't have to show me 32 of them, dear," Daisy giggled. "Just do as many as you can!"

Elizabeth nodded before getting into position: standing flat footed on her left leg in a deep plié while her right leg was being held towards the back, with her toes pointed. Her arms rounded out and held in front of her body, Elizabeth jumped up onto relevé on her left foot and began to spin, the toes of her right foot pulled in to touch her knee and then swing out in a neat, repetitive fashion. The goal of a fouette sequence was to remain in place, but because Elizabeth was still learning those types of turns, she tended to travel a bit. She managed to get in nearly five turns before falling out of them, wobbling for a second before beaming up at her aunt.

"I've never done so many before!" Elizabeth squealed excitedly. "The most I've ever done was three!"

"Those were very good, Lizzie!" Daisy complimented. "You traveled a bit, but those are new to you, so it's not a big deal."

Dakota raised an eyebrow. When had her baby cousin gotten so good at dancing? Now, all of a sudden, it seemed that she was getting all of the attention. But Dakota had always been _revered _for her ballet skills! She was a natural talent!

And she didn't want to lose the spotlight.

"I want to go next!" Dakota blurted, raising her arm up in the air.

"Okay, Dakota," Daisy replied. "What kind of turns are you going to show me?"

"Pirouettes," Dakota answered quickly. "They're my specialty!"

Dakota knew she could do _way_ more than five pirouettes. They weren't as complex as fouettes, but they looked just as nice. Besides, Dakota figured that since her pirouettes were _perfect_, and Elizabeth's fouettes were not, she would look better than the younger girl anyway.

Standing in the same position that Elizabeth had before she'd started her own turn sequence, Dakota hopped up onto relevé on her left foot and began to spin, but instead of moving her right leg in and out like her cousin, the older blonde kept her right foot pointed at her left knee in passé. She managed to crank out a solid ten turns, twice as many as Elizabeth had done. Her pirouettes were also very steady and clean, with no travelling involved.

"That was very good, Dakota!" Daisy praised her only daughter. "I have always loved your turns."

Elizabeth frowned and rubbed her upper arm, looking sheepishly at the floor. She knew that Dakota's pirouettes had been perfect. But of course they were! Dakota was older and, as a result, more experienced than her. But that didn't mean Dakota loved dance more than Elizabeth. When it came to the water ballets, however, maybe skill trumped passion.

Now she was nervous.

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><p><strong>Who will get the part of the White Swanna? The next one shot will be the continuation of this one, so stay tuned and find out ;) <strong>


	221. Battle of the Ballerinas - Part Two

**Uuugh, I'm up too early. I guess I have to get used to it because of school (boo) anyway, but that doesn't mean I like it. And yes, 9 AM IS too early for me. I am sooo not a morning person...lol.**

**But, since I'm up so early, you get the second part of the last chapter! WOO HOO! Something fun came out of it :P Also, Ash is actually in this one so...fun stuff :P**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Battle of the Ballerinas – Part Two<strong>

Misty frowned as she peered into the living room from behind the kitchen doorway.

Elizabeth was sitting on the ground, her mouth twisted into an odd shape as she stared at a white tutu sitting before her. Misty knew how badly her daughter wanted to earn the leading role of Odette, the beautiful princess who became transformed into a Swanna. The young girl had been fawning over that role since she was just a toddler, wanting nothing more than to be the "pretty white Swanna princess." It had seemed, however, that ever since the day Elizabeth had shown off her skills to Daisy, the young girl was rather down. Misty had tried to talk to her daughter about it, but that wasn't working.

"Lizzie," Misty tried, stepping into the living room with a cup of tea in her hands, "you don't have to beat yourself up over it. I'm sure you did fine!"

"I didn't do as good as Dakota," Elizabeth whimpered. "She's better than me just 'cause she's older. She doesn't even _like_ ballet! Me loving it doesn't mean anything when I'm not as good."

"Of course that means something," Misty comforted her daughter, sitting down on the floor across from the downtrodden young girl. "Skill is important, yes. But if you have enough drive and passion, you'll come out on top."

"You and Daddy are both good at everything," Elizabeth muttered, sticking her foot beneath the tutu and lifting it off the floor. "Like Dakota."

"No, we're not good at everything," Misty refuted. "Do you really think Daddy and I were always such good battlers? We weren't exactly natural talents, you know. Especially your father…"

As though his entrance had been cued, he emerged through the front door, Pikachu squeaking happily and jumping off of his shoulder to curl up in the center of Elizabeth's frilly tutu.

"Hey, my two favorite girls!" Ash chuckled. "What are you talking about?"

"Elizabeth's audition for the water ballet," Misty sighed, looking over her shoulder.

"Oh no, you're still upset about that, aren't you?" Ash murmured.

"Yeah," Elizabeth sheepishly admitted.

"You don't have to be so worried about it, pumpkin," Ash gently reassured his youngest daughter. "I bet you did great! Besides, you'll be in the ballet no matter what. I know for a fact your Aunt Daisy would never cut you out of it!"

"But that's not the point!" Elizabeth whined. "I don't want to be beat by bratty Dakota. It's not fair! She just thinks she deserves the lead role more than I do because she's older. And she just wants the attention!"

"I know it's hard, Elizabeth," Ash continued. "And maybe it's not necessarily fair. But you just have to keep working for it! Passion is just as important as skill!"

"Mommy already said that!" Elizabeth groaned, throwing herself down on her back as she stared up at the ceiling in torment. She soon jumped back up, however, when the doorbell rang. Pikachu was alerted too, and popped out from the center of the tutu. Ash, who was already standing up, walked back over to the door and opened it up, finding himself face-to-face with none other than his blonde sister-in-law.

"Daisy?" Ash croaked.

"Hey, Ash!" Daisy giggled. "Is Misty here? I need to talk to her!"

"It's always me," Misty grumbled, standing up as Elizabeth watched on curiously. She walked over to the front door and stood next to Ash, gently tilting her head to the side. "What do you need to talk about, Dais?"

"The water ballet," Daisy whispered so quietly she had practically mouthed it.

Elizabeth was crawling on her hands and knees, leaning forward to try and see what her aunt and mother were saying, since they had lowered their voices too much for her to hear. Ash, who noticed his daughter's antics, smirked to himself and used his leg to hold the girl back, who quickly huffed and glared up at him.

"You're so nosy," Ash chuckled.

"Daddy, this is important!" Elizabeth whined.

"You'll find out soon enough," Ash hushed laughingly. "Come on, how about you and I play a game together?"

"I don't wanna'," Elizabeth huffed.

"Well, that's too bad, pumpkin," Ash hummed, bending over and picking up the girl as though she weighed nothing. "I know you're a troublemaker like me, so I also know that I've got to keep you _out _of trouble!"

"I'm not bad!" Elizabeth gasped, struggling in her father's grasp.

"I never said you were bad," Ash crooned. "You're a very good girl! Just like I'm a good guy. We both just so happen to be a little bit nosy."

While Ash was busy distracting his daughter, Misty had all but pushed Daisy outside, knowing just as well as her husband that Elizabeth would be trying to pry. Closing the door behind her, Misty stared at her oldest sister with wide, emerald eyes and asked, "What's up?"

"Okay," Daisy began shakily, "so…I figured that I should probably tell you this first, because you're better with dealing with Elizabeth than I am. She kind of scares me when she gets angry…"

"When she gets angry?" Misty repeated, her brow furrowing. "Why would she be angry, Daisy? Unless…oh my-"

"You're scary too!" Daisy complained when she saw the angry flash go through her youngest sister's eyes.

"Daisy, you didn't give her the lead, did you?" Misty hissed.

"Well-"

"Daisy!"

"No, I didn't," Daisy admitted with a sigh.

"Why not?" Misty demanded. "I know she's still young, but she's worked _so_ hard for it! And not for nothing, I know for a fact she's _just _as good as the older girls!"

"Elizabeth is extremely talented," Daisy admitted with a slow nod.

"Alright, fine, so she's not the White Swanna," Misty grumbled, knowing full well she'd have to calm her daughter down. "What is she, then? The Black Swanna?"

"No…" Daisy murmured.

Misty's eyes snapped open. "Oh, don't tell me you made her the Prince. That will not sit well with Elizabeth at all."

"She's not the Prince either," Daisy admitted.

Misty folded her arms across her chest and furrowed her brow. "Daisy, those are the main roles in the ballet. What on Earth did you cast Elizabeth as?"

Daisy bit her lip and scuffed the toe of her nude flats at the ground.

"Daisy!"

"I made her the little sorcerer!" Daisy blurted. "You know, the one who actually turns the princess into the White Swanna!"

Misty's jaw dropped, and her expression could only be described as one of complete hurt. "Daisy!"

"Misty, she's such a beautiful ballerina…" Daisy began before being cut off by her youngest sister.

"So why did you give her that part?" Misty growled. "It's _one_ ballet! And you know that being the White Swanna has been her dream role since she was practically a baby!"

"I don't know _why _I didn't!" Daisy whined.

"Oh, now you're just sounding dumb," Misty groaned.

"Dakota begged me for it, she wouldn't leave me alone," Daisy sighed. "And her audition was perfect! I couldn't say no to her."

"Her audition may have been perfect, but she doesn't care as much as Elizabeth does," Misty argued. "She wanted the lead because she wants the attention. I love Dakota, Daisy, don't get me wrong. But you and I both know she hasn't _loved_ ballet since she became a teenager. What she loves is attention. She won't treat that role with the respect it deserves!"

"That's pretty funny coming from the girl who couldn't stand ballet but was always in the lead," Daisy scoffed.

"I may not have liked ballet, but at least I gave it my all when I was the lead!" Misty snarled. "I didn't just rely on my natural talent! I would still practice and try to perfect all of my moves! I took it seriously!"

Daisy sighed and hung her head, earning a disturbed grunt from the obviously agitated Misty.

"You really think you made the right decision?" Misty quipped.

"No," Daisy finally admitted.

"And you _know_ I'm not only fighting you on this because she's my daughter," Misty continued. "I'm fighting for it because I know how she feels. Being the youngest and never being respected just because of it. It's not fair! Elizabeth is a very talented little girl. But she's always been looked over _just_ because she's the youngest, and _just _because she doesn't have the long legs that every other girl in this family has. That's why she works so hard. Because she _knows_ she's at a disadvantage. I think you and I _both _know that an _eight year old_ shouldn't know that about herself.

"You're right," Daisy groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Oh, how could I be so dumb?"

"You're not dumb," Misty replied, choking back the more creative insults that were forming in her brain. "It's hard to think that way when you're not the youngest. But I always knew that Elizabeth would face the same challenges that I did, maybe even more because of her stature. And I promised myself I wouldn't let her suffer from it. She can't stand up for herself, not yet anyway, because she knows she won't be taken seriously. I mean…you didn't even have the heart to tell her this _yourself!_ You had to tell _me_ first!"

"Misty, stop, you're making me feel bad!" Daisy moaned.

"I'm sorry," Misty apologized earnestly.

"I'm going to fix this," Daisy assured, her sea green eyes narrowing in deep thought. "I will."

Misty cocked her head out of curiosity. "What are you going to do?"

"I'll show you," Daisy murmured, turning on a heel and marching towards the front door, opening it up and stepping inside the house. Misty's eyebrows shot up her forehead, but not wanting to miss whatever Daisy's realization had been, the woman scurried in after her sister anyway. Ash was still trying to distract Elizabeth, but as soon as the door reopened, the girl was gone. She rushed out into the foyer, beaming up at her aunt and giving off the sweetest demeanor she could possibly manage.

"Hi, Aunt Daisy!" Elizabeth chirped.

"Hello, Elizabeth," Daisy giggled. "You certainly seem excited!"

"Well, usually, you only come over here because you need something from Mommy," Elizabeth began, causing Daisy to glare at her youngest sister, who blushed in response. "But this time, I know you're here because of the ballet!"

"Err…yes, I am!" Daisy replied.

"Did you pick out all the parts?" Elizabeth squealed, beginning to jump up and down. "Did you? Tell me!"

"Whoa, cool your jets there, Lizzie!" Ash remarked, emerging from the living room. He had the white tutu pulled up around his waist, earning bewildered stares from his wife and sister-in-law. "I'm just as surprised as you two are! I thought all of this dress up nonsense was going to end after Elizabeth started school!"

"It will never end, Daddy," Elizabeth crooned, batting her eyelashes at her father before turning her attention back onto Daisy. "So, tell me, Aunt Daisy! Who's the White Swanna?"

The blonde finally forced a smile onto her face, keeping her eyes locked on Elizabeth, who seemed poised to explode at any given moment. "You are, sweetheart!"

Elizabeth's whole face lit up as she let out a high pitched, excited shriek that was _so_ shrill it forced Ash to cover his ears. The young girl threw herself at her aunt and hugged the older woman's legs, thanking her repeatedly before letting go and running over to her father, yanking desperately the white tutu he was wearing.

"Give it back!" Elizabeth urgently demanded. "I have to go practice!"

"With pleasure," Ash muttered, slipping out of the tutu and handing it over to his thrilled daughter, who immediately ran upstairs with the circle of layered tulle.

"Thank you, Daisy," Misty murmured, smiling at the blonde as she turned around. "This means the _world _to Elizabeth. And she won't let you down, I promise."

"I knew sooner or later Dakota would begin losing interest," Daisy explained. "I guess I was just trying to push it off. But…you're right. _Elizabeth_ is the one who cares the most, now. I think she has more passion than any of the older girls have ever had. So, if I want her to keep her passion at that level, I'll have to begin training her now to be the star. Just like we did for you."

"Yeah, and Elizabeth will complain less!" Ash piped up from the background, earning a smirk from Daisy.

"Quiet back there, Mr. Pokémon Master!" Misty ordered. "Or I'll get that tutu back and stick it right up your-"

"Family hug!" Ash interrupted nervously, running forward and wrapping his arms around a stunned Daisy and Misty.

**XXX**

The night of the water ballet's first show was probably the most exciting night of Elizabeth's life. So far, anyway.

She couldn't get enough of her costume. It was a simple white leotard, with winged white feathers covering her chest and a matching pair clipped to each side of her head. Her white tutu, one even fancier and larger than the one she had at home, stuck out all around her. Her tights and ballet slippers, all of which had been purchased brand new for the water ballet, were the same pure white as the rest of her costume. Elizabeth's dark red hair had been pulled back into a bun, practically hidden beneath the white feathers in her hair. Misty had done the bun for her, but Elizabeth, wanting to be as independent as possible, had managed to shoo her mother away in order to do her makeup on her own.

Unfortunately, Elizabeth was not experienced with makeup application, and was having a seriously hard time applying the black eye shadow to her lids. She didn't want to mess the job up; the eye makeup was crucial when it came to looking like a real Swanna! Well, that and the fact that poorly applied makeup, and too much of it at that, would make her look more like a Mr. Mime than anything.

"Oh, I hate this!" Elizabeth whined, lowering the spongy brush from her haphazardly covered eyelid. "Makeup is hard."

"Need help, Lizzie?"

The little girl growled and looked towards the doorway, ready to fend her mother off once again. She was surprised, however, to see that it was _Dakota_ standing in the doorway, and not Misty.

Before the shocked girl could answer, Dakota walked into the dressing room and plucked the makeup applicator out of the child's hand. "Hey!"

"Don't be so stubborn," Dakota warbled. "You need help. There's no shame in that."

Elizabeth twisted her mouth and nervously rubbed the bottom of her foot against the floor. She knew that Dakota had been upset about not getting the role of the White Swanna. Dakota had never said anything about it, but the dirty looks and lack of vocal communication during rehearsals were enough to tell Elizabeth as much.

Of course, what Elizabeth didn't know was that the main reason Dakota was mad was because the role _had_ originally been hers. After Daisy had made the switch, she'd informed Dakota of the reason and why and instructed her daughter to not say a word about it to Elizabeth. Dakota had been infuriated by the whole situation, but now that she'd had time to cool off, and really watch Elizabeth during their rehearsals, Dakota had realized that Elizabeth did, in fact, have far more passion for ballet than she did. And that it shouldn't be discouraged.

Dakota's new role was that of the Black Swanna, which had originally been awarded to Vanessa. Dakota's costume mirrored Elizabeth's exactly, but instead of being all white, it was all black. Her makeup, however, was the exact same as Elizabeth's, which meant that Dakota knew how to apply it perfectly.

"You're only eight, so I don't expect you to be very experienced with makeup," Dakota continued, grabbing the black eye shadow and rubbing the sponge against it. "I'm surprised you didn't have your mommy help you!"

"I'm not a baby," Elizabeth grumbled, closing her eyes as Dakota moved the sponge towards her eye. "I want to do things by myself."

"I know you're not a baby, Lizzie," Dakota commented, earning an interested noise from the much younger girl. "I know you think we treat you that way sometimes, and I guess we do. But that's because you've always been so small! It's hard to think about you growing up."

Elizabeth allowed her eyes to flutter back open when she felt the sponge leave her eyelid. "Really?"

"Well, yeah," Dakota trilled, once again covering the applicator in dark eye shadow. "I mean, think about it. You're _eight_, and I'm _eighteen_. When I was your age, you weren't even born! I'm so much older than you, so of course sometimes I forget you're growing up too, and I just think of you as a baby. A lot of us do that, huh?"

"Yeah…" Elizabeth admitted sheepishly.

"But this will prove to everyone that you're not a baby anymore!" Dakota stressed, gently tugging at Elizabeth's white tutu. "You're a beautiful ballerina, Elizabeth. You dance _much_ more maturely than any other eight year old I've ever seen. And everyone else in that audience tonight is going to see that. They're going to be amazed!"

"You really think so?" Elizabeth breathed.

"I know so," Dakota giggled, throwing in a wink for good measure. She finished up with Elizabeth's makeup, and once she deemed it perfect, the older girl grabbed Elizabeth by the shoulders and turned the younger girl to face the mirror. "There! Perfect!"

Elizabeth opened her eyes and stared at her reflection, gasping at her makeup covered eyelids. "I _love _it!"

"Not bad, right?" Dakota giggled. "You just come back to me after the show. The makeup is water proof, so it's a little tricky to get off."

Elizabeth beamed up at her cousin before wrapping her arms around the older girl's waist, resting her head against her stomach. "Thank you, Dakota. I love you."

The blonde smiled herself and lifted Elizabeth up with ease, hugging the younger girl right back. "I love you too, Elizabeth."

The child picked her head up and grinned at Dakota once again. "Let's go show everyone how great we are!"

"I'm with you on that one, cutie," Dakota laughed, putting Elizabeth back down on the floor. "Show time!"

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><p><strong>I love how Dakota is a pain in the ass, but she really does have a very sweet, caring side. Much like Daisy ;) <strong>


	222. Home Movies

**Uuugh, been working on this one FOREVER. Finally got it done :) I've had the idea for awhile, but was finally motivated to get it out last week. **

**Aiden and Michelle: 9 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 4 years old**

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><p><span><strong>Home Movies<strong>

Elizabeth had become a little testy as of late.

The reason was fairly obvious: her two older siblings were leaving on their Pokémon journey in the next couple of weeks. Elizabeth, who had only ever known life with Aiden and Michelle, was struggling to deal with the fact that they soon wouldn't be living in the house every single day. She'd been fussy and edgy and throwing all kinds of fits lately. Ash and Misty found that dealing with the girl was becoming nearly impossible, but they couldn't exactly get upset with her behavior. They actually just found it to be heartbreaking. It showed how much Elizabeth loved her older siblings, and how much she relied on them.

As a result, Ash and Misty had been trying to spend as much quality time together as a family as possible. Aiden and Michelle weren't entirely thrilled with it, but they at least understood it was for Elizabeth, and didn't argue because of that fact. They loved her just as much as she loved the both of them, and would never dream of letting her down.

So, one night after dinner, Ash and Misty, along with Brock, who had enjoyed the meal with the family, decided on what they believed would be a very amusing activity for the night. Once the three adults had gathered the three children in the den, however, the younger group was just confused.

"What are we doing in here?" Michelle questioned.

"Are we playing my video games?" Aiden asked excitedly.

"No," Misty replied quickly, leading Aiden to sulk.

"We thought that tonight, it might be fun to watch some movies!" Ash chuckled.

"Movies?" Elizabeth repeated. "Like…princess movies?"

"No, sweetheart, not princess movies," Brock laughed at the girl's innocence.

"We're talking about home movies!" Misty giggled.

Aiden, Michelle, and Elizabeth all exchanged bewildered glances, not understanding what in the world the adults were talking about. In exchange, the older three began to laugh.

"Man, I feel old," Brock scoffed, scooping up Elizabeth with one arm and wrapping his other arm around the shoulders of Aiden and Michelle. "Come on, guys. You'll see what we mean!"

"I'm scared," Michelle commented honestly.

"I'm not scared, just already bored," Aiden huffed as Brock directed them towards the couch.

"I wanna' watch a princess movie!" Elizabeth cried, holding her arm up in the air.

"Maybe we'll watch a princess movie later, sprinkle," Misty giggled, eyeing her daughter as Brock settled her down on the couch. "We have to watch these, first!"

"But I don't want to, Mommy," Elizabeth seriously informed her mother.

"You'll like them, Lizzie!" Ash assured his daughter, shuffling through several DVD cases. "Let's see…boring, meh, not my favorite…wait…Misty, what's _this_ doing down _here?_"

Ash held one of the DVD cases up for Misty to see, and as soon as her eyes scanned the cover, she shrieked and snatched it out of her husband's hands, holding it behind her back as she laughed nervously, her cheeks faintly flushed.

"Uh…don't know," Misty warbled, quickly side stepping towards the staircase. "I'm just going to…put this back upstairs now! Where it belongs!"

The three children, as well as Brock, watched Misty all but run out of the room. Once she was gone, they all looked at one another, silently wondering what had just happened.

"Wow, Mom _sure_ looked embarrassed," Aiden murmured.

"I wonder what that video was of?" Michelle wondered aloud.

"Maybe it was a scary clown," Elizabeth mused, tilting her head to the side. "And not a nice one like Mimey! A scary one."

Brock, on the other hand, was just throwing his best friend a cheeky, knowing grin, to which Ash groaned and buried his face in his hands.

"This is _not _how I wanted to start this night off," Ash grumbled.

"I'm proud of you, Ash," Brock nonchalantly commended the younger male, playfully patting Elizabeth's head and causing her to giggle.

"I know you are, Brock. You never cease to tell me that."

"Okay, everything is fine now!" Misty trilled, hurrying back down the stairs. "We can start the videos now!"

"Mommy, you got rid of the scary clown?" Elizabeth asked, leading Misty to raise an eyebrow.

"Yes, sweetie, Mommy got rid of the scary clown!" Ash blurted, to which Misty gasped silently. _Now_ she understood what Elizabeth was talking about. "She's going to come sit down with us now. _Right_, Misty?"

"O-of course!" Misty giggled, walking over to the couch and sitting down beside Elizabeth, who squealed happily and crawled halfway into her mother's lap. Misty smiled down at the toddler and began running her fingers through the child's dark red locks.

"I finally found a good one!" Ash cheered, holding up another DVD case. "It's about time, too. I think we filmed a lot of junk, Mist."

"Video of my babies crawling around the house isn't junk!" Misty shouted.

"It is when there's probably _fifteen hours_ of it," Ash muttered, opening up the case and popping the silver disc into the DVD player.

"Wait, what are we even watching?" Aiden muttered as his father sat down next to him, on the side that wasn't occupied by Brock.

"You'll see, champ," Ash sighed with a chuckle, picking up the remote and pressing the 'play' button on the device and causing the screen to flicker to life.

"_Good morning, Aiden! Aw, look at how happy you are!"_

Michelle and Elizabeth burst into hysterical laughter at the image of their brother as an infant on the screen. The boy in current day, on the other hand, groaned as his entire face turned red.

"MOM! DAD!" Aiden shrieked.

"Lookit how _cute_ he was!" Elizabeth squealed, pointing at the screen.

"Yeah, what happened?" Michelle quipped.

"Not nice," Ash warned his oldest daughter, who smirked sheepishly in response.

"Yeah, your brother is still cute!" Misty cooed, reaching over Michelle and Brock to pinch Aiden's cheek.

"MOOOM!" Aiden whined, waving his mother's hand away.

"Hey, look, you used to love getting attention from your mom, buddy!" Brock chuckled, pointing at the screen.

_Baby Aiden, with his fluffy springs of raven hair and wide, brown eyes, giggled endlessly as Misty's delicate hand tickled his stomach, covered by light blue pajamas embroidered with tiny Chingling. His mouth was open so wide that his toothless gums were prominently on display. _

"_You're so happy," Misty sing-sang as she tickled the baby. "Yes you are!"_

"_He needs some teeth," Ash off-handedly commented, apparently from behind the camera._

"_Ash, leave him alone!" Misty snapped, causing Ash to bring the camera's focus up from Aiden and onto Misty instead. "He's only three months old! Of course he doesn't have any teeth!"_

"Well, there's something I don't appreciate," Misty muttered.

"What?" Ash piped up. "Me commenting on Aiden's toothless mouth?"

"No," Misty sighed. "You putting me on camera!"

"Why?" Ash questioned. "You look fine!"

"I look _gross,_" Misty corrected. "Look at that hair!"

"Yeah, you _could_ have run a brush through it," Aiden remarked.

Misty turned her attention onto her son and threw him an unamused look. "Hey, you're the reason I look like that, Mister I Had to Eat Every Two Hours or I Screamed My Lungs Out."

Michelle tried, unsuccessfully, to bite back a hearty laugh. Misty, of course, wasn't about to let her daughter get away with it.

"You weren't much better, little lady," Misty bit, leading the girl to blush.

"Aw, it's alright, Misty," Brock chuckled. "If memory serves me right, Michelle will be embarrassed soon enough."

"Huh?" Michelle squeaked. "Why would I be embarrassed?

_Although the camera was still on Misty, the sound of high pitched cries were soon piercing the air. Misty hummed and looked over her shoulder, letting out a considerable groan as she gripped the side of Aiden's crib._

"_Oh, sounds like the little princess is up, too!" Ash chuckled. "Let's go see what the _opposite _of happy looks like in the morning!"_

_The camera panned away from Misty and instead began to move towards the crib on the opposite side of the room, where the walls were painted pink. His chuckles being heard the entire way, Ash tilted the camera into the crib and cooed sadly once the miserable baby was in its view._

"_Aw, Michelle, don't cry!" Ash crooned. "Nothing's wrong. Nothing happened."_

Elizabeth once again, and this time along with Aiden, started laughing hysterically. Michelle, in turn, scoffed and folded her arms, looking away from the TV with a scowl and a blush.

"Nice face!" Aiden mocked through his laughter.

"Shut it!" Michelle snapped.

_Baby Michelle, who was wailing and completely red in the face from all of the crying, had thinner but more hair on her head; a bright red that practically matched her face. Whenever her eyes actually opened up, they were filled with tears, the salty drops quickly overflowing and running down her chubby pink cheeks._

"_Ash!" Misty's voice cracked like thunder once again. "Don't just film the poor thing crying! Help her!"_

"_What am I supposed to do when I have the camera in my hands?" Ash argued._

"_Turn it off and put it down until you can get Michelle to calm down!" Misty bit._

_The camera's focus turned up from the inside of Michelle's crib to go back onto Misty, who was now holding Aiden in her arms and snarling at the man controlling the device. _

"_But Misty," Ash began, "I thought you wanted everything and anything filmed because-"_

"_TURN IT OFF AND HOLD HER!" Misty snapped._

"_Yes ma'am!" Ash gasped as the scene flickered away._

"Well, that was fun," Aiden exhaled, trying to jump up from the couch. Unfortunately for the boy, Ash had swung his arm out and effectively blocked the child's escape. "Hey!"

"Where do you think you're going, champ?" Ash asked with a chuckle. "It's not over!"

"How is it not over?" Aiden demanded.

"That was only one video," Brock guffawed, clearly enjoying himself. Or the children's torture. Aiden wasn't entirely sure of which one.

Aiden looked back towards the TV, where the screen lit up once again with a new video, one where the twins seemed slightly older, though they were still babies.

"_Okay, Michelle, walk over to Daddy!"_

_The small girl cooed and looked up at her mother, who was standing over her and beaming. Michelle, on the other hand, didn't seem as excited as the older woman, or in any rush to get up from her seated position. _

"_Michelle, Daddy is waiting for you!" Misty babbled, pointing towards the camera. _

_Michelle stuck out her tongue and let out a garbled laugh, still staring at Misty. The woman sighed and shook her head, gently grabbing Michelle's face and tilting it towards the camera._

"_Look!" Misty trilled. "Daddy!"_

_The girl whimpered and began flailing her arms, trying desperately to look away from the camera. _

"_This isn't working," Misty grumbled, folding her arms across her chest._

"_I think she's afraid of the camera," Ash commented._

"Why were you so afraid of _everything?_" Aiden groaned.

"I was sensitive!" Michelle growled.

"_Wait, I think I have an idea," a second voice called in the video. Brock suddenly appeared on the screen, holding a squirmy Aiden against his hip. He put the little boy on the floor and reached out for the camera, which caused Ash to back up. "What are you doing?"_

"_Uh…I don't know," Ash sheepishly admitted._

"_Give me the camera," Brock sighed._

_The camera switched hands, its focus shifting all over the place as it was handed over. Once Brock got it settled, he pointed it directly at Ash, who was blinking out of confusion._

"Wow, Dad looks so much younger!" Aiden remarked, knowing it would get a rise out of his father.

"WHAT?!" Ash yelped.

Aiden burst out into laughter and held onto his stomach as he roared, Ash's shocked expression turning into one of pure aggravation. "You should have seen the look on your face! Haha…priceless!"

"Oh, honey, don't get all upset!" Misty crooned to Ash. "You practically look the same!"

"Practically," Brock repeated, earning a glare from Ash.

"Oh, oh, look!" Misty fussed, frightening almost everyone who was sitting on the couch. "This is my favorite part of the whole video!"

"You remember what happened?" Michelle murmured.

"Of course!" Misty giggled. "Watch!"

"_Michelle, come to me!" Ash trilled. Now that he was no longer holding the camera, the little girl smiled peacefully at him and no longer fussed. She pulled herself up onto her feet, slowly and shakily, but soon enough began to make her way towards Ash. Behind her, Misty was beaming and silently clapping her hands together, while Ash held his arms out in preparation to catch the baby. Once she made it close enough to him, she stumbled slightly, but Ash managed to catch her in his hands before she fell._

"_Yes!" Misty cheered, her whole face lighting up._

"_Good girl!" Ash warbled, lifting the girl up and causing her to giggle._

"_Oh, Ash, she just _loves _walking to you!" Misty cooed, her eyes still shimmering. "It's the most precious thing I've ever seen!"_

"_She's such a sweet little girl," Ash murmured, sitting the baby in his lap and gently bouncing her up and down in his folded legs. Michelle shrieked with laughter and grabbed onto Ash's thighs, tilting her head back to stare up at him while he bounced her. _

"_Isn't that just adorable?" Brock asked rhetorically from behind the camera, finishing off with a strong chuckle._

"_Da!"_

_Everyone, including the camera, turned to the side of the room by the couch, where little Aiden had now pulled himself up onto his feet. Before anyone could do anything, the child started off in a run before promptly tripping and landing flat on his face, causing all three adults to gasp. Just as Aiden let out a piercing wail, and Misty rushed over to him, the video ended._

"Ah, so you were always accident prone," Michelle softly noted.

"I like to call it being a rebel," Aiden sighed, stretching his arms over his head.

"_I_ like to call it giving _me_ a heart attack," Misty bit.

"Aiden was always getting hurt as a little kid," Brock chuckled fondly at the memory. "Let's see…aside from the _countless _face plants, like that one, there was a split lip, a broken arm…"

"A concussion scare," Ash added laughingly. "_That_ was a good one."

"A-SCUSE ME!"

Everyone stopped chatting amongst themselves to look at the smallest member of the group. She was still sitting halfway on Misty's lap, but now she had an angry glare set on her face.

"What is it, sprinkle?" Misty sighed exasperatedly.

"I'm not in those movies," Elizabeth whined with a pout.

"No, you're not," Misty cooed, stroking her youngest daughter's cheek.

"Where am I?" Elizabeth demanded, though with a curious tone.

"Well, you weren't born yet," Ash answered sweetly.

This didn't seem to faze Elizabeth at all. "So make me be borneded."

Ash and Misty exchanged bewildered looks, while Brock held back a considerable snort. "Guys, I think she wants you to find a video that she's actually _in._"

"Oh, I gotcha!" Ash chuckled, jumping off the couch and walking over to the television. "I guess you do feel a little left out, huh? That's okay, pumpkin. I'll find something special for you!"

Elizabeth smiled to herself and put her head down on Misty's lap, causing the older woman to giggle lovingly.

"Let's see…" Ash murmured to himself, digging through some more of the DVD cases. "Oh! Here's one where Aiden and Michelle are older! I think you might be in this one, Lizzie."

Elizabeth sat back up, and her smile grew even wider. Ash opened up the case and exchanged the first DVD or the new one. The screen flickered back to life, and a visibly older Aiden and Michelle could be seen sitting along with two other, though older, girls: one with blonde hair, and the other with blue.

"Koty? Nessie?" Elizabeth squeaked, pointing at the screen.

"Yes, that's Dakota and Vanessa…" Misty murmured. "Aiden and Michelle still look so young! And, if I'm right about where this video was taken…"

"_Michelle is sooo cute!" Dakota squealed, squeezing the small redhead and pulling the child into her lap. Michelle whined unappreciatively and kicked her legs, the layered, navy blue mesh skirt of her long sleeved dress rustling as she carried on. "Hey, quit moving! I'll never be able to do your hair like this!"_

"_Nooo!" Michelle whined, covering her head with her hands._

"_Come on, Shelly, don't fuss!" Ash chuckled from behind the camera once again. "Dakota just loves you, that's all!"_

"Misty, where was this?" Ash asked. "It looks like Lily and Dorian's place."

"It is their house," Misty replied. "And I _think _this was Lola's birthday party."

"Which birthday?" Brock questioned. "Aiden and Michelle look young, but Dakota and Vanessa don't really seem all that small."

"Oh, now I remember!" Ash blurted. "This was Lola's eighth birthday party! Because I remember that outfit Aiden was wearing. It was the same one that got totally covered in cake after dinner!"

Aiden narrowed his eyes and huffed, while Michelle once again laughed at his misfortune. Elizabeth, however, was too preoccupied to go back to teasing her brother.

"Where's me?" Elizabeth demanded again.

"_Let's go find the birthday girl!" Ash beckoned to the four children, who all giggled in response and jumped off the couch. "And my wife…" Ash muttered more to himself than anyone else._

_He followed after the children as they darted between party guests, almost knocking one another and others down as they weaved in and out of the crowd. _

"_Mommy! Mommy!" Michelle trilled, jumping up and down out of excitement._

"_You found her, Shelly?" Ash asked._

"_Yes!" Michelle giggled, looking over her shoulder at her father._

"_Okay, let's go get her!" Ash cheered._

_Michelle charged past her brother and cousins and immediately latched onto Misty's legs, beaming up at the surprised woman with unmatched glee._

"_Hi, Shelly!" Misty giggled. "Did you miss me?"_

"_Uh huh," Michelle murmured, resting her head against her mother's leg._

"_Aunt Misty, where's Lola?" Dakota chirped._

"_That's a good question, dear," Misty mused. _

"_LOLA!" Aiden screamed, causing everyone to cover their ears._

"_Jeez, champ," Ash groaned. _

"_Did somebody call me?"_

_Ash turned the camera up towards the stairs, where Lola was standing and looking over the railing. She was all dressed up for the party, in a sequin and taffeta dress with a white top and black bottom, and a sparkly headband pulled through her pink hair._

"_I did!" Aiden cried, throwing his arm up in the air._

"_Aw, you're so cute!" Lola giggled, rushing down the stairs to meet up with her cousins. After greeting all of them, she ran towards Ash, getting directly in the camera lens. "Whoa, Uncle Ash. You look so super tired! You've got big black circles under your eyes!"_

"_There's a reason for that…" Ash grumbled._

"_I know!" Lola laughed, turning around and running to Misty. "I just like pointing it out!"_

_She wrapped her arms around her aunt's waist and pressed her cheek against the woman's stomach, which suddenly looked more defined than usual._

"Ooooh," Ash breathed, wincing as he felt the oncoming reaction.

"Nice work, Ash," Brock snickered.

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes and glared at her father. "Daddy! I'm not in this one!"

"Well…_technically_ you are…" Ash chuckled nervously.

"Look, sprinkle," Misty murmured, pointing at the screen. "See Mommy's tummy?"

"Uh huh," Elizabeth replied.

"You're in there!" Misty laughed, tickling the child's own midsection.

"Oh!" Elizabeth squeaked before giggling delightfully. "Yay!"

"Guess I didn't go far enough back," Ash mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "I guess I can find another disc that would actually have Elizabeth in it."

"No thank you, Daddy."

Ash blinked and turned his head, watching as Elizabeth slid off the couch and scurried towards the DVD player herself, reaching inside of the cabinet and pulling out one of the cases that was more brightly colored than what Ash had been looking at before.

"Oh, is there a video you want to see, Lizzie?" Brock crooned.

"Yeah!" Elizabeth trilled.

"Alright, I'll put it in for you," Ash laughed, getting up from the couch and turning off the current video. He popped out the disc and then reached for the case in Elizabeth's grasp. When she handed it over, however, Ash's expression instead transformed into one of confusion.

"Uh…Lizzie…" Ash sighed, "this is one of your princess movies."

"I know, Daddy," Elizabeth chirped.

"But I thought you wanted to see a video of yourself as a baby!" Ash tried.

"No, I was in it already!" Elizabeth replied. "I was in Mommy's tummy! That's good 'nough."

"Uh…really?"

"Yeah," Elizabeth murmured. "I was dere. Now I'm bored. Princess movie now!"

Everyone sitting on the couch fell over dramatically, earning a tiny and bewildered hum from Elizabeth.

"She's so demanding, but actually easy to please…" Brock groaned.

"Ash's daughter alright," Misty sighed.

"Hey!" Ash whined.

* * *

><p><strong>We watched some home movies at my cousins' house the other night, and they were so funny I actually had tears running down my face XD I didn't even go into as much detail as I wanted with the videos. I just wanted to show off each kid's personality...and Elizabeth's easy-to-please nature :P<strong>


	223. Swinging Into Trouble

**Here's a fun one. I thought we needed some more rival time ;)**

**Aiden and Michelle: 4 and a half years old**

**Sam: 5 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Swinging Into Trouble<strong>

"Mommy, Daddy, can we asks a question?"

Ash and Misty both laughed and looked across the breakfast table at their two young children, who had all but abandoned their cereal in order to focus all of their attention on whatever their question was.

"Of course you can," Misty giggled. "Go ahead, you two."

Michelle frowned and looked over at Aiden. She was much more timid than her brother, and often relied on him to do all of the talking and plotting that they did. Michelle was definitely a follower, not a leader.

"Shelly an' I wanna' get swings!" Aiden chirped, beaming at his parents.

"Swings?" Ash repeated.

"I think he means a swing set," Misty murmured.

"Uh huh!" Aiden trilled.

"I don't know, champ," Ash sighed. "Those things are pretty big. And they have to be set up, and they're not cheap, and-"

"But Sam's got one," Aiden whined.

"Sam?" Ash breathed.

"Oh no," Misty groaned, burying her face in her hands. She knew _exactly_ what that meant. Sam was Gary's son, which meant that _Gary _had bought _his son_ a swing set. Now, Aiden wanted one, and Ash was trying to bar the decision.

"Yeah," Aiden muttered, tapping his spoon against the side of his bowl. "And it's got a red slide and _everything._"

Ash growled and dropped his fork on his plate, causing Misty to sigh and roll her eyes.

"Oh yeah?" Ash seethed. "Well, I'll buy you a swing set that'll blow Sam Oak's right out of the water! Yours will have two swings!"

"Yeah!" Aiden and Michelle cheered simultaneously.

"_What _are you teaching them?" Misty hissed, tugging at Ash's ear.

"Come on, Mist, they don't understand why I'm doing it!" Ash protested while trying to pry her fingers from his ear.

"Our swings are gonna' kick Sam's swings' butt!" Aiden cackled.

"Oh yeah, they have _no_ idea," Misty drawled sarcastically, letting go of Ash's ear and crossing her arms in irritation.

**XXX**

"WHOA!"

Ash chuckled and side eyed Misty, whose jaw had dropped as soon as he'd dragged her out into the backyard.

"Isn't it great?" Ash crowed.

"Oh…my…gods," Misty stammered, her eyes as wide as saucers.

It was a wooden swing set with several swings attached to it, which Misty had been expecting. What she hadn't been expecting was a double decked playhouse, built-in picnic table, sand box, climbing wall complete with a rope, and a rope climber. And, just as Ash had promised, there were _two _slides on the structure: an open blue wavy slide, and an enclosed red tube slide.

"This is the coolest swing set I've ever seen," Ash commented, his eyes sparkling.

"You sound just as excited as those two, if not more," Misty scoffed, nodding towards their two enamored children.

"Because I like it when they're happy!" Ash cried. "Is that a crime?"

"No, of course not," Misty exhaled. "But buying a ridiculously huge and expensive swing set _just _to spite Gary is so insane."

"Speaking of Gary, I invited him over tonight," Ash murmured.

"Seriously?!" Misty shrieked. "You're _that_ much of a kid?!"

"Mist, when he sees this thing, his head is gonna' explode!" Ash cried. "How could I pass that opportunity up?"

Misty sighed and tilted her head back, staring up into the sky. "I've married a child. Why, Arceus? Why?"

Aiden and Michelle had both squealed again and were now running over to the set. They immediately headed for the two belt swings that had been hung from the swing beam: blue for Michelle, and red for Aiden. They quickly got onto the seats and began to swing back and forth, giggling happily as they flew through the air.

"Look at how much fun they're having!" Ash cooed.

Misty grimaced and looked towards the swing set, although her nearly pained expression soon faded into one of reluctant joy. "You can't deny that."

Almost as soon as she'd gotten on her swing, Michelle hopped off and ran over to one of the other swing attachments: a red bar with two rings hanging from either side of it. Giggling, Michelle jumped up and grabbed onto the bar, swinging her legs back and forth as she tried to pull herself up. At the same time, Aiden abandoned his swing in favor of the rope wall, which he began to naturally climb like a little Aipom.

"Hey there, Ashy-boy!"

Smirking to himself, Ash looked over his shoulder and chuckled. Gary Oak was standing only a few feet away, with his young son standing by his side.

"Oh, hey, Gary!" Ash greeted. "So glad you could make it!"

Misty rolled her eyes and shook her head, pushing past her husband and putting a big smile on her face as she knelt in front of Gary's son. "Hi, Sam! Would you like to go play with Aiden and Michelle? I bet you guys will have lots of fun together!"

The boy looked around Misty, and as soon as he saw the swing set, his eyes widened and his jaw dropped. Gary looked in the same direction, once he realized Sam was, though his reaction was a little more subdued.

"Wow," Gary whistled.

"Impressive, huh?" Ash chuckled. "Yeah, Aiden and Michelle asked us for a swing set, so I figured I might as well go all out with it."

"That's a pretty nice set," Gary agreed. "Sam would definitely love to play on that!"

"Go ahead, sweetie," Misty crooned, nudging the brown haired boy forward. Sam ran ahead, Misty smiling at him as she stood back up to her full height. She had intended on watching them play, but was soon distracted by Gary, who was trying to make conversation with her and Ash about the set.

Aiden, who was still scaling the rope wall, giggled to himself and managed to crawl over onto the other side of the ropes. As soon as he was on the opposite side, however, he was able to see none other than Sam Oak standing on the ground and staring up at him with an amused smirk on his face.

"Sam!" Aiden gasped.

"Nice swing set, _Aiden_," Sam drawled.

"It's a lot cooler than yours!" Aiden shouted, climbing down from the ropes and getting in Sam's face.

Raising an eyebrow, Sam pointed at the climbing wall and quipped, "Bet you can't get to the top!"

"Can too!" Aiden argued.

"Prove it!" Sam demanded.

Growling, the little raven haired boy pushed past his rival and grabbed onto the climbing rope, sticking his foot atop one of the blue "rocks" that was embedded in the wooden slope and beginning to ascend while Sam stood by and watched.

Michelle, who was still busy hanging from the swinging bar, heard Aiden's grunts of concentration and blinked her wide green eyes out of bewilderment. Jumping down from the bar, the young girl hid behind one of the beams and watched as her brother climbed the wall. She then caught sight of Sam standing nearby and watching. _This _is what caused Michelle to roll her eyes. She knew that Aiden and Sam were just two dumb boys who would do anything to annoy one another. Michelle absolutely hated when they were together.

Digging his feet against the alternating red and blue faux rocks, Aiden eventually made his way to the top of the wall. Smirking, he clambered up onto the deck that was attached to the top and stuck his tongue out at Sam, who was obviously perturbed that Aiden had actually managed to climb the wall.

"Told ya!" Aiden warbled.

"Dumb luck!" Sam cried.

"Oh yeah?" Aiden huffed.

"Yeah!"

"Well…I bet you can't do a flip on the bar!" Aiden accused, pointing down towards the red bar that his sister had previously been swinging on.

"Course I can!" Sam boasted, marching towards the bar. Scoffing, Aiden jumped up to his feet and ran over to the blue wavy slide, going down it so he could meet Sam at the bottom.

While the young Oak boy was grabbing onto the red bar, Michelle sighed and used the ladder that led up to the lower deck in order to perch herself atop the wooden floor. If she had to bet, Michelle would say that Sam was going to fall off the bar and crack his head. She liked to watch the two boys from afar, that way she wouldn't get caught up in their nonsense but could still tell on them for being dumb.

Once Sam was latched onto the swinging bar, he pulled himself up until it was pressed against his stomach, at which point he leaned forward. Michelle averted her gaze, not wanting to witness such a bloody mess. Much to her surprise, however, Sam had made it over safely. He was now hanging on the bottom of the bar once again, smirking at an obviously irritated Aiden.

"Piece of cake!" Sam crowed.

"Show off," Aiden muttered.

"My turn!" Sam yelled, jumping down from the bar. Tapping his chin, the young boy walked over to the ladder that Michelle had just climbed. Gasping, she clambered up further, onto the higher deck where Sam and Aiden wouldn't be able to spot her.

"I'll do anything!" Aiden declared, proudly puffing his chest out.

"Okay!" Sam trilled. Tugging at the side of the wooden ladder and peering through the space between two of the steps, Sam continued, "I bet you can't crawl through here and land in the sandbox on the other side!"

Aiden winced and bent down at the knees, observing the distance between the ladder and the sandbox. It didn't seem all that far. In fact, Aiden was confident he could make it over safely and then some.

"Bet I can!" Aiden countered, running up to the ladder. He gripped the third bar up as he stuck his foot on the lowest one for some leverage. Ducking down, Aiden stuck his head between the third and second bars, sliding his hands down to grip the sides of the ladder instead of the step. Michelle, who was still watching from the higher deck, gasped as her brother squirmed and continued trying to push himself into the ladder.

"Uh…Aiden…?" Sam squeaked, blinking as the boy wiggled his head from side-to-side.

"I…I'm getting it…" Aiden grumbled.

Aiden pulled back, trying to get his head out of the space, but it didn't seem to be doing him much good. His head simply wouldn't go back out the same way it went in.

"Aiden, quit messing around!" Sam whined.

"I'm not!" Aiden argued. "I'm stuck!"

Rolling her eyes, Michelle scooted towards the red tube slide and went down it with an impish giggle, forgetting her fun as soon as she reached the bottom. Getting back to her feet, Michelle ran over to the adults, who were all still talking amongst themselves.

"Mommy, Daddy…" Michelle tried, hiding her hands behind her back.

"Michelle?" Ash murmured, looking down at the little girl. "What is it, princess?"

"Aiden's stuck," Michelle chirped.

"Stuck?" Ash repeated.

"In the ladder."

"What?" Misty murmured, walking closer to the swing set. Ash and Gary followed right behind, as did Michelle. Soon enough, they all saw the current situation at hand: Aiden's head was stuck between the bars of the ladder. "Oh, no."

"Aiden, what happened?!" Ash shrieked, while Gary laughed heartily at the poor child.

"Sam told me to do it!" Aiden yelped, automatically stopping Gary's laugh fest.

"Your kid is _so_ much trouble," Ash groaned, shaking his head.

"So is yours!" Gary cried.

"Nuh uh!"

"Yes! He didn't have to listen to Sam!"

"Well he did!"

"HEY!" Misty yelled, startling both men and gaining their attention. "Quit arguing like you're both the kids' age and help me to get Aiden out."

"How?" Gary grumbled.

Misty looked over her shoulder and examined the scene, wincing as Aiden continued struggling to try and escape. "We're going to need butter. Lots and lots of butter."

* * *

><p><strong>Writing this reminded me of my old swing set :) Except mine wasn't as extravagant as that. I also never got my head stuck in the ladder. So...there's that XD<strong>


	224. Lizzie Language

**It's my second to last day of summer. Pretty bummed out about it, guys. I've drowned my sorrows in a one shot. It's a happy one shot, so...don't worry about it being depressing :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 7 years old**

**Elizabeth: 16 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Lizzie Language<strong>

"Mama?"

Misty smiled and glanced down at Elizabeth, who had one arm wrapped around her leg and was rocking back and forth on her little feet.

"Yes, sprinkle?" Misty asked with a small giggle. "What is it?"

"Aya oo!" Elizabeth babbled, laughing heartily afterwards. Misty was still smiling at the toddler, although she now had one eyebrow raised out of confusion.

"Oh…" Misty murmured. "R-really?"

Elizabeth frowned and let go of Misty's leg, pouting as she held her arms at her sides. Misty, on the other hand, didn't understand why her daughter had just gotten so upset. She hadn't yelled or done anything wrong to the child, after all.

"What's wrong, huh?" Misty cooed, picking up the little girl. "Why are you so grumpy all of a sudden? What did Mommy do?"

Elizabeth blinked and softened her expression, pointing down towards the floor. "Dow!"

"Well, at least I understand _that,_" Misty sighed, placing the toddler back on the floor. As soon as her feet hit the wood, Elizabeth smiled and toddled off, which caused Misty's heart to go racing. "Lizzie, no! You're going to get hurt!"

Elizabeth shrieked with laughter and made her way into the kitchen, where Aiden and Michelle were sitting at the table working on some math sheets that their grandmother had left for them. Neither one seemed pleased with the work, but as soon as Elizabeth came padding in, their mood seemed to elevate slightly.

"Hi, Lizzie!" Michelle cooed, giggling as her sister walked up to her chair and held onto the side. "What are you doing, huh?"

"Meeee," Elizabeth trilled, beaming up at Michelle.

"What are you trying to say?" Michelle squeaked.

"Meeee!" Elizabeth repeated, pointing at Michelle.

Michelle blinked and pointed at herself, tilting her head. "Me? No, Lizzie. I think you mean 'you'! You're 'me'!"

Elizabeth frowned and stuck one of her fingers in her mouth, cocking her own head and staring at Michelle as though she were insane.

"Hey, Lizzie, come 'ere!"

The toddler grinned and let go of Michelle's chair, choosing instead to shuffle towards Aiden's. He was grinning down at her, obviously amused by the toddler's antics.

"Want a cookie?" Aiden asked.

"Coo!" Elizabeth cried, reaching out with a hand and clenching her fingers.

"Aww, she's trying to say cookie!" Misty giggled. She loved her daughter, but very often couldn't understand what the child was trying to say.

"Okay, here you go!" Aiden chuckled, plucking one of the Pokémon shaped crackers and handing it off to Elizabeth. "Look, it's shaped like a Teddiursa! Your favorite!"

"Ta eh ma!" Elizabeth squealed, taking a tiny bite out of the cookie.

"Huh?" Aiden muttered, raising an eyebrow.

"Ta…eh…ma!" Elizabeth repeated more slowly, her brow furrowing in aggravation.

"I don't understand what you're saying," Aiden groaned.

Elizabeth stuffed the rest of the cookie in her mouth and grumbled unappreciatively. Misty smiled kindly and walked over to the little girl, picking her back up and holding the child against her hip.

"I don't think many of us can," Misty informed her son, who nodded in agreement. "Elizabeth's got her own little language that doesn't make any sense!"

The little girl was still scowling, and Misty's deduction didn't seem to have helped matters. It was then that the door opened, piquing Misty and the twins' interest. Elizabeth, on the other hand, simply continued to pout in her mother's arms.

"Hey, guys!" Ash's joyful voice filled the air, the man waltzing into the room with a big smile on his face.

"Daddy!" Aiden and Michelle cheered, jumping from their chairs and running over to Ash in order to give him a big hug.

"Aw, I love how you guys are always so excited to see me when I come back from work!" Ash chuckled. "It's the best!"

"Dada!" Elizabeth yelped, squirming and whining as she tried to escape from Misty's hold.

"Elizabeth, calm down!" Misty scolded. "There's no need to get so worked up!"

"Aw, she just wants to say hi to me too!" Ash crooned, walking over to Misty and delicately removing the toddler from her hold. "Oh, what is it, Lizzie? You missed Daddy?"

"Dada I lala voo," Elizabeth babbled nonsensically, smiling at Ash the entire time.

"Oh you do, huh?" Ash quipped, causing Elizabeth to giggle and nod her head.

"Ya!" Elizabeth shrieked.

"That's so awesome," Ash crooned. From beside him, Aiden, Michelle, and Misty's eyes all widened as they watched the scene unfold.

"Ha?" Elizabeth chirped, holding her tiny hand up near Ash's face.

"What's that?" Ash questioned. "Your hand?"

"Ya!" Elizabeth blabbered. "Ha!"

"You have a very lovely little hand," Ash complimented the girl, holding up his own hand against hers. "It's much smaller than mine!"

"Ma ha eef mal," Elizabeth squeaked, patting her palm against Ash's.

"Uh oh, you'd better watch out, little pumpkin," Ash teased, curling his fingers down in a playful manner. "I might catch your little hand!"

"Ma ha!" Elizabeth shrieked, still patting Ash's.

Ash concentrated on the pats before quickly closing his fingers and trapping Michelle's tiny hand beneath them, earning an extremely happy squeal from the toddler.

"Gotcha!" Ash cheered.

"Dada, go!" Elizabeth cried through laughter. "No ha, Dada!"

"Yes hand!" Ash laughed, rubbing his nose against Elizabeth's and making her giggle even more. "Yes, yes, yes!"

"Ash…you understand what Elizabeth is saying?" Misty questioned, her eyebrows furrowing out of deep thought.

Smirking, Ash rested his head above Elizabeth's and shook it so she wouldn't hear him use the word no. Looking up, Elizabeth smiled and touched Ash's jaw, leading him to open his mouth and Elizabeth to laugh once again.

"But…but…" Misty stammered.

"You have to play along," Ash replied with a chuckle, wrapping an extra arm around Elizabeth's back and allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder. "You know, pretend. It makes her happy."

Misty groaned and buried her face in her hands. "Of _course _Ash is the only one who understands the one year old."

* * *

><p><strong>Apparently, toddlers do that sometimes. They make up their own language. Of course, I wrote this, so I do know what Elizabeth was trying to say ;)<strong>


	225. Daddy's Little Girl

**Sooo school started three days ago and I feel like I've barely had time to BREATHE. I can already tell this semester is going to be exhausting. But, this is my last long weekend with a day off before Thanksgiving (whyyy) so, my goal is to write as much as possible this weekend! Starting with this one shot. Let's go :P**

**Aiden: 8 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 3 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Daddy's Little Girl<strong>

Elizabeth loved candy.

It was her favorite thing in the world to eat. Licorice, jelly beans, marshmallows, chocolate…it didn't matter to her. Elizabeth just loved the sweet stuff, and if she could eat it all day, she absolutely would.

But her parents wouldn't allow that, of course. It wasn't good for her.

They did let her have candy every once in a while, though. As a treat. Elizabeth's favorite kind of treat was when her parents took them to the candy store. Because then she could get all different kinds of candy.

The family had just gone to the candy shop the other day, but already Elizabeth was at the end of her bag. She would always try to sneak treats when her parents weren't looking, so hers always went by very quickly. As soon as Elizabeth ate the last piece of candy in her bag; a red jelly bean, she frowned down at the empty sheet of plastic. She wanted more candy! It was no fair that hers was all gone.

Turning her head to the left, Elizabeth found her older brother to be eating out of his own bag of candy. It was still half full, however, unlike Elizabeth's completely empty one. Narrowing her eyes, Elizabeth thought to herself for a short moment before smiling sneakily and moving her empty bag closer to Aiden before letting out a shrill, "Daddy!"

Ash, who had been reading something on the counter, looked over his shoulder and eyed his frantic little daughter.

"What's wrong, Lizzie?" He asked curiously.

"Daddy, Aiden stealeded my candy and he ated it all!" Elizabeth whined, causing Aiden's eyes to widen to an almost comical size.

"WHAT?!" He cried. "I did NOT!"

"Aiden, how could you do that?" Ash sighed, walking over to the table and giving his son a stern glare.

"But Dad, I didn't!" Aiden argued.

"Don't lie to me, son," Ash warned.

"Dad…" Aiden groaned, smacking his head against the table.

"Alright, just give her the rest of your candy," Ash decided. "That's fair enough."

"What?!" Aiden gasped. "No it isn't!"

"I don't want to argue with you, Aiden," Ash sighed, picking up his half-full bag of candy and leaving it on the counter to give to Elizabeth later. "You just have to make it up to your sister, and giving her what you have left will do just that."

Aiden narrowed his eyes at the young girl, who was now looking sheepishly at him. "Elizabeth, you're such a liar!"

Elizabeth whimpered softly and held her arms up towards Ash. Cooing, he picked up the little girl and gave her a kiss on the head, all while murmuring soft reassurances to her.

The relationship Ash had with Elizabeth was a very special one. She was, of course, his youngest child, and a little girl on top of it. She was small for her age and always had been. In addition to all of that, she hadn't exactly been a "planned" child, and was considered a miracle by both of her parents. Ash, however, was especially close to her. When Elizabeth had first been born, Misty had been totally incapacitated due to the difficult birth, leaving Ash as the only parent able to take care of her. So, for the first few hours of her life, Elizabeth had been held, fed, and cuddled by her father, who had refused to put her down for anything.

As a result, Ash and Elizabeth had an unbreakable bond.

This special bond, however, on top of Elizabeth being so much younger than her two older siblings, also led to Ash giving the young girl preferential treatment. He always gave her the benefit of the doubt and was extremely protective of the child. No matter what she did or said, Ash always believed her, and was always a bit too quick to punish Aiden and Michelle whenever Elizabeth framed them.

Like she just had with her brother.

Aiden, for one, was sick of it. He loved Elizabeth too. What he _didn't_ love, however, was getting in trouble for no good reason just because his father believed every word Elizabeth said. So, getting up from the table, Aiden knew there was only one person he could go to who would actually believe him.

**XXX**

"MOM!"

Misty groaned and looked over her desk, where she found her son standing in the doorway of her office.

"Aiden, you don't have to yell like that," Misty gently scolded the boy. "I'm sitting right here."

"Sorry, but this is important!" Aiden cried.

"Important, huh?" Misty sighed. "Oh, what is it?"

"Elizabeth ate all of the candy you bought her," Aiden explained. "So, she told Dad that_ I_ ate all of it so I would get in trouble and have to give her all of my candy!"

"And your father fell for it, didn't he?" Misty exhaled.

"Yeah," Aiden grumbled. "Of course he did."

Misty shook her head and pushed her chair away from the desk in order to get up. She loved Elizabeth just as much as Ash, and was also extremely protective of the little girl. Misty, however, wasn't as blind to Elizabeth's antics as her husband. Probably because Misty had acted the same way as a kid. Ash was fully convinced Elizabeth had taken completely after him. What he didn't realize, because he was so enamored by the toddler, was that she had an extremely cunning side. She used her status as the youngest child, as well as her natural cuteness, to persuade and even trick people.

_That_ she had inherited from her mother.

Marching straight out of the gym, and back towards the house, Misty was trailed by her curious son, who always liked to see how the woman solved the family's various problems. _Especially_ when it involved someone getting in trouble. Other than himself, of course.

As soon as she stepped into the living room, Misty found Ash sitting on the floor with his back against the couch, Elizabeth seated in his folded lap and giggling as the man brushed through her dark red hair and attempted to pull it up into a ponytail similar to the one Misty always wore as a child.

"Ash, I need to speak to Elizabeth for a moment, please," Misty requested.

"Aw, but Mist, I'm busy with her!" Ash whined. "She wanted me to give her the 'Mommy ponytail'!"

"You can have her back after," Misty replied through ground teeth. "This is important."

"Oh, alright," Ash sighed, though he was obviously perturbed the disturbance. Patting Elizabeth on the side, Ash gently encouraged, "go see Mommy, Lizzie."

"No, Daddy," Elizabeth squeaked, looking over her shoulder and frowning at the man. "Later!"

"No, no, not later," Ash chuckled, picking Elizabeth up and settling her on her feet. "You can come back right after, okay? I bet it'll be quick."

Elizabeth huffed and crossed her arms, pouting at Ash. He looked just about ready to relent, and that's when Misty stepped in.

"Elizabeth, _now,_" Misty ordered sternly.

The girl was still pouting, but finally, she turned around and marched towards her mother, throwing the woman an utterly miserable look. Misty, of course, knew why. It was because Elizabeth wasn't getting what she wanted. Or rather she'd been taken _away_ from what she'd wanted.

"That sad little look's not going to work on me, young lady," Misty continued, her tone just as strong as before. "I know that you lied to Daddy before."

"Nuh uh!" Elizabeth immediately argued.

"Don't lie to me, Elizabeth," Misty cautioned. "Mommy doesn't like lying."

The little girl pressed her lips together and scuffed the front of her foot against the wooden floor. Misty, however, was not about to let her daughter get away with not telling the truth. She wasn't going to fall for the same ruse she pulled as a kid.

"Elizabeth…"

"Okay, I lied," Elizabeth murmured, bowing her head as she admitted the truth.

"I told you!" Aiden yelped as soon as he saw his father's shocked face.

"Lying is not a nice thing to do," Misty informed her daughter. "Especially when it's to Daddy, and it hurts someone like your brother. You can't do that _just _to get your way. If you ran out of candy, we will go out and buy you more. That's not an excuse to get Aiden in trouble and take _his_ candy. Understand?"

"Yeah," Elizabeth muttered.

"Good," Misty sighed. "You can go back to Daddy now."

Turning on a heel, Elizabeth flitted back over to her father and threw herself into his lap, continuing to pout as the man gently rubbed her back and bounced her on his legs.

"And you," Misty continued, pointing a finger at her now bewildered husband.

"What did _I_ do?" Ash cried.

"Don't believe everything our daughter says to you," Misty groaned. "I think you sometimes forget that I made Elizabeth just as much as you did. She may act a lot like you, but she's still got some of my personality."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ash demanded.

"She knows she can get you to do whatever she wants," Misty hissed, earning a sneaky smile from Elizabeth. "So you fall for things _all the time_ just because you think Elizabeth is _so cute_ and _never _wrong."

"Yeah right," Ash scoffed. "How do _you_ know?"

"Because I did the same thing as a kid!" Misty huffed. "That's what I meant when I said she inherited some of my personality! She's not as innocent as you think."

Elizabeth sat up in her father's lap and giggled, grinning at the shocked man. "Wow. So I've been falling for your little tricks all this time."

Elizabeth giggled once again and snuggled against her father's midsection, rubbing her head against his body and gripping onto his shirt with her tiny fingers.

"Aw, you're the smartest, most adorable little thing I've ever seen!" Ash crooned, tickling the girl's stomach and causing her to laugh wildly. "Oh, I love you so much, little pumpkin! You're just my special little girl, aren't you?"

Aiden shook his head and rolled his eyes at the reaction, while Misty just sighed and placed her hands on her hips.

"I should've known it's too late," Misty droned. "Elizabeth's got Ash wrapped around her tiny little finger. He's a total sucker."

* * *

><p><strong>Elizabeth's kinda like a Purrloin: really cute and seemingly sweet, but actually fairly conniving :P I mostly wanted to display her special relationship with Ash. They're obviously very close, seeing as Ash was the one who cared for Elizabeth right after she was born. He was pretty much the first person she was held by and who she got a scent of. So, they have an awesome bond :)<strong>


	226. Helping Hand

**See? I told you guys I'd write as much as possible during my three day weekend! Of course, I kinda sorta cheated on this one, because I had already started it and had it half done a little while back. But hey, it's still a one shot (a nice long one at that!) and I STILL managed to pick up a textbook within the last few hours and open it (shock and awe) so I'd say that this is fair game ;)**

**Aiden and Michelle: 3 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Helping Hand<strong>

Misty smiled at her young daughter as the girl snuggled against her father's body, her emerald eyes fluttering shut as she let out a quiet, gentle breath.

"She's so beautiful," Misty murmured, keeping her eyes on the toddler as she began to fall asleep.

"Yeah," Ash agreed, "and to think she used to be so sick…"

Misty frowned and continued to study their daughter. She certainly looked like a healthy girl: her skin was glowing, cheeks pink, eyelashes long and full. She was trim and average sized, and when she was awake, quite smart. Definitely not the signs of an ill child.

But, then again, she had never _looked _ill. It had all been internal. Even as a baby, she'd looked so healthy and was calm and happy. The real problem was that her lungs had been weak. She'd had a difficult time breathing, and not long after her birth had stopped breathing all together. It had easily been the most terrifying moment of Ash and Misty's lives.

"Misty," Ash began, looking up at his solemn wife, "I've been thinking about something for a while."

"A while?" Misty repeated, sounding quite surprised. "You barely think at all…how long have you been thinking about…er…whatever it is you've been thinking about?"

"Ever since the twins were born, actually," Ash murmured, rolling his eyes up to the ceiling as if he were thinking back to that fateful day. "Maybe a little bit after. When Michelle wasn't doing so well."

"That long?" Misty breathed.

"I didn't know whether to bring it up to you or not," Ash sighed. "I didn't want to make you upset."

"Honey, you can tell me anything," Misty assured her worried husband, placing a gentle hand on his arm. "I know you're very concerned with protecting me, and that I can sometimes have a quick temper…but this is obviously something that's been on your mind for quite a while. I'll listen to whatever it is you need to say."

"Well…" Ash continued hesitantly, "ever since Michelle suffered from all those problems after she was born, and we managed to treat them, all I could think about was other people who were in the same situation. Other babies in the world who were as sick as Michelle, or even worse. We're lucky, because we could afford all of those treatments that Michelle needed. We would have done anything to save her, even if it meant using every last cent we had. But…other families aren't that lucky. They don't have nearly as much money as we do. What about their kids? Those parents want to do anything in their power to save their own child, just like we did, but they can't afford it. That makes me really upset, thinking about that kind of stuff."

"So how come you always think about it if it makes you sad?" Misty asked. She wasn't interrogating her husband or trying to guilt him. She was genuinely curious, which was obvious through her soft tone.

"Because…I don't really know," Ash sighed. He sounded frustrated. "I want to do something about it! I want to help those people, you know? They should be able to take care of their kids the way we were able to help Michelle."

"Ash, that's a wonderful idea!" Misty breathed, her eyes lighting up. "It'd be so sweet!"

"Huh?" Ash squeaked, picking his head up so he could look at Misty.

"Yeah, we could help those people, just like you said!" Misty continued. "Lots of celebrities have special causes like that. You and I both have enough influence, and I think we should use it for good!"

"You think so?" Ash murmured.

"I _know_ so!" Misty chirped. "And I bet if we asked Scott, he would think it's a great idea too."

"I guess he would," Ash agreed, "Scott likes it when I do things that make me look good to the public."

"Besides," Misty giggled lovingly, "I know the _perfect _place to start!"

**XXX**

Just as Misty had suspected, Scott had heartily approved of her and Ash's plan to assist families in similar situations to their own several years ago. He thought it was great for Ash's image and, of course, that the overall idea of helping others out was fantastic.

Misty had proposed to Ash that the first place they go in order to announce and begin their new endeavor was the hospital in the Sevii Islands where Aiden and Michelle had been born. Ash thought that was a brilliant idea. After all, it was in that very hospital where Michelle had been born ill, but managed to be saved by the doctors that worked there.

Birth Island, the ninth island in the archipelago and the smallest one at that, was where the hospital was located. Despite being such a small place, Birth Island still managed to host quite a few attractions, including some little towns, a decently sized downtown, and a fairground boasting a decently sized Pokémon stadium.

Ash and Misty hadn't been to the island since Ash's last battle tournament there…the one that had begun on the same day the twins were born. They decided to bring Aiden and Michelle with them, figuring the children had yet to see their birth land. The twins hardly understood what that meant, but they were certainly excited to be on a boat. They loved the water, just like their mother. Misty smiled to herself as she watched Aiden and Michelle play on the deck, constantly running up to the nose of the boat to peek through the metal bars at the ocean below, Ash standing nearby to make sure neither one tried to slip through. The first time either one had been on a boat was when they were just a few days old, and were being brought back to Kanto. Needless to say, they had both slept for nearly the entire trip.

As soon as the boat docked, Aiden and Michelle were eager to get back onto land. They wanted to explore this new place that they had never seen before. Fortunately, Ash managed to grab them both before either one could make a decent dash for the ramp that would lead them onto port. Misty giggled and stood up, walking over to her husband and gently taking Michelle from him.

"Here, let me help you," she laughed, holding the beaming young girl up in the air. Knowing that this would be a fairly big deal, Misty had dressed Michelle up quite nicely in a white, empire waist dress with a navy blue ribbon at the waist and woven through the hem, tied off in a bow on the lower right side of the skirt. Her navy sandals and the bow headband in her hair matched the accents on the sailor like dress quite nicely. "Are you excited for our little adventure, baby girl?"

"Yes!" Michelle squeaked. She was such a sweet little girl, more of a tomboy than a feminine child who could go between timid and extroverted like it was nobody's business. Misty thought her daughter was the most unique little thing in the world, and she just adored her.

With the smaller red head still in her arms, Misty followed Ash off of the boat, watching intently and happily as Aiden chattered away to his father about how excited he was to see where they were going. The little boy was dressed just as nicely as his sister, sporting a blue and white gingham check shirt with a pair of white cargo shorts and navy blue boating shoes with white laces.

It wasn't a long walk to the hospital from the ship. Scott had come along with the family, to oversee the press conference Ash would be participating in later. Otherwise, he would stay out of their way. He'd already informed his client and the young man's wife that he'd be downtown while they showed the twins around. He may have been obsessed with Ash's career, but that didn't mean Scott was about to get in the way of their family time. He knew how much Ash and Misty treasured it.

As soon as the young family reached the tall white building surrounded by glass windows, Aiden and Michelle let out curious coos at the sight. They had never quite seen a building like this before.

"Aiden, Michelle, do you know what this is?" Misty asked softly. They both wordlessly shook their heads. "This is a hospital!"

"Ofptal?" Michelle tried to repeat.

"No, silly girl, hospital," Misty repeated with a giggle. "People come here when they're sick, or hurt, and doctors make them feel better!"

"Scawy," Michelle murmured, hiding her face in Misty's chest.

"And back to being timid," Ash chuckled at his daughter's reaction.

"Aw, she just gets nervous when she hears the word doctor," Misty cooed, rubbing her daughter's back.

"It's not all so bad, sweetie," Ash murmured to his slightly trembling daughter. "There's nicer stuff inside, too! Wanna' go see?"

Michelle whined and peered up just enough to see her father and shake her head at his inquiry.

"We're not taking you to see a doctor, sweetie," Misty soothed, understanding why Michelle was so scared. "Okay? No one is giving you a checkup or shots."

Michelle still looked nervous, but this reassurance was enough to get the girl to agree to go inside. Ash and Misty both knew that in order to comfort Michelle, they'd have to take her right to the "happier" area they had told her about.

It was located on the third floor of the hospital. Ash and Misty took an elevator up, neither one letting go of the twins. They were afraid that if they did, the children would get curious and run off. Soon enough, the elevator reached the third floor and the doors opened up, allowing them access to the hall. Knowing exactly where they were going, despite not having been there for three years, Ash and Misty walked down the hall until they found themselves at a large glass window.

Michelle still had her face buried in Misty's chest, causing the woman to giggle and gently pat her daughter's back, encouraging her to not be so scared.

"Look, Michelle," Misty coaxed gently. "Look up. It's okay!"

Timidly, Michelle picked her head up and stared at her mother with worried eyes. She wasn't so sure that she liked this place. She didn't even know what her mother wanted her to look at!

"Look," Misty pressed again. This time, she nodded her head towards what she wanted Michelle to look at. Curiously, the little girl peered over her shoulder and at the window her parents were now standing in front of. Through the glass, Michelle could see a collection of plastic basinets, each one containing a little baby wrapped in either a pink or blue blanket.

"Baby?" Michelle asked curiously, pointing at the window.

"Yes, those are babies," Misty replied. "They were all born here! Those babies are only a few days or hours old. Aren't they cute?"

Silently, Michelle nodded her head.

"You and your brother were born here, too," Ash added, smiling as he watched Aiden lean forward in curiosity. "You were both tiny babies just like all of the ones in there!"

"Nuh uh," Aiden chirped, still leaning forward to get a better look at the babies.

"Yes you were!" Ash laughed. "I know what I'm talking about, little guy."

Michelle finally looked less timid, and was leaning forward like her brother to try and get a better view of the babies in their little cribs. She caught sight of one wrapped in a pink blanket with red hair slightly darker than her own. At this, Michelle giggled softly and smiled at the sleeping infant.

"Oh my goodness, is that really Aiden and Michelle?!"

Ash and Misty both turned around and smiled. Standing just a few feet away from them was a kind looking, middle aged woman with soft blue eyes and light brown hair.

"It's so good to see you again, Vera!" Ash greeted. "And yep, it's them alright!"

"Oh, they've gotten so big!" Vera squealed, leaning in closer to the two toddlers. "They're three now, aren't they?"

"Yep," Ash chuckled. "Though sometimes I feel like they think they're teenagers!"

"No, they must be so well behaved," Vera cooed. "I can't imagine these two precious babies acting up!"

"You've obviously never seen Aiden out at a restaurant, or Michelle not getting her way," Ash snickered.

"I don't believe any of that for a second!" Vera giggled, now turning her attention solely onto Michelle. "Hello there, little girl. You've certainly grown up!"

Michelle whined uncomfortably and once again buried her face into Misty's chest, surprising the nurse standing before her.

"Michelle is a little bit shy, believe it or not," Misty sighed laughingly. "I don't know who in the world she got that from!"

"You don't have to be so shy, little girl," Vera cooed. "I know you don't remember me, but we've met before!"

That didn't seem to encourage Michelle to pick her head up. Misty smiled down at her daughter and crooned softly, "Michelle, sweetie, this is Vera! She's a nurse who took care of you here when you were a baby. You don't have to be afraid of her! Say hi, little princess."

Michelle slowly turned her head and softly gazed at the older, smiling woman. Timidly, she raised a little hand and wiggled her fingers at the woman, who giggled in response.

"She's so precious," Vera marveled. Turning towards Aiden, she grinned at the little boy and asked, "Is he shy as well?"

"No, Aiden is anything but," Ash chuckled. "He's a little bit wild, actually!"

"Which I blame on Ash and his DNA," Misty added smartly, earning a scowl from Ash.

"Hello, Aiden," Vera greeted warmly. "It's nice to see you again!"

"I don' know you," Aiden replied blankly, causing Ash and Misty to nearly fall flat on their faces.

"Oh, he's so precious!" Vera squealed, clasping her hands together.

"Yeah, that's one word for it…" Ash laughed nervously. "By the way, Vera, have you seen my manager around here anywhere? I'm sure you remember him. Kinda fat and annoying, curly brown hair, has a weird obsession with wearing sunglasses all the time, even indoors?"

At this, Vera laughed heartily. "Scott, right? I actually did just see him! On the first floor, in the conference room. Would you like me to take you there?"

Ash and Misty both nodded. Vera led them both to the elevator and stepped in with them, pressing a button on the wall of the elevator. Behind her, Michelle watched the woman's every move, having grown curious as to who she really was.

Eventually, the elevator reached the first floor and opened up, allowing Vera and the young family to exit the small space into the hallway.

"I heard what you're here to do," Vera commented as she led them down the hallway towards the conference room. "I think it's incredibly sweet of the both of you!"

"It was all Ash's idea," Misty replied sweetly. "This is very important to him."

The conference room was large and predominantly made of dark wood. It was filled with various reporters and photographers, which instantly caused Michelle to become scared again and hide her face.

"Aw, Shelly…" Misty cooed, trying to get her little daughter to look back up.

"A room full of strangers has to make the poor thing uncomfortable," Vera sighed, shaking her head. "If you'd like, I could watch after her and Aiden so she isn't as worked up."

"Are you sure, Vera?" Misty asked.

"Of course!" Vera giggled. Leaning down, she looked Aiden in the eyes and asked the little boy, "Want to go look around with me, dear?"

"Okay," Aiden replied, smiling as soon as his father put him down.

"Doesn't take much," Ash chuckled smoothly.

"How about you, Michelle?" Vera murmured. "Would you like to come with your brother and me?"

Michelle whined and shook her head almost as soon as the words left Vera's mouth. Misty sighed sadly and hung her head, whispering, "what am I going to do with you, little girl? You're so scared of everything!"

Michelle let out such a soft but miserable whimper that it all but broke Ash's heart. Frowning, he stepped in front of Misty and took the small girl into his own arms, smiling at her when she looked up curiously.

"I'll hold onto her," Ash murmured. "Sometimes she feels better if I just snuggle her a bit. It'll be okay."

Both Misty and Vera watched as Michelle turned her head and nestled her cheek against Ash's chest, letting out a quiet purr of sorts. It was obvious that she was now at least content.

"Aww, they still have that special bond, how wonderful!" Vera cooed, earning an interested squeak from Misty. Smiling, Vera explained, "I noticed from the first few hours of her life how close she and Ash would be. I've cared for so many babies, but to be honest with you, I'd never seen a newborn so comfortable with their father! Michelle nestled into him right away. He's obviously very loving."

"Yeah," Misty agreed breathlessly, a gentle smile playing on her lips, "he's a wonderful father."

At that moment, Scott came ambling up to Ash and Misty, a confident smile plastered on his face. "Alright, you two. The press is eagerly waiting to hear what you have to say." He caught sight of Michelle being held in Ash's arms and let out a short puff of air, earning a raised eyebrow from the confused Pokémon Master. "Ash, you can't very well hold her during this."

"She's scared, Scott," Ash replied softly. "And this calms her down. Just let me do this, okay? You know she's not going to act up, she's being too shy right now."

"Very well," Scott murmured. "I suppose it can't be all _that_ bad. Having Michelle here will add into the emotional appeal."

Misty sighed and shook her head before smiling down at Aiden, who was standing by Vera's side. "You behave for Vera, alright, little buddy?"

Aiden nodded silently, earning a wider smile from his mother. Ash gave the young boy a small wave as he hopped out of the room in front of Vera, who was giggling at the young boy's innocent action. She led him out of the room, leaving Ash and Misty alone with little Michelle.

"Michelle, you have to promise me you're not going to cry or act up during this, okay?" Ash murmured. "Scott will get very upset if you do. I know you like driving him crazy, but we shouldn't do that today! Do you promise me, baby?"

Michelle nodded her head against Ash's chest without even looking up.

"Good girl," Ash whispered, tangling his fingers in Michelle's fiery locks. "Daddy loves you, Shelly."

"Shelly loves you, too," Michelle squeaked, wrapping her arms around her father's neck.

And so, when Ash and Misty took their seats before the gathered crowd of reporters and photographers, Michelle naturally got frightened and turned her back on the strangers. They all laughed, thinking it was quite cute. Ash, who knew his daughter didn't think the same, simply smiled to himself and began to rub the little girl's back in an effort to comfort her.

"Welcome everyone," Scott greeted in his usual stoic tone. "We're all here today to discuss a new venture that Pokémon Master Ash Ketchum and his wife Misty have decided to pursue. I'll let them tell you all about it first, and then we'll open it up to questions. Ash, take it away, please."

"Sure!" Ash replied cheerfully before turning his attention onto the reporters. "Hey, everybody!"

Misty giggled at Ash's casual cordialness, while Scott simply sighed and shook his head. He couldn't understand why Ash couldn't be more formal with the media. Everything had to be sociable and friendly when it came to Ash.

"So, yeah, Misty and I are here to talk about this new charity that we're starting together," Ash continued, his eyes trailing down when he felt Michelle squeeze him a bit more tightly. "Oh, right. Our daughter is here too. She…doesn't like to be separated from us, if you couldn't tell." This got more chuckles out of the reporters, leading Ash to smile. "She's just a little shy, it's alright. Anyway, Misty and I have done some talking together over the past few weeks which was what led up to this moment. We already donate a lot of money to organizations that deal with Pokémon and all sorts of different things that relate to Pokémon, but we haven't really done much yet that deals with people. And, ever since becoming parents, we've both realized the reality that many parents are not as fortunate as we are. Many children aren't as fortunate as ours. There are lots of people out there who really struggle. And we wanted to change that. So, the first thing that came to our minds was helping out sick children. There are lots of times, especially with newborn babies, where a kid is really sick, and there's lots of treatments available to try and help them. But, unfortunately, those treatments tend to be very expensive. And some people really can't afford those kinds of things. And it's not right."

"We don't feel that any child should be spared from something that could make them feel better or potentially save their lives just because of money," Misty added. "It's painful for the child, and it's just as painful for the parents."

"And Misty and I know what that kind of pain feels like," Ash murmured, earning surprised looks from the gathered media. Scott leaned forward and shot Ash his own stunned expression. Misty, in fact, was the only person in the room who was not taken off guard. She and Ash had talked about this at length in the past few weeks, about whether or not to divulge Michelle's tumultuous infancy to the public. They had never bothered to publicize it before…they never wanted anyone to feel bad for them or take advantage of the story. Now, however, they felt it was finally the right time. It would help everyone to understand the motivation behind forming the charity. They wanted the whole thing to feel personable and relatable after all. Not like some cold attempt to appear caring. It was genuine, and Ash and Misty wanted that to be known.

"Ash? Misty?" Scott whispered, his voice full of mystification.

"When our children were born, they were born prematurely," Ash continued. "Aiden, fortunately, was healthy. Small, but healthy. Michelle, though…she wasn't so lucky. Our little girl was born with severely underdeveloped lungs. She could barely breathe. She actually stopped breathing the day after she was born. We spent _so_ much time in the hospital. They ran tests, gave her oxygen, looked into all kinds of procedures…we were willing to do anything in the world to help her get better. And, eventually, something worked. She started to get stronger. Her breathing improved. And she got better. Now, no one could ever tell that she was once that sick."

Michelle peered up at her father with wide emerald eyes and the tiniest of smiles playing on her lips. Ash couldn't help but to smile back, and lean his head down to give Michelle a kiss atop her own.

"But it wasn't cheap," Misty mused softly, watching Ash and Michelle next to her with a smile on her own face. "We, thankfully, could afford it. But any parent would want to do that for their child. And not everyone is as fortunate as us to have that kind of money. And to have a child suffer just because of that…it's not fair. Parents just want to protect their children and make sure nothing bad ever happens to them. So, Ash and I want to make sure that can happen. We want to help the people who need those and other kinds of treatments for their children but can't afford it on their own. We want to help other children like Michelle."

"That's what inspired us to start this," Ash added, laying a protective hand against the back of Michelle's head. She had finally turned her face in order to look at Misty, however, which caused the gym leader to coo and grin softly at her young daughter. "Michelle is a special little girl. She means the world to us, and so does Aiden. There are other little boys and girls in the world who are just as amazing as our kids, and we won't let anything happen to them."

Finally, and with no prodding at all, Michelle turned all the way around and stared out at the gathered members of the media. The staring eyes and flashing cameras, for once in her young life, didn't seem to be bothering her one tiny bit. Instead, Michelle just quietly stared back at them, reaching up with her hands and gently brushing them against her father's jaw, causing the strangers watching to laugh and coo joyfully at her sweet innocence.

Ash, in turn, could only smile and hug Michelle more tightly. His little girl made him so happy. She made Misty happy, too. And Aiden did the same. But that shy little girl, who could barely stand to look at a stranger without shying away, had served as an inspiration to her parents. To help other children much like herself. And finally, her parents were helping _her_. Helping her to open up and find out who she was.

Something that could have never been accomplished had her life never been saved.

* * *

><p><strong>I don't know. I just wanted fluff. And to show Ash and Misty being generous little celebrity people who had a real motivation behind what they were doing. I know, there's not much plot. But it's fluffy! And shy little Michelle is so cute and fun to write :P<strong>


	227. Elizabeth vs Vaporeon

**Yesss, third one shot! I'm proud of myself :P I still haven't really done my homework...but...I'll get around to it! I'll do it now! And write more stories for you guys later :P**

**This one kind of ties into the one where Ash had to re-teach the twins to be gentle with Pikachu. Kind of :P**

**Elizabeth: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Elizabeth vs. Vaporeon<strong>

Elizabeth, despite her usually sweet and carefree nature, had a habit of getting quite vindictive when she was angry.

She wasn't afraid to hit, scratch, or even bite when she was thoroughly ticked off. That wasn't very often, of course, but on the rare occasions when it _did_, she was swiftly punished by Misty. Never Ash, of course. He would usually just whimper and beg for her to stop. The man never seemed to be able to believe that his sweet, tiny daughter was capable of such things. Even when he witnessed them or was the victim of such antics.

One such morning, Elizabeth had seemingly woken up in a bad mood. It was strange, but not completely unusual. She had been testy ever since Misty had taken her out of bed, and the young mother soon enough decided that the best option was to leave the little girl alone while she sorted herself out. Unfortunately, Vaporeon didn't seem to have received the same message.

While Elizabeth was playing on the floor of the living room, making sure to keep to herself as she stacked several colorful blocks atop one another, Vaporeon came gliding in, purring loudly when she saw a ball sitting near Elizabeth. The cat-like Pokémon adored those kinds of things, and despite her stoic and loyal nature, immediately went to play whenever she saw them. So, without much other warning, the water type jumped at the ball and began batting at it with her paws, trilling and purring as she attacked the sphere.

Elizabeth was quickly annoyed with all of the noise that Vaporeon was making, and she made that little fact well known.

"Shush, Vaypy!" Elizabeth whined, waving a tiny hand at the bubble jet Pokémon.

Vaporeon looked up and mewled at the toddler, who huffed out of aggravation. Twitching her ears and tail, Vaporeon dove back down at the ball and whacked it right across the floor, following the toy with her big black eyes as it rolled. Elizabeth growled, not liking that Vaporeon wasn't listening to her. The girl's patience was wearing thin very quickly, her frustration building as the water type continued to flit around.

As soon as Vaporeon reached the ball again, she smacked it straight towards Elizabeth, causing the round toy to collide with the toddler's block tower and sending the colorful shapes toppling down. Elizabeth gasped out of horror, and Vaporeon, who was still oblivious to Elizabeth's foul mood, began to dart towards the child in order to retrieve the ball.

Having had enough of Vaporeon for the time being, Elizabeth thoughtlessly stuck her leg out and _purposely_ tripped Vaporeon as the bubble jet Pokémon ran. The evolved form of Eevee yelped and landed flat on her face, finally bringing a devious and accomplished smile to the child's face.

"ELIZABETH!"

Squeaking, the little girl looked towards the doorframe, and found that her mother was standing there glaring at her. Obviously, Misty had witnessed the entire thing, and judging by the look on her face, she was not pleased.

"That was terrible!" Misty continued, hurrying towards Vaporeon and gently petting the water type on her head. "Oh, are you alright, Vaporeon?"

"Vay…" Vaporeon murmured.

Looking over her shoulder, Misty glared at Elizabeth, who nervously rocked herself back and forth. "Elizabeth, what you did was _very _wrong. You could have really hurt Vaporeon! Why would you do such a nasty thing?"

"Vaypy 'as loud," Elizabeth whined. "An…an she bwoke it!" The small girl pointed towards her scattered blocks to further prove her point.

"Okay, but that doesn't make it alright to _trip_ her," Misty sighed. "That was a very bad thing to do, Elizabeth. You know Mommy doesn't like it when you act up like this."

"I don' cawe," Elizabeth grumbled, picking up one of the blue blocks and slamming it against the floor.

"Hey, knock it off!" Misty warned.

Elizabeth threw herself down on the floor and let out a shriek, pounding her fists and feet against the floor as she carried on. Misty just groaned and rolled her eyes, knowing exactly what had to be done now.

"Alright, Elizabeth, you obviously are not going to be a good girl today," Misty exhaled, picking up the child as she continued to throw a fit. "You know what happens now, right? You get a timeout. Is that what you want?"

Elizabeth huffed and kicked her leg back, making immediate contact with her mother's thigh. That was the final straw for Misty.

"That's it," Misty growled, carrying the aggravated toddler into the kitchen as she screeched and flailed the entire time. Once in the room, Misty headed straight for the corner and sat Elizabeth down in a tiny pink chair that had purposely been left there for situations such as this. "Five minutes, young lady."

Elizabeth scowled and leaned back in the chair, kicking her legs in the air. As Misty walked away, Vaporeon stepped into the room and set her beady black eyes on Elizabeth. The young girl glared at the Pokémon, who twitched her webbed ears in response.

After only about a minute in the chair, Ash came bounding down the stairs, obviously looking for some breakfast. When he saw Elizabeth in the corner, however, his face fell and adopted more of a bewildered expression.

"Lizzie, how come you're in the timeout chair?" Ash asked gently.

"I dunno," Elizabeth murmured, shrugging her shoulders.

"You didn't do anything?" Ash queried.

"Nuh uh," Elizabeth squeaked.

"Oh, Misty must have just lost her patience again," Ash sighed. "Come on, pumpkin. Get off of that mean old chair. Daddy won't let you sit there."

Elizabeth beamed and jumped up from the chair, smirking at an obviously nervous Vaporeon. Sensing the oncoming trouble, Vaporeon jumped up onto her paws and ran into the living room, with Elizabeth following closely behind. When Misty came back into the kitchen and found Ash standing in the middle of the room with no Elizabeth in the corner, her eyes widened and her hands clenched into fists.

"Ash…" Misty growled through ground teeth, "Where is Elizabeth?"

"Well, she told me you put her in the timeout chair for no reason," Ash explained. "So I let her go."

"And you _believed _her?!" Misty shrieked.

"Well…yeah…she's such a good girl…" Ash practically whimpered.

"No, Ash, she was misbehaving!" Misty groaned.

"Come on, Mist, what could she have possibly done that was so bad?"

"She _tripped_ Vaporeon!" Misty stressed. "All Vaporeon was doing was playing, and Elizabeth stuck her leg out and tripped the poor thing!"

"You mean…Elizabeth tried to hurt Vaporeon?" Ash murmured.

"I don't think that was her intent, but it could have happened," Misty sighed. "That's why I needed to punish her."

"So we have to get her back in time out!" Ash quickly concluded.

"No kidding," Misty huffed, marching towards the doorway. Ash followed after her, and as soon as they reached the living room, they found Elizabeth hurling various toys at Vaporeon while the water type skillfully dodged each and every one. Eventually, Elizabeth seemed to get sick of Vaporeon getting out of the way, and she ran forward to grab and pull at the bubble jet Pokémon's tail.

"Elizabeth Dilynne Ketchum!" Misty scolded. "What did I say?!"

Elizabeth released Vaporeon's tail and put her arms down by her sides as she frowned at her mother, obviously unhappy with being caught. Now that she was safe from being hit with any more projectiles, Vaporeon spun around on her heels and fired off a water gun attack at Elizabeth, causing the little girl to shriek.

"Vaporeon!" Misty gasped.

When the attack stopped, Elizabeth blinked her wide green eyes and looked down at her drenched pink lace dress, small droplets of water falling from her soaked red locks.

"I guess Vaporeon got a little sick of Elizabeth's taunting," Ash mused.

"Mommy!" Elizabeth whined. "Vaypy spwayed me!"

"Well, sweetheart, you kind of deserved it," Misty hummed.

"Nuh uh!" Elizabeth argued.

"You've been being mean to Vaporeon all morning," Misty reasoned with the girl. "She was only trying to protect herself."

"I wasn' bein' mean," Elizabeth muttered, sheepishly looking down at the floor.

"Yes you were," Misty countered. "All of the things you've been doing to her all morning were mean. Tripping her, throwing things at her, and pulling on her tail is _not_ the way we treat a Pokémon, Lizzie."

Elizabeth rocked back and forth on her feet once again and folded her arms across her chest. "I didn' mean to, Mommy."

"Well, at least now you learned your lesson about acting like a little brat," Misty sighed. "Although, I never thought it would have been _Vaporeon_ doing the teaching."

"Vay…" Vaporeon purred, flicking her tail and flitting elegantly out of the room.

"Maybe now Elizabeth won't get so testy when she's in a bad mood!" Ash suggested brightly.

"Mommy?" Elizabeth murmured, tugging at Misty's skirt.

"What is it, Lizzie?" Misty crooned.

"Does dis mean I'm not in twouble no mowe?" Elizabeth trilled hopefully.

"Oh no, you're still in _plenty_ of trouble," Misty remarked. "I'm going to dry you off and then put you right back in the timeout chair."

"Fow five minties?" Elizabeth mumbled.

"No, try _ten_ this time," Misty quipped.

Furrowing her brow, Elizabeth shrieked and threw herself back down on the floor, throwing yet another temper tantrum between her parents.

"So…I guess she _didn't _learn to not be so testy," Ash noted while Misty groaned and buried her face in her hands.

* * *

><p><strong>Vaporeon got really sick of Elizabeth's attitude, huh? You go Vaporeon XD <strong>


	228. Stroller Seperation

**Another day, another one shot. If you like Ash actually outsmarting Misty, you'll enjoy this chapter :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Stroller Separation<strong>

"Uh oh!"

Misty blinked and looked down at the stroller, where Aiden and Michelle were sitting. One of them, Misty wasn't entirely sure which one, had just uttered those daunting words, and she didn't know why.

"Aiden, Michelle, did something happen?" Misty asked sweetly.

"Bweak!" Aiden trilled, tipping Misty off to the idea that he'd been the one to cry out with the warning.

"Something broke?" Misty murmured. "What broke?"

Wordlessly, Aiden pointed towards the bottom of the stroller, staring up at his mother the entire time. Misty blinked and knelt down, examining the part of the stroller where Aiden was pointing to. What she found was one of the stroller's wheels to be halfway falling off, causing the stroller itself to wobble and become unsteady.

"Oh no, the wheel," Misty groaned.

"Fix, Mama!" Michelle squeaked.

"I don't know if I can, seashell," Misty murmured. "I think this stroller is broken for good."

"Goo?" Michelle softly repeated.

"Oh, don't get upset, sweetheart!" Misty crooned, reaching up to stroke Michelle's cheek. "It's not so bad. Mommy can just buy you guys a _new_ stroller!"

"New stwoller!" Aiden mimicked happily.

"Yeah!" Misty giggled. "Guess I'll have to go to the store and check them out. I can have your aunts help me pick it out and everything!"

Aiden giggled happily and leaned over in his seat while Misty wasn't paying attention, practically resting on Michelle as the little girl cooed and started to gently play with the boy's hair.

**XXX**

"Ash, come look at the twins' new stroller!"

Ash threw Pikachu a desolate look, to which the small electric mouse squeaked and jumped onto his trainer's shoulder. With a huffy groan, Ash got up from the table and marched towards the front door, where Misty was standing with the new stroller. She looked obviously pleased with the purchase, while Ash wasn't all that excited. All strollers looked the same to him, and he figured that as long as it held the twins and gave him and Misty the ability to push them around, it was fine.

"Wow…it's a stroller," Ash deadpanned, earning a playful smack from his wife.

"Look at how awesome it is! It's _green!_" Misty squealed, motioning towards the stroller.

"Yeah, your favorite color," Ash commented.

"And this one isn't side-to-side like the last one," Misty added, her smile growing even wider. "It's _much_ lighter! That'll make it easier for me to push! For that, part of me is glad the other one broke."

Ash twisted his mouth and continued staring at the stroller. For some reason, something wasn't clicking in his brain, and not just because he couldn't really care less about the "many" variations between strollers.

"I'm going to get Aiden and Michelle so they can see it," Misty giggled, hurrying towards the stairs. "They're going to be so excited!"

Ash continued to stand there with a puzzled expression on his face as Misty ran to get the twins. By the time she returned, with both of them held in her arms, Ash still couldn't place his finger on why something was nagging at him.

"Aiden, Michelle, look at your new stroller!" Misty crooned, putting the two little ones down by the new pram. Both toddlers stared up at it, obviously hesitant and not very impressed. "Isn't it nice? It's lighter, and look! One of you can sit a little higher up! You can both take turns in that seat. Won't that be fun?"

Aiden and Michelle said nothing in response. They just kept staring at the stroller, making sure to keep their distance from it. Ash, meanwhile, watched on out of curiosity, his brown eyes flickering with interest.

"How about we take the new stroller for a walk?" Misty suggested, the smile still present on her face. "Come on! I'll just put you both in and-"

"No!" Aiden immediately protested.

"Aiden, there's no need to get so worked up!" Misty assured the boy, reaching down towards him. "It's just a stroller! It's like your old one!"

"Nuh uh!" Aiden whined, taking a step back so Misty couldn't reach him. In turn, Michelle whimpered and reached for her brother's hand, which he quickly took and pulled her back towards him.

"What's going on with you two?" Misty murmured, standing back up to her full height and frowning. "You always loved going for walks in your stroller!"

Ash, who was still staring down at the twins, felt his eyes widen when he saw Aiden and Michelle holding hands. It was as though something had just hit him square in the face. He had finally reached the realization…what had been bothering him about the stroller.

"Misty, I know why they won't use it," Ash murmured.

"Why?" Misty asked hurriedly, desperate for an answer.

"Come here, I'll show you," Ash replied, motioning his hands towards the living room. Misty followed him in and watched as the young man picked up a magazine that had been sitting on the couch. "Mom gave this to me."

"PokeStar?" Misty mumbled. "Why would your mother give you a copy of one of those trashy celebrity magazines?"

"She made sure to remind me she doesn't condone these nosy people and their actions," Ash assured, using his mother's exact words as he held the magazine up over his head. "And that the only reason she bought it was because there was a cute picture of Aiden and Michelle on the inside."

At this, Misty sulked. "Oh, Ash, you know I _hate_ encouraging those stupid paparazzi photos!"

"I know you do, but this might just help you out," Ash continued.

He opened up the magazine and flipped through the first few pages before getting to the photo he had been talking about. Folding the cover back, he moved closer to Misty and showed her the magazine, pointing a finger at the picture. It was of Aiden and Michelle in their old stroller, sitting side-by-side and holding hands as they both giggled happily.

"Wait…what does this prove?" Misty questioned.

"Aiden and Michelle don't like the new stroller because they can't sit next to one another," Ash explained. "And, it looks like while they're in the stroller, they like to hold hands. Probably part of the whole twin thing."

"So, in this new stroller, they can't do that…" Misty breathed.

"Which is why they don't like it," Ash concluded.

Misty whimpered and pressed her hands against the sides of her head, squeezing her eyes shut in the process. "Oh, now I feel horrible! I didn't even realize that they did that! It's so sweet, and I'm trying to ruin it!"

"You're not trying to ruin it, because you didn't _know,_" Ash pressed. "I promise the twins won't hate you. All you have to do is fix it!"

Misty opened her eyes and nodded her head in silent agreement. Hurrying back towards the twins, she threw them a sweet, reassuring smile, especially when she realized they were currently holding hands. She figured it must have been a way for them to calm each other down.

"Aiden, Michelle, Mommy is sorry," Misty murmured, watching as the children's expressions softened. "I didn't know that you two like sitting next to one another so much! I promise that I'll bring this stroller back and get another one like your old one. How does that sound? Better?"

"Yeah!" Aiden and Michelle chimed at once, earning a giggle from Misty.

"I'm so glad!" The gym leader sighed. "I don't want you two to think that I want to separate you. Not at all."

Aiden and Michelle finally released their hands in order to giggle and run towards their mother, throwing themselves at her and giving the woman as big of a hug as they could possibly manage.

"See? Everything's just fine!" Ash chuckled.

"Ack…" Misty garbled. "Aiden…Michelle…you're both choking me!"

"Well…it's _sort of_ fine," Ash corrected with an impish smirk.

* * *

><p><strong>Aiden and Michelle are both really close. Even if they don't like to act it sometimes ;) They have in-sync emotions and all that fun stuff.<strong>


	229. Hypnosis Prognosis

**Uuugh school. It's taking over my life again. It's not so bad (the anticipation was a lot worse, as usual) but still...I like writing, and I never have time anymore :( But I finally got another one shot done, and it makes me super happy! I got inspired for this one watching March of the Exeggutor Squad. This is actually the second story I've written inspired by that one episode...guess I like it :P**

**Michelle: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><strong><span>Hypnosis Prognosis<span> **

"How come the twoip's so dumb, but he never falls fer our scams?"

"Because he may be an idiot, but he's so self-righteous and goody two shoed that he sees right past our scams," Jessie remarked huffily.

"But never our disguises…" James mused.

"Like I said, he's an idiot," Jessie grumbled.

"But there must be _some_ way to trick him!" James whined.

"Yeah, it's called a mallet ova da head," Meowth quipped.

"Wait a minute, Meowth!" Jessie trilled, catching the cat Pokémon's attention. "You might just be onto something!"

"I might?" Meowth repeated skeptically.

"Yes, it's genius!" Jessie squealed, clasping her hands together as her brain swirled with a burgeoning idea for a new, fool proof scam.

"We're not going to actually hit the twerp over the head with a mallet, are we?" James asked innocently. "Because I do believe that the twerpette does that to him enough."

"Be quiet, James," Jessie hissed, holding a finger up in front of the man's mouth. "You're ruining the moment."

**XXX**

"Who's my favorite little girl in the whole entire world?"

"Me!"

Ash chuckled as Michelle threw her arms up in the air, eyes glimmering as she stared up at him in total adoration.

"Yeah, of course you are!" Ash crooned, lowering his head to nuzzle the side of Michelle's neck. "You're my very special little princess! And I love you more than anything."

At this, Michelle's bright eyes widened. "Mowe dan food?"

"Yes, baby girl," Ash laughed playfully. "Even more than food!"

Michelle twisted her mouth thoughtfully at this before blinking and lowering her eyes slightly. "I don' wanna go to sweep, Daddy."

"Aw, you have to go to sleep, princess!" Ash cooed. "It's not good for little girls to stay up so late. You need lots of rest so you can wake up and play tomorrow!"

"_You_ pway wif me?" Michelle murmured, glancing up at Ash once again.

"Of course I'll play with you," Ash replied, brushing stray strands of red hair out of Michelle's face. "And the sooner you go to sleep, the sooner tomorrow will come and we can play!"

This caused Michelle's face to light up. Just as soon as she'd brightened, the little girl closed her eyes and nestled deeper into the sheets, breathing more loudly to try and convince her father that she was fast asleep. Ash just smirked and rolled his eyes. Michelle often acted _so _much like Misty that it really amazed him. She might have been a lot quieter than her mother, but Michelle was still one strong willed little girl.

Leaning forward once again, Ash pressed a kiss against Michelle's temple before pulling away and smiling at the little girl, who finally seemed to be falling into a _real_ slumber.

Almost as soon as he'd picked his head up, however, something glinting outside of Michelle's window caught Ash's attention. He got to his feet and walked over towards the wall, peering out from behind the cerulean blue curtain and looking through the glass. He was met with a pair of glowing, multi-colored eyes , the bright flash of which forced his own orbs wide open. The color of Ash's eyes soon changed from a warm, chocolate brown to a nearly black hue, his eyelids half falling as his shoulders slumped.

"We did it! The twoip's all hypnotized!"

From outside the bedroom window, Meowth was celebrating from atop a tree branch along with his two teammates.

"Excellent work, Chimecho!" James cheered, pulling out a poke ball and recalling the wind chime Pokémon.

Skillfully leaping from the branch, Jessie gripped onto the outer window sill and used a hairpin to pick the window lock. She opened up the glass and swiftly entered Michelle's bedroom, with Meowth and James following suit. Ash didn't even move at the disturbance, still staring out the window with a totally tranced expression.

"Listen up, twerp boy," Jessie snapped, causing Ash to turn around and face her.

"Yes, master?" He murmured in a monotone fashion, earning an enthralled grin from Jessie.

"It actually worked!" James breathed.

"I need you to hand over every single Pokémon currently in your possession to me," Jessie commanded, holding out a dark gloved hand towards Ash.

Nodding just once, the hypnotized man reached towards his belt and unclipped all six spheres, dropping the shrunken items into the villainess' palm.

"Thank you, dearest twerp!" Jessie chirped, clutching the pokeballs in her hand. "You certainly know how to make your master happy."

"Yes, master…" Ash muttered, his voice not becoming any more excited.

"Now that you've given me your pokeballs, there's something else I need you to hand over to me," Jessie drawled, feeling even more confident in her plan now that she'd managed to wrangle the Pokémon away.

"Yes, master?"

Snickering, Jessie looked over her shoulder and pointed at the white wooden bed holed up in the corner of the room.

"You see that little girl, don't you?" Jessie continued.

"Yes…"

"I need you to pick her up and hand her over to me," Jessie concluded. "She's a vital part of our grand plan, you see, and we can't carry on without her."

"Yes, master."

Team Rocket watched as Ash trudged past them, moving slowly towards his daughter's bed. They all looked very pleased with their work, knowing that this plan was already turning out much better than others had in the past.

Bending down, Ash pulled the covers off of Michelle's body and picked up the little girl, holding her almost like a baby: with her back against his right arm and her legs dangling over his left. Having felt herself being disturbed and shifted around, Michelle moaned quietly and allowed her eyes to flutter open, staring up at Ash with a tired expression.

"D-Daddy?" Michelle murmured.

Ash didn't reply. He was too busy staring ahead at Jessie.

"Daddy, you wokeded me up," Michelle whined. "I wanna sweep! I wanna pway wif you in da mowning! I wanna sweep."

Once again, Ash paid his daughter no mind. Groaning, Michelle pulled at her father's shirt until she managed to grip his shoulders, resting her head against his chest as he continued walking back towards the devious trio.

"I wanna pway," Michelle repeated, gently pawing at her father's shoulders. "Can we pway now, Daddy?"

Still, Ash didn't answer. He didn't even look down at the little girl who was begging him to play. As soon as he got close enough to Team Rocket, Ash held out his daughter, which caused her to squeak and look curiously over her shoulder. When she saw Jessie, who was grinning deviously and reaching out to take the girl, Michelle gasped and looked back at her father in a panic.

"Daddy!" Michelle cried. "Bad! Bad lady!"

Cackling evilly, Jessie reached out with her own arms and gently gripped Michelle's sides, plucking the toddler out of her father's arms. "Excellent work, twerp!"

"Thank you, master," Ash's monotone voice replied.

"DADDY!" Michelle shrieked, struggling in Jessie's grasp and reaching out for her father while Team Rocket continued to laugh.

It was at that moment, however, that Ash snapped out of his trance, quickly shaking out his head and gasping at the sight of his little daughter in Jessie's possession.

"Michelle!" Ash yelped. He ran forward and grabbed for the toddler, but Jessie was quick to move the child out of the way and send Ash toppling to the ground. "Team Rocket! What are you creeps doing here?"

"Taking what we need," Jessie answered simply. "Thanks for handing it over!"

"I would never give you my daughter!" Ash shouted, getting back to his feet and charging at Jessie, who side stepped out of the way.

"But you did!" James crooned teasingly, earning a confused snarl from Ash.

"Yeah!" Meowth added. "We hypnotized you wit' Chimecho's hypnosis an' tricked ya into handin' ovah your little twoip baby!"

"You're going to pay for this," Ash bit, reaching down towards his belt. When he tried to scoop up a poke ball, however, he found that there was nothing attached to his belt. As he looked up in horror, Team Rocket began to cackle again at the man's misfortune.

"You handed all of those over to me as well!" Jessie warbled. "Stupid twerp."

"Daddy…" Michelle whimpered, holding her arms out towards her father. He looked utterly defeated, feeling bad for himself and unsure of what to do without a single Pokémon to help him out.

"Pikapi!"

Except…of course…for one.

Smirking, Ash looked over his shoulder, back towards the doorframe. Team Rocket had frozen in place, confused as to why Ash had suddenly relaxed and no longer seemed flustered by their apparent victory.

"Pikachu, thunderbolt!" Ash ordered.

A flash of lightning ripped through the center of the room, Ash managing to grab a surprised Michelle while Team Rocket was still distracted. The trio was quickly electrocuted and sent flying out the window, into the night sky until they couldn't be seen anymore. Even as they screamed in the distance, Ash let out a sigh of relief and allowed his shoulders to slump forward.

"Pi-ka!"

Ash chuckled and watched as Pikachu scurried into the room, jumping up onto his shoulder and beaming.

"It's a good thing you hate your poke ball, huh, buddy?" Ash asked.

"Pi!" Pikachu agreed.

Still smirking, Ash knelt down and scooped up the red and white spheres that Jessie had dropped before being blasted off by Pikachu's attack. As soon as he'd clipped them all back onto his belt, Ash stood up to his full height and glanced down at a rather nervous Michelle.

"Daddy is very sorry, princess," Ash murmured, his eyes once again light and innocent. "I would never hand you over to Team Rocket on purpose!"

"I know, Daddy," Michelle chirped, resting her head against his chest.

"But…you're the one who snapped me out of it," Ash mused, piquing Michelle's interest. "Yeah! When you got so scared, and you yelled for me…that's when the hypnosis broke off! You helped me, Shelly!"

"I did?" Michelle squeaked, her eyes lighting up.

"Yeah," Ash breathed, squeezing Michelle tightly. "You did. Because I love you so much, princess."

Michelle giggled at this and buried her face in Ash's chest. "I do wove you, Daddy! We pway now?"

"No, not now," Ash sighed laughingly, carrying Michelle back over to her bed. "I think we've had _enough _fun for one night! I think I'll be ready for some more tomorrow morning, though."

"Okay," Michelle replied through a yawn. "We pway 'mowwow."

"Yes, we will," Ash hummed.

"An' no Tweam Wocket."

"No, definitely no Team Rocket."

* * *

><p><strong>It's true, you know. Ash always falls for their stupid disguises, but still manages to outsmart them. Michelle gave him some help this time, though ;)<strong>

**By the way, who's heard about the XY series previews coming in October? New characters to add to my stories soon...can't wait! :D**


	230. Boys Will Be Boys

**I decided Aiden needed some focus, because his sisters have been getting a bunch. I mean...he's only in it for a little bit, but he's still at the center of the issue :P**

**Aiden: 2 and a half years old**

**Sam: 3 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Boys Will Be Boys<strong>

"OW! Sam! Gimme my twuck back!"

"No! It's mine now!"

"It's mine!"

Misty, who had just been walking through the garden gate, felt her jaw drop and her eyes widen as Aiden lunged at Sam, pinning the boy down on the ground and snarling at him as a tiny, die cast metal truck went sailing out of the brunet boy's hand. Sam, in turn, was waving his little fists around wildly, trying to connect them with any part of Aiden's body that he could.

"Hey! Break it up, you two!" Misty scolded, running over to the boys and pulling them apart. "Fighting isn't nice! You could've both gotten hurt!"

Aiden and Sam both scowled at one another, but didn't say anything else. Letting go of the two, Misty sighed and placed her hands on her hips, slowly shaking her head.

"Just try and stay out of trouble, alright?" Misty murmured. "I don't need to be making any trips to the emergency room today."

She walked away from the boys, constantly looking over her shoulder to make sure they hadn't tackled each other again. They seemed to be keeping their distance for now, although they were both constantly looking over their shoulders and glaring at one another.

"Oh, Misty, what'd you go and break them up for?"

The gym leader raised an eyebrow and looked up, finding her husband to be gazing down at her with a look of disappointment.

"Because they were fighting!" Misty exclaimed. "I wasn't going to let them beat the senses out of one another!"

"Ah, they weren't going to do that," Ash dismissed the notion. "They're just a couple of little boys!"

"So what?!" Misty shrieked. "They could still hurt each other!"

"Obviously your wife's never heard the old saying, Ashy boy!"

Ash turned around and blinked, while Misty scoffed and folded her arms.

"And which old saying might _that _be, Gary?" Misty demanded.

"Boys will be boys, of course," Gary recited.

"Really?" Misty scoffed. "So that makes it okay for them to fight?"

"Of course it does," Gary replied.

"That is _ridiculous!_" Misty fumed, stomping a foot into the grass. "Ash, you don't _actually _agree with that, do you?!"

"Well…sure I do," Ash softly responded.

At this, Misty pressed her lips together and tilted her head to the side. "Seriously?"

"When Gary and I were kids, we would fight each other all the time," Ash reasoned with his obviously irritated wife. "And look at us! We turned out just fine!"

"Tell me, Ash," Misty hummed, her eyes narrowing slightly. "What would you do if _Michelle_ got into a fight like that?"

"That's a silly question," Ash chuckled. "I'd be _mortified!_ My little girl can't be trading blows with other little kids. It's not right!"

"See? That's a total double standard!" Misty complained, holding an exasperated hand out towards Ash. "It's not fair that you give Aiden a total pass, but you would punish Michelle for doing the _exact _same thing!"

"I think you're kind of overreacting, Mist," Ash reasoned with his wife.

"No I'm not!" Misty shouted. "You're just…ugh, you're just being a stupid boy!"

"Couldn't that _also_ be a double standard?" Gary asked smartly.

"NO!" Misty shrieked, getting right in the researcher's face. Both he and Ash grimaced and took a step back. "Do you know how insane that drives me? It's so dumb that boys are allowed to fight because they're _boys! _Kids shouldn't be fighting with one another! Aiden or Sam getting a black eye shouldn't be any more acceptable than if _Michelle _ended up with a black eye!"

"Geez, Ketchum, your wife is no fun," Gary scoffed, earning yet another glare from Misty. "Typical of a girl!"

Growling, Misty lunged forward and tackled Gary, sending him down to the ground with a screech. Ash blinked and looked over his shoulder, watching in mortified awe as his wife grabbed Gary's shirt and threw various threats into his face.

"Boys may be boys," Ash murmured, slowly shaking his head as he watched the violent scene unfold before him, "but Misty will _always_ be Misty."

* * *

><p><strong>A little shorter one, but it was enough to get to the main point: Misty is not a fan of those double standards :P I've been spending too much time in communication classes, lol.<strong>


	231. Daddy's Little Cheerleader

**I actually wrote another one! Score! Enjoy it :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Daddy's Little Cheerleader<strong>

"Go Daddy! Yay Daddy! Go!"

Misty giggled as she watched her nearly four year old daughter dancing around in front of the television. Ash was on the screen, having some sort of encouraging conversation with Pikachu before the electric type was sent out for battle.

"You like watching Daddy battle don't you, princess?" Misty asked as she rested her head on her hand.

Michelle wordlessly crawled closer to the TV and began jumping up and down, waving her arms in a frantic fashion. Misty could tell she was trying to hug the screen, but considering it was a flat screen that was fairly higher up than the girl, even when she was jumping, the child was having a hard time completing such a task.

And Misty, being the overprotective mother that she was, could only imagine the heavy TV falling on her little daughter.

"Don't do that, baby," Misty called nervously as she held her hands out, "come here, sweetie."

Michelle squeaked excitedly and hurried over to her mother, jumping into the older red head's lap. Misty hugged the girl close to her before looking over her shoulder and calling, "come on Aiden, don't you want to watch Daddy battle?"

"Uh huh!" The little raven haired boy came racing into the room, his bright brown eyes dancing with excitement. Misty's Vaporeon was gliding behind him, her black eyes narrowed in a watchful manner. Vaporeon, just like Pikachu, was highly protective of the young children, and watched over them whenever Ash or Misty weren't.

As soon as Aiden and his water type companion settled themselves down next to Misty's feet, the camera panned away from Ash to his opponent, a cherry haired young man who appeared to be about the same age as Ash.

"GO AWAY!" Michelle shrieked, greatly alarming the three other inhabitants of the room.

"Michelle, why in the world are you yelling like that?" Misty demanded.

"I don't want him!" Michelle cried, pointing at the unknown man while glaring at his image. "I want Daddy!"

"But they have to show both trainers, honey," Misty tried to reason.

"I hate him," Michelle snarled while still staring down the red haired man. "Daddy is better."

Misty smiled as she leaned over to ruffle the girl's hair. "Well, yes, you like Daddy more because he's your daddy. So that's why he's the best to you!"

"No, Daddy is _always _the best!" Michelle was still worked up. "He's the Pokémon Master, Mommy! He's better than everyone else."

"Oh, Michelle," Misty sighed, sitting up and placing her hands in her lap. "I bet Daddy wishes you would just travel around everywhere with him! You're so complimentary towards him."

At this, the little girl furrowed her brow and tilted her head to the side, obviously not understanding what her mother had just said to her.

"_The battle between Ash Ketchum, Pokémon Master, and the challenger, Lukas, is about to get underway!"_

Michelle gasped and whipped her head back around to stare at the TV. Aiden, who was still seated by Misty's feet, began to bounce himself up and down, the excitement building in his body as the announcer's voice roared over the crowd.

"It's so cute how both of you love to watch Daddy battle!" Misty crooned.

"_Go, Electabuzz! Thunderbolt!"_

Michelle watched on in horror as the challenger's electric type attack immediately hit her father's Snivy, causing the grass type starter to wince in pain.

"Oh, not a good start," Misty muttered.

"NO!"

Misty's eyes widened and she glanced down at Michelle, who by now had jumped to her feet and was waving her tight fists wildly in the air.

"Michelle, why are you getting so upset?" Misty groaned.

"Snivy gotted hurt!" Michelle wailed. "By that bad man!"

"He's not a bad man, Michelle," Misty explained. "He's just Daddy's opponent! He's supposed to be battling!"

"No, he hurt Snivy," Michelle murmured, shaking her head.

"What do you expect him to do, seashell?" Misty warbled. "Just stand there and let Daddy attack _him?_"

"Yeah," Michelle squeaked, as though it were completely obvious.

"That's…not the way battles work, sweetheart," Misty attempted. She had thought that Aiden and Michelle were now old enough to better understand battles. But it seemed that Michelle was still a little confused about the whole thing.

Or perhaps she was just totally blinded by her love for Ash.

"_Snivy, leaf blade!"_

Michelle stopped carrying on and quieted down in order to stare at the TV. She watched intently at Snivy shot off one of her best attacks, the sharp leaves colliding with Electabuzz and bringing the electric type immediate pain.

"Yay, Snivy!" Michelle cheered. "Daddy woneded!"

"No, Michelle, Daddy hasn't won the battle yet," Misty sighed.

"Yeah huh!" Michelle argued, pointing at the television. "Snivy hit 'lectabuzz. They woneded!"

"No, that was just _one hit,_" Misty grumbled. "They haven't won anything yet! You just have to wait until one of the Pokémon faints to see who wins."

Michelle pressed her lips together as she contemplated this idea. "Snivy's not gonna faints, right?"

"She might," Misty replied honestly.

"NO!" Michelle cried, leading Misty to wince. "No she's not, Mommy!"

"I can't promise you anything, Michelle," Misty breathed.

Michelle grunted angrily at this and sat back down, folding her arms across her chest and pouting. Misty, in turn, just groaned and hung her head in frustration.

_I'm going to have to tell Ash he can never lose another battle. I'm afraid Michelle might burn the house down if he does…_

* * *

><p><strong>Michelle's a very loyal little girl. To the point where it's a little scary, honestly XD She's just too young at that stage in her life to fully understand battling.<strong>


	232. Fall for Fun

**Yesterday was the first day of fall. Meeeeh. Fall's not my favorite season, lol. I think it's kind of boring...and depressing, actually. All the leaves falling off the trees and junk. It's not SO bad, though. I wrote a one shot about it after all, didn't I? ;)**

**Aiden and Michelle: 7 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Fall for Fun<strong>

"Isn't this so much fun?!"

Misty sighed laughingly at Dawn's excitable squeal, watching as the blue haired coordinator ran from booth to booth, examining the wares of each and every one.

"I didn't realize how much you loved the fair, Dawn," Misty commented.

"Are you kidding?" Dawn gasped. "It's my favorite! Fall is just such a magical, wonderful time! All of the cute sweaters and boots, not to mention the tasty pumpkin drinks! Don't you just love it?"

"Not especially," Misty admitted, smirking at the younger woman. "Fall's not my thing, I must admit."

"Oh, but look how happy it's making Aiden and Michelle!" Dawn fussed, pointing out towards the two children. They were both giggling and chasing after one another, various treats and small bags of food gripped in their small hands.

"I'm gonna catch you two!"

At this, Misty sighed and shook her head. "Ash too, apparently."

The man was chasing after his two children, laughing along with them and constantly swooping down to try and grab each one.

"Aw, that's adorable," Dawn cooed.

"Yeah, real precious," Misty grumbled.

"Mama!"

Humming curiously, Misty peered down at the toddler she was balancing on her hip. The small girl was whining and reaching out eagerly with her arms, squirming her fingers in obvious want.

"What do you see, Lizzie?" Misty crooned. "Something that you want? Huh?"

"Ca!" Elizabeth blurted. "Canda!"

"Canda?" Dawn repeated. "Does she want to go on a trip?"

Misty raised a wry eyebrow at that question. "Where would you get that idea from?"

"She said 'canda'," Dawn explained. "Doesn't that mean, like, 'Kanto' or something?"

"…no," Misty sighed. "It means 'candy.' She sees candy, so she wants candy. Besides…we _live _in Kanto, Dawn. That wouldn't be much of a trip."

"True," Dawn agreed.

"Where is the candy, sprinkle?" Misty murmured. "Show Mama."

Cooing, Elizabeth kept her arm stretched out but began to lean her body forward, trying to get closer to the stand she had spotted. Grimacing, Misty grabbed the back of her daughter's pink fleece jacket, fearing that the little girl would take a tumble if she leaned over any further.

"Don't do that, Lizzie, you're gonna slip," Misty warned. "Mama sees what you want. We'll go over there, okay?"

Elizabeth sat back up and rested her bent arm on Misty's shoulder, earning a sweeter and more relaxed smile from the woman. She walked towards the booth that Elizabeth had been fussing over, with Dawn quickly following suit. What they found was an entire tabletop covered by candy apples of all varieties: the classic red, caramel, candy coated…anything that you could imagine on an apple, they had it.

"Wow, awesome choice, Lizzie!" Dawn giggled.

"I should've known," Misty noted. "Elizabeth's favorite things to eat in the whole wide world are candy and fruit. Once you combine them, forget about it."

"Not to mention that candy apples are totally a fall staple!" Dawn trilled.

"Mama!" Elizabeth whined, regaining her mother's attention.

"What's wrong, Elizabeth?" Misty groaned. "How come you're fussing _now?_"

"Canda," Elizabeth repeated, pointing down at the many treats.

"Ah, you want a candy apple to eat, don't you?" Misty concluded.

"Ya!" Elizabeth giggled.

"Okay, I'll buy you one," Misty relented, reaching into the pocket of her jeans and pulling out a five dollar bill.

"Whoa, Lizzie can eat candy apples?" Dawn marveled.

"Of course she can!" Misty giggled. "I mean, she usually just licks off all of the candy coating and then makes me throw away the apple, but you know."

"But…I thought you said she likes candy _and_ fruit," Dawn murmured.

"Oh, she does," Misty assured. "The fruit just kind of gets forgotten about once she's all filled up by the candy. Which she would always choose over fruit anyway."

"Typical little kid," Dawn laughed.

"It's probably my fault," Misty admitted, handing the vendor her money and picking out one of the red coated apples for her daughter. "I ate a little too much candy while I was pregnant with her. Ash and I always joke that the poor kid's bloodstream is probably fifty percent straight sugar."

"That's probably why she's so sweet!" Dawn cooed, tickling Elizabeth's cheek and causing the toddler to giggle wildly. With a smirk, Misty unwrapped the apple and handed it off to her daughter, making sure the little girl had a firm hold on the wooden stick before letting it go.

"Don't drop it, okay?" Misty murmured.

"O-ay," Elizabeth squeaked, tossing the apple back and all but hitting herself in the mouth with the treat.

"And don't knock out any teeth, either," Misty sighed, gently moving the apple away from Elizabeth's mouth. "Just lick it, don't hit yourself with it."

Dawn giggled as Elizabeth contemplated her mother's advice for a moment before sticking her tongue out and running it up and down the shiny surface of the coated apple.

"She's really, really cute, Misty," Dawn sighed happily.

"You tell me this every time we're together!" Misty laughed. "Not that I don't appreciate it, of course."

"I know," Dawn murmured. "But…I just can't get over it! I'm so totally ready to have a baby."

_This _brought a happily surprised smile to Misty's face. "Really? You and Kenny are ready to be parents?"

"We've been talking about a whole lot," Dawn warbled, turning around and walking away from the candy apple table as Misty followed. "Kenny's always been so nervous and hesitant and kind of whiny about it. I guess he was just scared. But now he's all used to being married and being together all the time, and he thinks it's the right time for us to have a baby!"

"That's so awesome, Dawn!" Misty trilled. "There's no shame in waiting, you know. Ash and I probably should have waited. We were both so young. But I love my children, and I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason."

"You and Ash are really good young parents, though," Dawn mused. "Your kids aren't misbehaved or anything like that. And you guys aren't neglectful or uncaring. You just have lots of extra energy to run around after them!"

"Speaking of having all that extra energy…where'd Ash go?" Misty pondered. "Last we saw him, he was busy chasing after Aiden and Michelle like a wild Pokémon."

"Well, wherever the twins are, he won't be far behind," Dawn giggled. "Let's just look for any of the three, and we'll have success!"

It didn't take long for the duo (plus little Elizabeth, who was busy with her candy apple) to find Ash, who was surprisingly standing by himself in front of a gate.

"Please don't tell me you let those two of your sight."

Ash looked over his shoulder and smirked at Misty, who looked genuinely frightened. "Nah, they wanted to go on the little Ferris wheel, so I let them. But I'm 'too big' for it, apparently, which is totally rude!"

"Ash, the ride is made for kids," Dawn deadpanned.

"Yeah, well I'm a kid at heart, so I should be allowed on," Ash playfully argued. "Don't they know I'm the Pokémon Master?"

"They know, they just don't care," Misty quipped. "You may be the Pokémon Master, but your big butt is just as prone to breaking the ride as anyone else's."

At this, Ash gasped dramatically and twisted his body around to try and glance at his backside. "Hey! My butt's not big!"

Elizabeth began to giggle wildly, earning charming smiles from Misty and Dawn while Ash just scoffed and lifted the girl out of Misty's arms.

"I know, I know, the word 'butt' is just _so_ hilarious, isn't it, pumpkin?" Ash sighed.

"Ya," Elizabeth babbled before licking her candy apple once again.

"Whoa, what's this?" Ash questioned, looking over at the treat his daughter was enjoying. "Mommy bought you a candy apple?"

"Ya."

"And she didn't buy me one?!" Ash gasped.

"No."

"Well, I hope you're enjoying yours, baby girl," Ash huffily commented.

"Ya, Dada."

"Maybe I would've bought you one if you hadn't been running around like a madman!" Misty shot back, even though she knew Ash was just being playful.

"Sorry…" Ash sheepishly apologized. "I just love the fall fair! It's so…I don't know. It's just so awesome. It reminds me of when I was a kid."

"Which you still kind of are," Dawn teased with a wink.

"Either way," Ash groaned, "it's so much fun. And I like watching the kids have fun! Sometimes I get lost in it all and forget I'm an adult. Or, at least, I'm _supposed_ to be an adult. Heh."

"But all you've done this afternoon is chase around Aiden and Michelle," Misty tried.

"Nah, I did way more than that!" Ash refuted. "While you were off buying Lizzie her candy apple, I took the twins to go pick out some pumpkins. I figured we could decorate them later! You know, carve them and stuff. They love that!"

"And you do, too?" Misty questioned airily.

"Yeah, of course!" Ash chuckled. "I'm really good at it! Remember that one time I carved a portrait of Pikachu into the pumpkin? It was so cool!"

"It _was_ pretty good," Misty admitted, a smile finally growing on her face.

"Pretty good?" Ash repeated incredulously. "It was the coolest pumpkin _ever!_"

"Hey, Daddy! They have all different colored candy corn over there! Can we get some?"

Ash blinked and turned around, finding Aiden and Michelle to be standing behind him and bouncing on their heels.

"Whoa, you're off the ride already?" Ash questioned. "That was fast!"

"Dad, come on, the candy corn!" Aiden pleaded, completely ignoring his father's comment about the ride.

"Canda?" Elizabeth squeaked from Ash's arms.

"I bet Lizzie will love it!" Michelle giggled. "They had some pink ones over there!"

"Yeah, we could see it all from the top of the Ferris wheel!" Aiden added.

"That sounds like a lot of fun!" Ash chuckled, toying with the rosettes on Elizabeth's collar. "What do you say, pumpkin? Wanna go see the pretty candy corn?"

"Pin' canda," Elizabeth murmured, smiling from behind her candy apple. Her lips, as well as the skin around it, was covered in the sweet but sticky red substance, and when she opened her mouth even more to giggle, it became apparent that her tiny baby teeth were also dyed scarlet.

"Oh, Lizzie, you're such a mess," Misty sighed, looking around for some napkins to clean the toddler off with.

"Maybe, but she sure is happy!" Ash laughed. "Isn't that right, baby girl?"

"Ya, Dada."

Misty laughed softly as her smile gained breadth, Dawn brushing up against her side and looking out towards the candy corn stand.

"I bet they'll have some napkins over there," Dawn suggested. "There's so many food stands, there just has to be! Oh, I even see a stand for all pumpkin things! I bet they have delicious pumpkin bread!"

"Oh, I _love_ pumpkin bread!" Michelle squealed.

Misty watched her two older children charge towards the stands in excitement, both Dawn and Ash gasping and quickly following after the two. As she watched, Misty just smiled to herself and shook her head, feeling her eyes twinkle as she got lost in the scene. The fair, she'd realized, _was _fun…it was fun to see her children so excited, to see Ash being himself, and to see Dawn and hear all of her sheer joy that she was expressing, from all aspects of her life.

Fine. Maybe fall wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

><p><strong>See? I just put all of my favorite aspects of fall together, and by the end of this, I was like "fall is totally cool!" Especially the candy apples. I just bought my first one of the season yesterday :P<strong>


	233. Princess Dolls

**Who remembers the episode Princess vs. Princess? I love that episode :P I just saw it for the first time in like...forever a few weeks ago. And so, it inspired a one shot, of course! I know Girl's Day isn't until March but...I couldn't wait :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 3 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Princess Dolls<strong>

"What do you mean I have to buy a set of Pokémon dolls?"

Ash was staring wide eyed across the table at his mother, who was calmly sipping from a teacup. Raising her russet eyes to look back at her son, Delia smiled softly behind the cup before putting it down and continuing on with her half of the conversation.

"They're for Michelle, of course," Delia explained. "It's her first Girl's Day! She needs her own set of dolls to celebrate the holiday."

At this, Ash raised a wry, black eyebrow. "Mom…you realize she's only three months old, right?"

"Mmhm."

"She won't be able to understand Girl's Day," Ash continued. "She's too little!"

"It's not a matter of Michelle being too little, dear," Delia murmured. "Girl's Day is a very important holiday, no matter the age of the girl. This is Michelle's first Girl's Day, and it's a very big deal. I know it's hard for you to understand, since you're a boy and an only child. But Girl's Day is about honoring the females and bestowing them with good fortune. Once a baby girl is born, her parents or grandparents are supposed to buy the child her very own set of dolls for good luck."

Ash's eyes shimmered with some sort of admiration…or perhaps even excitement. All Delia knew was that it was a good thing.

"Misty has her own set of dolls," Ash mused, remembering that fateful day many years ago when Misty had defeated Jessie in a battle tournament for the precious collection. "I always thought she would share them with Michelle."

"Oh, Ash," Delia groaned, shaking her head. Maybe her previous assumption about Ash's eyes had been a little off the mark. "Don't you remember the whole reason why Misty wanted those dolls so badly?"

"Uh…not really," Ash admitted, earning a glare from his mother.

"You were there when it all happened, yet I have a better idea of the story than you do," Delia chastised.

"Mom, I have so many stories and memories about Misty that the ones from when we were ten are shoved all the way back into my brain!" Ash whined. "Remind me, again."

"Misty worked so hard for those dolls because she never had a set of her own," Delia sighed. She only knew the story because Misty had told her all about once before. "She always got the hand-me-down dolls of her older sisters. And that's not how it's supposed to work. She should have gotten her own dolls on her first Girl's Day. And she never did. Not until she was ten years old."

"So…you're saying Misty won't want to share her doll set with Michelle?" Ash murmured.

"It's not just that, Ash," Delia groaned. "Misty wants both Aiden and Michelle to have a better life than she did growing up! The poor girl never felt appreciated. It's probably why Girl's Day is such a big deal to her. Her family might not have given her much thought, other than her beloved grandmother, but on that holiday, she was a star in everyone's eyes, just because she was a girl. Misty got attention, she got spoiled, and she got well wishes. I know for a fact she wants your children to experience that every single day. She'll never let anyone treat Aiden and Michelle so poorly. And that includes giving them everything she never had."

"Oh, now I see," Ash breathed. "Michelle needs her own doll set because Misty never had her own as a kid! She wants Michelle to feel special!"

"Now you've got it!" Delia crooned. "Aw, I'm so proud of you, Ashy!"

"So how come _I_ have to be the one to buy the doll set?" Ash continued. "Why can't Misty do it?"

"And you lost it…" Delia sighed, bowing her head.

"What's wrong with that question?" Ash demanded. "You just said the _parents_ are supposed to buy the dolls! Not the dad!"

"Ash, Michelle is your very first little girl," Delia crooned. "Don't you want to be the one to buy her the doll set? It would be _so _special! Once she gets older, she can tell everyone that her daddy bought them for her, and that he's the best daddy in the whole entire world!"

Ash sighed and tilted his head to the side. "You sure are good at convincing me to do stuff, huh, Mom?"

"Of course I am," Delia giggled. "That's why I'm your mother!"

"Wait…" Ash murmured, finally processing _all _of Delia's statement, "what do you mean Michelle is my _first _girl?"

Delia smirked at her bewildered son. "Ash, dear, you're kidding yourself if you don't think I expect more grandbabies."

**XXX**

When Girl's Day finally rolled around, Ash awoke that morning with a great sense of trepidation. He was quite nervous, mostly for Misty's reaction. Not so much Michelle's, because the girl was much too young to realize what was happening. Misty, however, was a different story. Ash was afraid she would get mad or upset…or not think that the dolls he had chosen were good enough. It's not that Misty was a bad person who didn't trust him…Ash knew the woman loved him more than anything in the world. He was just always afraid of disappointing her. It was one of his greatest fears.

Delia had come over early in the morning, long before Misty had woken up. Ash had urged her to sleep in, considering she still got to celebrate Girl's Day. He didn't necessarily want his mother doing any work that day either, but she had insisted. Quite vehemently, in fact. So, she was sitting at the kitchen table, cradling little Aiden and cooing at the boy as she fed him out of a bottle.

"Look at this little boy eat!" Delia marveled. "The bottle is already half empty! Didn't you just eat a few hours ago, baby boy? Huh? You're quite the glutton!"

"Mmm…"

Delia sighed softly and looked up from the infant in her arms, instead eyeing her son who was nervously pacing back and forth across the kitchen floor.

"Ash, relax," Delia hushed, causing the young man to scowl.

"I can't _relax,_ Mom!" Ash cried. "This is nerve-wracking!"

"You're just overthinking it, dear," Delia murmured. "The doll set is lovely, I'm sure. It would have been easier for me to judge if you had actually _shown_ me, of course, but-"

"No, it has to be a surprise for _everyone!_" Ash stressed.

"And it will be," Delia picked up, not missing a beat. "It'll be a wonderful surprise."

A delicate creak caused Ash's ears to perk and his head to turn towards the stairs. Misty had emerged from the top and was smiling sweetly at him, cradling a fluffy pink bundle in her arms.

"Good morning," Misty greeted warmly as she walked down the stairs. When she spotted Delia at the table, Misty threw the older woman an excited smile, which Delia happily returned.

"Morning," Ash replied through a sigh, stepping forward to give Misty a short kiss. As they separated, Ash glanced down and smiled at the baby in his wife's arms. "How is our little princess?"

"She's asleep," Misty murmured, also averting her gaze downward. The little girl's eyes were, in fact, closed, the long, black eyelashes that bordered her eyelids brushing against her delicately rosy cheeks. Ash's smile only grew as the child let out a soft, squeaky noise; something she often did in her sleep.

"My special little girl," Ash whispered, his own eyes fluttering lovingly as he leaned forward to kiss the baby's head. "It's your very first Girl's Day, Shelly. This is so important for you! I'm going to spoil you today. You and your mommy."

"Oh, that sounds like fun," Misty purred, earning a knowing smirk from Ash. "What do you have up your sleeve, Ketchum?"

"A few things," Ash answered. "But the most special one is already in the living room."

"The most special one?" Misty repeated, sounding quite amused. "I wonder what that could be…."

"You won't have to wait much longer, probably because _I_ can't wait much longer," Ash assured with a chuckle. "Come on, let's go!"

He hurried into the next room, causing Misty to look back over at Delia and throw the older woman an extremely confused look. Delia, in turn, just giggled sweetly and got up from her seat, carrying Aiden into the living room as he continued to greedily eat out of his bottle. Misty, who still had no idea what was going on, simply shrugged her shoulders and followed after her mother-in-law, making sure not to move Michelle around too much while the baby slept. As soon as she stepped into the living room, however, Misty saw what gift Ash was referring to, and her jaw literally dropped.

"Oh my gosh…"

"Tada!" Ash chuckled, motioning his hand towards a seven tiered platform bedecked by various Pokémon dolls dressed up in traditional garments and very meticulously placed. "Do you like 'em?"

"They're dolls…" Misty murmured, her eyes narrowing slightly in thought. "But…they're not _my_ dolls. So…"

"They're Michelle's," Ash finished once Misty trailed off. "I bought them just for her."

Misty blinked and looked up at Ash, who was wearing a very innocent look on his face. "Y-you?"

"Uh huh," Ash confirmed. "Are they…okay? They're not like…bad or anything, right?"

"No, not at all," Misty practically whispered, smiling as she once again looked at the doll set. "They're perfect, Ash. They're…beautiful! Oh, these are exactly the kind of dolls I always wanted as a little girl! They're so elegant and lovely…" Gasping, Misty frowned and bemoaned, "They must have cost a fortune!"

"It's not a big deal, Misty," Ash assured his wife. "It was so completely worth it. I knew Michelle had to have her very own doll set. It's important to you girls! And I was only going to buy my little princess the very best set that I could."

At this, Delia smirked. Of course, Ash wouldn't have known what to do about the dolls had she not opened her mouth. But Delia was a sweet, caring, and most importantly, non-egotistical woman. She certainly wasn't about to throw her own son under the bus. In fact, she was quite pleased that he'd taken all of the credit and not thrown her into the fray. It was about time that he tried to convince Misty he could do things on his own.

"Oh, Ash, you're just the sweetest person _ever!_" Misty squealed. "I can't believe you did this for our daughter. It's the most amazing thing!"

As Misty gushed, the baby in her arms whimpered, wiggling desperately in the swaddled blanket. The gym leader looked down and smiled sweetly at the child, shushing the little thing and gently rubbing the girl's cheek with the tip of her finger.

"It's okay, Michelle," Misty murmured. "Daddy got you such a nice present! Don't fuss, now."

Ash smiled softly at the whiny baby and gently laid his hand against the side of his daughter's face, leaning over and kissing her on the forehead.

"Princess," Ash whispered against her skin, "You're my special little girl. And I promised to make your first Girl's Day as special as you are. I love you so much."

Michelle stopped whimpering and allowed her eyes to flutter open, staring up curiously at her father and holding her tiny fists up by her cheeks.

"Good morning, seashell!" Misty crooned. "Want to see Daddy's present for you?"

Misty walked closer to the doll set and gently tilted Michelle in her arms so the baby was eyeing the tiers. Michelle cooed softly and blinked her emerald orbs, reaching out towards the dolls with a tiny hand and gurgling delightfully as she wiggled her fingers.

"Oh, Ash, she looks so excited!" Delia giggled.

"You like them, Shelly?" Ash cooed.

At this, Michelle giggled and waved her hand up and down, still reaching out towards the doll set.

"She does!" Misty trilled. "Oh my gosh, this is so cute! I can already tell this is going to be the best Girl's Day ever!"

Ash's eyes widened at this. "Really? Even better than when you won your own doll set?"

At this, Misty smirked and playfully batted her eyelashes at her flustered husband. "That was definitely a good Girl's Day. A wonderful one, actually. But the first one we get to celebrate with our daughter? That means a lot more to me than a doll set."

"Wait…" Ash murmured, a frown growing on his face, "does this mean you're not happy about me buying Michelle her own doll set?"

Delia grimaced and slowly shook her head at the inquiry. Sometimes, she wished she could have stapled her son's mouth shut. She obviously loved him, but what she _didn't _love was how he didn't think before he spoke.

"Oh, of course I am, Ash," Misty crooned. "You know how much it killed me as a kid that all I had were hand-me-down dolls. It's very important to me that Michelle has her own dolls. The fact that her daddy bought them for her makes it even better! Everything about this morning has been perfect, the dolls included."

Ash's frown turned back into a smile, and he let out a sweet chuckle as he strode forward to wrap an arm around Misty's shoulders and give her a kiss on the cheek. From behind, Delia smiled and looked down at Aiden, who was just finishing his bottle.

"It's so sweet, isn't it, Aiden?" Delia crooned.

Aiden took his mouth off of the bottle and gurgled while his brow furrowed, staring up at his grandmother with a glance that practically indicated she was crazy.

"I know, you're a little boy," Delia murmured amusedly. "You just wait until Boy's Day. You'll have a lot more fun then, I bet!"

* * *

><p><strong>Ash is so sweet I just want to hug him :) We all know he probably only remembers that "dumb" actor he thought Misty wanted a picture with ;)<strong>


	234. Pitching for Pink

**I haaate school. Fine, I don't hate it. I'm just lazy and hate doing work. That's lame. BUT, hockey season starts this week, and that's something I can totally get behind :D Baseball is the big sport in the Pokémon world, though, (other than battling, I guess) so that's where we shall go! My baseball team is bad. Let's not talk about that.**

**Elizabeth: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Pitching for Pink<strong>

"I don' _wike_ basebaw."

"You've never seen it, Elizabeth," Ash sighed. His daughter had been doing an awful lot of complaining about going to the Starmies game that afternoon. "You might end up liking it!"

"But I'wl be 'fused," Elizabeth whined, putting on a pout for good measure.

"No you won't, I'll explain everything to you," Ash assured the child.

The tiny toddler huffed and immediately stopped walking, which caused her father to freeze in place shortly thereafter. Refusing to move tended to be Elizabeth's way of refusing to do something. She actually wasn't much of a tantrum thrower; only on occasion. _This_ was her usual act: silent protest. Unfortunately for the girl, she tended to forget she was an awful lot smaller than her father, and that she could be picked up and carried with complete ease.

It was a technical flaw that Elizabeth was still working on.

Ash, being the world famous Pokémon Master that he was, had been gifted tickets to the Starmies' playoff game by the Pokémon League. Aiden and Michelle had been _beyond _thrilled. The two older children both loved the sport, and couldn't wait to see their first playoff game. Ash shared in his children's sentiments, and while Misty wasn't as into baseball as the three of them, she could appreciate the players' attractiveness. That didn't thrill her husband, but he comforted himself with the thought that she at least wouldn't be complaining to him throughout the game.

That, instead, would be the job of Misty's sisters…and Elizabeth, apparently.

Misty had forced Ash to invite her sisters, since he had so many extra tickets. That was the last thing in the _world _Ash had wanted, because he knew they had no interest in baseball. Especially when it turned out all of their husbands were busy working that day and couldn't make the game. Much to Ash's surprise, and slight chagrin, the three women had wholeheartedly agreed to join them, although they _had_ whined about the fact that the setting would be a baseball game from the very beginning.

On their way into the stadium, Ash couldn't help but to take notice of his sister-in-laws' unusual choice of game day attire. The high heeled boots were especially strange, but at least they had chosen to wear skinny jeans and shirts instead of some skintight, too short for comfort club dresses.

"Who's the guy on the team that's really hot?"

"Uh, isn't that the _entire_ team?"

"Baseball players have the best butts in the entire world. That's, like, a fact. Scientifically proven."

Ash sighed, feeling his eyebrow twitch. Yes, today was going to be just _fantastic._ Really couldn't get any better, in fact.

"Daddy, les go home now."

The Pokémon Master groaned and hung his head. Never mind. It had gotten even more _phenomenal_.

"Elizabeth, we can't go home now," Ash explained exasperatedly. "The game hasn't even started yet!"

"We don' wanna see, Daddy."

"No, Elizabeth, it's _you_ who doesn't want to see the game," Ash refuted. "Everyone else wants to watch it. You can't always have things your way, pumpkin. Sometimes, we have to let other people do things _they _want to do!"

"Das no faiw, Daddy," Elizabeth murmured.

"It's _very_ fair," Ash argued. "What _wouldn't _be fair would be you getting what you want all the time."

"Oh," Elizabeth squeaked. "Okay! Is faiw, Daddy."

This finally brought a smile to Ash's face. "You're a very good girl, Lizzie. Taking turns with other people is really nice!"

At this, Elizabeth beamed and nodded. She _loved _being called a good girl. And she got called that for doing the "right thing," even if the right thing wasn't always very fun. Like going to this baseball game.

That wasn't very fun.

By the time they'd entered the stadium, Elizabeth was fully disenchanted. There were too many people around…it was driving her crazy! They were all rushing and running around and talking too much. Elizabeth scowled and looked towards her aunts for help, since her daddy was obviously useless in this situation. Fortunately for the little girl, Violet had been looking the same way, and she was able to tell that Elizabeth was currently unhappy.

"Oh, look!" Violet fussed, gaining her two other sisters' attention. "Lizzie looks so sad. I don't think she wants to watch baseball either."

"Well, I don't blame her," Lily softly commented. "It's boring! I can't believe Ash and Misty expect a two year old to sit through it."

"Maybe they'd be alright with us taking Lizzie somewhere in the stadium to kill some time," Daisy suggested. "I know we're in one of those totally awesome luxury boxes, which is obviously _way_ better than being in a regular seat, but that's not gonna keep Lizzie from being any less bored."

"Oh! I know!" Violet cried. "I remember from when we were little girls and Daddy dragged us here that there's a store!"

"You're right!" Lily trilled. "Lizzie is such a girly girl, I bet she _loves _shopping!"

"You guys do realize it's a merchandise store, right?" Daisy warned. "You're not going to find any stilettos in there, as cool as that'd be."

"Yeah, but they always have stuff for little kids in there," Lily scoffed.

"Lizzie may not like baseball, but she loves toys," Violet reasoned. "What's gonna stop her from freaking over a little ball or something?"

"Fair enough," Daisy sighed. Striding up to Ash, she gently tapped the man's shoulder in order to gain his attention. Once she had it, she smiled at the Pokémon Master and requested, "We'd like to take Elizabeth to the store."

"The store?" Ash repeated.

"She already looks horribly bored and the game hasn't even started yet," Daisy noted, pointing at the little girl. Ash looked down and realized that the toddler was, in fact, still pouting. "Violet, Lily, and I will just take her to the stadium store for a little while. It might ease her up a bit."

"Uh…sure…" Ash murmured, handing the toddler over to Daisy. "Elizabeth, you behave for your aunts, okay?"

"Kay, Daddy," Elizabeth murmured, wrapping her arms around the blonde's neck.

Daisy, Violet, and Lily all hurried towards the team store, the tall heels of their boots clicking loudly against the floor. Elizabeth picked her head up in interest at the noise and peered down in order to study their impressive choices of footwear. She was so busy surveying their boots, in fact, that she didn't even notice them walking into the stadium shop until Lily brought her attention to it.

"Lizzie, look at all the fun stuff in here!"

Elizabeth squeaked and picked her head back up, looking around the store with bewildered emerald eyes. There were still lots of people, but less than there'd been in the concourse. This relaxed her a little bit.

"Do you want to go look at all the little kid stuff?" Violet asked sweetly.

"Do theys gots a pwincess dwess?" Elizabeth trilled.

"No, I don't think so," Violet giggled. "I bet they'll still have some fun stuff, though! Why don't we go look?"

"O-kay," Elizabeth chirped, leading her aunts to giggle delightfully. Daisy carried her over to the corner of the store, where there were racks filled with children's clothing and baskets full of stuffed Starmie. That was what had really attracted Elizabeth, causing her to shriek and reach out towards the basket. "Wan! I wan!"

"Oh, you want a Starmie?" Daisy giggled.

"Ya."

Lily reached into the hamper and pulled out one of the stuffed water types, handing it over to a clearly pleased Elizabeth.

"Dow!" Elizabeth then demanded, pointing down at the floor.

"Okay, okay!" Daisy laughed, putting down the toddler. She carefully watched on as the little girl toddled all around the corner, grabbing onto various clothing items and shelves out of curiosity. Being a two year old, Elizabeth was naturally curious about absolutely everything, and as a result, needed to see and touch everything and anything.

"She looks like she's having fun," Violet noted.

"Vi, all she's doing is walking around grabbing at stuff," Daisy sighed.

"Well, isn't that fun for a little kid?" Violet questioned.

"I guess…"

"Pink! Pink!"

The three older females all looked down and found Elizabeth tugging on a white and pink piece of clothing, trying to pull it down from the rack it was hung on.

"Oh, be careful, Lizzie!" Daisy gasped, kneeling down and gently taking the hanger off for her. "We don't need you to get hurt. Or break the store."

"Kay," Elizabeth murmured.

"How cute!" Lily giggled. "It's a little pink jersey!"

"I bet Ash would be _so_ super happy if we brought Lizzie back in a jersey!" Violet added.

"And it's pink, so Lizzie will _totally_ wear it!" Daisy concluded. "Hey, Lizzie, do you want to try this on?"

Elizabeth beamed at her blonde aunt and nodded her head. Kneeling down, Daisy unbuttoned the jersey and slipped it on over the little girl's cream colored, long sleeved shirt. Once it was on, Daisy buttoned it up once again and then sent the toddler over to a nearby mirror, where she could look at herself.

"What do you think?" Daisy asked playfully. "Do you like it?"

"Is a pink basebaw shiwt!" Elizabeth shrieked, grinning ear to ear the entire time.

"Yes, it is!" Daisy laughed.

"Dey makes pink basebaw shiwts?"

"Yes, sweetheart, they do."

"I woves it," Elizabeth murmured, wrapping her arms around herself and giggling. Her aunts all chorused in adoring coos, which only made Elizabeth smile even more.

"This is great!" Lily sighed happily. "Now Ash is gonna be all excited because we totally got Lizzie into the baseball spirit!"

"Lizzie, would you like to give me back the jersey and the stuffed Starmie?" Daisy crooned softly. "I'll go and buy them for you, and then we can go show it to Mommy and Daddy."

No response.

"L-Lizzie?" Daisy questioned.

The sound of high pitched giggles caused Daisy to turn her attention onto another basket in the far corner. This one was filled with pink and white baseballs.

"Pink!" Elizabeth cried again, pulling at the basket with her little fingers in an attempt to knock it over.

"Oh, you're gonna be the death of me," Daisy groaned, jumping down to grab the basket before it could fall over on Elizabeth. "Careful, remember?"

"Kay-full," Elizabeth repeated.

"Right," Daisy sighed laughingly. "You want a pink baseball, too?"

"Yes, pease," Elizabeth warbled, earning a delighted coo from Daisy.

"You're just so cute! How could I possibly say no?" Daisy fussed as she reached into the basket and pulled out one of the pink baseballs.

While Daisy was busy doing this, Elizabeth had already toddled over to a nearby shelf, where a pile of tiny pink baseball bats were on display.

"Pink!"

Violet blinked and skirted over to Elizabeth, who by now was reaching out for one of the bats…one of the ones on the _bottom _of the pile.

"Lizzie, no!" Violet gasped.

Elizabeth, however, had already snatched the bottom bat, which sent the rest of the pink sticks tumbling to the floor and left them to roll around both Violet and Elizabeth's feet.

"Oh, you're such a handful," Violet moaned, hanging her hand.

"Aunie Vi, get?" Elizabeth squeaked, holding up her prized pink bat.

"Yeah, sure," Violet sighed through a smile, taking the bat from Elizabeth. "Whatever you want, cutie."

**XXX**

By the time Daisy, Violet, and Lily had returned to the luxury box from the store with Elizabeth, it was already the middle of the second inning. Ash and Misty had both been worried (admittedly, neither one fully trusted the three with their youngest daughter, especially when they were gone for _that_ long) and as soon as the group walked into the box, both jumped up and ran over to them with looks of panic.

"What store did you guys go to?!" Misty cried. "The ones at the _mall?!_"

"No, the one here!" Lily replied, handing an eager Elizabeth back over to her mother. Misty groaned and hugged the little girl against her chest, still throwing her sisters an anxiety-filled expression.

"Why did it take so long?" Misty continued. "We were so worried!"

"Yeah, we can tell," Violet quipped, pointing to both of their faces. "It's no big deal! Turns out Lizzie is just a huge shopaholic. We tried to get her out of the store, but it wasn't working! She just kept finding things that she liked."

It was with those words that Misty realized her daughter was wearing something she hadn't had on before: a pink and white Starmies jersey.

"Is this one of those things?" Misty asked, plucking at the sleeve of the jersey.

"Oh yeah, she went _crazy _over that one," Violet snickered.

"Aunies, I wanna show 'em!" Elizabeth cried, reaching for the shopping bag that was being held in Daisy's grasp. "I wanna!"

"Okay, okay!" Daisy breathed, dropping the bag on the floor. "Go ahead."

"Dow, Mommy," Elizabeth demanded.

Misty blinked, but nevertheless, she put Elizabeth down on the floor next to the plastic bag. Immediately, Elizabeth crouched down and began to dig through the bag, pulling out each purchased good one by one and throwing them into a disjointed pile on the floor.

"Uh, how much did you guys buy her…?" Ash murmured.

"Awl done!"

Ash and Misty both looked down and gasped at the impressive collection by Elizabeth's feet. In addition to the pink jersey on her body, plush Starmie, pink and white baseball, and pink baseball bat, there was a little pink baseball cap, pink flip flops with the team's logo on the sole, a pink sweatshirt, and a pack of Starmie stickers.

"No, you guys didn't…" Misty groaned.

"She has the cutest face in the entire world!" Violet cried. "We can't say no to her!"

"Also, why are we going to try and discourage her love of shopping?" Lily asked. "That's just…like…so dumb."

"Daddy, looks!"

Ash sighed and gazed back down at Elizabeth. She was holding the pink baseball cap in her hands, and soon enough was pulling it on over her head, to the point where the headband with the big pink flower attached to it that she was already wearing had slipped right off.

"I gots a hat like you now!" Elizabeth cheered, holding her arms up in the air and beaming at her father.

_Now_ he could understand why his sister-in-laws could never say no to Elizabeth. Because he couldn't either.

"Yes, you do!" Ash chuckled, picking up the little girl and holding her in his arms. "You look all ready to watch the game now, pumpkin."

"Daddy, I _wove_ basebaw," Elizabeth chirped. "Can we comes evewy day?"

"I hate to break it to you, baby girl," Ash laughed nervously, "but I don't think it's the _baseball_ you like…"

* * *

><p><strong>Lizzie's like me. I have all this pink sports stuff XD Not so much now that I'm older, but I will admit to having pink jerseys and hats and sweatshirts. Judge me if you will. They're cute! <strong>


	235. Snow Way Out, Again

**I just re-watched the episode Snow Way Out the other night. That's like...one of the best episodes in the entire show, I think. So...I gave it a little sequel! Almost like deja-vu for Ash ;)**

**Michelle: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Snow Way Out…Again<strong>

"Can't catch me, Daddy!"

"Bet I can, princess!"

"Nuh uh!"

Misty watched on out of nervousness as Michelle darted away, with Ash following closely after her. Pikachu, who had become startled by Ash's sudden bolt, had jumped off of his shoulder and onto Misty's. Normally, it wouldn't have made her so nervous, but they were currently high up on a snowy mountain, so that changed things. Misty was afraid that Michelle would run too far and get lost.

"Ash, please stay close to her," Misty warned, her eyes flickering anxiously.

"Pika," Pikachu added.

"Don't worry, Mist, I got it!" Ash chuckled, looking over his shoulder.

"Keep your eyes on her!" Misty cried.

Ash gasped softly and looked back ahead, just in time to see Michelle trip and fall into the snow with a soft but audible huff.

"Oh, baby!" Ash breathed, running forward and picking up the little girl. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah…" Michelle murmured, sounding rather upset.

"Maybe we should stop running around for now," Ash murmured, holding the child against his hip. "We're scaring Mommy."

"Why?" Michelle squeaked.

"I think because Daddy's gotten himself into so much trouble when he was a kid," Ash laughed. "Mommy's got all kinds of bad memories."

"Nailed it," Misty muttered, gently pinching the top of Ash's ear and causing him to wince. "You've given me enough heart palpitations in my life, thank you very much. I don't need you roping our daughter into it, too."

"Ah, you've gotta let the kid have some fun, Mist!" Ash chuckled. "We can't keep her all locked up in her bedroom like Rapunzel."

Misty curiously eyed her husband and tilted her head. "Rapunzel?"

"I only know because of the bedtime stories I read to the twins," Ash explained.

Misty smiled sweetly and earnestly before nodding her head towards the pathway. "Come on, Brock and Aiden are waiting for us back at the Pokémon Center. We'd better hurry up."

"Yeah," Ash agreed, still looking at Michelle's knee. "You sure you didn't get hurt, princess?"

"Uh huh," Michelle squeaked.

"No scrapes?"

"Nuh uh."

"Or bruises?"

"No."

"Good," Ash sighed, brushing back the little girl's bright red hair. "I'm glad you're safe! Daddy doesn't want to see you hurt, you know."

Misty watched the scene with a smile on her face, giggling softly as Ash fussed over the young girl. She thought _she_ was overprotective, and in fact was often told so. But if she was overprotective, Ash was _insanely_ overprotective. He held his breath every time the poor girl fell down or stumbled, or seemed upset. Everything was very personal with Ash when it came to the children.

"Daddy, can I plays wif Pikachu's ball?"

Ash looked down at Michelle and beamed. "Sure thing, Shelly!"

He reached to his belt and plucked off the red and white sphere, handing it to Michelle. She giggled delightfully and took the ball, rolling it around in her hands before pressing the center button and enlarging the sphere. She had always been so fascinated by the poke ball. It was such an incredible thing to her. How it grew and shrunk just with the push of a button. And how a Pokémon could fit inside! Pikachu, of course, was never in this one, because he hated it so much. But the other Pokémon were. It was cool, to the little girl.

Suddenly, a large gust blew through the mountains, and knocked Pikachu's poke ball out of Michelle's hands. It went tumbling towards the ground and began to roll along the snowy ground. The girl gasped and tugged at Ash's shirt, begging to be put down. Ash didn't understand why, and simply thought that Michelle wanted to walk on her own. So, he placed her back on the snow. When she took off in a sprint, however, his heart began to race.

"Michelle!" Ash cried, running after the girl.

"Ash, what are you doing?!" Misty shrieked.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu shouted, sailing off of Misty's shoulder and following after his trainer.

"I have to get Michelle!" Ash called. "I don't know where she's going!"

"Hurry!" Misty yelped, looking up towards the gray sky. "Nurse Joy told me it's supposed to start snowing again soon…"

**XXX**

"Michelle!"

"Pipikachu!"

"I gotta get the poke ball!"

"No, Michelle!" Ash cried, still chasing after the frantic little girl. "Stop! I don't want you to get lost!"

Michelle, however, only had eyes for the red and white sphere rolling across the snow. She couldn't lose it, she just couldn't! Slowly, the wind began to die down, and the poke ball stopped rolling away. Michelle grinned to herself and knelt down in order to pick up the ball. As soon as she got her hands on the sphere, however, the wind picked up again, this time stronger than it had been before. It was strong enough, in fact, to nearly blow Michelle away. Almost as soon as the little girl was picked up by the wind, however, Ash managed to run forward and grab the child before she could float away.

"Michelle!" Ash gasped, bringing the girl down to his chest.

"Daddy!" Michelle yelped, wrapping her arms around her father's neck and burying her face into his shirt.

"Thank goodness you're alright," Ash sighed, placing a hand against the back of the child's head.

"Chu," Pikachu breathed in agreement.

"You scared me," Ash murmured, causing Michelle to look up. "You can't run away like that. Especially when we're up here in the mountains! The weather is too unpredictable."

"I was flying, Daddy," Michelle whimpered. "It was scary."

"I know," Ash sighed, kissing his daughter's forehead. "But you're safe now."

Michelle allowed her eyes to wander from her father's face up towards the sky, where she caught sight of tiny white flakes beginning to fall towards the ground.

"Daddy…" Michelle trilled, "It's snowing!"

Ash's breath got caught in his throat when those words reached his ears. He too looked up, and found that the flakes were very quickly becoming larger and more numerous.

"Oh no," Ash groaned.

"We hafta find Mommy," Michelle tried.

"You're right," Ash muttered. "I just hope we can do it before this storm gets any worse."

**XXX**

"Daddy, I can't see nothing!"

"I know, princess…"

"Pi-ka," Pikachu squeaked, jumping back onto Ash's shoulder so he wouldn't get lost in the blizzard.

The snow had picked up in a matter of minutes, and it was now impossible to see anything. The flakes were biting at Ash and Michelle's skin, and flying into their eyes, blinding them both. The snow on the ground was quickly building up as well, having already engulfed Ash's feet. He was glad he had decided to carry Michelle from the start.

"We hafta find Mommy…" Michelle whimpered.

"I don't think we'll be able to, Michelle," Ash finally admitted. "The storm is too bad."

"But…but…" Michelle murmured.

"It's okay," Ash assured, hugging the little girl more tightly. "We're going to be fine, Shelly. I'll protect you, I promise."

"I'm cold," Michelle complained, squeezing her eyes shut to try and keep the snowflakes out.

"I bet," Ash groaned, rubbing up and down the little girl's bare arms. "I can't believe we left your coat at the Pokémon Center! Bad move."

"Daddy…"

Ash bit his lip and looked up towards the sky as well as he possibly could with all of the snow blowing around. He could see that it was still gray with clouds, and that there seemed to be no sign of slowing down.

_I know what to do, _Ash thought to himself. _I'll do the same thing I did all those years ago!_

He shielded his eyes with his hand and began to look around. Eventually, he set his eyes on a nearby mound of snow and began to make his way towards the mountain, confusing Michelle who had finally managed to open her eyes.

"Daddy?" She squeaked again.

"We'll be okay, princess," Ash breathed, smiling confidently at his daughter. "I've got it."

Ash got onto his knees and began digging into the snow with his fingers. Michelle watched on curiously, still narrowing her eyes because of the harsh flurry, while Pikachu just sighed out of frustration due to Ash's apparent forgetfulness.

"Pikapi…"

"Ah, right…" Ash laughed nervously, pulling back his hand and flexing it. "I forgot that doing that makes my hand all numb."

"I'll help, Daddy!" Michelle volunteered, reaching out with a tiny hand and batting away at the snow. Ash, however, was quick to grab his daughter's little wrist and pull her hand away from the snow.

"I appreciate it, baby girl," Ash murmured with a smile. "But I just want to keep you warm. Keep your hands between us, okay?"

Michelle nodded quietly and tucked her hands between her body and her father's. Ash removed four of his other poke balls and threw them, releasing Infernape, Bayleef, Oshawott, and Swellow. Once they were all out, he wrapped his formerly free arm around Michelle's back as well, trying to keep the girl as warm as possible.

"Guys, help me to build a snow cave," Ash requested. "We have to get out of this storm!"

All of the Pokémon, Pikachu included, nodded and quickly began to work on digging the cave. Infernape's flamethrower really helped in speeding up the process, but Ash still made sure to assist his Pokémon. He dug into the snow with the hand he hadn't used before, and held Michelle in the other while she tried to burrow into him.

"It's okay, Michelle," Ash monotonously reassured. "We'll be safe. I promise."

With the help of his Pokémon, Ash was able to dig out the snow cave much more quickly. They all huddled inside and gathered in the center, the Pokémon watching on as Ash put Michelle down by the wall of the cave.

"Don't go!" Michelle whined, reaching up for her father.

"I'm not going anywhere, princess," Ash promised. "The Pokémon and I are just gonna close up the cave door so no wind can come in. Stay right here, okay?"

Michelle frowned, but slowly nodded her head. Ash smiled at the girl before standing up to his full height and throwing his Pokémon a determined look.

"Alright, guys, let's block off the entrance with snow," Ash sighed. "It's not gonna keep us totally warm, but at least it will keep any extra cold air out."

The Pokémon all cheered and began to roll balls of snow towards the cave opening, with Ash helping out all the while. With all six of them working together, the cave opening was soon closed off, and the cold breeze stopped blowing inside.

"There, perfect!" Ash crowed, all of his Pokémon agreeing happily. Their joyous chatter died down, however, once the sound of sobs reached their ears. Ash, knowing right away where the wails were coming from, frowned and walked over to the side of the cave, where Michelle was sitting with her face buried in her hands. "What's wrong, Shelly?"

"I-I'm scared, Daddy," Michelle admitted through a sob.

"Aw, don't be scared, baby girl," Ash cooed, sitting down and pulling Michelle into his lap. "We'll be alright! I'm right here!"

"I want Mommy," Michelle bawled, rubbing at her eyes with her hands.

"I know," Ash hushed, "and I promise we'll find her once the storm blows over! For now, we have to stay in here. Otherwise, we'd all get lost! And we'd be even colder than we are now."

Those words seemed to remind the child of just how cold she actually was. Frowning, Michelle wrapped her arms around herself and began to shiver, causing Ash to furrow his brow out of concern.

"You're still very cold though, aren't you?" Ash questioned.

"Uh huh," Michelle murmured.

Ash bit his lip and looked over his shoulder, where his backpack was still slung over. Shrugging it off, Ash unzipped the back compartment and reached in, pulling out his own black coat.

"Here," Ash murmured, wrapping the little girl up in his jacket. "This'll help!"

"But Daddy…you're gonna be cold," Michelle whimpered once again.

"No, I'll be just fine, baby," Ash soothed. In reality, the cold air was nipping at his skin and sending relentless chills up his spine, but he wasn't about to tell his young daughter that. He didn't want to scare her any more than she already was. Besides, he had dealt with this kind of situation before, and Ash knew he could handle it. Especially now that he was older, stronger, and a _little_ bit wiser.

Michelle, on the other hand, just sighed softly and buried herself deeper in the jacket, trying to find as much warmth as possible. Being held so tightly in her father's arms certainly seemed to be helping. He kept on smiling down at her, making sure she was alright and not getting too chilly.

"Daddy?"

Ash blinked and allowed his smile to widen as he watched Michelle softly rustle in the jacket, turning her own eyes up to look at him.

"What is it, princess?"

"Do we hafta sleep here tonight?"

"Yeah, we do."

Michelle frowned at this. "Icky."

"I know, baby girl."

"But it's _so_ cold, Daddy."

"That's why I'm keeping you warm," Ash warbled, gently tugging at the black material Michelle was all wrapped up in. "It's comfortable in there, isn't it?"

"Yeah…" Michelle muttered. "But not so good as my bed!"

"Nah, that I understand," Ash chuckled lowly.

"Fer…"

Michelle turned her head around, while Ash also looked up from the little girl. They both saw that the Pokémon, still standing in the middle of the cave, had gathered into a small circle and were trying to keep warm over Infernape's flame.

"It's too cold for you guys out here," Ash reasoned. "You should all get back in your poke balls."

That led to an immediate protest from the creatures. Ash would have been more surprised if this hadn't already happened to him in the past, but he was still a little discouraged by the response. He didn't want his Pokémon to be so cold.

"It's better for you guys to go inside of your balls," Ash tried again. "It's much warmer in there than out here."

Once again, the Pokémon all protested. Ash sighed and lowered his arm, knowing full well they weren't going to go in their balls. No matter how hard he begged and pleaded, they weren't going to listen. They were all stubborn, just like him.

"They want to stay wif us, Daddy."

Ash smirked and looked down at Michelle, who was still staring up at him with wide, emerald eyes.

"They do," Ash agreed softly.

"They're good friends!" Michelle finally giggled.

"Yeah," Ash chuckled along with his daughter. "The very best, actually."

Michelle turned her head and smiled at the Pokémon, who all returned the action. The creatures were very fond of their master's children, especially the precious little girl.

"Come 'ere!" Michelle urged the Pokémon, much to Ash's surprise. They all ran forward and surrounded their master and his daughter, snuggling in and closing their eyes as they sighed contently. "Now we're _really_ warm, Daddy."

Ash smiled sadly at his daughter, not having the heart to tell her that he and his Pokémon were still very cold. "Yeah, baby. We'll all keep each other warm."

Silence set in between the pair once again. All that could be heard was the gentle breathing of the five creatures surrounding them. Soon enough, however, Michelle broke the silence once again with her squeaky little voice.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, princess?"

"How come you know how to do all this stuffs?"

Ash laughed softly at that inquiry. "Because this isn't the first time this has happened to me, baby girl."

Michelle's eyes widened at this. "It's not?"

"Nope."

Michelle nestled herself deeper into her father's coat and turned her head to the side, trying to keep the right side of her face warm as well. "Is it a good story, Daddy?"

"Mmhm."

"Can you tell me?"

Ash smirked and rested his hand against the side of Michelle's face that wasn't buried in the coat, gently brushing his palm against it.

"Of course I'll tell you. Let's see…it was a long time ago. I was getting ready to train for the Pokémon League, and your mommy, Brock, and I all got lost on a big, snowy mountain just like this one. And just like on this one, a giant snow storm started…"

**XXX**

Groaning, Ash allowed his eyes to flutter open. He tilted his head from side to side, feeling a crick in his neck as he did so. Obviously, his sleeping position hadn't been very comfortable. Looking down, Ash saw that his Pokémon were all beginning to wake up as well, but Michelle was still fast asleep inside of his coat.

"Come on, guys," Ash whispered, getting to his feet and holding Michelle against his chest. "We've got to get back to Misty. She's probably worried sick…"

The Pokémon all agreed with their trainer, which made it Infernape's cue to use flamethrower to melt the cave's snow door away. Once it was gone, the group exited the cave, and was pleased to see that the sun was out once again.

"Let's start making our way back to the Pokémon Center," Ash decided, walking in the direction he knew the building was in while all of his loyal creatures followed after him.

Amazingly, however, Ash didn't have to actually reach the Pokémon Center in order to be reunited with his wife. Halfway to the building, he found her wandering in the opposite direction, and as soon as their eyes locked, Misty let out a joyous shriek and threw herself at her husband.

"Ash!" Misty gasped, resting her head atop his shoulder.

"It's okay, Misty," Ash murmured breathlessly, turning his head to kiss her forehead. "I'm fine. Michelle is fine. We're all fine."

Misty gasped again and pulled away from Ash, instead pulling at the dark bundle in his arms. "My little girl! Is she-"

"She's asleep," Ash interrupted softly, prying Misty's hands off of his jacket. "And she's just fine."

Misty smiled sadly and buried her own face in the coat, nuzzling her daughter's cheek after actually finding the girl's face beneath the sea of heavy material. "Seashell…I was so worried about you…I thought you were going to freeze…my poor baby."

"I'd never let that happen," Ash assured his wife, who looked up slowly at him. "I took care of her without even _thinking _about myself. As soon as I sealed up that snow cave, I made sure to wrap her up in my jacket and hold her against me. She was a little scared, but I just made sure to keep her warm and comfortable. She fell asleep in no time flat!"

"I should've known that she'd be safe with you," Misty muttered, sounding somewhat ashamed of herself. "I just can't help but to worry. About _both_ of you."

"I know, it's alright," Ash soothed, his eyes shining with understanding. "But I knew what I was doing, luckily. I built a snow cave, just like I did all those years ago. And my Pokémon helped out again! It could've been a lot worse than it was."

"That's good," Misty sighed, holding a hand over her heart. "But I wish you'd stop scaring me like this!"

"Sorry, Mist," Ash chuckled, pulling Misty into his side and kissing the top of her head. "I'll try to control myself from now on. Although, it was actually our _daughter _who got us into this mess…"

Misty opened her mouth to argue, but Ash held a finger against her mouth, already knowing what she was going to say.

"I know, I know. Don't blame the four year old."

* * *

><p><strong>I switched out all of Ash's Kanto Pokémon for a Pokémon from each region :) Other than Kalos, of course, but that's because that series hasn't started yet! In a few weeks we can get started on adding all that good stuff ;)<strong>


	236. Baby Rush

**I'm on a Misty's sisters kick right now. Like...I always love them, but I just keep wanting to write them at the moment :P I also got this idea from talking to untitledmind (who is really cool and writes awesome stories which you guys should all check out) so YEAH, it's pretty awesome :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 2 weeks old**

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><p><span><strong>Baby Rush<strong>

"They're literally the cutest babies ever!"

"It's because they're so tiny. Tiny babies are _always_ the cutest babies!"

"Tiny babies look like adorable little dolls. That's why!"

"Then how come chubby babies are cute, too?"

"I don't think babies that are too chubby are cute."

"Oh my gosh, Lily, that's so mean!"

"I don't mean they're ugly! I just mean they look too mushy. And squishy. Haven't you ever thought about that?"

"…no."

"If they're too chubby, then I always think the poor baby is overstuffed. Like the time we went to the mall and we went to Build A Pokémon, and I stuffed my Vulpix too much?"

"Yeah, its-"

"Its head fell off!"

"That was _sooo_ funny."

"No it wasn't! It was horrifying! I felt so bad for poor Pixie. Good thing Grandma was able to sew her head back on…"

"What kind of a conversation are you three having?"

Daisy, Violet, and Lily all looked up from the twins' bassinet to find Misty standing in the doorway, her brow furrowed in confusion with her arms folded across her chest.

"We were just gushing over how cute the babies are!" Violet giggled, nodding her head towards the two sleeping infants.

"Really?" Misty drawled. "Because all I heard were memories from when Lily screwed up her stuffed Vulpix."

"Pixie is a perfectly fine stuffed Pokémon!" Lily cried. "There's nothing wrong with her!"

Misty smirked at this. "You still have that thing hidden away somewhere, don't you?"

"Of course," Lily shamelessly huffed. "I would never throw out my precious Pixie."

"Lily said she doesn't like babies that are too chubby," Violet informed her youngest sister with a pout. "Isn't that mean?"

"I hate it when people say _all_ babies are cute," Misty sighed, rubbing her eyes. "There _is_ such a thing as an ugly baby. It's pretty rare, but I've seen babies that I don't think are cute."

"See? I told you," Lily teased, sticking her tongue out at Violet.

"Well, _your_ babies certainly aren't ugly," Daisy giggled, looking down at the two once again.

"Of course not!" Misty practically gasped at the very idea. "My babies are the cutest things in the whole entire world! And that's _not_ bias talking."

"Of course not," Daisy hummed with a little laugh. "No one in their right mind would ever find these two to be ugly!"

"Whatever, just don't let them get too chubby," Violet dismissed. "Otherwise, Lily won't like them anymore."

"Oh my gosh, that's so mean!" Lily cried, causing Violet to roll her eyes. "I'll always think my niece and nephew are adorable! They have my genes, after all."

"Well then, you might have to worry a bit about Aiden," Misty noted, skirting towards the basinet as one of the babies let out a shrill cry. "He eats like there's no tomorrow. You'd think that I starve the poor kid! He literally needs to eat every two hours."

"Two hours?!" Daisy gasped. "That's insane! I thought Dakota eating every _five _hours was crazy."

"If he doesn't eat every two hours, he gets _insanely_ cranky," Misty grunted as she picked up the wailing little boy. "Like now."

"They could both use a little extra weight on them anyway," Violet remarked. "Aren't they both underweight?"

"Yeah, because they're so tiny," Misty replied, cradling Aiden in her arms and covering herself with a light blue blanket. "I'd like them to get a little heavier. For their health's sake, anyway."

The young mother walked out of the room with her baby son, while her sisters continued to fawn over the little girl still asleep in the bassinet. After a while, Misty returned with a more content baby, who had fallen back asleep in her arms after his satisfying meal.

"There," Misty crooned, gently laying the boy down beside his sister once again. "All full!"

"Hey, Misty?" Lily prodded, sounding rather curious.

"What's up, Lily?"

"When are you and Ash gonna have another baby?"

This inquiry nearly sent Misty to the floor. Eyeing her sister in disbelief, Misty cried, "Lily, they're only two weeks old!"

"I know."

"As in I just _gave birth_ two weeks ago," Misty drawled.

"But don't you want more cute babies?" Lily questioned with a definitive pout.

"I want _sleep,_" Misty replied with a dry laugh. "That's all I want right now."

"I think you and Ash should have more babies," Violet chimed in. Misty growled at her older sister, who shrugged in response. "Just being honest!"

"If you three love babies so much, why don't you guys go have some more?" Misty whined. "You didn't just give birth two weeks ago!"

"You sure are touchy about all of this," Daisy noted, scrutinizing her youngest sister with narrowed eyes. "Why's that?"

"No reason," Misty grumbled, rubbing a palm against the side of her head.

"Misty…"

"I just told you! There's no reason!" Misty hissed through ground teeth.

"Oh please, you only get this way when you're super annoyed," Daisy scoffed. "I know we can get on your nerves pretty easily, but we haven't been around you long enough to set you off like that. So, come on, spit it out."

Misty glowered at the blonde, but finally lowered her hand and relented. "I've already gotten that question every single day since I've given birth."

"_Every single day?!_" The older girls chimed.

"Apparently, that's a very popular question for new mothers," Misty murmured, tapping on her chin.

"I never got that question," Daisy hummed.

"Me either," Violet agreed.

"Or me!" Lily gasped.

"Well, I've literally been asked by a different person every day," Misty sighed. "It's getting old. In fact, it got old, like…last week. I can't go anywhere without being asked that question!"

"Really?" Violet breathed.

"I'm serious," Misty muttered. "And when I say anywhere, I mean _everywhere…_"

_Once I was _finally _allowed out of bed after overexerting myself and all of that, the first place I went was one of the clothing stores downtown. It's strange for me, but I was really excited to buy some normal clothes again. So…that's where I wanted to go._

_I brought Aiden with me, because he'd been fussy all morning. I thought it would be a good idea to get him out of the house for a little while. And it was obviously a good idea, because he was so happy being pushed around in his stroller! It was the cutest thing ever. _

_While I was at the store, the shop owner was totally freaking out over Aiden; calling him the cutest baby she'd ever seen, and telling me how handsome he was and how lucky I was to have such a beautiful baby. Of course, I was flattered by all of that. But then, and this is where it got weird, she asked me when Ash and I were going to have another baby! I kind of thought she was joking, because it'd only been a week, but she was pretty serious about it. She really wanted to know!_

_So, I told her I had no idea, because who thinks about that kind of stuff when your first kids are only a week old? I was already overwhelmed enough with the both of them!_

"I didn't think people actually asked questions like that," Misty mused. "I mean, I'd heard of it happening before, but I didn't think anyone would actually ask me something like that! Especially after only one week."

"People are so nosy," Lily sighed, shaking her head.

"Oh, you mean like you and Violet?" Misty scoffed, earning a nervous giggle from the pink haired woman.

"You're not going to tell me it was just her and those two, right?" Daisy asked while pointing between Violet and Lily.

"Of course not," Misty chortled. "I've been asked everywhere I've gone. The supermarket, the bookstore, the post office, and even the _doctor's office!_ It's like no one knows how to mind their damn business anymore!"

"Did anyone ever know how to mind their own business?" Daisy trilled teasingly.

"For once, you have a point," Misty murmured.

"Don't worry about it, Misty," Daisy soothed her frustrated youngest sister. "You just worry about yourself and everything will turn out just fine! Don't get caught up in everyone's nosiness."

"Thanks, Daisy," Misty sighed, smiling at her oldest sister. "You're right! I don't know why I'm letting people bother me all of a sudden. I think it's just the exhaustion."

"You could always have _us_ babysit!" Violet volunteered excitedly.

"Yeah, that way you and Ash could focus on having more babies!" Lily trilled.

"LILY!"

* * *

><p><strong>Lily is definitely the densestmost annoying sister. Don't lie, you know it's true. Actually...now I wanna know. Which sister do you guys think is the most dense/annoying/ditzy/etc? I'm curious :P**


	237. What's In a Name

**Uuugh, I have to study for midterms. That's right. MIDTERMS. Who decided college should be a thing? Really. **

**Here, have a one shot that resulted from my angst. **

* * *

><p><span><strong>What's In a Name<strong>

"Misty, why does your daughter have a boy's name?"

The water type gym leader scowled and involuntarily dropped her stack of paperwork on the table. Turning on a heel, Misty was not at all surprised to find Erika standing behind her, looking absolutely perplexed.

Of _course _it had been her asking such an asinine, and borderline inappropriate, question.

"Neither one of my daughters have boys' names," Misty sighed out of agitation. "Nice try, though."

"No, I don't mean their _first_ names," Erika groaned. "Those are perfectly cute and girly! I meant Elizabeth's _middle_ name."

"Dilynne?" Misty questioned.

Erika scrunched her nose up at the mention. "Yeah, that one."

"Dilynne is a _girl's_ name," Misty drawled.

"No it isn't," Erika argued. "I've met plenty of trainers with that name, and they were _all_ boys! I've never met a girl with that name."

"It's spelt in a feminine way," Misty elucidated, trying to keep her patience. "D-i-l-y-n-n-e. You're used to seeing it as D-y-l-a-n, which can _still_ be a girl's name, by the way."

"I guess, but it's kind of…boyish, don't you think?" Erika tried.

"No, not at all."

"There are so many pretty, girly names that work so well with 'Elizabeth,' though!" Erika cried. "Wasn't your grandma's name Amy?"

"Yes…"

"See, that's an adorable name!" Erika squealed. "You could've named her Elizabeth Amy! Isn't that sweet?"

"That's not the best combination," Misty grumbled. "Besides, _Michelle's_ middle name is for my grandmother. Aimi. I wouldn't give her the exact same name. It's too much pressure."

Erika furrowed her brow at this. "Then what possessed you to give Elizabeth _that_ kind of a middle name?"

"Dilynne is a combination of Ash's mom's name, and my mom's name," Misty explained breathlessly. "Delia and Lynne. That's how we got Dilynne."

"You couldn't come up with anything prettier?" Erika muttered.

Misty rolled her eyes and planted her hands on her hips before narrowing those same emerald orbs at the grass type gym leader. "Erika, why are you so concerned with what I named _my _daughter? She's _mine. _I liked that name, which is why I chose it."

"I don't know, I just think it's strange," Erika murmured. Misty, of course, knew why Erika was being so intrusive. It was just her nature. Erika was nosy and felt that everything needed to be made her business. If she didn't know why something was so, she would run around and question everyone until she finally had the answer. It was quite annoying.

"It's not strange," Misty bit. "I could say the same thing about _your_ daughter's name, but I wouldn't because I'm not a psycho."

"Hey, Flora is a beautiful name!" Erika cried.

"I never said it wasn't."

"Besides," Erika huffed, flicking a strand of blue hair out of her face, "there are so many pretty names that start with a 'D' that you could've used. Ones that sound a lot more feminine. Like Diana or Danielle."

"I don't like those names," Misty replied blankly. "Besides, that wasn't the point-"

"Or even an 'L' name!" Erika trilled, completely cutting off Misty. "Lydia or Lyla or…oh! I know! Lucy! That one is _so _cute!"

"Erika…" Misty groaned, her patience quickly thinning out.

"Oh, right, but you were trying to combine them, right?" Erika continued valiantly. "Still, though…you could've done Delaney, or…I guess Lydia works too…why didn't you make her middle name Lydia?"

"BECAUSE I LIKE THE NAME DILYNNE!" Misty finally exploded. Erika looked a little frightened by her fellow gym leader's sudden outburst, which led to Misty sigh and roll her eyes before muttering a halfhearted, "sorry."

"I'm not trying to be annoying," Erika explained earnestly, which earned another strange look from Misty. "I'm just curious!"

"Yeah, but it's kind of a rude question, isn't it?" Misty defaulted. "I obviously don't think there's anything wrong with the name Dilynne, because I wouldn't have named my daughter that if I didn't like it. There's nothing wrong with not having a totally feminine name. My name isn't as girly as my sisters', after all, and I turned out just fine."

"What are you talking about?" Erika gasped as Misty picked her paperwork back up. "Misty is a _gorgeous_, nature-y name! So pretty and elegant…it reminds me of Flora's middle name."

"Which is?" Misty hummed as she walked out of the meeting room, Erika following dutifully behind.

"Abilene," Erika sighed dreamily. "It means 'grass.' Isn't that just beautiful?"

Misty raised a thin, wry eyebrow at that statement. "Uh…so…your daughter's middle name is 'grass'?"

"No, it just _means _grass," Erika groaned.

"But still…you named your kid after grass?"

"Well, yeah."

Misty chortled and rolled her eyes. "And you were making fun of me for giving my daughter a _boy's_ name."

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all."

* * *

><p><strong>Erika is such a pain in the ass XD My version of her, anyway. I apologize for nothing. I need someone to push Misty's buttons. Someone other than Ash :P<strong>


	238. Kindred Curiosity

**Yay for writing on studying breaks! And boo for going right back to studying :( At least this one is all cute and awkward-Ash-y :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 and a half years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Kindred Curiosity<strong>

It was a beautiful, mid-summer morning when the sunlight was shining through the bay windows of the pristine, sanitized, white walled room. In the bed that sat in the middle of said pure room was a young mother, cradling her newborn baby while the father, her husband, watched on with a look of content contemplation. His chocolate brown eyes shined as he followed his wife's hand, watching her slender fingers stroke the blushing skin of the infant's cheek as the little one squirmed in her pink receiving blanket.

"I'm going to spend some alone time with the twins."

Misty glanced up at her husband and smirked at his serious expression. She thought it was so cute how determined he got about absolutely everything.

"Are you, now?" Misty trilled.

"I think it's a good idea," Ash continued. "Mom said they're still confused about everything. I do think that they're happy, they just…don't understand. I mean, how much _could_ two five year olds possibly understand?"

"Not too much, I suppose," Misty agreed. "I never had a younger sibling, obviously, but I think my mom has told me before that my older sisters were confused when I came along."

"I just don't want them to feel neglected, or to turn around and start hating Elizabeth," Ash murmured, turning his attention back onto the angelic baby. She pressed her full lips together before pursing them out into a pout, which brought a smile to her father's face. "She's too pretty to hate."

"Yes, but two five year olds aren't going to care about how pretty their baby sister is when they start to feel left out."

Ash frowned and looked back up at Misty, who was wearing an impish grin.

"It's not funny!" Ash moaned.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make it seem that way," Misty replied earnestly. "I don't want Aiden and Michelle to feel bad. Not at all! And I really hope that they don't. So, I think you spending some time with them is a good idea. Go ahead."

Ash's smile returned as he leaned over to kiss Misty atop her head. "Thanks. It'll give you some alone time with Elizabeth, too!"

"Ah, yes, because nine months wasn't enough," Misty teased, leading to a displeased whine from the tiny infant in her arms.

"Look at that," Ash marveled, brushing Elizabeth's wispy, dark red hair with his fingers. "She's already taking none of your sass! Atta girl, Lizzie."

Misty's jaw dropped as she watched her husband stand up from the bed. "Don't encourage her!"

"I refuse to continue to be on the opposite end of your attitude!" Ash joshed, pointing an accusatory finger at the redhead. "I need some backup, even if it comes in the form of a tiny one day old who can't even hold her own head up yet."

Elizabeth gurgled and spit up on herself, earning a groan from her still exhausted mother.

"Or her breakfast down, apparently," Ash murmured.

"It's alright, I'll clean her up," Misty sighed, looking around the room for something she could use.

Smirking, Ash walked over to the chair in the corner and reached into the backpack perched atop it. He had brought the bag with him to the hospital, since he'd never had much intention of leaving Misty's side, even after the birth. There were lots of things in the backpack: clothes, a toothbrush, sleeping bag, a camera…and clean underwear that Delia had snuck in. What Ash had been looking for, however, was the familiar pink handkerchief that Misty had given him fifteen years ago, when they'd first gone their separate ways. Holding the cloth square in his hands, Ash hurried back over to Misty and handed over the handkerchief, earning an amused smile from his wife.

"Use this," Ash simply instructed her.

"You carry this around with you still?" Misty quipped, taking the cloth from her husband.

"Of course," Ash breathed, his own grin growing. "I get nervous when I can't find it. Even if I don't have a backpack with me, I'll stick in my pocket."

"Hear that, baby girl?" Misty whispered to Elizabeth as she gently wiped the mess off of the baby's face. "Your daddy is a sweet thing! Yes, he is."

Ash hummed amusedly and playfully rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'm gonna go get Aiden and Michelle. They're probably restless by now."

"If they've drawn on the waiting room walls, I don't want to know," Misty friskily reminded her husband.

"Got it," Ash chuckled as he left the room, glancing over his shoulder just once more to watch Misty dote on little Elizabeth.

**XXX**

Marching into the waiting room, Ash was not surprised to find his son lying on his back in the middle of the room, kicking his legs up at a ninety degree angle. His daughter, on the other hand, was draped over Delia's lap, staring down at the floor and tensing her fingers every few seconds as her arms hung down.

"Aiden, Michelle!" Ash called playfully, knowing it would get the twins' attention.

And it did.

They both immediately shot up and charged towards their father as quickly as their little legs would take them, tackling him with hugs and surrounding him with shrieking laughter.

"You guys are so happy to see me, huh?" Ash laughed.

"Yes!" They both chimed simultaneously.

"They've been so bored," Delia informed her son, who looked rather remorseful over the fact. "A hospital isn't necessarily a fun place for little kids, after all."

"I know," Ash crooned sympathetically. "How about I take you guys to the cafeteria, huh? You want to get something to eat?"

The twins let go of their father and rapidly nodded their heads. Ash smiled and held his hands down, allowing both Aiden and Michelle to grab one each.

"Want to come, Mom?" Ash asked.

"No thank you, dear, it's alright," Delia giggled. "Aiden and Michelle should have some alone time with their father. I know how important it is right now."

Ash threw his mother an appreciative smile before practically being dragged away by his eager children, begging for all kinds of different foods that Ash was almost _positive _the mediocre-at-best hospital cafeteria didn't have.

**XXX**

Fortunately, Aiden and Michelle were fairly easy when it came to food, and offering them the small snacks the cafeteria sold seemed to work just fine. Ash even let the two pick out their own table, which just so happened to be tucked away in the corner of the room.

Michelle was soon enough busy with her chocolate pudding, while Aiden was preoccupied with his strawberry gelatin. Ash silently observed the two for a few moments, much like he had done earlier with Misty and Elizabeth, before opening his mouth and speaking to the children.

"Your baby sister sure is cute, huh?"

Aiden and Michelle both nodded, being unable to reply vocally due to their stuffed mouths. Quickly enough, however, Aiden managed to swallow his bite of gelatin and unleash his own comment.

"She's really tiny, Daddy."

"Yeah, she is," Ash agreed.

"Then how come Mommy was so fat?" Aiden asked.

At this, Ash blushed and glanced down nervously at the table. "Aiden…remember, it's not nice to call Mommy that. She wasn't fat."

"Oh yeah, she was 'nant," Aiden mused, having difficulty with the _real _word he was looking for.

"Right," Ash sighed charmingly. "Well, it's just because the baby had to be protected. So there was more in there than just her."

"Okay," Aiden chirped, scooping up more gelatin with his spoon and quickly shoving it into his mouth.

Smiling to himself, Ash softly continued, "You guys know that Mommy and Daddy are going to have to spend a lot of time with the baby, right?"

"Why, Daddy?" Michelle squeaked.

"Well, because she's so small," Ash explained. "She can't do anything for herself right now."

"Not nothing?" Michelle questioned.

"Nope," Ash chuckled.

"Can she play with cars?" Aiden asked.

"No, not yet," Ash refuted. "When she gets older, she can."

"What about gettin' dressed?" Michelle tried.

"Not that, either."

Aiden sighed and slumped his shoulders, tilting his head to the side. "That's sad."

"It's not sad, buddy!" Ash chuckled. "Everyone was a baby once. Even you two! You just have to learn how to do everything. And get bigger and stronger. But, for now, Elizabeth needs me and Mommy to take care of her. We have to dress her, and bathe her, and change her. That's the worst part about having a baby….changing diapers. But you two don't need to worry about that!"

"Does that mean you gots to feed her, too?" Aiden murmured.

"Well, yeah!" Ash replied with a smile.

"Does a baby eat cereal?" Aiden continued.

"No, she can't eat cereal."

"What 'bout pudding?" Michelle beamed, holding her spoon up in the air for emphasis.

"No, princess," Ash laughed. "No pudding yet, either!"

"So…what does she eat?" Aiden chirped.

At this, Ash's expression went blank and his face paled. He never did ask Misty how that question was supposed to be answered. Was he supposed to tell the actual truth? Go into detail? Just lie? Damnit, why hadn't this come up in conversation before?!

"Uh…well…she can't eat very much…she's got no teeth," Ash tried. "So she can't chew anything!"

"Oh, so the baby eats soup!" Michelle giggled.

"No, no soup," Ash murmured laughingly.

"Then what's she eat?" Aiden demanded again.

Ash bit his lip and rolled his eyes up into the corner of the room, trying to figure out how to answer this question. It seemed so simple, but at the same time…

"Daddy!"

Ash was snapped out of his trance, and found that both Aiden and Michelle were looking rather impatient.

"Come on, let's go talk to Mommy!" Ash trilled, grabbing the twins' empty containers in order to throw them out. "It'll be fun to visit her."

"Don't you know what a baby eats?" Aiden grumbled.

"No, he's gotta ask Mommy!" Michelle shrieked laughingly.

"Daddy doesn't know nothing!" Aiden began giggling along with his sister.

"Ha ha, you're both so funny," Ash sighed playfully with an air of sarcasm. "I'm sure Mommy would be proud of you both for teasing your poor daddy."

_That_, on the other hand, was said without any form of sarcasm.

And it couldn't help but to bring a smile to Ash's face.

**XXX**

Reaching out to open the door of Misty's room, Ash was surprised when the twins suddenly rushed past him, breezing through the doorway before he could even push back the door all the way.

"Whoa, guys!" Ash gasped, rocking back on his heels.

Regaining his balance, Ash stepped into the room as well and felt his jaw drop. Misty was still in bed holding baby Elizabeth, but the little girl was now being cradled against her chest, with her shirt slouched down her shoulder.

"Mommy, what're you doing?" Aiden questioned.

"I'm feeding the baby, sweetheart!" Misty replied with a small giggle.

"What's she eat?" Aiden continued.

"Milk," Misty crooned, smiling down at Elizabeth.

"Milk from the 'frigerator?" Michelle squeaked.

"No, seashell, special milk that Mommy makes!" Misty answered.

"Oh," Michelle chirped. "Okay!"

And with that, the two older children ran off to play in the corner, where Ash had left his backpack. Their stunned father, on the other hand, just walked back over to Misty, who smiled sweetly at him.

"Hey," she greeted. "How was your alone time with the twins? It didn't last as long as I thought it was going to."

"Yeah, because I got kind of…taken off guard," Ash grumbled, running a hand through his hair.

"Why?" Misty asked through a frown.

"Well, you kind of solved that problem for me…"

"What did I do?"

"They…they asked me what the baby eats," Ash explained. "And I didn't know how to explain it. But, as soon as they walked in here and saw _that_…"

"What the hell do you mean they saw _that?_" Misty deadpanned.

"You feeding the baby!" Ash yelped. "I thought you covered yourself up when you did that."

"It's the third kid, I've learned to stop caring so much," Misty snickered. "Besides, they don't really seem to be too bothered by it, do they?"

Ash blinked and looked over towards the corner, where Aiden and Michelle were busy digging into his backpack and pulling nearly all of the items out of it in an exploratory manner.

"No…" Ash admitted, "I just, ya know, wasn't sure if I should bring up the fact that you…well…"

"Breastfeed the baby?" Misty finished, causing Ash to wince.

"Yeah, that."

Misty giggled and tilted her head, batting her eyelashes at her husband. "They don't understand what that means. You just had to handle it the way I did! You know, not too graphic. And downplayed."

"Well, I didn't think of that!" Ash cried. "I kind of panicked!"

"Kind of?" Misty repeated with a smirk.

Ash groaned and turned his head away, not wanting Misty to see his blush. "How is it that we've been married for so long, and known each other for even longer, yet you still manage to get me all flustered?"

"Because I'm so good," Misty giggled. "That's how!"

* * *

><p><strong>Embarrassed Ash is the best, isn't he? All flustered and cute :P He overreacts, too! My favorite episodes are always the ones where Ash is being goofy and so adorably dense :P<strong>


	239. Tough Break

**Time for some Aiden focus! And of course he's getting into trouble again ;)**

**Aiden: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Tough Break<strong>

"WHOO! I'm flying!"

"Aiden, stop jumping off the couch like that! You're going to get hurt!"

Aiden looked over his shoulder and scowled. He absolutely _hated _it when his mother told him what to do. She was so worrisome and always ruining his fun! She thought everything was more dangerous than it really was.

Showing off a total display of indifference, Aiden jumped back onto the couch and began bouncing up and down, holding his arms out to the sides. He was pretending to be a Pidgeot, one who was strong and mighty and could fly all over the world in rapid time. His father had told him all about the strong Pidgeot he'd once owned, and Aiden had always dreamed of meeting the Pokémon. For now, however, he simply pretended to _be _one.

As soon as Aiden went flying off the couch, he landed on the ground with a hard _thud, _which immediately sent his mother running into the living room. Her eyes were wide, and the sound of a clattering dish could be heard behind her. She had obviously dropped whatever she'd been doing in the kitchen, fearing for her son's safety. When she saw the boy standing on his two feet and throwing her a confused look, however, Misty realized she'd panicked for no good reason.

"Aiden, I told you to stop jumping off the couch!" Misty groaned.

"I'm not!" Aiden argued.

"I just heard you land like a rock!" Misty retorted. "I'm not stupid, Aiden. Sit down and behave yourself. I'll come sit with you in a minute."

"But I don't wanna sit!" Aiden cried, running after his mother as she retreated into the kitchen. He stood behind her with a considerable pout as she continued to wash the dishes in the sink, not paying her whiny son any mind. "Mommy!"

"What, Aiden?" Misty groaned.

"I don't wanna sit," Aiden repeated.

"Well, I don't want you jumping off the couch anymore," Misty rivaled. "It's dangerous!"

"Nuh uh!"

"Yes it is, Aiden. You could fall and break something. Like an arm, or your head!"

At this, Aiden scoffed and shuffled back into the living room, sitting on the floor with his back against the front of the couch. Reaching for the remote, the little boy used the device to turn the TV on and change to the one channel he knew by heart: the channel where all of the biggest and best Pokémon battles were shown.

He had the number memorized because he would spend almost every night sitting next to his father and watching all of those battles with him. Aiden thought it was cool how that even though his father was the Pokémon Master, the best trainer in the world, he _still _got excited over other people's battles. Amazingly so, in fact. He would crow and marvel and "take down mental notes" of all of the different strategies he witness. Ash was always changing his battle style. Part of it was to keep his opponents off guard. The other part of it was simply that Ash wanted to try anything and everything when it came to battling. He was naturally curious, and always striving for intrigue and newness.

This specific battle was against a boy and his Hippowdon and a girl and her Gastrodon. It was pink in color, which Aiden knew meant it was a West Sea Gastrodon. His father had taught him that. Ones from the east side were blue. He also knew that Gastrodon was part water, part ground, and Hippowdon was pure ground.

"Ground Pokémon are weak against water," Aiden murmured to himself. "Gastrodon's got the 'vantage!"

The little boy watched on in rapt fascination as the two Pokémon traded blows. It was a very offensive battle, hardly any defense. But both creatures were taking it quite well. Neither one seemed to be backing down. Not even Hippowdon after a water type attack from its opponent!

"_Hippowdon, earthquake!" _

Aiden's eyes widened as the battlefield began to rumble and shake. Gastrodon blinked and looked beneath its body, where the compacted dirt began to split apart into deep, fine cracks. As this was happening, and her son was completely distracted, Misty walked into the living room and giggled softly at her child's allure. He was so caught up in the action, however, that he never heard or saw his mother enter the room, or even her sitting down next to him. As soon as the ground split fully apart and swallowed up Gastrodon, Aiden whooped excitedly and threw his arms out the side, whacking Misty in the nose with his arm.

"OW!" Misty yelped, immediately reaching up towards her face.

Aiden realized what he'd done as soon as he felt his hand make contact with his mother's face. And, unfortunately for the boy, his father just so happened to walk through the front door at the exact same time.

Oh, the irony.

"Misty!" Ash gasped, running over to his wife who was doubled over in pain. "Are you okay?!"

Misty groaned and squeezed her eyes shut. Opening them up again, she stared Ash in the eyes and slowly moved her hands away from her nose, where some blood was smeared on her fingers.

"Eugh," Ash groaned, earning a snarl from Misty. "Sorry."

"Is it bad?" Misty muttered, tilting her head back to try and stop any more blood from coming out.

"I don't know…"

"What do you mean you don't know, Ketchum?!"

"I'm not a doctor!"

"You know what my nose looks like! Does it look broken?!"

"I…I don't think so," Ash murmured, scrutinizing Misty's nose with narrowed brown eyes. "Just a little bit red from getting hit."

"Thank goodness," Misty sighed, her eyes fluttering shut.

"Hey, I'd still love you even if you had a crooked nose!" Ash chuckled, earning another glare from his fiery spouse. "It's a compliment."

"Mmhm," Misty drawled sarcastically, finally feeling that it was safe to lower her head.

"What were you doin', bud?" Ash asked playfully, turning his head towards Aiden as he placed his hands on his hips. "Fighting your mom?"

"No!" Aiden argued. "I got excited cause of the battle, and I didn't see her! It was an ac-dent."

"I know you didn't mean to, Aiden," Misty softly assured her son. "It's alright."

"I'll go get something for you to clean your hands off with," Ash chuckled, patting Misty's shoulder. As he retreated into the kitchen, Misty sighed and sunk back against the couch, earning a curious stare from her son.

"And here I thought you just sitting down would be safe," Misty muttered, earning a reluctantly amused smile from Aiden. "Guess not."

* * *

><p><strong>That boy will find trouble no matter what. Just like his father.<strong>

**Anyway, who saw the XY preview today? SO EXCITING. It looks like it's going to be amazing. The first two episodes were really promising. But I need more! I'm itching for new pairings...**


	240. Happy Haunts

**HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE! Errr...almost. It's not until next week. But I'm gonna be busy! There's sorority stuff and my sister's band competitions and homecoming and Halloween parties...oh and school. That's a thing. **

**BUT of course I wrote a Halloween themed one shot, and so I'm gonna put it up now! The entire month of October is pretty Halloween-y anyway, right?**

**Aiden and Michelle: 6 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 14 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Happy Haunts<strong>

"Misty!"

"Mommy!"

The gym leader winced as both voices reached her ears, trilling and warbling and obviously looking for _something _out of her. She knew who it was, too, without even having to turn her chair around.

"Ash, Aiden, what do you two want?"

From in front of her desk, Ash and Aiden exchanged surprised looks. Neither one could ever process the fact that Misty was so in tune with voices and all of those things. Sensing this from their extended silence, Misty smirked and spun her chair around, eyeing both her husband and young son.

"Years of practice. Now, spit it out. I've got a lot of work to do!"

"Then why were you just facing the window instead of your desk?" Ash prodded.

"Because I thought my head was going to explode and I needed a break," Misty effortlessly explained. "Though, I guess _this _is my break now."

"It'll be really quick, Mist!" Ash pleaded.

"Well, get on with it already!" Misty whined. "You're just making it even longer by stalling, you know."

"Heh, right…" Ash chuckled. "Anyway, Aiden and I thought it would be really fun if we all went to a haunted house together! Ya know, since it's Halloween and stuff."

"You're so eloquent," Misty teased, earning a sarcastic smirk from her husband.

"Come on, Mommy!" Aiden begged, jumping forward and practically hanging off the front of her desk. "It's gonna be fun! I _love_ scary things!"

"I know you do," Misty murmured. "But…I don't really like them as much. And I know Michelle is _terrified_ of those kinds of things."

"No, it's gonna be _fun!_" Aiden repeated.

Groaning, Misty turned her eyes back up towards her contemplative husband. "Ash…"

"I bet it's not that scary, Mist," Ash sighed.

"Ash!"

"Come on, they let little kids go, it's not scary!" Ash reasoned. "Why would little kids be let in if it was _that _scary? They wouldn't be."

"That doesn't mean it's _not_ scary," Misty grumbled, folding her arms across her chest.

Aiden opened his mouth to argue again, but was quickly stopped by his father's hand over his mouth. Aiden unleashed muffled protests from beneath the man's palm, but Ash wasn't about to move his hand away and let them out.

"Alright, Mist," Ash sighed, fluttering his eyelashes at her. "Have it your way! Get back to work now!"

Misty raised an eyebrow and watched as her husband dragged their son right out of the room. It was all a bit too strange for her liking, but she didn't have all the time in the world to question it. Ash was right, she had work to do, and she was going to get it done.

"My family is weird," Misty murmured, picking up a pen and clicking it open.

**XXX**

"Misty, quick! Get in the car!"

The gym leader's head snapped up from her baby daughter to turn the attention onto her frantic husband, who was quickly bouncing up and down on his heels.

"Uh…what?"

"You heard me!" Ash pushed, making a waving motion with his hand. "Come on! Hurry!"

Misty furrowed her brow, but nevertheless picked up baby Elizabeth and called up the stairs for Michelle before curiously looking over her shoulder.

"You want Michelle to come too, right?"

"Yeah," Ash breathlessly confirmed.

Michelle came skipping down the stairs, looking very confused as to why she'd been called down, and why both her mother _and _father were standing at the foot of the stairs.

"Am I in trouble?" Michelle timidly asked.

"No," Misty sighed laughingly. "Daddy needs us for something."

"What?" Michelle squeaked.

"I don't know, he hasn't told me," Misty hummed, looking back over her shoulder at Ash once again.

"It's a secret," Ash chuckled. "Come on! You'll both see."

Aiden was already waiting for the group outside, bouncing a ball along the sidewalk. When he saw his mother and sisters trailing behind his father, Aiden immediately discarded the ball and joined the rest of the family. He looked extremely chipper, Misty noted, but said nothing out loud about it.

It was always better to see her kids in a good mood than a bad one, after all.

**XXX**

After a fairly short car ride, Misty found herself blinking her eyes as her unabashed husband pulled up to a very fall looking scene, complete with pumpkins and bales of hay.

"What is this place?" Misty murmured.

"You'll see!" Ash chuckled, still refusing to give away the truth.

Misty rolled her eyes at this. She was getting a little sick of the secrecy, but threatening Ash in front of the children was something she was firmly against. So, Misty bit her tongue and simply chose to let the two older children out of the car before working on freeing the youngest of the three, who was babbling happy nonsense as Misty unbuckled her seat.

"I know, you don't care _where _we go," Misty sighed laughingly. "You just love car rides! Typical little baby."

Elizabeth mumbled contentedly and kicked her legs as she was relinquished from her seat and moved into the far more comfortable embrace of her mother's arms. Misty carried the joyful baby over to Ash, who was keeping a close eye on Aiden and Michelle as they made their way towards the entrance. The two giggling children ran right in, with their parents trailing closely behind. It didn't take long for Michelle to stop in her tracks, however, and for Misty to do the exact same thing.

"Ash…"

"Yeah?"

"…this is _not_ what I think it is."

"What do you think it is?"

Misty rolled her eyes before shooting the man an incredulous look.

"Gee, I don't know," Misty deadpanned, "a big old mansion covered in webs with a line going out of it. What could that _possibly_ be?"

"Uh…a big old mansion covered in webs with a line going out of it?" Ash teased.

"This is a haunted house!" Misty hissed, getting in Ash's face.

"Er…yes?"

"I told you it's too scary!" Misty bit.

"I made sure it wasn't!" Ash cried. "I did a whole bunch of research."

"You've never researched a single thing in your entire life!" Misty argued. "Unless it was about where to buy snack cakes, you don't have a clue!"

"Misty, I swear, I looked it up!" Ash tried, holding his hands in front of himself for protection.

"I brought the _baby_ with me!" Misty shrieked, Elizabeth cooing for good measure. "You expect me to bring a _baby_ into a _haunted house?!_ That's sick!"

"Just cover her eyes!" Ash chuckled nervously.

"Oh yes, because once I cover her eyes, all of the horrified screaming will just magically disappear!"

"You _can_ cover her ears too, ya know…"

"I ONLY HAVE TWO HANDS!"

"Can we go in the haunted house now?"

Misty groaned and looked down by her feet, where Aiden was waiting patiently for either her or Ash's answer. Michelle, on the other hand, was still frozen in place and staring at the house with a blank expression.

"Michelle, do _you_ want to go in the haunted house?" Misty asked, feeling that she already knew the answer.

"I dunno…" Michelle murmured.

"Come on, Shelly!" Aiden whooped. "You hafta go in the haunted house!"

"But-"

"You're a total _baby_ if you don't," Aiden continued with a huff.

"Aiden!" Misty scolded.

"I'm not a baby!" Michelle argued. "I'm not scared of anything!"

"Bet you are!" Aiden teased.

"Nuh uh!" Michelle bit. "I'll show you!" And with that, the little girl charged towards the spooky looking mansion, an entertained Aiden quickly following behind.

"Aiden, Michelle, wait!" Misty cried, her heart beginning to race. "Ash, I'm going to kill you!"

"Just trust me on this one!" Ash pleaded, running alongside his frantic wife.

**XXX**

Once inside, Misty could feel a series of shivers going up her spine, and not just because of the chilly air the mansion had been pumped with.

The interior of the house was dark and creepy. Fake cobwebs hung from all of the corners and lights, but to Misty, they seemed very real. Distant, echoing screams could be heard, accompanied by rattling furniture and the occasional _thud _or _bang _of something hitting the floors and walls. Whining, Misty hugged her baby daughter closer to her body and began to look around in a panic.

"We have to get out of here," Misty whispered urgently, the sound of her own breathing beginning to startle her.

"Misty, we've _barely_ even started, and you're already scared?" Ash muttered.

"I hate haunted houses!" Misty cried. "I hate _anything_ scary! You know that!"

"Ah, I just think you've been spending too much time with Brock," Ash refuted, flashing back to all of the times he had managed to freak out the Pokémon doctor with a scary mask or an unexpected scream. "You're brave! I know you can handle this stuff."

"I can't!" Misty immediately argued. "I hate Halloween _because _of all the creepy stuff! How do you not know this by now?!"

Ash shrugged and just continued walking alongside Misty, smiling down at Elizabeth as the baby cooed happily to no one but herself. It was good that so far, the little thing didn't seem to be too frightened by her new surroundings.

In fact, Misty was _way_ more afraid than their daughter.

The family continued to make their way down the hall of the creepy old house, looking around curiously. Ash and Aiden were excited for something spooky, while Misty and Michelle were looking out more for their own safety. That way, they could bolt to the nearest exit when things got too intense.

"I don't see _anything_," Aiden murmured, his chocolate eyes flickering from wall to wall.

"Shh! Aiden!" Michelle whined, fearing that her brother would jinx their so far lucky streak.

"No, I mean it," Aiden continued. "I don't even see any creepy eyes peeking out from any holes in the-"

"BOO!"

Aiden and Michelle both screamed and held onto each other for dear life, trembling as they froze in place. Misty, on the other hand, yelped and grabbed her husband's arm, basically cutting off his circulation. It hurt, but Ash was a bit too startled to complain.

"What was that?!" Michelle wailed.

A pile of boxes had toppled down in the corner, and standing in their place was a creepy looking clown wielding a very large, very realistic looking knife.

"AAH!"

Aiden and Michelle both shrieked and whipped around, trying to avoid the clown. As they did, however, a gigantic Ariados dropped from the ceiling and hung in their faces, earning another scream from the children as they ran around the fake creature in a valiant attempt to escape.

"I thought you said this wasn't going to be scary!" Misty accused, still clinging onto Ash's arm as he made a run for it.

"How should _I_ know?!" Ash cried. "I've never been here!"

As her family ran and screamed simultaneously, little Elizabeth giggled and waved a tiny hand at the scary clown and gigantic Ariados, gurgling joyfully as they quickly disappeared from view.

Of course…the four older members were all too terrified to ever process or even realize that the youngest of them all was the only one who'd actually _enjoyed_ their thirty seconds in the house.

* * *

><p><strong>This one kind of ties back to when Elizabeth was soothed by the horror movie. She's just sort of a strange little girl. Sweet and adorable...but strange. <strong>

**And I may or may not have gotten this idea after going to a Halloween store and getting the hell scared out of me. I'm faint hearted. No shame.**


	241. The Little Chef

**One of my classes got cancelled and I finished all of my homework early. So I wrote a one shot. Yay :)**

**Elizabeth: 5 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>The Little Chef<strong>

"Daddy! Daddy! Wanna cookie?"

Ash blinked and looked over his shoulder, where he found Elizabeth standing in the doorway with a smile on her face.

"A cookie?" Ash repeated before grinning himself. "Sure! That sounds great, Lizzie!"

The young girl giggled and ran off, causing Ash to chuckle. He thought it was so sweet how Elizabeth thought she was being so helpful to everyone in the house. Ash knew that in a matter of moments, Elizabeth would return with an entire box of cookies, which he would be very grateful for. He did always love it that Elizabeth's idea of a snack was the whole box, unlike Misty who actually believed in portions.

When five minutes passed and Elizabeth never returned, however, Ash began to grow wary. He knew Elizabeth was small, and that it was often hard to reach things, but when it came to sweets like cookies, the young girl always managed to find a way to get to them. In fact, Ash always tried to be helpful _himself _by keeping the cookies down closer to where Elizabeth could reach them. But perhaps Misty had caught on and moved the box back up higher.

Biting his lower lip, Ash got up from his seat and walked down the stairs, into the kitchen where he was expecting to find Elizabeth reaching valiantly for the cookies, or worse, standing on a chair to try and get them. He was ready to run in and catch the girl, but much to his surprise, she wasn't standing by the pantry.

Instead, she was sitting at the table in front of a small pink appliance, resting her head atop her arms and staring into the front of it as though she were watching the world's most fascinating movie.

"Elizabeth, what are you doing?" Ash asked.

"Makin' you cookies!" Elizabeth trilled.

"Making them?"

"Yeah!" Elizabeth giggled.

"But…you're not allowed to use the oven!" Ash cried, running over to the appliance. Elizabeth watched as her father cautiously opened the door and looked inside, furrowing his brow once he realized that there was nothing cooking.

"Not the _real_ oven, Daddy!" Elizabeth laughed again. "_My_ oven!"

"You have your _own_ oven?" Ash gasped.

"Yeah! Isn't it cool? It's pink!"

Ash bent over and examined the bright pink appliance that was apparently Elizabeth's oven. It was lit up by a light bulb, which also seemed to serve as the heat source for cooking the food inside. Indeed, on the little dish, Ash could see a collection of mini chocolate chip and pink sugar cookies baking.

"Uh…who bought you this?" Ash murmured. He knew for a fact it wasn't him, despite his tendencies to spoil all three of children. In fact, he had never seen this little pink oven before in his life.

"Grammy!" Elizabeth chirped. "She said it was good cause I can learn to cook like her!"

"Why am I not surprised?" Ash asked through a groan.

_Ding!_

"Oooh, they're ready!"

Ash glanced down and watched as Elizabeth opened up the front of the oven and then put on her mother's oven mitts to pull out the tray that was dotted with cookies.

"They look tasty!" Elizabeth giggled happily.

Ash, on the other hand, was far more nervous than his daughter. After all, the cookies had been cooked beneath a _light bulb. _By a five year old.

"Here's your cookie, Daddy."

Gulping, Ash gingerly took the tiny chocolate chip cookie from his daughter's grasp and held it in front of his face, examining the little treat with cautious eyes. His trepidation must have been obvious, because Elizabeth was soon enough growing impatient.

"Eat it, Daddy!"

Biting his lower lip, Ash finally opened up his mouth and took a small, experimental bite out of the cookie and slowly chewed it before swallowing. As soon as it was down, however, Ash's eyes widened, and soon enough, a smile grew on his face as well.

"This is _delicious!_" Ash crowed, earning a grin from his little girl. "You're an awesome chef, Lizzie!"

"Thank you!" Elizabeth giggled.

"Can you make anything else in that little oven of yours?" Ash asked before shoving the rest of the cookie into his mouth.

"Uh huh!" Elizabeth trilled. "Pizza and pretzels and cake and brownies…"

"All of that?!" Ash exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Elizabeth laughed.

"Huh," Ash mused, his eyes beginning to sparkle. "This is the best discovery I've made all day!"

**XXX**

"Ash! I'm home!"

When Misty got no response, namely, no Ash charging down the stairs and practically running into her begging for food, she was confused. Perhaps even a little concerned. It seemed strange that this daily ritual was suddenly broken off.

"Ash?" Misty called. Still nothing. "Come on…"

Walking into the kitchen, Misty was surprised to see her husband and daughter sitting at the table, plates of food surrounding them as Elizabeth opened up the door to her little pink oven.

"You've been sitting in here the whole time and didn't answer me?"

Ash jumped a little bit and whipped around, smiling sheepishly at his wife. "Sorry, Mist. Lizzie and I were busy! Guess I spaced out and didn't hear you calling me."

"What are you two so busy with, anyway?" Misty questioned, moving closer until she was right behind Ash's chair. She allowed her eyes to scan the table, upon which she saw plates full of food, some of which were already bitten into.

"Elizabeth and I have been cooking with her little oven all day!" Ash crowed with a small chuckle.

"Nuh uh, Daddy!" Elizabeth refuted. "_I'm_ the cook! You just eat stuff."

"That's true," Ash admitted.

"What?!" Misty gasped. "You've been using our _five year old_ as a personal chef? Ash!"

"She's more than willing!" Ash exclaimed. "She _loves_ using that thing! It makes basically everything, you know. You could have a whole meal from that oven!"

"Yes, but your mother bought it for Elizabeth to have _fun_, not to provide you with sustenance," Misty groaned. "_I'll _be in charge of dinner. Let the poor girl play."

"Misty, I already told you she doesn't mind!"

* * *

><p><strong>I don't know, my friends and I were talking about Easy Bake Ovens the other day and this happened. I had one, and it was awesome. And I had all the little Powerpuff Girls packs that they made back in the day. I made pink sugar cookies for everyone, mhmm.<strong>


	242. Shots in the Dark

**I went to the doctor's yesterday and had to get two shots. Ouchies. The flu one hurt the worst, but at least I don't cry when I get them anymore XD And I got inspiration for this one shot!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 8 years old**

**Elizabeth: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Shots in the Dark<strong>

Misty was a very intelligent woman.

No one ever doubted that, of course. It had been obvious from the time she was a child. Although defiant, and very hotheaded, Misty was smart. She had always gotten along well with adults because of this, probably more so than she did with people her own age. The girl had grown up with a keen sense for many things. One thing she had always been good at, that was contributed to her level of intelligence, was her ability to adapt to situations and learn from her past. Some said that was simply common sense, but when it came to Misty, it all seemed very intellectual. As a mother, this was a very helpful tool.

She could recite, from memory, all three of her children's favorite and least favorite foods, their favorite places and stories, all of it. That was so she knew to never make the same mistakes again. Feeding them food they didn't like, or taking them places where they'd get frightened.

Unfortunately, learning from your past was sometimes painful, because despite learning and knowing full well the things that created trouble and should be avoided, Misty couldn't always do that. It just wasn't feasible.

But at least it gave her time to prepare.

Of course, she was talking about taking the children to the doctor. It was a nightmare. It always _had_ been, and it always would be. Aiden and Michelle couldn't _stand _the place. It didn't matter that they were eight years old. They still shrieked and yelped and screamed when it came to drawing the blood and getting the shots. Bringing them to the doctor's office was like throwing a bomb: everything exploded and the result was one big mess.

Misty's game plan was to bring Aiden, Michelle, _and _Elizabeth all to the doctor's at once. It sounded like a big hassle, and it was. But she figured that separating the three and going through the same trouble _three times _was even worse. Might as well only let one bomb go off instead of three, after all.

Elizabeth was the wildcard in this situation. She was only two. Obviously she'd been to the doctor before, but only as a baby. A tiny little baby who got to be held in Misty's arms when she was given shots and the like. Now, Elizabeth was a toddler. Still very young, but not quite a baby anymore. She knew what was going on. She knew who the doctor was, and what he did. She wasn't oblivious to the world.

The only _problem _was that Misty didn't know how Elizabeth was going to react to the whole thing. After all, a baby cried about anything and everything. Elizabeth never had, though. By some miracle, she was usually asleep whenever they had taken her, and not even the jab from a needle ever woke her up. Elizabeth was a heavy sleeper, just like her father.

Ash. That was another problem.

He wasn't willing to help Misty out. At all. He loved her, and he loved the kids, but when it came to their doctor's appointments, he steered clear of everyone. Ash always had a way of finding out when it was, even when Misty had tried not to tell him and throw it on so he didn't have a chance to escape. On the day of an appointment, Ash always managed to find his way out of the house early, and never came back until late.

_Useless husband._

Misty didn't mean to have such hostile thoughts. She _loved _Ash. But damn, it wasn't fair that she had to suffer all alone. They were his kids too, after all! He should have been suffering alongside her and getting kicks to the shin and fingernails dug into his skin.

But for now, everything was calm.

The waiting room of the pediatrician's office was quiet. Too quiet. It was a place for kids, after all. You'd think it would be noisy. But no. Maybe because Misty had scheduled the appointments for first thing in the morning. She liked there to be as few people around as possible when Aiden and Michelle lost their minds. Those two, for now, were also quiet. Misty couldn't tell if it was because they were still tired, or because they were too nervous to do anything.

She was going to guess it was the latter.

"Mama! Mama! 'ook!"

Misty sighed and looked down by her feet, where Elizabeth was ramming a plastic Ducklett into her foot.

"I see, sweetie," Misty murmured.

"See?" Elizabeth repeated.

"Yeah, it's a nice little Ducklett toy!" Misty continued. "You keep playing with it, now."

Elizabeth giggled and waved the toy in the air, pretending it could fly. Misty rested her head in her hand and watched the little girl run around the empty room with contemplative eyes. She was happy and completely unaffected by where they were. Part of Misty wanted to be honest with Elizabeth and tell her what was going to happen. But Elizabeth might not have even understood. She was still little. Then again, leaving her in the dark seemed like a bad idea, too…

"Hey! Lizzie, get away from me!"

The young girl frowned and lowered the Ducklett toy. She had been shoving it in Aiden's face, and the already tense boy had obviously lost his patience.

"Aiden, don't yell at Elizabeth," Misty groaned, reaching over to pick up the toddler and sit the child in her lap.

"But she's being annoying!" Aiden whined.

"I think she's just trying to cheer you up," Misty reasoned. "She can tell you're upset. Don't take your nerves out on her."

"Why isn't _she_ nervous?" Aiden demanded, causing Elizabeth's ears to perk. "Doesn't she have to get sh-"

"Shh!" Misty hissed, causing Aiden to raise an eyebrow. "Don't say it."

Okay. Fine. So maybe every time someone actually _tried_ to bring it up with her daughter, Misty freaked out. Thinking about doing it was a lot easier than actually having it _happen_.

As soon as the nurse came out, Misty knew it was for them, because, well….there was no one else in the waiting room. Aiden and Michelle new it too, since both of their bodies went completely rigid upon seeing her. Elizabeth was the only one in the family with no sense of stress. She was too busy playing with the Ducklett toy she had found in one of the bins.

"Okay, Lizzie, put the toy down," Misty murmured, taking the Ducklett from her daughter and placing it on the chair next to them.

"I wa' pway, Mama," Elizabeth murmured.

"I know you do, but we have to go to the room now!" Misty crooned, standing up and holding the toddler against her hip. "You can play more later, alright?"

Elizabeth slowly nodded her head, looking disappointed but not about ready to throw a fit. Misty began to follow after the nurse, but she stopped in her tracks when she realized the two older children weren't following her. Turning around, Misty scowled at the two, but neither one seemed affected by the glare.

"Aiden, Michelle, let's go," Misty sighed. "You can't just sit out here in protest!"

"Why not?" Michelle chirped.

"Because I said so," Misty growled. "Come on."

Aiden and Michelle both bit their lips and still refused to remove, to which Misty thought a vein in her head might just explode.

"I'm not going to ask you again!" Misty snapped. "Get in that office, or a shot will be the _least _of your concerns!"

"Sho?"

Misty froze and slowly turned her eyes down towards the little girl in her arms. Elizabeth, in turn, was staring back up at her with a curious look.

_Oh, oh no…_

"Nothing, sweetie!" Misty lied, earning nothing but a bewildered blink from the toddler. "Don't you worry about a thing."

Misty continued walking towards the back rooms, with Aiden and Michelle actually trailing her this time. Neither one was happy, but they knew there was no stopping it. Elizabeth, on the other hand, was simply confused. She didn't know what this place was. Her brother and sister were sure acting weird, though.

She just wanted to go back and play with the toys again.

All three children handled the basic part of the examination just fine. Ears, eyes, throat, reflexes, temperature…no one whined or complained. For this, Misty was thankful, but she knew it was about to get a whole lot worse.

The doctor walked in with a smile on his face, one that widened as soon as Elizabeth waved emphatically at him.

"Hi!" She chirped.

"Why hello there, little one!" Dr. Neal chuckled. "You sure are happy! Is she always like this, Misty?"

"Yeah, Elizabeth is a pretty cheerful little girl," Misty confirmed. "She's very happy."

"That's good to hear," Dr. Neal noted before turning his attention onto the two older children. "And how are you two today?"

Neither one answered, causing Misty to sigh and shake her head. "Those two? Not so much."

"Ah, they're just nervous is all," Dr. Neal chuckled. "I'm quite used to it at this point, actually. It's _Elizabeth _who's all new to me! She's not a baby anymore, after all. I like seeing this little personality of hers developing."

"Oh, it's developing alright," Misty laughed. "Right into Ash it's developing."

At this, Dr. Neal snickered and began to look over his charts. "Let's see here…well, Aiden and Michelle don't need any shots this year!"

"WHAT?!" Aiden and Michelle cried simultaneously, catching Elizabeth's attention.

"Eight year olds don't have any shots on the chart," Dr. Neal explained. "You're both free!"

Aiden and Michelle both began to laugh and high five one another, celebrating as though they had just conquered the world. Elizabeth was still confused, and simply watched her siblings celebrate their little victory.

"And Elizabeth?" Misty hesitantly asked, not allowing herself to feel relief just yet.

"Unfortunately, two year olds _do_ need a shot," Dr. Neal sighed, earning a groan from Misty.

"And to think I was almost home free…" Misty grumbled.

"I'll get a nurse in here so we can get the shot done as quickly as possible," Dr. Neal concluded, walking out of the room with his charts.

Aiden and Michelle were both staring down at Elizabeth in horror, which only confused the little girl even more. Glancing up at her mother, Elizabeth tilted her head and asked, "Mama, was a sho?"

"You…you want to know what a shot is?" Misty asked hesitantly.

Slowly, Elizabeth nodded her head.

"Uh, well…it's just something that will prevent you from getting sick!" Misty replied, leading her older children to roll their eyes. "It's a good thing!"

"Was it?"

"Hmm?"

"Where's does it go?"

"Oh…it goes in your arm, sweetie. It's like a little stick. Just a little poke."

"Po?"

"Yeah, a poke."

Elizabeth twisted her mouth and contemplated this for a moment. As she was immersed in deep thought, the door opened up and the nurse from before walked back in, a cautious smile on her face. Misty knew exactly why that was. It was the same reason she herself was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Toddlers and shots just didn't mix.

"Okay, honey," the nurse crooned, walking over to Elizabeth. "Are you ready for your shot?"

"I dunno," Elizabeth replied honestly.

"It won't be so bad," the nurse murmured, causing Misty to wince. That was a lie. Lie lie lie.

Elizabeth watched as the nurse rolled up the sleeve of her ruffle bottomed ivory shirt, printed with decorative ballet slippers that were adorned by bows and rosettes. "Was that fow?"

"I just have to roll your sleeve up so I can put the needle in your arm," the nurse explained. "It's going to go very quick, alright? Then you'll get a lollipop after!"

"Loli?" Elizabeth repeated.

"Oh, you _love_ candy, Lizzie!" Misty cooed. "Won't that be so much fun?"

"I dunno," Elizabeth squeaked.

"Do you want to hold my hand?" Misty asked, offering her palm to the little girl. "You can squeeze it as hard as you'd like!"

"Kay," Elizabeth chirped, grabbing her mother's hand.

"It's going to be very, very quick, just like I said," the nurse murmured, bringing the needle closer to Elizabeth's arm. "Just a little pinch!"

Aiden and Michelle both recoiled and winced, waiting for their younger sister's outburst. Misty herself couldn't help but to groan. Elizabeth, on the other hand, was simply looking around the room as though she were bored. Misty, _not_ Elizabeth, tightened the grip of their hands, and waited with baited breath for the moment the needle would sink in.

"Here we go…" the nurse whispered as she quickly jabbed the needle in.

"Ow!" Elizabeth yelped, her eyes widening as the needle quickly went in and then out. Misty and the twins all held their breath, but much to their surprise…that seemed to be it.

"You're such a good girl!" The nurse commented, to which Elizabeth blinked and then smiled. "You're going to get a very pretty band aid for that!"

"Pwincess?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes, I have ones with princesses on them!"

The rest of Elizabeth's family watched on in shock as the little girl carelessly swung her legs back and forth, waiting patiently for the nurse to return with Elizabeth's band aid.

"I don't believe it…" Aiden muttered.

"A _two year old_ takes a shot better than us!" Michelle shrieked.

"I shouldn't even be surprised anymore," Misty sighed, shaking her head as Elizabeth turned her own around and beamed.

* * *

><p><strong>Elizabeth just kind of shows everyone up. All the time. It's because she's more mellow and has very high intelligence. But, as you can see in this chapter, it's one of the first times she actually acknowledges it herself. That little look at Misty at the end isn't just a happy little smile ;)<strong>


	243. Social Situation

**I'm allowed to write, I spent an hour and a half on my final paper! Damn, we're there already. Only 6 weeks left til winter break. Bring it! I'm so ready for a break.**

**This one came out a little differently than I thought I would...but I like it. Ultra modern ;D**

**Aiden and Michelle: 6 years old**

**Elizabeth: 5 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Social Situation<strong>

"Hey, Mist, why do you keep taking pictures of Lizzie on your phone?"

Misty looked up from the blue and white device and smiled sheepishly at her husband. "Oh, I was just going to put one up online for everyone to see. I just can't seem to get the perfect one yet!"

"Online?" Ash repeated. "Why online?"

"Well, you know I hate it when the paparazzi takes all those pictures of our kids and just publish them in their trashy magazines," Misty elucidated with venom in her voice. "So, I figure that by taking my _own _pictures and putting them up on my _own _account, I have a _little _bit more control over what people see and don't see when it comes to our children."

"That's a pretty good idea," Ash chuckled. "Does it actually work?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean do people actually look at those pictures that you post?" Ash questioned, gently stroking the top of his baby daughter's head and causing her to coo delightfully.

"Of course!" Misty giggled. "People are really interested in celebrity children. I don't know why, but they are. It must be the nosy factor."

Ash twisted his mouth and picked up Elizabeth, who started to giggle happily. He studied the little girl's face, which in turn caused him to return his own smile. "I wonder if I could do something like that."

"You definitely could," Misty breathed, turning off her cell phone and clipping it back onto her waist. "People practically worship the ground you walk on. You could probably post pictures of your _shoes _and get millions of followers."

"Millions?" Ash repeated with obvious interest.

Elizabeth gurgled and began blowing bubbles out of her mouth, leading Misty to giggle sweetly.

"Or you could just take pictures of Lizzie's shoes," the gym leader suggested. "That would work too!"

Ash twisted his mouth for a second time and glanced down at Elizabeth's tiny feet, which were covered by little slippers resembling the face of Skitty; pink in color with a pair of little ears sticking up.

"I was joking, Ketchum."

Ash's head snapped up, and he found Misty smirking playfully at him.

"Right…I knew that…" Ash fumbled nervously.

"You're so cute," Misty giggled, turning towards the door. "I'm going to my parent's house for a little while. My mom told me she's got some fresh ingredients for me to make dinners with, so I'm going to pick them up. But I'm sure I'll be held over there for some tea and lengthy conversation."

"Okay," Ash murmured. "You can trust me with the kids."

"I was hoping that I could," Misty quipped, earning a hearty eye roll from her husband.

"You sure are in a teasing mood this afternoon, huh?" Ash sighed.

"I'm _always_ in a teasing mood!" Misty giggled. "You know that I trust you, Ash. With all of my heart. Yes?"

"Of course," Ash mumbled, although he showed Misty a smile to assure her he was positive. With an impishly blown kiss, Misty was soon out the door, leaving behind an intrigued Ash and gleefully mumbling Elizabeth. "My own photo account, huh?"

Elizabeth gurgled and glanced up, blinking her wide, emerald eyes at her father's thoughtful face. With a happy giggle, the infant began to reach up for him, leading Ash to chuckle and gently grasp the child's hand.

"Sounds like a fun little activity to try while Mommy is gone, right? Let's see what I can do!"

**XXX**

"Aw, everyone is going to _love _this picture of you, Lizzie! You're such a cutie!"

Ash had changed Elizabeth into one of the frilliest outfits in her closet: a light pink dress with a puffed sleeves, ruffled neck, and full skirt made of tulle rouching. He had even managed to clip a pink bow into the baby's hair, which was always a struggle with the way she wiggled.

"You look like a perfect little princess!" Ash chuckled, pressing the screen of his phone.

"Hey! _I'm_ the princess!"

Ash whipped around and found Michelle standing on the staircase, looking less than thrilled with her father. Aiden was only a few steps behind, watching on with curious eyes.

"Sorry, Michelle," Ash apologized earnestly. "I forget how upset you get when I use your special nickname on Lizzie! I'll remember from now on, promise."

Michelle huffed in response, but nevertheless continued to trample down the steps, Aiden following behind. The two older children stopped next to their father and glanced down at Elizabeth, who was still babbling to herself and waving her arms around.

"Why's Lizzie all dressed up?" Aiden asked.

"Are we going to a party?" Michelle trilled.

"No," Ash refuted. "I was just taking a picture of her!"

Michelle tilted her head to the side. "You dressed her up for a picture?"

"Yeah."

"…how come?"

Ash sighed and shrugged at the inquiry. "I don't know. I just thought more people would look at it and think it's cute if Lizzie was all dressed up!"

"She does look fancy," Aiden agreed, much to Ash's delight.

"I wanna be fancy!" Michelle cried.

"Yeah, how come _Lizzie _gets to be fancy, but not us?" Aiden whined.

Ash smirked. He knew both Aiden and Michelle weren't the biggest fans of getting dressed up, but they both had a remarkable jealousy streak, and as soon as they saw one of their siblings getting attention for something, they wanted to hop right on board.

"Do you guys want to get dressed up too?" Ash asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes!"

"Alright," Ash sighed laughingly as he picked Elizabeth up. "Let's go upstairs and find nice outfits for you both."

**XXX**

As soon as Misty walked through the front door, her arms full of stuffed grocery bags, she was stunned to see what was going on in the middle of the living room.

Michelle was outfitted in a dress with a tulle skirt very similar to Elizabeth's, but ice blue and silver in color to match the silver sequins that bedecked the sleeveless bodice. On the top of her head was a silver sequined headband that perfectly complimented the sparkly bodice. Aiden, on the other hand, was in an oxford blue stripe dress shirt paired with khaki pants. Much to Misty's surprise, his hair had been neatly tamed and was brushed to perfection.

The two older children, along with the similarly dressed Elizabeth, were gathered on the floor, with Ash sticking his tongue out of the corner of his mouth as he took picture after picture of the three on his cell phone.

"Ash…what in the world are you doing?"

Ash looked up with a huge grin, bringing even more confusion to his wife. "I'm taking my own pictures of the kids, just like you said!"

"Fine…but why are they dressed up like they're about to go to a party?"

"Because I thought the pictures would be better if they were all formal," Ash explained. "You know, classy."

"That's not the point of taking your own pictures for your fans, honey," Misty murmured.

"But they look so nice," Ash tried with a pout.

"Yeah, they do, but…oh, whatever," Misty groaned. "Just keep doing what you're doing. I'm putting the food away."

"Okay!" Ash chirped, completely missing Misty's bewildered face. "Come on, guys! Let's take a few more! Then I'll have a whole _album_ of pictures for everyone to see!"

"If only those people knew who they were worshipping," Misty muttered, a playful smirk growing on her lips.

* * *

><p><strong>I honestly think I've just been doing too much communications lately. Everything is all social media and writing and yeah. My brain is totally saturated :P I was mostly thinking of Instagram when I wrote this. I love Instagram XD<strong>


	244. Tricks and Treats

**Fine. I lied. I wrote another Halloween story. And I know it's the day after. But I couldn't finish it last night. It's fun, though! You'll all love it! :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 8 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 3 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Tricks and Treats<strong>

"BOO!"

"WAH!"

Ash nearly fell right off the couch, but managed to stop himself by desperately gripping the cushions. High pitched giggles soon reached his ears, and as soon as Ash finished regaining his bearings, he blinked hard and looked right in front of himself.

Elizabeth was standing there with her hands behind her back, wearing a pure white costume dress that boasted a layered tutu, glittery white wings, and a feathery halo bouncing high above her head thanks to a silver spring attached to a white headband.

"I'm a angel, Daddy!" Elizabeth trilled.

"More like a devil," Ash grumbled, rubbing the side of his face.

"No, Daddy. I'm _dwessed_ like a angel!"

"Yeah, I see," Ash sighed, laughing gently afterwards. "You look really cute, Lizzie!"

The young girl beamed and gave a little jump, her delicately curled red hair bouncing against her rosy cheeks.

"Ash, are you sure you don't want to come with us?"

The Pokémon Master glanced up towards the doorway of the kitchen, where Misty was standing with a smile on her face. Before Ash could answer, Aiden and Michelle brushed past both of their mother's sides, soon standing next to Elizabeth and beaming wildly at their father.

"Come on, Dad!" Michelle, who was dressed as a gypsy in a purple and blue costume dress covered with golden stars and a turquoise waist scarf lined by dangling gold coins.

"Yeah! We're gonna get so much candy!" Aiden added. He had dressed himself up as Lance, complete with an elaborate cape and a regal looking blue and orange uniform.

"I still can't believe you decided to go as Lance," Aiden grumbled, warily eyeing his son.

"I was already you once," Aiden reasoned, throwing his father a knowing smirk.

"Good point," Ash agreed.

"Mommy, candy! Les get candy!" Elizabeth begged, pulling at her mother's leg.

"Okay, okay, we're going," Misty sighed, lifting Elizabeth off the floor. "Ash, do you want to come along? You never answered me before."

"Nah, it's alright, I'll stay behind for now," Ash decided. "Someone's gotta be around to hand out candy, and for some strange reason, kids get extra excited when they get it from me."

Misty smirked at the last remark. It was amazing how Ash had such a big ego, yet he wasn't a complete jerk. He was just super confident and extremely proud of himself. Which, Misty supposed, wasn't really a bad thing.

"We'll be back in a little while," Misty announced, carrying Elizabeth towards the door as Aiden and Michelle followed behind. "Come on, Pikachu! Vaporeon!"

The two Pokémon came darting down the stairs, Pikachu dressed in his old clown costume and Vaporeon sporting a pair of red horns atop her head.

"Me and Vaypy are opp-sites!" Elizabeth cried, giggling afterwards. The water type, in turn, simply sighed and hung her head.

"Don't worry, Vaporeon, I'll give ya some extra treats later," Ash promised with a wink, perking up the aqua jet Pokémon almost immediately.

Misty was soon out the door with the three kids and the two Pokémon, and Ash was left all alone on the couch. Breathing out contently, Ash stretched out and folded his arms behind his head, closing his eyes and smirking to himself.

"I'll always find it ironic that Halloween is the quietest night of the year in this house," Ash sighed.

**XXX**

"Mommy, look what I gots!"

"I can't see it, Lizzie," Misty sighed, moving the toddler's hand away from her face. "Not when it's less than an inch away from my face, anyway."

"Licky!" Elizabeth cried, holding it up above her head.

"Oh, licorice," Misty breathed, smiling afterwards. "You love licorice, don't you?"

"Uh huh," Elizabeth chirped, dropping the red morsel into her pink plastic bucket. "And lollies, and choc-ite, and gummy dwops, and-"

"We get it, Elizabeth, you love every single candy ever invented," Aiden interrupted before popping a piece of caramel into his mouth. Huffing, Elizabeth stuck her tongue out at the boy, who wasn't at all affected by such an action.

"Alright you two, settle down," Misty warned, standing back up to her full height. "We've already covered most of the houses down here. Maybe we should start heading back."

"No way!" Aiden protested.

"Aiden, you've got more candy in that bag than you could ever possibly _hope_ to finish," Misty reasoned. A familiar glint went off in Aiden's eyes, and Misty spotted it right away. "That wasn't a challenge, either."

"I'm getting a little tired," Michelle admitted.

"Well, if you're getting tired, I'm sure Elizabeth is _exhausted_," Misty stressed, looking down at the youngest child.

"No, Mommy!" Elizabeth chimed, earning a groan from her mother.

"I know _I'm _exhausted," Misty grumbled, hunching her shoulders.

"Hey, I know!" Aiden gasped, alarming his mother and sisters. "Let's go back home and scare Dad!"

"Aiden-" Misty groaned.

"YEAH!" Elizabeth cheered, earning sweat drops from her mother and older sister.

"Elizabeth, you've been scaring Daddy _all day_," Michelle tried. "Aren't you bored of terrorizing him yet?"

"No," Elizabeth squeaked, causing Michelle to smack her forehead.

"That's because Elizabeth knows how to have fun," Aiden chuckled.

"Don't you think her jumping out of his closet was bad enough?" Michelle retorted.

"No way, you did that?!" Aiden roared with laughter, earning a big smile and a nod from the little three year old standing next to him. "That's hilarious!"

"It wasn't hilarious when I thought your father was going to have a heart attack," Misty muttered.

"You're going to be the _perfect _partner in crime, Lizzie," Aiden commented, which led Elizabeth to giggle and clap her hands together. "Come on, let's go give Dad his trick!"

**XXX**

For Ash, handing out Halloween candy was easy. He liked kids, so that was fine, and not too many dropped by anyway. Those who did were always more than pleased to find the Pokémon Master at the door. The ones who weren't fazed were the ones who lived nearby and saw the famous man on a daily basis. They were still very grateful for the candy, though.

Once there had been a lull in visitors, Ash deemed it safe to run into the kitchen and make himself a sandwich. Sure, he had already had dinner with the rest of his family, and desert right afterwards, plus a few pieces of candy here and there while he was waiting for the doorbell to ring. But he was still hungry. And a little sandwich or two wouldn't hurt. Ash had an insatiable appetite, and a metabolism fast enough to burn it all off before his stomach could even _process_ what had just been ingested. It was certainly a gift.

Unfortunately for him, his children were aware of his late night eating habits, and were standing outside the kitchen window, devising a plan to spook their father.

Well, Aiden and Elizabeth were, anyway. Misty and Michelle refused to take part in the tricking.

"Do you two _really_ find this to be absolutely necessary?" Misty questioned, shaking her head as she did so.

"Of course we do!" Aiden cried. "I have to teach Lizzie the fine art of scaring Dad. She seems to have got it down pretty good already, but she _is_ only three. There's still a lot of things she needs to learn before she's as good at tricking him as I am!"

"I wish you were this passionate about your learning," Misty sighed, folding her arms against her chest.

"Okay, Lizzie," Aide began, kneeling down in front of the excited toddler. "Now, this is always the time of night where Dad makes his post-dinner sandwich."

"Daddy eats too much," Elizabeth commented. "How come he nevew gets a tummy ache?"

"I don't know, and that's not what we're trying to establish at the moment," Aiden rebutted. "Anyway, that makes it the _perfect_ time to scare him! Because he won't suspect a thing. He still thinks we're out trick or treating! But really, _he'll _be the one getting the tricks."

"Twick ow tweat!" Elizabeth yelped, causing Aiden to hiss and cover her mouth with his hand.

"No more of that, or we'll get caught," Aiden warned.

"Oh," Elizabeth murmured once her brother moved his hand away.

"I've got a great plan, and you're a big part of it," Aiden continued, earning another smile from Elizabeth. "But that costume of yours _really _isn't scary enough to get the job done."

Elizabeth's smile quickly turned into a frown as she glanced down at her costume. "I'm a angel."

"Yeah, and angels are _good_," Aiden reasoned. "They wouldn't be trying to scare people like this."

"I scawed Daddy befowe, and I wasded a angel," Elizabeth tried.

"Well, we're playing by my rules now, and I say an angel isn't scary enough," Aiden sighed. "Fortunately, I brought some stuff along with me that will transform you in seconds!"

At this, Michelle furrowed her brow and looked over at her mother. "You're really going to let Aiden do this to Elizabeth?"

"I sure wish he would teach her something a little more worthwhile and not as panic inducing, but I think this might be the best I ever get," Misty replied. "At least he's not showing her how to get up on the roof."

**XXX**

"AIDEN, GET OFF THE ROOF THIS INSTANT! AND BRING ELIZABETH DOWN WITH YOU!"

Aiden winced at his mother's shrill voice, but simply chose to ignore her loud and belligerent demands.

"Okay, here's what we're going to do," Aiden began explaining to Elizabeth. "I managed to grab Bulbasaur's poke ball before when we stopped by the Professor's place. He's gonna use his vine whip to lower you down towards the window. It'll look like you're floating, almost like a ghost. When Dad sees you in the window, he'll totally freak!"

"How comes my face's wed?" Elizabeth asked, pointing at the bright face paint smeared over her mouth and across her cheeks.

"Because it's supposed to be blood," Aiden answered. "You may still be dressed as an angel, but at least now you look like a little psycho killer angel or something."

Elizabeth blinked and began poking at the bottom of her cheek, where the red paint was slathered.

"Don't touch it, it'll come off," Aiden warned, pulling out the stolen poke ball and popping it open to release Bulbasaur. As soon as the grass type was released, he looked around in confusion before setting his big, red eyes on Aiden and croaking out bewilderment. "Sorry for surprising you, Bulbasaur. We just need someone to help us freak out Dad, and you're the one!"

"Bulba?" Bulbasaur repeated.

"Just use your vine whip to lower Elizabeth down near the kitchen window," Aiden explained. "When Dad sees her, he's gonna jump right out of his skin!"

"Bul," Bulbasaur murmured, unleashing his twin vines and wrapping them around Elizabeth's waist. Slowly, the little girl was lowered down towards the window, where she was left floating. Ash's back was to her, but Elizabeth was ready for when he turned around. Smirking, she furrowed her brow and held her hands in front of herself, her fingers curled up like claws.

And, it was at that very moment, that Ash turned around and caught sight of the young girl's shadowy figure.

He screamed, throwing his plate into the air and sending his sandwich flying. The bread and ingredients went in all different directions, while the plate clattered to the floor as Ash went running, panting heavily and shrieking simultaneously.

"Sometimes I hate this family," Michelle grumbled, shaking her head.

"All I know is I'm not cleaning that mess up," Misty sighed, rolling her eyes up into her head.

* * *

><p><strong>Aiden and Elizabeth interactions are really fun. I love writing them together :P<strong>

**There's a few things in here I'll probably address later, like Aiden dressing up as Ash for one Halloween and his and Michelle's "lessons."**


	245. Live and Let's Learn

**I have another one shot! And this one answers the burning question: how come Aiden and Michelle are never in school?**

**Aiden and Michelle: 4 and a half years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Live and Let's Learn<strong>

Misty smiled as she watched Aiden and Michelle play their little board game on the living room floor. They were such sweet and fun loving children. But they were also at the age where they were supposed to begin getting an education.

Nothing about learning was very strict. Everyone chose to educate their children in different ways. Misty herself had been sent to a private training academy by her grandmother, where she'd had regular lessons in addition to learning about Pokémon training. Once her grandmother had passed away, however, Misty basically abandoned school and never actually graduated from the academy.

Ash had rarely talked about his own education. From what Misty had gathered from his small hints and Delia's own stories, however, Ash had gone to a regular school, and not been a stealer student. He himself had said he never really cared about school, and didn't like to relive the memories. According to Delia, Ash's grades had never been great, and he'd always gotten in trouble at school because of his inattentiveness and hyperactivity.

Aiden and Michelle were exact opposites of one another, but mirror images of their respective parents. While Aiden was very wired and difficult to keep focused, Michelle loved learning new things and was very interested in the prospects of education. She was already trying to read everything in sight, and got so excited when she could actually understand what the words said. Aiden, on the other hand, couldn't care less.

Misty had a lot of decisions to make about the two. She knew, of course, that she could send them to the same training academy she had gone to as a child. But…there was an admittedly selfish part of her that didn't want to let the children go. At all. She knew that they were still young, and this was just school they were talking about. But Misty was very attached to the two, and the thought of letting them go for even just a few hours a day killed her. She had yet to talk to Ash about her concerns, because he was in no rush to put the kids in school anyway. Misty knew it had to do with his own bad experiences, but that wasn't exactly an excuse to not give their children an education.

That was why she had called Delia over to discuss the issue with her.

Delia was very rational; pretty much the exact opposite of her son. She always had multiple suggestions, and was more than willing to listen to Misty when the younger woman was having a problem.

And this huge decision was _definitely _a problem.

As soon as the doorbell rang, Aiden and Michelle picked their heads up in interest. Misty smiled at the two and silently urged them to continue playing their board game. The twins didn't need to be told twice, and immediately went back to playing while their mother approached the front door. Vaporeon, at the same time, came running down the stairs and pressed her nose against the door, growling lowly as she narrowed her eyes.

"There's no danger, Vaporeon," Misty giggled, watching as the protective Pokémon took a few steps back. "It's just Delia."

Misty opened up the door, and just as she had said, Delia was standing on the front porch, beaming at her daughter-in-law.

"Good afternoon, Misty!" Delia greeted cheerfully. "It's lovely to see you!"

"You too!" Misty chirped. "Please, come inside!"

Delia entered the house and grinned at the two young children who had finally abandoned their game in favor of rushing towards her with excited cries of, "Grammy! Grammy!"

"Hello my two beautiful grandbabies!" Delia gasped, kneeling down and gathering the two in her arms. "Oh, I swear that you two get bigger every single time I see you! You're both going to be even taller than me before I know it!"

"Grammy, did you bring us somethin'?" Aiden asked.

"Aiden!" Misty hissed. The young boy always made it a point to ask his grandmother for something when she came over or they visited her, and it was mortifying for his young mother.

"It's okay, Misty," Delia assured the flustered gym leader. "As a matter of fact, little boy, I _did _bring you two something special!" Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a plastic container and handed it off to the young boy, who beamed in response. "It's a batch of my famous chocolate chip cookies! I made them just this morning!"

"Thank you, Grammy!" Aiden and Michelle cried simultaneously, running into the kitchen with the container in their grasps.

"Don't eat them all!" Misty warned, sighing immediately afterwards.

"Exhausting, isn't it?" Delia giggled.

"I feel like I haven't gotten a good night's sleep since the day they were born," Misty grumbled, running a hand through her fiery mane. "And they're almost five!"

"You won't get another solid eight hours until they leave the house," Delia sighed laughingly. "And even then it's not so easy."

"Oh, I don't want to think about that," Misty groaned, covering her eyes with her hands. "I don't even want to think about _this!_"

"Think about what, dear?" Delia murmured.

"The whole school thing," Misty replied, lowering her arms down to her sides.

"Ah, right, that's what we were going to talk about!" Delia giggled.

"I can't talk to Ash about it," Misty began. "He doesn't think it's necessary at all. And it is. I know he had a lousy school experience, but he doesn't seem to understand that I'm not trying to torture our children. In fact, I'm just trying to help them. They need to know how to read and write and do all of that stuff."

"Yes, Ash is definitely tough when it comes to the topic of school," Delia agreed.

"But it's not just that," Misty continued with a sigh. "I realized that the more I think about it…the more upset I get."

Delia tilted her head, looking confused. "What do you mean, dear?"

"I don't want to let them go," Misty whispered, the pain flashing in her eyes. "I know it's just school, I do. But…the thought of letting them go _kills_ me. It sounds stupid, I know, but-"

"It's not stupid," Delia interrupted, soothingly brushing Misty's hair behind her ears. "Not at all. You're their mother. It's completely normal to want them near you. I remember how hard it was for me to send Ash off to school. But I knew it was important, in his case. He didn't have a father or much other family growing up. He needed friends and a support system other than myself. Of course, it didn't work out very well, but at least I tried."

"What should I do?" Misty groaned. "There are so many options, yet I feel like I have none. I don't even know how that's possible!"

"What are your options?" Delia queried, motioning for Misty to follow her towards the couch so they could both sit down.

"Well, I could send them both to a trainer's school, where they'd learn about Pokémon _and_ have regular lessons at the same time," Misty mused. "There's a great school right here in the city where I went as a kid. I didn't always love it, but you can't get a better education in all of Cerulean. It's expensive and exclusive, but they're my kids, so I know they have an automatic in."

"What else?" Delia prodded.

"Then there's regular school, like where Ash went," Misty elaborated. "And for that, there are lots of options here. There are a few public schools, and two or three private ones they could go to. That all depends on location and what kind of atmosphere you want. But I know that Aiden would _hate_ it. It's way too structured for him."

"Would the trainer's academy be too structured also?" Delia questioned.

"Probably," Misty sighed. "I mean, at least that involves Pokémon, but still. The very thought of leaving him alone with a teacher is terrifying. Something tells me that classroom wouldn't be in one piece by the end of the day."

"And Michelle?"

"Michelle likes to learn new things," Misty answered slowly, "but she _hates_ trying new things. I know that if I drop her off at a school, she'll just cry and cry all day."

"Maybe those aren't your only options, then," Delia tried, earning a bewildered look from Misty.

"You have another idea?"

"I think that it might be best if the twins are homeschooled," Delia finished.

"Homeschooled?" Misty repeated, her eyes widening.

"You and Ash have very unique careers and lifestyles, so Aiden and Michelle do as well," Delia elucidated. "If they're taught at home, everything can be a lot more flexible. They can learn when they want, when it's reasonable. That'll be especially good for Aiden. And it'll be comfortable for Michelle, who won't have to be thrust into too many new things at once!"

"That's not a bad idea," Misty murmured, "but I don't have any time to teach them. And Ash, as much as I love him, is _not _qualified to educate our children."

"I'll be more than happy to do it!" Delia chirped.

"What?" Misty gasped.

"I don't have to be at the restaurant _all _day," Delia continued. "And I can cook and craft and do all of those things while the twins are busy! Besides, you know how much I love spending time with my grandbabies."

"You really don't mind?" Misty gawked.

"Not at all!" Delia assured. "I've always regretted not doing it with Ash. The only reason I really sent him to school was to make friends. Besides me, all he really had was Gary Oak, and you know as well as I do that those two weren't exactly close."

"True," Misty trilled with a nod.

"I think me teaching them will be best," Delia decided. "I can get some fun little books and worksheets. I won't make it too strenuous or scary for them. And I'll be able to go at their own paces, since Michelle seems a little advanced and Aiden a bit more behind."

"That _would_ be a good thing…" Misty mused. "I was afraid that in school, Michelle would get bored easily, and Aiden would become too frustrated."

"So you trust me?"

Misty smiled at her mother-in-law, who was still looking rather hopeful. "Of course I do. And I agree with everything you've said! This will be perfect. And Ash will love it! I never thought we'd agree on the twins' education, but now it seems like we'll both love it!"

"I'm so glad!" Delia warbled.

"Thank you so much for helping me, Delia," Misty sighed. "I really don't know what I'd do without you."

"Don't mention it, dear," Delia giggled lovingly. "I'm happy to help!"

* * *

><p><strong>...that's why. Delia is the one who teaches them! And it's not all the time. I imagine that in the Pokémon world, they're a little more lenient than in real life. I mean, come on, they consider 10 year olds as adults and let them wander around by themselves in search of wild creatures. I'm pretty sure there's no specific school rule set in place :P So, they'll go to their grandma and learn how to read, write, count, all that stuff. Fun! <strong>


	246. Athlete or Artist

**I was going to save this one, but then I had a lousy day and decided I could use some cheering up by sharing this one with you guys :) Misty's been getting lots of focus lately, because Ash was getting sooo much. I can't help it, I love the guy! But this one is mother/daughter sweetness (and some sarcasm of course) so it's lots of fun ;)**

**Michelle: 9 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Athlete or Artist<strong>

Michelle huffed to herself and rested her head atop her folded arms. She couldn't even _believe_ she was thinking this, but…

She was jealous of her siblings.

Both were very athletic and sport savvy. Aiden was a talented baseball player, and Elizabeth, though still young, was an agile dancer. Michelle herself had never been into those kinds of things. Her mother had offered various things before, and her aunts had _really _pushed dance on her. But Michelle was never interested. She'd always liked to be left alone with her books. Reading had always been Michelle's favorite pastime.

But now she felt useless and boring.

Within the next year, she'd become a Pokémon trainer. A coordinator, to be precise. That was more noble than any sport Michelle could think of. But for now…she was just Michelle. A nine year old girl who felt she had no other talents besides the ability to finish an entire novel in the span of 48 hours.

She needed to do something worthwhile. Something that would put her at the same level as her siblings.

Some kind of sport.

**XXX**

"Mom, I want to be a gymnast."

Misty raised an eyebrow and looked over her shoulder from where she stood at the oven, beginning to cook dinner for the family. Michelle was standing in the middle of the kitchen, looking quite determined and stoic.

"Michelle, you can't just become a gymnast, it's not that easy" Misty reasoned. "Besides, you've never showed an interest in gymnastics before. Why all of a sudden?"

"Because gymnasts are like…the most amazing athletes ever!" Michelle stressed, moving closer to her mother and resting against the side of the counter. "Have you ever seen the way they bend?"

"And can _you_ bend that way?" Misty asked with a smirk.

"Uh…I don't know…"

"I don't think we should find out," Misty decided, picking up the spoon and stirring the water in the pot.

"But I have to do _something!_" Michelle whined, earning a bewildered look from her mother.

"What do you mean you have to do something?" Misty questioned.

"Well, Aiden has baseball, and Elizabeth has dance," Michelle elaborated. "I don't have _anything._"

"You've never been an athletic person," Misty tried. "I always tried to get you into different things, but you wouldn't have any of it! You always liked to be left alone with your books and your artsy things. And there's nothing wrong with that."

"Yeah, except now I feel like I haven't accomplished anything in my life," Michelle groaned, sinking down further against the counter. "I'm just wasting away into nothing."

Misty closed her eyes and shook her head. "Are you going through your midlife crisis? Because I'd really like it if you lived past the age of eighteen."

"It's not a midlife crisis," Michelle refuted. "It's more of a realization, I guess."

"Michelle, you don't need to play a sport to…complete yourself, or whatever nonsense it is you've come up with," Misty reasoned. "There's nothing wrong with not being into those kinds of things! Just because Aiden loves baseball and Elizabeth loves dance doesn't mean you have to passionate about a sport. You loving reading, drawing, and writing is just as good!"

"Maybe it was, but not now that I'm older!" Michelle stressed. "Now it's just a huge disappointment!"

"To who?"

"Everybody!"

"Well, you're not a disappointment to _me,_" Misty tried, hoping to ease Michelle's mind.

"Great, _one_ person," Michelle grumbled. "And you're my _mom._"

"There's not much you can just pick up and start, Michelle," Misty sighed. "Do you want me to talk to Aunt Daisy? You could probably join the cheerleading team that Dakota and her friends are on."

"Ew, gross," Michelle spat. "Cheerleaders are the _worst._"

"You said you wanted to pick up a sport!" Misty hissed.

"Yeah, but not _that _sport," Michelle scoffed. "I'd rather throw myself off a bridge than be some stupid, shallow cheerleader. No thank you."

"Oh, Michelle," Misty breathed.

"Well, do you blame me?" Michelle cried. "I've met her friends! They're all brats!"

"Okay, I get it, you hate cheerleaders and would rather die than be one," Misty droned.

"Thank you," Michelle murmured, sounding rather relieved that her mother had finally gotten the point.

"So basically, what you're telling me is that you need something to be proud of, correct?" Misty questioned. "Something that other people can actually watch you do?"

"Yeah," Michelle replied. "After all, no one can watch me read a book. Well, I guess they could, but it would be pretty boring."

"Then maybe it doesn't necessarily have to be a sport," Misty mused, looking up towards the ceiling.

"Sounds like you've got some kind of idea," Michelle assisted, her eyes flickering with interest.

"As a matter of fact, I do," Misty hummed. She picked up the cover and placed it over the pot, deciding to let the water simmer for a little while. "Follow me."

Michelle blinked out of confusion, but wordlessly followed after her mother. She had no idea where they were going. Not a single clue. But Michelle knew her mother almost always had her head on straight, so she wasn't necessarily nervous about it. Just very curious.

Misty led her out the front door, which certainly seemed strange. But still no questions. Not out loud, anyway. The mother and daughter duo walked next door, to the gym, and walked right through the front. Misty continued leading Michelle to the familiar staircase which led to the second floor of the building. Once they were up there, however, Misty brought Michelle to _another _staircase, one that the younger girl wasn't overly familiar with.

"What are we going up there for?" Michelle asked. "We _never _go up there."

"That's where my idea is," Misty giggled. "Come on!"

Misty darted up the stairs, and Michelle was hot on her trail. Going up the stairs led to the gym's attic, which was a dark, musty room full of old junk that probably should have been thrown out, but was mercilessly saved due to nostalgia. Michelle walked over towards one of the dust bathed windows and tapped the toe of her sneaker against a stack of boxes, trying to figure out what could possibly be stored inside of the cardboard cubes.

"Ah, here it is!"

Michelle looked over her shoulder and spotted her mother standing in the far right corner, next to a large object covered by a grimy white sheet. She yanked off the fabric, coughing in the process as she was engulfed in a massive dust cloud. Once it faded away, however, Michelle was finally able to see what had been hidden beneath the dirty sheet: a beautiful black piano which, thanks to the sheet that had been draped over, was sparkling and looked brand new, despite its obvious age.

"We have a piano?" Michelle gasped.

"I kind of forgot about it," Misty admitted sheepishly. "It's really old. My great grandma had bought it because she made all of her kids learn how to play it. I'm pretty sure my grandma was the only one who liked it, since it's here in the gym and all. My mom and my aunts might have taken lessons, too. All I know for sure is that my sisters and I used to play with it for fun. I was partial to my tambourine, of course, but the piano sure was fun to mess around with when I was bored."

"That's so cool," Michelle breathed, striding over to the instrument and carefully examining it with both her eyes and her fingertips. "But…how come you decided to show me this? What kind of an idea did you get?"

"Well, you've always been the artsy one in the family," Misty explained. "You and I both know that well enough. And I think it's great! You don't need to be sporty like your brother and sister. But I know that sometimes, when it comes to being artsy, it's harder for people to appreciate your work than it is for them to see how hard Aiden and Elizabeth work at baseball and dance. So, I figured that if you learned how to play the piano, you would actually be able to show that off to people! No athletic ability required."

Michelle silently contemplated this for a moment before walking over to the bench that sat behind the ivory and ebony keys of the piano. Sitting down, Michelle pressed an experimental finger down on one of the long white keys and smiled gently when the sound rung through the air. She then moved her finger up and pressed the coordinating black key, which made a slightly different noise than the one before it.

"What do you think?" Misty asked.

"I think it's a good idea…" Michelle murmured, moving her hand down and pressing another key. "It might be a lot of fun! I've always wanted to play an instrument. And I guess once I get good enough, I can play it for everybody!"

"And they'd all be delighted to listen to you," Misty agreed.

"Thanks, Mom!" Michelle trilled, jumping up and wrapping her arms around her mother. "And thanks for saving my back, and my neck, and my head."

"What do you mean by that?" Misty murmured.

"The whole gymnastics thing," Michelle deadpanned.

"Oh right, that," Misty breathed. "Yeah, I never would have let you do that anyway. I believe in you no matter what, seashell, but I think that one might have been pushing it."

* * *

><p><strong>I grew up in a town where sports were everything and nothing else compared. Not even dance is good enough here! Frowny face :( Also because my sister does marching band, which is ten times harder than a sport but appreciated ten times less. Poor kids. Yay for artsy people! :P<strong>


	247. Where's the Bear

**Ciao, friends. I'm so close to the end of the semester I can almost taste it! But this is registration week, and it's sooo stressful. So, what do I do for stress relief? Write, of course!**

**Aiden: 6 years old**

**Elizabeth: 5 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Where's the Bear<strong>

"Uh oh…Lizzie, where's Teddi?"

"Ooh…"

"Where did Teddi go, Elizabeth? Where is he?"

"Uwa…"

"Here he is!"

Elizabeth shrieked with laughter as her father held the stuffed Teddiursa in front of her face, shaking him back and forth in a showy fashion. The tiny baby gurgled and mumbled once the laughter died down, reaching up with little fingers to try and grab the bear's face.

"You love this little guy, huh?" Ash murmured, moving the stuffed creature away from the baby and then closer once again. "Well, I'm sure glad I bought him for you!"

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes slightly and, as Ash pushed the bear closer to her, managed to grab its face and yank it out of his hands. Ash gasped softly at the action, and Elizabeth just giggled victoriously.

"Whoa, that was _fast!_" Ash marveled. "Good reflexes, pumpkin!"

Elizabeth mumbled contently to herself and began chewing on Teddi's ear, staring up at Ash she gummed away at the stuffed creature.

"You were so tiny when I gave you Teddi," Ash breathed. "He was almost as big as you! Did ya know that, Lizzie?"

The baby mumbled around Teddi's ear and reached her hands around to tug at the bear's nose and stomach.

"I think you were one of the smallest babies in that whole place," Ash mused, his eyes floating up towards the ceiling. "Your head used to fit right in my hand! But you're bigger now, aren't you? You're becoming a big girl!"

Elizabeth grumbled quietly and took Teddi's ear out of her mouth, instead hiding her face behind the bear's head as she released her grip on the toy and pulled her hands back towards her ears.

"What are you doing, Lizzie?" Ash chuckled. "Are you hiding?"

The baby's head lolled to the right, causing Teddi to slide off of her face. This revealed to Ash that his daughter had fallen fast asleep, and was no longer listening to him. Maybe she hadn't even been listening in the first place. Ash could never tell, since she _was _just a baby. But he loved her, and he had always assumed that his voice was soothing to her, if nothing else. Every time he talked to her, she would smile up at him like the happiest kid in the entire world. It melted his heart without fail.

"Have a good nap, pumpkin," Ash murmured, tucking Teddi away by Elizabeth's side and giving her a kiss on the head before quietly walking away, leaving the baby girl to sleep peacefully.

**XXX**

One hour later, it was a piercing wail that caused Ash to jump up from his seat at the kitchen table.

He ran into the living room, where Elizabeth had been fast asleep in her pink and white basket, and immediately headed for the little bed, peering inside with a look that combined both apprehension and concern. There he saw Elizabeth, screaming and crying her eyes out. Ash's first assumption was that she had simply woken up grumpy, but that rarely happened with Elizabeth. She was generally a very happy little girl. And that thought was what led him to a shocking discovery upon further examination.

Teddi was missing.

"What?!" Ash gasped. "Where did it go?! How could it have gone _anywhere?!_"

Elizabeth, of course, was still bawling, and Ash's heart began to race. There was no way the bear could be missing! Maybe she had just thrown him out of the basket when she'd first woken up!

"Oh, Lizzie," Ash sighed, getting on his hands and knees and crawling around the perimeter. When he didn't find the little stuffed bear, however, his anxiety reached a whole new level. "You didn't throw it out yourself?!"

Elizabeth replied with another terrifying scream, which quickly brought Ash back to his feet. At the exact same time, Misty was walking through the front door, and hearing her baby's torturous cry caused her to drop everything. Literally.

"What's wrong with her?!" Misty gasped, jumping over her shopping bags and running up next to Ash. She took one glance at the wailing baby, and then at her husband, who was also staring down at Elizabeth and wearing a stunned look on his face. Growling, Misty grabbed his shirt and pulled his face into hers, so close that their noses were touching. "ASH! Tell me what you did!"

"I didn't do anything!" Ash cried, his eyes widening at the very idea. "Why would I do anything to our daughter?!"

"She was _alone_, with _you!_" Misty bit. "So why is she screaming?!"

"Because someone stole Teddi!"

"Excuse me?" Misty muttered, narrowing her eyes.

"You heard me," Ash grunted. "Teddi is missing! I came running in when Elizabeth first screamed, and that's when I realized that Teddi wasn't in the basket with her. That must be why she's so upset!"

"That's impossible!" Misty argued, finally letting go of Ash's shirt. "Teddi is a _pokedoll_. He didn't get up and walk out of there!"

"Maybe he's possessed or something," Ash muttered with a shrug.

"THIS IS NOT FUNNY!" Misty stormed, leading Ash to wince. "If that bear is lost, we are _screwed!_"

"I don't think it's funny!" Ash defended himself. "Why would I? Teddi was my very first gift to Elizabeth!"

Misty softened at this. She knew, just as much as her husband, how much Elizabeth adored her precious Teddi. But sometimes, Misty forgot that the bear had actually been a gift from Ash, and not just some stuffed toy that Elizabeth had randomly fallen in love with. It meant just as much to him as it did to the little baby girl it belonged to.

Or, rather…he. They all referred to Teddi as a "he" for some weird reason.

"We have to find him," Ash breathed, his eyes flickering with uneasiness.

"Don't worry, dear," Misty murmured, reaching out to straighten the sections of her husband's shirt that she had so mercilessly squeezed. "We'll find Teddi. I won't let Elizabeth suffer."

Walking closer to the basket, Misty smiled sadly at her daughter and lifted the little one up, cradling the miserable infant in her arms.

"Shh, it's alright, sprinkle, it's okay," Misty warbled, rocking the baby back and forth. "Mommy and Daddy will find Teddi. I promise! Please don't cry, little baby."

Elizabeth didn't pay much mind to her mother's pleads, and continued sobbing. Moving the baby closer to her chest, Misty began to softly sing the sweet lullaby that had always helped to relax her children. Slowly but surely, Elizabeth started to calm down, and was soon reduced to nothing more than an occasional sob or hiccup.

"That'll work for now," Ash murmured. "At least she's not screaming anymore."

"Yeah, but now we have to find Teddi," Misty sighed. "Is it possible that someone took him?"

"Well, Michelle's at Selena's house, so the only people here while you were gone, other than Lizzie, were me and Aiden," Ash mused.

"Aiden!" Misty gasped, her eyes widening.

Ash's mouth fell open. "What? You think he took Teddi?"

"Maybe…I don't know," Misty groaned. "Aiden loves Elizabeth, but sometimes, when he gets jealous or upset, he does bad things."

"I don't think he came downstairs," Ash tried.

"Were you sitting in here with Elizabeth the whole time?" Misty asked, already knowing the answer.

"Well…no," Ash admitted. "I was in the kitchen doing work. If I had been with Elizabeth, I would have seen who took Teddi."

"So there's a good chance that Aiden came downstairs at least once," Misty concluded. "And you know as well as I do that he's gotten angry and taken things like her pacifier before."

"So you really think he'd take Teddi?" Ash sighed.

"I'm not sure, but we have to find out," Misty groaned as Elizabeth let out another miserable whimper. "Come on."

Ash and Misty made their way up the stairs and into Aiden's bedroom, where the young boy was on the floor playing with his Pokémon figurines.

"Aiden, we need to talk," Ash announced gruffly.

"About what?" Aiden squeaked, turning around on his knees.

"Teddi is missing," Ash continued, causing Aiden's jaw to drop. "At first, I thought your little sister threw him on the floor when she woke up, but he wasn't there."

"Uh oh," Aiden muttered. Like his parents, he knew how much Elizabeth loved Teddi. The bear missing was just _asking _for trouble.

"Aiden, we're not going to get mad at you," Misty promised, leading the boy's expression to change from concerned to confused. "We just need you to tell us if you took Teddi, and where you put him."

"WHAT?!" Aiden shrieked.

"There was no one in the house but you and me," Ash added. "And I didn't take Teddi. We just want to know, Aiden."

"I didn't take Teddi!" Aiden cried. "I'd never, ever take him!"

"Really?" Misty breathed.

"Nuh uh!" Aiden cried.

"But, the pacifiers…" Ash tried.

"That's _different!_" Aiden exclaimed. "Lizzie _loves_ Teddi. That's different!"

Ash frowned and threw his son an apologetic look. "I'm sorry for blaming you, buddy."

"Me too," Misty added. "We shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. Sorry, sweetheart."

"It's okay!" Aiden chirped, jumping to his feet. "I'll help find Teddi!"

"That'd be great, champ!" Ash chuckled.

"But Ash, if you and Aiden were the only people in the house, and neither of you took Teddi, where could he possibly be?" Misty groaned.

Ash held his chin in deep thought, and after a short while, his eyes snapped open in realization.

"What?" Misty breathed.

"You're right, Mist," Ash murmured. "Aiden and I were the only _people_ in the house. But…there were Pokémon, too."

Ash ran back down the stairs, Misty and Aiden exchanging curious glances before following after him. Having returned to the living room, Ash walked over to the couch, where Pikachu was curled up into a ball with his ears twitching as he snoozed.

"Pikachu!" Ash called.

The electric mouse grumbled and opened one eye, staring up at his trainer with agitation. "Pi-ka?"

"Heh, sorry to bother you, buddy," Ash chuckled nervously. "But we can't find Teddi. I was wondering if you could sniff him out for us?"

"Kachu," Pikachu sighed, getting up on his paws and sniffing the air for a few moments. Soon enough, his tail stood up straight, and his eyes brightened. Jumping off the couch, Pikachu scurried into the den, where Vaporeon was sitting on the floor, nuzzling none other than Teddi.

"Pi-kachu!" Pikachu squeaked.

"Way to go, Pikachu!" Ash cheered.

"Vaporeon!" Misty gasped, nowhere near as celebratory as her husband and his longtime partner. Upon hearing her name, the water type looked up from the stuffed bear and mewled curiously. "How could you steal him from Lizzie?!"

"Vay…" Vaporeon murmured, her ears flickering.

Sighing, Misty marched over to her own partner and grabbed the bear, holding him in front of a still moping Elizabeth. As soon as the little girl saw her favorite toy, she squealed delightfully and grabbed at the toy's body, hugging him against her own body and once again stuffing his ear in her mouth.

"I think Vaporeon took Teddi for a _reason_, Misty," Ash mused.

"What reason could that possibly be?" Misty questioned.

Pikachu nodded his head and toddled over to Vaporeon, looking the bubble jet Pokémon straight in the eyes. "Pika-chu, pika pika pikachu?"

"Vaypy, vaporeon, vay vaporeon," Vaporeon sighed.

Pikachu looked up at Ash and repeated what the water type had said, Ash's eyes flickering as his partner spoke. Over the years, Ash had garnered a good understanding of Pikachu's language, but not Vaporeon's. As a result, he often had Pikachu speak to the other Pokémon for a (slightly) more understandable explanation.

"I see," Ash breathed before looking over at his bewildered wife. "Vaporeon took Teddi because, well, her maternal instincts were calling. She caught Teddi's scent, and liked it because it's a combination of all of us. Also, he's soft."

"So, you're telling me that Vaporeon took Teddi so she could baby him?" Misty deadpanned.

"Pretty much," Ash chuckled.

"Aw, that's kind of cute!" Misty giggled, glancing down at a sheepish Vaporeon. "It's okay, Vaporeon. I understand now! But…Teddi is too special to Elizabeth. You can't really borrow him. But she's got lots of other stuffed Pokémon! Want to go pick one out?"

"Vay," Vaporeon purred, nodding afterwards.

"Great!" Misty trilled. "Now you'll be happy, and Elizabeth will be, too."

"As long as I don't have to hear all that yelping again, I'll be pretty happy myself!" Ash laughed.

* * *

><p><strong>That Teddi. He's been all over the place XD And yes, they all call him, well, a "he." You've all done it with stuffed animals, don't lie. We called my blanket a he. That's right, a blanket.<strong>

**I have no idea why.**


	248. Driving Disaster

**This one's short, but I needed to get something out because the stress of registration is driving me insane.**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Driving Disaster<strong>

"Ash…you don't need to go this slow."

"Yes, I do."

"I'm pretty sure I just saw a _Slugma_ outside going faster than us."

"Well, good for it."

"Everyone behind us is honking at you!"

"Maybe they should get some patience, then."

"And maybe _you_ should learn to relax!"

"I _am_ relaxed!"

"Oh, really?"

"Yes!"

"Then how come your knuckles are white?"

Ash glanced down at his hands, which were gripping the steering wheel much more tightly than usual. Indeed, his knuckles were pure white, just like a ghost's.

"Because…because my blood flow is off," Ash stammered.

"Oh gods, Ash, that was the worst lie I've ever heard."

Stopping at a red light, Ash glared over his shoulder at Misty, who was sitting in the backseat with an incredulous look on her face.

"There's nothing wrong with the way I'm driving, Misty."

"There's a difference between driving _safely_, and driving like an _old man_," Misty quipped.

"I have to be careful!" Ash stressed, looking back ahead and holding the wheel even more tightly. Misty was _really _spiking his anxiety. "No reckless driving here."

"But you _never _drove recklessly," Misty groaned. "So you don't need to change your methods!"

"I'm not taking any chances!" Ash hissed as the light turned green. He looked both ways, which was completely unnecessary since they weren't at an intersection, and only began driving after the two cars behind him honked. And even then, Ash was only going about fifteen miles an hour.

"I can't stand this," Misty grumbled, sinking down in her seat.

"I'm being safe!"

"You're being _annoying._"

Ash scowled and released the pressure he'd been putting on the gas pedal, trying to make sure he didn't go too fast. When Misty was sure he wasn't going to respond to her jab, she sighed and leaned forward, poking her head between the driver and passenger seat.

"You know, I _am_ sitting back here with them."

"Yeah."

"So I know that everything is fine."

"Doesn't mean I can't be cautious," Ash muttered.

"Ash, babies _like_ car rides," Misty tried.

"I know," Ash murmured. "And this is a car ride."

"No, this is more like a slow crawl across the Kanto region," Misty retorted.

"Everything is fine," Ash assured his wife. "Don't worry about it, Mist. I know what I'm doing."

From outside, another car honked as Ash made a particularly slow turn around a corner. Sighing, Misty glanced down to her left, and then her right. By each of her sides, her and Ash's baby twins were fast asleep in their car seats, completely unaffected by their father's slow driving and all of the resulting chaos outside.

"I'm sorry about your daddy," Misty whispered, shaking her head as she did so. "He's sweet, but he's also _insanely_ overprotective. I'm hoping this won't go on for the rest of your lives, but…no promises."

* * *

><p><strong>I honestly think I got this idea because today, I kept getting stuck behind people driving at like 15 MPH. When you're already on edge...not fun XD<strong>


	249. Brat Attack

**Hello everyone. How are you. I'm exhausted...school is going to be the death of me :/ But that's what I have writing for! Fun times ^^**

**Aiden: 8 years old**

**Elizabeth: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Brat Attack<strong>

"Elizabeth, please don't touch that."

The tiny toddler glanced up at her mother with an unamused expression before returning to the discarded plastic bottle in front of her, picking it up and smashing it against the pavement.

"Elizabeth, no!"

At this point, Misty found it fit to bend down and tear the empty soda bottle out of her daughter's hands. This resulted in an ear splitting scream from Elizabeth, which caused everyone around her to wince, save for her mother.

"I told you not to touch this," Misty sighed, tossing the bottle into a nearby garbage can. "It's icky."

"I WA!" Elizabeth screamed, holding her hands up towards Misty.

"No, you can't have it, it's gone now," Misty replied indifferently, holding up her own empty hands. "Look! Gone."

Once again, Elizabeth screamed. Rolling her eyes, Misty picked up the little girl, who whined unappreciatively and began to kick her legs in a valiant attempt to escape.

"The terrible twos, huh?" Olivia asked with a slight giggle.

"I think this might be worse than having a teenager," Misty grunted, trying not to drop Elizabeth as the toddler continued to carry on.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Olivia mused. "My older sister has a teenage daughter. She says it's like having five toddlers stuffed into one body."

"Oh, fantastic," Misty drawled sarcastically. "So I have more to look forward to?"

"Sounds like it," Olivia hummed. "Times like these I'm glad Brandon is a boy. Sure, he was a total pain at times when he was little, but they're easier than girls when they get older. So I've heard, anyway."

"Watch him turn around and be just as bad," Misty quipped.

"Probably," Olivia sighed. "Knowing _my_ luck."

"Mommy, I hung-y!" Elizabeth whined, throwing her head back. "Hung-y!"

"Elizabeth, stop carrying on," Misty hushed. "I've got snacks in my bag. You want something?"

"Ya," Elizabeth squeaked.

"We should probably go take a seat in the stands anyway," Olivia reasoned. "The game is going to start soon!"

"Oh, I wish Ash was here," Misty groaned, walking alongside Olivia as they headed towards the bleachers. "He always seems to be good at calming Elizabeth down. Then again, it might just be because he thinks she can do no wrong. He never punishes her, even when she's misbehaving! He just goes on and on about how cute she is."

"Typical dad stuff," Olivia sighed laughingly. "Forrest was exactly like that when Brandon was young. Now that our _wonderful _son has grown up, though, Forrest is keener to his antics. I imagine it's even harder with a girl, though. The whole charm factor and what not."

"You'd think our kid is royalty or something," Misty sighed, sitting down with the toddler in her lap.

"_Mommy!_" Elizabeth screeched, throwing her arms up and wriggling violently in her mother's grasp. "Hung-y! HUNG-Y!"

"Alright, I get it!" Misty sighed, reaching into her quilted diaper bag and pulling out a re-sealable bag of yogurt drops. "Here, Lizzie. It's the berry ones you like!"

Elizabeth reached forward and took the bag, reaching into it and pulling out one of the light blue ovals. She held it in her tiny little fingers, staring contemplatively at the snack before popping it in her mouth and staring at her mother and Olivia as she chewed.

"I can't exactly blame your husband," Olivia giggled. "Elizabeth is absolutely precious!"

"You say that _now_ because she's quiet," Misty replied with a smirk. Turning her attention back onto Elizabeth, Misty crooned, "Those are tasty, right? Yummy?"

"Yum yum," Elizabeth chirped, earning a delighted coo from the already enamored Olivia.

"Dow!" Elizabeth demanded, using one hand to point down at the next row of the bleachers. "Dow!"

"No, sit here with me, Lizzie," Misty tried. "Look who's on the field! Isn't that Denny?"

Elizabeth followed her mother's finger, which was pointing at her older brother. He stood on third base; his unruly raven hair was peeking out beneath his red baseball cap. Elizabeth sort of knew it was Aiden, but she didn't really care at the moment.

"Dow!" Elizabeth cried again.

"Elizabeth, come on, the game is about to start," Misty breathed. "Stay with Mommy and watch Denny!"

"No, Mommy," Elizabeth refuted.

"Elizabeth…"

"Dow!"

Rolling her eyes, Misty put Elizabeth down by her feet and rested her head in her hand, keeping her eyes locked on the toddler. Fortunately for her, Elizabeth was just standing in place at the moment, reaching into the bag of yogurt drops and continuously popping them into her mouth as she stared out at the field.

"Ah, that's all she wanted," Olivia crooned.

"I've got to keep an eye on her, though," Misty grumbled. "I look away for one second and the kid will be halfway to Johto."

"Look! Ball!"

Misty blinked and looked up at the field, where Elizabeth was excitedly pointing at the baseball being held by the pitcher on the mound.

"Yeah, that's a baseball," Misty giggled. "What are they gonna do with the ball, Lizzie?"

The little girl looked over her shoulder and grinned, making a throwing motion with her arm. Olivia squealed once again, and this only increased Elizabeth's smile. She absolutely _loved_ it when people thought she was cute. That only egged her on to show off even more.

"She walks around the house and does that all the time," Misty amusedly explained to Olivia. "She just runs up to Aiden and pretends to swing a bat and catch the ball. I guess that's a two year old's way of communicating."

"OW!"

Misty gasped and glanced down. While she'd been busy talking to Olivia, Elizabeth had somehow fallen down, and was now resting on her hands and knees with her head hanging down.

"Oh, Elizabeth," Misty groaned, picking the toddler up as a wrenching cry escaped from her throat. "What did you do? Were you messing around?"

Elizabeth continued sobbing, still gripping the bag of yogurt drops in her hand. Gently, Misty took the bag away and placed them down by her side, examining the girl's palms and her knees, which were covered by now slightly dirtied pink jeans.

"I don't see any scrapes," Misty murmured, looking the little girl in the eyes. "It was just scary, huh?"

Elizabeth sniveled rather loudly, throwing in a whimper for good measure. Misty stuffed the yogurt drops back in the diaper bag before pulling out Elizabeth's beloved Teddi and handing the stuffed bear off to her daughter. Elizabeth snatched the poke doll and hugged it against her chest, swinging her legs off of Misty's lap.

After that, things stayed calm and quiet for a little while longer, until Elizabeth accidentally dropped Teddi and he landed on the metal bench below them.

This resulted in more screaming and crying from the toddler whom it belonged to.

"Elizabeth, stop with the sobbing," Misty groaned, leaning over and picking Teddi back up. "You're fine! Look, he's fine, too."

Elizabeth grabbed Teddi, but was still crying as she did so. Olivia stuck out her lower lip, obviously feeling for the little girl. This caused Misty to narrow her eyes and shake her head in response.

"Not you, too!"

"Oh, but she's _so_ cute!" Olivia groaned. "I can't help it!"

"Of course she's cute, but she's being a total brat right now," Misty grumbled, bouncing the toddler up and down. "Elizabeth, stop crying. We have to watch Aiden. You have Teddi back, there's no reason to sit here crying."

"Quiet," Elizabeth grumbled, leading Olivia to gasp and Misty's eyes to widen.

"Excuse me?" Misty demanded.

"Shh," Elizabeth continued, holding a finger up to her lips.

"Elizabeth, that's very rude," Misty warned.

"Shh!" Elizabeth repeated, obviously not caring about her mother's cautioning.

"I really don't like this attitude of yours, Elizabeth," Misty bit. "You're going to be in a lot of trouble when we go home."

"I wanna go home," Elizabeth whined, tilting her head back and frowning.

"No, we're not going home right now," Misty sternly replied. "We're going to sit here and watch Aiden."

"NO!" Elizabeth shrieked, hitting Misty in the face with Teddi. "I wanna…I wanna!"

"I don't care," Misty retorted, glaring at Elizabeth as the little girl began to throw a full on fit. "We're staying right here. Trust me, you don't want to go home. You're going to be in trouble."

"NO!"

"Yes."

Olivia smirked and covered her mouth with her hand, trying to choke back a laugh. Misty caught sight of it, however, and threw the younger woman a "see what I mean" look.

"Sorry," Olivia sighed, moving her hand away from her mouth and instead choosing to brush her light brown hair back behind her ears. "I was just before going to say that Elizabeth makes me miss when Brandon was little. But with all of these toddler tantrums-"

"You realize you don't miss it at all," Misty interrupted.

Olivia smirked again and slowly nodded her head. "Not one bit."

* * *

><p><strong>See? Even sweet little Elizabeth can be a brat sometimes. A whiny, miserable brat :P<strong>


	250. A Day in the Life

**We're finally getting our first hint of Kalos in this collection! It's about time, I know :P Gotta work with what we've got!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 and a half years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>A Day in the Life<strong>

"Ash!"

"Oh, hi, Alexa!"

The Pokémon Master smiled at the brunette journalist, who was quickly making her way towards him with a grin of her own.

"It's so good to see you!" Alexa trilled.

"Same here," Ash agreed. "It's been forever! What brings you to Kanto?"

"Just looking for a few good stories to take back to Kalos with me," Alexa replied. "And I think I might have found one!"

"Really?" Ash gasped, looking around the training facility. "Where?"

Alexa giggled softly to herself. It sounded strange, but she was glad to see that Ash was just as whimsical as he'd always been. It was part of the young man's inherent charm. "I was kind of talking about you!"

"Oh!" Ash breathed, his cheeks flashing a sheepish red.

"Don't worry about it," Alexa laughed. "I won't tell anyone."

"What kind of a story idea did you get when you saw me?" Ash wondered, pointing at himself. "Am I that interesting?"

"Of course you are!" Alexa breathed. "You're the Pokémon Master! Everything you do is interesting to people, even if it's the same exact thing they do every day."

"Why would that be interesting, then?" Ash queried.

"Because it shows them that you're a normal person, just like they are," Alexa explained.

"Oh," Ash murmured.

"So, that's what I'd like to write an article on," Alexa concluded. "Your everyday life."

"That's it?"

"Yep! I'll call it 'A Day in the Life of a Pokémon Master'. It'll be brilliant!"

"You sure sound excited about it," Ash chuckled.

"Because I know it'll come out perfectly!" Alexa continued. "So, what do you say? You up for it?"

"Sure," Ash chuckled. "Sounds like fun! So, what do you have to do for it?"

"Just follow you around, observe you," Alexa explained. "You pretend I'm not even there! Unless I ask you some questions. Then you can answer them."

"Uh…does this mean you have to see my family?" Ash stammered.

"Of course!" Alexa trilled. "Why, is that a problem?"

"No, not at all!" Ash yelped. "It's just…my wife."

"Ah, the jealous type?" Alexa hummed knowingly.

"No. Well, yes," Ash admitted, "but that's not the problem. See, she's pregnant. Which means she's all kinds of hormonal. And…basically, she's crazy right now. Like…_really_ crazy."

"I'll be sure to keep an eye out," Alexa giggled nervously.

"You might want to bring a helmet or something, too," Ash muttered. "Just to be safe…"

**XXX**

The next morning, Ash made sure he was the one at the door for Alexa, and not his wife. Fortunately, Misty was still busy readying the twins for the day, so she wasn't anywhere around when Alexa arrived.

The Kalos journalist greeted Ash with a wide smile, and heartily accepted his invitation to enter the house. As soon as she stepped into the living room from the foyer, she gasped and looked all over, reaching into her bag to pull out her video camera.

"Ash, this house is _beautiful!_" Alexa marveled as she zoomed in on various aspects of the room.

"Thanks!" Ash chuckled. "But I can't take any credit for it. It was all my wife's doing. She's much better with the homey stuff than I am."

Alexa smiled whimsically and turned around, bewildering Ash. "You always talk so fondly about your wife. It's sweet!"

"Yeah, she's kind of the best," Ash murmured, a gentle blush gracing his cheeks.

"I've never had the pleasure of meeting her," Alexa continued, dark green eyes sparkling.

"Well, you'll get your chance today," Ash sighed, "although I can't promise you it will be pleasant."

Alexa opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by a series of high pitched giggles. Looking over her shoulder, the journalist gasped as two young children came storming down the stairs, their eyes bright and their faces glowing.

"Oh my goodness," Alexa breathed, watching in awe as the two little ones ran up to Ash and began jumping up and down with excitement.

"You two are so riled up!" Ash laughed, kneeling down to be at eye level with the twins. "What's got you so excited, huh?"

"Grammy called us last night, Daddy!" The redheaded girl giggled, batting her eyelashes at the man.

"She's gonna take us to the toy store today!" The raven haired boy next to her chimed in.

"Ah, so _that's _what all the excitement is for," Ash hummed. "I shouldn't be surprised!"

The two young children were about to go on, but out of the corner of their eyes, they could feel someone staring at them. Glancing up, they both caught sight of Alexa, and instantly clammed up out of sheer confusion.

"Oh, right!" Ash crowed, nodding his head towards the children. "Alexa, this is Aiden and Michelle. They're my kids! And you two, that's Alexa. She's a journalist from the Kalos region! You two remember Kalos, don't you?"

"Yeah!" Aiden chirped. "That's where Clemont and Bonnie and Serena are all from!"

"Atta boy," Ash chuckled, clearly proud of his son for knowing that. "That's exactly right! She knows them, too! And her sister is a gym leader there, just like Mommy!"

"Cool!" Aiden chirped, moving closer to Alexa. Michelle, on the other hand, blinked and took a step closer to her father. "Sorry," Ash apologized with an earnest smile, "she's a little bit shy."

"That's perfectly fine," Alexa crooned, smiling between both children. "It's nice to meet you Aiden, Michelle! You're both so adorable!"

"Say thank you, Michelle," Ash urged, gently nudging his young daughter forward.

"Thank you," Michelle murmured, earning a sweet grin from Alexa.

"You're welcome!" Alexa breathed, glancing back up at Ash. "She's the most beautiful little girl I've ever seen! She must look just like your wife!"

"Yeah, they're practically twins," Ash responded softly.

"Ash, who are you talking to?"

Alexa looked up the stairs and felt her dark green eyes widen as she set her sights on none other than Ash's wife.

She had been right in assuming that Michelle looked just like her mother. The two were nearly identical, save for their mouths and ears. The fiery red hair, emerald green eyes, and heart shaped faces were completely shared traits. The big difference between the two, however, was that Misty was not shy at _all_. In fact, as soon as she caught sight of Alexa, her eyes narrowed, and it was clear that she was not happy.

"Misty, this is Alexa!" Ash hurriedly informed his unsure wife. "She's an old friend of mine!"

"From where?" Misty grumbled, sending a chill up Alexa's spine.

"Kalos," Ash replied. "She's a journalist! And she's here because she's going to write a story about me. Isn't that cool?!"

"What _kind_ of a story?" Misty bit, her eyes narrowing even more.

"Nothing negative!" Alexa promised, laughing nervously. "It's just a piece about the day in the life of a Pokémon Master. Something fun and interesting, to help people get to know more about Ash!"

Misty relaxed slightly, but it was still obvious that she wasn't thrilled.

"Mommy, Mommy, guess what!"

Misty raised an eyebrow and glanced down at the floor, where Aiden was jumping up and down with excitement.

"What is it, sweetheart?" Misty sighed, her face visibly softening.

"Alexa's from where Serena and Clemont and Bonnie are from!" Aiden exclaimed. "She knows 'em and _everything!_"

"Does she, now?" Misty gasped playfully, walking down the stairs to be closer to her son. As soon as she came into full view of the journalist, that's when Alexa saw that Misty was definitely pregnant, just as Ash had said. What she _hadn't_ been expecting, however, was just how pregnant Misty actually was.

"Ash!" Alexa called to the Pokémon Master, catching his attention. She beckoned for him to come over to her, which of course didn't make Misty happy. Ash, however, missed the unappreciative glare, and made his way over to Alexa regardless.

"What's up?" Ash asked, sounding genuinely curious.

"Exactly how far along is your wife?" Alexa whispered, not wanting to incite the redhead any more than she already had.

"Seven months," Ash murmured. "Why?"

"I was just wondering," Alexa responded. "I wasn't exactly expecting that. When you said she was pregnant…I kind of thought you meant at the beginning."

"Oh, gods no!" Ash chortled. "Do you see how _big_ she is?"

Alexa's eyes widened as those words left Ash's mouth. And, unfortunately for him, Misty had heard it too. While he was still laughing, Misty had marched up behind him and pulled his mouth back with her fingers, preventing him from talking anymore.

"I'm _pregnant_, not _deaf_, Ash Ketchum," Misty hissed. "Watch yourself."

"Ow," Ash whined once Misty released his mouth. "That hurt, you know."

"I _do_ know, that was the plan," Misty sighed, one eyebrow arched in irritation. It was at this point that she peered over her husband's shoulder, still looking annoyed with Alexa but, at the same time, slightly more curious.

"So, obviously, you're Misty," Alexa awkwardly continued, bowing to the younger woman. "It's lovely to meet you!"

"Likewise," Misty purred, although more cautiously than Alexa. "I would return the favor, but I'm _too big_ to bend that way."

"I'm sorry!" Ash groaned, throwing his head. "I didn't mean to upset you, Mist. Sometimes I speak before I think."

"Don't I know it," Misty muttered, earning a reluctant laugh from Alexa. This, in turn, finally earned the tiniest of smiles from the wary gym leader.

"Mommy, we're _hungry,_" Michelle moaned, leaning on her mother's leg as she batted her eyelashes.

"Okay, okay, I'll go get you two some breakfast," Misty sighed, ushering the twins towards the kitchen. "Ash, are you going to eat before you head out to work?"

"If I have time," Ash breathed, looking up towards the clock that hung over the doorway. "I'm running a little late right now…"

"So hurry up!" Misty gasped, eyeing her husband as though he were crazy. "I swear, Ash. One of these days you're going to give poor Mr. Goodshow a heart attack."

"Sorry," Ash apologized with a chuckle, hurrying towards the stairs. "Alexa, you stay down here for now! And Misty, don't scare her off!"

Misty's jaw dropped at this, but Ash ended up darting away before she could give him another earful. Sighing, she shook her head before nodding towards the kitchen, simply instructing Alexa to, "Follow me."

"Certainly!" Alexa chirped, leading Misty's eyebrow to twitch. She couldn't, for the life of her, understand how that woman was so happy. It was very unnerving.

Once they entered the kitchen, Alexa saw Aiden and Michelle sitting at the table, excitedly jumping up and down in their seats as they discussed what their grandmother might buy them later at the toy store. This, in turn, brought a smile to Alexa's face. She really did think those two were quite precious.

"So, Misty, you're a gym leader, correct?" Alexa asked as the younger woman gathered bowls for her children's meals.

"Yes, I am," Misty replied, shuffling over to the pantry.

"My younger sister is one as well," Alexa continued. "She specializes in bug types."

The very mention of that variety sent a violent shiver up Misty's spine. "I'm not a big fan of those…" she admitted rather bashfully. "But…I do know it's important to have such a great passion for whatever type it is that you specialize in. I know how much my water types mean to me."

"Are you still battling now?" Alexa curiously prodded. "In your…current condition, I mean?"

Misty smirked at this. "Of course. I'll do it all the way up until the very end, when someone tells me I can't. I'm sure Ash will tell you this himself, what with his big mouth and all, but I'm pretty stubborn."

"Tough too, I'm sure," Alexa murmured, earning a knowing chuckle from Misty.

"I'd certainly like to think so," she hummed.

It was at that moment that the doorbell rang, and the young twins gasped knowingly. Misty smirked and shook her head, moving towards the front door and opening it up in a single swing.

"Good morning, Delia," Misty greeted sweetly, causing Alexa's ears to perk out of curiosity. "Please, come inside! I'm just getting breakfast ready for Aiden and Michelle."

The journalist watched as Misty returned, a slightly older brunette woman trailing behind her with a wide, cheerful smile on her face.

"Oh, right! Before I forget," Misty murmured to herself, holding a hand out towards the newly arrived visitor. "Alexa, this is Ash's mother, Delia. And Delia, this is Alexa, a journalist from the Kalos region. And an old friend of Ash's apparently."

"Of course, dear!" Delia giggled, bringing shock to Misty's face. "We've met before!"

"Wait…what?" Misty deadpanned.

"Many years ago, when Ash returned home from Unova," Delia elucidated, watching with glee as the revelation became clear on Alexa's face. "It's been so long, but I remember you very clearly, dear! It's lovely to see you again."

"Likewise!" Alexa chimed.

This, unbeknownst to either Alexa or Delia, was enough to set Misty off again. Oh, so her _mother-in-law_ knew who Alexa was, but apparently, she wasn't important enough to ever be told about to Misty.

There was that irritated wall again.

That, however, _was _visible to Alexa. She was a journalist, after all, and was very keen to even the smallest of details. She had to be, in order to excel at her profession. Therefore, she knew she'd have to bring that wall down again. A guarded Misty was certainly not the preferable Misty for the Kalos native.

"Aiden, Michelle, you can eat your cereal while Grammy gets out your lesson for today," Misty instructed, leaving a bowl in front of each child. The mention of a lesson got a groan from both of them, but Misty was quick to jump on it. "I won't let her take the two of you out to the toy store if you don't do your lessons. So, behave and do what she says, alright?"

Although no affirmative was given, Aiden and Michelle quieted down and began to eat their cereal, which Misty knew was their tenacious way of agreeing. Smirking, she ruffled both of their hair before leaning against the back of Aiden's chair and holding the bottom of her stomach.

"Lessons?" Alexa repeated, gaining both Misty and Delia's attention. "What kind of lessons are you talking about, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Aiden and Michelle are homeschooled," Delia explained, beaming once she found the worksheets she was looking for and placed them in front of the twins. "I come over every few days and teach them a little something. They're still young, of course, so it's nothing too intense."

"What are you teaching them today?" Alexa trilled.

"Some math," Delia replied with a little laugh. "Addition and subtraction today. Aiden, sweetie, why don't you try to do the first problem?"

The little raven haired boy looked down at the sheet and almost instantly furrowed his brow. Alexa watched as he just sat there, staring at the sheet and barely moving any part of his body. Finally, he looked up at his grandmother and slowly shook his head.

"That's okay," Delia hushed. "Michelle, what about you?"

Michelle glanced over at the paper and, in a matter of seconds, happily squeaked, "Four! Two plus two is four!"

"Good girl!" Delia commended, laughing gently as Michelle clapped her hands together. "Aiden, how about the next one?"

Aiden once again turned his attention onto the paper, and once again furrowed his brow. This time, it didn't take long for the little boy to groan and pound his fists against the table, obviously frustrated.

"Aiden, sweetie, it's okay," Misty assured, reaching down and grabbing her son's arms so he would stop beating the table. "Mommy will help you solve the problem, okay?"

Aiden grumbled, but nevertheless quit pounding his fists and silently agreed to listen.

"Now, the problem is four plus one," Misty continued, holding her hands up to Aiden. On her left hand, she held up four fingers, and on her right, one. "Can you add all of my fingers up?"

Aiden stared at his mother's fingers, but before long, he lost his patience again and began to rapidly shake his head, kicking his legs and yelping as he tried to punch the table again.

"Hey, hey, don't do that," Misty murmured, kneeling down with a grunt and holding her son's shoulders. "Don't get so upset. Mommy said she would help you, right?"

Slowly, Aiden nodded his head.

"Right, so I will," Misty promised. "We'll just try something different now. Maybe this will be easier. Do you know how many people are in our family? Name all of them, and I'll put up a finger for every person you name."

After a short second of deliberation, Aiden picked his head back up and all but whispered, "Daddy…"

"Good boy," Misty trilled, holding up one finger. "Who else?"

"You…me…and Michelle."

"Great job!" Misty complimented, now holding up four fingers. "How many people is that?"

"…four?" Aiden squeaked uncertainly.

"Yes! Now, the baby is going to be part of our family, right?"

"Uh huh."

"And she's one, right?"

"Uh huh."

"So, when the baby comes, how many people will be in our family?"

"…five?" Aiden muttered, looking rather fearful.

"You did it!" Misty gasped, earning a smile from Aiden. "That's my good boy!" She grabbed his face and kissed his forehead, leading the little boy to giggle.

"Thank you, Misty," Delia breathed, smiling at her daughter-in-law as the woman slowly stood back up.

"No problem," Misty giggled. "I know how hard it can be when Aiden gets frustrated. He just needs some extra help sometimes, that's all."

When she looked over at Alexa, Misty realized the woman herself was now smiling. It was still annoying Misty, but now, she was also curious on top of it. Cautiously, Misty made her way over to Alexa and stared down the journalist, who no longer looked so nervous.

"I can tell you're definitely tough, Misty," Alexa informed the bewildered gym leader. "But when it comes to those two, you're anything but."

Misty sighed and crossed her arms against her chest, smirking at the Kalos native. "So, you've discovered my secret."

"I won't tell anyone," Alexa giggled. "Promise. Besides, I understand."

Misty furrowed her brow at this. "Do you have children?"

"No, not myself," Alexa dismissed. "But my sister does. They're not even mine, but I know that when it comes to them, I drop all of my guard. Nothing else matters but them. It's a very unique feeling."

Misty just continued to stare at Alexa, but said nothing in response. The silence was soon pierced by Ash's heavy footsteps pounding down the stairs, topped off by the man hurrying into the kitchen.

"Sorry it took me so long, I couldn't find my backpack," Ash huffed, holding up the blue bag for proof.

"Oh Ash," Misty sighed, "such a child. A sweet, sweet child."

Ash arched an eyebrow at this. "Uh...you okay, Mist?"

"Perfect!" Misty chirped, grabbing Ash's face and giving him a passionate kiss before pulling away and patting his cheek. "You have fun at work. And behave for Alexa! Make sure her story comes out perfectly."

Ash furrowed his brow and looked between his content wife, and the joyful journalist standing off to the side.

"…I'm not even going to ask what went on down here while I was gone."

* * *

><p><strong>I know, we need more Kalos. But I need to know more about Ash's friends before we really get into it! Next month, we're almost there :D But until then, we've got a little mention of them :P<strong>


	251. Shut Up

**Soooo my internet died on Monday afternoon (along with my TV and phone) and we just got it back an hour ago. So it was a really boring day and a half. But, in the meanwhile, I managed to write this one shot, so we all got something out of the squirrel biting into our wires and subsequently exploding (I witnessed the whole thing. Twas a mess.)**

**Aiden: 12 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Shut Up<strong>

"Aiden, are you listening to me?"

The boy winced and looked up at his father. The older male looked impatient. Stern and impatient. Aiden could tell by the narrowed brown eyes, thick black eyebrows furrowed and knit together. His hands were on his hips, body leaning forward slightly so his face could be closer to the younger boy.

Not like this stance of edginess bothered Aiden at all, anyway.

"Yeah yeah," Aiden muttered, looking away and stubbornly closing his own eyes.

Ash sighed and shook his head. Aiden was growing up, and it was proving to be quite trying. He was nearly a teenager, and quickly catching up to Ash in size. Aiden, it seemed, had inherited his mother's height gene, for he was always taller than Ash had been at certain ages. That included the not-so tender age of twelve he was now at. As a result, Aiden wasn't exactly intimidated by his father. Not the way he had been as a child being scolded, anyway. Now, a good scolding was simply something that _aggravated _the boy instead of putting fear into him.

"Look," Ash continued, pushing an open book closer to his miffed son. "These are some of the greatest Pokemon trainers of all time, and each one has a completely different battling strategy. You can learn a lot from each one. It might help to inspire you a little bit. You know, break you out of this slump of yours."

This caused one of Aiden's eyebrows to arch in a displeased fashion. He absolutely _hated _his losing streak being brought up, especially by his father. It all seemed so unnecessary. He could take care of himself, and his recent struggles. In fact, Aiden felt this way so strongly that he believed he could properly voice it to his father.

"I don't need to look at some stupid book!" Aiden bit, causing Ash to draw his shoulders back. "That's not going to help me with anything!"

"Aiden, you need something to reinvigorate yourself," Ash tried, his eyes glinting with a mixture of concern and irritation. "A little outside inspiration never hurt anybody, last time I checked."

"Yeah?" Aiden snapped. "Well, I don't _need_ any outside inspiration! I know what I'm doing, and I don't need help!"

"You obviously do!" Ash argued, his patience slipping away. "I think I know better than you do, Aiden!"

"Why's that?" Aiden drawled, venom seeping through his otherwise monotone voice. "Because you're _old?_"

"Older than _you_ are! And that means more experience!" Ash retorted.

"Yeah, okay," Aiden scoffed, rolling his eyes on top of it.

"You can't even _imagine_ half of the things I've seen and done during my life, Aiden," Ash growled. "Most of them before you were even a thought!"

"Oh, so that makes _you_ a better trainer?" Aiden challenged.

"I don't see _you_ being called the Pokemon Master!" Ash roared, finally earning a small glint of terror in his son's eyes. "You need to understand that you're only twelve years old, Aiden. You're still just a kid! You may be a trainer now, but believe me, you _barely _know what kind of a life exists out there. And if you don't prepare yourself for it, and just keep up with this stubborn attitude of yours, you'll never learn a thing!"

"You're just as stubborn as I am!" Aiden cried.

"Maybe when I was younger, but not now," Ash refuted. "I'm trying to teach you from my mistakes, but you just seem bent on repeating them. I don't understand why you won't listen to me, but it's pretty foolish on your part."

"I'm not a little kid anymore!" Aiden stormed. "_You _may think I am, but I'm not! I'm practically an adult! And that means you can't force me to listen to you!"

"I'm not forcing you to do _anything_, otherwise you would've been listening to me from the start!" Ash bellowed. "I just wish you would learn instead of carrying on like this. It's not going to help you."

"I can help myself!" Aiden yelped, something finally snapping in his head.

"Aiden-" Ash began sternly, but was soon cut off by his thoroughly steaming son.

"SHUT UP!" Aiden screamed, his hands tightening into fists at his sides as he squeezed his eyes closed.

That's when everything went completely silent.

Aiden opened his eyes and relaxed his hands, staring into his father's face. Ash, on the other hand, just looked stunned. He was totally frozen and unable to react. He had a slack jaw, the obvious result of trying to respond but finding nothing to say. Aiden instantly felt a sense of guilt, but he refused to apologize for anything. It would have been too embarrassing at that point.

So, with a final, quiet huff, Aiden stormed out of the kitchen and into the backyard, roughly slamming the sliding door behind him.

**XXX**

"He's never talked to me that way before."

Misty hummed and glanced out of her closet, over towards the bed where Ash was sprawled out, staring up at the ceiling. The hurt on his face was slowly becoming mixed with confusion, his eyes dark with hopelessness and muscles tensed with anxiety.

"Well, Aiden is very much like you," Misty began, her voice slow and thoughtful. "So I can't imagine that such an important conversation between the two of you went very well."

Ash picked his head up and glared at his wife. "What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Oh, Ash, come on," Misty groaned, rolling her eyes at her husband's naivety. "You're both so stubborn. I know you like to think you're better than you were as a kid, but that's hardly so. In fact, sometimes it's even worse with that ego of yours."

"I don't have an ego!" Ash argued, earning a knowing smirk from Misty.

"What did I say? As stubborn as always."

Ash rolled his own eyes and put his head back down, digging his nails into his palms. "You're not helping, you know."

"Sorry," Misty apologized earnestly, stepping out of her closet. "I'm not sure what else to say."

"Tell me everything is going to be fine," Ash muttered, rolling over onto his front and turning his head so he could face Misty. "That this whole thing isn't going to tear me and Aiden apart."

"Ash, as someone who has _serious _relationship issues with her parents, I can assure you that this is the _least_ threatening hazard to your bond," Misty sighed.

"It sure doesn't feel that way," Ash grumbled.

"Well, that's because the two of you rarely ever fight," Misty continued. "Even when Aiden was a little kid, there was hardly any conflict. Honestly, the _worst_ thing I can think of was when Aiden was acting out when I first found out I was pregnant with Elizabeth, and he bit you. And for some reason, I think that's a lot worse than him telling you to shut up. Which was still not appropriate, by the way, and I will punish him for that."

"I know, you've already assured me of that," Ash groaned. "But it doesn't really make me feel better. After all, punishing Aiden will only make things worse."

"Not when it's coming from me and not you, but that's not our main issue right now," Misty deducted.

"I don't even know where he went," Ash complained. "He just…ran out the door and that was it. I feel like I really hurt him, Mist."

"Don't worry so much, Ash," Misty pleaded, walking over to the bed and kneeling down by its side and stroking her husband's hair. "We'll fix this, I promise. Aiden can't stay mad at you forever."

"No, we can't fix it," Ash breathed, sitting up and glancing down at Misty with a determined expression. "_I_ have to fix it."

"Alone?" Misty asked skeptically.

"I know that you're his mother, and you worry about him," Ash reasoned. "But this is between me and Aiden. If you come out there with me, he'll just think I'm treating him like a kid again. And I don't want that."

"Fine," Misty muttered, sinking down on her knees and looking thoroughly disappointed. "But if something goes horribly wrong, I want you to call me."

"I'm hoping it won't get to that point," Ash sighed, getting off the bed and ruffling Misty's hair. "I'll be back."

"Please come back with our son in one piece," Misty begged forlornly.

"No promises."

"ASH!"

**XXX**

After Ash ran outside, it didn't take long for him to find his son. Aiden, was it would turn out, was sitting atop one of the trees in the backyard, swinging his legs back and forth as he stared up into the sky.

"I should've _known_ I'd find you in a place like that."

Aiden furrowed his brow and glanced down, where he found his father standing at the base of the tree with his arms folded and a smirk on his face.

"Always the adventurous one, huh?"

Aiden scoffed and looked over his shoulder, lowering his head in the process.

"Aiden, come on. I just want to talk!"

The boy winced and glanced back down once again, finding that his father's smirk had now been replaced by a frown. Sighing, he turned around and skillfully climbed down the tree, very much like a human Aipom. When he spun around to face his father, Aiden tried to open his mouth to speak, but found that his throat was tightening and words were escaping him.

"Look, Aiden, I'm sorry," Ash apologized, earning a surprised look from his son. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that and treated you like a kid. It was wrong, and I'm really sorry."

Aiden sighed and lowered his eyes to his feet, looking incredibly sheepish. "No…Dad. _I'm_ the one who's sorry."

Ash made a noise of interest, causing Aiden to look back up.

"I shouldn't have told you to shut up," Aiden murmured, his cheeks turning red. "It wasn't right. In fact, it was kind of jerky. Sorry."

Ash chuckled at this. "It's okay, Aiden. You were upset, and that's why it happened. I can't say I've never done the same thing."

Aiden raised a curious eyebrow. "You mean you told Grammy to shut up once?"

"Oh, no," Ash gasped. "If I ever did that, I wouldn't have lived to tell the story."

"Good point," Aiden muttered. His grandmother was a very sweet woman, but she was also very scary when she wanted to be. It was actually quite fascinating.

"I may have done it to Brock once," Ash admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "And it was kind of a situation very similar to this one. He was scolding me for this one battle, and I lost my patience and snapped at him. I felt so bad about it."

"Kind of like how I feel now?" Aiden queried.

"Seems like it," Ash confirmed. "But…he knew I was upset. That I didn't actually mean it. And now that I'm on the other end of it, I see that you didn't mean it either."

"So…are we okay?" Aiden asked timidly, eyes flickering with bewilderment.

"Yes," Ash chuckled, his own eyes sparkling. "We're just fine."

Aiden beamed at this and, while he said nothing else or made no other move, looked very excited. It was clear to Ash that Aiden hadn't liked fighting either, and that he was just as grateful that it was over.

"Come on," Ash urged, his own smile widening. "Let's go find a good battling strategy."

* * *

><p><strong>Does anybody remember the episode where Ash told Brock to shut up? Or maybe just the region? If you can name the actual episode, I'll give you a shout out next chapter ;)<strong>


	252. City Limits

**I promised shout outs for those who got my last question right! The answer was, indeed, Brave the Wave from the Hoenn saga! So congrats to Flappypup, Thomas, smearglemaster, Th3nerdy0ne, ghosthead8503, KHLegacy, and Eeveetrainer! **

**Now, with that done, onto the next one shot!**

**Michelle: 3 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>City Limits<strong>

"You can't sleep either, huh?"

Michelle stopped sniveling and looked up towards her father, who was hanging over her crib. With a cheeky smile, Ash lifted the infant up in his arms and rocked her back and forth a few times, earning a quiet, curious coo from the little girl.

"That's okay," Ash murmured. "You and I will hang out for a little bit. Come on."

He carried the infant down the stairs and out the front door, where he sat on the front porch and allowed the crisp, mid-March air to blow through his hair. Michelle, on the other hand, scanned her emerald eyes all around, as though she could actually see the wind and was following it.

"It's different here. Different than home, anyway."

Michelle stopped moving her eyes and settled them on her father instead. He was looking up at the sky, studying it intensely.

"There are less stars here," Ash continued. "Must be because of all the city lights. Pallet Town is too small to have that many lights. You can always see the stars there."

The small baby mumbled to herself and turned her head closer into Ash, fluttering her eyelashes against his chest. This finally caught his attention and caused him to look down and smile at his daughter.

"You're so cute, Shelly," he breathed, laughing delightfully afterwards. "My sweet baby girl. You like hearing about where Daddy grew up?"

Michelle gurgled and blew a bubble out of her mouth, giggling softly as soon as it popped. Ash sighed playfully and shook his head, eyes still sparkling with mischievousness.

"Or maybe you're just bored and not sleepy. What do I know?"

Michelle giggled again, as if she understood what her father was saying and found it to be quite funny. The man smirked at this and rubbed his daughter's cheek with his thumb, earning another content coo from the baby.

"I mean, maybe it's not interesting to you," Ash continued, mostly talking to himself at this point. "You've been to Pallet Town before, after all. Grammy still lives in our house! But…sometimes I really do miss it. Which is kind of strange, considering I'm used to being out on the road and travelling. And I love your mommy, and I know that this is where her job is. Of course I'd do anything for her. That's why I moved here! But it's still hard. You're going to grow up a lot differently than I did."

Little did Ash know that at this point, Misty had come down the stairs and was secretly watching from the window. She had woken up just as she'd heard Michelle's cries through the baby monitor, and needless to say she was a little freaked out when she found the baby was no longer in her crib. Fortunately, Misty was smart enough to make the connection that Ash had also been missing from their bed, and that the two were more than likely together. The lack of a nervous breakdown had helped her to find them much more easily.

But still, listening to the one sided conversation Ash was having with Michelle was a little heartbreaking for the young mother.

"I mean, I used to be able to run all over town," Ash continued, once again looking up at the sky. "I would just leave the house and explore. After all, Pallet Town was super rural. The total opposite of here. When you grow up, I can't let you and your brother run around the city! It's dangerous! There are cars and alleyways…and it's way too busy. You could get lost or trampled or even kidnapped! I don't want that to happen."

From the window, Misty scoffed and rolled her eyes. Her husband truly believed they lived in some gigantic, scary place with tons of crime. They didn't. In fact, he'd never once thought that before the twins were born. His overprotectiveness sometimes got the better of him, she'd quickly learned.

"I remember spending all of my time at Professor Oak's ranch with Gary," Ash mused before narrowing his eyes and muttering, "the little jerk."

Michelle let out just one giggle at this and curled a fist up in front of her mouth.

"We would run around, chasing each other, and playing with all of the Pokémon," Ash continued. "He had so many. Less than he has now, 'cause I kind of filled up that ranch pretty fast when I became a trainer…heh. But that means when you're older and you go to play there on visits, there'll be even more Pokémon for you to play with! I'd have been so excited as a kid if there were that many Pokémon on the ranch."

Misty sighed and pressed her forehead against the window's cool glass, still eavesdropping on her husband and silently debating whether or not she should break in.

"And Pallet Town is really small, so you get to know everyone," Ash rambled on. "Cerulean City is way too big for that! I don't think you could know everybody here if you tried, baby girl. I mean, I guess it's fun to meet new people all the time, but I used to love seeing all the familiar faces everywhere I went. They all had their own shops and little places in town. You could go visit them and maybe get some free stuff sometimes. I can't tell you how many times I managed to get a free cookie at the bakery! Probably because I was so adorable."

"Is that what you think?"

Ash gasped and whipped his head around, clutching Michelle to his chest. The tiny infant whined unappreciatively and began to try and free her hands from against Ash's body in an attempt to wave them around.

"Settle down, Ash," Misty giggled, taking a seat next to her startled husband. "It's just me!"

"Mist, don't freak me out like that!" Ash whined. "It's not funny!"

"I never said it was," Misty teased.

"No, but you were laughing."

"You like my laugh," Misty tried, her eyes gleaming with mischievousness. "At least, that's what you always say."

"Because I do," Ash admitted, a delicate tint of red growing on his cheeks. "But I was afraid that somebody was coming up behind me to try and take Shelly."

"No, just me," Misty purred, resting her head on Ash's shoulder. "I heard what you were saying to our little girl, by the way."

At this, Ash's jaw dropped. "Traitor!"

"What?!" Misty gasped, her head shooting back up. "How?!"

"You were spying on me!" Ash cried. "That was a private conversation!"

"Oh yeah, with a three month old who can't respond," Misty quipped.

"That's not the point!" Ash argued.

"Ash, it's okay," Misty hushed, leading the young man sitting beside her to raise an eyebrow. "I understand that this is a lot different than where you grew up. Aiden and Michelle will both have to grow up differently. But I promise you that they'll still have a very happy childhood."

"I…I didn't say anything like that!" Ash whined, the red tint of his face intensifying.

"Yes you did," Misty deadpanned. "I'm not offended or anything, don't worry."

Ash blinked a couple of times and tilted his head. "You're not?"

"No!" Misty laughed again. "It's not an easy move. I know Cerulean much better than you. And yes, it's true that they won't be able to leave the house and run around as they please. But they also don't have to be trapped in the house until they leave for their journeys, should they so choose."

"I knew that, too," Ash grumbled.

"The point is, Cerulean City isn't some big, scary place," Misty sighed. "As they get older, Aiden and Michelle will learn how to navigate. There are good places to go visit. I have lots of friends around the city, too. And of course we'll take them to Pallet all the time to visit your mom, and Professor Oak. They can run around town there, just like you used to."

Ash smirked and slowly shook his head before glancing up at Misty. "You always know how to make me feel better, don't ya, Mist?"

"It's one of my many talents," Misty boasted, not sounding at all flippant.

"So humble," Ash breathed, earning another delightful giggle from his wife. "Come on, I think it's about time we put this little princess back to bed."

Misty turned her eyes down onto her baby daughter and smiled sweetly. "She's always up at night, partying it up."

"It does seem to be that way," Ash agreed with a chuckle.

"See? She's built for city life!"

At this, Ash's entire expression fell and became stern. "No daughter of _mine_ is going out on the town this late at night!"

"Not now, when she's older!"

"No, I mean not ever!"

"Well, maybe when she becomes a teenager…"

"I've changed my mind," Ash grumbled, looking down at the sleepy baby in his arms. "You _are_ going to be locked away in the house!"

* * *

><p><strong>Silly Ash. So crazy, so protective. I'm always amazed when I see little kids walking to and from school in Manhattan. Like...I go to college in the suburbs and I can barely handle myself. Classic "I grew up in a bubble" syndrome.<strong>


	253. Child at Heart

**I can't do school anymore. Can't do it! I'm so freaking stressed it's like...unreal. And I know I shouldn't be writing stories, but this is how I get stress relief so like...I don't know, man. I'll make it XD**

**Elizabeth: 6 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Child at Heart<strong>

"He'll never stop spoiling them."

Serena smiled at Misty before looking back down at Ash, who was lying on his stomach next to Elizabeth as he watched the little girl gently tap each colored key of the xylophone he had just bought for her.

"They're all well behaved, though," Serena tried. "They definitely don't _act _spoiled!"

"I guess…" Misty murmured, "but it never stops me from being nervous. The last thing I need is for my kids to become brats and start acting like they own the world."

"I'm pretty sure if they started doing _that,_ you'd knock them down a peg," Serena giggled.

"Try twenty," Misty grumbled.

Serena hummed knowingly, once again glancing back down at the father and daughter. Elizabeth was hitting the purple key repeatedly, over and over again, while Ash chuckled at her action. This laughter caught Elizabeth's attention, leading her to coo and hold the stick out towards him. He gasped playfully and accepted the offering with a delighted "thank you" before tapping the keys himself in a rhythmic fashion. Elizabeth squealed at the noise and began bouncing herself up and down, her arms flailing right alongside her.

"Oh my gosh, she's so happy!" Serena squealed. "Look at that."

"Elizabeth is always happy when she's with Ash," Misty mused. "I think it's because Ash is basically just another kid."

"Hey!"

Misty smirked and looked down at her husband, who by now had stopped playing the xylophone. Elizabeth was whining unappreciatively and reaching for the stick, which Ash was still holding in his own hand.

"I never said that was a bad thing, Ash," Misty reasoned. "It means you're youthful and fun! Yes, you're also a total pain sometimes, and sometimes you're just as much work as our children, but I love you just as much as I love them."

"Gee, thanks, Mist," Ash deadpanned.

"I was being nice!" Misty shrieked.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, babe."

"Elizabeth wants her stick back."

Ash let out a curious sound and looked up at Serena, who was pointing towards the baby. Ash turned his head and found that Elizabeth was whimpering and reaching out towards him, fingers clenching in obvious want.

"Oh, I'm sorry, pumpkin," Ash apologized, handing the stick back to the baby. As soon as it was in her hands, Elizabeth mumbled contently and began to bash it against each and every colorful key on the xylophone, making a much more harsh melody than what her father had produced.

"She's literally the cutest baby I've ever seen in my entire life," Serena sighed, resting her head in her hands.

"Is it because she looks just like Ash?" Misty teased, bringing a blush to the blonde's face.

"N-no?" Serena refuted, sounding obviously flustered. She knew Misty was fully aware of the crush she'd used to have on Ash. At first, it had caused serious tension between the two. Ash, of course, had been totally oblivious on the matter. Once he realized his feelings for Misty, however, Serena had simply become hurt. Misty had been sensitive to the girl's hurt, and despite the situation, the two girls ended up becoming good friends.

"Misty!" Ash scolded, earning a sheepish laugh from his wife.

"I was just kidding!" Misty tried.

Elizabeth stopped banging on the xylophone and looked over her shoulder, watching her mother laugh. After a short moment, she too began laughing, waving the stick around in the air.

"Hey, watch where you're throwing that stick around, baby girl!" Ash teased. "You're going crazy over there."

Elizabeth lowered the stick and murmured nonsense before placing the stick in her mouth, drooling all over it.

"Oh, Lizzie," Ash groaned, shaking his head.

"Guess Ash isn't going to be playing with her toys anymore," Misty quipped. "He may be a kid at heart, but he _hates it_ when they get their drool on everything! He likes mine, but not theirs. Go figure."

"MISTY!"

* * *

><p><strong>Hehehe...Ash can't decide if he's a kid or a total teenage boy :P<strong>

**And yes, I finally put Serena in! Just a little hint of her. I still need more info about her, but I put in as much as I could.**


	254. Meal Maker

**Obviously, Pokémon is a Japanese franchise, which means they don't celebrate Thanksgiving. But, that doesn't mean I can't make a Thanksgiving-esque one shot to get into the spirit of things! And what's one of the biggest things you think about when it comes to Thanksgiving?**

**Food, of course :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 7 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Meal Maker<strong>

"Mommy, Grammy, I wanna help cook!"

"Oh you do, do you?"

Michelle beamed at her mother and nodded her head.

"Yeah!"

"Okay, I'm sure there's something around here you can help out with," Misty giggled, turning towards her mother-in-law. "Is there, Delia?"

"Of course!" Delia gasped. "I've got just the thing for my little princess."

She walked over to the stove and pulled off a large silver pot that was full of boiled water and chunks of potato. Placing the pot in the sink, Delia used a strainer to pour out the water and keep the potato inside of the silver vessel.

"You, my sweet girl, can help me mash these potatoes up!" Delia crooned, showing her young granddaughter an electric mixer. "Sound good?"

"Yes!" Michelle chirped, earning a giggle from both Delia and Misty.

"Okay, you hold the pot while I start to mix the potatoes," Delia instructed, sitting Michelle up on the counter.

At this, however, the girl frowned. "Grammy, I want to mash them up, too!"

"You can," Delia promised. "But it's too hard in the beginning. I'm going to make it easier for you! Once they're mashed up a bit, then you can help me mix."

"Okay," Michelle sighed, grabbing hold of the pot.

Misty laughed again and shook her head, leaning against the counter right next to her daughter. "Oh, Michelle. You're just like Daddy."

"Nuh uh!" Michelle argued.

"No?" Misty quipped.

"No," Michelle repeated.

"Who are you like, then?" Delia questioned, her voice airy and playful.

"Mommy!" Michelle trilled.

"Oh, are you, now?" Misty teased.

"Mommy, I'm just like you," Michelle continued. "I'm your special girl!"

"I do say that quite a lot, don't I?" Misty hummed.

"Yes," Michelle replied quite seriously.

"Oh, you two are just the sweetest!" Delia crooned, turning on the mixer and sticking it into the potatoes. Michelle tightened her grip on the pot as soon as it began to spin, trying her best to keep it in one place. "You both love each other so much! It's so wonderful."

"Of course we do," Misty giggled. "Michelle's my very first little girl. I couldn't _live_ without her! We're best friends, right, Shelly?"

"Yeah!" Michelle agreed with her own airy giggle. "_Bestest_ friends!"

"I know exactly how you feel," Delia hummed, turning off the mixer and handing it off to Michelle, who beamed excitedly at the prospect of using it. "When your daddy was a little boy, he and I were very best friends, too. We did everything together! He's always been very special to me."

"Daddy must've been a _lot_ of trouble when he was little, 'cause he's still lots of trouble now!" Michelle quipped.

"Oh, he certainly was," Delia confirmed, turning the switch for the mixer on and coaxing it into the pot, holding onto the silver basin while Michelle went to work on mashing them up. "Very messy, always getting himself hurt. He was stubborn and loud and very impatient. But oh, he was so sweet at the same time. Cuddly and loving and caring. It made up for all of the trouble he always caused me!"

"That sounds a lot like someone we know, doesn't it?" Misty asked Michelle.

"Daddy!" Michelle practically sang.

"Yeah, but I was thinking of someone _other_ than Daddy," Misty giggled.

"Oh," Michelle murmured before her whole face lit up again. "Aiden!"

"Very good, seashell," Misty laughed.

"I do see a lot of young Ash in Aiden," Delia agreed. "It just warms my heart!"

"It warms mine, too, but mostly because it gets my blood boiling," Misty joked.

Michelle continued mixing the potatoes until she felt it was done. Reaching up, the little girl turned off the mixer and grinned at Delia.

"Is that good, Grammy?"

Delia hummed softly and looked into the pot, which was now filled with a sea of fluffy white. "Yes, it's absolutely perfect, Michelle! You're such a wonderful helper."

The sound of feet shuffling across the linoleum floor of the kitchen suddenly caught the attention of Delia, Misty, and Michelle. They all looked down, and were quick to find Aiden scampering across the floor as he ran towards the counter.

"Speak of the devil," Misty muttered.

"Aiden, no!" Michelle cried, her whole face turning red.

"What's wrong, Michelle?" Delia crooned.

"Grammy, Aiden's gonna steal all the food we just made!" Michelle wailed.

"Nuh uh!" Aiden argued, his chocolate brown eyes flashing with anger.

"Yeah, that's _all _you ever do!" Michelle yelped.

"Aiden, Michelle, quit fighting!" Misty scolded. "This isn't the day to be doing that!"

"Misty, it's quite alright!"

The gym leader arched an eyebrow and watched on in awe as Delia calmly strode over to a nearby plate piled high by freshly baked rolls. Grabbing one of the top, the older auburn haired woman knelt down and handed the bread off to her grandson, who seemed incredibly excited by the offering.

"Will this be enough to hold you over until dinner time, sweetheart?" Delia trilled.

"Yes!" Aiden cheered.

"Aiden, what do you say?" Misty hummed, just as her son was about to run right back through the doorway.

"Thank you!" Aiden hastily chimed, beaming at his grandmother before rushing back into the living room as planned.

"But Grammy…" Michelle whined, still upset by her brother's meddling.

"You don't have to worry, lovely girl!" Delia assured, stroking the child's bright red hair. "We have plenty of food! Giving Aiden one roll isn't going to hurt any of us."

On that end, Delia was correct. There was more than enough food to keep hunger at bay for the family members in attendance. There was meat, potatoes, stuffing, gravy, casserole, cranberries, two different kinds of vegetables, rolls and butter, and noodles. Delia, Misty, and Michelle all knew they couldn't eat it all, but Ash and Aiden were another story. The two males had the appetites of what seemed like four human beings instead of just two.

"Grammy, do you think dinner is ready yet?" Michelle asked whimsically, her anger having melted away quite readily.

"Yes, I'm quite sure we're all done here!" Delia giggled. "Thank you, Michelle. You've been the most wonderful helper I could've asked for!"

At this, Michelle frowned. "Am I done helping now?"

"No, I think we have one more job for you," Misty helpfully chimed in, earning a gracious smile from Delia. "Grammy and I are going to set the table. While we're doing that, why don't you go into the living room and tell everyone to start getting ready for dinner?"

Michelle grinned and nodded her head. Reaching out, Misty lifted Michelle off the counter and placed the little girl on the floor, watching as the child immediately bolted into the next room.

"She's such a sweetheart," Delia sighed, reaching into the top cupboards and pulling out stacks of china plates. "Always wanting to help out!"

In the living room, Michelle skidded to a halt in front of her father and brother, who were busy playing with Elizabeth. The little girl was shrieking with laughter as Aiden dangled a ribbon over her head, Ash bouncing her on his lap to try and get her up higher towards the trimming. At the same time, Pikachu was hanging off of Ash's head, shifting his tail back and forth and watching the silky ribbon with his beady black eyes.

"Daddy! Dinner's all ready!" Michelle chirped.

"Is it?" Ash asked excitedly, his eyes lighting up.

"Yeah!" Michelle giggled. "And guess what, Daddy?"

"What, princess?"

"I helped!"

"You did?"

"Uh huh!"

"Oh, well now I'm _very_ excited!" Ash laughed. "It'll be even more delicious if my precious girl helped to make it!"

"Did ya help make the bread, Shelly?" Aiden questioned.

"Yeah!" Michelle trilled.

"It was really tasty!" Aiden complimented, earning a delightful squeal from his twin. "I want more!"

"Come on!" Michelle encouraged, jumping up and running back into the kitchen. "Let's eat!"

Aiden laughed and followed right after his sister, leaving behind a gaping Ash and giggling Elizabeth.

"Guys, wait!" Ash cried, getting to his own feet while keeping a firm hold on Elizabeth. "Leave some food for me!"

"Oh relax, Ash. There's more than enough food for all of us!"

Ash skidded to a halt and found himself standing nose-to-nose with Misty, who was smirking at his obvious panic. Shaking himself out, Ash chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck, while Elizabeth curiously shifted her eyes between her two parents.

"Heh…I know that…"

"Hmm?" Misty hummed, glancing down at their young daughter. "Ash, what happened to Elizabeth's bow?"

"Oh, it's right here," Ash replied, holding up the red and white printed ribbon. "She kinda pulled it out."

"You took out your ribbon?" Misty gasped, lifting the toddler out of Ash's hands. "You silly girl!"

"I was pwayin' wif it, Mama!" Elizabeth laughed.

"Here, let's sit down and I'll fix it for you," Misty murmured, placing Elizabeth in her chair before taking a seat next to her and retying the ribbon around the half ponytail that Misty had fastened earlier in the day.

While Misty was busied with that task, Ash snuck his way over to the counter, in a very similar fashion to his son before, and parked himself directly in front of the meat. With an impish smirk that was fueled by hunger, Ash reached out and tried to grab the drumstick, which led to a smack on the hand courtesy of his mother.

"OW!" Ash wailed, grabbing his hand and pouting.

"You know better than that, Ash," Delia scolded, waving the same spoon in the air.

"But…but it looks so good!" Ash whined.

"And there are five other people in this room who might like some of that as well," Delia chastised.

"No way, Elizabeth is too little!" Ash refuted. "That leg is like half of her entire body!"

"She's still got your appetite!" Delia scolded, tapping Ash atop the head with a spoon. "Leave the meat alone. You can wait your turn like an adult."

"But Mom, that's gonna take _forever!_" Ash groaned as his mother picked up the meat and placed it in the middle of the table; the final fixture for the massive dinner.

"Ash, quit complaining and sit down like the rest of us!" Misty snapped, earning another giggle from the toddler sitting next to her. Ash sighed and hung his head, trudging over to the table and sitting across from his belligerent wife.

"Aiden, which part of the meat would you like?" Delia asked, wielding a large knife to carve it with.

"This one!" Aiden declared, pointing directly at the leg. Ash grumbled and sunk down in his chair, eyes darkening with misery.

"Michelle?" Delia prodded.

"I don't like the dark parts," Michelle murmured, watching on in slight horror as Aiden began digging into his drumstick.

"And what about you, my littlest angel?" Delia crooned to Elizabeth. She raised an eyebrow, however, when she realized that the girl was too busy sucking on a roll as she waved her spoon above her head.

"Just…give her the same thing Michelle," Misty sighed, taking the roll out of Elizabeth's mouth and the spoon out of her hands.

"Misty, you're next," Delia informed the gym leader through a giggle as she left some meat on Elizabeth's plate. "Which part would you like?"

Misty smirked at her husband, who gasped and threw his wife a more than desperate look. Glancing up at her mother-in-law, Misty gave a small shrug and softly replied, "I'll take the same thing as my girls."

Ash began to celebrate, but he abruptly stopped himself and grinned sheepishly across the table. "Thanks, Misty."

"Don't mention it," Misty scoffed, watching as Ash's eyes lit up once the leg was placed before him. With one last look at the piece, Ash cut off a good portion of it and leaned across the table, dropping the piece on Misty's plate.

"Aw, thank you!" Misty trilled, her smile now as wide as Ash's.

"Wait, Dad gave you food?" Aiden gasped. "_His _food?!"

"If that's not a sign of true love when it comes to my son, then I don't know what is," Delia remarked, causing everyone to laugh heartily.

* * *

><p><strong>That was Thanksgiving enough, no? A nice, big meal with family! And Ash actually sharing his dinner. True love ;)<strong>

**So, to all of my American readers, HAPPY THANKSGIVING!**


	255. Trophy Daughter

**One week of school left...one week of Black and White left. Then, let the fun begin! Except for finals. Those aren't fun.**

**Elizabeth: 8 years old**

**Estelle: 10 years old**

***Estelle is the daughter of Virgil and Bianca***

* * *

><p><span><strong>Trophy Daughter <strong>

"Hey, Elizabeth, what're all these ribbons and trophies for?"

This question brought an instant smile to Elizabeth's face. Jumping up from her spot on the floor, Elizabeth scurried over to the blonde haired girl who was surveying all of the accolades on the white shelf attached to the wall.

"Those are all from dancing!" Elizabeth chirped.

"Dancing?" The other girl repeated.

"Yeah, my competitions!" Elizabeth giggled. "Look!"

She pointed at the first ribbon on the shelf, which was light pink in color. "This one was because I had the prettiest costume in the whole competition! And so is this one!" She then moved her finger over to a light purple ribbon on the other side of the shelf.

"Wow, I didn't know they gave out awards for those kinds of things!" The older girl marveled.

"These are even better, Estelle!" Elizabeth trilled, pointing at the ribbons in the middle. "These are for having the best dance!"

"Whoa," Estelle breathed, glancing over the rest of the collection. "Did you get first place for any of them?"

"Uh huh, a _bunch_ of them!" Elizabeth crowed. "Mostly all the gold and blue ones. Those two silver ones are second place, and that orange one is for third place."

"What about the trophies behind them?" Estelle asked, pointing at the predominantly silver and gold awards that stood proudly behind the prize ribbons.

"Yeah, those are all for dance, too," Elizabeth replied. "Wanna see my most favorite one of all?"

Estelle rapidly nodded her head. Beaming, Elizabeth got up on her tippy toes and reached for the trophy that was right in the middle of the shelf. Once she managed to get it down, with quite the bit of difficulty, Elizabeth grinned again and held out the award for Estelle to see. It had a pink crystalline swirl on a black base, a small gold plaque on the front boasting "First Place: Mini Ballet." A gold ballerina figurine stood proudly on top, complete with a tutu and perfectly pointed feet.

"Wow, this one is really pretty," Estelle commented.

"I got it for my ballet solo!" Elizabeth giggled. "It was my favorite dance ever! That's what I got the pink ribbon for, too. My costume! I had the prettiest costume _and _the best dance!"

"That's so cool!" Estelle shrieked. "And it's not even the biggest trophy you have!"

Elizabeth laughed and turned back to her shelf in order to return the trophy to its rightful spot, next to a two riser trophy with bright pink columns and a silver figurine of a girl doing a perfect leap on the top.

"Yeah, but I don't care about how big they are," Elizabeth supplied. "I love my ballet trophies the most, because I love _ballet_ the most!"

"That makes sense," Estelle mused. "My big sister has lots of soccer and music trophies, and usually, her music ones are bigger. But she likes soccer a lot more than she likes music!"

"Does your sister ever get medals?" Elizabeth squeaked.

"Yeah, but only from soccer," Estelle confirmed. "Do they have medals in dance?"

"Uh huh!"

Reaching up, Elizabeth grabbed three different medals: one hot pink with silhouettes of leaping girls, one white and printed with ballet slippers, and one black with the word "dance" running around the entire length of the ribbon.

"These are the prettiest ones," Elizabeth explained. "I've got a few others, but they're just plain colors like pink and black and white."

"This one's _really_ pretty!" Estelle marveled, picking up the medal that was attached to the ribbon printed with ballet slippers. The gold circle was edged by stars and filled in with white rhinestones, a pink leaping girl displayed in the center

"I got this one for ballet, too," Elizabeth explained. "It's my most favorite medal! The other two are for jazz."

The hot pink ribbon boasted a silver star with a sparkly pink center and a purple girl leaping in the middle, while the black ribbon was attached to an entirely purple circle with a bronze girl leaping in the center before a glittery pink star.

"Is the silver one second place and the bronze one third?" Estelle questioned, holding each medal in her hand.

"Yeah," Elizabeth sighed. "I'm not as good at jazz as I am at ballet."

"You've got so many awards!" Estelle continued. "I bet you have the most awards in the whole house!"

"Nuh uh," Elizabeth refuted.

"No?"

"My daddy has more," Elizabeth squeaked. "He's got a whole entire _room_ full of trophies!"

"Really?!" Estelle wheezed.

"Yeah, I'll show you!" Elizabeth giggled, putting her medals back in their original place. "Come on!"

Elizabeth led the older blonde girl out of her room and into the hallway. They went further down the hall, closer to the window at the very end, and took a sharp turn left, where Elizabeth jumped up on her toes and managed to open up the door. As soon as it swung back, Estelle could feel her jaw drop out of sheer fascination. She had never seen so many awards and trophies in her entire life!

"…wow…"

"Look at all of 'em!" Elizabeth laughed, pulling Estelle further into the room. Each wall was lined by trophy cases, filled to the brim with various awards and protected by glass. "He's got _so_ many!"

Estelle's dark green eyes were shimmering with delight. She ran over to the far end of the room, where another shelf full of trophies stood. "I can't believe he's got room for all of these!"

"I think that's the whole reason my mommy made him put them all in this room," Elizabeth commented. "Otherwise, they'd be all over our house!"

"These are all for Pokémon battles?" Estelle breathed.

"Mostly," Elizabeth replied, looking over the collection that was against the right side of the wall. "He's also got some from different competitions and stuff! I want to have as many trophies as my dad one day."

At this, Estelle's eyes widened as she spun around to look at her friend. "Really?"

"Yeah!" Elizabeth giggled. "When I'm all grown up, I'll have a room full of trophies just like him!"

"For dance?" Estelle queried.

"Dance and Pokémon battles and fashion and _everything!_" Elizabeth squealed.

"That sounds like a lot of fun!" Estelle laughed.

"I'm gonna be as good as my dad at everything I do!" Elizabeth declared. "And my mom, too! I want to win and be great and have lots of people look up to me! I want to be just like them!"

From outside the door, Ash, who had originally run upstairs in a panic when he'd heard the door to his trophy room open, was smiling proudly. His sweet little daughter really wanted to be just like him and Misty. It was the biggest honor Ash could have possibly thought of.

Perhaps even more than being the Pokémon Master.

* * *

><p><strong>Aiden is predominantly the one who wants to be like Ash (he wants the same title and all that.) Elizabeth doesn't necessarily want to be Pokémon Master, she just wants to be as GOOD as Ash and Misty, talent-wise. <strong>


	256. Brock's Little Buddy

**I'm down from 6 classes to 5! I had my dance final today, so that's done :) Here's a celebratory one shot before I go back to homework and crying.**

**Elizabeth: 5 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Brock's Little Buddy<strong>

The small baby shifted her eyes back and forth, following the somewhat familiar though still strange man around the room with her emerald orbs.

He was around an awful lot, but she still wasn't sure of who he was. He liked to sing and hum and cook. He held her a lot, too. And sang and hummed and cooked _while_ he was doing that.

Elizabeth was really fascinated by the man.

Right now, he was busy shuffling around the kitchen, singing some strange song at the top of his lungs while he scurried from stove top to counter. Back and forth and back and forth. Elizabeth's eyes were bouncing around like ping pong balls, intent on watching his every move.

_La la la la la la,_

_I kinda like this song,_

_La la la la la la,_

_Why don't you sing along?_

_La la la la la la,_

_I sing my la la la,_

_For the Girls._

_For! The! Girls! Yeah! Mmm!_

Elizabeth blinked and softly bobbed her head from side-to-side as he sang. It was a bit odd…much different than the lullabies her mother sang to her. Those were soft and sweet and gentle. But this…this was kind of crazy. She liked it! As Brock continued to sing, Elizabeth let out a delighted giggle, which stopped Brock in his tracks. He froze and turned his head, watching the happy baby coo and kick her feet up.

"Aw, Lizzie," Brock chuckled, moving closer to the baby. "Am I entertaining you?"

The tiny girl blew a bubble out of her mouth and shrieked laughingly as soon as it popped.

"Just like your daddy, huh?" Brock sighed, reaching into the baby's pink bouncer and lifting her right out of it. "Of course. He's your very best friend, right?"

Elizabeth sealed her lips and mumbled incoherently. Brock began humming as he held the baby against his chest, gently twisting his body back and forth in an attempt to both entertain and relax the child.

"But you do seem to love everybody," Brock mused, earning a curious squeak from the child in his arms. "Your mommy, daddy, brother, and sister are at the very top of that list, though! And your Teddi, of course. How could I forget about him?"

Elizabeth's ears perked at the mention of her favorite stuffed companion. Shrieking excitedly, the little girl grabbed Brock's shirt in her hands and began to tug at it, still yelping as she pulled.

"What is it?" Brock crooned. "You want something, little girl?"

The baby moaned and threw her head against Brock's solid chest, causing him to wince. Not so much because the action hurt. It hardly had, in fact; he was too strong. The wince was mainly because he feared the baby girl injuring her head while in his care. Ash and Misty would have _his_ head if anything happened to her.

"When in doubt, get the bear," Brock muttered, walking into the living room. He found the stuffed Teddiursa lying on the couch and smirked as he picked it up. "Hey, Lizzie, will this calm you down?"

The infant peered up at the poke doll, and as soon as she laid eyes on him, she let out one shrill giggle and snatched him, chewing thoughtfully on his ear while glancing up at Brock.

"Of course," Brock chuckled. "You're best buddies!"

Elizabeth smiled at Brock as she released Teddi's ear, cooing gently at the man who always seemed to be around her. The Pokémon doctor smiled at the happy baby and tickled her cheek, earning a stronger laugh from the little girl.

"You're so precious," Brock murmured. "The world's most special little girl, eh?"

Yawning, the baby girl rested her head against Brock's chest and snuggled him. His smile widening, Brock rested a hand against her head and carried her back into the kitchen, Teddi still nestled between him and the baby.

"You make me very happy, Lizzie," Brock continued. "I think you make everyone happy! But you're my little goddaughter. You're very special to me. I'll do anything for you, you know. You want a new dress?"

Elizabeth turned her eyes up onto Brock and made a throaty noise that sounded almost like a muffled protest.

"No?" Brock chuckled. "How about a toy, then? A nice, big toy. Something that lights up and sings pretty songs…would you like that better than a dress?"

Elizabeth beamed at her godfather, smiling from ear-to-ear as she grabbed the back of Teddi's head and moved it back and forth, hitting his nose against Brock's chest.

"Alright then, I'll buy you a new toy," Brock decided, turning back to the stove in order to stir the pot. "Your mommy and daddy are gonna be really mad at me if I do that. But I'm not gonna let that stop me, now am I?"

The infant in his arms giggled and stuffed her tiny fist in her mouth, cooing excitedly as Brock grinned down at her.

"What am I gonna be mad at you for, Brock-o?"

The Pokémon doctor jumped and whipped his head around, where he found a curious looking Ash standing by the stairs.

"Oh…nothing, nothing at all," Brock hummed. "Right, my little sweetheart?"

Elizabeth giggled again, picking her head up and murmuring softly to herself.

"Don't corrupt my baby," Ash teased, walking over to Brock and lifting the infant out of his arms. "She's innocent and pure."

"In _this_ house?" Brock joked. "No way. She's had to have heard some curses or something by now."

"No, we're very careful!" Ash laughed. "I wouldn't even let any of that fly while Misty was _pregnant_. I'm like the innocence police!"

"Oh, yeah, you're _real _innocent," Brock quipped sarcastically.

"I am!" Ash gasped dramatically at the notion.

"Lizzie, let me tell you a little something about your daddy," Brock began, eyeing the curious infant in Ash's arms. "He was always a very dense, naïve little boy. Knew nothing unless it had to do with food or Pokémon. I swear to you, little girl, the _second _he turned sixteen…hormone central."

"What?! No way!" Ash argued.

"Yes way!" Brock droned. "I'll never forget the first time you realized Misty was a girl. Like…a _girl._"

"See?!" Ash shrieked, covering one of Elizabeth's ears and pressing the other one against his chest. "Corruption!"

"Nah, just friendly conversation," Brock chuckled lowly.

"Friends," Ash hummed, his eyes twinkling with interest. "Yeah, you and Lizzie are really good friends!"

"I'd like to think so," Brock commented idly. "Then again, I _am_ a 32 year old man. I don't know if I should be bragging about being friends with a five month old."

"I'm 27, and I brag about it all the time," Ash recounted. "In fact, I tell everyone that my best friends are a five month old _and_ a pair of six year olds."

"Yeah, but they're your kids," Brock laughed. "That's different."

"I don't think so," Ash refuted. "They're kind of your kids too, aren't they?"

Brock hummed and arched an eyebrow, turning his head towards Ash. "What do you mean?"

"You're so close to us, Brock," Ash chuckled. "You pretty much took care of me and Misty when we were kids. Hell-"

"See!" Brock interrupted, pointing a finger at the shocked younger male. "_Not_ innocent!"

Elizabeth squeaked and glanced up at her father, who was suddenly very pale in the face. Giggling, she reached up with her hand and pulled at his lower lip with her tiny fingers, mumbling happily as she played with his face.

"I…I slipped!" Ash cried.

"Whatever you say, bud," Brock chortled. "Continue."

"Alright, alright," Ash bristled, shaking his head out. "_Heck._ Heck, you practically took care of Misty and I when we were _teenagers!_ You were almost like a father figure to the both of us."

"Really?" Brock murmured, his cheeks turning a delicate shade of pink.

"Yeah," Ash confirmed. "And you helped me to take care of Misty when she was pregnant and all sick and moody and miserable. I didn't know what to do. But you did."

"Well, when you have nine brothers and sisters, you've had to have picked some stuff up along the way," Brock humbly tried.

"Maybe, but you still helped me in a way that no one else really could," Ash continued. "Except for Mom, of course."

"Delia is very much a saint," Brock sighed laughingly. "In more ways than one."

"You know, she says the same thing about you," Ash mused. "Mom's really fond of you. And she always tell me that I picked the right godfather for my kids. I know she's right, as always."

"That's…sweet," Brock hummed, the words sounding strange as they came out of his mouth. "Really sweet, Ash."

"They all love you, too," Ash breathed, looking down at Elizabeth. The baby was cooing softly and looking over her shoulder, staring at Brock with wide emerald eyes. "Aiden and Michelle talk about you all the time, and Elizabeth just stares at you. She's fascinated."

"Is that good or bad?" Brock quipped.

"Good, I think," Ash chuckled. "Who wouldn't want such a pretty face looking at them all the time?"

"Ah, good point!" Brock laughed.

"If anything ever happened to me, I wouldn't trust my kids with anyone else but you," Ash sighed, his voice softening as he let his eyes fall back onto Elizabeth. "The way you love and care for them is amazing. It means everything to me, Brock.

At this, Brock smiled sheepishly. "Thanks, Ash. Really. That means a lot to me, too. "

Elizabeth looked between Ash and Brock, blinking her eyes and eventually letting out a shrill yelp. The two males looked down at the baby, and then back at each other, laughing heartily.

"I think maybe Elizabeth wants us to go back to being more…manly," Brock suggested though a chuckle.

"Brock," Ash began, slowly shaking his head, "how can we possibly be manly when you're standing in front of me wearing a frilly pink apron?"

The Pokémon doctor glanced down at his current attire and blushed dramatically, rubbing a hand behind his head. "Uh…it's Misty's."

"Misty doesn't own _or_ wear any aprons," Ash quipped. "But nice try."

* * *

><p><strong>I love Brock's pink apron. Step off, Ash. <strong>


	257. False Reporting

**I'm spending waaay too much time in class and doing homework. That's why lately, all of my one shots seem to connect back to communication studies. It's totally rammed in my head.**

**Maybe that's a good thing...?**

* * *

><p><span><strong>False Reporting<strong>

During their time as stars in the spotlight, Ash and Misty had learned a few things about the media.

One: they were willing to make anything up in order to have a good story. Anything. Even if it was harmful or hurtful to those involved. At this point, Ash and Misty had pretty much learned to ignore everything the media said about them that wasn't positive, but their families were another matter. They were very much sensitive to the rumors and never appreciated them. Ash and Misty always ended up having to explain themselves no matter what.

Two: they mainly thrived off of the negatives, not the positives. That was pretty much an attachment to the first lesson. For example, news of the couple expecting children was not perceived as a happy, momentous occasion, but rather as a "world exclusive" that the two didn't actually want any (which wasn't true in the slightest.) Or, a picture of Ash and Misty leaving work separately was misconstrued as a massive fight. This too led to concern from extended family members.

Three: they were so intent on getting the first story, be it correct or not, that they often got the details wrong. Thankfully for Ash and Misty, this typically just made the media themselves look stupid, and not the couple. Sometimes, however, these rushed errors often led to confusion from the public and, even worse, their families.

That was pretty much the fourth, final, and biggest lesson Ash and Misty had learned about the media: their families got more riled up by the reporting than anyone else in the world.

You want a specific example? They have plenty. Probably more than you could even imagine. One of the worst, as far as their families' panic attacks were concerned, had to be the announcement of Elizabeth's name. Or, rather, the _incorrect _announcement of her name.

**XXX**

"_MISTY!"_

The gym leader gasped and nearly went flying out of bed. She had been lying down and trying to sleep…part of her doctor mandated bed rest. A shrill and sudden cry right in her ear, however, had disrupted any hope of accomplishing such a feat. Looking up, she snarled when she realized who was the cause of such disorder.

Ash. With a phone in his hand. That he had held against her ear.

"Seriously?!" Misty hissed, her eyes ablaze with fury and her voice full of venom.

"It's Daisy!" Ash quickly responded, not wanting Misty to bite his head off. "And she's really upset! But she won't tell me why!"

"Ugh," Misty groaned, snatching the phone out of her husband's hand and holding it against the side of her head. "Daisy, as soon as I'm allowed to be out of this bed full time, the first place I'm going is to your house so I can kick your ass."

"_Fine, whatever. But you have to explain yourself!"_

"Explain myself?" Misty repeated. "For what?"

"_You know what!"_

"I was just very rudely awoken from a much needed nap by your big mouth," Misty bit. "So no, I don't know what."

"_You're joking, right?"_

"Do I sound like I'm joking, Daisy?"

"_I don't know with you!"_

"Do I ever joke about kicking your ass?"

"_Quite a bit, yeah."_

"Well this time, I'm serious."

"_I already told you I don't care! I just want an explanation!"_

"Well, I can't give you a freaking explanation if you don't tell me what it is I apparently did wrong!"

While Misty and Daisy were busy bickering over the phone, Ash's poke gear began to ring wildly. The tone for both the phone and texting features all went off at once, creating an extremely disharmonious melody that caused Ash's ears to burn. Wincing, he snatched the dark blue device off of his belt and studied the screen, groaning himself once he realized that his _mother _was the cause for both alerts.

"Of course," Ash sighed, answering the call and holding the poke gear up to his ear. "Ma, I've told you. You don't need to text me _and_ call me at the same time. Just one is fine."

"_Not this time it isn't!"_ Delia's angry voice trilled through the speakers.

"You sound upset," Ash dimly concluded.

"_You bet I am, young man!"_

"What did I do?" Ash whined.

"_You know what you did, Ash!"_

"Huh? No I don't."

"_Don't lie to me, young man."_

"I…I'm not a teenager, Mom," Ash stammered through the strange scolding. "What could I have possibly done to send us back in time like this?"

"_Do you know how much this upsets me, Ash?"_

The Pokémon Master sighed and rolled his eyes. His mother wasn't listening to him. She was just running off of pure emotion. Which meant she would just keep going and going until she ran out of breath.

Which could really take a while.

"I can't honestly say I do," Ash muttered.

"_Don't talk under your breath!"_

Ash threw his arms down and dramatically rolled his eyes. From her spot in the bed, Misty glanced over at her husband and threw him a strange look. Out of the corner of his eye, Ash caught the expression and turned his head towards her, slowly shaking it.

"Are you being interrogated?" Misty whispered, covering the phone's receiver.

"Like a world class killer," Ash confirmed.

"What's gotten into these two?" Misty demanded, pointing between the house phone and Ash's poke gear.

"I hope they haven't been spending too much time together," Ash admitted.

"That's a fate worse than death," Misty half joked.

"_MISTY!"_

"_ASH!"_

The two were immediately sent back to their phone conversations, looking extremely flustered and confused.

"Daisy, all you're doing is yelling at me," Misty breathed, trying to keep her already frayed nerves from exploding. "I can't calm your pretty little head down until you give me a coherent explanation!"

"Mom, I already told you, I don't know what you're talking about!" Ash cried. "You know I would never upset you on purpose! Just tell me what's upsetting you, and I'll fix it! Or something. Depending on what it is."

"_YOU CHANGED ELIZABETH'S NAME!"_

Ash and Misty's eyes widened at the exact same time, and it only took them half a second before they began arguing against the accusation.

"Daisy, we didn't change her name!" Misty yelped.

"Yeah, she's still Elizabeth!" Ash rushed out, throwing Misty a sideways glance as he heard those words leave her mouth.

"Where did you get this ridiculous idea?" Misty demanded.

"_Pokémon Journal's website!"_ Daisy bemoaned. Misty, on the other end, rolled her eyes at the mention of the famous gossip magazine. _"They had her name in the article as Elizabeth Rose, not Elizabeth Dilynne!"_

"Elizabeth Rose?" Misty repeated with an air of disgust. Once again, she got a strange look from Ash.

"_I just don't understand,"_ Delia sighed from her end of the line with Ash. _"I mean, don't get me wrong, dear. Rose is still a beautiful name! But…I was just so honored that you'd chosen to name Elizabeth after me and Misty's mother…what in the world made you change your mind?"_

"Rose?" Ash murmured. "That's…not really a beautiful name."

"_If you don't like it, then why did you make it Elizabeth's middle name?" _Delia questioned.

"I didn't…_we _didn't, "Ash corrected, looking over at Misty, who was shaking her head. "Her middle name is still Dilynne, Mom. It never changed."

"_It...it didn't?"_

"No," Ash chuckled. "I'll send you a picture of her birth certificate if you don't believe me."

"_N-no, I do, dear,"_ Delia breathed. _"Oh, I'm so sorry for jumping at you like that! No wonder you were so confused!"_

"It's alright," Ash laughed. "Don't worry about it!"

"_I mean, I thought it was cute that you named her after Mom and Delia,"_ Daisy was still chattering over the house phone. _"Giving her Mom's own middle name is kind of strange, though. And it's not very fair to Delia, either. Not cool, Misty!"_

"Daisy, are you this dense?" Misty queried.

"_Uh…"_

"I'll take that as a yes. Do you not understand that I'm confused? Because I did not change Elizabeth's middle name."

"_Wait…you didn't?"_

"No!" Misty sighed dramatically. "Honestly, why would you even believe Pokémon Journal at this point? We've been going through this for _years!_ You ignore those stupid things! Or at least come to me first."

"_I guess I just freaked a little bit,"_ Daisy sheepishly admitted.

"A little?" Misty quipped sarcastically.

"_Oh, shut it!"_

This finally earned a satisfied giggle from Misty. "Look, no offense to Mom, but I'm not a fan of the name Rose. And in no way, shape, or form would I ever give my child the same exact name as one of her relatives. Why do you think Michelle's middle name isn't just Amy? I loved Grandma more than anything, but we all need our own identities."

"_Wow…you're like…so smart, Misty!"_ Daisy giggled girlishly.

"Tell me something I don't know," Misty coolly replied. "Now, I'm going back to sleep. If you call me again, you won't live to continue experiencing my brilliance."

"_Oh. Okay!"_

Misty rolled her eyes at her sister's chipper naivety and simply hung up, placing the phone on her nightstand and lying back down with a definitive huff.

"_I'm still very sorry, dear,"_ Delia kept on profusely apologizing.

"Mom, come on! You're gonna make me feel bad!" Ash chortled. "I promise it's okay. Just…try not to believe all of those trashy magazines, okay?"

"_I know, you tell me this all the time,"_ Delia giggled nervously.

"Just trying to protect you," Ash hummed sweetly.

"_I appreciate it, sweetheart."_

"I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"_Sounds good! Love you!"_

"Love you too."

As Ash ended the call, Misty's giggles caught his attention, causing him to turn his head towards her once again.

"I love how your phone calls end so much more nicely than mine," Misty commented warmly.

"What can I say, I'm more level headed," Ash teased.

"More level headed my ass," Misty scoffed. "I'm just grumpy and tired and hormonal."

"And that's different than any other day?"

Misty glared at her husband and pointed a warning finger at him. "Watch it."

"Yes, ma'am."

Sighing, Misty leaned her head back against the headboard and stared up at the ceiling. "Why in the world would Daisy and Delia believe such a thing?"

"I'm kind of wondering why Pokémon Journal would report on something like that," Ash mused.

"Well, Ash, they're not exactly a reputable publication," Misty jibed.

"But still, it's a little strange, isn't it?" Ash pressed.

"I don't know," Misty admitted. "I'd have to see the article for myself before I decide if it's strange or not."

Dashing over to his side of the room, Ash pulled out his laptop and opened it up, quickly scouring for the Pokémon Journal website and the supposedly offending article.

"Here it is!" Ash crowed before scanning the article with his own eyes. "It doesn't say anything about us changing her name, though. But…wait…here it is!"

"It says we changed her name?" Misty muttered.

"No," Ash refuted. "It just says we named her Elizabeth Rose."

"And when was this article posted?" Misty questioned.

"Uh…August 5th."

"So the day she was born?"

"Yep."

"It's one of those damned rushed things," Misty groaned. "They got her name wrong because they wanted to be the first ones to report it! And, in the process, they got her name _wrong._ Idiots."

Ash nodded for a few seconds before stopping and biting his lip in contemplation. "You think these magazines ever get sick of being wrong?"

It didn't even take Misty a second to respond to that one.

"Nope."

* * *

><p><strong>Oooh the curse of being a journalism major. I won't be a bad one like these people. This is everything I aspire not to be. I want to work for a sports team anyway so...no trashy celebrity magazines for me.<strong>

**Look, we got another trashy magazine in the Pokémon world! Come on now, PokeStar can't have the monopoly on trash. And Pokémon Journal is actually a real celebrity magazine in the games! So, those are the two main trashy ones. There's probably some more cassy ones. Like actual trainer magazines. Maybe I'll write about one of those one day, that way you guys don't think all journalists and media are bad :P Although, a majority are. That's what I've learned in college so far.**


	258. Birthday Wars

**Today is December 7th, which makes it Aiden and Michelle's birthday :) Of course, because they're twins, they have to share their birthday. Every single year. That might get annoying sometimes, I'd think.**

**That's why I wrote this special one shot in honor of their birthday :) Enjoy!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Birthday Wars<strong>

"I want a mermaid party!"

"That's stupid! I want a superhero party!"

"Mermaid!"

"Superhero!"

"MERMAID!"

"SUPERHERO!"

"MER-"

"Knock it off, you two!"

Aiden and Michelle continued to growl and glare at each other, even after Misty had physically separated them.

"We have to talk about this _without_ trying to kill one another," Misty sighed, finally feeling it was safe to let go of her two children. "Now, you both want something _very _different. Why don't we just pick a new theme that you can both agree on?"

"NO!" Aiden and Michelle shouted at once, causing Misty to wince.

"It's not fair!" Michelle cried, her emerald eyes narrowed with anger. "I want to have a mermaid party!"

"I don't _want_ a dumb mermaid party!" Aiden countered. "Superheroes are cooler!"

"No, mermaids are!" Michelle bit.

"Superheroes are!" Aiden retaliated.

"Mermaids!"

"Superheroes!"

"MERMAIDS!"

"SUPERHEROES!"

"Oh, my aching head," Misty groaned, clutching the top of her cranium in her hands. "Aiden, Michelle, you have to stop fighting! We're not going to get anywhere if you two just keep arguing like this!"

"But-"

"No buts!" Misty warned the two children. "This will just be so much easier if you two can agree on something! What about…different colors? We could do blue and red! Your two favorites! Wouldn't that be fun?"

"No," Aiden and Michelle huffed simultaneously.

"Come on, guys…" Misty groaned.

"This is only happening 'cause we're twins!" Aiden cried.

"Yeah, if we had _different_ birthdays, we could do whatever we wanted!" Michelle wailed. "But instead, we gots to _share_ everything!"

This little realization led to Aiden and Michelle glaring at each other once again. Misty was caught in the middle, just like before, but this time, she was too stunned to actually separate the two feuding children.

"This is _your_ fault!" Aiden shouted at Michelle.

"Nuh uh, it's _yours!_" Michelle argued.

"I hate being your twin!" Aiden snapped.

"No,_ I_ do!" Michelle screeched.

And with that, the two angry siblings stormed off in separate directions, leaving behind a bewildered and devastated Misty.

**XXX**

"Misty, stop beating yourself up over this."

"But-"

"It's not _your_ fault, either. It's nobody's fault."

"But-"

"Quit being so stubborn, Mist. There's nothing you can say that will make this your fault. It was totally out of our control."

Misty huffed and looked away, not knowing what else to do. She absolutely hated it when she was so frustrated that she had nothing to come back at Ash with.

"Besides, twins are special! They're not a burden!"

Misty scowled and whipped her head around, glaring at a startled Ash. "I'm aware of that, Mr. Pokemon Master. It's our children who don't understand. And it's killing me!"

"What exactly did they say?" Ash questioned, leaning against the windowsill. "You didn't really tell me. You just came here raving that the twins were upset about being twins, and that it was all your fault."

"They literally said that they hate being twins," Misty muttered. "They hate sharing and always being put together. That's all they said. And then they stormed off. But it was _so_ upsetting. I…I never could've imagined them saying something like that."

Ash twisted his mouth at this, watching as Misty groaned and buried her head in her hands. "They just don't understand how special they are. They think it's a curse, not a blessing."

"They fight sometimes, but they've always been the best of friends," Misty murmured. "Ever since they were babies. Giggling and smiling and holding hands. It's so precious! But they were so upset, Ash. I saw the hurt in their eyes. They meant what they said."

"No, there's no way they meant it," Ash hushed.

"They did," Misty grumbled. "I swear they did."

Ash moved away from the window and sat down next to Misty on the bed, rubbing her shoulders in a comforting manner. "Misty, they're little kids. You know when they say stuff like that they don't actually mean it! How many times have they said they hate us? We've learned better than to think they actually mean it. Sometimes, they just get upset and say stuff out of emotion."

"Ash, I'm just so sensitive to those two," Misty sighed. "I don't want them to feel like they're being treated unfairly just because they were born at the same time. I _know_ they're two different people! But I can't help it that they share a birthday."

"Then that's what we should tell them," Ash concluded, his eyes shimmering with determination. "Er…what exactly were they arguing over, again?"

"The theme of their birthday party. Michelle wanted mermaids, and Aiden wanted superheroes."

"Oh, I get it," Ash murmured. "They didn't want to compromise."

"Nope," Misty breathed. "Maybe it would be easier if they were both boys, or both girls. But having one boy and one girl is hard. Michelle's not a girly-girl, but that doesn't mean she's okay with having a superhero party. And trust me, she wasn't."

Ash pressed his lips together in thought before smiling and gently patting his wife's back. "I have an idea."

Misty looked up at her husband in interest. "You do?"

"Yep!" Ash chuckled, jumping to his feet. "But we should talk to Aiden and Michelle first."

"Agreed," Misty exhaled, standing up next to Ash and throwing him a concerned look. "We have to fix this."

"It won't be hard," Ash promised. "Just tell them exactly how you feel."

"And you think that will work?"

"They're _kids_, Mist. All they know is emotion."

**XXX**

Just as the young parents had expected, Aiden and Michelle were found in their perspective bedrooms. Not wanting the children to feel that anyone was being favored, Ash and Misty decided to speak with them in their _own _bedroom. Aiden and Michelle, of course, loved the king sized bed, and usually started jumping on it as soon as they got in the room. They were still so upset, however, that they were sitting completely still on the edge of the bed.

"Aiden, Michelle, you two know how special you both are to Mommy and Daddy, right?" Misty practically pleaded, kneeling down beside the bed and staring up at her young children with dazzling green eyes.

"Yeah…" they both murmured, still sounding rather perturbed.

"You mean _everything _to us," Misty continued, tears beginning to sting the back of her eyes. "You're both so wonderful."

She reached up and caressed their faces, causing both children to laugh delightfully.

"Mommy and I were so excited when we found out that we were going to have two babies at once," Ash added. "Not many people get to do that!"

"And that means you two have always been so close," Misty crooned. "No one could possibly be closer, in fact! You both played together before you were even born."

"How'd we do that?" Aiden muttered.

"In my tummy!" Misty giggled, resting a hand on her perfectly flat midsection. "You two were so jumpy and crazy! You'd kick at one another all day long. Sometimes, I just had to yell at you two to cut it out."

"Did we?" Michelle squeaked.

"No," Misty quickly replied, earning sheepish giggles from her two children.

"Sorry!" Michelle chirped.

"I didn't always mind it, though," Misty mused, her eyes twinkling. "I was very happy that you two were so close! I wanted my little boy and girl to be the best of friends. And you are!"

Aiden and Michelle looked at one another for the first time since their explosive argument from before and cautiously smiled. They did know that they were close. They always had. In fact, they were so close that they could often sense one another's feelings. It sounded strange, but to them, it was completely normal.

"Mommy and I know that sometimes it's hard for you two to feel like you have to share everything," Ash continued, smiling sympathetically. "Especially your birthday! But, we want you guys to know that we don't think of you as the same person. You're totally separate! Aiden," he patted the boy's head, "and Michelle." He patted his daughter's head right after.

"Sharing a birthday _can_ be really cool, though," Misty tried. "You get to celebrate it every year with your best friend!"

"But…we don't like the same stuff," Aiden bemoaned through a pout.

"I don't want a boy party," Michelle murmured, her eyes darkening.

"And I don't wanna _girl_ party," Aiden added.

"Neither of you has to have that kind of party," Ash assured, earning interested squeaks from his children. "Daddy's got the perfect plan! Just leave it to me!"

**XXX**

A few weeks later, the day of Aiden and Michelle's party, the twins were led downstairs by Ash, who had skillfully covered their eyes with blindfolds.

"Daddy, I wanna see!" Michelle squeaked.

"Not yet, princess!" Ash laughed. "Almost!"

"Please, Daddy?" Aiden tried.

"Nope, I won't let you peek!" Ash chuckled.

"Ash, I understand the _twins_, but why me?"

Ash smirked and glanced down at his wife, who was already at the bottom of the stairs. He had placed a blindfold over her own eyes, and she was just standing there blind and confused.

"Because it's a surprise for all of you!" Ash trilled. "I want to see the look on all of your faces when you realize that I'm not so dense!"

"I didn't accuse you of being dense," Misty quipped. "Just annoying."

"Either way, I'm almost there," Ash promised. He led the twins all the way down, until they were standing next to their mother. Once they were all standing in a row, Ash swiftly removed all three of their blindfolds, standing off to the side with an accomplished smirk on his face while his wife and children let out stunned gasps.

"Whoa!"

"Cool!"

"Oh my gosh, Ash…"

The living room was fully decorated, complete with balloons, streamers, and wall decorations. The left side of the room was bedecked in red, black, and yellow with the figures of strong looking males wearing intricate uniforms and concealing masks, while the right side was adorned with ocean blue, light pink, and sea green, with cheerful mermaids plastered on the walls.

"Superheroes!" Aiden gasped, running over to his side.

"And mermaids!" Michelle squealed, rushing over to the opposite side.

"A-Ash…" Misty breathed again, holding a hand over her heart.

"It's a little bit of a stretch, I know," Ash commented. "Kind of mixed up. But I thought it would make them happy, so that they could have both. All of Aiden's little friends can eat off of superhero plates, and Michelle's friends can have the mermaid stuff. Or they can switch. Whatever floats their boats."

Misty turned towards her husband and beamed at him, her eyes sparkling. "This is literally the sweetest thing I've ever seen. You're amazing, Ash."

"Amazing?" Ash repeated, a blush gracing his cheeks. "I don't know about that…heh."

"I would have never thought of this," Misty admitted, slowly shaking her head. "I was so concerned with making sure they got along that I just wanted to compromise. I didn't even think that they could both have what they wanted. But you did. You're such a wonderful father, Ash."

"Mist, come on," Ash muttered, his blush intensifying.

"I mean it!" Misty giggled, gently smacking Ash on the shoulder. Still smiling up at him, the woman giggled softly and rested her head on that same shoulder. "I love you so much."

Ash sighed laughingly and nuzzled his nose against the top of her head, leaving a light kiss there immediately after.

"I love you more," Ash murmured, his lips bending up into another smirk.

The twins' shrieking laughter brought the couple out of their romantic stupor, and set their attention onto the two. Ash and Misty both smiled as Aiden and Michelle switched places, examining each other's sides with mystified expressions.

"I think we love them most," Misty whispered, her smile widening.

* * *

><p><strong>Ash saves the day! Go Ash :P He may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but when it comes to his children, he'll do anything to make them happy. That might just bring out the intelligence in him, in fact ;)<strong>


	259. Rocketnapped

**Burn, finals. Buuuuurn.**

**I semi-cheated on this one. I had most of it already written from forever ago and finally decided to finish it. It was the least stress relief I could do before feeling guilty for abandoning my studying.**

**I'll go back to it now T_T**

**Aiden and Michelle: 3 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Rocketnapped<strong>

"Mama loves you, baby girl," Misty whispered to her young daughter before placing the little baby into her crib. She whined softly and reached up, her emerald eyes flooding with want.

"No, sweetie," Misty brushed back the child's feathery hair. "You have to go to sleep now. It's getting late. Besides, I know you'll be up for me later. You'll get hungry, right?"

Michelle yawned and tilted her head to the side, her eyes beginning to close as Misty withdrew her hand. The gym leader smiled and walked out of the room, hurrying down the stairs to re-enter the living room.

There, Ash and Brock were sitting across from one another, laughing over a funny story Ash must've told while Misty was upstairs.

"You weren't talking about me, were you?" Misty smirked. The two males looked over at her and smiled.

"Of course not, Misty," Brock shook his head. With a little chuckle, he added, "we're not dumb enough to do that." That little quip made Misty giggle.

"Yeah, I'm always nice to you, aren't I, angel?" Ash widened his chocolate brown eyes to give himself an innocent appearance.

"That's a dangerous question, Ash Ketchum," Misty teased as she moved closer to the raven haired young man. "I don't know if you'd like the answer to that one in front of your best friend."

Ash's mouth was frozen into a little 'O' shape. He glanced over at Brock, who looked half amused and half frightened. Sensing their trepidation, Misty laughed and leaned over in order to kiss Ash on his cheek.

"I'm kidding," Misty toyed with his midnight locks. "You know that I love you, sweetheart."

Ash grinned and grabbed Misty by the waist, pulling the surprised water type specialist down onto his lap.

"You never fail to freak me out, do you?" Ash asked as he wrapped his arms around the thin young woman.

"It's one of my many talents," Misty batted her eyelashes before leaning into the Pokémon master.

"So how's my little goddaughter?" Brock inquired with a genuine smile. "Did she decide to go to sleep yet?"

"Kind of, I guess," Misty brushed her hair behind her ears. "She still gets really upset when I go to put her down. All Michelle wants to do is be held."

"I would let her sleep in my arms, but Misty won't let me," Ash shrugged.

"Because that isn't good for her," Misty stressed. "Michelle needs to learn to be on her own. She can't be sleeping in your arms when she's five years old, Ash."

"I know," Ash frowned, "I just…love her a lot. That's all."

"I do too, honey," Misty smirked and nuzzled her cheek against Ash's. "That's why we have to do what's best for her."

**XXX**

While the three adults sat talking downstairs, the two babies were in the nursery, each one in their perspective cribs.

Aiden was fast asleep, but Michelle was not. She was wide awake, in fact, and preparing to start a crying fit. All the little girl wanted was for someone to hold her. Being by herself made her very upset.

Right before she let out her first wail, the sound of something opening in the room went off. Michelle closed her mouth and cooed quietly, moving her head back and forth.

Three shadowy figures slipped into the room, gazing over the side of her crib. Michelle babbled quietly, trying to study the unexpected visitors. She had no idea who they were, but the little baby didn't particularly care. She was just hoping that one of them would pick her up.

"It's the little girl, Jess," the blue haired man murmured. "She's the weaker one."

"Weaker, and easier to capture," his magenta haired counterpart grinned.

"Jessie, are you sure?"

"I'm positive, James," Jessie rolled her eyes. "You know the talent that these two babies possess. They'll be a couple of the strongest Pokémon trainers in the world."

"But dey're so simple lookin'," Meowth tilted his head. "All dis one is doin' is starin' up at us like we got tree heads or somethin'."

"Because she's a _baby_," Jessie narrowed her bright blue eyes at the cat Pokémon.

Michelle began to whimper again, holding her chubby little arms out towards James. The blue haired man blinked rapidly, although his bewildered expression grew slightly panicked when the baby's cries became more frequent and she began bouncing herself up and down.

"Hey, don't get so upset," James tried to silence the little thing. "Quiet now, little one."

A legitimate cry finally escaped from the child's lips, and tears began to spill out of her emerald eyes.

"James, pick her up!" Jessie hissed. "Now!"

The male gasped and lifted the girl into his arms, holding her close to his chest. Michelle sobbed just once more before quieting down and staring up at the curious stranger with studious eyes.

"I have to grab that boy," Jessie mumbled as she stalked over towards the boy's crib.

"You worry _way _too much, sweetheart."

The muffled voice from just behind the door sent a shiver up the trio's spine. It _definitely _belonged to the Daddy twerp.

"I just want to check on them," a much more feminine voice replied. That one had to be the twerpette.

"James, we have to get out of here!" Jessie hissed, turning on a heel so her back was now facing Aiden's crib.

"But Jessie, what about the little boy?!" James began to panic.

"We don't have time for him!" Jessie reached out and grabbed James by the collar, pulling him towards the window.

The devious trio climbed out of the open space and into the basket of their waiting balloon, James holding onto the now quiet Michelle the entire time. They managed to float away just as the door to the babies' room opened, revealing Misty's beautiful presence.

"I just get worried when they're in here all alone," Misty sighed, quietly stepping into the room. Ash was behind her, but he chose to not enter the room, instead standing in the doorway and waiting for Misty to finish her paranoid inspection of the nursery.

"You keep telling me they have to be alone," Ash smirked. "So maybe you should stop checking on them."

"Ash, I told you that the babies have to _sleep _on their own," Misty narrowed her eyes at her smug husband. "Not be left for dead in their room."

Turning away from Ash, Misty peered over the side of Aiden's crib and giggled quietly at the sight of the sleeping baby boy. He was so cute, with his feathery black hair and chubby cheeks. Already, he was not a neat sleeper, much like his father. The little boy had one arm held above his head, and the other out to the side. A light blue blanket covered only half of his body, with the pajama covered foot of his blanketed leg just peeking out.

"My little man," Misty cooed. She wanted to touch the baby, to gently stroke either his cheek or his hair, but she didn't for fear of waking him up. A cranky Aiden was not a fun Aiden.

Feeling safe in knowing that her son was content, Misty smiled to herself and waltzed over to the other side of the room, where Michelle's crib sat.

"Good, almost-"Ash began to speak, but was quickly cut off by a muffled scream courtesy of Misty. He quickly ran over to her side and stared into Michelle's crib, afraid of finding his baby girl in some sort of horrible situation.

Much to his horror, she wasn't in her crib at all.

"Mi…Misty…" Ash stammered. He raised his eyes to Misty's face, and felt his heart tearing into little pieces. Misty was still covering her mouth with her hand, which she had done to not wake up Aiden. Her dark green eyes were filling up with tears, and it looked as if she was about to completely lose her composure.

Gently gripping her shoulder, Ash began to look around the room, wondering how their daughter could have possibly gotten out of her crib. She was barely three months old, there was absolutely no way she had gotten out of the crib on her own.

Scanning the room, Ash locked his eyes on the window, and gasped when he realized it was open.

"The window," Ash mumbled. "Somebody took her…"

A wail escaped from behind Misty's hand, and Ash gripped her shoulder a little more tightly. He knew they would have to go and search for the girl. He wouldn't rest until she was found, and until he could absolutely destroy the people who took his precious baby.

"Misty, come on," Ash pulled her out of the room. "Standing around isn't going to do anything. We have to go find her."

"But we can't leave Aiden here alone!" Misty sobbed. "I don't need _both _of my babies kidnapped!"

"I'm on it," Ash assured as he led Misty down the stairs. Running into the living room, he called out Brock's name. The Pokémon doctor looked happy to see his friends, but once he saw the expression on Ash's face and the tears running down Misty's cheeks, he jumped up in concern.

"Ash, what's wrong?" Brock asked.

"I need you to watch Aiden," Ash breathed out heavily. "Please."

"Why? What's going on?"

"Michelle is missing," Ash replied through ground teeth. Brock gasped, and Misty let out another painful whimper. Holding her against his side, Ash continued, "the window in the babies' room is open, and it wasn't when Misty put them to sleep. I think someone snuck in and took her. So, can you watch Aiden for me while I go and look for Michelle?"

"Of course I will," Brock nodded just once.

"Misty, maybe you should stay here with Brock," Ash sighed, holding Misty's face in his hands.

"Are you crazy?!" Misty bit. She sounded absolutely horrified by the idea. "I can't stay here while someone has my baby girl in their possession! I'm going to help you find this jerk, and then I'm going to murder them with my bare hands!"

"Are you sure you can handle this?" Ash asked darkly.

"Oh please, of course I can," Misty rolled her eyes. "Let's go! Those monsters are going to learn that you don't screw around with me, especially when it comes to my little babies!"

"Fine," Ash breathed, darting towards the front door. Misty followed behind quickly, her emerald green eyes shining with determination and anger. Allowing Misty to dash out in front of him, Ash held the door frame with his left hand and looked over his shoulder. "You promise you'll watch Aiden?"

"Of course," Brock nodded. "You have my word."

**XXX**

"Dee dee dee, hello there little darling!" James spoke to the baby in a sing-song voice, holding her in his hands.

Michelle, meanwhile, beamed at the man, her big smile causing his own mouth to curve up into a wide grin.

"What a beautiful thing you are!" James marveled. "I find it so hard to believe that you're the product of two twerps! You're much too gorgeous to be from their lineage!"

Michelle squeaked delightfully before frowning and rolling her eyes around the room, looking rather curious.

Jessie, James, and Meowth had taken refuge in a nearby cabin that was tucked away in the woods. While Jessie and Meowth were busy in the corner, pouring out a large bag of chips that would become their dinner, James was sitting in the middle of the floor, playing with the baby girl they had just kidnapped.

"James, put the kid down already!" Jessie snapped.

"Yeah, or else dese chips are all ours!" Meowth crowed.

"Coming!" James cried urgently, not wanting to be left out of supper. Cradling the baby in his arms, James carefully made his way over to the rest of the trio and sat down, beaming as he reached out and grabbed a chip.

From his arms, Michelle whined and looked around the circle, her eyes eventually locking on Jessie. The villainess tried to ignore the infant's desperate stare, but after several moments, it truly began to bother her.

"James, why is she staring at me?!" Jessie demanded, pointing at the tiny infant in his grasp.

"I don't know," James meekly replied. "I can't just ask her. She can't speak!"

Whimpering softly, Michelle reached out towards Jessie with her little hands, clenching her fingers in want before moving them up towards her mouth in order to pull at her lips.

"I…I think I might know!" James crowed, his green eyes lighting up with excitement.

"Oy vey," Meowth sighed, shaking his head.

"That's not exactly something I would be proud of," Jessie huffed. "Just spit it out so we can get her to stop staring at me like I'm her next meal."

"That's exactly it!" James cheered. "She's hungry!"

"Wait…so you're telling me the baby wants to _eat me?!_" Jessie shrieked.

"Heavens no!" James laughed at the idea. "Babies can only drink milk!"

Jessie blinked her blue eyes at this. "Excuse me?"

"Hey, I got it!" Meowth marveled. "Da baby twoip is fascinated wit Jessie 'cause she's da only goil in da room!"

It took Jessie a few seconds to fully understand what Meowth was talking about, and once it hit her, she wasn't exactly amused.

"I AM _NOT_ THAT KID'S MOTHER! THAT IS _NOT_ MY JOB!"

Jessie was carrying on and generally complaining as she smacked Meowth continuously over the head, bringing a whole new sense of enjoyment to the infant in James' arms. Finally, Jessie managed to stop with a very audible huff, placing her hands on her hips and looking away in disgust.

"How vile…absolutely disgusting," Jessie spat, shaking her head at the very thought.

As she continued to complain to no one but herself, James crawled over to a nearby bag, which he reached inside of and pulled out a glass jar covered by a purple cloth.

"Well, your mother may not be here to feed you, but I've got some delicious MooMoo Milk right here!" James trilled, shaking the jar in front of the baby's face and quieting her instantly. "I was fed strictly this as an infant, and look at how big and strong I turned out!"

Michelle mumbled softly to herself and blinked as she glanced between the jar and James, remaining perfectly quiet and emotionless.

"I'll feed you," James promised, removing the cloth from the top of the jar and pouring the milk into a bottle he also happened to have stashed away in the bag. "Open up, little darling!"

**XXX**

"Noctowl, did you find any trace of Team Rocket yet?"

"Hoo…"

Misty's eyes widened as she turned her gaze onto Ash, who gave a slight nod.

"Lead us there, Noctowl!" Ash demanded.

Ash and Misty took right off after his shiny owl Pokémon, following him through the barely lit forest. The sound of nocturnal Pokémon, a bunch of them probably bugs, freaked Misty out to the furthest extent, but she knew now was not the time to break down. Her baby girl had to be saved. Someone had taken her daughter, and they were going to pay very, _very_ dearly for that.

"Hoo!"

Ash and Misty skidded to a halt in front of a desolate looking wooden cabin. Ash sighed noisily, while Misty's rage just continued to rise.

"You mean they're hiding in there with my baby?!" Misty stormed. "In the middle of a forest?!"

"Mist, knock it off," Ash warned. "I'm just as upset as you are, but at least Michelle is safe! I'd be a lot angrier if we just found her in the middle of the forest. That cabin definitely is rickety, but it's still shelter."

"Fine," Misty grumbled, her eyes dark.

"Now, we have to come up with a way to sneak in there and get her-"

Ash stopped talking aloud as soon as he saw Misty stomping towards the front door, her eyes full of fire and anger.

"Misty, wait!" Ash presaged.

But his wife was too far gone to listen. With one swift, powerful kick, Misty busted the door to the cabin open and marched inside, her brow deeply furrowed and her hands clenched into fists. When she saw who was settled inside of the old house, her face melted into unsurprised irritation before quickly transforming back into a scowl.

"You three losers…"

Meowth was lying on the floor completely out of it, while Jessie was still pouting only a few feet away from him. It was James in the corner, however, who was feeding Michelle through a bottle that really set Misty's heart racing into overdrive.

"My baby…" Misty breathed, her voice full of hurt.

James reluctantly looked up from the busily eating baby and just stared at Misty, his eyes wide and unblinking. He could see the want and desperation on the young mother's face, and in a way, it made him feel bad.

Almost guilty, in fact.

"Misty!" Ash cried, running to his wife's side. "Are you alri-oh no it's them."

Smirking, Jessie jumped up to her feet and stepped over the stunned Meowth, flipping her magenta hair behind her shoulder. "Oh, look who it is. The mommy and daddy twerp. Came here for your baby twerp, I see."

"She's not a twerp!" Misty snapped. "She's a beautiful, precious, wonderful little angel!"

"And she's not yours!" Ash argued.

In the corner, Michelle moved her head away from the bottle and glanced over at her parents, giggling at the sight of them. That high pitched, happy little laugh instantly caught Ash and Misty's attention, and that put Jessie right on the backburner.

"Oh, my little sweetheart!" Misty gasped, running further into the cabin and right towards James.

"James, keep the baby away from her!" Jessie ordered.

Biting his lip, James got his feet and hesitantly backed away from the gym leader, who whipped around and held a hand over her heart.

"Give her to me!" Misty demanded.

Michelle whimpered at her mother's distress, and glanced up at James. Instantly, a fire went off inside his heart, and his protective instincts kicked in.

"Don't worry, little darling," James swore. "Daddy James is here to protect you!"

"Excuse me?" Jessie drawled out of disgust.

"Please don't call yourself that," Ash pleaded statically.

Michelle let out a desolate moan and threw her arms up, groaning and whimpering and getting very impatient.

"That's _my_ daughter," Misty threatened, taking a step closer to James. "She's _mine._ Give her back to me, and just _maybe_ I won't tear your head off."

James whimpered and turned around, trying to make another run for it. As he began to bolt, however, the straps of the nearby bag that had contained the milk and bottle became tangled around his ankles and tripped him, sending baby Michelle flying through the air. Misty shrieked and felt her heart shoot up into her throat as she froze in place. Jessie and Meowth, who by now had regained his senses, did the same. Ash, however, was able to react.

He ran towards the middle of the cabin, holding his arms out for the baby. Jumping, he just managed to get them beneath the infant and grab her, pulling the little girl into his chest as he curled up on the floor and held the baby against him.

Misty breathed and held a hand over her heart, doubling over squeezing her eyes shut. Once she opened them, she stood back up straight and glared at James, who was crumpled up on the floor with a look of horror on his face.

"You will pay for that," Misty promised, reaching to her waist and pulling off a poke ball. "Go! Vaporeon!"

The water type eeveeloution appeared before her trainer, black eyes narrowed at the sight of the male Team Rocket member before her.

"Aurora beam!" Misty commanded.

Unleashing a bright, rainbow hued beam, Vaporeon sent James flying through the roof, and Jessie and Meowth quickly running after him as soon as Ash looked up and glared at them.

"Finally," Misty sighed, shaking her head.

From Ash's arms, Michelle stared through the newly created hole in the ceiling and reached up towards it with her little hand, which Ash quickly discouraged by pushing it down.

"No no, baby, he's not our friend," Ash hushed.

Michelle breathed out and blinked her emerald eyes before yawning and closing them.

"Well, I'm glad to know you're not freaked out," Ash chuckled softly, despite the situation.

"Maybe I was wrong," Misty murmured, scratching her head. "Maybe you _should_ let Michelle sleep in your arms from now on."

* * *

><p><strong>I know, I know, Team Rocket is really evil for stealing babies.<strong>

**But they're not very good at it so I don't even think that counts. Really. Maybe. XD**


	260. Ornament Stories

**Here's a new chapter for you guys! A new CHRISTMAS themed chapter! Figured I'd put it up now since I have my first final this afternoon. I want something fun to look at when I come home :P And that would be your reviews. Yaaaay :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 9 years old**

**Elizabeth: 3 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Ornament Stories<strong>

"Ornaments! Ornaments!"

"Would you three hold on for just a minute?"

Misty had huffed that pleading request, for she was busy trying to drag the box full of ornaments across the living room floor. Unfortunately for her, it was filled to the brim with smaller boxes, and despite her strong upper body from swimming, was a bit too heavy to pull on her own.

"Need a little help there, Mist?"

The gym leader rolled her eyes up and glared at the handsome man who was now standing next to her. He was in charge of the second box, but unlike her, he was actually carrying it in his arms.

"Maybe just a _little,_" Misty bit sarcastically.

"Well, I don't want you giving yourself a hernia," Ash chuckled, placing his box down in front of the three children who instantly dove in. "Come on, I'll get it."

Misty grunted and finally released the box, staring it down as though her gaze could set it on fire. Laughing to himself, Ash bent down and picked up the box, carrying it over to where the original one had been placed. Standing back up to his full height, Ash surveyed his three children and sighed, a playful smirk accompanying it.

"Well, I'd tell you guys to get started, but it looks like you're already on that!"

The first boxes Aiden and Michelle pulled out were matching. The ornaments themselves were quite similar as well: a pair of tiny white porcelain booties. The main difference between the two, however, was that Aiden's were accented by light blue, while Michelle's was accentuated with light pink.

"Aw, those are your first Christmas ornaments!" Misty cooed, sitting down in front of the boxes and reaching out to examine the trinkets. "Those are two of my favorites."

"I've always wondered why we had these in the first place," Michelle murmured.

"Yeah, haven't you always told us we were supposed to be born on New Year's Eve?" Aiden added.

"You were," Misty confirmed. "But, obviously, that didn't happen. You two got impatient. I guess you both decided you wanted to celebrate Christmas with us."

"That's why we have _this_ ornament."

Aiden and Michelle looked up at their father, who was holding a silver, heart shaped ornament in his hand. Hanging from a pure white ribbon, the ornament frame surrounded a black and white image of what Aiden and Michelle recognized to be a sonogram.

"Your mom bought this and _insisted_ we hang it up on the tree so you could be with us at Christmas," Ash elucidated, smirking the entire time. "Little did we know you'd be here already."

"But we still put up both," Misty finished with a giggle. "It's like a family tradition!"

At this, Aiden scowled. "Does that _really_ have to go on the tree?"

"Of course. It's adorable!" Misty crooned.

"It's _embarrassing,_" Aiden refuted.

"Come on, Aiden," Ash chuckled, hanging the silver heart up on one of the Christmas tree's branches. "Lots of families have ornaments like this! It's not embarrassing."

"Just give it up," Michelle sighed, nudging her twin's back. "They're not gonna leave it in the box."

As the uncomfortable Aiden and Michelle got up to hang their first ornaments on the tree, Elizabeth looked between her parents and pouted.

"Mommy, Daddy, whewe's mine?" Elizabeth demanded.

"Where's your what?" Ash tried.

"My baby ownament!" Elizabeth cried. "Do I has one?"

"Oh, of course you do, sprinkle!" Misty giggled. "Come on, we'll find it."

She pulled the little girl into her lap, digging through the big box full of ornaments in search of Elizabeth's first ornament. Eventually, the gym leader stumbled upon a small white box, which she knew by heart contained Elizabeth's first Christmas ornament.

"Let's see what it looks like," Misty entertained her daughter, opening up the box and pulling out the ornament that was inside with a gasp. "Oh, Lizzie, look how cute it is!"

The little redhead in her lap reached up and delicately touched the light pink Teddiursa that was hanging from a white satin ribbon. "Teddi!"

"Yeah, it looks like Teddi," Misty giggled. "Daddy and I thought it was so cute, since you've always had Teddi by your side. You like it?"

"Yes, Mommy!" Elizabeth chirped, earning another laugh from her mother. "I wanna put it on the twee, Mommy."

"Do you?" Misty crooned.

"Yes."

Smiling, Misty handed the ornament off to her youngest child and urged her to, "be careful, okay? Don't drop it."

"I won't," Elizabeth whined, taking the ornament and getting to her feet, scurrying over to the tree. "I'm caweful."

Just to be safe, Misty got up and followed the little girl to the tree. She watched on with a careful eye as the toddler reached out and placed the ornament on one of the tree's lowest branches, causing it to droop down with the weight.

"I did it!" Elizabeth announced proudly, turning around and beaming at her mother.

"Oh…yes you did, sweetheart!" Misty cheered, masterfully masking the fact that she knew the ornament looked ridiculous there. "Good job!"

As Elizabeth skipped back over to the box, Ash strode over to Misty and whispered in her ear, "I'll move it later."

"Bless your soul," Misty sighed, gently patting Ash's upper arm.

"Uh oh!"

That squeaky cry, along with the muffled sound of crashing, caused Ash and Misty to whip around. Upon seeing Elizabeth's legs sticking up from the box, they both gasped and ran over to the scene. From behind the tree, where they had been busy hiding the ornament they were so embarrassed by, Aiden and Michelle peered out and choked back laughter at the sight. Ash quickly reached into the box and pulled Elizabeth out, setting her right side up as she shook her head back and forth.

"Lizzie, are you okay?" Ash nearly whimpered.

"Yeah!" Elizabeth giggled, clapping her hands together just once. "Dat was scawy, Daddy."

"Well, that's because you're a crazy kid," Ash sighed, putting the girl back on the floor and straightening her outfit.

"Elizabeth, am I gonna have to keep my eye on you?" Misty drawled. "Keep you out of trouble?"

"I dunno," Elizabeth murmured, shrugging her shoulders.

Misty breathed out noisily and shook her head. "Sometimes I'm afraid I have to go out and buy one of those baby leashes."

"Oh my Areus, we are never putting our kid on a leash," Ash muttered, kneeling down next to the box to try and fish out another ornament. "Those people are just insane."

"Well, _we're_ the ones who just found our daughter upside down in a box," Misty murmured, casually checking out her fingernails.

"I'm still not putting her on a leash," Ash huffed. Still digging through the box, his eyes widened while a smile soon joined it, fully confusing his wife. "Mist, I found our favorite ornament."

"Our favorite?" Misty repeated. "How can that be? The one with the twins' sonogram is already on the tree."

Ash smirked at his wife. "Really? You're going to pretend you don't love this ornament?"

"I love all of our ornaments," Misty argued. "Don't be dumb."

"Yeah, but this one is _extra_ special," Ash pressed, standing back up and holding it out towards Misty. "Remember?"

Misty glanced up at Ash from the ornament and playfully shook her head. "How could I not?"

It was a white porcelain frame, strung up by a silver ribbon and bedecked by tiny diamonds. In the middle of the frame was one of Ash and Misty's wedding photos, a tiny version of it, which displayed the couple dressed regally and smiling happily, their faces glowing with sheer joy.

"It's so cute," Misty crooned, her eyes sparkling.

"You were so beautiful in that dress," Ash breathed, running his thumb over Misty's image. "Like a princess."

"Aw, Ash," Misty cooed. "You're one to talk! Look at how handsome you were in your tux! And with your hair all neat and brushed!"

"It's amazing that was the _one_ day I got it to stay down," Ash chuckled. "Kinda' like fate!"

Misty purred softly and wrapped her arms around Ash's neck, tilting her head to the side and attempting to press their lips together.

"Come on, guys."

"Yeah, do we have to ruin decorating the tree, too?"

"Ick!"

The couple smirked and looked down at their three children, who were staring at the two with near pleading eyes.

"Sorry, guys," Ash sheepishly apologized, handing the wedding ornament off to Misty before bending down and scooping Elizabeth up to kiss her head. "Just reminiscing is all."

"Get wemy-scenting latew," Elizabeth scolded, leading her father to raise a bewildered eyebrow. "Mowe twee!"

"Ah, you want to put more ornaments on the tree!" Ash chuckled. "Well, that can be arranged, little pumpkin."

He knelt down beside the box once again, digging through it with his left arm while holding Elizabeth back with his right to keep her out of anymore trouble. The toddler, sensing she wasn't going anywhere, stuck her fingers in her mouth and looked over her shoulder, watching her mother as the gym leader hung the wedding ornament up on the tree.

"Oh, Lizzie, look what _I _found!"

Elizabeth turned her head back around and blinked at the object her father was holding. It was a figurine of a little redheaded girl, outfitted in a pink leotard, tutu, and ballet slippers.

"Ballewina!" Elizabeth cheered, her face lighting up.

"I wonder whose _this _could be?" Ash hummed playfully.

"Mine!" Elizabeth cried, holding her little hands out towards the ornament. "I want, Daddy!"

"Whoa, whoa, hold up, baby girl!" Ash chortled, holding the ballerina high above his head so the toddler couldn't reach it. "I think this ballerina belongs on a certain part of the tree, don't you?"

At this, Elizabeth tilted her head. "No."

"Ah, come on, Lizzie!" Ash prodded. "Don't you think she'd look _perfect _up by the star?"

The little girl turned around and gazed up at the twinkling star that sat atop the tree. Emerald eyes widening, she rapidly nodded her head, excited by the prospect of having her ballerina ornament hung so close to the star.

"I can't weach dat!" Elizabeth gasped, realization suddenly hitting her.

"Well, that's what I'm here for!" Ash crowed, handing the ornament off to Elizabeth before picking her up and holding her by the sides. She giggled the entire time as he carried her over to the tree and then hoisted her up closer to the star, urging her, "put up the ballerina, pumpkin!"

Sticking her tongue out of the corner of her mouth, Elizabeth reached out and slipped the ballerina's pink ribbon over one of the spiky green branches. "I did it, Daddy!"

Ash lowered the toddler and kissed her cheek, which absolutely delighted the little girl in his hands. "You did awesome, sweetie. I'm proud of you!"

"Hey, check it out!"

Ash turned around and found his son standing by the box of ornaments, holding up a glass ball that was painted in the muddled colors of red, blue, green, and black.

"I remember when I made this!" Aiden chuckled. "I thought it was the coolest thing ever."

"It looks like someone bled all over it," Michelle snidely commented, earning a glare from her brother.

"Not nice, Michelle," Misty sighed before smiling at Aiden. "I think it's precious, honey."

Aiden smirked and glanced back over at Michelle. "At least Mom likes it."

"Mom likes _everything_ you do," Michelle huffed. "That's her job."

"Michelle!" Misty warned.

The older girl tried to look apologetic, but it was very obvious that she was choking back laughter. Sighing, Misty shuffled closer to the ornament box and mused, "You know, I'm pretty sure you made ornaments just like that, Michelle."

Instantly, the girl's face turned red. "Uh…no I didn't…"

"I remember watching you and Aiden make them together when you were little," Misty refuted, shifting through the sea of ornament boxes. "You would sit at the kitchen table, after I put down a bunch of newspaper, and you'd both paint all afternoon long. And then I'd spend all night washing the paint off of you…out of your hair, too."

Towards the bottom of the box, Misty pulled out a package wrapped in faded white tissue paper. Unwrapping it, Misty smiled upon seeing what was inside. Ever curious, Aiden leaned over and snuck a look as well, snickering once he saw it.

"Nice, Michelle," he muttered under his breath.

Resting atop the old tissue paper was a glass ball, just like Aiden's, but instead splattered with sky blue, mint green, and white paint.

"Aw, look how cute!" Misty crooned, picking up the ornament and holding it out towards her flustered daughter.

"Come on, Mom, knock it off!" Michelle begged, her cheeks turning an impressive red.

"You _have_ to put this up on the tree right near Aiden's!" Misty continued. "It's so sweet!"

Michelle groaned and buried her face in her hands, desolately shaking it. Her amused twin brother slung his arm over her shoulders and chuckled, gently rocking her back and forth.

"I'm gonna hang my bloody ornament up," Aiden informed his mortified sister. "Want to put your snotty one up with me?"

"Shut it!" Michelle groaned from behind her hands.

"Oh, just put it up, Michelle," Misty beckoned playfully. "We still have two whole boxes of ornaments to get through!"

Michelle finally picked her head up and smirked sarcastically at her mother. "Oh, joy."

"Nuwse Joy?" Elizabeth cried, looking all over the living room. "Whewe?"

At this, Ash chuckled and shook his head. "Alright, mini Brock. Back to work!"

Elizabeth squeaked and saluted her father. "Yes, siw!"

"Ash!" Misty shrieked. "Where did our daughter learn that?!"

"From me," Ash replied innocently. "I thought it was cute."

"She's not a little solider, Mr. Pokémon Master!" Misty argued, her eyes still wide with disbelief.

"But she can be!" Ash tutted. Pointing at the box, he kindly ordered, "Elizabeth, find another ornament to put on the tree!"

Still saluting, Elizabeth began to march towards the box, looking quite a bit like the wooden soldiers Delia was so fond of.

"Looks like we'll have to find a new ornament," Misty hummed, shaking her head. "It can commemorate Lizzie's first corruption."

* * *

><p><strong>I didn't really know where to end it, lol. I don't know if I really LOVE the ending I chose, but meh. I shouldn't have been writing anyway! Shh, our little secret :P<strong>


	261. Late Night Loves

**I was hanging out with my friend in the city the other day and ended up coming up with this idea during one of our conversations. We were basically talking about Ash and how dense he is. This one is pretty indicative of that.**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Late Night Loves<strong>

"I love you so much."

At this, Misty's ears perked. She stood up to her full height, from where she'd been knelt over in order to stroke Vaporeon's head, and looked down the dimly hit hallway. Her water type partner, because she was no longer being pet, purred and strode down that same hallway, into the bedroom that Ash and Misty shared. That is, after all, where she slept at night, along with Pikachu.

Misty, however, was just standing in the middle of the hallway, confused. She was almost completely positive that had been Ash. It sounded like him, after all. But who could he have been talking to? She was out in the hallway. Aiden and Michelle, at last check, were fast asleep in their beds.

And then it hit her.

Elizabeth.

The little girl had just learned to get out of her crib on her own. Misty wasn't thrilled with it, and feared for her daughter's safety. She knew they were going to have to bring up the toddler bed for her. But they hadn't done it yet, so Elizabeth was still jumping out of her crib at all hours of the night. And her number one destination?

Ash and Misty's room.

Every single night, or so it seemed, Elizabeth wandered into the bedroom, her emerald eyes wide and curious, and her lips bent up into the sweetest smile. It was so precious, in fact, that her parents found it hard to get mad at her for disrupting their slumber. Besides, she didn't really understand that she was interrupting them. Hell, Elizabeth didn't even realize she was doing anything wrong. She thought that being able to get out of her crib on her own was an accomplishment. Something to be proud of. And that's why she always came in the room with a smile on her face. To show off her triumph.

It was such a trial, every single night. The weary parents would act happy, for their daughter's sake, but then promptly bring her back into her own room, and subsequently, back into her crib.

And then Elizabeth would just climb out of it all over again.

At this rate, Misty was just assuming that Elizabeth had found her way out of the crib and into their bedroom again, and Ash had gotten a hold of her. He was even less strict than Misty, and basically _encouraged_ their daughter's antics, which Misty had told him not to do. After all, they were just trying not to disappoint her. Misty didn't want her to actually think that crib jumping was something to be celebrated.

Misty smiled to herself, closing her eyes and imagining Ash sitting in bed with the little girl, probably in his lap. That's where Elizabeth always liked to park herself. He was probably twirling her dark red hair around his fingers…it was finally getting long enough to do that. And she was probably still smiling to herself, eyes half lidded as Ash went about coddling her in the way only a father knew how.

"You're always there for me, aren't you?"

Misty's smile grew a little wider at that. Ash's voice was so soft, so gentle. He sounded so sure of himself, like this was the biggest truth he could possibly speak.

"Yeah, you'll never let me down. You're the best thing ever."

Misty opened her eyes and let out a low, quiet giggle. Very slowly, she began to move back towards her and Ash's bedroom, pressing her back against the wall next to the doorway and listening intently all over again. After all, she didn't want to interrupt Ash and Elizabeth's little moment. She _did_, however, want to hear more of it.

"You smell _so_ good…"

At this, Misty arched an eyebrow. That one was kind of weird. It did make some sense. She had just bathed Elizabeth before bed. It really seemed to help the toddler get to sleep faster. Ash commenting on it was a little odd, but Misty supposed there could have been stranger compliments in the world. Besides, the lavender shampoo she used on the little girl really _did_ smell amazing.

"And you _taste_ even better!"

Now Misty was concerned. Was her husband trying to _eat_ their daughter?! She knew he had a habit of being hungry all the time, but trying to devour a child, especially their own, was definitely not acceptable. Narrowing her eyes, Misty ran into the room and glared at her husband. As soon as she saw him, however, her expression softened, and then turned into one of disbelief.

"Seriously?"

The Pokémon Master looked up with a gasp. In his hands was a large plastic container, full of what Misty instantly recognized as chocolate pudding. The same, homemade kind that her mother-in-law always cooked up.

"I…I was hungry…" Ash stammered, his eye wide and unblinking.

"Were you seriously sweet talking your _desert?_" Misty hissed.

"It's delicious!" Ash cried.

"I thought you were talking to Elizabeth!"

"She's in her crib. Why would I be talking to her?"

"Because she always gets out and comes in here! I…I just…you're talking to _pudding!_"

"I love it," Ash nearly whimpered, holding the container closer to himself as though Misty were about to rip it away.

"Yeah, but you're talking to it like it's a person," Misty muttered. "I mean, 'you've always been there for me'? Really?"

"Well, it has!" Ash argued. "My mom's pudding is always there for me. And it never lets me down."

Misty rolled her eyes up towards the ceiling in dramatic fashion and shook her head. "I'm married to a child, I swear."

"I'm not a child!" Ash bit. "I'm just passionate about my mom's cooking!"

Misty sighed and lowered her head, staring right ahead at her flustered husband. "I sincerely hope you love me and your children half as much as you love that pudding."

* * *

><p><strong>Of course he does, Misty. Maybe even more than the pudding! Maybe :P <strong>

**This was more like OS Ash, with the sass. He's not as sassy anymore. He's sweeter, which is cute. But I do miss his attitude a lot.**


	262. Play Wedding

**Guess what, guys? The semester is OVER! FREEDOM! I've never been so relieved in my life. This was a long one, but I got good grades, so now I get a much deserved break :D I also just got eye surgery a few days ago! Which means no more glasses for me! Best week ever? I think so.**

**I wrote a one shot to celebrate. Enjoy :P**

**Elizabeth: 5 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Play Wedding<strong>

"Daddy! Daddy!"

Ash chuckled as his young daughter jumped on him as soon as he walked through the door of the classroom. Misty was usually the one to pick Elizabeth up from school, so whenever it was her father, Elizabeth got very excited.

"Hi, pumpkin!" Ash chuckled, swinging his daughter around before stopping and holding her out in front of him. "Are ya' happy to see me?"

"Yeah!" Elizabeth giggled.

"Well, I'm even happier to see you," Ash teased, placing the girl back on the floor.

"Daddy, Mommy says you gotta make everything a comp-tition," Elizabeth sighed.

"Perhaps I do," Ash hummed, intrigued by the idea. "I am the Pokémon Master, after all! I love some good competition."

"But not with me," Elizabeth whined, glancing up at her father with a pout.

"No, of course not," Ash conceded. "You're my baby girl. I'll never be able to beat you in anything."

Elizabeth beamed at this and hugged one of Ash's legs, leading him to chuckle again and knell down in order to snuggle the girl. With one last kiss on the head, Ash beckoned his daughter to, "go get your stuff, okay?"

Elizabeth nodded and scurried over to her cubby, pulling out her pink backpack and dragging it back over to her father.

"You need help putting it on?" Ash asked kindly. Elizabeth nodded wordlessly, leading the young father to take the bag and slip it over his daughter's shoulders once she turned around so her back was facing him. "There ya' go!"

Spinning back around, the young girl grinned at her father, who didn't hesitate to reciprocate the action.

"Come on," Ash urged, "let's go home!"

As the two exited the school and began their trek home, the comfortable silence that had settled in was quickly interrupted by Elizabeth's squeaky and excited voice.

"Daddy, guess what?"

Ash smirked at his daughter's playful inquiry. "What, pumpkin?"

"Ya know my boyfriend?" Elizabeth chirped.

Ash felt his body go rigid at that. He, of course, knew who Elizabeth was talking about. It was her little friend, David. She, for some reason, thought of him as her boyfriend. It drove Ash absolutely insane, but Elizabeth was oblivious to that little fact.

"David," Ash stated simply, trying to keep his voice level.

"Yeah!" Elizabeth giggled. "Guess what he did, Daddy?"

"He better not have done _anything,_" Ash practically snarled, leading his young daughter to withdraw slightly. "Oh, sorry, Lizzie! I didn't mean to scare you, pumpkin. Continue."

"He got me this!" Elizabeth shrieked as she threw her hand up, clearly unaffected by her father's previous outburst. Glancing down, Ash studied his daughter's hand and realized there was a big candy ring on her finger.

"Oh…" Ash murmured, suddenly feeling stupid. "Well…that was nice of him!"

"Yeah, we're gettin' married!" Elizabeth chirped.

Ash stopped walking, his eyes snapping open as his body went numb. Elizabeth, still unaffected by her father's reactions, was skipping ahead, swinging her ring covered hand in the air. It took her a few moments to realize it, but once she did, the little girl squeaked and turned around, hurrying back over to her father.

"Daddy?" She murmured.

"M-married?" Ash repeated.

"Yeah!" Elizabeth laughed. "It's gonna be fun, Daddy!"

"N-no it isn't!" Ash blurted, once again bringing his daughter's face down. "Elizabeth…being married isn't for little kids."

This got a surge out of the child. "I'm not little!"

"You're too little to be getting married!" Ash argued. "You're just a kid, Elizabeth! You don't even know what being married means!"

"Uh huh!" Elizabeth argued. "Yeah I do!"

Rolling his eyes, Ash grabbed the little girl's hand and started to drag her alongside, all while she yelped and protested.

"Come on, we're going to talk to Mommy," Ash sighed.

"No!" Elizabeth shouted.

"Yes!" Ash retaliated.

"No!"

"Ye-why am I arguing with a five year old?" Ash muttered.

"NO!"

"Oh boy."

**XXX**

"MISTY!"

"Stop it, Daddy!"

"Ash, why are you screaming like a psychopath? What's wrong with you?"

Misty came pounding out of the kitchen, her green eyes ablaze. Ash, however, was just as upset, and for what it was worth, Elizabeth wasn't too happy either.

"Talk some sense into our daughter!" Ash cried.

"Why?" Misty groaned, switching her gaze between her husband and daughter. "What could she have done? She's _five._"

"She thinks she's getting married!" Ash screeched.

"Married?" Misty repeated, her voice soft though confused.

"Mommy, look!" Elizabeth crooned, holding her hand out to show Misty her candy ring. "David gave me this!"

"Aw, how sweet!" Misty cooed, kneeling down and examining the shiny red sugar jewel. "It's beautiful!"

"Misty!" Ash gasped, looking beyond horrified.

The gym leader stood back up and placed her hands on her hips, huffing at her husband's panic. "Seriously?"

"Why aren't you freaking out?" Ash demanded. "This is crazy!"

Shaking her head, Misty looked back down at Elizabeth and trilled, "Sweetheart, why don't you go upstairs and play with Vaporeon? I bet you'll find her by the window at the end of the hall!"

"Okay, Mommy!" Elizabeth giggled, running between her parents and right up the stairs. Once the girl was out of earshot, Misty turned her attention back onto Ash, this time with an intense glare.

"What?!" Ash yelped, feeling Misty silently scrutinizing her.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" Misty sighed. "Our daughter isn't actually getting married!"

"I know, but-"

"She's _playing,_" Misty interrupted. "She has a wonderful imagination! That she gets from you, I might add."

"So what?" Ash huffed, pouting much like his young daughter before.

"I think it's sweet that she and David care enough about each other to pretend to be getting married," Misty crooned. "They've both got great hearts! I mean, wasn't it precious of David to get Elizabeth a little ring?"

"NO!"

"Oh, Ash," Misty sighed, rolling her eyes. "You're acting like he bought her a fourteen karat diamond. It's a piece of candy!"

"Still a ring."

"You're unbelievable."

At this, Ash narrowed his eyes. "I knew we should've locked Elizabeth in her room! Hide her from all of these…boys."

Misty smirked and playfully flicked Ash's nose, earning an irritated grunt from the man. "You were once of those boys yourself, Mr. Pokémon Master."

"So what?" Ash scoffed.

"You think my father liked seeing you after me when I was younger?"

Ash's face darkened at the memory. "Oh, I _know_ he didn't."

"Exactly," Misty giggled. "So now you know how it feels."

Ash bit his lower lip and cast his chocolate brown eyes away from Misty. "I don't like it."

"I know you don't."

Looking back up nervously at his wife, Ash shakily asked, "Do you think we're going to have to pay for this wedding?"

"Well, if the venue is the school playground, then I'd say we're off the hook."

* * *

><p><strong>Ash basically wants his daughters to be Rapunzel. Truly. Poor guy.<strong>

**I might not have time to write a Christmas special this year :( Probably not. It's been too crazy. I'm sad about that. So I might just write another Christmas themed one shot. My apologizes! **


	263. The Stun Spore Retour

**I really like taking old plots and episodes from the show and re-using them in the future setting. I think it's fun to see them from a different angle! So today, we have one of my favorite episodes of the entire series re-done in future fashion: The Stun Spore Detour! Enjoy :)**

**Aiden: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><strong><span>The Stun Spore Retour<span> **

"Catch, Daddy!"

Ash chuckled and got down low in order to catch the baseball that Aiden had just thrown at him. He was helping his young son practice catching and throwing, since the boy had recently started playing baseball. Aiden had been put at third base, and that was a very important position when it came to those two skills.

"Not bad, buddy!" Ash complimented his son. "But try to get the ball a little higher!"

At this, Aiden frowned. "I'm small, Daddy! I can't get the ball no higher."

"_Any _higher," Ash gently corrected, as Misty always reminded him to.

"_Any_ higher," Aiden repeated, narrowing his eyes at the new wording.

"Besides, you should never use the word 'can't,' little guy," Ash chuckled. "Not in this house, anyway! You always have to believe in yourself, right?"

"Yeah…" Aiden murmured. "But I can't gets any taller now!"

"That's true," Ash conceded. "But that doesn't mean you can't get the ball any higher. Try raising your arm a little more!"

Aiden raised his hand, which was covered by a dark blue leather glove, to his face, carefully studying it with his chocolate brown eyes. After a few moments of contemplation, Aiden held his glove out in front of him, ready to catch the ball himself.

"Ready for it?" Ash double-checked.

"Yeah!" Aiden excitedly called.

Smirking, Ash wound his arm back and tossed the ball across the yard. He had tried not to throw it so hard, keeping in mind that Aiden was much smaller and younger than he was, but that particular toss had been just a bit too forceful. The ball went sailing over Aiden's head, instantly leading the little boy to turn around and chase after it. Ash, in turn, gasped and followed after the boy, especially after the little one entered the bordering woods where he wasn't supposed to go alone.

"Aiden!" Ash called warningly.

"I'm gonna get it!" Aiden assured his father. He didn't want to let Ash down, after all.

The ball landed on the dusty ground and began rolling, Aiden picking up his pace as it rolled further and further away. With his increased pace, he soon caught up to the ball, and managed to scoop it up in his navy glove.

"Got it!" Aiden cheered, holding his hand over his head to show off the prize.

He was so busy celebrating, however, that Aiden failed to notice a rather large rock jutting of the ground ahead of him. The little boy ended up tripping on the rock and flying through the air, doing a full front flip before landing in the hole atop a nearby Vileplume's head.

"No, no, no!" Ash cried out, fear instantly overtaking him. He was a bit too familiar with this situation, and was not about to let it happen again. He started to run forward, but at that point, it was too late.

Looking rather uncomfortable, Vileplume unleashed a flurry of topaz colored mist that instantly enshrouded Aiden's small figure. Once the attack was over, Aiden fell out of Vileplume's head and landed on the ground, body shivering and looking rather limp.

"Aiden!" Ash shrieked, running over to the boy. He turned the child's head around, and was terrified to see a dark red strip across the boy's nose. "Oh, no."

"D-Daddy…" Aiden muttered, his eyes half lidded.

"It's okay, buddy," Ash whispered, picking the boy up and cradling him in his arms. "I'll take you back to the house, okay? Mommy will help us."

Ash turned around and began sprinting full speed towards the house, holding Aiden against his chest the entire time. Glancing down once more, Ash caught sight of the weak boy and scowled, increasing his pace as much as he possibly could.

_I can't believe this is happening again._

**XXX**

"MISTY!"

The gym leader's head snapped up, eyes wide in shock. She watched as Ash burst through the back door, his cheeks red and chest heaving up and down as he tried to force oxygen back into his lungs.

"Ash, what in the world is going on?" Misty questioned. She then realized, however, that Aiden was in Ash's arms, and didn't look too good, either. "Wh-what's wrong with my baby?!"

"He breathed in stun spore," Ash rasped as Misty ran over, pressing her hands all over the weak boy's face.

"How much of it?!" Misty demanded, not looking up from Aiden.

"A lot," Ash admitted, his voice full of remorse.

Misty took Aiden from Ash's arms and hurried him into the living room, where she lied him down on the couch and covered him with a blanket. Once he was settled, she knelt down beside him and brushed his raven hair back, trying to comfort the ill child.

"M-Mommy…" Aiden grunted, trying to open his eyes which had slipped closed at this point.

"Don't talk, sweetheart," Misty pleaded, her voice light and full of worry. "You're very weak, you have to rest."

"Mommy…" Aiden argued, trying (and failing) to sit up.

"No," Misty gently scolded, resting a hand against her son's chest. "Stay right here. Mommy's not going to leave you. I promise."

She touched his forehead once again, and winced upon feeling it.

"What is it?" Ash breathed.

"He's got a fever," Misty breathed. "We have to bring it down."

"I'll go dampen a cloth," Ash offered, hurrying into the kitchen to prepare the aid. He knew that Misty wasn't going to leave Aiden's side, and on top of that, the predicament Aiden was currently in was pretty much his fault.

While Ash was in the kitchen, Misty mindlessly toyed with her son's hair and whispered gentle reassurances to him, hoping to comfort the child and perhaps lull him into sleep. She needed him to reserve his strength…what was left of it, anyway.

Ash returned quickly enough, holding the damp cloth in his hands. As gently as he could, while Misty was holding back the boy's bangs, Ash laid the compress down on Aiden's forehead, feeling somewhat better as the boy let out a content sigh.

"That'll help, at least for a little bit," Misty whispered, her voice now full of pain more than before. "But it's not good enough. We have to cure him."

"I'm trying to remember what you used to help me when I was younger," Ash groaned burying his face in his hands as he wracked his brain.

"It would be hard for you to remember, because you were so out of it," Misty tried to laugh, but failed.

"Aiden's gonna be alright, Misty," Ash promised, although his voice was shaky. "We just have to find the antidote, like you said. And that's…uh…"

"Salveyo weed," Misty breathed.

"Right!" Ash crowed, taking out his pokedex and looking up the aforementioned cure. "Salveyo weed!"

"Ash, I feel bad asking this…" Misty began, trailing off nervously.

"You don't have to feel bad about anything, angel," Ash hushed, reaching down and gently caressing Misty's face. "Ask me anything."

"I want _you_ to go find the salveyo weed," Misty wheezed, her eyes darkening. "I don't want to leave my baby. I want to make sure he's okay."

"I can do that," Ash murmured. "I swear to you, Misty. I'll find that salveyo weed and bring it right back here."

"You have to look in a certain place for it, though," Misty warned. "You won't just find salveyo weed lying around."

"Where do I look?" Ash questioned.

"It grows on the bottoms of clear lakes," Misty elucidated. "Poliwag also really enjoy eating it, so where you can find Poliwag, you'll also find salveyo weed."

Ash twisted his mouth in deep thought, trying to come up with a place in Cerulean where there would be a clear lake.

"The park, Ash."

He snapped out of his stupor and glanced down at Misty, who was still threading her fingers through their son's hair.

"Cerulean Park?"

"Yes, there's a lake in the park, towards the back. It's in the more secluded area, right near the forest. I remember I used to play with Poliwag there when I was a little girl. There must be salveyo weed growing in that lake!"

"If you think…" Ash breathed.

"I do," Misty confirmed. With a small nod, she reached into her bag and pulled out a poke ball, handing it off to her husband.

"What's this?" Ash asked.

"Politoed," Misty replied. "He used to be a Poliwag, so he could probably help you find the salveyo weed. Take him with you."

"Got it."

Ash clipped the ball onto his belt, beside his other poke balls, and knelt down one last time to touch Aiden's cheek.

"You'll be alright, champ," Ash promised. "I'm going to make you feel better, I promise."

Aiden mumbled in response, to which Misty lowered her head and nuzzled the boy's cheek. With a determined look on his face, Ash turned around and ran for the door, only the thought of finding salveyo weed running through his head.

**XXX**

"Politoed, I choose you!"

As soon as the green frog was released from his poke ball, he blinked and stared up curiously at Ash. The man could tell that the Pokémon was greatly confused. He wasn't his wife, after all. He wasn't Politoed's trainer. So, why would he have released the water type?

"I need your help, Politoed," Ash softly pleaded. "Aiden breathed in stun spore, and now he's really sick. I have to find salveyo weed to cure him."

"Poli?" Politoed asked.

"Misty?" Ash repeated. "She's back at the house with Aiden. She didn't want to leave him. But she entrusted me with you. I know you helped her find salveyo weed all those years ago when you were just a Poliwag, and _I_ breathed in stun spore. So now, she needs you to help me find it for our son. _I _need you to help me find some."

Politoed beamed and almost instantly began clapping his hands together, jumping up and down out of sheer excitement. His joy seemed to be infectious, as it even brought a smile to Ash's face.

"Come on!" Ash urged, running towards the back of Cerulean Park with Politoed following. "We've got to go towards the lake in the back!"

Politoed followed Ash until they reached the large, clear lake, just like Misty had told him about. It was very spacious, and the water seemed perfectly clean, which meant it was a prime spot to find salveyo weed.

"Think you can dive to the bottom of the lake and find some salveyo weed?" Ash asked his wife's Pokémon.

"Po-li!" Politoed croaked, giving a single nod before jumping into the lake. Ash stood by the side, nervously biting his lower lip as he waited for Politoed to emerge, hopefully with the salveyo weed. After a minute or so, the frog Pokémon holding up a collection of curly, dark green weeds. "Poli-toed!"

"That's it!" Ash cheered, reaching out for the weed. "You're the best, Politoed!"

"Poli!" Politoed cheered, giving Ash the medicine.

"Now we just have to take this back to the house," Ash breathed, charging across the park. "Follow me, Politoed!"

The water type did just that, making sure to keep after his trainer's husband. Almost as soon as they passed the park's gates, however, Ash and Politoed were blocked off by none other than the devious (and completely agitating) Team Rocket.

"Just where do you think you're going, twerp?" Jessie asked smartly, her hands firmly planted on her hips.

"Out of my way!" Ash barked. "I'm on an important mission."

"An important mission?" James repeated mockingly. "Isn't that cute, Jess? The twerp's playing a little game!"

"I'm not playing a game!" Ash stormed. "My son is sick, and I have to bring this salveyo weed back home for him!"

"Ah, so it would seem that the little twerp has breathed in some stun spore," James murmured.

"Sounds like a familiar situation," Jessie hummed knowingly.

Despite his irritation, Ash was followed around enough by the villainous gang that he was able to realize something wasn't quite right. "Hey…where's Meowth?"

"It would appear he's suffering from the same ailment as your little twerp," Jessie huffed.

"Which is why we're here to take that salveyo weed!" James finished with determination.

"Like _that's_ gonna happen!" Ash yelled. "It's my job to take care of my son, and that means bringing this salveyo weed home for him as soon as possible! And I'm not going to let you two freaks stand in my way!"

Jessie and James shrieked at the accusation, which really didn't affect Ash.

"How dare you call us freaks!" Jessie stormed.

"Yeah!" James chimed in. "We're perfectly fine and fabulous and wonderful people!"

"In your own minds, maybe," Ash muttered.

"Enough of your mouth, twerp!" Jessie hissed, pulling out a poke ball. "Let's battle!"

"Fine!" Ash snapped.

"Poli!"

Looking down, Ash caught sight of Politoed, who was sending him a rather nasty glare.

"What is it, Politoed?" Ash murmured.

"Poli! Politoed!"

"You're right," Ash breathed, his eyes narrowing. "If I come home any later with the medicine, Misty will kill me. Her maternal instincts are on full blast right now, and I _don't_ want to end up like a Seviper in a mother Ursaring's den."

Turning back around, Politoed fired off a water gun at Team Rocket, sending them flying into the park with a chorus of deafening screams.

"Thanks, Politoed," Ash sighed. "Now, let's go!"

**XXX**

Back in the park, Jessie and James landed with a great splash in the same lake where Ash and Politoed had just been searching for salveyo weed. After a few seconds under water, the two emerged gasping for air and waving their arms in and out of the water.

"That stupid twerp!" Jessie cried.

"He always manages to beat us!" James added miserably.

"And all we wanted was some salveyo weed to help cure Meowth," Jessie whimpered pitifully. "But that stupid brat had to hog it all for his dumb kid!"

"Do you really blame him?" James grumbled, narrowing his eyes at Jessie.

"I do! He's such a goody-goody, he should know how to share!"

"Even with his greatest enemies?"

"Precisely!"

James studied Jessie for another few seconds, his green eyes snapping open. "Jess…"

"Not now, James. I'm furious."

"But, Jessie…"

"Be quiet, James!"

"Look at your hair!"

Jessie rolled her bright blue eyes up and found her magenta hair to be covered in curly, dark green weeds.

"My hair!" Jessie wailed. "It's ruined!"

"No, Jessie," James sighed. "It's covered in salveyo weed! Just we need to cure Meowth!"

"But why did it have to happen at the expense of my hair?!" Jessie whimpered, throwing her head down in defeat.

"Perhaps you could learn something from the 'goody-goody' twerp," James sighed, shrugging his shoulders in defeat.

**XXX**

"Mist, I'm back! And I got the salveyo weed!"

Ash ran into the living room, where Misty was still situated by Aiden's side. Holding his arm out, Ash showed Misty the dark green plant, to which she smiled.

"Yes! That's perfect!"

Taking the plants from Ash's hand, Misty beckoned him to, "stay with Aiden while I boil this up."

Ash nodded and walked over to the couch, kneeling down beside the shivering boy. Pikachu had perched himself on Aiden's other side, gently nuzzling the boy's cheek with his nose.

"Have you been keeping Aiden company, Pikachu?" Ash asked kindly.

"Pi-ka!" Pikachu confirmed, nodding his head.

"You're such a great buddy!" Ash chuckled.

Misty soon returned with a cup full of steaming tea, made from the boiled salveyo weed. Putting it down on the side table, Misty gently grabbed Aiden's shoulders and slowly lifted him up, earning an unappreciative moan from the boy. Ash helped out by removing the damp cloth from Aiden's forehead and holding a hand behind his head, in order to help keep the boy upright.

"I'm sorry, Aiden," Misty apologized in a motherly tone. "But you've got to sit up and drink the special tea! It'll make you feel better."

Slowly, Aiden opened up his brown eyes and blinked them a few times in order to get his vision back.

"Hey, look at those eyes!" Ash playfully complimented his son, hoping to make the sick boy feel a little better. "It's nice to see those again, huh?"

Reaching out towards the side table, Misty retook the teacup and held it up in front of Aiden's lips. "Drink this, sweetheart."

Slowly but surely, Aiden parted his lips and accepted the warm liquid, drinking it down slowly and cautiously at first, but gaining fervor as the tea moved further and further down the cup. Before long, the whole thing was empty, and Aiden was once again allowed to lie down.

"Just rest for a little while longer, baby," Misty whispered, gently brushing through Aiden's dark hair. "By the time you wake up, you'll be feeling much, much better. I promise."

From the end of the couch, Ash smiled at his wife's actions and watched on in silence as she helped coax the little boy back to sleep, the red hue of his face slowly melting away.

**XXX**

Misty's promise had been fulfilled.

The next time Aiden woke up, his eyes were bright and his skin was no longer flushed and hot. He looked like the picture of perfect health, as though he had never even breathed the stun spore.

Looking down by his side, Aiden caught sight of his mother, fast asleep with her head resting atop her folded arms. Smiling to himself, he crawled out from beneath the blanket that had been draped over him and gently shook his mother, earning a soft whine from the woman.

"Mommy," Aiden beckoned. "Wake up!"

Hearing her son's voice, Misty's emerald eyes fluttered open, and she picked her head up, taking in the boy's figure for a short moment before beaming.

"Aiden!" Misty gasped, pushing herself up with her hands. "How are you feeling, little guy?"

"Better!" Aiden cheered, throwing his arms up in the air. "Like I can play again, Mommy!"

"Oh, that's the best thing I've heard all day," Misty sighed, engulfing the child in a tight hug. "I was so worried about you, baby."

"I'm okay, Mommy!" Aiden promised. "I'm a tough boy, right?"

"Yes, of course," Misty giggled. "You're just like Daddy! And that means you're _very _tough."

Ash walked into the living room just in time to hear the end of that exchange. With a grin on his face, he hurried over to the couch and ruffled Aiden's hair, earning a laugh from the boy.

"You're up!" Ash noted. "Do you feel better, champ?"

"Uh huh!" Aiden chirped. "I wanna p-actice baseball again, Daddy!"

"You've been through a lot today, buddy," Ash chuckled at his son's eagerness. "I think we should save practice for another day!"

At this, Aiden frowned. "Oh. Okay."

"But I'm more than happy to sit here and watch some battles with you!" Ash tried. "How would you like that?"

"Good!" Aiden cheered.

"I'll leave you boys to your battles, then," Misty giggled. "I'm sure all of that worked up your appetite, huh, Aiden?"

"Uh huh," Aiden confirmed. "I wan' pasta!"

"Pasta, huh?" Misty teased. "Well, I think I can make that happen!"

As she stood up to walk into the kitchen, Ash grabbed her and picked her up from the floor, causing the gym leader to laugh wildly. "What was _that_ for?"

Putting the very confused Misty down, Ash looked away and smiled sadly. "I'm sorry for getting Aiden into that kind of trouble."

"Oh, Ash, you didn't do it on purpose," Misty breathed. "I'm not that much of a psycho mother, am I? Did you think I was going to bite your head off or something?"

"No," Ash admitted. "You were actually fairly calm about the whole thing."

"Not on the inside, I wasn't," Misty scoffed. "I thought I was going to go crazy. I was scared."

"But I was scared, too," Ash murmured. "Especially because I felt like it was my fault."

Misty narrowed her eyes slightly, confusing Ash. "Did you push Aiden into the Vileplume?"

"What?! Of course not!"

"So it wasn't your fault."

Ash's rage quickly died down, along with the growth of Misty's knowing smile.

"Ash, I'm emotional, not stupid."

"I know that. For sure."

"So I never blamed you. Not even for a second. The important thing is that Aiden is all better. He's healed and cured and happy again. That's all I care about."

Ash smiled at this. "Me too."

"Daddy! I wanna watch battles!"

Ash smirked at Misty, who gently nudged his shoulder. "Go on. You have some very important business to attend to."

* * *

><p><strong>I love that episode because it focuses on Misty and how much she really cares about her friends. So this time, I wanted to put the focus on Ash instead, since he obviously couldn't have been placed in that situation before. I even reversed Team Rocket's roles a little ;)<strong>


	264. Wrap Attack

**Can you tell I feel bad about the lack of a special Christmas story? The holiday one shots are just flowing, jeez. I even have another one, special just for Christmas Eve :P**

**This one is for everyone who always wants to see the kids on their own, without parents.**

**Aiden and Michelle: 6 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Wrap Attack<strong>

"Mommy's gonna be so surprised!"

"Yeah!"

"Hey, Shelly, gimme that tape."

"Okay!"

The young redhead reached over and grabbed the roll of tape, handing it over to her brother. Sticking his tongue out of the corner of his mouth, a trademark that indicated he was concentrating, Aiden ripped off a piece and carefully placed it on the colorfully wrapped box, sticking down a piece that had previously been untamed.

"It looks good!" Michelle commented, leaning over and examining the package.

It was wrapped in red paper printed with candy canes, peppermints, and gumdrops. Beneath the many layers of paper was a box, but its decorative wrapping pulled off the deceitful image of an unkempt blob. Pieces of tape stuck up from all different directions, with one long strip expertly wrapped around the entire circumference.

"All done!" Aiden cheered, picking up the gift and leaving it beneath the tree. It joined several other poorly wrapped gifts, all done by the two children sitting in the middle of the living room.

They had decided that this year, they would wrap the presents they had gotten for their parents and younger sister on their own. They were big kids, after all, and wrapping presents was a very big kid thing to do.

"What now?" Michelle asked, looking over their remaining, unwrapped gifts. "Which one should we do next?"

Aiden pursed his lips and examined the pile of presents. "Oh, your stone!"

Michelle beamed and nodded happily, picking up the rock she had found in the backyard and painted to look like a water stone. She thought it would be the perfect decoration for her mother's office. And since Michelle hadn't been able to find a _real_ water stone, she figured a homemade one was the next best thing.

Many of the twins' gifts were, in fact, homemade. They were only six years old, after all, and didn't have much money. They usually drew pictures or painted something…like the stone. Now that they were older, their parents would take them out to the store and buy something for them to give to the other. Ash would take them to get a gift for Misty, and vice versa.

For those gifts, they had purchased a new tie for their Ash, a new coat for Misty, and a stuffed Horsea that lit up for Elizabeth.

The purchased gifts had already been wrapped and placed under the tree. In fact, it was Ash's tie that Aiden had just finished wrapping up. He and Michelle had figured out that working as a team when it came to wrapping presents made the whole thing a lot easier.

Even then, however, it was not a simple task.

Michelle rolled out the wrapping paper, this one light blue in color and printed with colorful snowmen, while Aiden dropped the painted stone in the middle. Once Michelle figured she had enough wrapping paper (which, in reality, was actually far too much) she picked up her sky blue safety scissors and began to cut an uneven line close to the cardboard tube which kept the wrapping paper's shape. Once the desired amount had been separated from the rest of the roll, Michelle began to fold it over the stone, hiding her creation beneath the colorful paper.

"Tape!" Michelle called.

Nodding his head, Aiden climbed over his sister's back and grabbed the roll, tearing off an exceptionally long piece and sticking it on the wrapping paper to seal one of the openings shut.

"More tape!"

"Got it!"

The taping was Aiden's job. He wasn't very good at it, but he thought he was a prodigy. His motto was "the more tape, the better" and it showed. Many of the presents they wrapped, in fact, ended up with an equal ratio of tape to wrapping paper…sometimes even more on the tape end.

"Aiden, this side's still sticking up!"

"I got it!"

Michelle watched as her brother tore off another long piece of tape and slapped it over the offending corner. Once it was taped down, Michelle beamed and got to her feet, placing the newly wrapped rock beneath the Christmas tree.

"Mommy's gonna love that!" Michelle giggled.

"Yeah!" Aiden agreed. "Maybe even more 'cause we wrapped 'em all ourselves!"

In the kitchen, Misty popped back into the house from the back door, sighing and shivering in her winter coat. It was so cold and breezy outside that even the short walk over from the gym had felt like a treacherous journey.

After removing her coat and hanging it up, Misty stopped by the garbage can by the sink, narrowing her eyes at it. The container was overflowing, and not with food and empty containers. Rather, there were crumples up balls and strips of wrapping paper, scraps of ribbon, pieces of tape, and torn open wrappers for tissue paper.

"What?" Misty muttered to herself.

The sound of giggles reached her ears, harmonious ones that perfectly reflected youth and innocence. Furrowing her brow, Misty quietly walked towards the doorframe and just barely poked her head through in order to see into the living room.

What she saw was Aiden and Michelle, busily wrapping the presents they had gotten for everyone else. It was clumsy and unkempt, uncoordinated and messy. But they were having so much fun. And it seemed so important to them. That's where all of the mess in the kitchen had come from, clearly. Their best attempts at wrapping were not very good, but they were so strong willed and passionate. It was clear that this meant a lot to them.

"I was hoping not to have to clean up any more messes before Christmas," Misty sighed, looking over at the overflowing garbage can. "But…I guess I can make an exception for this one."

* * *

><p><strong>This was my sister and I this afternoon. Except we're not 6. We're 19 and 15. Yeah XD<strong>


	265. The Santa Clause

**MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE, EVERYONE! To celebrate my favorite holiday, I've written a special one shot just for Christmas Eve :) Enjoy!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 6 years old**

**Elizabeth: 4 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>The Santa Clause<strong>

It's Christmastime in the humble town of Pallet, where Delia Ketchum is currently being visited by her family.

"Alright, cookies!"

"Ash, keep your hands off of those!"

"Aw, why?"

"Because if you eat the whole thing, there'll be none left for anyone else!"

The Pokémon Master pouted at his mother's firm scolding, but heeded her warning and backed away from the plate full of freshly baked treats. Instead, he trudged into the living room, where Misty was sitting on the couch and tugging a white, faux-fur coat onto baby Elizabeth's small upper body.

"Mist, how come you're dressing Elizabeth for outside?" Ash asked. "We haven't even eaten dinner yet!"

"I know," Misty replied simply. "But we have to take Elizabeth to meet Santa!"

"She's never met him, Daddy!" Michelle chimed in. She was standing by the door, slipping on her own turquoise blue puffer coat.

"Yeah, and I gotta make sure he knows _exactly_ what I want!" Aiden added while rushing down the stairs. He was already outfitted in his blue, black, and green puffer jacket, fully ready to go outside.

"Meeting Santa? On Christmas Eve?" Ash asked skeptically.

"He's in the square, Daddy!" Michelle giggled. "You know he goes there before he goes to everyone's house!"

"Ah, right," Ash played along, his eyes sparkling. "How could I forget?"

"And that's exactly where we need to take Lizzie!" Misty cooed, pulling a matching white hat over the girl's wispy red locks. "She didn't tell Santa what _she_ wants!"

"That's 'cause she can't talk, Mommy," Aiden replied very seriously.

At this, Elizabeth let out an unappreciative whine, to which Misty giggled delightfully.

"Aw, she didn't like that!" Misty commented. "I bet Santa will be able to figure it out. There must be something you want, right, little girl?"

Elizabeth puffed her cheeks out before laughing and flapping her arms up and down, Misty humming amusedly all the while.

"I bet _I_ know what Elizabeth wants, Mommy," Michelle bragged, running up to her mother and fluttering her eyelashes.

"Oh?" Misty asked playfully. "And what's that?"

"A friend for Teddi!" Michelle giggled.

"Elizabeth's got plenty of friends for Teddi," Misty sighed. "She's got more stuffed Pokémon in her room now than I ever had in my entire life!"

"And all she does is throw them out of her crib," Ash chimed in, pulling on his own black wool coat.

"That's true," Michelle murmured before perking up. "Maybe she wants some new pajamas! She loves her pajamas."

"That she does," Misty agreed.

"Oh, I just think it'll be so sweet to see Elizabeth with Santa!" Delia crooned. She had emerged from the kitchen, taking her long, black coat off the rack and throwing it over her shoulders. "It's like her first big Christmas tradition!"

_Those_ words, however, caused Ash some concern.

**XXX**

"You think Elizabeth will actually like Santa?"

The family was making their way towards the town square, where Santa was located just as he was every Christmas Eve. Misty, who was carrying Elizabeth in her arms, looked over her shoulder and threw Ash a confused look. "Why wouldn't she?"

Ash retaliated with a more incredulous expression. "Do you remember what happened the _last time_ we introduced our children to Santa Claus?"

"Daddy, I'm always good! I _love_ Santa!"

Ash scoffed and looked down at Michelle, who seemed offended by the notion that she was ever anything but a perfect angel. "No way, Shelly. The first time you met Santa, you cried your eyes out."

"Did not!" Michelle argued.

"Actually…you did, Michelle," Misty hummed. "I'll never forget it. It was at Grammy's Christmas party when you were just a year old. We sat you down on Santa's lap, and it took about five seconds for you to burst into tears. Absolutely screaming and crying. It took fifteen minutes for me and Grammy to calm you down!"

Michelle pouted, and continued walking in silence. Aiden, however, found his sister's torment to be absolutely hysterical, and began laughing at her.

"I wouldn't laugh if I were you, Aiden," Misty warned. "You were even worse than your sister."

"Me?!" Aiden shrieked disbelievingly.

"Yes, you," Misty sighed.

"I didn't do _anything,_" Aiden argued matter-of-factly.

"Here, champ, I'll shorten the story for you," Ash broke in, a smile playing at his lips. "You were nice and calm, sat there like a good boy for the first few seconds, and then out of nowhere, you peed on him."

As Aiden's entire face turned red, it was Michelle's turn to burst out in laughter at the expense of her twin.

"I guess that's why I'm so nervous about Elizabeth meeting Santa," Ash sighed. "We've already had two disasters." Dropping his voice to a whisper so the twins wouldn't hear, Ash added, "And this time, it won't be Brock. I don't need our daughter wetting herself on some stranger!"

"Well, you know what they say," Misty recited, "third time's the charm."

"Besides," Delia added, who had been silently observing the family for the entire walk, "every child is different. Aiden, Michelle, and Elizabeth all have different personalities! Even though she's still a baby, I can tell that Elizabeth is very different from her big brother and sister."

Misty smiled down at her baby girl, who was calmly looking around at her surroundings. Misty loved all of her children equally; any other accusation would have been grotesquely wrong, and would have probably earned said accuser of a punch in the face courtesy of the emotional gym leader. But there had always been something special about Elizabeth. Misty had sensed it from the time she was pregnant with the baby. The little girl was always so calm, so serene. Of course she had her moments; she was still a baby, of course. She'd cry and fuss and just be plain miserable. But more often than not, she was happy and giggly and quite smiley. It made Misty feel so good. She hadn't done anything different with the baby, but it was just as Delia had said. Each child had a different personality, even from birth.

Which was why Misty was confident that Elizabeth would get along with Santa just fine.

**XXX**

Pallet Town Square was always a beautiful place, but during the holidays, it was like a totally transformed winter wonderland.

Beautiful, bright lights hung from the trees and small shops' roofs. Poinsettias were placed in windows and next to doors, while various decorations such as stockings and cut outs of angels and snowflakes hung in store windows.

It was in the middle of the square, atop the gray, octagonal bricks, where a regal looking throne of green and gold stood, with none other than Santa Claus sitting pretty.

Aiden and Michelle were instantly excited by the sight. They began bouncing up and down, begging their parents and grandmother to take them on line so they could visit the jolly man. Elizabeth, on the other hand, just seemed confused. If anything, she was more fixated on the lights than Santa.

"In just a minute, guys!" Ash promised, chuckling at the excitement of the older two. "I promise you'll both get your turn to see Santa."

Looking over at Misty, Delia giggled and asked, "Is Lizzie excited?"

"She doesn't seem to care either way," Misty admitted, watching as the baby set her emerald eyes on a nearby window display. "Too much else is going on for her little mind."

"Daddy, look!" Michelle shrieked, tugging on her father's pants. "The line's not even that long!"

"Well, that's the first I've ever heard you say anything like that," Ash remarked. "Usually, any line is too long for you!"

"It's not funny, Daddy!" Michelle scolded. "_Everyone_ wants to see Santa! So that line is _short!_"

"I can see your point," Ash chuckled, hoping to placate his older daughter. "Come on, let's go get on line, then. We want to get Lizzie over there while she's still calm, right?"

"Yeah!" Michelle agreed.

Misty smirked and followed the rest of the family onto the line, gently bouncing Elizabeth up and down as they walked. It was, in fact, a rather short less: around less than ten minutes. Perhaps because it was Christmas Eve, but visiting Santa in the town square that day had always been a tradition for Ash and Delia. They were both extremely pleased that it could be passed down to Aiden, Michelle, and now Elizabeth.

Once they got to the front of the line, Aiden was the first one to go up to Santa. He was quite confident in the visit, knowing exactly what he wanted. For months now, Aiden had been begging and pleading for a robotic Tyrantrum, and he was going to get his last licks in before the big day. Of course, the prized toy was already wrapped and hidden in Misty's closet back home, but Aiden didn't know that.

Michelle was the next to go. She was more reserved than her brother, although still excited to see Santa. She always made sure to greet him and ask him how he was doing. Sometimes, she would also ask him about the Stantler, and if they were excited to eat the carrots she always left out along with the cookies. She left her present request for last, which this year was a voice activated diary for her to write in…and keep firmly locked away from her "annoying brother."

The youngest member of the family was the last to go: Elizabeth. Ash watched with bated breath as Misty walked up to Santa, who smiled joyfully at the baby girl in her arms.

"Ho ho, and who is _this_ pretty little girl?" He asked kindly.

"This is Elizabeth!" Misty replied, lowering the small girl into the man's lap. "And it's her very first Christmas!"

"Is that right?" Santa asked with a chuckle. Elizabeth glanced up at the man and blinked, tilting her head to the side with a soft, quiet coo. "Well, isn't that wonderful! Merry Christmas to you, darling!"

Elizabeth held her hands up in the air, turning her eyes away from Santa in order to look up at Misty.

"Lizzie, they're going to take a picture of you with Santa!" Misty cooed, ignoring the visibly nervous Ash who was standing behind her. "Look over at the camera!"

Misty pointed at the camera across the way, but Elizabeth decided it was more fun to stare up at Santa. He chuckled at the action, to which Elizabeth mumbled softly and reached up to pet his beard.

"Lizzie, look at the camera!" Misty coaxed.

Elizabeth, however, was too enamored with Santa to tear her attention away from him.

"Misty, I think the picture would look adorable just like that!" Delia stressed. "It's so sweet how happy Elizabeth is with him!"

"I'm just happy she's not crying or…doing anything else," Ash sighed, rubbing the side of his head.

"It is sweet, isn't it?" Misty asked whimsically. "Alright, then! We'll just take the picture like that."

Aiden and Michelle laughed as the picture was taken, their sister completely distracted by Santa. Once all was said and done, Misty reached down and took the little girl off of Santa's lap, thanking him all the while.

And _that's _when Elizabeth burst into tears.

"What?!" Misty gasped, nervously bouncing the baby up and down. "Why are you so upset, Lizzie? What happened?"

The baby continued screeching as she twisted her body around, reaching for the man in red sitting behind her.

"Unbelievable," Ash muttered, his eyes narrowed in confusion. "What kind of a kid cries when you take them _away _from Santa? I've never even heard of that before!"

"Lizzie is special, Daddy!" Michelle giggled.

"Yeah, she's special!" Aiden chimed in.

"You got that right," Ash whistled, shifting his eyes between the crying Elizabeth and the bewildered Santa. "And to think I was worried about her reaction _to_ him. Turns out she might just like him better than us!"

* * *

><p><strong>Aah Elizabeth, always the strange one in the family ;) Never making it easier for their parents. <strong>

**Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this one shot, and are all enjoying your holidays. I'll be spending it with my family, and I hope you're all going to have fun as well! Merry Christmas, lovely readers :)**


	266. Togepi Treasure

**I'm having Togepi feels. I don't know why. But I got a one shot out of it, so here ya go :P**

**Elizabeth: 16 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Togepi Treasure<strong>

"Oh, Lizzie, look what you got!"

The redheaded baby looked up at her mother, who was holding a stuffed Pokémon in her hands. It was round, with spikes on the top, and blue and red patterns scattered on its white bottom.

"Boo?" Elizabeth asked.

"No, it's a Togepi!" Misty giggled, handing the toy off to her daughter. Elizabeth held the stuffed Pokémon in her little hands, giving it a squeeze before dropping it on the floor to see if it could roll. After all, that's what "boo" was alluding to. Ball. Elizabeth thought Togepi was a ball.

"Don't drop it, sweetheart!" Misty gasped, picking the toy back up. "It's not a ball!"

"No boo?" Elizabeth murmured.

"No ball," Misty repeated, although correctly. "Togepi. Can you say that, sprinkle? To-ge-pi."

"To te peep," Elizabeth squeaked, blinking her wide, emerald eyes.

"Yeah," Misty breathed, too enamored to correct her once again. "It's a cute little Pokémon, isn't it?"

"Coo!" Elizabeth trilled.

"Did you know that Mommy used to have a Togepi?" Misty asked her daughter, still holding the toy in her hands and gazing lovingly at it. "A real one?"

"To te peep!" Elizabeth repeated, reaching up for the stuffed creature.

Smirking, Misty handed the toy back to Elizabeth and gently patted the child's hand, hoping she would get the hint and not throw it again. "Yeah, Togepi and I were really good friends!"

Elizabeth mumbled incoherently and glanced up at her mother, looking like the picture of sheer innocence.

"I treated Togepi like my baby," Misty informed Elizabeth, reaching down to gently rub the stuffed Togepi's forehead. "I learned how to be a mommy by taking care of her! She was the sweetest Pokémon. I loved her very much."

"Wuv," Elizabeth repeated, holding the Togepi up closer to her mother.

"Yes, a lot of love," Misty confirmed, gently pushing the toy down towards Elizabeth. "But that toy is _yours_ to love, Lizzie! Not mine. So take care of it, okay?"

"Ke?" Elizabeth squeaked, looking down at the plush.

"Yes, care," Misty giggled. "That means being _nice_, and _gentle_…no rough stuff, got it?"

Elizabeth sat in silent contemplation for a short moment before raising the stuffed Togepi closer to her mouth and giving the toy a big kiss on its face.

"Oh, how sweet!" Misty laughed. "That's very nice of you, Lizzie!"

"Goo to te peep," Elizabeth murmured, once again patting her toy's head.

As Misty hummed lovingly, Ash walked back into the room, a mug of hot chocolate in his hands. When he saw his daughter sitting on the floor holding a newly opened toy, he chuckled and walked over, placing his cup down on the side table before bending over. "Hi, pumpkin! What've you got there?"

Elizabeth stopped chattering nonsense and held the toy closer to her chest, staring up at her father with somewhat nervous eyes. Smirking, he lifted the young girl up and held her against his hip, gently poking her chest and earning reluctant laughs from the child.

"Come on, let me see!" Ash playfully pleaded.

Squeaking, Elizabeth held out her stuffed Togepi, which led Ash to making a noise of interest. "Well, look at that! A Togepi! Who got you that, baby?"

"Dunno," Elizabeth murmured.

"You don't know?" Misty gasped. "Elizabeth, what has Mommy told you about looking at the tag on the present?"

"Dunno."

Sighing, Misty reached for the torn wrapping paper and read the sticker on the mangled sheet. "It's from Daisy. Figures."

"Aw, but it's a nice present!" Ash crooned.

Misty looked offended by the notion "I didn't say it wasn't! I'm just not surprised it was Daisy. She always did like Togepi when I had her. She thought of Togepi as her pseudo-niece. It was actually pretty cute."

Smiling, Elizabeth held the stuffed Togepi out in front of her father's face, causing him to turn his eyes in so he could get a clearer image of the toy.

"Yes, I see your Togepi!" Ash chuckled. "It's very cute."

"Ke!" Elizabeth cried, moving the toy closer.

"Ke?" Ash repeated.

Elizabeth finally pushed the stuffed Pokémon against her father's lips, silencing him and giving him the full hint of what she actually wanted him to do.

"Oh, _now_ I get it!" Ash chuckled, his voice sounding muffled against the Togepi's soft material. He gave the toy his own kiss, finally satisfying Elizabeth and leading her to bring the toy back to herself.

"Lizzie promised to take good care of Togepi, because I told her all about how much I loved _my_ Togepi when I had it," Misty explained to Ash.

"Ah, so you want to be like Mommy!" Ash chuckled.

"To te peep," Elizabeth murmured, stroking the delicate mink fabric between Togepi's eyes.

"Yes," Ash breathed laughingly. "Togepi."

"Wuv!" Elizabeth cried, squeezing the toy tight and rubbing her cheek against it. "Wuv, wuv to te peep."

"You are a very good trainer for Togepi," Ash playfully informed his daughter, who giggled at the idea. "It's a baby Pokémon, and you're a baby, too! So you know exactly what Togepi needs, right? You can be the best of friends!"

Elizabeth smiled quietly and gave Togepi another hug.

"Perfect," Ash laughed, kissing Elizabeth's forehead and putting the small child back on the floor. "You take good care of Togepi, now! Make Mommy and Daddy proud, pumpkin."

Sticking her legs out in front of her, Elizabeth settled the stuffed toy on her lap and gently rocked it back and forth, holding onto the creature's little arms and watching its every move.

"She's so sweet," Misty murmured, entranced by her daughter's actions.

"Yeah," Ash agreed, his voice just as whimsical. "Just like you."

* * *

><p><strong>I miss Togepi. Well, Togetic. Even if she was annoying sometimes (and yes, I totally think she was a she.) I wish they'd bring her back someday.<strong>


	267. New Year's Noise

**HAPPY NEW YEAR'S EVE, EVERYONE! Just as I always do, here is a commemorative one shot for the day :)**

**Aiden and Michelle: 6 years old**

**Elizabeth: 4 months old**

**Dakota: 10 years old**

**Vanessa: 9 years old**

**Lola: 8 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>New Year's Noise<strong>

"_Great_ idea getting all the kids noise makers, Ash."

"Is that sarcasm?"

"I don't know, Mr. Pokémon Master. You tell me."

Ash grimaced as Aiden jumped up next to him and blew said noisemaker right in his ear. Ash yelped and rubbed the side of his head, turning his head to glare at his young, giggling son.

"Aiden, don't do that!" Ash scolded. "It isn't nice."

The little boy laughed at the action and jumped off the couch, joining his sister and female cousins in the center of the room to make more noise.

"You kind of deserved that one," Misty muttered, watching as Ash continued to rub his ear.

"I'll give you that one," Ash grumbled, finally lowering his arm. He picked his head up and watched the five children blowing the noise makers in one another's faces, including the oldest of the group, Dakota. "To be honest, I'm surprised Dakota is taking part."

Indeed, the ten year old blonde was the tallest of the group, but she was using the noise maker just as liberally as her smaller cousins. Her purple, one shoulder dress with silver rhinestones going up the neckline made her look so elegant, and even older than ten, but her actions were putting her on the exact same level as the six year olds. Currently, she was blowing her green noisemaker in Aiden's face, rivaling the sound coming out of the young boy's red version of the little tube from hell.

"Koty, come here," Misty urged, calling out to her oldest niece. The blonde perked at her nickname and skipped over to her aunt, beaming at the frazzled redhead with dazzling sea green eyes.

"Yes, Aunt Misty?" Dakota asked whimsically.

"Do you think you could get the rest of the kids to stop using the noisemakers?" Misty groaned.

"Why?" Dakota murmured, frowning at the idea.

"They're…they're terrible, Dakota," Misty admitted, shaking her head. "On top of the fact that Aiden just blew his in Uncle Ash's ear."

"Really?" Dakota giggled. "That's-" She stopped speaking as soon as she saw the unamused look on her uncle's face. "Not very nice of him."

"No, it wasn't," Misty sighed. "And since you're the _oldest_, and the _most responsible_, you can probably get them to stop."

"But we're having so much fun with them, Aunt Misty!" Dakota cried. "And it's New Year's Eve!"

"Yes, I'm aware of that, Dakota, but-"

"Dakota, come back!"

The blonde spun around, golden curls bouncing as she faced her younger cousins. Vanessa, the second oldest of the group, was beaming at her and holding up her purple noisemaker. Dakota looked over her shoulder and threw her aunt an apologetic glance before running back over to her cousins, gleefully blowing her green noisemaker in Vanessa's face, leading the blue haired girl to giggle valiantly.

"Well, that didn't work," Misty stated blankly.

"Maybe we should just go out and buy earplugs," Ash suggested lamely.

"Oh no, I'm not letting you off the hook with this one!" Misty stormed, sticking a finger in her husband's face. "You're the one who gave the kids those horrible things, and you're going to listen to it all night if you have to!"

"Even if _you_ have to as well?" Ash asked smartly.

Misty sucked in a deep breath before closing her mouth and sulking. "Yes," she begrudgingly decided. "Even if _I_ also have to pay for your sins."

"Mommy, Mommy! Listen to my song!"

Misty grimaced as Michelle ran up to her, blowing out random noises through her blue noisemaker. Clearly, the child thought she had come up with something ingenious, for when she was done, she looked up at her parents and beamed proudly.

"Wow, Michelle, that was really something," Misty droned, her eyes looking dull and almost pained.

"Thanks!" Michelle giggled. "Lola loved it!"

"Michelle, come here," Misty urged, holding a hand out towards the child. Blinking, Michelle scurried over to her mother, allowing herself to be pulled up onto her mother's lap with an airy giggle. "Do you want to do something for Mommy?"

"Yes!" Michelle squeaked, her eyes lighting up. She absolutely _loved_ doing things for her mother.

"Think you can convince your brother and cousins to stop using those noisemakers?" Misty questioned hopefully.

In a very similar fashion to her oldest cousin, Michelle's face fell. "Why?"

"Because they're very loud," Misty explained. "Don't you think they're very loud, Shelly?"

"No."

Misty squeezed her eyes shut as tightly as possible to relieve her tension. "Michelle, honey, please. Can you just…do this for me? Please?"

"But Mommy, I _like_ them!" Michelle stressed. "They're fun!"

Misty grumbled and once again picked her daughter up by the waist, placing the young girl back on the floor. Once on her feet, Michelle straightened out her ruffled and sleeveless navy blue dress, holding a little hand against the black satin sash across her waist.

"Can I go play again, Mommy?"

Misty threw her head back and furrowed her brow. "Yeah, sure. Why not."

Michelle beamed and ran back to her cousins, joining in on their little noisemaking party.

"I think this is what hell must be like," Misty murmured, staring up at the ceiling. "You probably arrive in a broken down elevator and are greeted by a chorus of those noisemakers."

At this, Ash cocked an eyebrow. "Do you often think about what hell is like?"

"Only when the situation arises."

"Hmm."

Misty sat back up and furrowed her brow as a new noise reached her ears, one that was even shriller than what was coming out of the five noisemakers. Glancing back up, Misty found Daisy standing by the side of the couch with a wailing baby Elizabeth in her arms, not looking the least bit impressed.

"What happened?" Misty breathed.

"My guess?" Daisy chirped in a falsely happy tone. "Those stupid noisemakers woke her up, and now she's cranky!"

"Oh, no," Misty groaned, burying her face in her hands.

"I'm not paying for your husband's stupidity!" Daisy hissed, handing the shrieking baby off to Misty while Ash looked highly offended. "_You_ deal with it!"

Misty rolled her eyes and began to rock her infant daughter back and forth, quietly shushing the baby in an attempt to soothe her. "Come on, Lizzie. Don't cry, beautiful baby. It's okay."

While trying to comfort the baby, Misty glanced over at Ash and glared viciously at him. "What?!"

"Now it's disrupting the baby's _sleep_," Misty hissed. "You need to take care of this _right now_, or so help me gods…"

"Alright, alright, I'm on it!" Ash groaned, getting to his feet and marching over to the group of noisemaking children. Approaching his son, Ash yanked the red noisemaker out of his little hand and held it up, earning a displeased yelp from the little boy.

"Hey!"

"That's enough out of you," Ash scolded, holding the noisemaker up even higher when Aiden began jumping for it.

"Daddy, gimme that back!" Aiden demanded.

"No," Ash replied simply. "You guys woke Elizabeth up with all that noise. Now Mommy's not happy."

"Elizabeth wakes up anyway!" Aiden argued.

"Maybe, but she was asleep, and she'd been asleep for a while," Ash reasoned. "Now she's up, and she's very cranky."

"Maybe Lizzie wants a noisemaker too, Daddy," Michelle suggested.

"No she doesn't!" Ash urgently cried, earning a bewildered stare from Michelle. "Uh…I mean…she's too young for those kinds of things, Michelle. Lizzie can't use a noisemaker."

With the noisemakers silenced for the time being, Elizabeth managed to calm down, though she was still wide awake in her mother's arms.

"Good, you're relaxed," Misty sighed, a smile appearing on her face. "But now I need you to go back to sleep…"

Looking up at Ash, Misty smirked and got to her feet, quietly walking over to the man. Gently tapping him on the shoulder to get his attention, Misty smiled at him and requested, "I need you to put Elizabeth back to sleep."

"M-me?!" Ash sputtered, sounding absolutely incredulous. "Why me?!"

"Because you're the reason Elizabeth woke up in the first place!"

"I am not! The noisemakers were!"

"Yeah, and who's the one that bought the noisemakers and gave them to the kids?"

"Uncle Ash!"

"Daddy!"

The Pokémon Master turned around and narrowed his eyes at the group of children behind him, who were all smiling and giggling with mischievous glints in their eyes.

"Really?" Ash groaned. "You guys just _had _to chime in?"

"We were helping Aunt Misty!" Lola cried in their defense, still gripping her orange noisemaker.

"Yeah!" Michelle chimed in, leading Ash to roll his eyes. Lola and Michelle were like little partners in crime. It was the worst thing ever.

"Alright, come on, little girl," Ash sighed, lifting the squirmy baby out of his wife's arms. "Time to go back to sleep."

Elizabeth whined, pressing her feet against Ash's chest and waving her arms up and down like a flying type.

"Here, Ash," Misty hummed, holding out a familiar object. "Maybe Elizabeth will like _this._"

Cradling the baby in one arm, Ash took the item from Misty: a metallic pink tube with fringes at the end and a white, whistle-like tube at the top.

"Really?" Ash deadpanned.

"What?" Misty playfully quipped. "It's just a noisemaker!"

Elizabeth squealed and began to reach out towards the noisemaker, eagerly opening and closing her hands in want. Sighing, Ash handed the tube to the baby and watched as she quickly stuck the white plastic in her mouth, chewing on it as though it were a stick of candy.

"Well, at least she isn't making any noise with it," Ash sighed, smiling down at the content infant.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope everyone had a wonderful 2013! I know mine was very eventful. Just yesterday I was thinking of everything I've done this year, and I realized it was actually a hell of a lot! So, here's to 2014 being just as exciting, and even better than 2013 :D Happy New Year, and I'll see you all in 2014!<strong>


	268. Misty's Little Helper

**Happy New Year, everyone! Time for the first one shot of 2014! And for the first one, I tried something a little different.**

**This one takes place in the same timeframe as the epilogue to Double Trouble. You might remember that when Misty was getting sick, without Ash there to help, Aiden stepped up and took care of her instead. This one delves deeper into that, including why Aiden was helping out in the first place. Enjoy!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Misty's Little Helper<strong>

"Oh my gods, I've never felt this sick in my life."

Okay, that might have been a lie. Misty had felt this sick before in her life: during her first trimester when she was pregnant with the twins. That wasn't even crossing her mind at this point, however. She was just focused on the present, and at the present, she thought she was going to die.

She had finished getting sick about ten minutes ago, but she still hadn't moved from her position on the floor. It was cool down there…and Misty was convinced she didn't have the strength to get back up.

She hated the fact that Ash was away for a battle tournament. Misty needed him more than anything in the world at the moment. No matter how bad things got, he was always there for her. He was never afraid or scared off. Misty thought he was so much stronger than she was.

She didn't know if she could survive this without him.

**XXX**

Meanwhile, downstairs, Aiden and Michelle were playing with building bricks, trying to create an amazing mansion for their father when he came home.

"Daddy is gonna be so surprised!" Michelle giggled, pressing a blue block atop a red one. She became bewildered, however, when Aiden didn't respond. Looking up from her work, the girl realized that her brother was busy staring over his shoulder, idly holding a green brick in his hands. "Aiden?"

The boy turned his head and blinked, exchanging quiet stares with his sister for a few moments before piping up, "something's wrong."

"Huh?" Michelle murmured.

"Mommy," Aiden began, sounding very concerned. "She's missing."

"No, she went upstairs!" Michelle giggled.

"Yeah, but she never came back," Aiden nearly whined.

"Maybe she's sleepin'!" Michelle suggested.

Biting his lip, Aiden pulled himself up to his feet and announced, "I'm gonna see."

At this, Michelle frowned. "Are you gonna come back?"

"Yeah!" Aiden chirped. And with that, he scurried towards the staircase, chocolate brown eyes glinting with nervousness.

**XXX**

Still lying on the floor with her eyes squeezed shut, Misty felt the familiar wave of nausea overtake her. Finally finding the energy to push herself up, Misty leaned her head over the toilet and continued throwing up the contents of her stomach…whatever was left in it, anyway.

As she was busy retching, a gentle touch against her back caused Misty to become more alert, though she was still busy getting sick.

"It's okay, Mommy."

_This_ sent shockwaves through Misty's body. As soon as she was done getting sick, she turned around and stared wide eyed at her son, who only looked a little concerned.

"A-Aiden…"

"Are you sick, Mommy?"

Misty sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Yes, baby. I think I am."

"Is your tummy hurt?" Aiden asked.

"Mmhm."

Frowning, Aiden crawled forward and began to rub his mother's stomach in soothing circles, the same way she did to him when he ate too much and got a stomachache. "Does this make you feel better, Mommy?"

"It helps," Misty admitted, a smile growing on her face. "But I have to get up, sweetheart."

At this, Aiden frowned. "Why?"

"I have to brush my teeth," Misty laughed. "My mouth…it just doesn't taste too good right now."

Aiden watched as Misty got to her feet and walked over to the sink, wetting her toothbrush and putting toothpaste on it. Much to Misty's surprise, he didn't once move from his spot. Not even an inch. He just stood there and watched her like a Fearrow. Once she was done, she rinsed off her toothbrush and put it back in the holder, looking down at her young son.

"Aiden, you can go back to playing with Michelle, you know," Misty tried.

"Not yet," Aiden replied, earning a confused look from Misty. "You hafta go to bed, Mommy."

"Huh?"

Aiden scurried over to his mother and held his hand up. "Come on!"

Misty blinked, but nevertheless grabbed her son's hand and allowed him to pull her into the bedroom, right towards the bed.

"Try to sleep!" Aiden ordered, his eyes narrowing to show that he was serious.

Misty giggled, despite her son's disposition. "Yes, sir!"

Aiden watched as Misty climbed into bed, once again not moving from his spot. Misty was still confused as to why Aiden was being so cautious with her, but to the young boy standing on the floor, it all made perfect sense.

"_Hey, buddy!"_

_Aiden beamed at his father through the video screen, chocolate brown eyes shimmering with excitement._

"_Hi, Daddy!"_

"_Do you miss me, champ?"_

"_Uh huh."_

_Ash smiled sympathetically at that. "I miss you too! You're my special little guy, after all. Did you know that I talk about you every single day?"_

_Aiden's eyes widened at this. "Really?"_

"_Sure! I tell everyone about you!"_

"_What do you tell 'em, Daddy?"_

"_I tell them that I have the best little buddy in the whole wide world," Ash informed his son. "And that no one's got a son as great as mine!"_

"_I'm the best buddy!" Aiden chuckled._

"_Of course you are!" Ash laughed. "Hey, since you're such a great little guy, you think you can help me out with something else, champ?"_

_Aiden's whole face lit up at the idea of helping his father. "Yeah!"_

"_While I'm away, you're the only guy left in the house," Ash explained. "That means you have to be the man of the house!"_

"_Just like you?" Aiden asked softly._

"_Yeah, just like me," Ash confirmed through a smile. _

"_What do I have to do, Daddy?" Aiden asked excitedly._

"_You have to take care of Mommy and Shelly for me," Ash replied. "I miss them _so_ much. They're my special girls! So, you have to watch over them for me, champ. Can you do that?"_

"_Yeah!" Aiden trilled. "I can do it, Daddy!"_

"_That's my boy," Ash sighed happily. "This is why I'm so proud of you, Aiden! You're the best little guy a dad could ever ask for."_

"_Thanks!" Aiden giggled. "I'll do my bestest, Daddy. I promise!"_

Once Misty was settled, Aiden grinned and ran over to the side of the bed, gently patting his mother's legs. "Sleep now, Mommy."

"I'll try my best, little man," Misty sighed, burying her head deeper into the pillow.

"I'll check on you later," Aiden drawled, smiling at his mother.

"Sounds good."

Her eyes were closed and her breathing was becoming more gentle, but Aiden remained in place and watched her for a few extra moments before turning around and slowly sauntering out of the room to go back downstairs.

**XXX**

With Aiden's urging, Misty actually managed to get a few hours of sleep. It had felt absolutely amazing, and was exactly what she'd needed after her exhausting afternoon.

Almost as soon as she woke up, however, it was back to the bathroom. Misty, for the life of her, couldn't understand what was going on. It was horrible. After her waking up session, things seemed to calm down, and Misty decided to take the opportunity to make Aiden and Michelle dinner.

On her way downstairs, Misty couldn't help but to think about Aiden's previous actions. It had been so sweet, and had really helped, as much as she didn't want to admit it. She knew she shouldn't have been relying on her five year old son for comfort. Not in this situation, anyway. Her biggest fear was him catching whatever she had. Even though she had no fever. That was fairly strange.

Once she was downstairs in the kitchen, Aiden and Michelle both came rushing in, their eyes wide and full of concern.

"Hello, you two," Misty greeted calmly. "What would you like for dinner?"

"No, Mommy!" Aiden cried. "You need to sleep!"

"I did sleep, buddy!" Misty assured. "And guess what? It made me feel a whole lot better!"

"Really?" Aiden asked cautiously.

"Yes," Misty confirmed. "In fact, I think it's exactly what I needed! I promise I'll rest again later, but first, you and Michelle really need to be fed! You're both hungry, aren't you?"

Slowly, Aiden and Michelle both nodded.

"Perfect!" Misty breathed. "How about some macaroni and cheese? That sound good?"

"Yeah!"

Misty giggled at her children's excited shrieks. "Okay, macaroni and cheese it is!"

**XXX**

The next morning, Misty found her head in the toilet again. Unfortunately, she couldn't escape Aiden's watchful eye this time. He was back with her, rubbing her back and giving her hugs as she got sick.

"It's okay, Mommy," Aiden softly assured his mother. "I'm right here!"

Once Misty was done, she sighed and rested back on her knees, hanging her head from sheer exhaustion. "Aiden, sweetie, I really appreciate you taking such good care of me! But…I feel bad taking you away from your sister. You two should be playing together! So why don't you go downstairs and play with Shelly?"

"Later, Mommy," Aiden refuted. "I gotta take care of you first!"

"Sweetheart…" Misty sighed.

"You know what Daddy told me?" Aiden asked excitedly, his eyes lighting up. "On the phone?"

"What did he tell you?" Misty inquired softly.

"He said that I'm the man of the house!" Aiden laughed. "I'm him when he's gone, Mommy!"

"Oh, is that what he said?" Misty breathed.

"Yeah! And that means I gotta take care of you and Shelly!"

Misty felt her eyes well up with tears. Now it all made sense, why Aiden was hovering around her. He had given Ash his word that he would take care of her and Michelle. He was keeping a promise. This was important to him.

"Oh, Aiden," Misty breathed, reaching out to caress her son's face. "You're the most precious little boy in the entire world. You're going to make Daddy _so_ proud. I'm already proud of you! I'm the luckiest mommy ever."

"Do you feel better now?" Aiden asked.

"I do," Misty confirmed, wiping the tears away from her ears. "I really, really do."

"Can I go back downstairs?" Aiden asked. "I think Shelly's lonely."

"Of course you can," Misty giggled softly, still rubbing her eyes. "You promised Daddy you'd take care of her too, after all."

With a big smile, Aiden jumped up and ran out of the bathroom, leaving behind a teary, although very happy, Misty.

**XXX**

The next day, Misty was _still _getting sick, and Aiden was _still _taking care of her. After one of her sessions of throwing up, Misty just felt…miserable. She had absolutely no idea why. She was just thinking about missing Ash and how sick she felt…and as soon as Misty looked into Aiden's sweet little face, she just lost it.

"Mommy?" Aiden asked worriedly. "Why are you crying?"

"I…I'm sorry," Misty apologized, rubbing furiously at her eyes. "I didn't mean t-to cry sweetheart."

Aiden frowned. "Are you sad?"

"M…maybe just a little," Misty lied. That was only a very small part of why she was crying. She really had no idea why she was _this _upset.

"You must miss Daddy," Aiden concluded. He sat down next to Misty and wrapped his little arms around her midsection. "I miss him too, Mommy. But he'll be home soon. That's what you said, right?" Misty smiled at her young son's efforts and simply nodded.

Misty ruffled the boy's hair. "Thank you for taking such good care of me Aiden. It means a lot to me."

Aiden beamed up at her. "No problem. Are you done for now? Can I go play with Shelly?"

"Yes," Misty sighed softly, rubbing the back of his neck, "of course you can."

Aiden grinned and jumped up, running out of the room. Misty, meanwhile, sighed and got up on her feet, washing her face off from the sink. As she splashed the cool water over her face, a thought crossed her mind. She had been due to get her period the day before Ash left, but nothing had happened.

Misty snapped her head up and stared wide eyed at herself in the mirror.

"Oh my…"

* * *

><p><strong>So you can see where it kind of leads into the rest of the epilogue. The whole bottom piece is taken directly from the epilogue to make the connection. I just thought it would be fun to expand on something I'd already written :) What do you guys think?<strong>


	269. Vacation Reincarnation

**I may or may not have gotten this idea after my vacation was screwed up by the snow storm.**

**At least something good came out of it :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><strong><span>Vacation Reincarnation<span> **

"Oh, I can't _wait_ until we get to Porta Vista! It's going to be warm, and sunny, and so much fun!"

Ash chuckled at his wife's excitement. She absolutely hated the cold, which therefore, meant she wasn't a fan of the winter months. Because she couldn't stand to go straight through the winter without an escape, Misty made sure to bring the family out to her parents' lavish beach house once a winter to get away. She loved being able to spend all day in the sun, by the water, relaxing.

She and Ash were currently packing for the trip. They had already gotten the twins packed, which was easy enough since they were young and didn't really care what they wore. Misty, however, was a different story. She was a lot pickier than her children, and _far_ pickier than her husband. While Ash had simply gathered an armful of clothes and dumped them into his suitcase, Misty was stuck looking over several different swimsuits.

"Come on, Mist, it's just one trip!" Ash laughed. "How many bathing suits do you need for a week?"

"A lot," Misty replied simply. "What do you think of this one?"

She held up a black bikini top with a ruffled halter neck, and a pair of matching bottoms.

"It's nice," Ash commented, slowly nodding his head.

"Oh! What about _this_ one?" Misty tried, holding up an aqua colored triangle top embellished with fabric flowers. "This is one of my new favorites!"

"I like that one, too," Ash sighed, resting his head in his hand.

"Oh, I know! _This_ one!"

Before Misty could hold up another bikini top, however, Ash gently pushed her arm down and snickered. "Misty, any bathing suits you pick will be fine. You know I'm going to find you gorgeous in any one of them."

"Aw, that's so sweet," Misty crooned, kissing Ash on the forehead. "Thank you, honey! But it's still such an important decision…"

Ash groaned and fell on his face. Pikachu, on the other hand, leaped over his trainer and scurried towards Misty, nosing at a triangle top with three thick horizontal stripes of yellow, pink, and blue.

"Oh, you like that one, Pikachu?" Misty asked.

"Pi-ka!"

"Alright, then this one is _definitely_ in!" Misty giggled, tossing the top and its corresponding bottoms into the suitcase.

"Sure, she won't listen to _me_, her _husband_, but she'll listen to my _Pokémon_," Ash grumbled.

**XXX**

"It's supposed to snow again tonight."

Misty's face twisted in near pain at the mention. If she could take a flamethrower and melt all of the snow, she would do it. She just couldn't _stand _the frozen white stuff.

"Well, it's a good thing we're leaving for Porta Vista tomorrow," Misty hummed, carrying her and Ash's cups of tea over to the kitchen table. "You won't even have to shovel the snow!"

"That sounds good to me," Ash chuckled, taking a sip of the tea. "I don't mind the snow, but shoveling it is a whole 'nother story."

"I don't like it either," Misty agreed. "But…I don't even like the snow in the first place, so that just makes everything worse."

"Well, you'll be in the sunshine soon," Ash assured his wife. "Trading in the white snow for white sand."

"Now _that's_ a trade I can live with," Misty hummed, smirking as she raised her teacup to her lips.

**XXX**

"Misty…Mist, wake up."

"Hmm…don't wanna."

"Misty, come on. You have to."

Taking in a deep breath, Misty allowed her eyes to flutter open and was met with nothing but darkness. Sitting up slowly, and stretching her arms up over her head, Misty looked over at her digital alarm clock and saw that the time read 5:30 AM.

"Oh, the trip," Misty murmured, a smile appearing on her face. "I didn't really have to be up this really though, right? It's so early, Ash."

"Misty, look outside."

Groaning, the gym leader slid out of bed and walked over to the window, pulling back the white curtains to look outside. Everything in sight was covered in white snow, which was still coming down in a thick, harsh flurry.

"Ugh," Misty grumbled, turning away from the window and rubbing her eyes. "Good thing we're getting away from this, right?"

"Actually…not quite."

Misty's eyes finally fluttered open all the way. "What are you talking about, Ash?"

"The roads are all closed," Ash softly informed his wife, whose eyes were now _wide_ open. "There's no way for us to get to Porta Vista today."

"We…we could fly!" Misty quickly suggested, her eyes shining. "Yeah! Let's just take a plane!"

"There are no planes flying either," Ash sighed. "The storm is just too bad."

All of the color drained from Misty's face. The look of sheer disappointment she had on was just killing Ash from the inside.

"I'm sorry, Misty," Ash apologized, even though it wasn't his fault. "I know how excited you were to get out of here for a little while."

Bowing her head, Misty trudged back over to Ash and threw herself back into bed, pulling the covers up over her head and curling up into a ball. Ash sighed and patted her arm before sliding out of bed himself and moving towards the door. Before he could make it out, he was tackled by two squeaky, excited children, laughing and shrieking nonsense.

"Guys, jeez!" Ash gasped, covering his heart.

"Daddy, -cation!" Aiden cheered, unable to say the actual word.

"Yeah, I wanna go swim!" Michelle cheered.

"Shh," Ash shushed, ushering the children out of the room. "Come here, you two." Once they were out in the hallway, away from Ash and Misty's bedroom, the young father knelt down and reluctantly informed the twins, "guys, we're not going to be able to go today, I'm afraid."

The children looked partially upset, but even more than that, bewildered.

"Why?" Aiden whined.

"Because of the snow storm outside," Ash explained. "It's too bad to go anywhere. So we're stuck."

Aiden pouted, but Michelle was more preoccupied with another thought. "Daddy, whewe's Mommy?"

"Oh…she's…in bed," Ash replied, biting his lower lip. "She's just a little sad."

"Sad?" Michelle repeated.

"Mommy was really looking forward to going on vacation," Ash sighed. "You know how much she loves the sunshine! So…she's just kind of down since we can't go. But she'll be alright!"

Aiden and Michelle exchanged similar expressions before grinning at one another. Now it was _Ash's_ turn to be confused. He had never been able to get into Aiden and Michelle's heads when they pulled their "twin telepathy" stunts. And it always concerned him when the two adopted those expressions.

"Alright, what are you two planning?" Ash demanded, folding his arms across his chest.

"It's a sec-et, Daddy!" Michelle giggled, running towards the stairs with Aiden on her tail.

"Yeah!" Aiden chimed in. "Sec-et!"

Ash sighed and stood back up, watching as the twins scurried off. "Secret, huh? More like a headache."

**XXX**

When Misty awoke once again, this time on her own accord, she got up and once again trudged towards the window, peeking out between the curtains. It was still snowing, much to her displeasure. Groaning, she stormed away from the window and into her closet, where she slipped on a blue fleece hoodie over her pajama shirt.

Feeling only the slightest bit warmer, Misty crossed her arms for extra warmth and exited the room, heading straight for downstairs. It was on the later side, and she could only hope that Ash had taken care of the children for breakfast. When she entered the living room, however, she was surprised to see the twins rushing around and setting up all kinds of items.

There were beach chairs, towels, beach balls, even plastic buckets and shovels. Currently, they were struggling to open up one of the large beach umbrellas that had been in storage in the basement. When it nearly fell on Aiden, Misty gasped and ran forward, grabbing the umbrella by its pole before it could topple over and land on the boy.

"Aiden, Michelle, what are you doing?" Misty sighed as the children looked up curiously at her.

"We'we makin' you –cation, Mommy!" Michelle replied with a giggle.

"You're…you're what?" Misty breathed.

"Daddy said you wewe sad 'cause we can't go 'way," Michelle continued, fluttering her eyelashes.

"So we made one!" Aiden trilled.

Misty's voice got lost in her throat. Tears rapidly filled her eyes, and her heart slowed to what seemed like a nearly impossible rate. Placing the beach umbrella on the floor, Misty fell to her knees and pulled the children into a tight hug, burying her head between their own as she sniffled.

"You're the sweetest babies a mommy could ever ask for," Misty whimpered, hugging the two even tighter. "I love you two so, so, _so_ much."

Aiden and Michelle both giggled and nuzzled against their mother's face. Once they pulled away, each child grabbed one of their mother's hands and pulled her towards the beach chairs, urging her to sit down and relax while they got her food.

As Misty sat herself down in the blue and white striped seat, she sighed happily and stared out the window across from her. It was still pounding snow, but when she closed her eyes, she could just imagine the warm sun and soft sand of Porta Vista. She may have been in her living room, but to Misty, this may have been even better than the actual trip.

After all, not many people could say they'd been on a vacation set up exclusively by their four year old twins.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm with Misty. Screw the snow. But at least I get my vacation next week. Maybe she will, too :P But the one she got from Aiden and Michelle was definitely sweet!<strong>


	270. Little Fire

**I'm having serious "Misty being all sweet with cute and cuddly things" feels. I blame the Teddiursa episode I just watched. Literally so cute. **

**Aiden: 2 weeks old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Little Fire<strong>

"Oh, wow…"

Misty watched on with a smile as Sakura held her newborn son close to her chest. The tiny baby was fast asleep, eyes squeezed shut and breathing gentle.

"Misty…he's so beautiful!" Sakura breathed, her eyes lighting up.

"Isn't he just precious?" Misty giggled. "He looks like Ash, doesn't he? An itty bitty little Ash."

She reached down and stroked his wispy black locks with the palm of her hand, smiling down at the sleeping boy. Before long, however, he began to fuss, whining and kicking his little legs.

"Oh…M-Misty…" Sakura gasped, suddenly looking _and_ sounding very nervous.

"It's okay, Sakura!" Misty assured with a giggle. "He's just hungry is all! Would you like to feed him?"

"Me?" Sakura asked quietly.

"Yes!" Misty laughed. "Don't worry, it's not that hard. In fact, it's pretty easy! I'll go get him a bottle, and then I'll show you what to do."

When Misty walked away into the kitchen, Sakura felt her whole body go rigid. Misty was already young, but Sakura was even younger than _her_. Being left alone with such a fragile thing scared the life out of her. Peering down, Sakura watched on with her piercing blue eyes as Aiden grumbled unhappily, his tiny fingers beginning to wiggle in want.

"Don't fuss, little boy," Sakura murmured to the antsy infant. "Your mommy is going to come back with something tasty! And soon, I hope…"

Fortunately, the former kimono girl got her silent wish. Misty came back into the room with a smile on her face and a bottle in her hand, a small one printed with smiling, playful Pikachu and bright blue stars. It was filled close to the brim with milk, and as though he knew it was coming, Aiden slowly began to settle down.

"Ready, Sakura?" Misty asked kindly.

"Yeah, I think so…"

Misty smiled. Sakura was still nervous, it was so obvious. "Here, take his bottle."

Biting her lower lip, Sakura reached up with her left hand and cautiously took the bottle from Misty. "Now?"

"Hold it up to his mouth and watch him go!" Misty replied simply.

Furrowing her brow, Sakura moved the bottle closer to Aiden and tilted it back so the top was close to Aiden's lips. The little boy opened his mouth for a short second before closing it again and whining.

"Why isn't he eating?" Sakura asked worriedly.

"Because the bottle isn't close enough to his mouth, silly!" Misty laughed. "You can press it against his lips. It's okay."

Letting out a long, withering sigh, Sakura slowly moved the bottle closer to Aiden's mouth, until finally, the spout was right against his lips. In less than a second, Aiden opened his mouth and took it into his mouth, rapidly drawing the milk out.

"Wow, look at him go," Sakura marveled.

"He's a bit of a glutton," Misty giggled, stroking the boy's cheek. "He's gonna be all chunky before we know it! My chubby wubby little boy."

Sakura giggled at Misty's high pitched baby voice. She had always known Misty was compassionate and very sweet…when she wanted to be. But it was completely different from anything else she had ever seen.

"Sometimes, when he eats, I call him 'fatty' as a little teasing joke, and Ash _hates_ it," Misty recanted, smiling as she did so.

"Misty, that's _so_ mean!" Sakura gasped playfully.

"I'm not serious!" Misty laughed. "Look at how tiny he is. He's the farthest thing from fat! But he eats like a Munchlax. You should see him when he's being nursed and _not_ fed out of a bottle. I think he'd eat all day if I didn't pull him off!"

"It must be hard…" Sakura murmured, her voice contemplative.

"It's not easy, but it's also not that difficult," Misty assured the younger girl. "You've just got to get used to it is all. Aiden and Michelle may still be newborns, but I've gotten used to them rather quickly. In fact, I can barely remember life before them! Although, maybe that's the lack of sleep talking…"

Again, Sakura giggled. Aiden finally opened his eyes a crack, glancing through his half-open eyelids at the unfamiliar woman feeding him.

"But I love feeding them, cuddling them…doing _everything_ with them," Misty giggled. "They're the best things that ever happened to me. Other than Ash, of course. But without him, there'd be no Aiden and Michelle!"

"That's true!" Sakura trilled. "By the way, Misty, you never _did _tell me why you guys chose the name Aiden."

"Oh, I didn't?"

Sakura shook her head. "I know Michelle's name has a meaning, but does Aiden's?"

"At first, I don't think it really did," Misty began, a small smile etching its way onto her lips. "Ash picked out the name Aiden because he liked it. And because it started with an 'A,' like his name. But then, he got to telling me what the name Aiden meant."

"What does it mean?" Sakura queried.

"Little fire," Misty answered. "Once Ash said that, I knew it was perfect."

Now, Sakura just looked confused. "But Misty…you're a water type trainer. Why would you want to give your baby a name that means fire?"

Misty smirked at this. "I knew that question would come up."

"Well, it is a little strange," Sakura continued before her eyes widened. "I mean…not strange! Aiden has a wonderful name! I'm not-"

"It's alright, Sakura," Misty giggled. "I understand what you're saying. It does seem a bit odd that I would give my son a name inspired by fire and not water. But…when it comes to Aiden, it all made sense."

"What do you mean?" Sakura murmured.

"Water is cool and calm," Misty explained. "Aiden is _not_. Not by a long shot. He's got a fire burning inside of him. I swear, I don't think anyone has ever carried such an active baby! Sometimes, he kicked me so hard and so much, I kind of forgot I was pregnant with twins! And he still had that flame from the minute he came out. Poor Ash's face when he heard that screaming…he thought our son was dying! But I knew, of course, that meant he was healthy and strong. The doctor even told me he had never heard a baby cry that loudly before! I may love water, but I knew right from the start that my son wouldn't be anything like that. So, I thought a fiery name would be perfect for him!"

"You know, Misty, you're pretty fiery yourself," Sakura commented, bringing a blush to the gym leader's face. "For someone with a water-inspired name, I mean!"

"That is true," Misty agreed. "But…I'm learning I can't be that way as a mom. _Especially_ with a son with as strong of a personality as Aiden!"

As she said this, Misty began to stroke the baby's cheek once again. He turned his eyes onto his mother, but continued to eat from the bottle.

"It's almost like you're the water that keeps his fire under control!" Sakura giggled.

Misty looked up at Sakura and beamed. "You're right! He may be fiery and strong-willed, but I'll always be here to cool him off! Isn't that right, Aiden? Are you Mommy's little fire?"

As soon as the bottle was emptied out, Aiden opened his mouth and wailed, moving his tiny fists up by his head.

"Why's he fussing now?" Sakura asked. "He's all fed!"

Misty smirked at her friend's inquiry. "Maybe so, but that doesn't mean he's full."

Lifting the still-cranky baby out of Sakura's arms, Misty held him against her chest and patted his back while he glanced curiously over her shoulder and cooed, finally halting his shrieks.

"You are _so_ greedy," Misty muttered to her son. "I'm not going to have any food left for your sister! And Daddy wonders why I call you fatty."

Aiden gurgled and let out a burp, causing Sakura to giggle and Misty to scoff.

"Aiden, you may be my little fire, but if you keep this up, you're gonna become my little fire _ball_."

* * *

><p><strong>Aiden's got Ash's appetite :P But he also has his metabolism, which means he'll never actually be a fire ball :P Or a fatty, Misty ;)<strong>


	271. Daddy Jealousy

**So I cranked out a bunch of one shots, and I'm afraid if I don't upload one before I leave, I'll forget I have them. Sounds ridiculous, but trust me, my brain doesn't hold that much info. I don't trust it. Bad brain.**

**Michelle: 4 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Daddy Jealousy<strong>

"Ugh, why are you crying _now?_"

Ash couldn't help it that he was getting so frustrated. For the past week, Michelle had been exceptionally fussy and crying nonstop for no reason at all, and so far, Ash hadn't found a way to calm her down very quickly.

A ring at the door caused the frustrated father to sigh and make his way over to answer it. When he opened the door, he was pleasantly surprised to see it was none other than his best human friend, Brock.

"Hey, Brock!" Ash greeted over Michelle's bawling.

Raising an eyebrow, Brock peered down at the baby before asking, "uh…is everything alright?"

"Yeah, just perfect," Ash sighed, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Ash…"

"Michelle won't stop crying!" Ash groaned, throwing his head back. "No matter what I do, she just keeps shrieking!"

Smiling, Brock leaned over and took the baby out of her father's arms, cradling her close and smiling down at the child.

"Hello there, little lady!" Brock crooned. "Why are you so cranky, huh? You wanna tell your goddaddy?"

Michelle just continued to wail, and Brock twisted his mouth out of curiosity. Feeling her bottom, Brock raised his eyebrows and cried, "ah! There's the problem!"

Ash blinked. "What?"

Chuckling, Brock replied in a sing song voice, "somebody needs their diaper changed!"

Ash frowned. "Oh…" He really had no idea why he hadn't thought of that before. Misty had always talked about how the babies had different cries for different things, but so far, he hadn't been able to differentiate between them. They all sounded the same to him.

Still smiling, Brock carried Michelle up the stairs, to where her and Aiden's room was. Ash followed after the Pokémon doctor, not wanting to be far from his daughter. Brock was absolutely amazing with the babies, but Ash never liked to stray too far from them whenever he could. He was as protective as fathers came. He did, however, stand by the door as Brock busied himself with changing the girl's diaper, humming as she squirmed and whined on the changing table.

"Hey, no fussing!" Brock playfully scolded. "You're makin' Brocky's job here a little bit difficult!"

Despite this plea, Brock managed to finish the job just fine. And, once it was completed, Michelle was as happy as could be, cooing and smiling and acting just plain delightful.

"Atta girl," Brock sighed, lifting the baby up beneath her arms. She gurgled and wiggled her toes, lifting her legs and trying to press the bottom of her feet against Brock's chest. "Ah, you're just precious, huh? You're a nice baby, yeah."

He pulled her forward and gave the baby girl a gentle kiss on the cheek. Michelle mumbled incoherently at this and waved her arms frantically before letting out a soft, although happy, giggle.

Ash, for what it was worth, was getting antsy. He knew Brock loved Michelle, and was around her enough that Michelle definitely loved him back. But she had been so fussy with Ash for the past few days that all he wanted to do was hold his now-happy baby and snuggle her like there was no tomorrow.

"Brock, could I have Michelle back?" Ash asked cautiously.

"Sure thing!" Brock crowed. "Okay, little darling. Back to Daddy, now."

He gave her one more kiss before handing her off to Ash, where she began to whine and kick her legs.

"She's so beautiful," Brock sighed to Ash, who was now cradling the baby and rocking her back and forth as she whimpered. "I could kiss her precious little face all day!"

"Yeah," Ash agreed with a chuckle. "She got her mommy's looks! A real beauty, just like Misty."

Before Brock could respond, the baby girl in Ash's arms let out a miserable, ear piercing shriek that caused both him _and_ Brock to jump.

"Whoa!" Brock marveled. "Pair of lungs like her mommy, too."

"Michelle!" Ash gasped, nervously speeding up his rocking. "Oh, please, _please_ stop crying! Brock changed your diaper! You shouldn't be so upset anymore! I don't know what else to do for you, princess!"

Brock twisted his mouth in deep thought before picking his head up and asking, "hey, Ash, would you mind handing Michelle over again?"

Ash was hesitant, but finally, he nodded and held the miserable baby out towards Brock. Smirking, the Pokémon doctor took the baby and beamed at her. As soon as she was in his grasp, Michelle relaxed, and instead of crying, cooed softly.

"Hello, gorgeous!" Brock crooned. "Oh, you just want to hear about how beautiful you are all day, don't you? You want to be fussed over!"

Michelle mumbled incoherently and leaned her head forward, sticking her tongue out of her mouth. With a quiet chuckle, Brock held the infant against his chest and patted her back, resting his head atop her own.

"I don't get it!" Ash wailed.

"Hmm?" Brock hummed. He was still patting the baby's back and slowly lulling her to sleep.

"She's been so miserable all week," Ash grumbled, folding his arms across his chest. "But you're having no problem with her! She stops as soon as you get her hands on her!"

"I don't know," Brock mused. "It's interesting, to say the least."

"Maybe she hates me," Ash muttered, hanging his head.

"Oh, Ash, don't say that," Brock sighed. "Babies are very fickle creatures! Michelle can't hate anyone. She's too little to know what hate is! Isn't that right, sweetheart?"

Michelle breathed out softly and nestled her cheek against Brock's chest. The Pokémon doctor chuckled and carried her over to her crib.

"I think it's time for you to take a nap," Brock whispered to the baby. Laying her down, he leaned over the edge and smiled, gently stroking the infant's cheek until her eyes slipped closed and she was comfortably settled. "There. Fast asleep."

Ash peered over Brock's shoulder and scowled. As dumb as it sounded, even to Ash, he couldn't fight the feelings that were overtaking him.

He was jealous of his best friend.

**XXX**

"Look at her! She's kicking my hands!"

Misty giggled, watching as Brock held his hands up in front of baby Michelle. She was smiling to herself, cooing as she kicked her tiny feet at the palms of his hands.

"Target practice," Misty mused. "How cute!"

Ash, on the other hand, wasn't as amused. He was sitting on the couch with his arms folded and a pout on his face. Misty, of course, noticed this and was immediately confused. Ash was rarely _ever_ in a bad mood, so when he was, she knew something serious was up.

"Ash, can you come help me in the kitchen for a minute?" Misty trilled, wanting to get her husband alone without alarming Brock.

Ash didn't say anything in response, but he did get to his feet and saunter into the kitchen. Once he faced Misty, he was still wearing the same aggravated expression. Misty just stared up at him, and finally, furrowed her brow and folded her own arms across her chest to mimic her husband.

"What's gotten into you?" Misty asked smartly.

"Nothing," Ash huffed in response.

"That's a lie, and you know it."

"Mmhm."

Misty smirked and continued studying her husband's face. "You know, you look an awful lot like how you do when guys flirt with me."

"So what?"

Realization hitting her, Misty gasped as her eyes widened and began to gleam. "Oh my gosh! Ash…you're jealous!"

"Ha, good one," Ash deadpanned, although he was now becoming more nervous inside.

"You are positively _green_ with envy!" Misty shrieked, lowering her arms and grabbing Ash's face with her hands. "How adorable!"

"_Misty!_" Ash hissed, tearing his face away.

"What are you so jealous about?" Misty demanded, her eyes still glittering. "Oh, oh! Or is it _who?_"

"Misty…"

"Oh, it's a who!" Misty giggled. "Is it over me? Oh, honey! I've already told you a _thousand_ times you're my big, strong, handsome guy! No need to wear that adorable pouty face!"

"It's not about you!" Ash finally cried, throwing his arms up in defeat.

Now Misty just looked slightly offended. "What? Who else do you have to get jealous over? _I'm_ the only one you should be getting jealous over, Ash Ketchum!"

"I don't want to say," Ash grumbled, turning his back to Misty.

"Oh no, now I _demand_ to know!" Misty growled. "Tell me!"

Ash couldn't help but to snicker at her reaction. "Look who's jealous now."

Seething, Misty smacked Ash upside the head, leading him to groan and rub the afflicted area. "This isn't a joke! If there's some other woman, I swear to Arceus…"

"Would you still be mad if I told you the other woman is four months old?" Ash grumbled, narrowing his eyes at his flustered wife.

"Four months old?" Misty repeated, blinking her eyes. "Ash, in no way, shape, or form is that legal."

"_NO!_" Ash howled, whipping around with wide eyes. "This has nothing to do with _romantic_ feelings! I'm just…regular jealous."

"Regular jealous? What's that mean?" Misty muttered, scrunching her nose up.

The sound of fervent laughter from the living room led Ash to cock an eyebrow and groan. Furrowing her own brow, Misty pushed past Ash and peered through the doorway. Brock, of course, had been the one laughing. He was currently rubbing his nose against Michelle's and holding her tiny feet in his hands, his laughter brought on by the baby girl playfully sticking her tongue out and giggling herself.

"Oh my gosh," Misty breathed, turning around and staring at Ash.

"Yeah," he muttered.

"Ash, that's not regular jealousy," Misty informed her husband, who raised his eyebrow once again. "That's _daddy_ jealousy."

"What?!" Ash shrieked.

"Yeah, you're jealous of Brock's relationship with Michelle!" Misty crowed. "You feel like he's threatening your role as her dad!"

"What? That's ridiculous!" Ash refuted. "I know full well that I'm Michelle's dad!"

"Yeah, _biologically_," Misty quipped. "But emotionally? You're doubting yourself. I can tell."

Ash scowled at this. "You're crazy."

"Am I?" Misty murmured, leading Ash to blush. "Because, every time Brock laughs at something Michelle does…or when she _smiles_ at him, or _sticks her tongue_ out at him…" Misty took a step forward and began tapping Ash's temple with her fingertip. "That big old vein that only shows up when you're _genuinely_ aggravated pops out _right over here_, and I can see it from a mile away! Also, you look like you're ready to strangle the man, and he's your best friend."

"So?"

"That's not natural."

"You never get the urge to strangle _your_ best friends?"

"No. Sometimes I get the urge to strangle _you_, but that's a lot different."

Ash sighed and hung his head. "Alright, fine. I'm jealous, okay? Can you really blame me? I mean, Michelle has been screaming and crying all week when I hold her. But as soon as she gets into Brock's reach…she's so happy. Maybe I'm just not cut out to be a father."

"Oh, Ash, you're so dramatic," Misty sighed, smirking at her downtrodden husband.

"Mist, every time I hold her, she turns into a giant fuss ball!" Ash whined.

The young mother hummed at her husband's self-pity. "Well, you certainly thought you were cut out to be a father the moment the doctor handed Michelle to you."

"Yeah, but-"

"And after she gave you her _first _smile."

"I know, but-"

"_And_ how for the first few weeks she would only eat if she could see you while she ate."

"Okay, I get it!" Ash groaned, throwing his head back. "But maybe she changed her mind. Maybe she just decided I'm old news."

"Something tells me Michelle is more tolerant than that," Misty deadpanned.

"How would _you_ know?" Ash grumbled. "She _loves_ you."

"Case in point. I carried her for almost nine months _and_ I'm still with her every day. If there's anyone here Michelle should be sick of, it's me. But she loves me! Enough to snuggle me and coo at me and accept my offerings of sustenance, anyway."

"That's love," Ash muttered.

"Exactly!" Misty sighed. "So clearly, she's not sick of you. Relax."

"But-"

"What are you guys doing in here?"

Misty looked around Ash, while the young Pokémon Master whipped around and stared ahead. Brock was standing in the doorway, peering curiously at his friends. In his arms was little Michelle, held so she was facing her parents.

"Oh, nothing," Misty quickly dismissed any notions of anything otherwise. "Just got a little caught up is all."

"I think Michelle started to miss you two," Brock noted, glancing down at the baby. "She looked around the room and started to whimper! I felt so bad for the little thing that I just had to bring her in here so she could see you. And look! All quiet!"

"Is that right?" Misty murmured. "Well, isn't that sweet! Ash, would you mind taking care of her? I have to finish cooking dinner."

Ash looked over his shoulder and glared at Misty, who showed zero remorse for her decision. Oblivious to Ash's tension, Brock walked over to the younger male and handed over the baby, who gurgled at the change of arms. Biting his lower lip, Ash glanced down at his infant daughter, who was cooing happily in his grasp. As he continued to stare at her, the little baby glanced up and positively beamed at her father, sending Ash's heart into his throat.

"Shelly…" Ash breathed before snuggling the little girl.

"Aw, just look at that daddy-daughter love," Brock crooned, earning a giggle from Misty.

"Yeah," she agreed. "Michelle really, _really_ loves him. She always has, and she always will."

Ash glanced over his shoulder and smirked at his wife, who simply smirked and winked in response.

_That Misty, _Ash thought, his eyes glimmering. _Always right._

* * *

><p><strong>Ash is a freeing jealous mess. Don't deny it. He's definitely got a jealousy streak. Even with his friends. Poor guy :P<strong>


	272. Rude Rudy

**I'm back from my vacation! Picked up a nice sinus infection along the way. Hoo-ray.**

**But I almost forgot about my already-finished one shot! Here, have it :P**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Rude Rudy<strong>

"_You're a very lucky guy, Ash."_

"_Lucky? What do you mean?"_

"_You'll see some day."_

Oh how Rudy hated himself for that exchange.

He thought it would be easy to let Misty go. He had pretty much sensed that she was not interested in him, after all. It was clear she only had eyes, and feelings, for Ash. She'd never even had to say anything. Rudy just caught on naturally. So he'd freed her. Let her go. Told Ash how lucky he was and bid them all farewell.

It was the stupidest thing he'd ever done.

All those years passed. Rudy still had feelings for Misty. He had tried to deny it at first. How could he possibly love someone who didn't love him back? It was blasphemous, and a waste of time.

But all he ever saw was her face. In his dreams and in his drifting thoughts…the beautiful girl with ivory skin, fiery hair, and emerald eyes. A fierce personality, determined and tenacious and self-assured. It was all Rudy had ever wanted in a significant other.

At first, he had just passed it off as being unable to forget Mahri's wishes. His beautiful little sister, who he loved more than anyone else in the world, and who had always begged for an older sister. One, of course, in the form of a wife for Rudy. And she had deemed Misty the perfect one. Mahri had never loved anyone as much as Misty. She talked about the gym leader, even after she was gone. Eventually, as most things did when a child was so young, her memories of that instance faded, and Mahri stopped talking about Misty. She stopped asking for an older sister. She grew up and began to travel around the Orange Islands, teaching dance to both people and Pokémon.

But Rudy still thought about Misty. Even after Mahri had grown up and began her travels. It soon became clear to him, despite his best disavowals, that he still loved her. And that it was the truest kind of love there could be, Ash be damned.

So, that's why he had boarded a boat to the Kanto region. One that was headed straight for the docks in Cerulean City.

He was going to claim Misty as his own. No matter what it took.

**XXX**

"My sweet girl."

"Ash, let me go. I have to get back to work."

"But you don't want to."

"Hmm…nope. Not really."

Misty smiled against Ash's chest, trying to hide deeper against him. It was as though by doing that, she could disappear from the world and just be with him forever. No gym battles or annoying young trainers, just her love.

Unfortunately, that just couldn't happen. It wasn't reality.

"But I _have_ to go back," Misty sighed, gently pushing him away as she stood up. "It's my job. No one else is going to do it. Especially my sisters."

At this, Ash smirked. "No one would be able to do it as well as you, anyway."

Misty laughed airily at the thought. "That's one of the best compliments I've ever gotten, Ash. I'll keep that in mind while I'm battling."

"I thought you always thought of me while you were battling," Ash replied with a pout.

"Of course," Misty purred. "I have to, if I want to be as strong as you."

Ash got to his own feet and grinned foolishly at her. "You really want to be as strong as me?"

Misty smirked and flipped her hair effortlessly over her shoulder, emerald eyes locking with those of chocolate brown. "You're the Pokémon Master. Doesn't everybody?"

**XXX**

_Ding-dong._

Misty picked her head up and stared across the room at the sliding glass doors. There was a figure standing outside…she could see the clouded colors and slow, unsure movements. Eyes flickering, Misty pressed the button on her desk that allowed the doors to slide open, and watched on as the visitor cautiously entered the gym.

Their eyes were locked the entire time. Green on near black. The visitor was nervous, but Misty was just confused.

"Misty?" He asked hesitantly, fingers clenching nervously at his sides.

"Yes?" She replied, tilting her head to the side. "Are you here for a gym battle?"

"N-no," he refuted, quickly shaking his head. "I…I don't want a badge. Or a battle. Don't you remember me, Misty?"

Misty twisted her mouth in contemplation. "I can't say that I do. I'm sorry."

"Misty, it's me. Rudy."

At this, Misty's eyes widened. "Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry, Rudy! You look so…different!"

Indeed, he had gotten taller since their last encounter. Slightly more muscular…even his face was shaped a little differently. His hair was slightly longer as well, grown out now to the middle of his neck.

"It's quite alright," Rudy chuckled lowly. "I can't say you look the same either. You've grown up quite a bit."

Misty blushed at the obvious compliment. Rudy had been able to tell from a mile away that Misty was no longer the girl he'd first met. She was, at this point, a full grown woman. Hair down and longer, make up apparent…even her skin seemed to be glowing. She was like an angel on Earth.

"What brings you to Kanto?" Misty asked conversationally.

"You," Rudy replied simply.

"Me?" Misty breathed, pointing at herself.

"Of course," Rudy chuckled, raising his hands to reveal a bouquet of beautiful flowers. "I thought it would be nice to catch up."

"Oh, how sweet of you!" Misty giggled, taking the flowers and placing them behind the desk. "I would love to! When?"

"Right now would be perfect, if you're not busy," Rudy answered.

"Well, I _am_ supposed to be running the gym, but it's been dead today," Misty lamented, looking around the empty lobby for proof. "So I guess I could close it early and go out."

"Perfect!" Rudy cheered. "I saw a nice coffee shop around here that we could go to. Nice and quiet."

"Oh, I _love_ quiet," Misty stressed, giggling afterwards. The sound was so sweet to Rudy he could hardly stand it. "Right! I'll just lock up the gym, and we'll be on our way!"

**XXX**

At the coffee shop, Misty calmly sipped her tea while Rudy sat across the table from her, quietly stirring his own coffee. He had been nervous at first, but realizing how comfortable he still was with Misty, even in silence, was boosting his confidence.

"So, what have you been up to, Rudy?"

The older of the duo cleared his throat. "The same old. Still running the gym on Trovita Island."

"And your sister?" Misty prodded. "What's her name again? Mahri?"

"Yes!" Rudy chuckled as Misty's face lit up. "Mahri is quite grown up now! She's traveling the Orange Islands, giving dance lessons to Pokémon and their trainers."

"Oh, that sounds like so much fun!" Misty breathed. "I'm glad she's enjoying herself."

"She really is," Rudy chuckled. "So, you? You're the gym leader here, huh?"

"Yep," Misty sighed, sitting back against the booth.

"What do you think?" Rudy asked with a laugh. "Come on, you've got to tell a fellow gym leader!"

"It's fun," Misty murmured, looking down sheepishly at the table. "Sometimes I get frustrated with it. But…I'm really happy with what I do. I can't imagine myself doing anything else."

"I thought you wanted to be a water Pokémon master," Rudy murmured, bringing a blush to Misty's face. "You know, someone elite. Like a member of the Elite Four!"

"Heh…I…I changed my goal," Misty softly admitted, rubbing her upper arm. "I decided that just being a gym leader is all right by me."

Rudy was confused by Misty's sudden bashfulness, but said nothing to further her obvious discomfort.

"Listen, Misty…" he began, his voice heavy.

"Hmm?" Misty prodded once he trailed off.

"I…I know that when you first arrived on Trovita Island, and you saved my sister…well, you really impressed me," Rudy continued.

"Right, I remember that," Misty mused.

"And…ever since then, I've never felt the same way about another person as I do about you," Rudy admitted, his voice gaining confidence as he continued. Realization hitting her, all of the color drained from Misty's face. "You see…I came all the way out here _just _for you."

"Rudy-"

"I understand you're married, but I made a huge mistake in letting you go," Rudy groaned, resting his elbows on the table and shaking his head. "I was such an idiot. And I needed you to know I made a mistake."

"Okay," Misty breathed, her heart racing. "I understand how you feel, Rudy, but-"

"You do?!" Rudy gasped, picking his head up.

_Damnit, wrong choice of words, _Misty hissed in her brain. _Gotta fix that now._

"I can't be with you, Rudy," Misty sighed, rubbing her temples. "It's like you said. I'm married. And I love Ash. I'm really sorry."

Rudy sighed and lowered his head, his eyes darkening. Misty's heart shot up into her throat, and suddenly, she was afraid.

"I have to get back to the gym now," Misty rushed out, getting to her feet. _Oh, yeah, Misty. Real subtle._

Rudy, however, was not about to let Misty just run off. He, too, got up, and blocked Misty off like a wall. Normally, Misty would have freaked out and maybe even hit the man, but lately, her nerves had been frayed, and now they were just completely shredded.

"Rudy-" Misty began tersely before being cut off.

"Misty, I can't just let you leave again," Rudy sighed. "I made that mistake once. Never again."

"Rudy, you don't understand," Misty growled through barred teeth. She tried to step around him, but the gym leader managed to grab her by the wrist before she could leave.

"Misty, I think _you're_ the one who doesn't understand," Rudy pressed. "How hard it is to lose the person you love the most. I told you, I understand that you're married. But still…why can't we talk it through? I'm sure if you listen, you'll understand where I'm coming from, and why there might still be a chance for us to-"

"I'm pregnant!"

Rudy blinked hard and glanced down at Misty, who was now wearing a blank stare on her face as though she herself couldn't believe what she'd just said.

"Wait…what?" Rudy breathed, finally letting go of Misty.

"I'm…pregnant," Misty repeated more quietly than before.

Blinking hard, Rudy took a step away from Misty and stared at her. She was finally settling back into reality, and glaring at the man who had just tried to force her away from her marriage. He, however, was still stunned.

And then, he scoffed.

"How do I know you're not lying to me?" Rudy demanded. "I'm not an idiot, Misty. Not like Ash."

Narrowing her eyes, Misty held a hand beneath her stomach, pulling her flowy white shirt against her midsection to finally reveal its slight roundedness.

"That's not enough," Rudy muttered, although he now knew he was being ridiculous. "You could just be forcing it out."

Rolling her eyes dramatically, Misty whipped out her cell phone and scrolled through it until she found what she wanted and held it up in front of Rudy's face.

"That could be anyone's-"

Misty finally lost it and grabbed Rudy's collar, yanking his face right in front of hers. "Why would I have _someone else's_ sonogram on my phone?!"

Realizing how close their faces actually were, Misty growled and let go of the male gym leader. She didn't want to give him any more encouragement than she already (_accidentally_) had before.

"Look," Misty sighed, shaking her head. "I just can't do this, Rudy. I'm married to Ash, I _love_ Ash, and we're having a baby together. I'm sure you'll find a nice girl eventually, but it just can't be me. I'm taken. Sorry."

Before Rudy could say anything else, Misty brushed past him and out of the diner, sucking in a deep breath before sighing and shaking her head out.

"Well, that was the most awkward exchange I've ever had in my life," Misty muttered, walking back towards the gym. When she got there, she found Ash waiting for her with a gentle smile on his face.

"Hey, there you are!" Ash greeted, meeting her halfway and engulfing her in a hug. "I was surprised to see the gym closed."

"Yeah, it was dead today."

"Ah, gotcha," Ash chuckled, giving Misty a kiss on the cheek. "So, did you do anything interesting with your time off?"

Misty twisted her mouth and quickly thought about whether or not she should tell Ash about her meeting with Rudy. But there was no reason to worry him, or send him into a fit of rage, or even bring it up at all. It was so insignificant. Besides, Rudy was right. Ash had finally realized just how lucky he was. No reason to screw it up.

"Nah. Nothing interesting, anyway."

* * *

><p><strong>I know Rudy's not actually a jerk in the show. But I still believe somewhere deep down inside, he has a grudge against Ash. That's my headcanon and I'm sticking to it :P<strong>


	273. Bath Time

**Ha! I knew going away meant I would forget I had other completed one shots. I remembered the last one but not this one. Whoops!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 1 month old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Bath Time<strong>

"Pikachu, would you like to help me bathe the babies?"

The little electric mouse looked up at Misty and beamed, twitching his ears back and forth at the query.

"Chu!" Pikachu squeaked.

Jumping into Aiden's crib, Pikachu settled himself by the boy's head and began to lick down the baby's hair. Cooing, Aiden waved his tiny fists up and down, rolling his eyes back to try and look at Pikachu.

"Oh, not like that!" Misty giggled, stopping Pikachu in his tracks. "That's not how humans wash their babies, Pikachu! Our little ones don't have enough…fur for that."

Pikachu chattered softly, confused as to how in the world Misty was supposed to bathe her babies without licking them.

"Come on," Misty urged, picking up the little boy and holding him against her chest. "I'll show you how we get them clean."

Pikachu jumped up onto Misty's other shoulder and peered over at the little baby. He was staring at the Pokémon, eyes wide and obviously transfixed. This made Pikachu smile. It was amazing how much little Aiden looked like Ash. They may have been father and son, but they could have easily passed for twins themselves!

Entering the master bathroom of Ash and Misty's room, little Michelle was already in her bouncer seat, head lolling to one side as her eyes fluttered.

"I'm glad you're with me, Pikachu," Misty informed the little mouse.

"Pika?" Pikachu squeaked.

"This is my first time bathing the babies on my own, so I'm a little nervous," Misty admitted. "I know how to do it, but that doesn't make it any less nerve-wracking. I'm used to having either Ash or Delia here to help me! Doing anything on your own with these two for the first time is always scary. _Especially_ when they're all slippery!"

"Chu!" Pikachu trilled, nuzzling against Misty's cheek.

"Thanks, Pikachu," Misty giggled. "You're the best!"

Using the hand that wasn't holding onto the baby, Misty turned on the faucet, keeping her hand under the water and adjusting the handle until she felt that the water was at a good temperature: not too hot, but not too cold. Once she had approved of the temperature, Misty pulled up the stopper so the sink would fill up with water.

"Pi-ka?" Pikachu asked.

"Yep, they get washed in the sink! Just like you!" Misty giggled. "They're too tiny to go in the bathtub."

With the sink now filling up with water, Misty went to work on undressing Aiden. She laid him down on the counter and unbuttoned his navy blue pajamas printed with tiny blue, green, white, and yellow submarines. Once the little boy was mostly undressed, save for his remaining diaper, Misty beamed at the squirmy little baby.

"I have such a cute boy!" Misty growled playfully, rubbing her nose against Aiden's stomach. He let out a squeaky, off kilter giggle, legs wiggling impatiently beneath her. "Ticky ticky ticky!"

She pressed her lips against his tummy, blowing against his skin and leading the baby to shriek. His laughs were still so new and uncoordinated, and that made them even better for Misty.

"Oh, you're so yummy!" Misty giggled. "Just the sweetest little baby in the whole entire world! Yes! Who's Mommy's little angel? Is it you?"

Because Misty was so busy gushing over her infant son, she hadn't been watching the sink. Seeing that it was a little more than half full, Pikachu nudged Misty's cheek and cried, "Pikachupi!"

Misty hummed curiously and stood up to her full height. "What is it, Pikachu?"

The electric type silently pointed at the sink, leading Misty to gasp and turn the faucet off.

"Pika…" Pikachu sighed.

"Thanks, Pikachu," Misty laughed sheepishly. "Sometimes I just get so absorbed in the babies that I forget what I'm doing!"

"Pi."

"Sounds like Ash and food, right?"

"Pi-ka!"

Misty giggled at this before turning her attention back onto Aiden. "Alright, sweet little boy. I'm just going to take your diaper off, and then you're gonna take a nice bath!"

Aiden mumbled to himself, earning a playful gasp from Misty. "You're excited? You want to get nice and clean?"

The baby continued to wiggle as his mother removed the diaper, Pikachu squeaking and jumping from Misty's shoulder to settle on the other side of the counter.

"Oh, are you worried about getting squirted?" Misty asked with a giggle.

"Pi…" Pikachu muttered.

"Don't worry, I don't think he's gonna do that," Misty assured, lifting up the baby and then sticking him in the water. "Yeah! See? What a good boy!"

Aiden let out a hiccup and raised his hands up towards his face, head tilting back in Misty's hand.

"Pika," Pikachu breathed.

"Aiden _loves_ his bath time!" Misty crooned, splashing the baby's body with water. "Isn't that right, little man?"

The baby, of course, couldn't respond. He was too busy staring at his mother with big, fascinated eyes. It melted Misty's heart, and all she wanted to do was take the baby out of the sink and cuddle him. But that would just have to wait until Aiden was completely bathed and clean.

"Pikachupi?" Pikachu squeaked, getting Misty's attention. "Pika pi pipika chupi?"

"Hmm?" Misty hummed, still splashing water on Aiden. "What are you asking, Pikachu?"

Pikachu used his tail to point at Aiden's head, which was being held up by Misty's hand. Upon seeing the yellow, lightning bolt shaped appendage, Aiden cooed quietly and turned his attention onto it, lowering his hands and becoming totally transfixed.

"Oh, you want to know why I'm holding Aiden's head up!" Misty giggled. "Well, he's still too young to hold his head up on his own. His neck isn't strong enough just yet! So, when I bathe him, I have to make sure to support his head."

Pikachu slowly nodded his head in understanding. Baby humans were so different than Pichu! He found the whole thing to be quite fascinating.

Except for when the little ones cried for hours on end. Then it was, admittedly, rather irritating.

"Pikachu, would you like to pour some of the baby's body wash into my hand?"

"Pi?"

Misty held out her free left hand, further confusing Pikachu.

"See that purple bottle right over there?" Misty asked, pointing over Pikachu's head. The little mouse turned around and nodded once he saw it. "Just pick it up and pour some into my hand. That way I can start washing Aiden!"

Pikachu picked up the bottle with his paws and, by some miracle considering the bottle was almost as big as he was, managed to flip it over and pour a pool of the soap into Misty's palm.

"Thanks, Pikachu!" Misty trilled. The electric mouse, in turn, sighed and fell on his butt. "Okay, Aiden. Ready for soapies?"

Pikachu put the soap bottle down and sat back up, ears twitching once more as he watched Misty lather the baby up. She hummed lovingly as she cleaned his skin, the baby boy whining unappreciatively beneath her palm.

"I know, I know," Misty shushed. "You don't like it when Mommy scrubs you. Poor baby."

"Pi-ka," Pikachu murmured. He wasn't used to seeing Misty so gentle. Sure, she loved him, and was always kind when it came to him. But otherwise, she was hotheaded and fiery and, occasionally, irrational. When it came to the babies, however, she was madly and hopelessly in love, and acted as any new mother would. Misty was constantly fawning and cooing, talking to them in a sickeningly sweet high-pitched voice that, admittedly, brought some pain to Pikachu's sensitive ears. But he liked seeing Misty so enamored, and didn't want to disrupt her.

Or anger her. That would be even worse.

A miserable shriek from Aiden brought Pikachu's attention back. The baby had a very visible frown on his face, and looked about ready to burst into tears. Misty, who was still busy lathering the baby, looked about ready to panic. Pikachu frowned, instantly feeling sorry for the poor woman.

"Okay, please don't cry, baby!" Misty begged. "Look, here! Mommy is going to rinse you off! See? How's that? Better?"

As Misty poured warm water over the baby's soapy body, he slowly calmed down and stopped whimpering. Pikachu smiled at this, clearly happy that the baby was no longer anguished.

"It's going to get worse, Pikachu."

The mouse squeaked and looked up at Misty, who still looked pained. "He hates having his hair washed. I know I'm going to regret this…give me some of the baby shampoo."

Pikachu turned around and looked down the counter, eventually locking his eyes on a bottle of translucent amber soap. Scurrying over to it, he picked up the bottle and carried it over to Misty, pouring it into her palm the same way he had with the body wash. Sucking in a deep breath, Misty pressed her soapy hand against the top of Aiden's head and began to work the thick liquid into his hair.

And, just as she had said, the baby pretty much lost his mind.

He began _screaming_, as though Misty were murdering him and not just washing his hair. Pikachu whined and covered his ears, looking up at Misty once his ears were secure. That's when he got a _real _shock.

Misty looked like she was about to cry.

Her eyes were filled with tears, and she was biting her lower lip, trying to keep in a wail of her own. It was clear that Aiden's wails were really affecting her. And Pikachu didn't want that to happen. He hated seeing Misty upset, _and_ he hated seeing _Aiden _upset! No one won.

So, skirting closer to the baby, Pikachu turned around and waved his tail in front of Aiden's face. Slowly but surely, the boy stopped screaming and was reduced to nothing more than a few quiet whimpers. He was too transfixed by Pikachu's bright tail to continue sobbing. Glancing up at Misty, Pikachu was happy to see that she now looked _relieved_, and not anguished. Turning on the faucet once again, Misty began to rinse off Aiden's hair, clearing his delicate locks of any and all soap and further bringing joy to the baby.

"Yeah, all better," Misty murmured. Once the soap was fully rinsed out, Misty reached for a nearby green towel and unfolded it so it was stretched across the counter. Holding her formerly free hand against Aiden's back, Misty lifted the dripping wet baby out of the sink and carefully laid him down in the middle of the towel before wrapping him up in it like it was his blanket. Once he was secure inside, Aiden let out a happy shriek and stared up at Misty, his lips bending up into a smile so big that she could see his little tongue. "Look at how happy you are! Happy to be done, right?"

Aiden mumbled softly and lifted his arms out of the towel, holding them up towards Misty. Giggling, the young mother lifted her baby up and snuggled him against her chest, sighing happily as she nuzzled his head with her cheek.

"My sweet little boy…"

Letting out a soft, low coo, Aiden's eyes began to slip closed. Pikachu took notice of this and hopped back onto Misty's shoulder, nosing towards the boy. Misty glanced down and saw his half-lidded eyes, giggling softly at the sight.

"Good. He's already starting his post-bath nap," Misty whispered, reaching for a new diaper to put on Aiden. "Thanks for all of your help, Pikachu!"

"Pi-ka!" Pikachu mutedly replied.

Soon enough, however, Misty was smirking and eyeing the little mouse knowingly. "Ready to do it again?"

Pikachu's ears stood up straight. He looked over his shoulder and stared at Michelle, who was beginning to whine and fuss in her bouncer.

"Ka…" he sighed, hanging his head.

* * *

><p><strong>All of my inspiration lately has come from the children being babies. I've been watching too many episodes where Misty is cuddling cute little Pokémon, obviously :P But I did also want to get in the relationship between her and Pikachu.<strong>


	274. Food Fears

**You guys want another one shot? Well too bad, you're getting another one shot! Spring semester starts tomorrow and I'm pretty broken up about it. So here, experience my drowned sorrows.**

**Aiden and Michelle: 4 years old**

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><p><span><strong>Food Fears<strong>

"Mommy, look what I got!"

"What is it, Aide-_ugh!_"

The young boy blinked in confusion as his mother strode backwards with a look of horror on her face. The more she stared at what was in his hands, the more her face paled.

"What, Mommy?" Aiden squeaked, shuffling closer to her. "It's just a-"

"I know what it is, Aiden," Misty interrupted, her hands clutching the counter behind her. "Just…just don't bring it any closer to me!"

Once again, Aiden blinked and looked down at his hand. While the mother and son were engaged in this awkward exchange, Ash came marching into the kitchen, stopping as soon as he saw the obvious panic on his wife's face.

"Mist, what's up?" Ash asked curiously.

"Th-that th-thing in Aiden's hand…" Misty stammered, not looking up at her husband. "Wh-where did he get it from?"

"Oh, Mom's garden," Ash replied effortlessly. "Why?"

"Get it out of here!" Misty demanded.

"Huh?" Ash murmured.

"You know how much I hate those things!" Misty fumed. "I don't want it anywhere near me!"

"But Mist, he's just holding it!" Ash reasoned. "You don't have to eat it or anything."

Misty whined softly and turned her head away. "Oh, I don't care! It's disgusting!"

"It's just a pepper!"

Misty looked back at Aiden's hand and winced. The plump red vegetable, with its thick green stem and matte reflection, sent Misty's blood boiling. She couldn't even stand the _sight_ of something so revolting.

"It's disgusting," Misty repeated acidly.

Aiden and Ash exchanged bewildered looks, both raising their eyebrows. Finally, Aiden looked away from his father and padded closer to his mother, who whined unappreciatively.

"Mommy," Aiden began, "how come you're so afraid of peppers?"

Misty scowled at this. "I'm not _afraid_ of them. I just don't _like_ them."

"What's the difference?"

Misty rolled her eyes at Aiden's query. "There's a difference, Aiden."

"But you said you don't wanna have my pepper in the kitchen, or near you," Aiden murmured. "That means you're afraid of it!"

"He's got a point, you know."

Misty narrowed her eyes at Ash, who looked slightly sheepish. "Not helping!"

"But Mommy, I like peppers!" Aiden whined. "And I never get to eat 'em!"

"Because I hate them," Misty grumbled, finally removing herself from the counter. "Ash, take that thing away from our son."

"Why?"

Misty's brow flattened at this. "I just told you why."

"It's not really fair to him, Mist," Ash reasoned.

"What's not fair?" Misty muttered, although she knew exactly what Ash was going to say.

"That Aiden can't eat something he likes just because _you_ don't like it," Ash explained. "He's always asking for things with peppers in them, but you won't even cook it!"

"Because I hate them!"

"No one said _you_ had to eat it!" Ash groaned.

"No, Ash, but I hate them enough where I can't even _touch_ them!" Misty bit. "That means I can't cook with them. I just can't do it."

"So you _are_ afraid of peppers!" Ash crowed.

"No, I'm just disgusted by them," Misty hissed. "I've said it a million times already! I will use any other vegetables than peppers! You know that's true!"

"Well, not entirely," Ash murmured.

Misty arched an eyebrow at this. "What do you mean by that?"

"Mommy! Mommy! Can we has this for dinner?"

Misty looked down at the doorway and, for what seemed like the millionth time that day, shrieked. Michelle had just ran into the kitchen, holding both of her hands out towards her mother. Clutched in her little fingers was a long, bright orange carrot, one that looked just as fresh as the pepper in Aiden's possession.

For Misty, however, the ripeness of the produce didn't matter. The fact that it was even in her kitchen was what was bothering her.

"Ash!" Misty yelped, her eyes going ablaze. "What have I said about letting those foods in here?! Seriously!"

"We just had this conversation like…five seconds ago," Ash grumbled. "I'm not going to tell you why again!"

"Mommy, pleeeease?" Michelle begged, widening her emerald eyes.

"No, Michelle, that cute little look isn't going to work on me," Misty grumbled. "You may be adorable, but that carrot is just as disgusting."

Michelle pouted and lowered the carrot. Gasping, Ash hurried over to Michelle and engulfed the pouting little girl in a big hug. "Aw, it's okay, princess! Daddy will cook the carrot up for you!"

Michelle's pout quickly transformed into a look of disgust. "No, Daddy! You can't cook!"

From her spot in front of the counter, Misty snickered, and this was enough to flare Ash up. Jumping to his feet, he set his narrowed russet eyes on his wife, who looked genuinely surprised by the expression.

"At least I offered!" Ash fumed. "You're just being a big baby about it!"

"I am not!" Misty refuted, her own eyes narrowing. "I can't help it that you don't have any dislikes, Ash. Maybe if you did, you'd understand!"

"I _do_ have dislikes," Ash sighed. "You know for a fact that I don't really like spicy foods, Mist."

"Yeah, but you don't really _hate_ it," Misty muttered. "Not the way I hate carrots and peppers, anyway. You don't get it! _Especially_ because you don't have to cook."

"Well, I would if I could!" Ash cried.

"Yeah, could being the key word," Misty muttered.

"I wish you would just tell me why you hate those things so much," Ash commented, taking the fresh vegetables from the two young children standing by his feet. "Then maybe I'd actually be able to understand, like you say."

"There's no reason why I hate them, I just do," Misty murmured. "It's personal preference. And my personal preference is to stay as far away from carrots and peppers as possible!"

Sighing, Ash looked down at the produce in his hands and asked, "then how am I supposed to have Aiden and Michelle eat these things?"

"Bring them back to Delia and have her cook them into something," Misty effortlessly instructed before turning back to the counter. "Because I'm busy cooking things that _don't_ involve those two evil vegetables."

* * *

><p><strong>I love Misty's food aversions. I have to imagine it'd be a total pain once she grows up and actually has a family. And does all the cooking. Poor Aiden and Michelle :P<strong>


	275. Maternal Guilt

**This semester is killing me. I can already tell. But I won't let that stop me! I love my writing, I'm passionate about it, and I'm just gonna keep on going!**

**I felt like writing some guilt-ridden Misty and comforting Ash, so...this happened!**

**Michelle: 7 years old**

**Elizabeth: 1 year old**

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><p><span><strong>Maternal Guilt<strong>

"Aw, look at how sweet they are!"

Misty smiled sadly to herself as she rested her head in her hand, watching her and Ash's two young daughters sleep away peacefully. Michelle, the older of the girls, was breathing delicately and not moving a single inch, other than the repeated elevation of her little chest. Wrapped in her arms was Elizabeth, the younger of the two. The baby girl's mouth was occupied by a bright pink pacifier, her long, black eyelashes brushing against her delicate cheek. Both girls were outfitted in their pajamas: Michelle in her yellow with white polka dots printed shirt and pants, and Elizabeth in her navy blue and white striped footed pajamas with a big, pink heart on her chest.

Misty, of course, knew how cute they were. And normally, it never failed to bring the warmest, most joyous smile to her face. At the moment, however, she was a little preoccupied, and despite his everlasting density, this fact did not manage to escape Ash.

"Hey," he prodded, his voice gentle and curious. "What's wrong?"

"Hmm?" Misty hummed, looking up at her husband.

"Something is bothering you," Ash elucidated. "I can tell."

"N-nothing's bothering me," Misty refuted, though her faltering tone gave the façade away.

"You're lying," Ash sighed. "Come on, Mist! I know you better than anyone or anything! Well…except for maybe Pokémon battles. And food."

Misty smirked at this and shook her head. "I don't know what to do with you, Ash."

"I should be saying that about _you,_" Ash replied, earning a bewildered look from his wife. "You like to act all super tough and not tell me anything! But all I want to do is help you. And I can't do that when you're being all…secretive and weird!"

"Weird?!" Misty shrieked, her eyes narrowing.

"Shh!" Ash hissed, looking down at the girls. Michelle mumbled in her sleep, while Elizabeth momentarily stopped sucking on her pacifier. After a short moment, Michelle returned to silence, and Elizabeth resumed sucking on the binky in her mouth. "You're going to wake them up."

Misty frowned and leaned back on her hands, looking even more pained than she had before. Blinking, Ash moved closer to his wife and sat down right next to her, leaning against her side.

"I didn't mean to make you even _more_ upset," Ash murmured, sounding rather remorseful.

"You didn't," Misty sighed. "I'm just being an idiot."

"No, you're not," Ash whispered, rubbing her back. "Just tell me what you're thinking about. I may be good with ya, Mist, but I'm not a mind reader!"

Finally, Misty smirked. Slowly shaking her head, she finally replied in a soft manner, "I was just…I can't help it when I watch Michelle and Elizabeth. I love them _so_ much. So much it almost makes my heart hurt. And sometimes…I just feel guilty."

Ash raised an eyebrow at this. "You feel guilty because you love them so much?"

"No," Misty giggled. "I could never feel guilty about that! But, you see, I love them so much that sometimes, all I do is worry about them. I get really nervous. And sometimes, I just get _scared._"

"About what?" Ash murmured. "They're safe, Mist! Right here with us, nothing will ever happen to them. I know that Michelle's lungs and Elizabeth's aura terrified you, but that's all over now! That's the worst of it. And it's over."

"But it's not," Misty whispered, her voice flooding with pain.

"Misty, you're scaring me," Ash replied honestly. "What's wrong?"

"I'm so afraid that when they grow up, and they fall in love like I did and want to have their own children…what if they end up with my gene?" Misty rasped. "I've infected them! My own babies…I don't ever want them to suffer, and one day, they might…all because of me!"

Ash watched on in shock as Misty covered her eyes with her hands and began to quietly sob. Misty had never cried when they were younger. Not ever, really. But ever since they had started a family, she was much more prone to bursting out into tears. As Gary always liked to remind him, Misty's hormones were permanently altered, and it was pure hell from there on out.

Ash, of course, never viewed it like that. He _didn't_, however, enjoy seeing his wife cry.

"Misty, it's okay," Ash hushed his wife, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "You can't be so hard on yourself! You would never give it to them on purpose."

Misty sniveled, but said nothing in response.

"Besides, there's no guarantee that they'll end up with it," Ash continued. "None of your sisters had the gene! You remember what the doctor said. It's very rare. Chances are it'll skip Michelle and Elizabeth."

"I'm not that lucky, Ash," Misty grumbled. "I just…I just can't shake the feeling. I know it sounds so stupid that I think about this. But it haunts me. I'm terrified. I just want our daughters to be healthy and happy. And that's one of the only things I can't protect them from."

Ash frowned and looked down at the sleeping girls. Michelle was still protectively hugging Elizabeth…they hadn't stirred one bit. The smile returned to his face for a short moment before Misty sniffled again.

"Isn't there any way we could test them?" Ash asked. "I bet knowing would make you feel a whole lot better."

"It would," Misty agreed, "but I've already asked their doctor. And I've looked it up on my own. You can't be tested for the gene. The only way you can find out if you have it is when you actually get pregnant and it strikes you."

Ash's frown strengthened. "That's pretty cruel."

Misty scoffed at the comment. "You'd think with all of this advancement in medicine and science that they'd be able to pick up on something like that. But no. It's just too difficult to locate. It's _that _rare of a disease. That's what terrifies me."

Ash bit his lower lip before looking up and smiling at Misty. "Well, it's a good thing I'm never going to let any boys near them, huh? We'll have nothing to worry about!"

Misty threw her head back and groaned. "You're not funny."

"Who said I was being funny? I mean it. No boys are worthy of our daughters!"

"And how do you know that?"

"Because they're both so perfect."

Misty put her head back upright and smiled at her husband. "Ash and his precious, wonderful little girls. They can never do any wrong by him."

"Nope," Ash agreed, an impish grin on his face. "They're angels!"

"Even though they're half mine?" Misty hummed.

"That's exactly _why_ they're angels!" Ash chuckled. "They didn't get all of those good qualities from me!"

"You're selling yourself too short, and me too highly," Misty warned.

"No, all of their goodness comes from their mommy," Ash murmured, inching closer to the girls and leaning down to hover above them. "Look. They came right from heaven! The prettiest faces I've ever seen."

Misty watched Ash with contemplative eyes, her lids falling down halfway. "You're just joking about never letting any boys near our daughters, right?"

"Nope. They're going to be single forever."

Misty smirked at this. "Don't you want them to be happy?"

"They'll be happy! They'll have me! I'm the only boy they need in their lives."

"Don't you want to be a grandpa?"

Ash's eyebrows crawled up his forehead, and Misty quickly clapped both hands over her mouth to choke back a laugh.

"I never want to think about that!" Ash whined. "Elizabeth is only a year old, for Arceus' sake! I'm still just a _dad!_"

"But you love your little girls, and your little boy," Misty reasoned with her flustered husband. "Don't you want them to have their own little girls and boys, too? In the future, I mean. Of course they're still our babies for now."

"Well…_maybe_," Ash murmured, still sounding uneasy. "But I'm gonna need a lot of time to think about it! Like…thirty or forty years."

Misty smirked and rolled her eyes. Ash was so protective, it was almost pathetic.

"Besides, we have no reason to worry about our girls," Ash continued, bringing Misty's attention back to him.

"Why not?" She asked curiously.

"Because if they're anything like their mommy, they're both very tough, and strong," Ash explained, his eyes flickering as he stared at them. "And I think Michelle and Elizabeth have already proven that they're both of those things. Don't you?"

Smiling softly, Misty blushed and slowly nodded her head. "Yes. They have."

Ash chuckled and nuzzled the top of Michelle's head before moving onto Elizabeth's. "You'll both be okay. I know you will. No one's prouder of their girls than me."

Misty smiled and looked down at her hands, fingers nervously tugging at the carpeting beneath her legs.

"And that includes your mommy."

Her head snapping up, Misty's eyes widened as they locked onto Ash. He, in turn, was beaming at her, looking confident and loving. With a quiet, uninhibited giggle, Misty crawled forward and wrapped her arms around Ash, nestling her head against his neck.

"I love you so much, Ash," Misty whispered, her voice hoarse and raw.

"I love you, too," Ash replied, kissing Misty's temple. "And I never want you to feel bad about anything. Especially our daughters. The next time you start thinking of all that crazy stuff, you come talk to me before you drive yourself insane. Got it?"

Misty smirked to herself and nodded just once. "Yes, sir."

Ash raised his eyebrows and glanced down at Misty, who reciprocated the action and, once again, smiled playfully at him.

"So you've finally admitted that I'm in charge, huh?" Ash teased.

"Oh, please," Misty huffed, rolling her eyes. "You may be sweet, Ash, but we all know who's running _this_ operation."

"And that would be…?"

"Me, you dolt."

Ash chuckled as he threw his head back, earning another smirk from Misty.

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

><p><strong>Gaaaah I love this ship so much. So many intense feels.<strong>


	276. Hand Holders

**I decided it was time for some Aiden and Michelle torture :P A bit of a twist, huh?**

**Aiden and Michelle: 7 years old**

**Elizabeth: 21 months old**

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><p><span><strong>Hand Holders<strong>

"Stee! Stee! Stee!"

"Yes, Lizzie! That's the street!"

The toddler giggled and made a dash for the road, leading Misty to gasp. Grabbing the child before she could get any further, Misty sighed and held the little thing against her body, throwing her head back.

"Stee…" Elizabeth murmured.

"You're not supposed to run towards the street, sprinkle," Misty groaned. "Never, ever try to go across the street by yourself! Or without looking first!"

Elizabeth pouted. She could tell that she was in trouble.

"I do ba?" Elizabeth asked, her green eyes widening.

"Yes," Misty breathed before hugging the child. "But that's okay. You learned your lesson, right?"

Elizabeth nodded. "Mama ma?"

"No, I'm not mad," Misty promised. "I was just scared was all. But you're okay!"

The 21 month old frowned and pressed a tiny fist against her mouth. Smirking, Misty turned Elizabeth around so they were facing one another. Though she was playfully smirking, Elizabeth was still frowning and looking rather sheepish.

"Do you want Mama to carry you now?" Misty asked.

Wordlessly, Elizabeth shook her head.

"No, I didn't think so," Misty laughed, placing the little girl down by her feet. "You promise you're not going to run off again, sprinkle?"

"Pom-sis," Elizabeth squeaked unsurely.

"You're scaring me, Lizzie," Misty warned.

"Sca-wy," Elizabeth repeated, holding her hands up and curling her fingers like claws as she playfully growled at her mother.

Misty twisted her mouth in deep thought. Looking over her shoulder, she caught sight of Aiden and Michelle running after each other with sticks, laughing wildly and smacking them together as though they were caught in an intense swordfight.

"Aiden! Michelle!"

The twins both shrieked and dropped their sticks, whipping their heads around and staring wide eyed at their mother. She raised a wry eyebrow at their reactions, to which they laughed sheepishly and moved closer to her.

"What is it, Mommy?" Michelle asked meekly.

"Could you two keep an eye on Elizabeth?" Misty asked.

"_Mooom_, we're not babysitters," Aiden grumbled.

"No, but she's your little sister," Misty sighed, watching as the little girl toddled over to Aiden and Michelle. "I figure if anyone can keep her calm and get her to behave, it's you two."

Aiden narrowed his eyes as Elizabeth moved closer to him, grabbing onto his red and white striped shirt with her little fingers and pulling at it.

"Just hold onto her and make sure she doesn't try to run into the street again," Misty nearly pleaded. "That's all! I know if I try to start carrying her, she'll throw a fit."

"Fine," Aiden grumbled, pulling Elizabeth's hand off of his shirt. She whimpered at the action, but was quickly quieted when Aiden instead held her hand in his own. "Come on, Lizzie. I've gotta watch you now."

"Why?"

"Because you're trouble," Aiden scoffed.

"No," Elizabeth refuted. "I good."

"Yeah, about as good as sending out a Mudkip against a Raikou," Aiden muttered.

"Kippy!" Elizabeth shrieked, trying to dart forward. She forgot her hand was in Aiden's, however, and was quickly pulled back as though she were on the opposite end of a rubber band. Looking over her shoulder, the little girl scowled at Aiden, who snickered in response.

"You're not going anywhere, shrimp!" Aiden teased. "I got ya' now."

Elizabeth let out a shrill whine and began to stomp her feet against the pavement. Rolling her eyes, Michelle strode forward and grabbed Elizabeth's other hand, quelling the younger female's temper tantrum rather quickly.

"Don't call her names, Aiden," Michelle warned. "You know she hates it!"

"She'll live," Aiden scoffed. "You're a tough one, aren't ya, Lizzie?"

"Ya," Elizabeth squeaked, nodding her head before jumping up and down. "I uff!"

"That's how she says tough," Aiden informed his twin, who rolled her eyes in response.

"No kidding," she muttered.

"Aiden, Michelle, we're crossing the street," Misty warned her two older children. "Make sure you hold onto Elizabeth, okay?"

They nodded their heads and glanced between themselves at Elizabeth, who was kicking her legs forward one by one, brushing up her black skirt covered in white polka dots.

"Lizzie, pay attention to the street," Michelle instructed her younger sister, who looked up in interest.

"Why?"

"Because you have to see if cars are coming," Michelle sighed. "That's the whole point of looking both ways before you cross."

"Yeah, or else you'll get turned into a pancake," Aiden added.

"Aiden!" Michelle shrieked.

"I wike pancakes!" Elizabeth giggled.

"But you don't want to _be_ one!" Michelle cried.

"I wanna has one," Elizabeth murmured.

"Okay, it's clear, let's cross the street!"

The twins looked up at their mother, who nodded encouragingly at them. Following behind her, the older two subconsciously held Elizabeth's smaller hands more tightly, earning a squeak from the toddler. She looked up at her older siblings and giggled at their obviously nervous faces. That's when the little girl decided to have some fun with the two.

"On!" She urged, yanking at their hands as she ran forward.

"_Elizabeth!_" Aiden and Michelle scolded simultaneously. Misty looked over her shoulder and gasped as soon as she saw the toddler trying to rocket ahead.

"Elizabeth, stop it! Knock it off!" Misty scolded, whipping around and trying to grab at the toddler. She was having none of it, however, and managed to veer around her stunned mother. Her hands, of course, were still encased by Aiden and Michelle's, which meant the two older children were dragged right along with their little sister. Sighing, Misty stood up straight and shook her head, before muttering under her breath:

"I'm gonna have to apologize to those two later."

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><p><strong>This is why Elizabeth is my favorite. She's so, so cute, but she's always getting herself into so much trouble, just because she's so mischievous :P She may look like an angel, but she isn't one.<strong>


	277. Charlie and Izabelle

**What's up, guys? Hope everything is good! I've got another new one shot for all of you, and it features Charizard's two kids!**

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><p><span><strong>Charlie and Izabelle<strong>

It had been about a year since Charizard and Charla had welcomed a set of twin Charmander: a boy and girl who Aiden and Michelle had named Charlie and Izabelle, respectively.

The young fire types had been showing an interest in battling for quite some time, but Charizard had apparently been hesitant to let the two actually do anything. Every time Ash went to visit his old friend, the fully evolved starter would stop his children from doing anything related to battling. Ash found this strange, especially considering how much Charizard himself loved to spar.

One afternoon, Ash brought along Aiden and Michelle to visit the Charicific Valley. They both loved seeing all of the Charizard, and most of all, they loved playing with Charlie and Izabelle. The Charmander were good with all humans, but by far, they loved Aiden and Michelle the most. Even more than Ash, in fact!

Charlie and Izabelle both looked quite similar, save for the pink bow that Izabelle wore around her neck. It was akin to the pink bow that was fashioned atop her mother Charla's head. They both had the brightest blue eyes and the hottest flames burning at the ends of their tails. Their skin was bright and their teeth sharp. Ash could tell that they were both very healthy, and very strong. They would both be amazing battlers.

If Charizard would ever _let_ them, that was.

In the meanwhile, Aiden and Michelle had busied themselves and the Charmander with a game of catch. Charlie and Izabelle both really enjoyed chasing after the bright blue ball every time Aiden or Michelle rolled it across the ground or tossed it above their heads. Sometimes, when the young fire types were feeling especially frisky, they would jump high into the air, batting the ball down with their front claws.

"They're so energetic!" Ash chuckled, watching on as Charlie grabbed a hold of the blue ball, leading Aiden to chase after him.

"_Your_ twins or Charizard's?" Liza laughed.

"Well, I _was_ talking about Charlie and Izabelle," Ash replied with a smirk, "but Aiden and Michelle fit the bill just as well."

"Yeah, those two really keep me on my toes," Liza sighed. "They're always finding some new kind of trouble to get into. Izabelle is a bit more reserved than her brother, but Charlie always manages to find a way to get his sister involved."

"Yep, that _definitely _sounds like Aiden and Michelle!" Ash chuckled.

"Charizard is so good about it, though," Liza commented, looking over her shoulder where Charizard was perched on a nearby overhang, watching his children play with a cautious eye. "He's always there to rein the two in. He never lets them get away with anything! It makes me glad that I don't have to do the disciplining. They're too cute for me to punish!"

Once Aiden had managed to wrangle the ball away from Charlie, the young fire type yelped excitedly and switched positions with the boy, instead becoming the _chaser _instead of the _chasee_. As Charlie chased after Aiden, however, a small Pidgey flew overhead and distracted the Charmander. Smirking excitedly to himself, Charlie tilted his head back and fired off a decent ember attack at Pidgey, scaring the small bird off and alarming Charizard, who immediately swooped down from his post and settled in front of Charlie with a scowl on his face.

"Uh oh, Charizard doesn't look too happy," Ash murmured.

"It's that old battling phobia again," Liza groaned. "I just don't understand it!"

"I guess I can…maybe," Ash muttered. "Charizard's probably just trying to protect them. I've done lots of crazy stuff in my life, and thought it was okay, but I know for a fact that I would never let Aiden, Michelle, or Elizabeth do _any _of that stuff. It'd scare me half to death!"

"Just being protective…" Liza mused. "I suppose I can see it."

A ferocious roar soon recaptured Ash and Liza's attention, however, and as soon as they turned their heads, they saw Charlie unleashing his ember attack directly at Charizard.

"Charlie!" Liza gasped, her eyes widening.

"No way…" Ash breathed.

A familiar flash went off in Charizard's eyes, but almost as soon as it had appeared, it vanished. Trying to remain calm, Charizard swept his tail forward and picked up Charlie with it, bringing the young Charmander only inches away from his face as he glared at his son.

"Charizard's _definitely _not happy about that…" Ash murmured, shaking his head.

The flame Pokémon unleashed a few low, warning grunts to his unevolved son. With a tiny, unforgiving smirk, Charlie used his ember attack for a third time, directly hitting Charizard in the face upon unleashing it.

"Charlie sure didn't learn, huh?" Ash muttered, smacking a hand over his eyes.

Roaring furiously, Charizard flicked his tail, sending Charlie flying. Fortunately, the fire lizard managed to land on his feet and giggle impishly, bringing back the glint to Charizard's eyes. With a threatening step forward, the fully evolved starter unleashed a flamethrower attack at his son. Ash gasped and started to panic, until he saw that the attack fell short and didn't even touch Charlie.

"That was just a warning," Liza mused, her voice dark and wary. "But, taking Charizard's personality and anger issues into account, I'm afraid that he might go further if Charlie doesn't watch his step."

"There's no way Charizard would hurt his own son," Ash argued, eyes narrowed in disbelief.

"Ash, we can't be certain of that," Liza warned. "When Charizard becomes this angry, his rational side is totally blinded. We need to protect Charlie and stop Charizard!"

"Charlie doesn't need to be protected!" Ash finally snapped. "Charizard and I…we're both fathers. We have the same ideals. And that includes protecting our children no matter what. I trust Charizard."

Liza ground her teeth together, but didn't fight Ash any further. He was just like Charizard: stubborn and unrelenting. They were both so determined, and didn't want to hear otherwise. Ash was clearly confident in his beliefs, and Liza knew there would be no winning against him.

Several feet away, Charlie and Charizard were still standing in a stare down. Both looked angry, with their eyes narrowed and teeth barred. Charlie was blowing steam out of his nostrils, while Charizard followed suit. Charlie raised his claws in a threatening manner, and Charizard did the same. Liza was quickly becoming more and more nervous, but Ash was far calmer than the woman standing next to him. Sure, he had been worried at first, but the more he observed the father and son, and the more he thought about it, the more Ash realized that everything was going to be just fine.

And it was.

In the blink of an eye, Charizard lowered his claws and smirked at Charlie, who slowly and unsurely moved out of his defensive stance as well. Roaring softly, Charizard marched over to Charlie and lowered his head in order to lift the young fire type up. Rolling down onto his father's back, between the mighty dual type's massive wings, Charlie sat up and cooed softly, still looking rather confused. Looking over his shoulder, Charizard chattered quietly to his son, which eventually brought a huge smile to the young Charmander's face.

"See?" Ash chuckled. "Told ya!"

Liza, on the other hand, was positively stunned. "How did you…?"

"I told you Charizard would never hurt Charlie!" Ash crowed. "You _were_ right that Charizard didn't want his kids battling. It made him nervous. But once he saw just how passionate Charlie was about battling, he softened up. I bet now he'll encourage Charlie and maybe even teach him a few things!"

"Guess you're right," Liza murmured.

"Well, I had to know about _something_, and it just so happens to be Pokémon!" Ash laughed.

"You seem to know just as much about being a father," Liza hummed, causing a blush to grace Ash's cheeks.

"Yeah, I guess!" Ash sheepishly replied.

Before them, Charlie laughed happily and climbed up his father's neck in order to nuzzle the fully grown fire type's head. And, in a rare show of public affection, Charizard mumbled contently and lovingly returned his little son's action.

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><p><strong>Charizard's just protective, that's all! He was testing Charlie to see if he was actually serious about battling, and obviously, he is. <strong>


	278. Little Mouth of Horrors

**I REALLY took advantage of this snow day. And I still did all of my homework and studying. Proud of myself!**

**Michelle: 6 years old**

**Elizabeth: 6 months old**

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><p><span><strong>Little Mouth of Horrors<strong>

"MOMMY!"

Misty dropped the newly collected mail on the kitchen counter and ran into the living room, where the scream had come from. She found Michelle sitting on the floor with look of horror on her face. In front of her was baby Elizabeth, mumbling contently to herself.

"Michelle, what's wrong?" Misty breathed.

"Lizzie just ate something!" Michelle cried.

_Now _Misty's entire face paled. "What do you mean she ate something? What did she eat?"

"A…a bead…" Michelle replied nervously.

"A WHAT?!" Misty yelped.

"I tried to stop her!" Michelle wailed. "I saw it in her hand and I tried to take it away! But she put it in her mouth too fast! I'm sorry, Mommy!"

Letting out a shuttered breath, Misty swooped forward and lifted up the tiny girl, who was still chattering nonsense. Lifting the infant over her head, Misty quickly went to work on examining every part of the girl's body, looking for any signs of immediate distress or illness. At the moment, however, everything looked normal. But that didn't bring any peace of mind to the young mother.

"Michelle, let me see what kind of a bead she ate," Misty statically requested.

Nodding her head, Michelle picked one up with her fingers and held it up for her mother to see. It wasn't a big bead, not at all. It was tiny and shaped like a small cylinder, the kind of bead used for an ironing project and not jewelry. There didn't seem to be much of a chance for such a small thing to be stuck in Elizabeth's throat, so it seemed that the offending piece had already found its way into the baby's stomach.

_Perfect._

"I really hope that thing's not poisonous," Misty muttered, holding Elizabeth against her hip.

"Poisonous?!" Michelle repeated, her eyes widening.

"I…I don't think it is…but…I don't know," Misty sighed, hurrying back into the kitchen. Jumping to her feet, Michelle scurried right after her mother, a look of terror still plastered on her face. "Oh, what do I do?"

She hadn't meant for that to be said out loud. Michelle could normally rely on her mother for anything and everything, but now, Michelle knew her mother didn't have any answers for this situation. She was just as scared and confused as her own daughter.

"Call Grammy!" Michelle blurted.

"Grammy?" Misty breathed, not realizing how winded the whole situation had made her.

"Yeah, she knows about _everything!_" Michelle crowed. "Maybe she can help us with Lizzie!"

"It can't hurt," Misty sighed, reaching for the phone with her free hand. Elizabeth whimpered and hugged Misty's chest, causing the young mother to panic even more. She began dialing Delia's number more quickly, and once it was fully punched in, held the phone up to the side of her face and tried to will herself not to have a full blown panic attack.

"_Hello?"_

"Delia!"

"_Misty! Oh, what is it, dear? You sound like you just ran a marathon!"_

"I…I'm kind of having a nervous breakdown," Misty admitted, biting her lower lip. "I need help. Please!"

"_It's alright, honey!"_ Delia promised her daughter-in-law. _"You sound like you're about to pass out! Put me on video phone. Let me see you."_

Nodding her head, Misty flipped on the screen, leading Delia to appear. Lowering herself into the chair, Misty finally gave the older woman a good look at her pale face, which only concerned Delia even more.

"Misty, you don't look good at all," Delia breathed. "It's making me nervous."

"I need help, Delia," Misty pleaded, her throat tightening. "Please."

"I'm going to help you, dear, but I can't do anything until you tell me what you need help with," Delia replied softly. She was such a patient woman, bless her soul. Misty knew if she was in Delia's position, she would have already reached through the screen and slapped herself.

"Elizabeth was sitting on the floor with Michelle, who was doing a little craft," Misty explained, tears threatening to fall out of her eyes. "And, basically, Elizabeth ended up eating one of the little beads."

"Oh, no," Delia murmured.

"I'm scared," Misty admitted, holding Elizabeth more tightly. "What's _in_ that thing? What do I do? Do I take her to the doctor? The hospital? I don't know!"

"Misty, deep breaths," Delia calmly reminded her panicked daughter-in-law. "It's going to be okay!"

"But, Elizabeth!"

"Elizabeth is going to be okay," Delia assured her. "What kind of a bead did she eat?"

"The little ones that you iron," Misty replied. "You know, on those plastic sheets? With the little pegs?"

"Yes, Ash used to use those all the time when he was a little boy," Delia giggled. "And, believe it or not, he ate quite a few of those beads, too."

Misty's face fell at this. "He did?"

"Yep. I guess he thought they were candy or something!"

Misty blinked hard. "Did…what happened to him?"

"Oh, nothing."

"Nothing?!"

Delia giggled at Misty's reaction. "Oh, Misty. I was just like you the first time he ate something that definitely didn't belong in his mouth! A complete mess. I was sure my poor baby boy was going to die. I was the phone with every single doctor I could get through to! And none of them could give me a good answer. You know who finally got me to calm down?"

"No. Who?"

"Professor Oak."

Misty smiled. "That doesn't surprise me."

"He was able to assure me that nothing would happen to Ash," Delia laughed. "After all, little kids put strange things in their mouths all the time! But I was still so young, and Ash was my first baby. I was nervous. It's okay to get scared, and to be cautious. I'm glad you called me, Misty."

"Me too," Misty agreed. "Otherwise I'd still be running around the house like a headless Torchic."

Elizabeth giggled at this and looked up at her mother, who didn't look too impressed.

"Don't you smile at me," Misty impishly warned her daughter. "You almost gave me a full blown anxiety attack!"

Elizabeth laughed once again and rested her head on Misty's chest, sticking a thumb in her mouth and sucking on it.

"So…Lizzie's okay?" Michelle asked quietly.

"Yes," Misty sighed with a smile. "Lizzie is going to be just fine, seashell."

"Good!" Michelle cheered, running over to Misty's other side and hugging the baby in her mother's arms. "You scared all of us, Lizzie. That was bad!"

The infant gurgled and stretched out one of her legs, pressing her tiny foot against the front of Michelle's nose.

"She's precious," Delia sighed happily. "A handful, but precious!"

"Well, she's not even a year old yet, so I don't know how many years of this I can actually handle," Misty muttered, shaking her head.

"You'll learn," Delia promised the still shaken redhead. "It may be frustrating right now, but I promise that after a while, you'll learn not to freak out over everything. Before you know it, one of the kids eating a bead will be the least of your concerns!"

"That's…concerning," Misty admitted.

"Perhaps, but it will also be easier," Delia added with a smile.

"Thank you for the help, Delia," Misty breathed. "I really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it, dear! What are you going to do now?"

"Go find Ash and yell at him for giving me a daughter who's just like him."

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><p><strong>Overprotective Misty :P Then again, I'd probably freak out too if my kid ate a bead. I once ate a penny as a kid. Yep.<strong>


	279. The Best of Friends

**Okay, so before I have to go do all of my homework (I knew mixing two snow days and sorority recruitment would bite me in the ass!) I wanted to upload a new one shot before I got all busy again. I was still kind of on my breedershipping story, so I got to writing this in the interim :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 years old**

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><p><span><strong>The Best of Friends<strong>

Misty smiled to herself, despite her exhaustion, and sunk down on the couch. She was watching Aiden and Michelle play on the floor, giggling and murmuring excitedly to each other. They were just as Misty had always hoped they would be: a pair of best friends. Sure, sometimes they fought (quite vivaciously, in fact) and sometimes they disagreed (more loudly than quietly) but they still loved one another like crazy. It made Misty the happiest mother in the entire world.

A sudden grunt out of her mouth caught the twins' attention. Looking up, they found their mother holding her heavy stomach with both hands: one on top and the other on the bottom. This earned a jolt out of both of them right away, and caused them to abandon their toys entirely. Misty, of course, was not oblivious to their interest, and smiled down at the two.

"You both know she's kicking, don't you?" Misty giggled.

"Yeah!" Aiden laughed. "We could tell, Mommy!"

"You want to feel?" Misty asked, though she already knew the answer. In fact, it was _so_ obvious that Aiden and Michelle didn't even have to reply. They just jumped right up onto the couch and started to move their small hands around their mother's beach ball belly.

As much as Aiden and Michelle loved each other, they loved their unborn baby sister just the same. They were fiercely protective of their pregnant mother, and loved putting their hands on her stomach to feel the baby move. Sometimes, the two would talk to her belly in the hopes that the baby could hear them. Misty had assured the two that the baby could, in fact, hear, and that she probably loved hearing their voices.

"Aiden! Move! You're taking up too much room!"

"No I'm not!"

"Uh huh!"

"No!"

Misty smirked and shook her head. There went the arguing again. At least it was over how much they loved their little sister. But still, Misty wanted them to go back to being sweet and friendly again.

"You know you two can't sit on the same side and feel her kick," Misty calmly scolded her children. "There's not enough room on the couch. One of you go over to the other side."

"Aiden!" Michelle instantly cried, pointing a finger right in her twin's face.

"No, you!" Aiden argued, grabbing Michelle's wrist and yanking her arm down.

"Aiden, you always brag that you're the oldest, don't you?" Misty asked smartly.

"No…"

"Yes, you do."

Aiden continued to look down sheepishly, not wanting to admit that his mother was, in fact, correct. He was only twelve minutes older than Michelle, but Aiden never made any bones about announcing that he was the oldest child, and in turn, the big brother.

"I don't, Mommy," Aiden finally muttered again.

"You do," Misty refuted. "And the _big brother_ is going to be the good boy who is considerate of his sister and goes to the other side."

"I don't want to, Mommy," Aiden whined. "It's no fair!"

"Aiden, you'll still get to feel the baby kick," Misty sighed. "And it'll be easier for the both of you. Be the big boy and go to the other side of the couch."

Aiden was still pouting, but nevertheless, he began to make his move to the other side of the couch. However, he decided that the best way to go about this was climbing over his mother. Just as he was about to swing his right leg over her belly, however, Misty stopped him in his tracks and pushed him back down on the cushion.

"Hey!" Aiden argued.

"Do not climb over me," Misty chastised. "Get up and walk around."

"_Mommy…_"

"Aiden, if you don't stop whining, you're not going to be allowed to feel the baby move at all," Misty warned.

With the pout still on his face, Aiden slid off the couch and stormed over to his mother's opposite side, climbing back up onto the couch and sitting against it with his arms folded across his chest. Misty looked over at her son and smirked, knowing full well that he was now in a bad mood.

"Come on, little guy, no pouting," Misty playfully teased.

Aiden, however, didn't look ready to relent. He was just like Ash. Once you upset him, he was going to make sure you knew. And Misty was no exception this little rule.

"I want to see you _smile_, little man," Misty crooned, squeezing Aiden's cheeks with her fingers. Aiden tried to keep his face staid, but he could never resist his mother's sweet talk. Finally, he gave her exactly what she wanted: a sweet, though still hesitant, smile. "That's the handsome smile I love so much. You're my special little boy, aren't you?"

Aiden's face fell once again, confusing Misty. "I thought I was your _big_ boy!"

"Ah, yes, silly me," Misty giggled. "How could I forget! You _are_ my big boy, Aiden. All grown up!"

"No," Aiden refuted, patting the side of his mother's stomach. "Not all grown up. Just a little."

"You're not all grown up?" Misty asked with a playful gasp.

"No!"

"How come?"

"Because…I'm still a kid," Aiden murmured. "I like playing and stuff."

"Oh, I see."

"But I'm still a big boy!"

"Yes, you are. My only boy, too!"

Aiden smiled at this and moved his hand to the center of Misty's belly. "You got a girl in here."

"I do," Misty giggled. "But she acts more like you than Michelle!"

"Yeah, she's kicking lots!" Aiden marveled.

"You feel her jumping around, huh?" Misty asked. "She's extra hyper today! I wonder why."

"Maybe she wants to come out," Michelle suggested.

"No, it's not time for her to come out yet!" Misty laughed, rubbing the bottom of her stomach. "You hear that, little girl? You're not going anywhere. So get nice and comfy in there."

"Aw, she just wants to play with us!" Michelle tried.

"Ah, you think she wants to come out to play, don't you?" Misty cooed.

"_I_ want her to come out and play," Michelle murmured, hugging her mother's gravid midsection. "I want my little sister, Mommy!"

"I know you do," Misty giggled. "And you'll get her soon enough! Not too much longer, now. But remember what Daddy and I told you two. The baby's not going to be able to play right away. She'll be too small! But, eventually, she'll be the perfect playmate for you two."

Michelle rested her cheek against Misty's belly and smiled. Aiden, on the other hand, was still patting the bump, his eyes shining with interest. Sighing happily to herself, Misty hugged both children, pulling them closer to her and subsequently wrapping those same arms around her midsection.

"I love having all of my babies here with me," Misty murmured, beaming down at Aiden and Michelle. "Nothing makes me happier."

Her stomach let out a loud gurgle, followed by a good, strong kick from the baby. Misty gasped softly and held her belly once again, while Michelle picked her head up and grinned from ear-to-ear.

"She's talking, Mommy!" Michelle squealed.

"Not quite, seashell," Misty giggled. "That was just my tummy grumbling! I think I'm hungry."

"Let's eat!" Aiden suggested, his eyes lighting up. He loved food just as much as his father, and it showed.

"We can't eat until Daddy comes home," Misty informed her son. "But he should be here soon enough. He might want to sit with us for a little bit first. Then we can focus on eating!"

Just as Misty had guessed, it only took around five minutes for Ash to walk through the front door, a tired though satisfied smile on his handsome face. Normally, the twins would have rushed to the door and enthusiastically greeted him, but at the moment, they were too enthralled with what was going on inside of their mother. It had become a common occurrence over the past few months, and Ash had gotten used to it.

"Something tells me the baby is up and kicking!" Ash chuckled, closing the door behind him. "I'm missing my welcome wagon."

"She's stealing all of your fans already," Misty quipped, eyes glimmering with mischievousness. "A little heartbreaker!"

"I'm okay with that," Ash assured his wife, walking towards the couch. "She's the only person I'd let do that. Works on me, too."

Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder and scurried onto the couch, sitting on Misty's shoulder for a quick second in order to lick the gym leader's cheek before leaping up onto the top of the couch and curling up into a ball.

"Pikachu's sleepy," Michelle murmured.

"He's always sleepy after work," Ash agreed. "But, as soon as dinner is ready, he'll be wide awake!"

Misty glanced up at Ash and noticed that his eyes were shimmering. He looked completely enamored…so in love. She knew exactly what he wanted, and it brought a sweet smile to her face.

"Something tells me you're not ready for dinner yet," Misty whispered, gently rubbing the bottom of her belly.

"Not quite," Ash confirmed, his eyes not moving. "I've got to do something else first."

Misty's smile only widened at this. She opened up her legs, seeing as there was no more room on the couch, and allowed Ash to settle between her thighs on the floor. Eyes still glowing, Ash pulled Misty's shirt up just enough so it rested above her belly button. Leaning forward, he pressed his lips against her warm, tight skin and began to kiss her belly nearly as passionately as he kissed her lips. Misty watched contently and happily as Ash's lips would gently part and then close again, his warm breath tickling her as he ravished her body.

"Did you miss her?" Misty asked, gently stroking Ash's hair with her fingertips.

"I did," Ash confirmed, his lips not leaving Misty's stomach for even a second.

"I think she missed you too," Misty giggled. "She's giving you lots of love right now, isn't she?"

"Mmhm."

Aiden and Michelle watched their father in awe. It wasn't strange for them to see their father being so gentle. They knew he had a tougher side, but that was really only reserved for battling. With them, he was loving and very tender. So they weren't surprised to see him fawning over the unborn baby. In fact, he talked about how excited he was to meet her every single day.

"I told Mommy I want her to come out, Daddy," Michelle informed her father, who finally separated from Misty's stomach to smile at the little girl.

"I think I know what she said in response," Ash chuckled.

"She said the baby can't come out yet, 'cause she's not ready," Michelle replied.

"That's right," Ash laughed. "She may _seem_ ready, but she's not! She's still got some time left, and a bit more growing to do."

"Although I'd appreciate it if maybe she didn't grow too much more," Misty huffed. "I can only handle so much."

"You can handle anything that gets thrown at ya, babe," Ash encouraged, throwing in a wink for good measure.

"I'm glad you have so much confidence in me," Misty droned, grabbing both of Ash's hands and placing them on the sides of her belly. "But, I have to admit, this little girl of ours is making me kind of nervous."

"Why is she making you nervous?" Ash crooned. "She's going to be the sweetest thing!"

"I know she'll be, I can sense it," Misty murmured, a smile appearing on her face. "But that doesn't make me any less nervous. I'm afraid of getting bigger, and something happening to me or her…just normal motherly worries, I guess."

Ash smiled at his wife and craned his head down to kiss Misty's belly again, this time more gently than before. "You're right, angel. It's normal to be worried. But you don't have to be. I'm here for you, you know. I'll always be here for you."

Misty blushed at Ash's gentle reassurances. He always knew how to make her feel better, to make her feel secure and comfortable. It was a very special skill that Misty really appreciated.

"I'm here for you too, Mommy!"

"Yeah, me too!"

Misty felt two more sets of hands settle themselves on her stomach. Looking at either side, she found both Aiden and Michelle beaming up at her, with expressions identical to the one Ash wore. Lowering her eyes, to avoid showing her husband and children the tears that were filling up within them, Misty whimpered softly and happily before picking her head back up and placing her hands on her belly to join everyone else's.

"You're all right," Misty breathed, her smile widening. "I have no reason to be afraid. Not when I have all of you. My best friends!"

The baby continued to kick beneath all of their palms, causing all of them to laugh cheerfully.

"Yes, sprinkle," Misty murmured, using her already affectionate nickname for the unborn child. "You're one of my best friends too. And I love you very, very much." Looking around at the rest of her family, and then down at their hands on her stomach, Misty added, "we all do."

* * *

><p><strong>Squeee family bonding time! These are my favorite kinds of stories to write ^^<strong>


	280. A Special Date

**I don't know where this came from. I was watching the Olympics and it got me to thinking about all the different Pokémon League tournaments and when they would occur, how they would be put on, etc etc. So...I came up with this little piece :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 and a half years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>A Special Date<strong>

"So coming up in just a few days we have the start of the Johto League Silver Conference here at the base of Mt. Silver, and of course everyone is talking about the opening ceremonies."

"Well we all have a fairly basic idea of what to expect at the ceremonies. Of course we'll be seeing all of the region's gym leaders, the Elite Four, and the Johto champion. But I think everyone will really be waiting for the grand entrance of the Pokémon Master."

"That's right. Of course we all knew ahead of time that his wife, Kanto gym leader Misty, would not be attending this victory tournament, so the question now is who will accompany him on the field."

Scott sighed and turned the television off. Whipping around, he opened his mouth to speak, but stopped and sighed instead when he realized that the person he wanted to talk to was fast asleep.

"Oh, for Arceus' sake…"

Ash had his head tilted back, mouth wide open as he snored. Sleeping on top of him was his older daughter Michelle, curled up in a ball and breathing gently in and out.

"Ash!"

The man choked, his breath getting momentarily caught in his throat as the snore was disrupted. Looking up at Scott with wide eyes, Ash blinked just once before glancing down at Michelle, relieved to see that the young girl was still asleep.

"Scott, you're gonna wake Michelle up," Ash lamented in a hushed tone. "Can't you yell at me more quietly?"

"I'm not yelling at you," Scott groaned. "I was just frustrated to see you asleep was all."

"What's the difference?"

"Look," Scott sighed, rubbing his temples. "We still have to discuss the Silver Conference."

"What about it?"

"Misty's absence."

"Oh, right."

"What's your plan with that?"

"Well, Misty's definitely not up for it," Ash replied. "She's really sore and tired."

"I'm not surprised, it's only been a week since the birth, after all," Scott murmured. "She's still asleep upstairs?"

"Either that or taking care of Elizabeth," Ash groaned as he stretched his arms up over his head. "She's being really particular and protective right now. I feel lucky when I get to _hold_ her."

"I don't expect her to make the trek to Mt. Silver," Scott continued. "Never did, in fact."

Ash frowned at this. "You're not going to take it out on her, are you?"

"No," Scott quickly refuted. "I may be an anxious man, but I'm not stupid. I can't berate your wife for being exhausted after having a baby. It'd be asinine."

"And dumb," Ash added, not understanding the definition of the word "asinine."

"Yes," Scott drawled, narrowing his eyes behind his sunglasses. "But still, I think it might look strange if you appear at the ceremony by yourself."

"Why?" Ash chirped.

"It's nearly tradition for the Master to be accompanied by his wife," Scott explained. "Of course, no master has ever been as young as you. None of their wives has ever really had a child while their husband was the master. Not in recent history, anyway. Of course, there's the ones who had extramarital affairs and children out of wedlock, but-"

"That's not me," Ash interrupted, his voice _and_ face surprisingly stern.

"I never said it was!" Scott quickly retorted. "You're very good and loyal, Ash. But back in the day, those masters never had much tact."

"Clearly," Ash scoffed.

"Either way, I still think it would be best to be accompanied by someone," Scott cleared his throat. "What about your mother?"

"No," Ash scoffed, wrinkling his nose. "I'll get mocked!"

"What is this, elementary school?" Scott deadpanned.

"Not to me, but some people are dumb," Ash muttered.

"Ash, I know for sure that if you walk onto that field with any other woman who isn't your mother, Misty will positively lose her mind," Scott sighed.

"I know, that's why I came up with a plan," Ash effortlessly commented.

"A…a plan?" Scott stammered.

"Yep."

"What kind of a convoluted plan have you concocted this time?" Scott demanded.

"It's a good one," Ash promised. "Everyone will like it."

"Will _I_ like it?"

"You're part of everyone, aren't you?"

"Not necessarily," Scott grumbled.

"You should really learn to trust me more," Ash chastised. "Sometimes, I come up with really good ideas!"

"Those are few and far between," Scott hummed.

"Hey!"

"Look, all I need to know is that you're not planning anything that could potentially destroy the stadium," Scott sighed. "No fireworks, stray hyper beams, angry Charizard-"

"No, nothing like that," Ash interrupted. "It's totally innocent. I swear!"

Scott pressed his lips together in contemplation before slowly nodding his head. "Alright. Very well. Tell me what your idea is."

**XXX**

Just a few days later, when the Silver Conference finally arrived, everyone was waiting with bated breath to see what Ash was going to do. Many had speculated that Misty would show up anyway, not taking into account just how exhausted she actually was.

Unfortunately for them, that wouldn't come to fruition. Misty was still home in Kanto, taking care of baby Elizabeth with the help of Ash's mother, who also hadn't accompanied him to the tournament.

Scott, along with fans and media alike, was watching the field, which was currently occupied by the Johto gym leaders, Elite Four, and champion. They stood on varying heighted platforms: gym leaders lowest, Elite Four in the center, and the champion up top. They had all been formally introduced already, and the only figure left waiting was Ash.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the field Pokémon Master Ash Ketchum!"

Scott held his breath as the crowd roared. Eyes glued to the field entrance through his dark lenses, the manager watched as his young client strode onto the field, smiling and waving at the audience. Walking along by his sides, seemingly oblivious to all of the activity buzzing around them, were Aiden and Michelle. Aiden was busy hopping along, almost trying to run out of his father's sight. Michelle, on the other hand, was much more reserved. The further they walked, the more she seemed to notice the crowd, and the more shy she became. By the time they reached centerfield, Michelle was clinging to Ash's legs and looking around hesitantly. Aiden had returned to Ash's side, and silently watched his nervous sister in fascination.

Scott watched on as Ash knelt down and lifted Michelle into his arms, holding her close and whispering something in her ear. Timidly, Michelle lifted a hand and wiggled her little fingers at the audience before lowering it and looking over unsurely at Ash, who grinned and nodded confidently in response.

Despite his admittedly stern exterior and casual attitude towards Ash's relationship with the little ones, Scott smiled. It _was_ rather sweet, after all. You'd have to be heartless not to be moved by the scene. And Scott may have been tough, but he wasn't heartless.

Even Ash could tell you that.

"_Aiden, Michelle, how would you two like to be my dates for the Silver Conference?"_

_The twins' jaws dropped, and they both stared up at their father in awe. He was smirking, and behind him, Scott stood with a staid expression. He had to admit that he'd been wary of Ash's plan. Sure, it wasn't anything dangerous or career threatening, so he didn't have much right to complain. But that wasn't the point. Scott still wasn't certain that bringing along two five year olds as accompaniment to a major League event was so wise. Could it be considered mockery? He wasn't sure._

"_Yeah huh!" Michelle giggled. "I wanna be your date, Daddy!"_

_She ran up to him and hugged his legs. Smirking, Ash bent over and patted her head, to which she snuggled her cheek against his knee._

"_I wanna go too!" Aiden cried. "But I don't wanna be a date, Daddy. That's for girls."_

"_No it's not!" Ash chuckled. "Mommy is my date all the time for things. That's why I want you two to be my dates!"_

"_Cause Mommy can't go?" Aiden murmured._

"_Yes, that's exactly why," Ash replied. _

_Aiden pressed his lips together in thought. "I dunno, Daddy. Mommy might get mad. She might get jeal-sos."_

"_You mean jealous," Ash laughed. "And I promise she won't! I think you two are the only ones who can be with me and _not _make her jealous."_

"_What about Lizzie?" Michelle asked, picking her head up to stare at her father._

"_I think right now, she's jealous of _me _when I'm with Lizzie," Ash snickered. "She sure is protective of your baby sister!"_

"_And that's why she's gotta stay here," Aiden concluded._

"_Yes, she's very tired and very protective," Ash confirmed. _

"_Okay," Aiden finally decided. "I'll go. And I'll be your date. But no girls!"_

"_You got it, bud," Ash agreed. "No girls! Except for Michelle."_

"_Yay me!" Michelle cheered, earning laughter from her father and brother. Even better, she had even earned a small smile from, of all people, Scott._

He hadn't doubted himself…or Ash, since then. Scott knew it would be a good move. And for once in his life, he wasn't referring to Ash's career. Rather, he was referring to Ash's comfort. Scott knew that if Misty couldn't be there, the next best thing would be their children.

At least he could still boast that he was right.

* * *

><p><strong>Scott wasn't going to be such a big part of this one, but I felt like it was tied together more nicely when he was. He kind of acts as Ash's insane little conscious, anyway :P<strong>


	281. The Littlest Valentine

**Happy Valentine's Day! Not exactly my favorite holiday, but in my -verse, it IS Ash and Misty's wedding anniversary. So, of course, I have a special one shot for it ^^ Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><span><strong>The Littlest Valentine<strong>

"Whoa."

Misty smirked at her husband's reaction and leaned against the bannister. "Speechless?"

"Just a little…"

She let out a soft giggle and further rested herself atop the railing. "That's very unusual for you, Mr. Pokémon Master."

"I'm…just really…distracted?" Ash lamely replied.

"It's okay, I understand," Misty purred. "That _was_ my goal, after all."

Despite being flustered by his wife's appearance and actions, Ash still managed to smirk and slowly shake his head. "Great, it worked. Now…could you take yourself off the bannister, please?"

"Why?"

"Because I'm seeing way too much, and if you don't get it out my sight, we'll never make it to dinner."

Misty looked down and instantly blushed, realizing that she was, in fact, practically spilling out of the deep V-neck of her red blouse. With some obvious hurry, she stood back up straight, smiling more sheepishly than cheekily now.

"Sorry," Misty hummed.

"I mean, I wouldn't mind spending our anniversary in the bedroom, but I know that's not your ideal date night," Ash chuckled.

"Not entirely," Misty agreed. "Maybe as the grand finale, but not the _whole_ night."

"Good, because I'm hungry," Ash laughed. "I gotta get my strength up before I try to do any of that!"

"Oh, Ash," Misty sighed, shaking her head as she went down the stairs. "What am I going to do with you?"

"None of that stuff," Ash quipped. "Not until you eat too, anyway! You also need to keep your strength up."

"Hmm," Misty droned, walking down the stairs until she was in front of Ash. "So worrisome."

"I have a right to be, don't I?" Ash asked.

"I guess."

Ash smirked at Misty's playful indifference. "Little miss tough, huh?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Misty giggled. "I'm just being myself!"

"Really?" Ash teased. "Then perhaps you don't want these…"

He moved his hands, which had been hidden behind his back the entire time, in front of himself, revealing to Misty a bouquet of twelve red roses.

"Oh, Ash!" Misty breathed, accepting the flowers and studying them with sparkling emerald eyes. "They're so beautiful!"

"I'm glad you like them!" Ash chuckled. "I made sure to pick out the nicest ones the florist had."

"Now I might cry," Misty admitted with a giggle, striding forward and pressing her lips against Ash's. "Thank you!"

"Don't cry," Ash chuckled, kissing Misty back. "I don't like it when you cry!"

"Even when they're happy tears?" Misty asked curiously.

"Even when they're happy tears," Ash confirmed, patting Misty's shoulder. "Come on! We don't want to be late for our reservation!"

"Now you sound like me," Misty quipped as she walked into the kitchen to put the roses in a vase.

Ash smirked to himself and strode towards the front door, grabbing Misty's navy blue pea coat and holding it open towards her as she came back into the foyer, waiting to slip it on her.

"You sure are being romantic tonight," Misty commented, spinning around and sliding her arms through the sleeves.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Ash questioned. "It's our anniversary!"

"But still," Misty murmured, narrowing her eyes. "Do you have something planned?"

"Aside from dinner?" Ash teased.

"Ash!"

"No!"

"I don't know, it all seems strange to me," Misty mused.

"Why is it strange?" Ash chuckled huskily. "Don't you know I love you?"

"Of course I do!" Misty rushed out, following behind Ash as he opened up the door, having already pulled on his own black wool coat. "You're just a little crafty sometimes!"

"I am not," Ash calmly argued. "Just believe me, okay? I'm not up to anything. I swear. I was just teasing you a little is all!"

Misty raised an eyebrow at this. "For someone who loves me so much, you sure do tease me a lot."

"Only because I know you can take it," Ash breathed, wrapping his arm around Misty's shoulders and giving her a kiss on the cheek. "You're my tough girl!"

Finally, for the first time since all of the back and forth teasing had begun, Misty's smile became genuine.

**XXX**

Dinner, which had really been Ash and Misty's only plan for their anniversary all along, had gone wonderfully.

It was nice for them to have an evening without their children, as much as they loved the two. Delia, of course, had jumped in and offered to watch them for the entire day, so Aiden and Michelle were staying at her house in Pallet. It would give Ash and Misty the rest of the night all to themselves, and when you were parents, that was the best possible gift in the entire world.

They got to sit in a booth tucked away in the corner, away from prying eyes and nosy diners. Had anyone actually been able to see the couple, they would have seen the two nestled up against one another, talking softly and innocently flirting with one another. It would have also been obvious to them how protective Ash was being of Misty. Even when it was just the waiter coming over, he would hold her more tightly. It was all subconscious, of course, but Misty appreciated it none the less.

And, had anyone been able to able to glance _beneath_ the table, they would have seen Ash gently rubbing Misty's belly.

She had tried to encourage him to drink either wine or champagne, but he wouldn't do it. All because she couldn't. So, instead, they had settled on sparkling water, which Ash had insisted be served in wine glasses to make it feel more romantic. Misty, of course, had laughed about it, but she did find it to be rather cute.

The food had been delicious and plentiful, which was good because both Ash and Misty were very hungry. Even though Ash had teased Misty about getting salad as an appetizer (he wanted her to eat something more substantial than just lettuce) she was able to shut his mouth with her steak dinner, which she finished every last bite of.

Of course, Misty's favorite part of the meal had been desert. She couldn't decide between three different things on the menu, so Ash had done what any loving husband would do: he'd ordered one of each desert. Misty thought he had lost his mind, but she certainly wasn't complaining when all of the plates had come out. All of the chocolate cake, apple pie, cheesecake, crème Brule, fresh berries, and ice cream was exactly what Misty had been looking for…perhaps even more than the actual food. Ash usually discouraged his wife's cravings for all things sweet, but he figured that with it being their anniversary _and_ Valentine's Day…he could let it slide for one night.

Once they were finished with their dinner, Ash and Misty left the restaurant holding hands and smiling contently. Misty was expecting them to head home, since it was a bit on the later side, so she was surprised when Ash led her in the wrong direction.

"We were supposed to make a right after the jewelry store, Ash," Misty reminded her husband. "You didn't actually forget the way to our house, did you?"

"Of course not."

Misty raised an eyebrow at this. Ash sounded so confident, like he had some kind of a…oh no.

"You lied to me!"

Ash looked over his shoulder and smirked. Misty's face was totally flushed, and she looked ready to tear him apart.

"I didn't lie," Ash crooned.

"Yes you did!" Misty bit. "You said you had nothing planned!"

"This wasn't planned, it's spontaneous," Ash quipped.

"Another lie! You're so ridiculous!"

"Mist, come on, you have to live a little!" Ash urged. "It's like we had kids and you lost all of your sense of adventure. You know I'm not gonna do anything bad, so trust me!"

"That's what you said the last time," Misty muttered. "And then you lied."

"Just…trust me," Ash sighed, not knowing what else to say. "It'll all be worth it. Promise!"

**XXX**

"So…was it worth it?"

Misty smirked as Ash whispered in her ear, the two of them lying side-by-side on the grass of Cerulean Cape. "I guess…"

"You _guess?!_"

"I don't want to give you a victory!"

"Oh, I already got my victory, babe."

"Yeah? How's that?"

"I got you."

Misty let out a strangled laugh at this. "You're so cheesy."

"But you love it!"

"I guess."

"You _guess?!_"

Misty turned her head and looked over at Ash, smiling sweetly at him. "Just kidding. I do."

Ash smirked and leaned his head forward, catching Misty's lips in a kiss. Misty giggled and returned the action, the young couple enraptured in the moment until both broke and rested their foreheads together.

"I love Valentine's Day," Misty whispered whimsically. "I love this. Just the two of us…"

"The _three _of us," Ash corrected, placing a hand on Misty's slightly swollen midsection.

"Well, it's _normally_ just the two of us," Misty giggled. "But you gave me a little stowaway!"

"Hey, that little stowaway is very special to me," Ash teased, kissing Misty's cheek.

"It's special to me, too!" Misty laughed.

"Maybe…" Ash began before trailing off with nothing more than a noise of interest. Misty watched as Ash got up on his knees, reaching into his coat pocket and pulling out a black pen.

"What are you doing?" Misty asked in a hushed tone.

"You'll see," Ash promised, unbuttoning her coat and pulling up the woman's blouse. She hissed as the cool air hit her skin, and squeezed her eyes shut as a harsh wind licked at her.

"At least there's no snow," Misty grunted, resting her head back against the grass. "I wish I knew what you were up to…"

Ash placed his fingertips gently against Misty's stomach, feeling around in a gentle manner. Eventually, he stopped on the right side, just below Misty's belly button.

"It's right here," Ash whispered, his voice airy and excited.

"The baby?" Misty murmured. "You can't feel it yet!"

"Yes I can."

Misty sighed and rolled her eyes at Ash's response. He was just so stubborn. Before she knew it, however, the slick tip of the pen was being held against her skin, in the exact same spot that Ash's fingers had just been. The ink was just a bit colder than the February air, so it sent another shiver up Misty's spine. Fortunately, the pen was only there for a matter of seconds, and soon enough, it was removed.

As soon as she felt Ash pull the pen away, Misty sat up on her elbows and craned her head down, examining the spot where Ash had drawn on. What she found was a tiny heart, surprisingly neat and even for something created by Ash's own hand.

"A heart?" Misty murmured.

"Yeah," Ash replied with a small, sheepish chuckle. "It's my valentine."

Misty blinked just once before her eyes began to water. "Y-your valentine?"

"My littlest valentine," Ash confirmed, crawling over to Misty's side and lying down once again to press his lips against the heart he had just drawn on Misty's flesh. "Right?" He whispered against it. "You're my tiny valentine?"

Despite still being fairly early into her pregnancy, Misty felt a flutter from within and positively beamed. "Ash, it can hear you! It gave me a little nudge!"

Ash smiled against his wife's skin, which in turn only widened hers. "Our little stowaway is happy then, huh?"

"Yes," Misty laughed at the newly-persistent nickname. "Very happy!"

Crawling up further, Ash bent his head down and once again caught Misty's lips in his own. He raised a hand to her cheek and held it there sweetly, the fingers on his other hand grazing the spot where he'd drawn the heart for their unborn child.

"I love both of you," Ash whispered against her lips. "I love you, and the baby, and Aiden and Michelle. I love all of you. So much. Thank you."

"Thank you?" Misty repeated, her voice trembling. "For what?"

"For everything," Ash breathed, finally collapsing back down and pulling Misty's head against his own. "I just love you so much, Misty. I love you."

Misty smirked once again, but this time, it had sweet connotations. "You're forgetting your words again, Ash."

"Am I?" Ash chuckled softly.

"But it's okay," Misty assured him, leaving a delicate kiss on the tip of his nose. "I love you, too. And I love all of our children just the same. So…I should be thanking you."

Ash sighed contently and began to nuzzle Misty's face once again. "We can both be thankful for one another. I think that's perfect."

Misty tilted her head up just enough to leave a chaste, innocent kiss against her husband's mouth. "Happy anniversary, Ash."

The raven haired man smiled and gave Misty the exact same kiss back. "Happy anniversary, angel."

* * *

><p><strong>Squeee, I love them so much 3 I've wanted to write this idea for a while, where Ash makes Elizabeth his littlest Valentine :)<strong>


	282. Pretty in Pink

**I felt like writing some more Elizabeth torture. Of course, it's just because she's a toddler that she's torturing them, but still. It's fun :P**

**Elizabeth: 3 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Pretty in Pink<strong>

"Elizabeth, isn't this dress pretty?"

The three year old glanced up at her mother, who was holding the article of clothing in her hands. It had a gray top, with the skirt made of elegant black and gold brocade. Elizabeth scrunched up her nose and quickly shook her head, deflating her mother's face.

"No?"

"No, Mommy," Elizabeth confirmed.

Misty sighed and put the dress back down. It sounded bad, but she sort of hated that Elizabeth was now old enough to have opinions, especially over her clothing. It was much easier to dress her when she was little and had no say. Now, however, she was quite opinionated, and refused to wear anything that she didn't like. It made both shopping and getting her dressed every day a real challenge.

"What about this one?" Misty tried, walking over to a red dress printed with blue flowers.

"No, Mommy."

Misty sighed and slumped her shoulders. She was really beginning to lose her patience. "Alright, Elizabeth. Show me which dress you _do_ like, then."

At this, the child's eyes lit up. She bolted across the store, like a Rapidash, until she was standing in front of a pink and black dress with a layered tutu as a skirt and a bow at the waist.

"This one!" Elizabeth cheered, throwing her hand up in front of the overly girly outfit.

Misty cringed at it. She knew Elizabeth's favorite color was pink, but she'd always tried to not be that mother who put her baby girls in everything pink. She thought it was just so confining. Elizabeth, however, was absolutely obsessed with the color, and it was becoming that she refused to wear _anything _that didn't involve it.

"Elizabeth, sweetie, you have so many pink clothes!" Misty exclaimed. "Why don't we try another color? Like purple! That's pretty, right?"

"No, Mommy," Elizabeth replied quite seriously. "Pink."

Misty groaned loudly, hoping her toddler would get the hint, but it didn't seem to work. Still smiling, Elizabeth danced around her mother and bean bouncing on her toes, reaching up for the dress that she wanted so badly.

"Okay, okay!" Misty huffed, not wanting her daughter to hurt herself. "Mommy will get the dress for you, lovey. Just…stop doing that. You're scaring me."

Elizabeth stopped jumping at this. "Why?"

"Because I'm afraid something is going to fall on you," Misty sighed, looking through the rack of dresses to find Elizabeth's size.

"Why?"

"Because if something falls down, and you get hit by it, you're going to get hurt," Misty informed the bewildered child.

"Why?"

"No more questions," Misty muttered, leading Elizabeth to blink.

After getting a hold of Elizabeth's desired pink dress, Misty thought about looking for some other clothes for the toddler. But then she decided that it would be useless.

Because unless it was pink, Elizabeth was going to give an argument.

**XXX**

"Elizabeth, time to get dressed!"

The three year old frowned at her father, who looked confused at the reaction.

"Daddy, I wanna wear my dwess!"

"You can wear a dress," Ash tried, his voice was bewildered as his face.

"_No,_" Elizabeth whined, throwing in a pout for good measure. "My sweepy dwess!"

Ash furrowed his brow as Elizabeth tugged at the tulle skirt of her pink nightgown. It was reminiscent of a ballerina princess, and was probably why it was Elizabeth's favorite set of pajamas.

"No, Lizzie, you can't wear your nightgown all day," Ash reasoned through a frown. "You have to get dressed like everyone else!"

"Nuh uh," Elizabeth refuted, still toying with her skirt.

"Look, Daddy is dressed!" Ash tried, pointing to his dark shirt and jeans. "Don't you want to be dressed like Daddy?"

"No."

Biting his lower lip, Ash began to feel defeated. Then, he remembered what Misty had been ranting and raving about to him the night before. "Do you want to pick your own outfit, Lizzie?"

Right away, the little girl lit up and rapidly nodded her head.

"Okay," Ash chuckled. "But it has to be _clothes_, okay? No nightgown."

Elizabeth nodded obediently at her father's order. He watched on with a smile as the little girl teetered over to her drawers and pulled one open, digging through the piles of clothes in search of something she liked. Ash watched on in slight horror as his daughter threw her clothes all over the floor, all different colors flying past him and landing in an unorganized pile.

"Lizzie, do you really have to throw that stuff on the floor?" Ash asked.

"I don't wan' 'em, Daddy."

Ash groaned and rubbed his eyes. He was finding his daughter's newfound independence to be _extremely_ tiring, especially when it came to getting dressed. He already didn't really know how to dress a girl, so when Elizabeth wanted to do it herself, it just became even worse.

"Dis, Daddy!"

Ash looked up and found Elizabeth to be holding up a pink shirt with ruffles on the bottom.

"More pink?" Ash asked dejectedly.

"I wove pink," Elizabeth replied quite seriously.

"I know you do," Ash sighed, reaching for the shirt. "You never want to wear another color, pumpkin? Like maybe a pretty blue? Or green?"

"No," Elizabeth refuted with a scrunched up nose. "Onwy pink."

"But you'd look so pretty in green!" Ash tried. "It'll make your eyes look so bright! Have you ever seen your mommy in green? She's so beautiful in that color."

"Daddy, I don' _wike_ gween," Elizabeth sighed. "I onwy wike pink and nofin' ewse."

Ash bit his lip as Elizabeth tried to pull her pink nightgown over her head, proceeding to get it stuck there with her arms held high over her head.

"Daddy!" Elizabeth yelped. "Hewp!"

"I'm comin', pumpkin," Ash chuckled, walking over to the little girl. He successfully pulled the nightgown over her head, freeing the little girl from her self-created trap. Elizabeth squeaked once it slid over her head and looked up at her father, giggling excitedly. "You are so silly, Elizabeth!"

"I know," Elizabeth murmured, scrambling towards her bed where her father had put down the ruffled pink shirt.

"Can you put your shirt on by yourself?" Ash asked kindly.

"Uh huh!" Elizabeth chirped, grabbing the top with her little hands. Locating the bottom, she opened up the shirt and pulled it over her head. The way she did it, however, was uncoordinated and unsound, and it led to her getting her arms caught inside the shirt. "Daddy, hewp!"

"Oh boy," Ash sighed. Fortunately, he was still kneeling down from when Elizabeth had gotten her nightgown stuck. Twisting the shirt around so it was properly facing front, Ash tugged it over her head and coaxed her arms through the two smaller holes. "There we go!"

Elizabeth beamed at her father and clapped her hands together, giggling just as she had after her nightgown mishap.

"You need some bottoms to go with that shirt," Ash mused laughingly. "What do you want to wear, Lizzie? A skirt?"

"No," Elizabeth refuted. "Pant!"

"You want pants?"

"Yea."

"Okay," Ash murmured, getting back to his feet and walking over to the toddler's closet. "How about some jeans? You want those?"

"Yea!"

Ash smirked and slowly shook his head, pulling out a pair of blue denim pants. As soon as Elizabeth saw them, however, her face fell.

"What?" Ash asked, looking at the pants. "They're jeans!"

"Dey'we bwue," Elizabeth muttered.

"Yeah?"

"I wan' pink!"

Ash furrowed his brow at Elizabeth's request. "You've already got a pink shirt on, Lizzie. Don't you think pink pants will be too much?"

"No."

Sighing, Ash put the blue jeans back and instead pulled out a pair of bright pink jeans. "Better?"

"Yea!" Elizabeth giggled.

"Mommy's gonna kill me," Ash muttered, moving back towards Elizabeth. "Can you put your _pants_ on by yourself?"

"Uh huh!" Elizabeth trilled. Ash handed the toddler her bottoms and watched on as the little girl stared at them curiously before trying to stick her left leg into the right hole as she jumped up and down. All of the hopping sent her falling onto her butt, pants only half on the wrong leg. "Daddy, hewp!"

Ash sighed and ran a hand through his raven hair. "You're killin' me, baby."

**XXX**

"Alright, Mist, our daughter is dressed."

Misty turned around from the counter and smiled at Ash. That grin quickly faded, however, when she saw that Elizabeth was dressed in head-to-toe pink. Pink shirt, pink pants, pink socks…even a pink headband in her hair!

"Oh…my gods," Misty muttered, her brow furrowing.

Ash, for what it was worth, did not look thrilled himself, so at least she knew he hadn't done it to be funny. "She won't wear anything that's not pink."

"No," Elizabeth confirmed with giggle. "Onwy pink!"

"Oh, Elizabeth," Misty sighed, taking the toddler from Ash's arms and instead holding the child in her own. "How did you come out so girly, huh? Where'd you learn to love pink so much?"

"Dunno," Elizabeth murmured. "I…I juft wike it!"

"Clearly," Misty sighed before giggling and kissing the little one's forehead. "Are you hungry, sprinkle? Would you like some breakfast?"

"Uh huh!"

"Good," Misty hummed, giving Elizabeth another kiss before carrying her over to the kitchen table. "I've got some tasty oatmeal all ready for you. I'll just put it in a bowl!"

Elizabeth smiled and swung her legs off the edge of the chair, waiting patiently for her mother to return with her meal.

"Mist, I'm a little curious," Ash piped up, watching as his wife spooned the hot cereal into a plastic bowl.

"About what?"

"What happens if you manage to get Elizabeth into something that isn't pink?"

Misty raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Ash, slowly shaking her head. "Trust me, you don't want to know." With the bowl full, Misty turned and walked back over, smiling sweetly as she placed the meal in front of her daughter. "There you go, sweetie."

Elizabeth took one look at the oatmeal, and instantly, her smile faded. Misty was totally bewildered, as was Ash.

"Lizzie, sweetheart, what's wrong?" Misty crooned. "Oatmeal is your favorite!"

Elizabeth's brow furrowed, and with a clearly unhappy tone, she shrieked, "Mommy, dis bowl is _puwple_! _Not_ pink!"

Ash's eyes widened as the child's eyes filled with tears, her lower lip quivering as she stared up at her mother in distress. Groaning, Misty grabbed the bowl and marched back over to the counter, placing it down roughly before walking over to the cupboard and searching for a _pink_ bowl. Before she grabbed it, however, she looked back up at Ash with narrowed emerald eyes, so full of frustrated fury that the poor man felt a chill go up his spine.

"_That's_ what happens."

* * *

><p><strong>I'm pretty sure I was just like Elizabeth when I was little. No pink...no service.<strong>


	283. Sunflora Scout

**I keep seeing Girl Scout cookies everywhere...there's your inspiration for this one.**

**Michelle: 6 years old**

**Elizabeth: 6 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Sunflora Scout<strong>

"Ooh, look how _cute_ I look!"

Daisy giggled at her niece's excitement, while Dakota just rolled her eyes from behind. Michelle was busy staring at herself in the mirror, admiring the new outfit that her aunt had gotten for her. It consisted of a sunny yellow blouse, with a green sash going around her body and a green skirt on her lower half.

"You make a perfect Sunflora Scout, Shelly!" Daisy giggled. "Like…the cutest one _ever!_"

"Hey!" Dakota protested, her eyes lighting up with fury. "What about _me?!_"

"Well, Dakota, you're not a Sunflora Scout anymore," Daisy sighed. "You're a _Bellossom Scout_."

"Yeah, but I _was_ a Sunflora Scout," Dakota huffed. "When I was younger, anyway."

"Right, but you're not a little girl anymore," Daisy teased. "And it's your job as a Bellossom Scout to teach younger girls like Michelle _all_ about being a good scout!"

The younger blonde rolled her eyes once again, throwing in a head shake for good measure. Her blouse was green, while the sash and skirt were both red.

"Oh please, what's there to teach her?" Dakota demanded. "How to set up a tent and sell cookies?"

"You're supposed to teach her about being a good girl and all of that," Daisy mumbled. "I mean, not like I would know. I was never a scout or anything."

"If _you_ weren't one, how come _I_ have to be one?" Dakota mused.

"Because your dad thought it was a good idea, or something," Daisy replied. "I don't know. He kept rambling on about it, so I just let him sign you up so he'd stop talking."

At this, Dakota's jaw dropped. "_MOM!_"

Michelle giggled at this and turned around, beaming at her aunt and cousin. "I can't wait to show Mommy and Daddy!"

Dakota looked up at her mother with a raised eyebrow. "Aunt Misty and Uncle Ash aren't gonna like _this._"

"Why not?" Daisy scoffed.

"I don't think Aunt Misty is the kind of person who wants her daughter dressing up all cute and selling people cookies," Dakota theorized.

"Are you kidding?" Daisy breathed. "Your aunt is all _for_ Michelle being an adorable little munchkin! And your uncle just really likes cookies."

Dakota narrowed her eyes at her mother's assumptions. "We'll just see about that."

"Quit doubting me!" Daisy cried. "It's going to work! Come on, I'll just _prove_ it to you."

Dakota arched a blonde eyebrow as her mother marched past her, Michelle similarly watching on with an expression and air of bewilderment.

"Don't bother questioning it," Dakota advised her young cousin. "It won't help you understand her any better."

**XXX**

"Go ahead, Shelly. Ring the doorbell!"

Michelle looked over her shoulder and raised an eyebrow. Daisy was standing only a few feet behind her, encouraging her niece to ring the doorbell to her own house. Dakota, on the other hand, stood next to her mother and just kept rolling her eyes.

"Why?" Michelle finally squeaked.

"Because it'll be so cute!" Daisy squealed. "Just wait until you see your mommy's face!"

Turning her head back around, Michelle shrugged before standing up on her tippy toes and pressing in the white button that served as the doorbell to her family's home. It didn't take long after the ring for the sound of footsteps to be heard padding down from behind the door. They came closer and closer before stopping, accompanied by the opening of the front door. Michelle was soon staring up at her mother, who was holding baby Elizabeth against her hip. As soon as the infant saw her older sister, she cooed excitedly and showed off a gigantic smile.

"Michelle?" Misty murmured. "Why are you dressed like that?"

"I'm a Sunflora Scout, Mommy!" Michelle giggled. "Wanna buy some cookies?"

Misty cocked an eyebrow before looking beyond her daughter and seeing Daisy standing on the walkway with a big smile on her face.

"Daisy, what did you do?" Misty groaned.

"I didn't do anything bad!" Daisy groaned dramatically. "Michelle and I were talking, and she told me she wanted to make more friends and do something fun! So…I signed her up to be a Sunflora Scout!"

With her eyebrow still arched, Misty glanced down at Michelle, who was beaming up at her mother.

"Michelle, is this true?" Misty asked cautiously.

"Uh huh!" Michelle giggled. "I wanted to be a Sunflora Scout, Mommy!"

Misty sighed before smiling, a small giggle escaping her lips. "Well, alright then. You do make a very cute Sunflora Scout!"

"Yay!" Michelle cheered.

"You're not mad?" Daisy gawked.

"Why would I be mad?" Misty scoffed. "You signed her up for Sunflora Scouts, not a fight club."

"Yeah, that's true," Daisy hummed, her sea green eyes lighting up. A victorious smirk soon joined those glimmering orbs, and the blonde beauty looked over at her smug daughter. "I was right! You were wrong!"

Misty laughed nervously at her oldest sister's taunting. The relationship between the blonde mother and daughter was a bit unusual…more like friends than mother and child, in a lot of ways.

"Dakota, you were a Sunflora Scout, weren't you?" Misty asked conversationally, trying to dilute the tension.

"Yeah," Dakota sighed, flipping a golden curl over her shoulder. "But I moved up to Bellossom Scout a while ago. I'm pretty advanced. I'm still working on my badges to try and move up to Whimsicott Scout."

"Really?" Misty marveled. "I thought you didn't like being a scout!"

"No, not really," Dakota agreed. "I just like being the best in everything I do! Scouting, unfortunately enough, just so happens to be one of those things."

"Right…" Misty murmured, sheepishly blinking.

"Mommy," Michelle piped up again, her emerald eyes gleaming. "Buy cookies!"

"I will, sweet-"

"_Cookies?!_"

"Heart," Misty finished with a groan.

Ash came skidding up behind his wife, eyes wide with excitement. Elizabeth gurgled softly to herself and looked behind at her father, reaching out with a tiny hand to try and touch his face.

"Yeah," Michelle squeaked softly.

"Misty, we have to buy cookies!" Ash wheezed.

"Obviously I'm going to buy cookies from our daughter," Misty grumbled.

"How many cookies should I buy, princess?" Ash sweetly asked his older daughter, pulling his wallet out of his pocket. "Tell me! You just say the word and I'll buy 'em!"

"A hundred!" Michelle giggled.

"Okay!" Ash chirped, opening up his wallet and preparing to pull out a stack of bills. Rolling her eyes, Misty placed her hand over Ash's in order to silently discourage him from doing such a thing.

"We are not buying a hundred boxes of cookies, Ash," Misty groaned. "That's ridiculous."

"But I love cookies, and I love our daughter!" Ash cried. "It's like a win-win!"

"Not for this family's _finances _it isn't!" Misty yelped.

"Oh, yeah, okay, Mist," Ash scoffed. "And _who's _in charge of the money here?"

"Me."

Ash's face deflated at this, knowing his wife was correct. With a small huff, she held her hand out for his wallet, which he dejectedly placed in her palm as he hung his head down in obvious shame.

"See? I was right about that, too!" Daisy giggled.

"Right about what?" Dakota muttered.

"That your uncle loves cookies!"

"Mom, any _stranger on the street_ could have told you Uncle Ash loves cookies!" Dakota whined.

"Yeah…" Daisy trailed off before perking up once again. "But I was still right!"

Dakota grumbled something inaudible before burying her face in her hands. "Sometimes I wonder why I don't go to work with _Dad._"

* * *

><p><strong>I miss being a Girl Scout. Sort of. Selling the cookies was the best part. And our pizza parties. Aaah, memories. Good times :P I bet Michelle would like it though, considering she doesn't do any sports like her other siblings ^^<strong>


	284. Instincts

**So lately, I've been really stressed about potentially getting a little in my sorority. It's a fun time, but it's also nervewracking. It's basically like having a kid! Without all the pain and stuff. So...because I've been so panicky and just a general hot mess all week, I came up with a story I felt I could relate to :)**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Instincts<strong>

_What am I doing? _

Misty was sitting on the couch, trying her best to watch TV. Unfortunately, it was the middle of the day, and that meant nothing good was on. Not even the trashy, overdramatic soap operas that Delia so loved and had even managed to get Misty into. Those were done for the day, and had been replaced by celebrity talk shows. And, as much as she'd been willing herself to, Misty just could not get into tips for cleaning the house in under an hour.

_I probably _should _pay attention to this. Arceus knows as soon as we move into our own house Ash will make a mess of it._

Misty sighed and pulled her legs up onto the couch, nervously digging her nails into her exposed thigh.

_That's not what I have to be concerned about now. No…I've got much bigger concerns than that. Why am I doing this? I can't do this…oh, gods. Is it too late? Can I change my mind now?_

She could, technically. But that wasn't what Misty wanted. Not that way. She should have made her mind up earlier. Been more careful, not so reckless…not so in love and drunk on romance. Now it was like a bad hangover. In more ways than one.

_I'm not going to be any good at this. Why did I think I could do this? I can't! I'm not ready…I needed to wait. Ugh, I'm _such _an idiot! I'll never admit it to Ash, but I'm dumb. Dumb, dumb, dumb. Why do I want to keep smashing my head against a wall? Oh, right. Because I'm dumb._

Her nails sunk deeper into her flesh, but Misty was so preoccupied that she didn't even feel it. Her heart began to race as adrenaline rushed through her veins…and not in a good way. Her eyes widened, refusing to blink. Though still lost in thought, Misty could feel the sweat beginning to collect on her forehead. Not a lot, just enough to prick the skin and bring an uncomfortable, heated itch to it. Her breath began to hitch, refusing to leave her body. It was all trapped in her chest, only adding to the pain from how fast her heart was racing.

_Why did I do this?! I'm insane! I…I don't know what to do!_

"Misty!"

The gym leader nearly screamed as her name was called. Looking up in horrified fashion, her eyes still unblinking, Misty caught sight of Ash, who actually looked quite worried himself.

"What?" Misty rushed out.

"You're bleeding!" Ash hissed, tugging at her hand. Looking down, Misty winced as soon as she saw the five crescent-shaped cuts dotting her pale thigh, blood just pooling at the forefront.

"Oops," Misty murmured.

"Why were you digging your nails into yourself?" Ash muttered, lowering Misty's hand so it instead rested at her side.

"Uh…I…don't know," Misty replied honestly. She had sort of blanked out as soon as the nails had gone into her thigh.

"You don't know?" Ash repeated.

"I can't remember," Misty rectified.

Ash, however, didn't look at all alleviated. "Is something bothering you, Mist?"

"No," Misty huffed.

Ash blinked at this. "Well, you were obviously thinking about something."

"Says who?"

"Me! Mist, you don't just bury your nails into your leg and forget why."

"Ash, I'm fine! Stop pressuring me!" Misty rasped, her cheeks flushing as she cried out.

"I'm not pressuring you," Ash murmured. "You're so worked up! You look so pale…except your cheeks. They're so red…you look like you ran a marathon!"

Misty continued panting, unable to speak again after lashing out before. Reaching out, Ash gently pressed his hand against Misty's chest and let out a quiet gasp.

"Your heart is _racing_," Ash breathed. "What is going on with you?!"

"Nothing!" Misty finally snapped, jumping up from the couch and holding her head in her hands. "Just leave me alone, okay?!"

"Misty, something is wrong!" Ash cried. "You know how much I hate it when you won't tell me what! I feel like I'm hurting you."

"You're not," Misty grumbled, lowering her hands. "I just…I can't deal with it right now, Ash."

"Now's the perfect time to deal with it," Ash argued. "It's stressing you out to the point where I'm afraid you might collapse on the floor! I want to help you, Misty. You have to tell me what's bothering you. This isn't like you, and it scares me."

Looking down sheepishly at her feet, Misty made sure not to make eye contact with Ash as she awkwardly admitted, "I'm scared."

"Scared of what?" Ash breathed.

Misty bit her lower lip and continued staring at her feet.

"Misty," Ash nearly growled, "scared of _what?_"

"Being a mom."

Ash dropped his frustrated expression and sighed sadly. The way Misty had admitted it…her voice breaking as though she were about to burst into tears…it broke his heart.

"Mist," Ash murmured, stepping forward and wrapping her in a tight hug. "You're going to be the best mom in the entire world."

"How can I be the best mom in the entire world when I don't know the first thing about being one?" Misty grumbled.

"Because you'll learn," Ash replied. "And you're a very quick learner, babe. _Much_ quicker than me!"

"But you're always so sweet and wonderful," Misty whined. "And sometimes, I can just be…well…a bitch."

"I don't think you are," Ash assured, kissing the woman's ear.

"What if I'm not capable of loving another human being?" Misty bemoaned. "And I don't mean another human being like you. You're different. We're the same age. So we got along as friends before loving each other. But I've got to love this baby right away. What if I don't? What if there's no connection? I'm _terrified _about that!"

"There will be a connection," Ash promised. "This baby is a mix of you and me. How can there be no connection?"

"I don't know," Misty groaned, "but I'm just…worried about it. I _do_ love the baby now. I do. But when I actually see it…what if that changes?"

"See, Mist, you're smart," Ash breathed, confusing his wife. "But sometimes, that's dangerous."

"How can that be dangerous?" Misty demanded.

"Everything to you is thinking," Ash replied. "It's all very intelligent and calculated. Learned, basically. You're not thinking of instinct."

"Instinct?" Misty repeated quietly.

"That's the difference between you and me," Ash continued. "You're very smart, Mist. I'm not as smart as you. I only run on instinct. And having a baby is more instinct than knowledge. You're not supposed to know what to do with a baby right away! You think I know anything about being a dad? I didn't even have one."

"I know," Misty nearly whimpered. "But you're nicer than me."

Ash smirked. He could tell Misty was just running on hormones at the moment. Poor thing. "That has nothing to do with anything. You're not going to be mean to our baby. Your instincts are going to tell you what to do. They're going to tell you to keep the baby safe and happy. They're going to nag at you all day and all night. But it will be helpful. Your body is going to guide you for once, not your head."

Finally, Misty smiled. "When did you start making sense?"

"When I fell in love with you," Ash replied simply. "And my instincts told me I had to protect you."

"They did?" Misty murmured.

"Of course," Ash chuckled. "I told you, I only run on instinct!"

"So no common sense at all?" Misty teased. "Not even a little bit?"

"Nope," Ash chirped. "If I had _any_ common sense, and not so much instinct, you wouldn't be freaking out about taking care of a baby right now."

"That's…a good point," Misty admitted with a small giggle. "But I _am_ still happy, you know."

"I know you are," Ash assured. "I've never doubted that for a second, Mist."

* * *

><p><strong>I love running with the idea that Misty is more "book smart" and has common sense, while Ash is all instinct. It's like head vs. heart, basically.<strong>


	285. Girls' Day

**Hello, everybody! Today is March 3rd, and in Japan, that means it's Girls' Day! You know, from one of my favorite episodes of the series: Princess vs. Princess. I already wrote a story where Ash buys Michelle's princess dolls, but for the actual day, I wanted to write a one shot using actual aspects of the holiday!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 8 years old**

**Elizabeth: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Girls' Day<strong>

As father and son, Ash and Aiden had a lot in common. They liked all of the same foods, had the same hobbies, and even had the same habits. As a result, they also shared their dislikes.

And that included the specific day of March 3rd.

Aiden hated it more so than his father. At least Ash could appreciate it to _some _extent. But after a while, it would pretty much just start to get on his nerves. They couldn't help it, since they were both men. Well…Aiden was still a _boy,_ but he liked to consider himself more of a man.

Every year on March 3rd, Ash would call Brock over early in the morning to help him make breakfast. The Pokémon Master _obviously _couldn't do it on his own, since he was a dreadful cook. But he didn't want to ruin this special day, even if his wife had a penchant for making it a living hell for him. Although, in reality, it had gotten much better since they had their daughters, since the holiday now held a greater meaning to them.

Fine. Scratch that. Ash _didn't _hate March 3rd.

Brock was just finishing up breakfast when Misty, Michelle, and Elizabeth came flitting down the stairs. Elizabeth, the youngest of the three girls, beamed and lunged at Brock, clearly happy to see her godfather in the house.

"Bwock!" Elizabeth squealed.

"Good morning, little princess!" Brock placed the little girl down on the floor and bowed to her, much to the child's delight.

"Brock, did you make sakuramochi?" Michelle asked excitedly, running towards the Pokémon doctor herself.

"Of course I did!" Brock chuckled, taking a tray off of the counter and holding it in front of the girl. Michelle gasped and leaned into the plate, getting an eye full of the tasty confectionary: a sweet, pink rice cake stuffed with red bean paste and covered by an edible sakura leaf.

"Michelle, take one and quit staring at 'em!" Aiden yelled from the kitchen table.

"Shut up, Aiden," Michelle bit while glaring at him from over her shoulder.

"Aiden, Michelle, behave," Misty warned from Ash's arms. While the girls had been busy with Brock, he had wrapped her up and was snuggling her in the middle of the kitchen. After her scolding of the two older children, however, Ash let her go in case she had to go after them.

Still glowering, Michelle took one of the small cakes and handed it off to Elizabeth, who shrieked happily and ran over to the table. With Elizabeth taken care of, Michelle took a treat of her own and followed after her younger sister to eat it at the table.

"Misty, do you want sakuramochi too?" Brock asked the woman, who was still watching her children with intense eyes. "You know that we boys can't take any until all you girls do!"

"Of course I do!" Misty giggled, skirting over to Brock and giving him a kiss on the cheek before taking one of the sweets for herself. "Thank you, Brock."

"Don't mention it," Brock chuckled, walking over to the table so Aiden could finally get his hands on one of the cakes. "Today is your day after all! Michelle and Elizabeth's too, of course!"

Stuffing half of the cake in his mouth, Aiden stared up at his godfather and asked, "later, are you gonna' make clam soup and chirashizushi?"

"You bet," Brock laughed as Aiden pumped his fist in the air.

"Aiden, I thought you didn't like seafood," Michelle scoffed.

"That boy will eat anything as long as Brock is the one making it," Ash chuckled.

"Or Grammy!" Aiden interjected, having scarfed down his entire cake.

"I fought dat Aiden ated evewything," Elizabeth murmured, tilting her head to the side.

"Close to it, little pumpkin," Ash chuckled. "You're so funny."

Elizabeth glared at her father, sending an actual _shiver_ up his spine. "_Nuh uh_ I'm not!"

"I'm sorry," Ash earnestly apologized to the toddler. "What I _meant _to say was that you're so _cute!_"

"Dat's bettew!" Elizabeth crowed, reaching her little hand out for another sakuramochi. The plate was too far away for her to reach, however, so instead, Misty picked up one of the sweet rice cakes and handed it off to her daughter instead.

"What do you say, Elizabeth?" Misty warned gently just as her daughter was about to shove the rice cake into her mouth.

"Oh…" Elizabeth murmured, lowering the treat. "fank –ou!"

"You're very welcome," Misty giggled, watching as Elizabeth tried to cram the whole cake into her mouth.

"So, what do you girls want to do today?" Ash whimsically asked the females at the table.

"I think we should go shopping," Misty suggested. "Everything is on sale! And I could use a new pair of heels."

"I want to go bowling!" Michelle cried. "Girls get to play for free on Girl's Day!"

"What about you, baby girl?" Ash asked Elizabeth, who was still busy chewing her sakuramochi. "What does my little sweetheart want to do today?"

"Pway dwess up!" Elizabeth giggled once she swallowed her food.

"Elizabeth, you play dress up every single day," Aiden groaned. "Why don't you do something different?"

"I wike dwess up," Elizabeth whined.

"Hey, it's her day, she can play dress up," Ash hushed. "But we can try other things too! Lizzie, you want to play a really fun game?"

"I dunno," Elizabeth murmured.

"What game, Daddy?" Michelle squeaked.

"Otedama," Ash suggested. "You know, the juggling game!"

"Oh, I _love_ that one!" Michelle giggled. "I want to play!"

"I still have the bags from last year that we made," Misty commented. "I can go get them, and we'll play!"

"No, honey, I'll go get them," Ash assured his wife, standing up and walking over to her chair in order to bend down and kiss her cheek. "No work for you today!"

"Alright, got it!" Misty giggled.

"Mommy," Elizabeth whined, putting on a pout for good measure. "I dunno what dat is!"

"I'll tell you, sprinkle," Misty promised, making a lowering motion with her hand to try and calm the little girl down. "We have a bunch of little fabric bags filled with beans, and we toss them back and forth. You choose who you want to throw the bag to, and they're supposed to catch it! We start with one, and by the end of the game, every single bags gets thrown all at one time!"

"Frow?" Elizabeth asked, making a throwing motion with her arm.

"Yes!" Misty laughed. "That's exactly right, baby!"

"Okay," Elizabeth squeaked, sounding good with the idea of it. "Mommy?"

"Yes, sprinkle?" Misty cooed.

"Can we lookit the dollies?" Elizabeth queried.

"You want to go look at the dolls?" Misty hummed.

"Uh huh!"

"Alright," Misty giggled, getting up from her seat. "Come on! Let's go!"

Elizabeth beamed and slid off of her chair, running into the living room. Misty smirked and got up as well, looking back at Aiden, Michelle, and Brock. "Why don't we all come into the living room?"

"Mom, why do we have to watch Elizabeth stare at the dolls?" Aiden groaned. "She can't even play with 'em!"

"Come on, Aiden, it's cute," Misty crooned. "This is the first Girl's Day that Elizabeth really understands!"

"She understood it last year!" Aiden argued.

"Aiden, last year, Elizabeth was only a year and a half old," Misty sighed. "She smashed the sakuramochi in her face and hid the otedama beanbags all over the house."

"That's not _my_ fault!" Aiden groaned. "But all of those things were _really_ funny."

"For you, maybe," Misty sighed. "Either way, I have to get in there before Elizabeth _does_ try to play with the dolls."

With the sakuramochi all finished, Aiden and Michelle decided they had nothing better to do than follow their mother. Brock, who loved little Elizabeth and wanted to see her getting acquainted with the special holiday, followed as well.

When the group got into the living room, they found Elizabeth sitting in front of the third display of dolls; the ones that belonged to her. They went last in order, of course, because she was the youngest. Ash and Misty had both explained that to Elizabeth, but she didn't really seem to understand that.

"You like your dolls, don't you, Elizabeth?" Misty asked sweetly.

"Uh huh!" Elizabeth chirped. Pointing at the top tier, where the Emperor and Empress dolls sat, the little girl asked, "bestest?"

"Yeah, those two are the most beautiful, aren't they?" Misty questioned.

Elizabeth said nothing in response, but lowered her eyes and glanced down at the six bottom tiers.

"Oh my gosh, she's hypnotized," Brock chuckled.

"Ever since we put the dolls out, Elizabeth has spent inordinate amounts of time staring at them," Misty giggled. "She's definitely fascinated!"

"Lizzie, do you remember when you got your dolls?" Michelle excitedly asked her little sister, kneeling down next to the toddler.

"Nuh uh," Elizabeth murmured.

"I don't think she'd remember, Shelly," Misty mused. "She got them when she was just a baby!"

"But she definitely likes them!" Brock chuckled. "I can't see her face, but even I can tell Lizzie's eyes are just sparkling."

"Okay, I found the beanbags!"

Elizabeth cooed softly to herself and spun around, beaming as her father came into view.

"Daddy!" She giggled, running towards him. "Daddy, my dollies awe pwetty?"

"Oh yes, they're beautiful!" Ash replied. "I wouldn't have picked them out for you if they weren't!"

Elizabeth's jaw dropped at this. "You boughted them, Daddy?"

"I sure did!" Ash chuckled. "I picked them out special for you! When you were born, I realized we were going to need another set of dolls. And I had to make sure they were as nice as your big sister's! I picked out those dolls with Grammy's help, and you got them for your very first Girl's Day!"

"Mommy!" Elizabeth giggled, scurrying towards her mother. "Daddy wikes dollies, Mommy! He pickeded out pwetty ones just fow me!"

"Yes, he did!" Misty laughed as Ash's face turned red. "Daddy just loves you so much, huh, little girl?"

"Uh huh," Elizabeth murmured. "He woves me."

Ash's smile returned as he put down the beanbags and lifted Elizabeth into his arms, leading the girl to giggle.

"I do love you, pumpkin," Ash murmured, kissing the girl's cheek. "I love you very, very much!"

Elizabeth pressed her tiny hands against Ash's cheeks, giving him a big kiss on his nose. "I wove you too, Daddy."

"Aww, look at that," Brock chuckled. "Who knew Ash would grow up to be such a ladies' man?"

"No need to get jealous, Brock-o," Ash teased, watching as Elizabeth rubbed her cheek against his chest. "Two thirds of those ladies are under the age of nine!"

* * *

><p><strong>I really liked learning about the different parts of Girls' Day. It was really fun! Incorporating the culture isn't something I've done a lot in my stories, so it was cool to do some of that :)<strong>


	286. Lively Little Lizzie - Part One

**I'm back with another two parter! This was originally just supposed to be one chapter, but it kind of got out of control. The curse of a writer, you know.**

**Elizabeth: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Lively Little Lizzie – Part One<strong>

"Mommy, why do I have to go to Grammy's?"

"Don't worry about it, baby," Misty was busy tying a white ribbon into Elizabeth's hair. "You like going to Grammy's, don't you?"

"Yeah, but why am I going?"

"To spend time with her, silly."

"Why can't I spend time with you and Daddy?" Elizabeth asked, tilting her head back for a few seconds before Misty gently put it back into place so she could finish up with the bow she was crafting. "I want to be with you."

"Daddy and I have something to do for a little while," Misty explained. "But I'm afraid you can't come, pretty girl."

"Why not?"

Misty smiled at her young daughter. "This just isn't something meant for a sweet little girl like yourself to be going to."

"Are you and Daddy going to a battle?" Elizabeth whined with a pout, although her mother couldn't see it. "I want to come!"

"It isn't a battle," Misty giggled as she finished typing the ribbon. "Tell me what you think of your bow, Lizzie."

The young red headed girl looked at herself in the mirror, carefully studying the white bow that was now sitting on the side of her head, tied into her dark red locks. Smiling gently, she turned around and squealed, "I love it, Mommy! You make pretty bows!"

"Thank you, sweetheart," Misty laughed softly. "I try."

"Do you think Grammy will love my bow?"

"Oh, I _know_ that she'll love your bow! Come on," Misty urged, picking the child up off the counter and carrying her out of the bathroom in her arms, "let's go put your coat and boots on."

Elizabeth looked up at her mother. "Will Grammy let me color pictures?"

"I'm sure she will."

"Maybe she can tell me more stories about Daddy when he was little," Elizabeth laughed joyfully. "Then I tell him and he gets all 'barassed!"

"I think that's a wonderful idea, lovey!" Misty giggled. "You make sure to ask Grammy to do that, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy."

Once downstairs, Misty found that Ash was standing by the front door, his black wool coat already on with Pikachu sitting atop his shoulder.

"Is Pikachu gonna come to Grammy's house too?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yeah, he can play with you there," Ash replied, scratching the yellow mouse behind his ears and earning a happy _cha _from Pikachu.

"I wanna hold Pikachu!" Elizabeth wailed, holding her arms up and out towards her father. "I wanna!"

"Okay, you can hold him," Ash conceded with a smirk, not wanting to get into an argument with his four year old. She was a very persuasive, and scary, little thing when she was angry. Picking up the electric type, who squeaked when he was removed from his trainer's shoulder, Ash knelt down and handed the Pokémon off to his daughter. "Remember, be gentle with him. Pikachu doesn't like having his ears and tail yanked at."

"Okay, Daddy." Elizabeth hugged her father's partner Pokémon and rubbed her cheek against his. "Hi, Pikachu!"

"Pi, pikapichu!" Pikachu reciprocated Elizabeth's actions.

"Lizzie, baby, I have to put your coat on." Misty waved the young girl's pink jacket to catch the child's attention.

"Okay!" Elizabeth smiled. She loosened her grip on Pikachu, who jumped onto the girl's head and settled himself there with a little swish of his tail.

"They make a good team, don't they?" Ash chuckled.

"Yeah, because Lizzie reminds Pikachu so much of his trainer," Misty snickered as she slipped Elizabeth's coat on.

Elizabeth frowned as realization hit her. "Daddy, you didn't say anything about my bow!"

"Hmm?" Ash hummed, stroking Elizabeth's cheek. "What's wrong, sweetie? What didn't I say anything about?"

"My bow." Elizabeth pointed at the white ribbon tied into her hair. "Mommy made it!"

"Oh, that's really pretty!" Ash grinned. "I love it, pumpkin! You look like Lizzie in Wonderland."

"Thank you, Daddy," Elizabeth trilled. Once her coat was on, Ash made to stand up, but was stopped by Elizabeth running into his arms. "Carry me."

"Huh?" Ash blinked, looking down at the girl.

Giggling, she glanced up at him with her big emerald eyes and repeated airily, "carry me, Daddy. Pick me up!"

Ash smiled weakly. "You really want me to?"

"Yes." Elizabeth scowled as she folded her arms and once again demanded, "pick me up."

"Okay, I got it, pumpkin!" Ash chuckled, lifting his daughter up in his arms. "There. Happy now?"

Elizabeth nodded with a sweet smile as she put her head down on Ash's shoulder. "Yes." Pikachu nearly fell off, causing him to squeak and instead jump ship for the top of Ash's head, letting out an exasperated sigh once he was settled.

"Not so easy, is it, buddy?" Ash smirked as he rolled his eyes up to look at Pikachu.

"Ka," Pikachu huffed tiredly.

Misty opened the door and nodded towards her husband. "Come on Ash. We don't want to be late."

"Okay," Ash murmured, following after Misty.

Elizabeth took her head off of Ash's shoulder to look between her parents. "Late for what?"

"Our…thing," Ash answered before realizing how stupid that sounded. Misty seemed to realize it too, because she smacked her forehead as soon as the words left Ash's mouth.

"You guys are mean," Elizabeth suddenly commented.

Ash frowned. "Why are we mean?"

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes. "You lie."

"Sweetie, we can't tell you what we're doing right now," Misty explained to the little girl. "It has to be a little secret between Daddy and I. But, if everything goes our way, then it doesn't have to be a secret, and we can tell you what we're up to."

"You promise?" Elizabeth murmured.

Misty smiled. Lately, Elizabeth was so big on promises; making them and ensuring that they were kept. Misty found it to be rather adorable. "Yes, baby girl. I promise."

**XXX**

Once the family reached Pallet Town, Elizabeth began to excitedly bounce up and down in her car seat, staring out the window as her eyes sparkled.

"Someone is happy," Misty trilled, looking over her shoulder at the little girl who sat behind her.

"I get to see Grammy!" Elizabeth squealed, turning to look at her mother.

"Yes, you do," Misty giggled. "You love your Grammy, don't you?"

Elizabeth nodded enthusiastically before once again looking out the car window.

It didn't take long for them to reach Ash's childhood home after entering Pallet Town. There wasn't much to the town, after all. It was still very small and quaint. Ash still had a soft spot for it, though. Misty often felt bad. She knew that, deep down; Ash would have loved to raise their family here. But he had been mature about the situation and understood that Misty couldn't abandon the gym. That understanding was just one of the many reasons Misty loved Ash with all of her heart. Smiling gently to herself, Misty began to stroke Ash's hair, causing him to turn his eyes onto her and grin adoringly.

"What're you up to, Mist?" Ash inquired teasingly.

Misty smirked. "Nothing. Just thinking about stuff."

Ash pulled up in front of his mother's house and turned the car off. Turning towards Misty, he informed her, "I'll get Lizzie out of her car seat. You can go ring the doorbell."

"Are you sure?" Misty asked. "I can take care of Elizabeth, it's no problem."

"No, it's alright, she seems to be a little clingy with me today," Ash explained with a smile. "I know she's excited about seeing Mom, but something tells me she's gonna throw a little fit when we leave. So let me just try and be sweet with her. That usually gets her to calm down a little bit."

"If you insist," Misty laughed, leaning forward to give Ash a kiss.

"No!" Elizabeth cried from the back seat. Out of the corner of her eye, Misty could see Elizabeth covering her own eyes with her little hands.

Misty smirked at the child. "Right, I forgot that sweet baby Elizabeth doesn't like to see our affection."

She and Ash both got out of the car, with Misty heading towards the house and Ash to the back door in order to get Elizabeth. When he opened the door, he found that Elizabeth was glaring at him, her little arms folded as she stared him down.

Ash folded his own arms in an attempt to mimic his young daughter. "What's up, pumpkin?"

"Get me out!" Elizabeth whined.

Ash finally grinned, cracking his playfully stern expression. "You hate that car seat, don't you?"

Elizabeth dropped her arms and began to kick her feet. "Out!"

"Okay little miss fussy pants," Ash snickered, bending down to unclip the seat belt that went across Elizabeth's body.

Elizabeth stopped him by grabbing hold of his hand and once again looking up at him with almost pleading eyes.

"What's wrong now?" Ash asked softly.

Looking back down, Elizabeth tapped the thick silver band on her father's left index finger. "Daddy, what's this?"

Ash smiled as he went back to undoing Elizabeth's seat belt. "That's my wedding ring."

"Boys don't wear rings."

"They do when it's their wedding ring." Ash nodded. "That's very important for a boy to wear."

"Why?"

"Because that way everyone knows he's married and they don't try to be too nice to him."

"Why?"

"Because then the boy's wife gets mad."

"Why?"

Ash sighed and put his hands down on the seat, giving Elizabeth a weary look. His daughter was currently in that _wonderful _phase of childhood where they asked questions about anything and everything. It got to be extremely tiring after a while.

"Why, Daddy?" Elizabeth reiterated as if her father hadn't heard her the first time.

"When a boy and a girl get married, it means that they love each other very much," Ash explained. "More than anyone else in the entire world. So, when they make the choice to get married, they don't want other boys or girls to try and feel the same way. And when you wear the rings, those other boys and girls know that you already love someone very much."

Elizabeth smiled at her father. "Oh, okay."

"Understand now?" Ash chuckled, running his fingers through his daughter's hair.

"Uh huh!"

"Good." Ash finally freed Elizabeth from the confining straps and lifted her out of the booster seat. "Happy to be out of that seat?"

Elizabeth nodded. "Uh huh."

"I knew you would," Ash laughed, kissing Elizabeth on the side of her head. Once again looking into the car, Ash rolled his eyes and called, "come on, Pikachu. We're here."

"Ka," Pikachu whined, rolling over onto his other side in order to halfway open his eyes to look at Ash.

"Pikachu is lazy," Elizabeth commented.

"He's just getting old is all," Ash replied, knowing that would get a rise out of his partner Pokémon. And it did; almost immediately.

Pikachu ran towards Ash and growled, some sparks coming out his cheeks as he glared at the dark haired master.

"Now, I know you're not going to shock me while I'm holding my daughter," Ash warned. Elizabeth became somewhat afraid that Pikachu would actually do it. Squeaking, she wrapped her arms around Ash's neck and pressed the top of her head against his jaw, burying her face in her arms.

"Pikapi, pikachu!" Pikachu snapped, the sparks disappearing. Of course he would never do that, but now he had made Elizabeth believe that it was a possibility. That's what the electric type was yelling at his trainer about.

Ash turned his head towards Elizabeth and gently nudged at her forehead with his nose. "It's okay, pumpkin. Pikachu would never, ever hurt you. I was just teasing him."

"You tease too much, Daddy," Elizabeth noted as she picked her head up.

Ash nodded. "That's what your Mommy says. Come on, let's go see Grammy."

Pikachu jumped up onto Ash's free shoulder, bending his tail around the back of Ash's neck to tickle Elizabeth's cheek with the end of the lightning bolt shaped appendage. The young red head giggled and reached out to gently stroke the mouse's tail, earning a happy sigh from Pikachu.

Once he was sure that everyone was content, Ash closed the car door and walked up to the house. Misty must've gone inside, because there was no one on the front step, and the door was opened only slightly. From the tiny crack left by the slightly ajar door, Ash could see his mother. She wasn't paying attention to whatever was going on outside. It was her side that he could see through the space, so Ash assumed that she had dragged Misty inside and was now engaging her daughter-in-law in conversation.

"Daddy, I'm cold," Elizabeth complained, a frown etching its way onto her delicate young lips.

"Okay, we're going inside," Ash promised, instinctively held his daughter a little more tightly, hoping to warm her up a bit. "We'll be there in just a second, sweetie."

Hurrying up to the door, Ash reached for the handle and made to pull it open, believing that his mother was too busy to see him approaching. She did, however, and Ash came very close to being hit by it.

"Daddy!" Elizabeth cried, squeezing Ash's neck out of fear.

"Ack, L…Lizzie!" Ash choked, shaking his head to try and loosen his daughter's death grip on him.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, honey!" Delia gasped.

"It's okay Mom, I just-" Ash was taken off guard when his mother reached out and snatched Elizabeth from his arms. Cooing, Delia snuggled the frightened girl and left kisses all over her pretty, young face.

"Grammy is so sorry, sweetheart!" Delia fussed, cuddling Elizabeth. "I didn't mean to do that, I didn't realize that Daddy was holding you! Oh my poor darling, are you alright?"

"Yeah," Elizabeth squeaked, suddenly seeming a lot calmer than she had just seconds ago.

"Hey, Mom!" Ash wailed. "What about me?"

"Oh Ash, you're a grown man," Delia sighed. "You'll be fine. The little girl in your arms, however, is much more delicate. You shouldn't hold her so close to a door, you know. You never know when it might open!"

"But, I…I didn't…" Ash was flustered, struggling to find any words.

"It's perfectly fine, dear!" Delia purred, pulling her son into the house. "I know you love your baby Lizzie very, very much, and would never do anything to hurt her. Don't get so worked up, now."

Ash had the ultimate look of bewilderment on his face. Misty, who was sitting on the nearby couch, caught sight of it and instantly burst out into laughter. Sighing, Ash just walked over to his wife and grabbed onto her hand, gently tugging at her arm.

"What is it?" Misty asked as her laughter began to subside.

"Come on, let's go," Ash beckoned.

Misty raised an eyebrow. "Now?"

"You don't want to be late, do you?" Ash tried.

"No, I suppose not," Misty sighed, standing up next to her husband.

Delia, who was still hugging her youngest grandchild, looked over at Ash and Misty and blinked. "Oh, you two are leaving already?"

"We can't be late, Mom," Ash reasoned through a smile. "But we can stop by for a little while longer once we're finished."

"Honestly, I wish you would just tell me where you're going," Delia sighed.

"They can't, Grammy!" Elizabeth cried. "It's a secret."

"A secret?" Delia repeated. "Is that what Mommy and Daddy told you?"

Elizabeth nodded excitedly. "Uh huh! Mommy said only she and Daddy can know for now. But soon they'll tell us all about it! We gotta be patient, Grammy."

"Patient, I can do that," Delia giggled as she gently tweaked the child's nose. "I swear, you get smarter every time I see you, sweetheart!"

"Mommy says I'm a smart girl!" Elizabeth grinned proudly as she looked over at Misty. "Right, Mommy?"

"Yes, I have a little genius on my hands!" Misty crowed. "She's got her Mommy's brains."

"Hey!" Ash whined. Pikachu, who was still sitting on his shoulder, snickered before jumping off onto the couch and curling up into a ball. "Man, everyone is making fun of me today."

Elizabeth frowned. "Not me. I love you, Daddy!"

Ash placed his hands on his hips. "And I love you, baby girl. You're the only one being nice to me at the moment!"

"Grammy," Elizabeth whined, tugging at Delia's shirt. "Can I go down now? I want to play with Pikachu!"

Delia glanced over at the yellow mouse on her couch. "I don't know, sweetie, he looks a little tired."

"No, he always plays with me, no matter what." Elizabeth shook her head. "It's his job! That's what Daddy says."

Delia turned her eyes onto Ash, making sure with him that this was alright.

"Yeah, Pikachu will play with her," Ash confirmed. "Even if he's tired. He loves the kids. He's got very little patience left for me, because he uses it all on them. He spoils them, I swear."

"Alright." Delia put Elizabeth down, but held onto her shoulder before she could run off. "Just let Grammy take your coat off before you go, dear. I don't want you getting too hot!"

"So, we'll be back later to pick her up," Ash informed his mother.

Delia smiled up at her son. "That sounds good!" Once Elizabeth's coat was fully removed, she raced off towards the couch, climbing up onto it and pulling Pikachu onto her lap to stroke his long ears.

Misty gazed at her young daughter. "Elizabeth, you behave for Grammy while we're gone, okay?"

"Yes, Mommy," Elizabeth distractedly replied.

"Oh, she's always such a good girl," Delia dismissed. "We don't have a thing to worry about. I might bake some cookies later. I'm sure Lizzie would love to help with that!"

"That does sound like fun," Misty trilled as she once again looked at Elizabeth. "Don't you think so, lovey?"

Elizabeth didn't respond. She was too busy stroking a very happy Pikachu.

"We should sneak out of here before she notices and tries to stop us," Ash whispered into Misty's ear.

"Good idea," Misty agreed.

"Bye Mom," Ash bid, once again taking hold of Misty's hand. "We'll be back in a little while."

"Okay," Delia giggled, waving to them. "We'll be here!"

As soon as the door clicked closed, Elizabeth picked her head up and blinked, coming back to her senses.

"Grammy, where's Mommy and Daddy?" Elizabeth chirped.

"Oh, sweetie, they just left!" Delia gently replied. "Mommy said goodbye to you, remember?"

At this, Elizabeth pouted. "Daddy didn't kiss me 'fore he left."

Delia crooned sadly at this. "It's okay, Lizzie! He'll kiss you when he comes back! You'll be okay."

Elizabeth, despite her grandmother's reassurances, was still frowning. Pikachu sat up on his hind paws and licked Elizabeth's cheek, finally bringing a reluctant giggle out of the little girl.

"Do you want me to take your boots off, sweetheart?" Delia queried. "You might get hot in the house with them on."

"Okay," Elizabeth murmured, swinging her legs off the edge of the couch. Delia walked over and knelt down, slipping off the child's baby pink boots that were lined in the back by satin bows.

"These are just the cutest little shoes!" Delia complimented her granddaughter.

"They're pink," Elizabeth chirped.

"Yes, they are," Delia giggled. "That's your favorite color, right?"

"Uh huh."

"And they match your dress so beautifully!" Delia added.

Elizabeth peered down at her short sleeved, baby pink sweater dress and smiled. "I'm pretty!"

"Oh yes, you're the most beautiful little girl in the entire world!" Delia agreed, her amber eyes sparkling. "And how _would_ the most beautiful girl in the world like to help me start baking some tasty cookies?"

"A lot!" Elizabeth laughed.

"Perfect!" Delia cheered, standing back up to her full height as Elizabeth slid off the couch and landed on her white stocking covered feet. "Let's head into the kitchen and wash our hands. Then we can get started!"

"Can we have shapes, Grammy?" Elizabeth questioned.

"You mean for the cookies?"

"Yeah!"

"Of course! I have a whole box full of cookie cutters up in the cupboard. I'll take them out, and we can make the cookies any shapes we want!"

"Hearts?"

"Yes!"

"And stars?"

"Surely!"

"And Pikachu!"

The electric type, who had been following closely behind Elizabeth in the hopes of swiping some food, perked his ears at the mention of his name.

"Hmm…I'm not sure I have cookie cutters that are shaped like Pikachu," Delia mused. "But, knowing your daddy, I'm sure I acquired one somewhere along the way! We'll see."

Just as Delia and Elizabeth were about to walk into the kitchen, the doorbell rang, alerting the two of a visitor.

"Oh, I wonder who that could be," Delia hummed, heading over to the front door.

"Grammy!" Elizabeth whined, standing in the doorway that separated the kitchen from the living room. She was getting impatient, and just wanted to start baking the cookies.

"We'll start in just a minute, darling," Delia promised. "I have to see who's at the door first!"

Elizabeth immediately went back to pouting. Frowning, Pikachu began to paw at the girl's leg in an effort to cheer her up. He never did like to see the little thing with such a sad look on her face. She looked so much like Ash that all he could think about was his own trainer! And Pikachu was never happy when Ash was upset.

Opening the front door, Delia grinned upon seeing the visitor. "Oh, Professor! How are you?"

Elizabeth's pout dissipated when she heard that name leave her grandmother's mouth. Scurrying out of the doorway, the little girl pulled up next to her grandmother's side and glanced up at the man standing just outside. She knew him as a good friend of her parents and grandmother; the one who watched over all of her daddy's Pokemon. She loved going to his house and playing with all of them outside.

"Fine, just fine!" Professor Oak laughed jovially at Delia's greeting. Glancing down, he took notice of Elizabeth and let out an interested noise. "Ah, look who it is!"

Giggling, Delia patted her granddaughter's head and prompted, "Lizzie, you remember who this is, don't you?"

"Fessor!" Elizabeth answered excitedly.

Chuckling, Professor Oak waved at the toddler and hailed, "it's lovely to see you, Elizabeth! And how are you today, little one?"

"Okay," Elizabeth replied honestly. "I'm bored, and Daddy left wifout kissing me. Now me and Grammy are gonna make cookies."

"That sounds wonderful!" Professor Oak crowed. "What a lovely afternoon."

"Oh, how rude of me!" Delia gasped, moving away from the door. "Please, Samuel, come inside. It's freezing out there!"

"Just a little brisk," Professor Oak refuted, although he accepted Delia's offer to enter the house. "I don't mind it so much!"

"You gots a coat on!" Elizabeth squeaked, pointing up at the older man's gray wool coat. "It looks like mine, 'cept mine's pink."

"Is that so?" Professor Oak inquired.

"Uh huh," Elizabeth confirmed. "You should get a pink one, too! It's prettier."

Delia threw Professor Oak an apologetic look, but the old man was not at all bothered by Elizabeth's prodding. "Yes, pink is quite a pretty color, isn't it? But I'm afraid it might not look as good on me as it does on you!"

"That's what Daddy said," Elizabeth sighed.

Professor Oak laughed heartily at this. "Oh, right! The whole reason I stopped over here!" He held his arm up and revealed a canvas bag being held in his hand. "Gary just returned from Sunyshore City in the Sinnoh region, and he brought you back some fresh produce from a farmer's market there!"

"Oh, how sweet of him!" Delia gasped, taking the bag from the professor. "You know I love the market here, but once the winter months hit, the fruits and vegetables just aren't as fresh as they usually are! And food always tastes better when it's made with fresher ingredients."

"That's why I made sure to remind Gary to pick you up a few things while he was there," Professor Oak chuckled. "It's always warm in Sunyshore, so they always have the ripest fruits and vegetables!"

"Which is perfect when I'm preparing dinner for my little grandbaby," Delia trilled. "I only want to give her the best food I possibly can!"

"Is Elizabeth staying over for the night?" Professor Oak inquired.

"No, just while Ash and Misty are out and about, but I plan on convincing them all to stay for dinner," Delia giggled. Glancing down at Elizabeth, the older woman crooned, "that will be our little secret, okay?"

Elizabeth pressed her lips together and dramatically shrugged her shoulders. "Too many secrets!"

At this, Professor Oak laughed boisterously. "Isn't she just precious? Well, I'll leave you two to your baking now."

"No!" Elizabeth cried, alarming the two adults in the room. Looking up at her grandmother, Elizabeth batted her eyelashes and pleaded, "Grammy, can 'fessor Oak stay and make cookies with us?"

"O-oh," Delia stammered, surprised by Elizabeth's sudden request. "Well, Lizzie, Professor Oak is very busy, I don't think he really has time to bake with us."

"Nonsense!" Professor Oak chuckled. "I'd love to stay and help! It's the least I could do for this pretty little thing."

Elizabeth's face lit up at the compliment. "Come on!" She squeaked, skipping towards the kitchen as she giggled. "You gotta wash your hands first!"

"Samuel, are you sure you don't mind?" Delia sighed. "I can't imagine baking is such a thrill for you…"

"I don't mind it one bit, Delia," Professor Oak promised. "Besides, spending time with Elizabeth certainly makes me feel young again!"

The two adults walked into the kitchen, where Elizabeth had already run to. Mimey, Delia's trusty sidekick Pokemon, was holding the little girl up to the sink so she was able to wash her hands on her own.

"Mimey, you're such a big help!" Delia praised the normal type.

"Mime, Mr. Mime!" Mimey cheered.

Putting Elizabeth down, Mimey fetched a dishcloth and helped Elizabeth to dry her hands off, to which the little girl laughed delightfully. "Thanks, Mimey!"

"Mime!"

Scurrying over to the table, Elizabeth pulled herself up onto one of the chairs and beamed at her grandmother and Professor Oak once she was settled. "Let's make cookies!"

* * *

><p><strong>I love Elizabeth dearly, so that's also probably why this one shot spiraled out of control. She's such a cutie, I could write about her all day. The second part will be up soon!<strong>


	287. Lively Little Lizzie - Part Two

**Aaaand here's part two! Picking up where we left off: with Professor Oak making cookies with Delia and Elizabeth! Has she worn him out? Let's see :P**

**Elizabeth: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Lively Little Lizzie - Part Two<strong>

"My…I didn't realize how much work went into baking cookies!"

Elizabeth glanced up at Professor Oak and giggled at the older man. His sleeves were pushed up and his hair was disheveled, patches of flour covering his hands, arms, face, and even hair. Elizabeth wasn't much cleaner, but she was used to that kind of mess.

"Well, that's because I make my cookie dough from scratch!" Delia boasted. "I've never bought it pre-made, and I never will."

"It's more fun!" Elizabeth chirped.

"I can't argue with that," Professor Oak admitted.

"Lizzie, when the cookies are done baking, would you like to decorate them?" Delia crooned.

"Yes!" Elizabeth trilled.

"Would you like to stay and partake in that as well, Samuel?" Delia asked with a giggle.

"While that sounds delightful, I must say that all of this baking has really taken quite a lot out of me," Professor Oak confessed. "Besides, there is some research I left unfinished back at the lab!"

Elizabeth frowned and looked over at her grandmother, who was throwing the child a comforting smile. "Lizzie, it's okay. We'll see Professor Oak again soon! He loves to see you."

"Absolutely!" Professor Oak added warmly. "Tell you what, Lizzie. You ask Daddy to bring you over to the lab one day soon, and we can play with all of the Pokémon together!"

Elizabeth's eyes widened at this. "But it's cold outside!"

"Which is why I put the Pokémon in a special habitat during the winter!" Professor Oak boasted. "And I would love it if you came over and saw it!"

"Wow, Lizzie, that sounds like a lot of fun!" Delia crooned. "What do you think?"

"Yeah!" Elizabeth cheered. "I'll ask Daddy, 'fessor! Can he play, too?"

"Of course!" Professor Oak replied jovially, getting up from the table and walking back over to the front door, with Elizabeth following behind like a little Ducklett. "The Pokémon will just love that."

As the older man pulled his jacket on, Elizabeth beamed up at him and announced, "I'll make you a cookie, too!"

"Oh, well thank you, Lizzie!" Professor Oak chuckled.

Giggling, Elizabeth began to spin herself in a circle as she warbled, "it'll have all lots of Pokémon on it! Like Charmander, and Bulbasaur, and Squirtle, and-"

"The cookies aren't that big, dear," Delia laughed nervously. "We'll figure out something nice for Professor Oak, I'm sure."

Elizabeth sobered at this, but managed to quickly regain her warm, bright smile. "Okay!"

After bidding farewell to the older man along with her grandmother, Elizabeth let out a small yawn that quickly caught the attention of Delia.

"Oh, baby, are you sleepy?" Delia crooned to her granddaughter.

"Only a little," Elizabeth murmured. "But I don't wanna sleep, Grammy!"

"Okay, you don't have to go to sleep," Delia giggled. "You can just sit on the couch and relax! Maybe watch some TV. Would you like that?"

"I wanna watch a princess movie, Grammy," Elizabeth chirped.

"A princess movie?" Delia repeated playfully. "Well, good thing I have plenty of those! Let's go pick one, shall we?"

Elizabeth nodded and scampered back into the living room, Delia following her closely. The little girl, who visited her grandmother's house plenty enough, knew where all of the movies were stored. Getting down on her knees, Elizabeth crawled over to the side of the television stand and began to look up and down the shelves full of DVDs. Delia just smirked and stood close by, waiting for Elizabeth to realize the inevitable.

"Grammy?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"I can't read."

Giggling, the older woman walked over to her granddaughter and knelt down beside the child, whose brow was furrowed out of sheer frustration.

"That's alright," Delia crooned. "I'll help you! That's what Grammy is here for."

"But I know which one I wanna watch!" Elizabeth cried, leading Delia to bring her hand back to herself. "I know, Grammy."

"Oh, you do?"

"Yeah!" Elizabeth chirped. "Cept I don't know which one's it. 'Cause I can't read."

"Well, then I'll just have to find it for you!" Delia trilled. "Which movie are you looking for, darling?"

"Ice princess!" Elizabeth squealed.

"Ah, I know that one," Delia murmured, scanning her amber eyes over the collection of DVDs. "Let's see…here it is!" She pulled out a light blue case, the front of which depicted a pretty blonde woman in a gorgeous dress that seemed to be made out of ice. "This one, right?"

"Uh huh," Elizabeth murmured. Pointing at the snowman in the corner, she continued, "Grammy, dats her best friend!"

"Mmhm," Delia hummed.

Elizabeth looked up at her grandmother with wide eyes. "You know dat?"

"Of course I do!" Delia laughed. "I've watched this movie a few times now, dear."

"Wif who?"

"With you!"

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow at this.

"You don't remember, do you?" Delia playfully questioned.

"No."

"Well, that's alright," Delia giggled. "We can't remember everything, after all!"

"Watch it wif me again!" Elizabeth cheered.

"It would be my pleasure!" Delia crooned. "Why don't you go sit on the couch while I put the movie in? Make yourself comfortable, Lizzie!"

Jumping up to her feet, Elizabeth scurried over to the couch, skidding to a halt before even attempting to jump on. With a small whine, Elizabeth bean looking around the room, eventually turning around and whimpering in order to get her grandmother's attention.

"What's got you so upset, Lizzie?" Delia asked.

"I want Pikachu," Elizabeth muttered. "And I can't find him, Grammy."

"Oh, well he's got to be around here somewhere!" Delia comforted the child. "Pikachu never goes very far. He might be napping somewhere! Why don't you check in the kitchen? He was with us while we were baking cookies, after all."

Elizabeth ran into the kitchen, looking all over the room in search of the electric type. It didn't take long, however, for her to find him standing by the oven, where the cookies were still busy baking. He had his nose up in the air, sniffing the sweet scent that filled the air. It was obvious he was waiting for them to be finished so he could eat.

"No, Pikachu!" Elizabeth whined. "The cookies are gonna take _forever!_ You hafta come watch the movie wif me."

The little yellow mouse twitched his ears and looked disappointed for a split second. He quickly shook it off, however, and jumped on the little girl's shoulder with a delighted, "pika!"

"Don't worry!" Elizabeth giggled. "You can has cookies when they're all done!"

Skipping back into the living room, Elizabeth pulled up next to her grandmother and beamed at the auburn haired woman. When Delia turned around, she was pleased to see Pikachu sitting on the little girl's shoulder.

"Oh, good! You found Pikachu!" Delia trilled.

"He was waitin' for cookies, Grammy!" Elizabeth chirped. "But I told him it's gonna take a long, long time."

"It won't take so long," Delia promised her granddaughter. "But it'll go even faster once we start watching this movie! What do you say?"

Elizabeth grinned and nodded her head.

"Would you like to drink some juice while you watch it?" Delia queried.

"Uh huh!"

"What kind?"

Elizabeth twisted her mouth and tilted her head as she thought about all the different flavors of juice she liked, and which one she wanted to drink the most.

"Cwanbewwy!" Elizabeth finally announced, her emerald eyes twinkling.

"Cranberry?" Delia repeated with a small laugh. Elizabeth was getting older, but with certain words, she still had an adorable lisp. That just so happened to be one of them.

"Yes, pease," Elizabeth murmured, suddenly sounding a little shy. Delia realized it must have been because of that lisp.

"Alright, sweetheart," Delia crooned sweetly, reaching up and stroking the girl's cheek. "I'll start the movie for you, and bring your juice back nice and quick. Okay?"

"And we watch together?" Elizabeth pressed.

"Of course," Delia promised.

Her smile returning, Elizabeth hopped over to the couch and jumped up onto its cushions, staring ahead as Delia pressed the play button and started the movie. Pikachu clambered down from Elizabeth's shoulder and instead chose to settle down next to the girl, setting his own beady black eyes on the screen. Smiling to herself, Delia stepped into the kitchen, working as quickly as possible to get Elizabeth's juice together so she could be with the little girl once again.

**XXX**

About half an hour into the movie, Elizabeth had slunk down and fallen asleep in the corner of the couch, the pink and purple sippy cup still in her mouth. Similarly, Pikachu was draped over the little girl's legs, snoozing away just like the little redhead. Delia only realized this when Elizabeth's favorite song in the movie came on, and the child had no reaction to it.

Getting up from her seat, Delia grabbed the white knit blanket that was draped over the back of the couch and unfolded it, leaving the spread on her side of the couch as she gently removed Pikachu from Elizabeth's legs and instead left the mouse by the little girl's arms. Once that was done, she was able to pick up the blanket once again, this time draping it over Elizabeth and Pikachu's sleeping forms.

With the movie still playing in the background, Delia quietly walked into the kitchen to check on the cookies. With perfect timing, the oven sounded to alert the older woman that they were finally done baking. Grinning to herself, Delia slipped on her mitts and opened up the oven, pulling out the hot silver tray and studying the freshly baked cookies with her amber eyes. Deeming them perfect, Delia left the tray on the counter to cool, beaming down at her work as she removed her mitts and left them alongside the tray.

"Mime?"

Delia giggled and looked over her shoulder. Mimey had just wandered into the kitchen, with a big, cheerful smile on his face.

"You heard the oven, didn't you?" Delia playfully asked.

"Mime!"

"How is the laundry coming along?"

"Mime, Mr. Mime."

"That's excellent!"

"Mime?"

Delia blinked, watching as Mimey pointed at the tray of cookies sitting on the counter. "Oh, these are still hot! They need to cool off still. But once they're done, we're going to decorate them, and you're more than welcome to help!"

"Mr. Mime!" Mimey trilled excitedly.

"Until then, would you mind taking out the frosting and the spatulas?" Delia asked. "I have to check on Elizabeth. The poor dear fell asleep, and right while we were watching one of her favorite movies!"

"Mime, mime!" Mr. Mime agreed.

"Thank you so much, Mimey!" Delia crooned, making her way back into the living room.

She was not surprised to find both Elizabeth and Pikachu still fast asleep, neither one having moved since she'd entered the kitchen. Smirking, Delia walked over to the two once again and knelt down, slowly and carefully removing the sippy cup from Elizabeth's mouth. The little girl frowned in her sleep, but was soon enough placated as Delia began to stroke her dark red hair. Delia smiled down at her peaceful young granddaughter and left a light, airy kiss against the toddler's temple before standing up and walking back into the kitchen to help Mimey prepare the frosting.

**XXX**

When Elizabeth woke up, she sat up and groggily rubbed her eyes. Getting up on her knees, she peered out the window and realized that the sun was just setting. Looking back down at the couch, the little girl caught sight of Pikachu, who was still fast asleep. The blanket had ended up rolled around him, and now he looked like one of the little hot dogs Elizabeth always liked to eat at her parents' fancy parties. Giggling, she slid off the couch and scurried into the kitchen, beaming when she saw her grandmother fixing up bowls of colorful icing on the table.

"Grammy!" Elizabeth squealed, running up to a surprised Delia.

"Oh, sweetheart, you're awake!" Delia gasped.

"Uh huh!" Elizabeth chirped, rapidly nodding her head. "Can I dec-ate the cookies now?"

"Of course you can!" Delia giggled, picking the girl up and sitting her down in a chair. "Where's Pikachu, little one?"

"He's still sleepin'," Elizabeth replied, reaching for the pink frosting and picking up a girl shaped cookie in order to decorate. "I left him there!"

"Aw, that was very nice of you, Lizzie!" Delia crooned.

"Yeah, he's sleepy," Elizabeth sighed, clumsily throwing a dollop of pink frosting atop the sugar cookie. "So I let him sleep 'cause I'm _soo _nice!"

"I'm sure your mommy and daddy will be very happy to hear that, darling!" Delia laughed. As soon as she said that, the doorbell rang, but this time, it couldn't distract Elizabeth from the task at hand. Smiling to herself, Delia walked over to the front door and opened it, beaming upon seeing the visitors. "Ah, you're back!"

"Yeah, finally."

"Oh, don't complain, Ash."

"I wasn't complaining! I was just _saying._"

Elizabeth's ears perked at the voices. Still not wanting to leave her post, the little girl leaned over to the side and tried to look through the doorframe. She couldn't see, however, and when she moved over further, she nearly fell off the chair. Squeaking nervously, Elizabeth gripped the sides of the chair and steadied herself, choosing instead to go back to decorating the cookie in front of her.

As she busied herself with this task, Delia walked into the kitchen, the two new arrivals trailing behind her. "Lizzie, look who's here!"

The toddler looked up from her work and smiled, eyes lighting up as they got excited too.

"Hello, sprinkle!" Misty greeted lovingly. She made a beeline for the child, leaning over and giving the little girl a kiss atop her head. "What are you doing, lovey?"

"Makin' cookies," Elizabeth murmured.

"Oh, you're decorating them?"

"Uh huh."

"What are you making?"

"It's a su-prise!" Elizabeth cried, throwing her hands over the cookie.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Misty apologized, turning her head away. "I won't look."

Chuckling to himself, Ash walked over to his daughter and attempted to give her a hug. With a menacing snarl, however, Elizabeth threw her arm out and promptly blocked her father from any such action.

"Hey, what was that for?" Ash asked with a pout.

"I'm mad," Elizabeth stated plainly.

"At me?!" Ash gasped.

"Yeah."

"Why are you mad at me?" Ash whimpered. "I'm Daddy. You love me."

"Yeah. But you did bad."

"What did I do?"

Elizabeth finally looked back up at her father with an unhappy scowl. "You didn't kiss me 'fore you left."

At this, Ash started to laugh. "Oh, _that's_ what you're so upset about?"

"Not funny, Daddy!" Elizabeth shrieked. "You did bad! Bad Daddy!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, pumpkin," Ash sighed, holding a hand over his heart. "I didn't mean to upset you! I didn't give you a kiss before we left because you were so busy playing with Pikachu, and I didn't want to disturb you!"

"I was sad, Daddy," Elizabeth murmured. "You didn't gimme a kiss."

"I know, baby," Ash breathed, smiling sadly at the toddler. "But I can make it up to you."

"How?"

"Here." Ash leaned down, pressing his lips against Elizabeth's cheek and giving her kiss after kiss. Elizabeth began to laugh wildly, dropping her frosting covered plastic knife on the table and waving her arms wildly in the air.

"D-Daddy!" Elizabeth giggled, leaning over the edge of the chair.

"Ash, make sure she doesn't fall off!" Misty cried nervously, holding a hand over her heart.

"She won't, Mommy," Ash promised, grabbing Elizabeth's sides and sitting her back up. "There, all safe!"

Feeling content with her father's apology, Elizabeth picked her plastic knife up and went back to work on her cookie. "You can has a present now, Daddy."

"I can, huh?" Ash quipped.

"Yeah!"

"Perfect!" Ash chuckled.

"You two should make yourselves comfortable," Delia urged, slipping off Misty's coat for her. "I've already started cooking dinner, and I insist you stay."

"Mom…" Ash warned.

"Don't 'Mom' me, I insist!" Delia huffed, wagging a finger at her son.

"Are you sure it's not too much trouble, Delia?" Misty asked, taking the more civilized approach unlike her husband.

"No trouble at all," Delia confirmed. "Besides, I know Lizzie would love to stay for dinner. Isn't that right, sweetheart?"

"Yeah!" Elizabeth cheered, not looking up from her current craft.

"I don't even think she's listening," Ash grumbled.

"Either way, it won't hurt," Delia giggled. "It's just one more night that your wife doesn't have to cook!"

"Oh, well I _do_ enjoy that," Misty laughed.

"She wasn't gonna cook tonight," Ash replied, the joke aspect flying over his head. "We were gonna order pizza."

"Even better then," Delia hummed. "A home cooked meal is always better than take out!"

"Normally, I'd be upset about you waging war on pizza, but your cooking really is the best," Ash commented with a laugh. "So…you win this time, Mom."

"Sweetheart, when do I ever lose?" Delia asked mischievously.

"Not very often," Ash sighed.

"Mommy, Daddy, do we gets to know your sec-et now?"

The three adults all looked over at Elizabeth, who looked up from her cookies for only a short second before returning to her work.

"Well, I'll be," Delia giggled. "She's got a better memory than I do! I completely forgot about your little surprise!"

"You gotta tell us now, Mommy!" Elizabeth cried, grabbing another cookie to decorate. "You promised!"

"I did," Misty agreed. "And I always keep my promises! So, Daddy and I can finally tell you two what we've been up to."

"Tell us!" Elizabeth chirped, her eyes lighting up.

"Daddy and I just went to a big, fancy place so we could book a surprise party for Professor Oak!" Misty revealed.

At this, Elizabeth's face fell. "Dat's it?"

"What, you're not excited?" Ash asked.

"I dunno," Elizabeth murmured. "I fought it was gonna be more fun."

"This _is_ fun!" Misty giggled. "You'll get to get dressed up all fancy and pretty…"

Elizabeth still didn't look impressed.

"I'll even buy you a new party dress, if you want."

_This_ got Elizabeth excited. "A pink one?"

"Well, what other color would it be for my beautiful little girl?"

Elizabeth squealed and began clapping her hands together. "Yay!"

"She needs to stop spending time with your sisters, Mist," Ash muttered.

"I think it's too late," Misty giggled. "Lizzie's as girly as can be!"

"Well, that sounds like lots of fun!" Delia crowed. "It's very sweet of you two to do. If you need any help along the way, you know that I would be more than thrilled to assist!

"Thanks, Mom," Ash chuckled. "You're the best!"

"Grammy is the _bestest!_" Elizabeth chirped, her eyes lighting up.

"You mean the best," Misty gently corrected her daughter.

"Yeah," Elizabeth murmured, still busy decorating her cookies. "The bestest!"

"I tried," Misty sighed, shrugging her shoulders.

"Oh, don't worry, Misty," Delia assured her daughter-in-law. "One day, you're going to miss having to correct Elizabeth's speech!"

"Yes," Misty replied with an impish smirk. "I can't wait for the day when she can sass me with proper grammar."

"Mommy, shh!" Elizabeth scolded. "You're gonna messed me up!"

Misty glanced up at Delia, who was now wearing her own knowing smirk.

"See what I mean?"

* * *

><p><strong>Lol guys, let's all guess what Elizabeth's favorite movie is based off of.<strong>

**Seriously, I bet you'll never figure it out.**


	288. The Music Box

**I wrote another one about Lizzie. I'm sorry. I love her. It's not even really about HER. It's about a gift TO her :P**

**Elizabeth: 3 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>The Music Box<strong>

"I feel like we're a royal family.

"Well, we kind of are, aren't we?"

"NO!"

Ash's eyes widened as Misty whipped her head around, throwing her husband a horrified expression.

"What?" Ash murmured.

"I don't want to be viewed as royalty!" Misty whined. "I'm trying to raise our children as normal as possible! I don't need them gaining a sense of entitlement. That would be bad! They're going to be normal kids. They are normal kids."

"Misty, honey, relax!" Ash chuckled, despite his wife's panic. "You know we're not raising our kids to be spoiled. The only reason I said I said that about being a royal family is because we're sitting here while everyone gives us gifts! It's like holding court!"

"I guess," Misty sighed. "But the gifts aren't even for us."

"Oh, I know they're not. They're for Lizzie! But she's too little to accept them herself."

Misty smiled and looked at her side, where the infant's stroller sat. Inside of its tan carrier was baby Elizabeth, fast asleep and oblivious to all of the excitement going on around her.

"She's completely worn out," Misty murmured. "All of the attention must've gotten to her."

Ash smirked and got up from his own chair, leaning down to look at the baby as he folded his arms across his chest. "It's hard to be the center of attention, isn't it, pumpkin? Not easy being so beautiful."

In her sleep, the infant pursed her lips and blew out a bubble which promptly popped and somewhat disrupted the little thing.

"Uh oh," Ash murmured. "Mist, we've got a fuss ball over here."

Gasping softly, Misty reached down into the mint green diaper bag that contained all of the baby's goods and pulled out a white cloth covered in pink polka dots.

"Okay," Misty hushed the whiny thing, gently cleaning off her mouth with the soft cloth. "Look, it's okay, sweetie. Mommy's got you. Yeah? Nice and clean now!"

Once the mess was cleaned off of her face, Elizabeth relaxed and settled back into sleep.

"Great job, Mist!" Ash complimented his wife.

"What can I say?" Misty giggled as she put the cloth back where it belonged. "I'm a mommy who knows what her baby needs!"

"Misty, you're even bragging about your parenting skills?"

The gym leader looked up with a slack jaw and found Brock staring down at her with an impish smirk on his face.

"I don't know if I'd call it _bragging_," Misty scoffed, her cheeks turning a delicate pink.

"I was just teasing," Brock chuckled. "Besides, that's not what I came up here to do."

"It's not?" Ash asked in genuine surprise.

"No," Brock sighed.

"He means he's got a present for Elizabeth, Ash," Misty sighed, rolling her emerald eyes.

"Oh, that makes sense," Ash murmured.

"Hopefully you'll like it," Brock breathed, pulling out a box from behind his back. It was wrapped in silver paper with a white satin ribbon tied around it, fastened on top in a perfect bow. "Elizabeth is such a beautiful baby that I wanted to get her a gift that would match perfectly. I think I found it."

"Brock, I'm sure it's wonderful," Misty assured the man. "After all, you are her godfather. You could never do anything to disappoint us. Or, more importantly, her."

"I'd hope so," Brock chuckled nervously.

"Can we open it now?" Ash asked eagerly. "I want to see it!"

"Ash!" Misty scolded.

"What?" Ash murmured. "I'm excited."

"It's not your present!" Misty gasped, still sounding horrified.

"What, I can't be excited _for_ our daughter?" Ash questioned.

"It's a bit strange," Misty admitted.

"It's alright, Misty," Brock laughed. "I have no problem showing you guys! If…that's okay with you, of course."

Misty looked over her shoulder at Ash, whose eyes were sparkling with excitement. Sighing, Misty looked back up at Brock and smiled sweetly. "Yeah, it's fine."

"Great!" Brock trilled before holding the box out towards Misty. "Here. You do the honors!"

Misty smirked and took the box from her friend. Just as she placed it down on her lap, Elizabeth began to cry, her squeaky wails stealing Misty's attention once again.

"Oh no," she breathed.

"It's alright," Ash chuckled, reaching into the stroller and pulling out the fussy infant. "I bet she just wants to see her present is all! She must be excited!"

Brock and Misty watched as Ash sat back down beside Misty, cradling the still sniffling baby in his arms.

"Stop crying," Misty softly commanded, stroking the baby's cheek. "You're too pretty to cry."

"Yeah, and you're gonna get tears all over this pretty little dress of yours!" Brock added, tickling the baby's chest.

Elizabeth gurgled and glanced down at her godfather's finger, reaching up with a tiny hand and wrapping her own little fingers around it. The tiny girl was wearing a sweet white dress with a delicate lace top and netted tulle skirt. A matching lace band with a white silk bow was wrapped around her head, and matching booties with floral trim on her little feet.

"Yeah, pretty expensive," Ash muttered.

"Oh, knock it off," Misty sighed, flicking her husband's shoulder. "We've already done this once before. You know how expensive these outfits are!"

"Yeah, but look how tiny it is," Ash sighed, plucking at the baby's poofy lace sleeve. "_Pikachu_ could fit into this! It's barely made out of anything."

"But it is," Brock corrected. "All of the lace, ribbon, and tulle on that outfit really adds up."

"Even though it's Pikachu sized," Misty added with a smirk on her face.

"I guess," Ash sighed. "I'll never understand all of that stuff."

From his arms, Elizabeth grumbled and reached out towards the wrapped box on her mother's lap. Misty smiled and lifted the box up, moving it closer to the baby.

"This?" Misty asked sweetly. "It's a present for you! From Brock! That's your godfather, right? He held you during the ceremony, remember?"

Elizabeth furled and then unfurled her fingers, not taking her eyes off of the shiny box in her mother's possession.

"I think she wants you to open the box, Mist," Ash encouraged.

"You want me to open the box?" Misty playfully asked the child.

Still, Elizabeth didn't remove her eyes from the gift. Smirking, Misty began to untie the ribbon that was wrapped around it, the bow coming undone before the rest of the trim fell off. Once the ribbon was off, Misty began to carefully unwrap the box, trying her best to keep the silver paper intact and unripped.

"Come on, Mist!" Ash groaned with a laugh. "It's just paper! You're not gonna use it again!"

"But it's so pretty!" Misty breathed. "Besides, maybe Elizabeth wants to play with it. You saw how transfixed she was by it!"

"No, Lizzie's got more than enough toys," Ash refuted. "She's not going to be playing with wrapping paper."

"Aw, but she likes it," Misty cooed.

Ash rolled his eyes and looked up at Brock. "See? Look at how much money I spend on this kid, and she's gonna play with wrapping paper."

"That's the great thing about kids," Brock chuckled. "You think they need all this stuff to entertain them, but they're actually pretty content with the basics!"

Smirking at her husband's expression, Misty tucked the wrapping paper beneath her chair so it was out of Elizabeth's view. With the paper now gone, the baby began to whimper once again, fussing and wriggling in Ash's arms.

"Lizzie, come on," Ash groaned, rocking the girl back and forth. "That's just wrapping paper! You don't want that, pumpkin!"

"Misty, open up the box," Brock encouraged. "The actual present might help to calm Elizabeth down."

Nodding her head, Misty pulled up the top of the cardboard box and glanced inside, her emerald eyes beginning to shimmer.

"Oh…"

Misty reached inside and pulled out another box, this one just about as big as the cardboard box it had been stored in. Unlike the outside box, however, this one was made of sterling silver. Various vines of silver connected tiny stars made of crystals that adorned all sides of the box, including the top. An oval set in the center of the box's top was engraved with a message, which Misty was silently reading to herself. Ash, on the other hand, was curious as to what it said, and couldn't really tell with Elizabeth in his grasp.

"Come on, Mist, read it out loud," Ash begged. "I can't see from here!"

Smiling, Misty slowly began to read aloud the message written on top of the silver box:

_I make my promises to you that I will love you,_

_Help guide you, encourage you, listen to you,_

_Be there should you need me,_

_And always hold you in my thoughts._

_Love your godfather, Brock_

"Aww!" Ash crooned, bringing a fierce bush to Brock's face. "How sweet!"

"I knew I was gonna get rubbed for that," Brock chuckled, shaking his head.

"I'm not ribbing you for it," Misty crooned. "I think it's absolutely precious!"

"Thanks," Brock laughed. "I was hoping you'd like it!"

"Ash is just ribbing you because he's a gigantic _pain,_" Misty hissed, glaring at her husband. "I'll be sure to punish him later for you."

"That's not necessary," Brock chortled. "Thank you, though."

"Yeah, I'm just being his buddy, Mist," Ash teased. "No need to get all defensive."

"I'm not!" Misty argued. Just as she yelled at Ash, Elizabeth let out a piercing yelp and threw her head back.

"Man, she is cranky," Ash muttered.

"Try opening up the box," Brock prodded, pointing at the silver box in Misty's possession. "I think that might do the trick."

Biting her lower lip, Misty gently pulled up on the top of the box, releasing it from its crystal star clasp. As soon as the top sprung open, a beautiful, melodic sound filled the air. Almost instantly, both Ash and Misty fell into a trance at the gorgeous music, and before long, Elizabeth had settled down as well. Her wide, innocent eyes were locked on the music box, as though she could see the notes floating up from it as the melody played.

"Brock, this is beautiful," Misty breathed.

"Yeah, and check out Lizzie!" Ash chuckled, glancing down at the transfixed baby. "She's totally calm now!"

"Like nothing ever happened," Brock murmured.

"I can't believe this," Misty whispered, looking up at Brock with tear filled eyes. "You didn't have to buy her such an extravagant gift, Brock. She's only a baby."

"But she's _my_ baby," Brock replied. "Well…not _mine_. That's not what I mean. What I do mean is that…she's _your _baby. Your and Ash's baby. You both mean a lot to me, so _Elizabeth _means a lot to me. I wanted to get her something that she could keep forever. So she always knows just how much she means to me."

"Oh, she will," Misty promised. "Even if you hadn't gotten her this, I would have always made sure that she knows just how much her godfather loves her."

"I'm gonna show Lizzie the music box all the time!" Ash trilled. "And I can tell her 'look, Lizzie, your godfather bought this for you! And he loves you lots!' That's exactly what I'll tell her."

From her father's arms, Elizabeth babbled and reached out towards the music box once again, this time giggling as her entire face lit up.

"Look, she loves it!" Misty marveled.

Grinning from ear to ear, Brock leaned down and took Elizabeth into his own arms, raising the infant to his face in order to kiss her nose. At the contact, Elizabeth cooed delightedly and waved her arms up and down.

"Have you forgiven me for before?" Brock cooed. "Were you mad about that, little girl?"

"No, she wasn't upset about that," Misty giggled. "She was nice and calm! Unlike Michelle who screamed her head off when she went through it."

"Or Aiden, who slept the entire time," Ash mused.

"Well, as long as you're not mad at me, then everything is alright," Brock murmured, giving the baby another kiss, this time on her forehead. "I can't have my precious goddaughter be mad at me! I don't know how I'd live."

Elizabeth smiled before stuffing a tiny first into her mouth, still grinning up at Brock around it.

"Happy girl," Brock breathed, his eyes sparkling.

"See? She loves you!" Misty giggled as she closed the top of the music box. "And I love your present for her. Thank you, Brock."

"Don't mention it," Brock replied. "It's my pleasure."

Letting out another shrill giggle, Elizabeth reached up with her free hand, the one that wasn't stuffed in her mouth, and tried to grab at Brock's nose. He laughed at the action and lowered his head so Elizabeth could actually grab it. Once she did, she giggled yet again, gently stroking the tip of his nose with her fingers.

"Check it out, Mist," Ash chuckled. "They're best friends!"

"Yeah," Misty murmured, her eyes sparkling. "And it's beautiful. Just like his gift."

* * *

><p><strong>In case you didn't pick up on it, this is kind of supposed to be like her christeningbaptism. Except it's not exactly that. It's more Pokémon world-ified, if that makes sense. I might expand upon it in another one shot, if anyone would be so interested :P**


	289. Picky Eater

**Guys midterms are halfway over! YAY! I only have...three left. Okay, slightly less than half. Whatever, it's good enough for me! Have a celebratory one shot :P**

**Michelle: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Picky Eater<strong>

"Michelle, what would you like on your sandwich?"

"Cheese!"

"Okay. What else?"

"Nothing."

Brock arched an eyebrow at this. "Nothing?"

"Nuh uh," Michelle refuted. "Just cheese, and nothin' else."

"Alright," Brock murmured. He picked up several slices of cheese, using more than he would on a normal sandwich with more condiments. After topping it off with another piece of bread, and filling the rest of the plate up with potato chips, Brock handed the meal off to Michelle, whose eyes lit up with excitement. "There you go, little lady!"

"Thank you, Brock!" Michelle squealed, scurrying away with the plate.

Michelle ended up flitting right past Ash, who looked down in surprise as the girl ran by. Looking back up at Brock, Ash smirked and shook his head, walking further into the kitchen.

"She's a crazy girl," Ash chuckled. "I _never _ran with food like that when I was a kid! Could you imagine if I dropped it? Devastating."

"Ash, did you ever realize how picky Michelle is?" Brock asked.

"Picky?" Ash repeated.

"Yeah, she's a picky eater."

"Oh, of course I know that!" Ash crowed. "It's kind of upsetting, since I love food and all. How could I not notice it?"

"I don't know, I never did," Brock murmured. "It was just now when she asked for only cheese on her sandwich that I realized it."

"Yeah, Michelle's pretty particular about her meals," Ash sighed. "She seems to like things really bland. Too much seasoning and she won't eat it! She doesn't even like ketchup."

"Really?"

"Nope. Pikachu's thrilled about that. More left over for him. And even though I try to hide it, he always manages to find the bottle! Great sense of smell."

"Well now I'm worried about dinner," Brock groaned.

"What are you making?" Ash asked.

He, Misty, and the twins were visiting Brock at his home in Pewter City for a Sunday dinner. His brother Forrest would be joining them later along with his wife Olivia and son Brandon, and of course, Brock was in charge of cooking.

"Pepper steak," Brock replied. "And I'm not going to lie, it's pretty spicy."

"What does it have in it?" Ash inquired.

"Steak, peppers, onions, and tomatoes," Brock rattled off the recipe from memory. "I already know I have to make Misty's portion without peppers."

"Then I'd make a little extra without peppers if I were you," Ash advised. "Michelle has taken after her mother and _hates_ peppers."

"At least I'm already making some without them," Brock sighed. "I'll just throw in some extra. Anything else?"

"I could probably just pick out the onions and tomatoes myself," Ash tried. "Michelle's never outwardly been opposed to them, but my guess is if she sees that stuff on her plate, she'll get antsy."

"So…she's going to eat steak?" Brock deducted.

"Hopefully," Ash murmured. "I just got her to start eating steak a few weeks ago. Professor Oak barbequed for us, and I actually convinced Michelle to eat a few little pieces of steak. She seemed to like it. But it probably wasn't as seasoned as yours will be."

"Probably not," Brock agreed.

"It'll be fine," Ash promised. "I'll tell her not throw a fit. Besides, she's pretty good about hiding her dislikes in front of people who aren't me and Misty. She gives us a hard time about dinner, but she won't do it to you."

"But I want to make sure Michelle eats," Brock sighed. "I don't mind that she's not going to like it. Everyone has different tastes. I just don't want her to starve. Even though I just handed the poor kid two slices of bread with cheese in the middle."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Ash chuckled. "Michelle _loves_ her cheese sandwiches! Misty still thinks it's crazy, but she makes 'em for Shelly anyway."

"So what do you guys do about her for dinner?" Brock asked, walking over to where he stored the pots and pans in order to pull one out so he could start cooking.

"She eats a lot of pasta," Ash chuckled. "Michelle _loves _her pasta. But only with butter or tomato sauce and _lots _of cheese. That's a good thing for us to make because she'll eat any type of pasta. Lasagna, ravioli, spaghetti, stuffed shells…she loves all of that stuff. And she eats most types of 'little kid' food like nuggets or fish sticks or pizza or macaroni and cheese. But I guess that's pasta too."

"Does she eat _any_ meat?" Brock marveled.

"Yeah, a little bit," Ash responded. "She likes burgers. That's a relatively new thing for her. And I just got her onto steak. She likes hot dogs, too. And other certain types of meat, as long as there's no sauce on them or anything. And she only eats cooked meats, nothing from a deli or anything like that. Michelle likes to eat things dry. I really don't know how she does it."

"So, am I to guess she's got a war waged on vegetables?" Brock chuckled.

"Actually, no," Ash refuted, earning a surprised glance from Brock. "I know, it's weird! But Michelle doesn't mind them. She'll eat broccoli, corn, and peas without any prodding. She loves those! Green beans we need to try and bribe her a bit. Oh, and she _loves_ carrots, which drives Misty insane! I give Michelle celery and carrot sticks as snacks all the time, and she's perfectly happy sitting and eating those."

"Michelle sure is a funny little girl," Brock chuckled, turning on the stove top and coating the bottom of the pan with vegetable oil. "In a good way, I mean!"

Ash smirked at Brock's sudden panic. He knew the only reason for that was because he was so protective of Michelle that Brock might have thought he would get struck down for such a comment.

"I know what you mean," Ash assured the Pokémon doctor. "I agree with you! I love my baby, but she sure is a bit strange. That's what makes her special, though!"

"You know, I bet I could convince Michelle to try new things," Brock mused.

"You probably could," Ash agreed. "Your cooking is delicious! I don't see how even the pickiest of eaters could resist it. Besides, Michelle may be picky and totally afraid of trying new things, but she's a little more open when it comes to food. At least _becoming_ more open, anyway. Mom's been helping out with it too."

"Does she like rice?" Brock asked cautiously.

"What kind of rice?" Ash chuckled lowly.

"Regular old white rice."

"Oh, yeah! I told you, Michelle loves her food bland. White rice is the perfect food for her."

"Good, because that's what I make with the steak," Brock breathed. "But maybe I can sneak something into the rice without her noticing."

"What do you mean?" Ash prodded.

"I'm thinking that if I slip a few pieces of onion and tomato into her rice, she may not notice," Brock explained.

"She'll pick it out," Ash refuted. "Kid's got eyes like a Fearow. She sees something off, and she's gonna pick it out. Trust me, Misty's tried."

"And Misty's super stealthy," Brock grumbled. "More so than me. Wow."

"Michelle's a tough case to crack," Ash chuckled. "Trust me, Brock. She won't go hungry. She's just a little girl! The steak and the rice will be enough."

"My main concern is her not liking the steak," Brock continued, opening the package of meat. "Because if she doesn't, plain white rice isn't going to be filling enough."

"You'd be surprised with Michelle," Ash warned. "She could probably eat an entire pot of white rice and be content. Misty's not happy with it, and I'm not either, but _Michelle _would be."

"Guess we'll just have to play it by ear," Brock remarked, the gears in his brain turning as he began to cook dinner.

**XXX**

Once everyone was seated at the table, and Michelle saw what was being served for dinner, she threw her mother a desperate look that Misty knew was coming.

"It's just fine, Michelle," Misty softly assured her daughter.

"Mommy, I don't think I like that stuff," Michelle whispered back, her eyes full of trepidation.

"I know, but Brock was nice enough to make us all dinner," Misty continued. "So you have to be a polite little girl and eat what he made."

Michelle continued to pout, obviously not comforted by her mother's words. "Mommy, at home, you make me nuggets."

"I do," Misty agreed. "But we're not at home. We're at Brock's house. And he's not going to make you nuggets just because you don't like the food. You have to try it, okay?"

Michelle was still sulking, however.

Sighing, Misty shook her head and conceded, "If you really don't like it, I'll make you something small to eat when we get home. Okay?"

Michelle let out a quiet huff, but despite her current frustration, nodded in response to her mother's arrangement.

"Okay, everyone, dinner!" Brock announced, placing the different dishes on everyone's plates. "Misty, I have your portion without pepper right here!"

"Thanks, Brock," Misty sighed with a smile on her face. "I'm sorry I'm so annoying."

"You're not annoying," Brock chuckled. "It's perfectly fine!"

Once he was done placing the food on Misty's plate, Brock moved over to Michelle and filled her own plate with the same portion.

"Here, Shelly," Brock softly cooed. "I've got some without pepper for you, too! Daddy told me you don't like them either."

"Nuh uh," Michelle confirmed, shaking her head. As Brock walked away to take his own seat, Michelle glanced down at her plate and made a face.

"Michelle, stop that," Misty scolded in a hushed tone. "You haven't even tried it yet!"

"I don't like how it looks, Mommy," Michelle whimpered.

"Look, there's rice!" Misty breathed, tapping her spoon on top of the generous portion of white rice Brock had given her. "You like rice!"

"Yeah," Michelle murmured. "But not the other stuff."

"Please, Michelle, just try it," Misty pleaded. "For me?"

Michelle scoffed and looked away from the plate, the stubbornness radiating from her being like heat from a furnace.

"Remember our deal," Misty breathed.

The child's eyebrow arched, and her breath hitched for a very short moment. With her mother's words floating in her brain, Michelle picked up her fork and stabbed a piece of the steak, slowly sticking it in her mouth. Misty watched as her daughter chewed the food, and unbeknownst to the both of them, Brock was also watching, albeit more covertly.

"Well, what do you think?" Misty asked sweetly as Michelle swallowed the piece.

The little girl looked up at her mother and frowned, slowly shaking her head.

"It's too spicy," Michelle muttered, looking down sheepishly at her lap.

"Alright," Misty sighed, sitting back upright. "Just eat the rice for now. I'll take care of you when we get home."

"No need!"

Misty looked up at that exclamation and gasped. Hovering over Michelle was Brock, holding out a pan and cautiously sliding several freshly cooked breaded morsels on Michelle's plate.

"Nuggets!" Michelle cried excitedly, grabbing one and taking a bite out of it. "Thank you, Brock!"

"Don't mention it, sweetie!" Brock chuckled, ruffling the girl's hair.

"Brock, you didn't have to do that," Misty groaned, holding her head in her hand. "Michelle's going to have to learn that she can't have nuggets all the time eventually."

"Yeah, but she's still little," Brock reasoned, smiling down at the happily eating Michelle. "And I'd rather have her leave here filled up with nuggets than with an empty stomach!"

"Your godfather spoils you, princess," Misty informed her daughter, still resting her head in her hand. "You know that?"

"Uh huh!" Michelle giggled. "But only –cause he loves me!"

"She's got a point," Brock hummed.

"You're an enabler, Brock," Misty huffed, though she was still smiling. "A big, loving enabler."

"What can I say?" Brock laughed. "I have a way with the ladies!"

* * *

><p><strong>Michelle was me as a child. Fine...I'm still a little picky. I only eat sandwiches with cheese and nothing else. I can't help it, I think deli meat is gross!<strong>


	290. Get to the Pointe

**Hi guys! How's everyone doing? Good? Good! I'm tired. But I have spring break next week! PARTAAAY! And by party I mean sleeping until noon every day. Welcome to my exciting life.**

**Anyway, this one has older Elizabeth! A lot of you guys really seem to enjoy her :)**

**Elizabeth: 9 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Get to the Pointe<strong>

"Daddy! Daddy! Look what I got!"

Ash nearly fell off his chair as Elizabeth thrust a light pink box in his face.

"Whoa, pumpkin!" Ash breathed, lowering the child's possession. "I see it! I don't know what's inside, but I see it!"

"That's because I gotta take it out and show you!" Elizabeth giggled. As she knelt down to open up the box, Misty appeared in the doorway, smirking at her bewildered husband.

"What's Elizabeth so excited about?" Ash questioned.

"Can't say," Misty replied simply. "Lizzie's got to be the one to show you."

Pulling the top off of the box she had just been shoving in Ash's face, Elizabeth cast it off to the side and pulled out a pair of pink satin shoes, holding them up with a smile on her face.

"Aren't they pretty, Daddy?" Elizabeth giggled.

"Yeah, they're beautiful!" Ash trilled. "But…what are they?"

Elizabeth sighed and lowered the shoes onto her lap. "Oh, Daddy…"

"I don't know!" Ash chuckled, getting off the couch and sitting himself down next to Elizabeth on the floor. "Tell me! They kind of look like your ballet slippers, you know."

"These _are_ for ballet, Daddy," Elizabeth explained. "But they're not slippers! They're pointe shoes!"

"Pointe shoes?" Ash repeated. "What's a pointe?"

"Ash, haven't you ever seen the prima ballerinas?" Misty questioned. "The ones who actually dance on their toes?"

"Oh, yeah!" Ash marveled. "I have!"

"That's what pointe is," Misty continued. "Only experienced ballet dancers can do it."

"Wait…" Ash murmured, switching his eyes between the shoes and Elizabeth. "So…if Lizzie has those shoes…that means…she's an experienced ballet dancer!"

"Yeah!" Elizabeth giggled. "My ballet teacher said I could finally do it! I've been waiting _forever_ to do pointe!"

"That's awesome, Lizzie!" Ash chuckled. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Now I get to wear the pretty shoes!" Elizabeth cheered. "And look like a _real _ballerina!"

"But it's not all about looking pretty," Misty gently reminded her daughter, who blushed slightly in response. "You remember what Miss Mai said. Pointe isn't easy. It's going to take a lot of hard work, and you're not going to master it overnight."

"I know," Elizabeth murmured, looking down at her new shoes once again. "But look, Daddy! I even have ribbons for them!"

Ash chuckled as his daughter's mood quickly returned to upbeat. She had reached back into the box and pulled out a small plastic bag, where a set of pink satin ribbons were intertwined.

"I see!" Ash marveled.

"I have to sew those onto your shoes," Misty reminded Elizabeth. "So don't lose them."

"Okay, Mommy," Elizabeth replied, placing the ribbons back in the box.

"Wow, you actually have to sew the ribbons onto the shoes?" Ash commented.

"The ribbons _and_ the elastic," Misty muttered. "These shoes are higher maintenance than my sisters."

"Lizzie, you should just dance in sneakers," Ash advised. "They don't take as much work."

"You can't do ballet in sneakers, Daddy!" Elizabeth gasped, horrified by the thought. "Only hip hop! And hip hop's not as pretty as ballet. _Everyone_ can do that! Only certain girls can do pointe. Like me!"

"Well, if you'd like to be one of those girls, I should probably start setting up these shoes," Misty commented, bending over and scooping up the box that had contained the shoes. "You start your pointe lessons on Monday."

"And I can't wait!" Elizabeth giggled. "I'm going to be the best!"

"That's the spirit, Lizzie!" Ash cheered on his daughter. "I believe in you, baby girl."

"Thanks, Daddy!" Elizabeth trilled, lunging at her father and giving him a big hug.

"That's very sweet," Misty sighed. "Now give me the shoes, Elizabeth. Or else you're going to show up on Monday looking awfully strange."

**XXX**

When Monday finally came, Ash decided that _he_ wanted to be the one to pick Elizabeth up from dance class. He was so proud of her for coming so far in her training, and that she was finally at the level she wanted to be at. Ash wanted to be the first one to see her after her first pointe class. As soon as the door to the studio opened, Ash's eyes lit up, and he beamed at his daughter.

But what he got in response was the exact opposite.

Elizabeth had her head hanging down, looking at the floor with her arms hanging down at her sides. She was gripping the ribbons of her pointe shoes in her right hand, the satin slippers dangling just above the ground.

"Elizabeth, what's wrong?" Ash murmured, kneeling down on the floor and holding onto the little girl's shoulders.

"I hate it, Daddy," Elizabeth whimpered, not bothering to pick her eyes up. "I want to quit."

"What?" Ash gasped, drawing his own shoulders back.

"I hate it," Elizabeth repeated, her voice filling with venom.

"Sweetheart, how could you possibly know that?" Ash asked gently. "It's only been one class!"

"Because it hurts!" Elizabeth wailed, snapping her head back up. "The shoes hurt my feet, and I can't even turn in them!"

"You'll learn," Ash promised his daughter. "It's just going to take some time."

"And they made my toes bleed!" Elizabeth cried, swinging the shoes forward and nearly hitting Ash in the face with them. "Now my shoes are bloody and Mommy's gonna be mad –cause they're new!"

"Mommy's not going to be mad," Ash hushed, holding the shoes in his hands. "Let me see…I don't see any blood, Lizzie. Where is there blood?"

"On the inside," Elizabeth muttered, pointing at the toe of the shoe.

Flipping it over, Ash looked inside at the box, and realized that there was, in fact, some blood spots dotted on it. When he looked down at Elizabeth's tight covered foot, he could see the matching spots staining the baby pink material.

"It's just a little bit," Ash murmured. "And it's on the inside. No one's going to see it!"

"I don't care," Elizabeth grumbled. "It hurts, Daddy. I don't want to do it anymore."

Sighing, Ash lifted Elizabeth into his arms, which was surprisingly still easy, and carried her over to a nearby chair, sitting down with the downtrodden girl on his lap.

"Elizabeth, you can't quit," Ash softly informed his daughter.

"Why?" Elizabeth grumbled.

"Because it's only been one day," Ash continued, his voice just as gentle as it'd been before. "You can't judge it based off of one day!"

"Yes I can," Elizabeth retorted. "It's bad!"

"Only because you're not used to it," Ash reasoned. "Look, Lizzie, I don't know a lot about dance. Actually, I hardly know _anything _about dance. The only thing I _do_ know is that you're very good at it. And that you're a very determined little girl."

Elizabeth huffed and looked away from her father, but said nothing in response.

"My Lizzie would never quit _anything_, especially after just one try," Ash continued, placing his fingers under her chin and moving her head back towards him. "Mommy told you yesterday that this isn't easy, right?"

"Yeah," Elizabeth muttered, "but I didn't know it was gonna be so hard! And hurt so bad!"

"It won't hurt forever," Ash promised. "At first, you'll just have to fight through the pain. It'll start hurting less and less, and before you know it, it won't hurt at all! You know what they say: no pain, no gain!"

"I don't like pain," Elizabeth muttered.

"Nobody does," Ash agreed. "That's why it's called pain! But it only exists to make you stronger."

"Didn't you ever quit _anything_, Daddy?" Elizabeth asked softly, hoping to find some kind of loophole in her father's speech.

"Nope," Ash refuted, sounding extremely proud of the fact. "I never did! And I've tried all kinds of different things. Pokémon races, contests, summer academies…if you name it, I've probably done it! And I've never quit a single thing."

"Even when you wanted to?" Elizabeth squeaked.

"Even when I wanted to," Ash confirmed. "Because I knew if I did, I would never learn. I'd just be stuck in the same place forever! It's just like having a big battle."

"Daddy, dancing isn't like battling," Elizabeth groaned. She couldn't understand why her father had to compare _everything _to Pokémon battles.

"It is!" Ash argued with a laugh. "Battling is a lot like dancing, actually. You watch me battle all the time, pumpkin. Don't you see the way the Pokémon move? How they attack? It's all so calculated and precise. Just like dancing!"

"I guess…" Elizabeth muttered.

"Besides," Ash continued with a smirk, "where would I be if I quit training every time I lost a battle? I certainly wouldn't be the Pokémon Master."

"That's true," Elizabeth relented.

"You want to be a master ballerina," Ash concluded, his eyes lighting up at the prospect of his daughter mastering something she loved, just like him. "And you won't get there if you quit! You've just got to keep on trying! And I promise you that whenever you need help, I'll be here for you. Unless, you know, it involves your costumes or something. I don't know about those little sparkly things Mommy has to put on them."

Elizabeth giggled at her father's density on the subject. "Those are called rhinestones, Daddy!"

"Well, what do you know?" Ash quipped. "I learn something new every day!"

Still laughing, the little girl hopped off of her father's lap, the pink and black ruffle sleeves of her leotard flouncing as she spun around to face him.

"Thanks, Daddy!" Elizabeth chirped.

"You feel better now?" Ash asked.

"Yeah," Elizabeth replied softly. "I won't quit. I promise."

"Good!" Ash chuckled, picking up the child's pink duffle bag and sticking her pointe shoes inside. "Now, put your regular shoes on. When we get home, we'll do something about those battled little toes of yours!"

"You're gonna fix 'em?" Elizabeth trilled.

"Sure!" Ash crowed. "I may not know anything about dance, but boy do I know how to fix ouchies!"

* * *

><p><strong>Admittedly, nine is a little young to begin pointe. But any age beyond nine and she's off on a Pokémon journey! Speaking of which, this IS the Pokémon world. Ten year olds travel the world on their own fighting powerful creatures. So who's to say a nine year old can't dance en pointe in their world either?<strong>

**Anime physics/logics are your friends :P**


	291. Battle of the Siblings

**This one is REALLY fun, because it has something for everyone! Aiden, Michelle, and Elizabeth all in one story...and pretty much no parental involvement! Let's see what these kids are up to now :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 6 years old**

**Elizabeth: 7 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Battle of the Siblings<strong>

"Battle me!"

"No."

"Huh? Why not?"

"Because you're annoying."

Aiden scoffed and rolled his shoulders back, narrowing his eyes at the young redhead sitting across from him.

"You're just sayin' that –cause you know you'll lose," Aiden retorted, hoping to get a rise out of her.

"No," Michelle replied simply. "You're _just_ annoying."

Aiden groaned loudly and looked over his shoulder, arching an eyebrow. Standing behind him was the ever familiar gray and green playpen, where the youngest member of the family was busy playing inside. Getting to his feet, Aiden scurried over to the enclosure and leaned over with curious eyes, watching as Elizabeth played with a toy cell phone that made different noises as she pressed the various buttons.

"Come on, Lizzie, that toy is dumb," Aiden sighed, pulling it out of the baby's hands and tossing it into the corner. The baby mumbled curiously at the action and stared up at her brother, but otherwise didn't cry or fuss.

"Aiden!" Michelle scolded, narrowing her eyes.

"It's fine," Aiden hushed, leaning over the side of the playpen and lifting Elizabeth up with practiced ease. "She _wants_ to play with me!"

Elizabeth furrowed her brow and let out a soft whine. Scoffing, Aiden placed the baby on the floor and proudly folded his arms. As soon as she tried to crawl away, however, he jumped down and held onto her sides so she couldn't get away.

"Yeah, she looks _really_ interested," Michelle snidely remarked.

"Shut it!" Aiden whined, standing back up and stomping his foot.

"_You_ shut it!" Michelle retorted, narrowing her eyes.

"Gah!" Elizabeth shrieked, wanting to join in on her older siblings' little shouting match.

"Lizzie, you're too little to argue like the rest of us," Aiden scolded the infant, who blinked in response. "But I can still teach you to battle!"

"Aiden, no!" Michelle gasped, leaning forward on her hands and knees as her eyes grew wide. "You can't battle with Lizzie! She's just a baby!"

"I'm not gonna battle her _hard,_" Aiden sighed. "Just enough so she can learn about it!"

"_I_ hate battling," Michelle scoffed, "so what makes you think Elizabeth will like it?"

"-Cause she's more fun than you," Aiden snickered, earning a sneer from his twin.

"Ah?" Elizabeth crooned, looking up at her brother and pulling down at her lower lip with a tiny finger.

"Alright, Lizzie, I challenge you to a battle!" Aiden crowed, pointing his own finger at the infant. Elizabeth, however, didn't seem fazed by Aiden's challenge.

"Ha, she doesn't care!" Michelle laughed.

Furrowing his brow, Aiden jumped down to the floor and stood on his hands and knees, locking eyes with Elizabeth. The baby, in turn, leaned back slightly and squeaked. She was obviously confused by her brother's behavior.

"Look, Lizzie, I'm Blastoise!" Aiden boasted, standing back on his knees and holding his hands up like claws. "_Raaaawr!_"

Elizabeth giggled at her brother's impression and clapped her little hands together.

"No, Lizzie, it's not funny!" Aiden groaned. "You're supposed to be _afraid_ of me!"

"Aiden, Lizzie's not afraid of _anything_," Michelle sighed. "She's braver than _you!_"

"Well, let's see how brave she is when I use my hydro pump!" Aiden remarked, getting back to his feet and scurrying over to the couch. Picking up his plastic water gun, the young boy stood proudly in front of his younger sister and squirted the water at her, soaking the center of the baby's white pajamas printed with pink and green cherries.

"Aiden!" Michelle shrieked, slapping her hands against her cheeks.

Elizabeth placed her little hands right near the wet spot and looked down at it before peering back up at Aiden with wide, curious eyes.

"That was a critical hit," Aiden informed his baby sister. "Because, you know, you're a Charmander."

"Why does Lizzie have to be Charmander?" Michelle demanded. "_You're_ a fully evolved Squirtle! That's no fair!"

"Because Elizabeth is a _baby!_" Aiden sighed exasperatedly as though it were obvious. "Obviously she's not gonna be as strong as me!"

"But why's she got to be a fire type?" Michelle huffed. "That means she's even weaker!"

"Hey, Daddy uses those kind of Pokémon against stronger types all the time!" Aiden argued. "She can do it! Maybe. Probably not. But she'll learn eventually!"

Michelle scoffed and rolled her eyes, finding her brother's argument to be rather preposterous.

"Besides, Lizzie's got red hair!" Aiden continued. "So she's a fire type."

"Red hair doesn't make us a fire type!" Michelle argued, her eyes practically burning.

"I don't know, Shelly, you're looking pretty fiery to me!" Aiden laughed, causing his sister to snarl and jump up to her feet.

"Quit calling me fiery!" Michelle barked.

"Why should I?" Aiden laughed tauntingly.

"Because you're a pain!" Michelle snapped.

"Fiery Shelly! Fiery Shelly!" Aiden taunted in a sing song voice, only bringing a deeper red hue to his sister's face. "Look! Now your face is fiery too!"

"That's it!" Michelle barked. "_I'll_ battle you!"

"Ha! I'm not afraid of a Charizard!" Aiden laughed, pointing in Michelle's face.

"If I'm a Charizard because of my _hair_, then _you_ can't be a Blastoise," Michelle hummed, causing her brother's face to fall.

"Huh? Why not?!"

"Because you don't have blue hair," Michelle elucidated, flicking one of her brother's midnight locks. "If you're gonna make me and Lizzie fire types because of our hair, that means _you_ can't be a water type."

At this, Aiden pouted. "So what can I be?"

"A dark type," Michelle replied simply.

"But I don't wanna _be_ a dark type," Aiden grumbled.

"Too bad," Michelle huffed. "You already made me Charizard, so I'm gonna make you…Umbreon!"

From behind Aiden, Elizabeth squealed and began clapping her hands together. Scowling, Aiden looked over his shoulder and glared at the baby, who was unaffected by such a harsh stare.

"Elizabeth, you're not helping!" Aiden groaned.

"I get the first move!" Michelle cheered. "Flamethrower!"

She tackled Aiden to the ground and held him down by the shoulders, blowing hot air in his face.

"Quit it!" Aiden whined, trying to push Michelle off of him. Once he succeeded, and she went rolling towards Elizabeth's playpen, the young boy jumped up to his feet and ran over to the couch, yanking off the blanket that was draped over the back of it.

"Ha, I got you good!" Michelle laughed, sitting back up and tilting her head to the side.

"Well I got you now!" Aiden yelled, throwing the blanket over Michelle. "Night shade!"

Michelle's muffled screams could be heard from beneath the blanket. Elizabeth stuck her finger back in her mouth and cooed softly, watching the scene with delightfully bewildered eyes. Eventually, Michelle managed to kick Aiden from beneath the blanket and pop up from beneath it, glaring at the thoroughly amused young boy.

"Umbreon can't _use_ night shade!" Michelle accused.

"Uh huh he can!" Aiden argued.

"No, that's a ghost attack!" Michelle stormed.

"It is not!"

"Is too!"

"Is not!

"Is too!"

As the twins bickered valiantly back and forth, with Elizabeth watching on curiously, Ash stepped into the living room, a confused look on his face. He knew he should have stepped in and stopped the older two from fighting, but he just wasn't in the mood for it today. Instead, he decided to save his energy and instead use it on rescuing baby Elizabeth, the innocent bystander.

"Come on, pumpkin," Ash sighed, picking the infant up and carrying her into the kitchen. "Let's get out of here before you end up battle beaten."

* * *

><p><strong>Someone wanted to see a one shot where Aiden battled Elizabeth, and that kind of gave me this idea :P Of course Aiden would be the annoying brother dragging his sisters into all of his messes :P<strong>


	292. Miss Independent

**Mmm, I love spring break. Having a week of absolutely nothing to do (aside from hockey games, crafting, and doing stuff for your sister) is awesome! Especially since this semester has been so stressful...**

**So here, have a new one shot to celebrate my momentary freedom!**

**Aiden: 6 years old**

**Elizabeth: 8 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Miss Independent<strong>

"Here's your juice, Aiden."

"Thank you, Mommy!"

Elizabeth watched from her highchair as her older brother grabbed his red plastic cup, bringing it to his lips and drinking eagerly from the edge. As she was gazing on, the baby was lifted out of her seat by her mother, who was holding a bottle full of the same juice in her hand.

"Okay, Lizzie!" Misty crooned. "Time for _you_ to have some juice, too!"

When she moved the bottle near the baby's mouth, however, she whined and turned her head away. Humming confusedly, Misty tried again, but still Elizabeth refused to accept it.

"What's up with you?" Misty asked softly. "You love it when you get to have juice!"

Elizabeth grumbled and reached up with her little hands, eyeing the bottle wantonly.

"Mama…" Elizabeth squeaked, wiggling her fingers.

"What is it, sprinkle?" Misty murmured.

"I think she wants to hold the bottle, Mommy!"

Misty looked down at Aiden, who was beaming at her. She then turned her attention back onto Elizabeth, who was mumbling nonsense to herself.

"You think?" Misty breathed.

"Yeah!" Aiden laughed. "She wants to be –pendent!"

"You mean independent," Misty giggled.

"That too," Aiden chirped before downing more of his own juice.

"Hmm…you might have a point, buddy," Misty murmured before smiling. "Lizzie, do you want to hold your bottle yourself?"

"Baba?" Elizabeth repeated, her hands still outreached.

"Yes, baba!" Misty giggled. Carefully, she handed the purple bottle off to Elizabeth, making sure the young girl had it securely in her little hands before letting go of it herself. With that settled, Misty watched as the baby squealed excitedly and stuck the spout of the bottle in her mouth, tilting her head back slightly as she began to drink the juice out of it.

"I told you!" Aiden bragged.

"You did, didn't you?" Misty chuckled. "Wow, look at Lizzie go! She really likes giving herself a bottle, huh?"

"Maybe she wants to feed herself, too!" Aiden suggested.

"I don't know…" Misty murmured. As much as she didn't want to admit it, because it made her sound selfish, Misty didn't want to see Elizabeth become so independent. She was the baby of the family, after all, and Misty loved treating her that way. She didn't really want Elizabeth to grow up, even though it was inevitable.

"Come on, Mommy!" Aiden urged. "I wanna see what she does!"

"Alright…" Misty sighed, still sounding hesitant. She sat Elizabeth back down in her highchair and watched for a few short seconds as the baby giggled and stuck the spout of the bottle back in her mouth, eagerly drinking the juice out of it. This brought a smile back to Misty's face. Since Elizabeth was still very young, she could only have juice every so often. It was still a fairly new treat to her, but every time she was given a bottle of it, Elizabeth never hesitated to down the entire thing. Ash liked to joke that she was like his friends when they went out together, but with a "different kind" of juice.

Misty always smacked him for that one.

"Mommy, give Elizabeth bananas!" Aiden yelped.

"Why bananas?" Misty asked curiously.

"Because when Lizzie eats bananas, she gets it all over her face and her clothes, and it's really funny," Aiden giggled.

"Which is exactly why I should _not_ give Elizabeth bananas to feed to herself," Misty hummed with a smirk. "Besides, I think you're forgetting that _you_ were once a baby ready to feed himself, little guy! I know _exactly _what to give Elizabeth."

Aiden watched as his mother pulled out a box of cereal, the same kind she often gave him in the morning with milk or fruit.

"Mommy, Lizzie can't chew that stuff!" Aiden cried.

"She doesn't have to chew it, sweetheart," Misty giggled, walking over to the highchair. "Elizabeth drools so much that these will just melt in her mouth!"

Opening the top of the box, Misty shook out a few of the little round oats so they were scattered across the white tray of the baby's highchair. Elizabeth watched on in amazement, refusing to even move her head until the last piece of cereal stopped rolling. Once they were all settled, she looked up at her mother with wide eyes, as though silently asking for permission to put the strange new things in her mouth.

"Go ahead, Lizzie," Misty encouraged. "Eat one!"

Elizabeth glanced back down at the tray and clumsily picked up one of the cereal pieces with her chubby little fingers. Examining it for a quick second, the baby popped the circle into her mouth and began animatedly moving her mouth up and down to dissolve the piece. Misty watched on with a tearful smile, while Aiden was not quite as enthralled.

"That's it?"

Misty looked over at her son, whose brow was furrowed.

"What do you mean, sweetheart?" Misty giggled.

"All she does is stick the cereal in her mouth and eat it," Aiden mumbled.

"Well, yeah, she's feeding herself!" Misty laughed. "What did you think was going to happen, dear?"

"I thought you were gonna give her a bowl of mashed up stuff, and she'd put it on her head or throw it on the floor," Aiden grumbled.

"Oh, so _you_ just wanted to see your little sister make a mess," Misty breathed.

"Well, yeah," Aiden replied as though it were obvious.

"Aiden, what am I going to do with you?" Misty sighed, smiling softly as Elizabeth giggled before sticking another piece of cereal in her mouth.

"I don't know," Aiden innocently replied. "But you should give Elizabeth a big bowl of mush and see what happens!"

At this, Misty's sweet smile turned back into a sardonic smirk. "Not gonna happen, little man."

* * *

><p><strong>Aiden just wants to watch everything around him turn into a gigantic dust cloud :P He wants Elizabeth to be as destructive as him, basically. He's a troublemaker :P<strong>


	293. Alone Time

**How is my spring break over already? That's so depressing :( I had so much work it didn't even feel like a break! But at least I was able to get a new one shot done before the very end of the week :)**

**Aiden and Michelle: 3 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Alone Time<strong>

"Rawr! I'm a sea monstew!"

"Oh no! A sea monster?"

"Yeah! Rawr!"

"Well, miss sea monster, I have to ask, why are you not in the water?"

Michelle's face grew contemplative as she looked down at the ground. She was, in fact, standing by the side of the pool, and not actually _in_ the water. Her one piece swimsuit, white in color and filled in with rows of light blue, dark blue, and yellow bubble stripes, wasn't even wet, in fact.

"Cause I don't gots no watew wings," Michelle replied softly, flapping her bare arms up and down.

"Don't worry, baby girl," Ash's booming voice flooded in, causing Michelle to look over her shoulder. "I'm here to save the day!"

"Daddy!" Michelle giggled, throwing her arms up in the air.

With her arms still up, Ash slipped the inflatable blue wings down his daughter's arms until they were secure, at which point she finally put them down and smiled.

"Alright, princess," Ash chuckled, patting Michelle on the head. "Go get Brock!"

"Rawr!"

Brock chuckled and held his own arms out, preparing to catch Michelle. It was really amazing. The little girl was quiet and reserved, and afraid of most things. When it came to the water, however, Michelle was essentially fearless. They weren't even at the kiddie pool; this was the full size, adult pool with water much deeper than Michelle was tall. Yet there she was, taking a running leap into the pool. Then again, Michelle also had complete trust in her godfather, which didn't hurt.

"Got ya!" Brock chuckled as Michelle landed right in his hands.

Michelle shrieked excitedly and began to splash water in Brock's face, causing him to laugh and sputter all at once.

"Aw, Michelle and Brock really love each other."

Ash spun around and smiled. Misty was sauntering towards him, a big smile on her own face. She looked every bit the supermodel: with big, black sunglasses covering her eyes, a floppy white sunhat on her head, and a sheer blue cover up with a deep V-neck that ended barely at her mid-thigh.

"I would hope so," Ash quipped. "They're godfather and goddaughter!"

"I just love it," Misty sighed, tilting her head to the side. "Michelle doesn't open up very easily. But with Brock, it's effortless."

"She knows he loves her," Ash breathed. "She trusts him."

"Yay! Swimmin'!"

Aiden came running, not even getting past Misty before she knelt down and grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Oh no you don't!" Misty scolded. "You're not getting in that pool until you have water wings on."

Aiden groaned and whipped around, pouting at his mother. "Mommy, I _hate_ watew wings!"

"I know you do," Misty murmured. "But you're still too little to be swimming without them! Soon you'll be a strong enough swimmer to go in without them. But until then, I'm not taking any chances."

The little boy grimaced as Ash pulled the red water wings onto his arms.

"Besides, you look so cute in your little water wings!" Misty crooned, removing her sunglasses so her eyes became visible.

"_Moooommy_, I'm not cute!" Aiden whined, stamping his feet on the ground.

"Oh, of course you are," Misty refuted, kneeling down and pulling the boy's face in so she could kiss his nose. "You're just the cutest little boy anyone has ever seen!"

"_Moooommy!_"

"Come on, Mist, you're embarrassing him," Ash chuckled.

"Lemme go swimming," Aiden grumbled, his voice dark.

"Okay, okay, we're gonna go swimming," Misty giggled. She put her hat and sunglasses down on a nearby longue chair and pulled off her cover up, fully revealing the stringy blue and green bikini that had already been visible beneath the sheer cover up.

"No, Mommy," Aiden moaned.

"No what?" Misty sighed, placing her hands on her hips.

"I wanna go swimming by myself!" Aiden cried.

"Oh you do, do you?" Misty teased.

"Yes," Aiden muttered.

"Alright, Mist, you heard him," Ash sighed, causing Misty's eyes to widen. "He's going swimming by himself!"

"Ash!" Misty hissed. Ash quickly silenced her by bringing his finger to his lips, however. That's when it became obvious to her that her husband had a plan.

"Alright, you have fun, little guy," Ash encouraged, pulling his black shirt over his head so he was left in nothing but his red swim trunks trimmed in black and white. "Mommy and I will go swimming on the other side!"

At this, Aiden's face fell. "No, Daddy."

"No what?" Ash questioned, just as his wife had before.

"Swim wif me!" Aiden trilled.

"No, Aiden, you wanted to swim by yourself," Ash gently scolded. "So I'm going to go swimming with Mommy! And Michelle is busy swimming with Brock. You're going to swim by yourself, just like you wanted!"

_This _was enough to rile Aiden up. He began to pout and whimper, rapidly shaking his head back and forth.

"No! No!" Aiden cried. "I don't wanna! No!"

Misty crooned sadly at the boy's reaction and scooped him up in her arms, snuggling her son in an effort to calm him down.

"You're not going to swim by yourself, little man," Misty assured, pressing a kiss against the boy's temple. "Mommy and Daddy are going to swim with you, okay?"

Aiden sniveled and nodded his head. From behind the two, Ash smirked.

"Mist, you're such a softie," Ash chuckled.

"My baby was sad!" Misty gasped. "I'd be a terrible mother if I didn't comfort him!"

"Whatever you say, angel," Ash hummed, toying with his wife's ginger hair. She giggled at the action before shooting him a playful look, to which he laughed and winked at her. "Come on! Last one in the pool is a Slowpoke!"

"Ash, I'm not running while I'm holding Aiden!" Misty cried as her husband darted away.

"Down, Mommy!" Aiden yelped. "I wanna run like Daddy!"

"No, Aiden, no running by the pool," Misty softly chastised as she followed after Ash, albeit more slowly. "It's dangerous!"

"But Daddy's doin' it," Aiden whined.

"Because Daddy's not very smart," Misty replied, to which Aiden giggled.

Reaching the steps of the pool, Misty finally put Aiden down so he could get into the water himself. Squealing with delight, the little boy hopped down onto the top step, water splashing around his little body once he landed.

"You're not wasting any time, huh champ?" Ash called. He was already in the pool, his knees bent so the water went up to his chest.

"Nuh uh," Aiden replied softly, hopping down another step. That next step had him deep enough in the water where his red, black, and white plaid trunks were submerged. Aiden was still a small, young boy, after all, so it didn't take long for the water to get higher than him.

"Of course not!" Misty giggled, striding down all of the steps until she was standing in the actual pool. "He's my son! He can't _wait _to get in the water!"

She watched him as he continued jumping down each and every step, until the water was up to his chest. He gasped softly and looked up at his mother, who smiled in response.

"Mommy, lookit!" Aiden marveled.

"Yeah, it's deep," Misty replied. "But you're just fine, baby! You've got your water wings on!"

Aiden looked back down at the water and stared contemplatively at the liquid, as though he didn't really believe his mother.

"Swim to me," Misty beckoned, holding her arms out for the toddler. "I know you can!"

Sticking his tongue out of the corner of his mouth, Aiden took a flying leap off of the second to last step and landed with a generous splash. Misty winced as the water came flying towards her face, but managed to keep them open just enough in order to watch Aiden. Fortunately, his water wings had managed to keep him afloat, even after the ungraceful water landing.

"Yay, Aiden!" Misty cheered as the boy flapped his arms. He was moving clumsily but quickly enough towards her, his small feet and legs kicking valiantly at the water. Soon enough, he was in her arms, to which Misty cheered and raised the giggling boy in the air. "You did it! Oh, I knew you could. I taught you how to swim, after all! And you're so good at it!"

Ash smirked and snuck up to his wife, who was preoccupied with fawning over their young son. While she still had him up in the air, he lunged at her and wrapped his arms around her midsection, causing the woman to shriek and nearly drop Aiden in the pool. This led to a series of raucous laughter from the toddler, but his mother was not as amused. She looked over her shoulder and glared at Ash, who was simply smirking in return.

"Ash!" Misty chastised. "You almost made me drop Aiden!"

"But you didn't!" Ash crowed. "Besides, we're in a pool. He would have just swam away!"

"Mommy, watch me swim –way!" Aiden giggled, obviously having gotten the idea from his father.

Sighing, Misty placed Aiden back in the water and watched as the boy swam away rapidly, frantic splashes of water following behind him like an erratic tail.

"Way to go, champ!" Ash cheered on his son, while Misty just smirked and shook her head.

Eventually, Aiden made his way over to Brock, who was busy picking Michelle up and then dropping her in the water. The boy watched on just once or twice with wide eyes and a gaping mouth before butting in and making his presence known.

"Brock! I wanna do that!"

The Pokémon Doctor spun around, Michelle still in his hands, and smiled.

"Ah, you wanna play too?"

Aiden wordlessly nodded his head.

"Alright then!" Brock chuckled. He put Michelle down in the water, leading to an unappreciative whine from the little girl.

"_Broooock!_" Michelle whined.

"I'm going to play with you, too," Brock promised. "But you and I have been playing for a long time! It's time to give Aiden a turn."

Michelle watched with a pout as Brock did the same thing to Aiden he'd been doing with her. Noticing her daughter's unhappy expression, Misty swam over to the girl and managed to dive under the water before Michelle could see her. With the graceful, effortless ease of a mermaid, Misty lifted Michelle up from beneath the water, earning a frightened shriek from the child. When she looked down in a panic and saw her mother, however, the little girl relaxed and stopped fussing.

"Did I surprise you?" Misty crooned with a giggle.

"You _scawed _me!" Michelle rectified, her eyes wide.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Misty continued giggling as she placed Michelle back in the water. "I just wanted to play with my little seashell was all!"

"Wanna pway, Mommy?" Michelle squeaked.

"Yes, I do!" Misty confirmed. "That would be so much f-AH!"

Misty jolted as she was lifted out of the water just as she had done with Michelle. Her captor, however, had instead been Ash, who was now grinning foolishly at his hysterically laughing daughter.

"Don't worry, princess!" Ash reassured the giggly toddler. "Daddy's got your back!"

"Mine too, apparently," Misty grumbled, trying to break out of Ash's hold. "Come on, let go!"

"Why should I?" Ash asked playfully.

"Because I was going to play with Michelle," Misty replied, motioning towards the smiling girl.

"Well, what a coincidence!" Ash crowed, putting Misty back down. "So was I!"

Michelle gasped at this. "-very one wants to pway wif me?"

"Of course!" Ash chuckled. "You're so cute! Who wouldn't want to play with such a cute little girl?"

Michelle giggled wildly at such an idea, her cheeks turning completely red.

"Aw, look at that, Mist!" Ash cooed. "Shelly's a bit embarrassed!"

"Because you won't stop fawning over her," Misty teased.

"Well, how could I not!" Ash gasped. "She's so pretty! Like a pretty little princess! Oh, excuse me. She _is_ a pretty little princess."

"Daddy, can I be a mewmaid pwincess?" Michelle asked, holding her arms above her head in a circular shape.

"Of course you can," Ash laughed. "You can be whatever you want, baby girl! But if you're gonna be a mermaid princess, you better know how to use your tail!"

"Why?" Michelle squeaked.

"Because I'm gonna come and catch ya!" Ash laughed, lunging forward into the water in order to swim towards Michelle.

The little girl shrieked and turned around, trying her best to swim away from Ash with the limited amount of skills she had and the inflatable wings on her arms. Misty just watched from her spot in the pool, an itchy smile on her face as Ash managed to catch Michelle and pull her out of the water, holding the little girl's body above his head like she was a prized Magikarp. She then looked to the right, where Brock was busy throwing a laughing Aiden into the water over and over again, the cycle of being tossed, landing with a splash, and clumsily swimming back to Brock to do it all over again running like clockwork.

It didn't take long after all of that for both of the twins to tire out. Before any of the adults knew it, Aiden was falling asleep in Brock's arms, and Michelle the same in Ash's.

"They both need to go back to the hotel room and take a nap," Misty deducted, smirking at the enamored Brock. "It'll be good for them before dinner anyway. Because I know they'll both wake up refreshed and hungry!"

"Sounds good to me," Brock chuckled, slinging the groggy Aiden over his shoulder. The boy mumbled tiredly and rubbed at his eye before letting his arm fall back down listlessly.

"So cute," Misty sighed, ruffling the toddler's wet hair. "A lot of trouble, but _definitely_ cute."

**XXX**

"What do you think you're gonna have for dinner, bud?"

"Evewything!"

"Whoa, _everything?_ That's very ambitious of you!"

"Bwock, I dunno what dat means."

Brock chuckled at his godson's response. The little boy had been walking well ahead of the rest of the group, and Brock had started that little conversation to try and slow the boy down. He had noticed the apprehension creeping up on Misty's face.

"It means you're very determined," Brock calmly explained.

Aiden, who was still stopped in his tracks, looked down thoughtfully at the ground. "Like…Daddy?"

"Yeah, that's a good comparison," Brock agreed.

"Either way, you're not going to eat nearly as much as me, champ," Ash bragged. "Your stomach is a bit too small to handle everything I ingest!"

"Nuh uh!" Aiden argued, going red in the face.

"Ash, please, don't encourage him to stuff his face," Misty grumbled. "I don't need to be dealing with any _extra_ stomachaches tonight!"

Michelle, who was still a bit sluggish from her nap, was being carried in the young woman's arms. Misty had changed the toddler into a striped, sleeveless dress in the colors of mint green and white, with a mint green ribbon wrapped around her waist and tied off to the side in a neat bow. Her bright red hair had been pulled back into pigtails, a small mint green bow adorning each one.

"And how are you, Princess Shelly?" Brock asked the little girl, using the nickname that she was so fond of.

"Still sweepy," Michelle complained, resting her cheek on Misty's shoulder.

"She'll wake up when she smells the food," Misty giggled. "Trust me. This little one might not eat as much as her daddy and brother, but she's still got a very healthy appetite!"

The sun was just barely setting, only halfway down behind the sparkling ocean water. The sand looked almost orange with the sun's last burning rays beating down upon its normally white surface. Palm trees and the few remaining umbrellas on the beach shook gently in the cool, evening wind that was just beginning to pick up. That same wind was doing a pretty good job of flicking Michelle's pigtails around, and it brought an innocent smile to Brock's face.

"Bwock?" Michelle squeaked.

"Yes, little girl?"

"How come you'we laughing?"

"Oh, I just think you're very cute is all!" Brock chuckled. "You make me very happy, Shelly."

"Okay," Michelle murmured, that answer obviously good enough for her.

Brock chuckled once more before looking ahead. The path they were taking to the restaurant was beautiful: a long stretch of tan pavement bordered by colorful, tropical flowers, hills of emerald green grass, and tall palm trees full of coconuts.

When Ash and Misty had suggested he join them on vacation to Chrysanthemum Island, Brock thought they were crazy. After all, a vacation seemed like the perfect time for Ash and Misty to have some alone time…as a couple. When he had said that, however, Ash and Misty had both burst out laughing, much to his confusion. They'd explained that while it was sweet of him to take that into consideration, the vacation was going to include Aiden and Michelle, which actually meant _zero_ time to be alone.

"_I'd _love_ to have some alone time with Misty!" Ash had exclaimed. "But, once you have kids, that gets kind of difficult."_

"_It's not fair to leave Aiden and Michelle behind just so we can get time to ourselves," Misty added. "I hate when parents do that all the time. I want Aiden and Michelle to experience places outside of Cerulean, and to start making amazing memories!"_

"_But we can't do that unless they have those memories with more people than just us," Ash chuckled, motioning to him and Misty. _

"_They love you, Brock," Misty giggled. "So, come on! It'll be a lot of fun!"_

"_Besides, maybe you'll meet a cute girl there!" Ash had suggested, which earned him a rapid elbow in the side from Misty._

"_Don't encourage him," she'd hissed, getting a chuckle out of Brock._

So, Brock had decided to tag along. It was reminding him of their old journeys together…except with two little kids tagging along. But, if anything, they only made the whole experience more fun. They just loved playing and having a good time. It helped Brock to relax and really enjoy himself.

"Mommy! Mommy! I founded it!"

Misty smirked at Aiden's obvious excitement. "What did you find, sweetheart?"

"The westy-waunt!" Aiden cried, pointing at a decently sized building surrounded by wooden canopies.

"'Westy-waunt,'" Ash repeated under his breath with a chuckle. "He's so cute."

"Yes, you _did_ find the restaurant!" Misty giggled. "Good boy."

Aiden grinned and began jumping up and down, laughing as he did so. After a few hops, he whipped around and held his hand out towards his parents and Brock, two fingers raised valiantly in the air.

"I did it!" He laughed. "I founded the westy-waunt!"

Misty gasped and looked over at Ash, who was beaming proudly. "Oh my gods, you taught him that. You actually taught him that!"

"He looks _great_ doing it," Ash chuckled, pointing at the boy. "Just like me, huh?"

Misty sighed and playfully flicked the side of Ash's head, earning a soft groan from the young father. "You, sir, are ridiculous. Come on, let's go inside."

The still jumpy Aiden let the group inside, his eyes glowing with excitement. Before anyone else, he reached the reception desk and began jumping up and down to try and attract the hostess' attention.

"Hey! Hey!" Aiden yelped, repeatedly jumping up and down. Finally hearing the boy's squeaky little voice, the attractive young blonde leaned over the stand and cooed at his actions, smiling once the boy saw her face and stopped. Brock stopped in his tracks as well, but for a different reason than his godson.

"Aiden, for goodness sake, don't be a pest!" Misty scolded, gently pulling the boy away from the desk. "I'm sorry about that."

"Oh, don't mention it!" The blonde giggled. "He's so cute!"

"Let's see how long you think that for once he's started eating," Ash scoffed.

"Oh my gosh, aren't you the Pokémon Master?" The blonde gasped, her crystal blue eyes widening.

"Uh, yeah!" Ash chuckled, a blush growing on his face. "I am."

"It's so awesome to meet you!" She breathed.

"And you as well, my beauty!"

Ash and Misty both gasped as Brock rushed past the both of them, his face flushed in adoration as his hands clasped the more delicate ones of the hostess. She was obviously taken off guard, while Aiden and Michelle were both staring at their godfather in bewilderment.

"Such a lovely face has never been seen by my pointed eyes!" Brock crowed, holding a hand over his heart.

"Oh…thank you?" The confused hostess murmured.

"And now I must ask, my sweet, what is your name?"

"Uh…Rachel."

"Rachel! What a beautiful name! Fit for a princess! It matches your gorgeous face and your even lovelier personality!"

"Ah…we just met…"

"Bwock!"

The man gasped as his ear was tugged at. His first thought was Misty, but as soon as he turned his eyes, he realized that it was _Aiden_ holding onto his ear.

"Ai-Aiden?" Brock gasped.

"No, Bwock!" Aiden cried. "You gotta stay wif' me!"

"Yeah!"

Brock groaned as his other ear was tugged on. That was Michelle's doing, the little girl having been put down by Misty just before.

"_I'm_ the pwincess, not her!" Michelle cried.

"Come on, Bwock!" Aiden urged, slowly tugging the man away with the help of his sister.

Rachel just watched on in shock, while Ash and Misty both snickered, trying to hold back an eruption of hysterical laughter.

"Did you teach them that?" Ash sputtered through a laugh.

"_No!_" Misty giggled. "But I can't say I'm not proud!"

"Your mom and dad were right!" Brock nearly sobbed as the twins hopped on top of him. "Alone time really _is_ hard to come by! And you're not even my kids!"

* * *

><p><strong>Poor Brock, thwarted by his own godchildren :P They want him <em>all<em> to themselves!**


	294. Pretty Girl

**Hiii guys! I felt like writing something that involved Daisy, Violet, and Lily's daughters, and all of the trouble that they can cause, so I came up with this!**

**Elizabeth: 6 months old**

**Dakota: 11 years old**

**Vanessa: 10 years old**

**Lola: 8 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Pretty Girl<strong>

"Aw, what a pretty baby! Right? You're so pretty!"

Elizabeth giggled at her cousin's voice. Dakota, the source of the voice, was busy poking the infant's stomach, causing her to laugh even more.

"Yeah, but I wish Aunt Misty would dress her more girly!"

That complaint had been voiced by Vanessa, the middle cousin.

"Nah, she's girly enough. Look! She's got a bow in her hair!"

Lola, the youngest of the three, was poking repeatedly at the green bow that had been clipped into Elizabeth's wispy, dark red locks. The more Lola poked, the more Elizabeth began to whimper, which led to Dakota quickly removing Lola's hand from the baby's head.

"When I was a baby, my mom put me in dresses and tutus and all kinds of frilly things!" Vanessa crowed. "But Aunt Misty doesn't dress baby Lizzie all cute like that. Look at how boring her outfit is!"

The infant was dressed in a yellow and white striped romper, with a green bow at the neck and lining the two small pockets on either leg. Her feet were bare, which was perfect for Elizabeth to grab one and try to stick it in her mouth, which she was actually quite proficient at.

"At least she's flexible," Dakota giggled. "Look at that!"

"I wish I could put my foot in _my_ mouth," Lola sighed, resting her head in her hands.

"Lola, you're so weird!" Vanessa whined. "Act normal!"

"I _am_ normal," Vanessa reasoned with a pout. "You're just boring!"

"Hey!"

"Quit fighting, you two," Dakota ordered. Out of the three girls, she actually had the coolest head. That, by some miracle, she had inherited from her father.

"Sorry," Vanessa sighed, rolling her hazel eyes.

"I don't have anything to apologize for," Lola scoffed. "It's not my fault that Vanessa's lame."

"Stop acting like a baby, Lola!" Dakota finally snapped.

"Well, maybe I'll stop it when I'm not _bored_ anymore," Lola groaned. "We've been standing here staring at the baby _forever!_ And she doesn't even do anything other than _that._"

Lola pointed a finger at the baby, who still had her foot in her mouth. The tiny thing smiled around it, which actually caused Lola to giggle.

"I have an idea!" Vanessa gasped, her eyes sparkling. "Let's give Elizabeth a makeover!"

"A makeover?" Lola repeated skeptically. "She's a _baby!_"

"It doesn't matter," Vanessa refuted. "You're never too young for a makeover!"

"How are you gonna give her a makeover?" Lola demanded. "You can't put makeup on her or do her hair!"

"No, but I can change her outfit and put her in something much cuter than _that,_" Vanessa scoffed, motioning towards Elizabeth's romper.

"Dakota, tell Vanessa she's crazy!" Lola whined.

"But she's not," Dakota countered, earning a scowl from the pink haired youngster. "In fact, she's got a good point! I think it might be fun to dress Lizzie up in something super cute!"

"Like what?" Lola muttered.

"My mom's kept a _lot_ of my outfits from when I was a baby," Dakota replied, fluttering her eyelashes as she spoke. "I bet we could find them and put one on Lizzie! My outfits were definitely super girly and cute."

"Yes!" Vanessa cheered. "That sounds like so much fun!"

"I guess…" Lola sighed. "But _you_ pick her up, Koty. I don't wanna drop her!"

"Yeah, even though she already dropped Aiden," Vanessa muttered under her breath.

"Vanessa!" Dakota hissed, narrowing her sea green eyes.

"Aiden?" Lola repeated. "I thought she dropped Michelle!"

"I didn't drop either one!" Dakota fumed, although her bright red face was telling a different story.

"Yeah, okay," Lola teased.

"I'll drop the _both_ of you if you keep it up," Dakota hissed.

Vanessa and Lola both rolled their eyes as they took a single step back, watching on as Dakota leaned down into the carrier and lifted the cooing baby girl out of it. Soon enough, Dakota was steadily holding the baby girl beneath her arms. Elizabeth babbled softly and tilted her head to the side, staring at her cousin with wide, unblinking emerald eyes.

"Good," Dakota breathed. "Now all we've got to do is find my old baby clothes and dress her up!"

**XXX**

As it would turn out, finding Dakota's baby clothes wasn't exactly a difficult task.

Daisy wasn't the most organized woman in the world…any and all of the order in their house was courtesy of the more sensible Tracey. As a result, Dakota's baby clothes were "conveniently" stored up in the attic, stuffed into various old shopping bags. Not wanting to carry baby Elizabeth all the way up the stairs, Dakota had ordered her younger cousins to bring the bags downstairs so they could find a suitable outfit. Vanessa and Lola, of course, were not thrilled with being given the grunt work, but both knew there was no escaping Dakota's hold. So, they did exactly as they were told and brought the bags of clothes down to the living room.

The baby clothes had a lot in common: pink, lace, frills, and sparkle. Dakota and Vanessa squealed over every single article, while Lola appeared less than thrilled. She was the least girly of the bunch, having inherited more of her father than her mother, and didn't exactly care for all of the girly clothes that her oldest cousin had previously worn.

"Oh! Let's put her in this!"

Lola looked up upon hearing Vanessa's high pitched voice and scrunched her nose up. The blue haired girl was holding a layered pink tutu, one that seemed impossibly big for someone as small as Elizabeth. A big pink bow was attached to the front, printed with white polka dots.

"Ugh," Lola groaned under her breath.

"It's _so_ cute!" Vanessa giggled.

"Let's try it!" Dakota agreed.

Placing Elizabeth down on the floor, the young blonde managed to pull the baby out of her romper, leaving the infant in nothing but her diaper. Elizabeth giggled and reached for her foot, once again trying to put it in her mouth. Giggling, Dakota lowered the baby's leg, earning a more curious coo from Elizabeth.

"Not right now, Lizzie," Dakota playfully scolded. "We're playing dress up!"

Elizabeth babbled softly as Vanessa pulled the tutu onto her lower half. Once it was on, the tiny girl was all but drowning in tulle, looking highly confused and not overly amused.

"Oh, look how cute!" Vanessa squealed.

"She looks like a tiny ballerina princess!" Dakota agreed.

"Are you two nuts?!" Lola demanded. "She looks crazy!"

"No, she looks _adorable_," Vanessa argued, rolling her eyes.

"She can't just wear a tutu, though," Dakota reasoned. "We need something to put on top, too!"

"I know I saw a pretty shirt in here that would go with that skirt!" Vanessa crowed, digging through the shopping bag once again.

The young girl's hazel eyes lit up as she pulled out a pink polo shirt with short, poofy sleeves.

"This is so cute!" Vanessa giggled.

"Yeah, but it's the same shade of pink as the tutu," Lola complained, pointing at the frilly skirt on Elizabeth. "She's gonna look like a big gumball or something!"

"Lola _does_ have a point," Dakota mused. "Too much light pink is gonna look bad. But I know I've seen that shirt in a darker shade of pink!"

"Oh my gods," Lola groaned, rolling her blue eyes.

"Let me see…" Dakota hummed, getting down on her knees and looking through the shopping bag herself. With a smile, the young blonde pulled out the same exact polo shirt that was in Vanessa's hands, with the only difference being that Dakota's was more of a bright pink.

"Oh, it's like the same color as the bow on the tutu!" Vanessa trilled.

"Exactly!" Dakota chirped. "It'll match better with the skirt."

Lola watched on with a furrowed brow as Dakota somehow managed to wrangle the pink shirt over Elizabeth's head and pull her wiggly arms through the bubbly sleeves.

"Aw, look at her!" Vanessa cheered. "She's so cute!"

Sighing, Lola inched forward and leaned down to the baby's head, whispering in the infant's ear, "I'm sorry about them, Lizzie. They're kinda way too girly."

Elizabeth giggled at this and began to clap her little hands together, obviously amused by the extra attention she was receiving from her cousin.

"She needs something in her hair," Vanessa murmured, tapping her chin.

"Oh, like a bow!" Dakota breathed. "I've got a _bunch _of hair stuff from when I was little. What about this one?"

Dakota held up a white headband with a gigantic, pale pink flower on the side that matched the color of the tutu exactly. Pulling it on over Elizabeth's head caused the baby a bit of discomfort, and led to some whining and fussing. Once it was on, however, the baby was calm and back to being happy.

"See? Now that's much better than that silly old yellow thing you were in before!" Vanessa giggled, tickling the baby's stomach.

"Girls…what are you doing with Elizabeth?"

The three older girls whipped their heads around and found Ash to be staring mainly at Elizabeth, his brown eyes wide and somewhat alarmed.

"We dressed Lizzie up!" Vanessa replied enthusiastically.

"Doesn't she look beautiful, Uncle Ash?" Dakota giggled.

"Uh…yeah…" Ash murmured. "But Elizabeth always looks beautiful to me!"

Upon hearing her father's voice, Elizabeth turned her body around and shrieked excitedly. She had turned so fast, however, that it had knocked her down, which led to a concerned gasp from Ash.

"Lizzie!" He breathed, hurrying forward and scooping the girl up. Once in his arms, Elizabeth giggled again and rested her cheek against Ash's chest, murmuring happily.

"I think that big, fluffy tutu saved her," Lola muttered, earning a smirk from Ash. "I didn't do any of that, Uncle Ash."

"But you didn't stop them," Ash teased.

"Cause they're big, bossy, know-it-alls!" Lola cried, leading to glares from the two older girls.

"Hey, you three all love each other," Ash gently chastised. "But I can't say the same about your aunt once she sees Elizabeth's new outfit."

"Why not, Uncle Ash?" Lola questioned. "Doesn't Aunt Misty want Elizabeth to look all cute and girly?"

"Aunt Misty isn't the biggest fan of all things big, pink, and frilly," Ash chuckled, plucking at the tutu his youngest daughter was wearing. "Her reaction is going to be interesting, to say the least!"

"Well, tell her that next time Lizzie is in need of a makeover, we've got it," Dakota assured, nodding towards her partners in crime. "Because that outfit she came here in was _hideous!_"

"And I'll be sure not to tell your aunt that, either," Ash laughed nervously.

* * *

><p><strong>Dakota and Vanessa are very similar, but Lola is a bit more of a tomboy. She takes more after Dorian than Lily.<strong>

**Also, notice how I once again made a reference to Dakota dropping either Aiden or Michelle. That's a fun running gag I have with her :P**


	295. Playdate

**Cute Elizabeth fluff! That's what this one is, basically. And we get to meet one of the children of one of Misty's best friends :) Who is that friend? Hmm...**

**Elizabeth: 8 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Playdate<strong>

"Coochie coochie coo! Who's a good baby girl? Lizzie is!"

Elizabeth squealed and giggled in delight as her mother gently tickled her stomach with her fingertips. The baby was being pushed in a stroller by her mother, but to where the baby didn't know. She never did. All the little thing knew was that she was getting a ride in her stroller, and Mommy was paying extra special attention to her. That in itself required no questioning.

"Oh, just you wait, Elizabeth," Misty crooned as she straightened herself out, continuing to push the baby's stroller down the side walk, "you're going to have so much fun today! I think you and Ciara are going to become the best of friends."

Elizabeth cooed and continued to stare back up at her mother. She had no idea what her mother was saying. After several more minutes of walking, Misty finally reached her destination: Cerulean Park.

It was a beautiful, spacious park, with bright green grass, black iron benches, winding sidewalks, and the most striking feature of them all: a white marble fountain set in the center of the park featuring sculptures of various water type Pokémon.

Cerulean Park was one of Misty's favorite places to come and relax. She had learned to love it even more after having her children. The park was a great place to bring young children to play. And that's exactly what Misty was doing with Elizabeth.

"She should be here…" Misty murmured.

Elizabeth began to whimper, squinting her eyes and flailing her arms. This immediately caught Misty's attention, causing her to frown and lean back down.

"What is it, baby?" Misty cooed. "Why are you getting fussy?"

Elizabeth whined and placed her little hands near her eyes, trying to cover them as she squirmed in displeasure. Gasping, Misty came to realize what was bothering the child. Looking up, she set her eyes on the bright afternoon sun, which was now shining right in Elizabeth's face.

Misty smiled sweetly as realization hit her. "Is that it, the sun is bothering you?" Elizabeth gurgled in further irritation, her face contorting as she prepared to cry. "No, don't do that, sweetheart! Mommy will fix it."

Misty pulled up the hood of Elizabeth's stroller, and right away, the tiny girl relaxed.

"See?" Misty giggled sweetly. "Mommy makes everything all better."

"Misty! Over here!"

The gym leader peeked up and found a purple haired woman sitting on a large, stretched out blanket several yards away, a blonde baby sitting next to her and patting her small hands against the ground.

Beaming, Misty pushed her daughter's stroller over to the slightly younger woman, waving happily at her as she approached the purple tressed female. "Hi, Sakura!"

"Hey," Sakura greeted the gym leader. "I hope Elizabeth's in a good mood today!"

"My little baby is always in a good mood!" Misty giggled, lifting the infant out of her stroller. As soon as Elizabeth was out, however, she began to whimper and narrow her eyes, waving her little fists in the air.

"Sure doesn't seem like it to me," Sakura murmured, frowning sympathetically at her longtime friend.

Misty held Elizabeth against her hip and bent down to reach into her mint green baby bag. The infant whined the entire time, but stopped as soon as Misty placed on the child's had what she'd been digging through the bag for: a light yellow sunhat.

"Elizabeth doesn't like it when the sun is in her eyes," Misty giggled. "Once you shield her from it, she's a very happy little girl." Settling herself down on the blanket, Misty placed Elizabeth in front of herself, facing her towards the blonde haired baby who sat next to Sakura. "Do you remember Ciara? You've played before, but you were both a lot younger than you are now."

Elizabeth peered up at the blonde girl, her pouty lips forming a curious shape as she took in the image of this seemingly unfamiliar child. Ciara, meanwhile, did almost the same exact thing, studying Elizabeth herself.

"Maybe if we give them a toy, they'll start to open up to one another," Sakura suggested, reaching into the pink baby bag on her other side and pulling out a pink rattle ball. Placing it in between the two babies, Sakura smiled at them and cooed, "You two will have lots of fun with this thing! Ciara loves it."

Ciara squealed in delight and picked up the ball, shaking it so it made a gentle rattling noise. Elizabeth, on the other hand, didn't seem interested in such things. Instead, she looked up at Misty and turned to try and crawl into the gym leader's lap.

"What are you doing, sweetheart?" Misty giggled, lifting up Elizabeth and sitting her right back where she'd been. "Play with Ciara!"

"Aw, is Elizabeth crawling now?" Sakura fussed as she beamed at the little girl, who was making a rather displeased face.

Misty nodded. "She's trying to. She seems to get better every day, though. Ash likes to have her practice crawling; she moves right over to him now!"

Elizabeth gurgled and got back on her hands and knees, once again trying to clamber into Misty's lap. Sighing, the gym leader moved her baby closer to Sakura's, leaning down to give her a kiss on the head. Elizabeth, however, didn't seem pleased with this as she reached up to swat at Misty, who was surprised by the action.

"Well, someone is a little grumpy," Misty mused.

"She's already rebelling against you," Sakura giggled. "She's not even waiting to become a teenager!"

"Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the crib this morning," Misty remarked, gently grabbing onto Elizabeth's wrist and lowering the baby's arm.

"Oh, but she's so cute!" Sakura crooned. "Your sisters must adore her, right? I know mine treat Ciara like a little princess. They're so obsessed!"

"Yeah, they think she's like a little doll," Misty sighed. "It can get kind of frustrating sometimes, of course. They're always grabbing her from me and stuffing her into these ridiculously girly outfits. The worst part is that I think Elizabeth really likes them."

"You don't like to put Elizabeth in girly clothes?" Sakura questioned with a frown.

"No, I do," Misty murmured. "Just not things with so much lace and giant bows or flowers on her head."

"My sisters are the same way," Sakura assured. "They buy Ciara all of these really over-the-top kimonos for their tea ceremonies. Seriously, they're like bedazzled and stuff. It's crazy!"

"It still amazes me how alike our sisters are," Misty remarked. "They all need to meet one day!"

"We've been saying that for years," Sakura giggled. "Not that I disagree, of course!"

Having been forced to face Ciara rather than her own mother, who she was more interested in, Elizabeth was not the happiest baby in the world. She watched Ciara shake the rattle ball with narrowed eyes, glaring at the happy little girl as she played. With a soft, very quiet huff, Elizabeth crawled forward just enough to wrestle the toy out of Ciara's hands and into her own. The little blonde cooed sadly and began to sniffle, obviously upset about having her toy taken away. The child finally burst into full blown wails, which didn't seem to affect Elizabeth. As Ciara cried, the little red head who was the cause of such misery smiled to herself and shook the rattle ball, giggling at the noise it made.

"Oh, Ciara," Sakura sighed, lifting the baby into her lap and bouncing her up and down. "It's alright! Don't cry, sweetie."

Misty groaned and looked down at Elizabeth, who was busy playing with the snatched rattle ball. "Really, Elizabeth? You had to steal Ciara's toy and make her cry? That's not nice!"

"It's just fine, Misty," Sakura giggled. "Elizabeth didn't mean to make Ciara upset! Besides, babies are just attracted to toys. She wanted to play too! Nothing wrong with that."

"I guess," Misty sighed. "To be honest, part of me thinks Elizabeth is acting out because she wanted to play with me, but I've been pushing her to play with Ciara. Lizzie's been a bit clingy lately."

"Ah, _that_ phase," Sakura trilled.

Misty smiled at Sakura and picked Elizabeth up to place in her own lap, the baby's lace trimmed yellow bodysuit glowing in the sun. "Is that better, sprinkle? You'll stop being such a brat now?"

Elizabeth shrieked out of delight and dropped the rattle ball. It landed on the picnic blanket and rolled listlessly towards Sakura. Smiling, the young mother picked up the toy and handed it off to baby Ciara, who beamed once the ball was back in her hands.

"I'm still sorry about her, Sakura," Misty apologized. "I don't want you to think that my baby is misbehaved!"

"Oh, Misty, I know that Elizabeth is a good little girl," Sakura assured. "Babies are fickle! These two will be friends soon enough. They might just have to get a bit older first!"

"Older is one thing, but sucking Ash's personality out of Elizabeth is another," Misty sighed.

* * *

><p><strong>Teehee, naughty Elizabeth. But yes, I brought back Sakura! And Ciara is her oldest daughter. We'll meet her younger children later on at some point :)<strong>


	296. Sam's Secret

**Hi everybody! New one shot for y'all! This one kind of focuses on the rivalry between Aiden and Sam.**

**Aiden: 7 years old**

**Sam: 8 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Sam's Secret<strong>

Aiden was sure he'd never seen anything funnier in his entire life.

Sam Oak was sitting on the bottom step of the long, winding, concrete staircase that led up to Professor Oak's lab. He was wearing a light blue dress shirt with a light brown tie, khaki dress pants, and dark brown loafers. His hair was neatly brushed back, out of the way of his sapphire blue eyes. In his hands he held a crude bouquet of wild flowers, obviously having just plucked them from Professor Oak's garden.

Needless to say, Aiden was not about to let this opportunity pass him by.

"Nice outfit, Sam!" The raven haired boy taunted. "Where'd you get that tie from?"

Sam turned his head and gasped as soon as he saw Aiden. Scowling, Sam raised a finger to his mouth and shushed the slightly younger boy. That action, however, didn't seem to faze Aiden in the least.

"Those are some pretty bad looking flowers," Aiden remarked. "Are they dead or something?"

"No!" Sam bit. "Now get out of here!"

"Why?" Aiden teased.

"Cause I've got something important to do!" Sam hissed.

"What?" Aiden continued.

"None of your business!" Sam bit.

"If you don't tell me, I'm not gonna leave you alone!" Aiden trilled.

Rolling his eyes, Sam jumped up and grabbed Aiden by the arm, earning a surprised squeak from the young boy.

"I'm trying to impress a girl," Sam muttered.

"A girl?" Aiden repeated.

"Yes," Sam grumbled, letting go of Aiden's arms.

"It's not my sister, is it?" Aiden groaned. He knew full well that Sam had a crush on Michelle (the boy made that fact _very_ clear) but it never failed to gross him out.

"No," Sam refuted quickly.

"You have a crush on _another_ girl?" Aiden muttered.

"Hey, I gotta have options!" Sam defended himself.

"If you say so," Aiden sighed.

"Her name's Allie," Sam continued, letting out a sigh of adoration.

"Huh?" Aiden murmured.

"Allie Horton," Sam reiterated. "She's the most beautiful girl I've ever met!"

Aiden furrowed his brow at this. "More pretty than my sister?"

Sam choked slightly and his face flushed a bright red. "Like I said, options."

"Uh…okay," Aiden murmured.

"Me and Allie go to school together," Sam explained. "She's the most popular girl in our class. I'm the most popular boy, so it would make sense for her to make me her boyfriend. Together, we'll rule our class!"

"Uh, okay…"

"I invited her over here because I know I can impress her with all of great gramps' Pokémon!" Sam bragged, his eyes gleaming.

"Most of those Pokémon are my _Dad's_, you know…" Aiden grumbled.

"Please, she won't know any better," Sam scoffed. "This will work out perfectly! Just stay out of my way, Ketchum."

"Gladly," Aiden muttered.

At that moment, a sleek black town car pulled up in front of the lab. The driver stepped out and opened up the back door, from which a young girl slid out. By taking just one look at her, Aiden could tell the girl was haughty.

She was fair skinned and thin, with piercing hazel eyes and long, ethereal hair in the color of chocolate mousse that hung all the way down her back. A button up cashmere sweater in the color of periwinkle was being worn open, revealing the crisp white oxford shirt beneath it. A pleated, navy blue skirt adorned her bottom half, while a pair of silver glitter ballet flats covered her feet. On top of her head was a navy blue headband with a big, satin flower on the side, tiny pearls sticking out of the center.

"I'll be back in a few hours to pick you up, Miss Allie," the driver informed the young child.

"Hmph," Allie replied wordlessly, placing her hands behind her back and skirting towards Sam, who Aiden had noticed was suddenly a lot more nervous…and not nearly as confident.

"H-hey, Allie!" Sam greeted jovially. The young girl stared him right down with her cold hazel eyes, and Aiden could have sworn that if they were knives, Sam would have been cut clear in half. "Th-these are for you!"

He held the wildflowers out towards the snooty girl, who gasped and took a step back.

"Those are hideous!" Allie remarked. "Did you just tear them out of the _ground?_"

"Uh…maybe?" Sam squeaked.

Humming softly to herself, Allie reached out and took the flimsy bouquet. She examined the flowers for a few silent moments before giggling just once and dropping them on the ground, much to Sam's horror.

"My daddy gives my mommy freshly cut red roses imported directly from Kalos _with_ a string of pearls wrapped around the stems," Allie haughtily informed the stunned boy. "Those are the only flowers I'll ever accept."

That little comment was finalized with a firm stomp, the young girl's glittery shoe coming down hard on the already abused blooms.

"O-oh, okay," Sam stammered. "I'll remember that for next time!"

Aiden smirked. He had to admit that he kind of liked this girl! She was giving Sam so much grief that it put Aiden's efforts to shame! At the same time, however, Aiden found her to be a bit overbearing. She definitely wasn't a nice girl, and Aiden didn't really like mean people.

"Come on, Allie!" Sam urged, grabbing the girl's hand. "I'll take you up to the ranch!"

Huffing, Allie pulled her hand away from Sam and wiped it on her skirt, grimacing the entire time. Chuckling nervously, Sam turned and led the way to the back of the lab, with Allie following daintily behind. Aiden, meanwhile, watched on in fascination before scurrying after the two, eager to see how the rest of this would unfold.

**XXX**

"Check this out, Allie!"

The snooty young girl looked out at the field in an unimpressed fashion. There were dozens of Pokémon roaming around in front of her, all different breeds and types, yet she didn't seem at all fazed.

"Aren't they cool?" Sam pressed.

"They're just Pokémon," Allie scoffed.

"Maybe, but look how many of them there are!" Sam cried. "My great grandpa takes care of so many different Pokémon. He's got the biggest ranch all of Kanto, you know!"

"We all know how famous your great grandpa is, but his ranch isn't _that_ impressive," Allie sighed. "I slept over Victoria's mansion last night, her vacation one, and the yard there is _much_ bigger than this dinky little ranch."

"I guess…" Sam murmured. "But his lab is also really cool! I could take you inside to see it!"

"Please, there are better labs back home," Allie refuted, referring to Viridian City. "Ones that are bigger and better."

Sam drew his shoulders back and bit his lip. He didn't know how else to respond.

"Well…maybe you'll have more fun if you see a Pokémon up close!" Sam trilled. "I'll call over a really good one!"

Climbing up onto the white picket fence that surrounded the ranch, Sam allowed his sapphire eyes to scan all of the creatures inside. Eventually, they settled on one he knew that Allie would love, and a big smile reappeared on his young face.

"Bulbasaur, come here!" Sam urged.

Ears perking, Bulbasaur ran forward, glancing up at Sam with inquisitive red eyes. While Bulbasaur did belong to Ash, and preferred Aiden to the brown haired boy he was responding to now, the grass starter _was_ used to having Sam around, and did listen to him.

"I want you to meet someone!" The boy chirped.

Blinking, Bulbasaur unleashed his twin vines and used them as climbing ropes to get over the white picket fence. As soon as he saw Aiden, the small dinosaur chirped happily, earning a chuckle from Aiden.

"Hi, Bulbasaur!" The raven haired boy greeted.

"Allie, this is Bulbasaur," Sam introduced. "Isn't he cute?"

The brunette girl let out an uninterested noise before rolling her hazel eyes up towards the sky. "He's _okay_, I guess."

Now Aiden was just angry. Furrowing his brow, Aiden leaned in closer to Allie and demanded, "_just _okay?!"

"It's just a Bulbasaur," Allie reasoned in her insufferably droning voice. "I've seen lots of Bulbasaur before."

"Oh yeah?" Aiden challenged. "Well you've never seen the _Pokémon Master_'s Bulbasaur before!"

"Aiden!" Sam hissed.

"The Pokémon Master?" Allie repeated, the infliction in her voice hinting at interest for the first time that day.

"Yeah, he's my dad," Aiden seethed. "And almost all of those Pokémon are his!"

At this, Allie's formerly cold hazel eyes lit up, and became almost warm. "Oh, so these Pokémon are famous! And…_you're_ famous too!"

"Uh…no?" Aiden muttered out of confusion.

"Yes you are," Allie giggled. "Your dad is the Pokémon Master! He's all over TV, and magazines…oh! So that must mean you're rich!"

"Huh?!" Aiden squawked.

"Yeah!" Allie marveled. "Where are your mansions? How many do you have?"

"None!" Aiden cried. "I have a house!"

"Right, a mansion!"

"No, just a house!"

Allie smirked at Aiden's persistent protest. "You're kind of cute, you know!"

"WHAT?!" Aiden and Sam cried simultaneously.

"I could go out with the Pokémon Master's son," Allie mused. "I'll become famous! And we can buy lots of mansions together, and go to expensive parties! And we can buy all the stadiums where my big brothers will play soccer!"

"Nuh uh!" Aiden refuted. "I don't want a girlfriend!"

"Oh, you don't know what you want!" Allie hissed, grabbing Aiden's hands. "You're so cute! What a silly boy!"

"_Blegh!_" Aiden cried, ripping his hands out of Allie's and running in the opposite direction.

"Wait!" Allie wailed, following after Aiden. "Come back, _boyfriend!_"

Sam watched on in horror before his entire face turned red, his eyes narrowing and fingers clenching into fists as he stormed after the duo.

"KETCHUM! How DARE you steal my girlfriend!"

* * *

><p><strong>As I was writing this, I realized that Allie kind of reminded me of Giselle from The School of Hard Knocks. So...new headcanon: Allie is Giselle's daughter :P<strong>


	297. Empathic Effect

**You guys know how much I love taking old episodes and using them as inspiration for future one shots, don't you? :P Well, here's another fun one from that idea! It features someone you'll all probably recognize...I bet the title gives it away, in fact ;)**

**Aiden: 4 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Empathic Effect<strong>

"Gah…"

"Aiden, you just _love_ the outdoors, don't you?"

Misty continued to giggle as she observed her son's bright brown eyes, which were glimmering with joy. From her arms, the little boy was looking around with great fervor, highly alert and seemingly ready to jump out of his mother's embrace and into a nearby tree at any moment.

"Your eyes just light up!" Misty laughed. "You're just like your daddy, huh?"

Aiden cooed to himself and stuck a fist in his mouth, smiling around it as he tilted his head back in order to watch a flock of Pidgey fly overhead.

"Is that your son?"

Misty looked up from Aiden and stopped in her tracks. Standing a few feet away from her was a woman that Misty did not recognize. She was tall and slender, with short lilac hair and shimmering eyes of the same color. The smile on her face was warm and inviting, though her porcelain skin and overly calm demeanor sent a slight shiver up Misty's spine. The woman seemed nice enough, however, and didn't seem to pose any threat to her or the baby. So, Misty decided to indulge her.

"Oh, yes," Misty replied with a smile. "This is Aiden. Say hi, Aiden!"

The little boy turned his head and stared at the woman, slowly removing his fist from his mouth and letting out a quiet, almost enamored, sigh.

"He's very in tune with nature," the woman informed Misty, who hummed in response. "It calms him!"

Misty blinked her eyes hard, not sure of what to say to that.

"He says he really likes Pokémon," the woman continued. "He feels connected to them! Which would of course explain why he's attached to nature."

"Excuse me," Misty finally broke in, furrowing her brow. "I don't mean to pry, but…where are you getting these things from? He's way too young to talk."

"Oh, I should have explained myself beforehand," the woman sighed. "I always forget! You see, I have empathic abilities. I'm able to sense the feelings of all living creatures, and I can communicate with them without using speech."

"So…you're reading my baby's mind?" Misty murmured.

"I guess that's a good way to describe it," the woman giggled.

"I don't know if I can believe that," Misty responded honestly, without thinking. Once she'd realized those words had left her mouth, however, her entire face turned red, and she became increasingly flustered. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I...I can be a bit blunt sometimes."

"Not a problem," the empath laughed. "I can sense that trait within you. You emanate a lot of strong energy."

"Yeah…" Misty murmured.

"Do you happen to have any Pokémon?" The woman asked. "Perhaps it would be easier to believe me if I was able to sense the feelings of a creature you wouldn't expect to hear from in such a fashion."

"I do," Misty confirmed, reaching into her bag and pulling out one of the red and white spheres. "But maybe I should introduce myself first, since you know my son's name and not mine. I'm Misty!"

"Nice to meet you," the woman calmly replied. "I'm Anabel."

**XXX**

"Focus, Ash. No outside thoughts. Just focus."

Ash whined quietly and arched one of his dark eyebrows. He sat in pure silence, save for the soft babbling of the nearby river in the distance. In fact, all of the silence seemed to be quickly driving him insane.

"Ugh," Ash groaned, opening his eyes and throwing himself down on his back.

"Ash," Scott sighed, hovering over the collapsed young man.

"Sorry, Scott," Ash apologized. "But I just can't focus! You know how I feel about quiet. Besides, I'm not even used to it anymore. Not with two babies in the house."

"Well, those two adorable little babble machines are the reason I dragged you out here today," Scott sighed. "I figured that some relaxation techniques might help you to focus."

"Me and relaxation in the same sentence?" Ash chuckled. "Maybe _you're _the one who needs some relaxation, Scott!"

"There's an idea," the man sighed.

"I can't really get into this kind of stuff," Ash admitted, getting back on his feet. "I like to practice other stuff!"

"Like…?" Scott prodded.

"Like…practicing my poke ball tossing skills!" Ash replied, picking up a rock.

"Really?" Scott deadpanned.

"Really," Ash replied seriously.

"You're not a beginning trainer," Scott sighed. "So why would you need to practice throwing?"

"Because I want to look cool in front of those big crowds when I'm battling!" Ash chuckled.

He pulled his arm back and tossed the rock, which bounced right off the center of a nearby tree trunk. Seconds later, an angry Beedrill swooped down from the leaves, buzzing and menacingly pointing its stingers at both Ash and Scott.

"Uh…oops…" Ash stammered.

"That is not a happy Beedrill…" Scott breathed, taking a hesitant step backwards.

In the blink of an eye, the Beedrill charged at the two men, its stingers still outstretched and ready to attack.

"RUN!" Scott cried, whipping around and making a dash for it.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried in a panic, following after Scott.

The little electric type, who had been sunbathing nearby, caught sight of the angry Beedrill and squeaked out of terror, taking a running leap onto Ash's shoulder and holding on for dear life as he ran.

"Man…good thing I didn't take Aiden with us like Misty asked!" Ash gasped.

**XXX**

"Wow, Anabel, I can't believe you were able to sense Vaporeon's emotions like that!" Misty marveled.

"Do you believe my gift now?" Anabel asked teasingly.

"I didn't mean to make it seem like that," Misty breathed. "It's not that I didn't believe you! I was just a bit…skeptical."

"That's alright, I was just teasing you," Anabel giggled.

"So, is that what you do for a living?" Misty asked. "Read the emotions of Pokémon?"

"No," Anabel refuted. "To tell you the truth, I'm actually a frontier brain in the Battle Frontier here. But I haven't been at my facility in quite some time."

"Why not?" Misty questioned.

"I went on a little journey for a while," Anabel explained. "For about a year and a half, I was traveling through other regions, exploring new places and connecting with different Pokémon. I was beginning to feel a bit trapped, stuck in the same place day after day. My job started to drag me down. So, I took a break. I had one of my apprentices fill in for me at the Battle Tower, and I took a sabbatical. It really improved my spirits and helped me to find myself again."

"Oh, that sounds wonderful!" Misty breathed. "I wish I could go travel again. I used to when I was younger. And I wanted to do it again! But then, well, you know…babies."

"I don't fully know, but I can empathize," Anabel replied.

"That would make sense!" Misty giggled. "You _are_ an empath, after all."

"Ah!" Aiden shrieked, reaching out for the empath.

"You're happy?" Anabel asked. "That's wonderful!"

Aiden giggled at the woman and continued reaching out towards her, earning a curious hum from his mother.

"Oh, I see," Anabel murmured. "You'd like me to hold you! Well, I don't know if that's alright with your mother…"

"You can hold him!" Misty laughed. "Aiden's not really a fussy thing. He likes being held by anyone, really."

Misty handed the baby off to Anabel, and watched as the lilac haired empath beamed brilliantly at the baby.

"You're so cute," Anabel sighed. "And so warm! Your energy is positively infectious."

Aiden giggled and pressed his little hands against Anabel's cheeks, sticking his tongue out of his mouth as he laughed.

"You remind me so much of someone I met a very long time ago," Anabel softly informed the baby. "Your spirits are so similar!"

"LOOK OUT!"

That sudden scream caused Aiden to remove his hands from Anabel's face and look over his shoulder. Sensing some kind of oncoming danger, Anabel handed Aiden back to Misty and stood in front of the two, her lilac eyes narrowed in focus. She was so focused, in fact, that she didn't even notice the two flashes of color running past her. Rather, all of Anabel's attention was on the angry Beedrill storming its way through the forest.

"B-bug!" Misty squeaked from behind Anabel, holding Aiden tightly against her chest. A terrified Misty was the first thing Ash saw upon halting his run, and she instantly became his number one concern. Scurrying over to her, Ash held Misty tight and acted as a human shield in order to protect her from the angry bug type.

"Beedrill, calm down!" Anabel urged. "Why are you so upset? I can't understand you when you're yelling like that!"

Beedrill continued to buzz angrily, while Anabel just continued to stare the bug type down. After a few more tense moments, Beedrill managed to relax and explain its predicament to Anabel, who listened intently.

"I see," Anabel breathed once Beedrill had managed to relax. "You were just startled was all! But it's okay now. No one is trying to hurt you. You're safe, and you can go back now."

Nodding just once, Beedrill turned around and fluttered away, leaving behind a smiling empath.

"Nice work, Anabel! Glad to see you're still up to your old tricks."

Spinning around, Anabel grinned at Scott, who was still panting and puffing from his long run.

"Great to see you again, Scott," Anabel laughed. "It's been a while!"

"I'll say," Scott agreed. "So, how's the Battle Frontier been? Does Bradley have everything in order?"

"I've actually been away from the Battle Tower for the past year and a half, and I just returned," Anabel replied. "But from what I've seen so far, your brother seems to have everything under control."

"That's great!" Scott crowed. "That's what he always tells me, but I like to check with some secondary sources just to make sure."

"Bradley is perfectly nice, I couldn't imagine him lying to you," Anabel chirped. "But I've been away for so long, I never _did _find out why you passed the Battle Frontier onto him."

"Oh, that's an easy one," Scott chuckled. "I decided to switch roles, become the manager for a trainer who I really believed in."

"Really?" Anabel asked warmly. "And who's that?"

"Heh…me."

Anabel looked over at Misty and gasped. Standing with his arms still wrapped around the flustered redhead was none other than her former challenger and old crush.

Ash Ketchum.

"A-Ash?" Anabel squeaked.

"Hey, Anabel!" Ash greeted. "How've you been?"

"G-good," Anabel stammered. "I've been busy. But good. And you?"

"Great!" Ash chuckled. "I finally became Pokémon Master!"

"Really?" Anabel marveled.

"Yeah!" Ash continued. "You didn't know that? It's all over the place! The paparazzi never leave me alone."

"The price of fame," Anabel giggled at Ash's pouty face. "But no, I hadn't heard. While I was away, I cut off all access to technology and the outside world. It was just me and nature! So…I was out of the loop for quite some time. But congratulations!"

"Thanks!" Ash trilled. "But if you were really gone for that long, then you missed a whole lot."

"Clearly I did," Anabel agreed.

"Oh, sorry!" Ash suddenly apologized, a blush gracing his cheeks. "I should probably introduce you to my wife, Misty!"

"Your wife?" Anabel wheezed, her eyes widening.

"Anabel and I have already met, Ash," Misty informed her husband, oblivious to Anabel's shock. "She was sensing Aiden's feelings and telling me all about them! It was so amazing!"

"Whoa, she can read a baby's feelings too?" Aiden murmured.

"Yes!" Misty giggled. "And she told me that Aiden loves nature and feels connected to Pokémon! He really took a liking to her."

"Of course!" Ash chuckled, taking the baby from Misty's arms. "My little guy is very friendly!"

"Ash…Aiden is your son?"

The Pokémon Master looked over at Anabel, who was now completely flushed.

"Yeah!" Ash laughed, holding the baby's face against his own. "Don't we look alike?"

"You do," Anabel confirmed with a quiet giggle. "But I didn't need to see the resemblance to know he was yours."

"You didn't?" Ash marveled.

"No," Anabel refuted. "I was able to sense it. Aiden's spirit is so much like your own. I thought it was just a coincidence. But now it all makes sense. He's really taken after you."

"Thanks," Ash replied more softly, looking down at Aiden and smiling. "I love this little guy more than anything in the whole entire world. And his sister, too!"

"His sister?" Anabel repeated.

"Yeah, Aiden's got a twin sister named Michelle," Ash explained. "But she was sleeping, and Misty and I didn't want to disturb her. So we left her back at home with Misty's mom! Aiden's the alert one who likes to be taken for walks and all that kind of stuff. But I bet you sensed that from him!"

"I did," Anabel giggled. "That little boy is a sweetheart! But I bet you're going to have your hands full in a few years' time."

"That's what Mom tells me," Ash chuckled.

"Wait a minute," Misty broke in, an eyebrow raised. "Ash, you know Anabel?"

"Of course I do!" Ash replied. "I challenged her a long time ago for the Ability Symbol. She's a great trainer!"

"Thanks," Anabel laughed sheepishly.

"Well, I haven't seen her battle, but I do believe she's a pretty great person," Misty countered with a smile. "She's very sweet!"

"Oh…thank you!" Anabel gushed, forming her own blush.

That tender moment was soon broken up by the growling of Ash's stomach, however, which led to Anabel laughing a bit more confidently.

"Ash Ketchum!" Misty groaned.

"Sorry!" Ash apologized. "That Beedrill chase took a lot out of me!"

"I think now would be a good time for a lunch break," Scott concluded. "Good thing I still have the sandwiches packed that we were supposed to eat after those relaxation exercises that tuned out to be anything but."

"I already apologized!" Ash cried. Shaking his head, the young master smirked at the empath standing behind him and asked, "Would you like to join us, Anabel?"

"M-me?" Anabel stammered.

"Of course!" Ash replied. "You must be hungry too, right?"

"A bit," Anabel shyly admitted.

"Then come on!" Ash urged. "Scott always brings good sandwiches."

"Leave it to Ash to only think about food," Misty muttered.

"I do have to tell you, Misty," Anabel began, a smile playing on her lips. "Your son has been talking about food since you got here, too!"

"Oh, of course he has," Misty sighed, looking down at the baby. "Why am I not surprised? You're a little glutton, just like your daddy!"

"Hey!" Ash whined.

As Anabel watched the couple playfully bicker before her, she smiled and ran her fingers through her short, lilac hair.

_I guess you never sensed my feelings for you, Ash. But that's alright. I can sense how much _you_ love Misty, and your children, and how happy they make you. And to me, that's all that matters._

* * *

><p><strong>That's right, it's Anabel! I just watched the episodes with her over the last few days. She's a very interesting character, and I liked the idea that she might be able to communicate with a baby who can't speak yet :)<br>**


	298. The Easter Lopunny

**Happy Easter, everyone! I hope you're having fun today and getting lots of chocolate eggs :P I get a big Italian dinner that I'm very much looking forward to eating! But before that, I have to give you all this year's special Easter one shot! Enjoy!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 8 years old**

**Elizabeth: 2 and a half years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>The Easter Lopunny<strong>

"Peep! Peep! Peep!"

"_Elizabeth!_"

The little girl looked up and found her scowling older brother to be leaning over her.

"Ai-den!" Elizabeth greeted with a giggle.

"Why are you making so much noise?" Aiden complained.

"I'ma Towchic!" Elizabeth squeaked, holding up her stuffed toy of the fire type. Aiden raised a dark eyebrow and plucked the plush from Elizabeth's hands, earning a small squeak from the child.

"You never play with this one," Aiden noted. "How come you're playing with it all of a sudden?"

"Cause it's Eastew!" Elizabeth cried.

"So?" Aiden questioned.

"Eastew has Towchic," Elizabeth explained. "And Maweep, and the Eastew Lopunny!"

"The Easter Lopunny?" Aiden repeated.

In response, Elizabeth wordlessly nodded her head.

"That's _such _a little kid thing," Aiden scoffed, tossing the stuffed Torchic back at his little sister. "The Easter Lopunny can't be real!"

"Uh huh!" Elizabeth argued.

"Lizzie, come on," Aiden groaned. "How do you think the Easter Lopunny would even get into our house, huh?"

"Thewe," Elizabeth replied, twisting her body around and pointing at the fireplace.

"No, Elizabeth," Aiden sighed. "That's how _Santa_ comes in. Now _he's_ real! But the Easter Lopunny? That's just crazy."

"Nuh uh," Elizabeth murmured.

"Fine, tell you what," Aiden began. "What if we make a bet?"

"Beh?" Elizabeth repeated, albeit incorrectly.

"Tomorrow is Easter, right?" Aiden theorized.

"Ya!" Elizabeth giggled at the prospect.

"So, if the Easter Lopunny _is_ real, it'll leave a bag of jelly beans right on top of that table!" Aiden crowed, pointing at the glass top coffee table in the middle of the living room.

"Pink jewwy beans!" Elizabeth added.

"_Only_ pink?" Aiden pressed, earning a nod from Elizabeth. "Hey, why not? That only makes it harder!"

"No," Elizabeth replied simply, shaking her head.

"Lizzie, Lizzie, so young and naïve," Aiden sighed. "I remember when I was like that. Those were good times. Then reality sets in, and the peaceful existence you know now is shattered."

Elizabeth furrowed her brow at Aiden's seemingly nonsensical rambling and hugged her stuffed Torchic against her chest.

"But you just enjoy the rest of your time as a two year old," Aiden concluded, patting Elizabeth on the head.

"Lizzie! Time for bed!"

The little girl looked over her shoulder and giggled as Misty walked over to her. With a smile, Misty lifted the toddler into her arms and, once the young girl was settled, patted her on the back.

"Good," Misty breathed, straightening out the child's pink pajama shirt adorned by Butterfree and flowers. "The sooner you go to sleep, the sooner the Easter Lopunny will come!"

Aiden chuckled at this. "Nice work, Mom."

Misty furrowed her brow at this. "Aiden, what are you talking about?"

"You know, the whole Easter Lopunny thing!" Aiden explained.

"Uh…okay?" Misty murmured.

"She'll just have to see tomorrow morning," Aiden dismissed, walking away from his mother and sister. "It'll be fun!"

Misty blinked and looked down at Elizabeth, who was holding the Torchic up against her mouth.

"Lizzie, what is your big brother up to?" Misty asked.

"Nofin," Elizabeth squeaked.

If there was one thing she had learned from Aiden, it was this: never, _ever_ tell Mommy or Daddy what he was up to, because it usually led to a whole lot of yelling.

**XXX**

"Wow, guys! Look what the Easter Lopunny left!"

Michelle giggled and ran over to her sky blue basket, kneeling down right away to examine its contents. Aiden, while happy to see his own red basket full of candy and other goods, wasn't as ecstatic as his twin, who also still seemed to believe in the Easter Lopunny. Aiden, however, knew better. He wasn't exactly surprised that he was smarter than his sisters, but it was still nice to know.

Elizabeth, on the other hand, hadn't been immediately drawn to her pink Easter basket. Ash and Misty watched on in confusion as the pajama clad little girl made a mad dash instead for the coffee table. Michelle's attention was caught by the scene as well, while Aiden was just smirking, knowing exactly what was coming next.

"Jewwy beans!"

Or maybe not.

"_What?!_" Aiden gasped, rushing up next to the little girl. Sitting in the middle of the coffee table was a clear plastic bag full of pink jelly beans, tied off with a matching pink ribbon.

"No way," Aiden refuted as Elizabeth giggled. "But…but…how?"

"Eastew Lopunny!" Elizabeth squeaked.

Aiden turned around and stared at his parents, his mouth hanging wide open. Ash and Misty, however, remained unaffected by the boy's expression.

"Did you guys put that there?" Aiden asked.

"No," Ash replied honestly.

"I didn't even realize what you two were looking at," Misty added. "I was wondering why Elizabeth didn't attack her basket!"

Her ears perking at the mention of a basket, Elizabeth whipped around and saw hers sitting next to the rest of her siblings'. Shrieking with delight, Elizabeth ran over to the basket and settled down on her knees, pulling at the basket and pulling everything out of it.

"That was quick," Ash chuckled.

"Really, though, where did those jelly beans come from?" Misty mused. "Were they supposed to go in Elizabeth's basket? They're all just pink, after all!"

"No way, Mist," Ash chuckled. "No one makes a bag full of only pink jelly beans! That's boring! Where are all the other flavors?"

"That's what I'm asking!" Misty cried.

"Mommy, Daddy, it's the Eastew Lopunny!"

Ash and Misty looked down at Elizabeth, who had once again been distracted from her basket by her parents' conversation.

"What do you mean, sweetheart?" Misty cooed.

"The Eastew Lopunny brought 'em," Elizabeth replied. "Aiden said no, but_ I_ said yes!"

Ash and Misty both glanced over at their son with unamused expressions. The young boy, in turn, chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Heh…guess I was wrong, huh?" He muttered.

"Aiden, what have we told you about teasing your little sister?" Ash sighed.

"I wasn't trying to tease her, Dad!" Aiden cried. "I really didn't think the Easter Lopunny was real!"

"Either way, you shouldn't be telling her those kinds of things," Misty chimed in. "She's _two years old!_"

"Ah, we don't really need to scold him," Ash laughed. "Look at his face! He's embarrassed enough that he got shown up by that same two year old."

"Dad!" Aiden whined.

"Not a bad point, dear!" Misty giggled.

Aiden huffed and folded his arms against his chest, rolling his eyes up towards the ceiling. "Why's this family so embarrassing?"

* * *

><p><strong>Hehe, Aiden getting schooled by a 2 year old. That's life, buddy!<strong>

**Meanwhile, I wish they would actually make a bag of just pink jelly beans. They're the most delicious ones! I found one full of only orange at school to make it look like a carrot. Except orange is the only jelly bean flavor I hate. Other than black. **

**So, I hope you all have a great holiday, and I'll see you all next time!**


	299. Perfect Figure

**This is something I've wanted to write for a while. I feel like it's something that, as a famous figure, Misty would have to deal with quite regularly. So I wanted to write it out and continue adding some depth to the adult!Misty that I've created.**

**Aiden and Michelle: 1 month old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Perfect Figure<strong>

"So, Misty, when are you going to be slipping back into your _world famous_ bikinis?"

The water type specialist raised an eyebrow and stared at the blue haired beauty who had just slunk down into a chair next to her.

"I don't know," Misty replied blankly. "Why?"

"I just know that everyone is waiting for it," Erika remarked. "You literally have the world's most perfect figure!"

"I do?" Misty murmured.

"Yeah!" Erika laughed before trailing off, "well…you _did_…"

Misty looked down at her body and pressed a hand against her stomach. It was certainly flattening, but it definitely wasn't as taut as she was used to.

"You should try some sit ups," Erika suggested, finally causing Misty to look back up and scowl.

"Thanks for your _great_ advice," Misty bit sarcastically.

"Don't mention it!" Erika trilled, obviously having missed the venom in Misty's voice. "You know what else might help? If you don't-"

"Stop talking!" Misty finally snapped, causing Erika to draw herself back. Sighing, Misty shook her head and muttered, "just…leave me alone, Erika."

The grass leader huffed and stood up from her chair, smoothing out her dress before storming away. The antagonizing "princess" was soon replaced by one of a more mature, intimidating woman, with dark green hair and piercing blue eyes.

"Good afternoon, Misty," she greeted in a level, though calm, voice.

"Hey Sabrina," Misty muttered, sinking down further into her chair.

"I could sense from across the room that something is bothering you," Sabrina droned. Despite her dull tone, Misty could tell that the woman was being genuine. "Please, tell me what's on your mind."

"Can't you read it yourself?" Misty questioned in an almost sarcastic manner.

"Of course I can," Sabrina replied, a smile finally appearing on her face. "I just wanted to hear it out of you. I'm trying to be more empathetic."

Misty smirked at this, earning a small nod from Sabrina. "You're actually pretty funny, Sabrina."

"Thank you. I try."

Misty scanned her eyes nervously around the room before setting them back on Sabrina, who had a knowing look on her face. "Is it _that_ bad?"

"Your body is _not_ that bad," Sabrina refuted, not even having to ask Misty to elaborate. "It's perfectly normal for a woman who was with child. _Children,_ in your case."

Misty's own look quickly changed to one of frustration. "But that still means I don't look good."

"I didn't say that. You do not look bad."

"But I don't look like myself!"

"It's only been a month, so you really shouldn't," Sabrina continued. "That is an unrealistic expectation that we have due to our fame."

"I still look pregnant, don't I?" Misty wailed.

"Still?" Sabrina repeated.

"My stomach, look at it!" Misty groaned, pushing her chair away from the table so Sabrina could see her midsection. "I look like I'm four months pregnant!"

"Where would you get an idea like that from?" Sabrina questioned.

Misty raised an eyebrow at this. "You're not denying it though, are you?"

"Well-"

"Oh, I might not be psychic like you, but I'm not stupid!" Misty complained. "You agree! I still look pregnant!"

"But Misty, it's _normal,_" Sabrina stressed. "Just give it some time. You'll exercise and it'll all come off!"

"But I've _been _exercising!" Misty whimpered. "I've been exercising for a whole _month_ and nothing! I've only lost like…five pounds! That's _nothing_ compared to what I gained!"

"There's no need to get so upset about it, Misty," Sabrina assured the younger woman. "You'll go back to normal soon enough. I know."

"You were _so_ skinny after you had kids," Misty pressed. "How did you do that? Some kind of psychic magic?"

"No, if only it were that easy," Sabrina laughed just once. "I exercised, like you. That worked like a charm for me. It was especially easy the second time around. Everyone says the second time is harder, but I was chasing Franklin around everywhere. All of that running back and forth helped me to get back in shape much more quickly than the first time around."

"You look so perfect," Misty complained. "Like you never even had them!"

"Perhaps," Sabrina agreed, "but they _are_ five and three. It's been that many years. I've had time to work on it. When your twins are more grown, you'll look even better than I do, just as before."

Misty smiled weakly at her psychic type colleague, but couldn't find the power to be earnest. She felt as though the weight of the world was on her shoulders, and everyone was waiting for her to go back to the way she once was.

**XXX**

Misty whimpered and held her head in her hands, staring down at the floor as though it were the most interesting thing in the entire world. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get Erika's words out of her head.

Misty certainly didn't feel good about herself, which was quite unusual. She was a confident young woman, very self-certain and ignorant of other people's unwarranted opinions.

Until now.

She seemed to have undergone some kind of change. One that she didn't appreciate in the slightest. Misty hated feeling weak and awkward. She didn't like the overwhelming feeling of self-doubt that had taken over her after she'd had the twins. Or perhaps it had even started while she was still pregnant.

Misty could no longer pinpoint where the feelings had begun.

All she knew was she was now self-conscious. About everything. Her figure, her chest, her skin, her hair…all of it. It was so gross to her. Misty had always hated the way her sisters whined and agonized over every last detail of their physical appearances. And now she was turning into them.

It was disastrous.

Her day at League headquarters had just become worse and worse as time dragged on. Erika's berating had really beaten Misty down, and not even Sabrina's attempts at reassuring her had helped. Misty wanted nothing more than to go home and hide under the covers for the rest of the day. Or week. Or the rest of her life.

The gym leader hadn't exactly decided yet which option was more appealing.

As she continued to sit in the same spot and silently fume over her current predicament, a new figure walked into the room, unbeknownst to the moping water type specialist. This visitor, however, was not ignorant of Misty's obvious pain, and she was not about to ignore it either.

"Misty? Is everything alright?"

The gym leader's head snapped up, and her entire face turned bright red.

"L-Lorelei!" She sputtered, quickly shaking her head out. "I'm fine! Ha! Just a bit tired is all. Nothing wrong."

"Hmm," Lorelei hummed, moving closer to the younger woman. "You know, if I wasn't so smart, I'd believe that big fat lie."

Misty's blush only intensified at that comment. "Is it that obvious?"

"Just about," Lorelei giggled.

"Great," Misty grumbled, rubbing at her eyes. Lorelei had been her role model since she was just a young girl, and although she was now an adult, Misty still looked up to the ice type specialist. Everything about Lorelei just seemed so elegant and knowledgeable. She was strong, powerful, and gorgeous, all in one package. It was everything Misty had always aspired to be, and now felt nothing like.

"You _could_ tell me what's got you so down," Lorelei continued. "I'd be more than happy to help out a fellow woman of the battling world, after all."

"Really?" Misty breathed.

"Of course!" Lorelei laughed. "I've always admired your passion, Misty. You're not the kind of woman who would just let someone walk all over you! No. You've got a spine, and I _love_ it! We need more female trainers like you in this world."

"That's…a _huge _compliment," Misty sighed, hardly able to believe she had just heard those words come out of Lorelei's mouth. "But I don't know how confident I am anymore. That seems to be part of my problem."

"Well, that's no good," Lorelei plainly commented. "You can't let that slip away, Misty! It's one of your most defining features!"

"I understand that," Misty grumbled. "But I just feel so…different. Ever since I had my children…I've felt strange. I love those two with all of my heart, and I wouldn't trade them for anything! But at the same time…I don't look _or_ feel the way I used to. It's like I'm an entirely new person, and I definitely don't like who she is."

"That _is_ quite a problem, isn't it?" Lorelei mused. "Well, speaking from experience, I can tell you with great certainty that your appearance is the root cause of your confidence concerns."

"That's what I figured," Misty mumbled.

"You can't possibly feel like a strong woman who's ready to empower and impress others if you don't even feel good about yourself," Lorelei continued. "So, the first thing you need to do is improve the way you feel about your appearance! You know, change it up."

"But I've tried," Misty groaned. "I've been working out as soon as I could! I've been doing even more than I normally do. But I feel like nothing I do is working!"

"There's a fairly easy solution to your problem, you know," Lorelei purred.

"Really?" Misty gasped. "What is it?"

At Misty's eagerness, Lorelei smirked and pushed her glasses back up the bridge of her nose. "Let me tell you, dear Misty."

**XXX**

"Hey…come on, Shelly! Smile for me!"

Ash was playfully poking his baby daughter's side to try and get a simple grin out of the baby, but that little action was proving to be fruitless.

"You haven't given me a smile all day," Ash bemoaned. "That's unusual for you, little girl."

While Ash was busy fretting over the infant's lack of smiles, the door opened up, revealing a visibly tired Misty. Ash looked up and, as soon as he saw his beloved wife, frowned. She had lost a significant amount of weight in the past few weeks, and for that, Ash was proud of her. He'd been able to tell how frustrated she'd been about being unable to get seemingly anything off, so it was nice to finally see her getting some results, although he found her to be beautiful no matter what. At the same time, however, she was also beginning to look a bit sickly. Her complexion had grown very pale, which was almost impressive considering how light she was to begin with. But there was no color left in her face at all, and no sparkle left in her eyes. She seemed feeble and weak, like she would fall over if you were to merely pat her on the back. It scared Ash, but he wasn't sure what to do. He assumed it was just possible she was tired from taking care of the twins. But then again, so was he, and he didn't look nearly as worn down.

"Hey, babe," Ash greeted breezily, still trying to get Michelle to smile at him. "How was your day?"

"Fine," Misty replied curtly, her voice sounding quite watered down and almost broken.

"That's…good," Ash gingerly responded, furrowing his brow ever so slightly. He wasn't used to getting one word answers from his typically very vocal wife. "Are you hungry? You must be after such a long day at the gym."

"No," Misty sighed, rubbing at her temples.

"Are you sure?" Ash prodded. "Because I had some good ideas for dinner. Some of your favorites!"

"No," Misty repeated. "I'm fine. I just want to go take a nap."

Ash watched as his wife breezed past him, right up the stairs and out of sight. Sighing, Ash turned his attention back onto Michelle. The more he looked at the baby, however, the more Ash realized her physical state was closely resembling Misty's. A pale face, dull eyes, not smiling, and barely moving…

"Something's not right," Ash concluded. "But what? I have to figure it out. But I need help…"

**XXX**

"What seems to be the problem, dear?"

"Michelle won't smile at me, and-"

"Oh, Ash, really?"

Ash pulled his shoulders back as his mother threw him a stern look.

"Yeah, but-"

"I thought there was something terribly wrong with my grandbaby!" Delia scolded. "You scared the living daylights out of me with such an urgent call! It's perfectly normal for such a young baby to not be so smiley all the time. There were times when you were a baby when you just looked so grouchy and miserable! But look, you turned out fine. You're one of the happiest people I know!"

"That's not the only problem, Mom!" Ash whined. "Michelle's not smiling is what tipped me off to the idea that there _is_ something wrong! Maybe not terribly, but something strange."

"What is it?" Delia asked, her voice more gentle than before.

"Take a look," Ash urged, leading Delia over to the baby's bouncer. As soon as the woman saw her granddaughter, she positively beamed at the infant, but that look of pure joy evaporated as soon as she got a better look at the baby. "Oh my goodness…Ash, she's so pale!"

"Right?" Ash pressed. "Her cheeks are usually all rosy! But they're not now. And look at how dull her eyes are!"

"She looks a bit sick," Delia fretted, feeling the child's forehead. "But she doesn't have a fever!"

"I'm worried," Ash admitted. "The more time I spend with Michelle, the more I realize she's acting very lethargic. And, I don't know if it's a coincidence or not, but Misty is like a mirror image of Michelle! She's been a bit lifeless lately, too."

"Hmm, that's very strange," Delia mused. "I'll tell you what. I will start cooking dinner, and I want you to go upstairs and try to get something out of Misty. Anything, really, on how she's feeling."

"Got it," Ash chirped.

"Check on Aiden too," Delia requested. "If he's as lethargic as Michelle seems to be, there might be some cause for concern."

Ash sucked in his breath but slowly nodded his head. As nervous as it made him, he knew his mother was right. He'd have to make sure the twins were okay…because if they weren't, and he didn't do anything for them, the guilt would never end.

**XXX**

After an unsuccessful attempt to get anything out of Misty, Ash managed to drag her downstairs for dinner. It was only after informing her that his mother was there and had cooked the meal, however. Additionally, after giving Aiden a look over, Ash had realized that the little boy was also very sluggish and looked a bit sickly. Now his nerves were at an all-time high.

"Good evening, Misty!" Delia greeted her daughter-in-law in her normal, jovial fashion. Misty, on the other hand, winced and once again reached for the side of her head.

"Hi, Delia," Misty greeted weakly.

"Oh, are you alright, dear?" Delia crooned. "You look like you've got a headache!"

"Just a small one," Misty sighed. "But I'm sure it's just from work. It'll go away soon."

"Hmm," Delia softly hummed. "Perhaps eating dinner will help!"

Misty sighed and trudged over to the table, her skinny arms somehow appearing to weigh her body down. Ash and Delia both followed her to the table and sat down, where all of the food was already set out on plates. Misty sat down in her chair and stared down dejectedly at the food, biting her lower lip as she observed it.

"Come on, Mist," Ash prodded, catching the gym leader's attention. "Eat!"

"Right," Misty sighed, picking up her fork.

She didn't exactly follow Ash's instruction, however. Instead, she pushed the food around her plate, not knowing that both Ash and Delia were watching her.

"Misty, why aren't you eating?" Ash pressed.

"I'm just tired," Misty groaned, putting her fork down and rubbing at her eyes with the palms of her heels.

"It might still help if you eat just a little bit," Delia suggested. "Then you can go right to sleep!"

"I think it's _much_ easier to fall asleep with a full stomach," Ash chuckled.

"I would just rather go to sleep now," Misty refuted, putting her fork down and standing up. As soon as she got to her feet, however, she nearly fell over, which led to her eyes widening as she gripped the back of the chair to keep herself up.

"Misty!" Ash gasped, jumping up in response.

"Dear, are you alright?" Delia fussed.

"Y-yeah…" Misty stammered. "I don't know what happened."

"I might have an idea," Delia mused, causing Ash to look over his shoulder.

"Mom?" Ash prodded.

"Misty, I don't think you've been eating enough lately," Delia continued. "In fact, I don't really think you've been eating at all."

"Mom…" Ash warned.

"I could tell as soon as I saw you compared to the babies," Delia sighed.

"What do you mean?" Misty murmured.

"Aiden and Michelle are both malnourished," Delia replied, causing Misty to look alarmed.

"What?!" Misty shrieked.

"They're not getting the nutrients they need," Delia explained. "And since you're the one who feeds them, that means that _you're_ malnourished as well."

Groaning, Misty sat down in her chair and buried her face in her hands.

"I'm so stupid…"

"You're not stupid, dear," Delia assured, walking over to Misty and running her fingers through the woman's bright red hair. "This isn't an easy time, I know. It's hard, it's stressful. Sometimes we can forget."

"But it's not just that," Misty whimpered, picking her head back up. "Oh, I'm such a bad mother. How could I do this?"

"Mist, stop beating yourself up," Ash tried. "You didn't mean to!"

"But I did!" Misty cried, surprising Ash. "Not being malnourished. I didn't mean to do that. But it's not like I just forgot to eat food that's good for me. It's that I really haven't been eating at all. I didn't think it would hurt the babies! I thought as long as I feed them, as long as I still had milk for them, it'd be fine. But I didn't think about the actual _quality_ of it! I forgot that almost _everything_ I do affects them. I was selfish and horrible."

"But why would you stop eating?" Ash murmured.

"Because…because I felt so embarrassed," Misty admitted, her cheeks turning bright red. "Everyone's been commenting on my weight, and the way I look. It's mortifying! I usually don't care, but eventually it was all I could hear. And it started to wear me down. I feel like an idiot."

"You're not an idiot," Ash breathed, kneeling down and wrapping his arms around Misty's shoulders. "Oh, angel. I just wish you would have said something to me! I can't stand the idea of anyone hurting you! And I swear, if I could beat some sense into all of the people talking about you like that-"

"But you can't," Misty interrupted. "It's partially my fault anyway. I need to learn to ignore these people! And normally I can. It's just…ever since I had the twins, everything about me feels like it's changed. It's really weird. And I don't know if I really like it or not. But I do know that I hate feeling self-conscious, and I hate what I've done to our children. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," Ash sighed, kissing Misty's forehead. "It was all an accident, baby. But you're going to start eating again. Right now. You're going to turn this chair around and eat dinner. And I won't get up from this table until it's all gone. Got it?"

Misty smirked at her husband's playfully stern tone. "Got it. I promise."

Ash gave Misty one more kiss, this one on the tip of her nose, before standing up and walking back over to his chair. Delia was left looking over Misty, who was still smiling softly after Ash's reassurances.

"You're going to be fine, Misty," Delia promised, reaching out and patting the gym leader's shoulder. "Trust me. I've been where you are before."

Misty raised an eyebrow at this. "You have?"

"Mmhm," Delia confirmed. "Not on the same scale as you, with those horrible magazines. But I had people in my ear, buzzing like busy little Beedrill. And it crushed me. I let it break me for a little while. But then I realized it wasn't worth it. I had Ash, and he was so much better than anything else in the world. He was worth more than anything those people could say about me. So I finally let it go. And I was a lot happier once I did."

Misty's smile strengthened, and her eyes shimmered with a thin layer of tears. "Thank you, Delia. Really. I don't know what I would do without you and Ash."

"Don't mention it, sweetheart," Delia crooned, giving the young woman her own hug. "And remember: you'll always be perfect to us. No matter what."

* * *

><p><strong>I know it seems OOC for Misty to feel this way and to allow people's opinions to get into her head and get her to this point. But I like to think that upon marrying someone like Ash, who is very loving and open, Misty allows her guard to drop a little bit, and that can sometimes bite her in the butt. She was always afraid of the hurt from her previous experiences, which was why the wall went up in the first place. So this whole thing is like a learning process for her. She's growing as a person.<strong>

**Also, Lorelei is still her idol. She would listen to anything the woman says, even if it's as stupid as that. It's sort of the hard way for Misty to learn that your heroes aren't always what they seem to be.**


	300. A Mother's Job

**Happy Mother's Day, everyone! I'm here with the annual one shot to celebrate it! It's not exactly what I wanted to write for the holiday, but I've been super busy with school, finals, severely obnoxious professors, etc etc. It's still cute, at least!**

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><p><span><strong>A Mother's Job<strong>

It is a mother's job to care for her children.

Misty knew this very well. She always made sure that her three children felt well loved. She cooked for them and made sure they were always clean and comfortable. She always tried her best to make sure they weren't afraid of anything; that they felt safe and assured.

Of course, Misty also knew that it was her job as a mother to frequently _embarrass_ her children.

She had learned from the master of this trade. Delia Ketchum was the _queen_ of embarrassing her son. Misty had lost count of how many times she'd seen a vein in Ash's head bulge out whenever his mother brought up some mortifying story from his past. She had seen his eye twitch, his brow furrow, and most frequently of all, heard him cry _"MOM!"_ in absolute anguish.

Of course, Misty didn't much have to worry all too much about doing it to her three just yet. They were all too young for significant others, which was the main reason Delia embarrassed Ash so much. She liked to keep Misty entertained. Misty, however, just did it because she felt it was part of her job. She usually did it to people like Delia or Brock; people who the kids loved and didn't want to see or hear anything off kilter about them.

Of course, none of them seemed to understand that these people had been around since before they were born, and had known them from the time they were just babies. There was really nothing that could faze them.

They still enjoyed Misty's stories, however, and never discouraged her from sharing.

As far as the children were concerned, they did the best they could to try and prevent their mother from sharing anything offensive to them when anyone came over. Aiden and Michelle, as the older two, would run into their parents' room and hide the baby books that were full of embarrassing photos that their mother seemed to just _love_ showing off. Elizabeth, on the other hand, would try and distract her mother as much as possible. Every time Misty seemed to be on the verge of telling a story, Elizabeth would jump up into her lab or grab her legs, begging for a snack or some juice.

At some point, however, Misty had caught on. She wasn't stupid, after all. She _did_ find it to be rather adorable that her children were so flustered when it came to her sharing certain information about them, however. So usually, she'd play along. For the first little while, at least.

She'd let Aiden and Michelle hide the books and flip over picture frames, and let Elizabeth act clingy and distracting. But after maybe an hour, she'd promise the visitor some good pictures, and get up and find the books or the picture frames. By this point, she had learned all of the hiding places Aiden and Michelle favored, and it never took her long to locate them. When it came to stories, Misty typically just had to bribe Elizabeth with a lollipop or a handful of gummy Pokémon. The little girl loved her sweets far too much to continue to stand in her mother's way once offered them as compensation for cooperating.

Besides, Misty didn't really think it was so embarrassing. She just thought she was sharing cute pictures and stories about her children! She didn't think it was so embarrassing to be viewed as cute. After all, her parents had never really shown anyone her pictures or gushed about her to them. Not even her beloved grandmother had ever done that! And Misty liked attention. She thought her children would have liked attention, too. Especially from people who they knew loved and cared about them a whole lot.

Ash, however, had to agree with his children. It was _mortifying _to have your mother show people things like that. At some point in his life, he had joined in with his children in trying to prevent Misty from sharing such things.

Of course, Ash loved his wife. Dearly, in fact. But he loved their children too, and knew all too well what it felt like to have your mother embarrass you. So he would try and help out the three as best as he could, distracting Misty with hugs and kisses, various bribes, and general complaining to tear her attention away from whoever it was she was trying to share such dubious information with.

Unless part of the embarrassment _involved_ giving hugs or kisses in front of the children.

Then he was all for it and never hesitated.

But despite this, Misty knew above all that her children relied on her for love, trust, and warmth. She may have been playful, a bit teasing, and sometimes downright overbearing, but loving her children was what Misty knew how to do best. Even more than embarrassing them, in fact.

And it was for this reason that Aiden, Michelle, and Elizabeth all knew that they had the best mother in the whole wide world. Embarrassing stories and all.

* * *

><p><strong>Misty, learning from the expert :P That was my favorite part of this one.<strong>

**Oh, I almost forgot! This is one shot #300! CRAZY STUFF. I can't believe I've actually written 300 of these. Yikes. I started this story all the way back in high school, and now I'm in college and still going strong with it. It's really been a fun ride, and I hope you all continue to follow me on it! I really appreciate all of you as readers and as PokeShipping fans! Y'all rock!**


	301. A Cruel Twist of Fate

**Okay, I'm not going to lie. This is a sad one. It deals with some very real life issues. I've always wanted to write this, but I was never sure exactly how to do it. I finally feel like I'm old enough at this point and have had enough writing experience that I would be able to tackle this topic and put it into a one shot without being too over the top or graphic or anything like that. Hopefully that's how it comes across!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 2 and a half years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>A Cruel Twist of Fate<strong>

"I feel _awful._"

Ash looked over at Misty, who had just come through the door.

"Aw, don't feel awful, babe," Ash comforted. "You didn't do anything wrong!"

"Ash, shut up, that's not what I meant," Misty grumbled, dragging herself into the kitchen. "I meant physically. I feel like death. I feel like I'm dying. This sucks. It's stupid."

Ash blinked and took a closer look at Misty. He noticed that her face was pale, and her eyes dull. Suddenly, he could just see the illness on her face.

"Oh," Ash breathed, watching as Misty sat in a chair across from him and slumped down. "What's bothering you, angel?"

"I'm so nauseous and sore," Misty complained. "I got sick after lunch, but I felt better after getting it out, so I just went back to work. But as the day went on, I just felt worse and worse."

"That's strange," Ash replied with a frown.

"I think I might have the flu," Misty concluded, shaking her head.

"The flu?" Ash repeated incredulously. "In the summer?"

"Anything is possible," Misty sighed, pushing the chair away from the table as she got up in order to fetch a glass of water. "Just because it's more common in the winter doesn't mean you can't get it at other times of the year."

"I guess…" Ash murmured. It still sounded strange to him. "Maybe you should go to the doctor and get checked out."

"I was planning on it," Misty sighed, taking another sip of her water. "I mean, this is the first day I've been really sick, but-"

"I'd like you to go," Ash interrupted, a deathly serious look on his face.

"Of course," Misty replied with a snicker. "You're overprotective."

"You know I hate that word," Ash teased. "I prefer the term 'deeply caring'."

"Hmm, I'm sure you do," Misty hummed.

"Better safe than sorry," Ash reasoned. "If you're sick, at least the doctor can give you some medicine that will get it out of your system."

"True," Misty agreed. "And I'd hate to get the twins sick."

"Even though they might be the ones to have gotten you sick in the first place," Ash commented, smirking at his wife.

"I don't think so, Mr. Pokemon Master," Misty laughed. "If anything, this one is all on me. Too many late hours, too much working, not even downtime. I probably burnt out my immune system."

"That could definitely be it," Ash responded.

"Alright, I guess I'll call the doctor," Misty sighed, placing her glass of water down on the counter.

"Do it in here," Ash requested, his amber eyes following after Misty.

"Why?" She asked through a groan.

"I gotta make sure you actually do it!" Ash chuckled. "You can be a little sneaky when you want to, Mist."

"I'm not sneaking around," Misty assured her husband. "But if it _really_ makes you feel better, I'll make the phone call in here. Five inches away from your face."

"Thank you," Ash laughed. "But don't do it five inches away from my face. I don't need to catch your sickness!"

**XXX**

The next day, Misty had arrived at the doctor's office, not feeling any better than she had the day before.

Ash, being the worried and caring husband that he was, had accompanied Misty to the doctor's. Leaving the twins in the care of Delia always made Ash feel like he and his wife were on some romantic excursion. Of course, that little fantasy was easily shattered when you were surrounded by coughing strangers, old magazines, and a wife who was spending more time in the bathroom than actually sitting next to you.

"You really are a mess, huh?" Ash asked his beloved redhead as she sat back down next to him.

"Oh my gosh, Ash, you're so sweet!" Misty trilled sarcastically. "Thanks for stating the obvious!"

"Well, at least your personality hasn't been affected," Ash chirped, smirking after his spoke.

"Of course not," Misty sighed, sitting back in her seat. "I've got to keep my charm alive and well, no matter how awful I feel."

Ash chuckled softly to himself and shook his head, twirling his wife's hair around his fingers.

"Misty?"

The gym leader's ears perked as her name was called by the nurse. Sighing softly to herself, Misty got to her feet, Ash following suit and trailing behind her as she walked over to the nurse.

"Hello," the woman greeted kindly before leading both Ash and Misty to the back of the office and into one of the examination rooms. "So, what seems to be the problem?"

"I've just been really out of sorts lately," Misty responded as she sat down on the table, watching as the nurse closed the door behind her. "I'm really sore and achy…I've had a lot of headaches and nausea."

"Have you gotten physically ill?" The nurse prodded as she jotted down notes on Misty's symptoms.

"Yeah," Misty confirmed. "I think I may have the flu. I've been really tired from all of this stuff."

The nurse hummed softly to herself and continued to write. Ash tilted his head to the side, obviously confused, but remained silent otherwise.

"Let me check a few things," the nurse decided, putting her clipboard down. She checked Misty's blood pressure, her pulse, and looked in the gym leader's ears, eyes, nose, and throat. "I don't really see anything, to be honest."

"No?" Misty asked innocently.

"Nothing indicative of any illness," the nurse confirmed. "Of course, the doctor might be able to find something that I'm not able to. He'll give you a more thorough exam. Before he comes in, though, you'll need to give us a sample. Just to make sure there's nothing going on in there internally that we can't see."

"Sure," Misty murmured.

"Sample?" Ash repeated, one eyebrow raised.

Misty smirked at her husband and wordlessly accepted the plastic cup from the nurse, leading Ash to squeak in realization.

"Oh," he breathed, earning a giggle from his wife.

"You can just take care of that and hand it to one of the technicians," the nurse instructed, picking her clipboard back up and smiling at Misty. "The doctor will be in shortly."

"Thank you," Misty sighed, following the woman out of the room in order to complete what needed to be done.

Ash, who hated to be left alone, pouted and kicked his legs back and forth. He may have been 24 years old, but he still had a habit of getting impatient and bored. Misty had managed to become his shadow, in a sense. Ash was very used to having her around, and when she wasn't there, he felt kind of lost. It was definitely strange, and a little sad in reality, but Ash was perfectly happy that way. He loved Misty, and he loved the feeling that she was an essential part of both his life and his existence.

As soon as the door opened up again, Ash looked over his shoulder and smiled. Misty didn't return the look, however, until she was back sitting on the examination table. Chuckling, Ash got up and rested his forehead against Misty's, humming softly as he ran his hands up and down her sides.

"What are you doing?" Misty asked through a small giggle.

"I'm holding you," Ash replied softly, leaving a kiss on his wife's cheek. "You're so cute, I can't keep my hands off of you."

"But I thought you didn't want to catch my sickness, Mr. Pokemon Master," Misty teased.

"I don't care at this point," Ash chuckled, rubbing his nose against Misty's forehead. "You're worth it."

"Aw, how sweet," Misty crooned. "Trying to make up for your lousy comments in the waiting room, huh?"

"I didn't mean to upset you," Ash promised, pulling Misty in for a real hug. "You're my angel. And I love you."

"Fair enough," Misty sighed, resting her head against the man's chest.

It was then that the door opened, finally separating Ash from his wife. She smiled at him as he slunk back over to his seat, throwing the young woman an impish grin.

"Hello, Misty," the female physician greeted, beaming at her patient.

"Hi, Dr. Lane," Misty replied, her voice airy.

"So, I hear you've been feeling some flu like symptoms?" Dr. Lane questioned.

"Yeah," Misty confirmed. "It's weird. They kind of came out of nowhere, but they won't go away. Nothing seems to be working. No medicine, tea, nothing."

"Well, I can ease your suspicions right now by telling you that you do not have the flu," Dr. Lane assured, smiling at the confused woman.

"How can you tell?" Ash broke in. "You haven't looked at her yet."

"I don't have to," Dr. Lane giggled. "Your sample results came back, Misty. You're pregnant."

Misty and Ash's eyes both widened at the same time, their mouths set into definitive frowns. When Dr. Lane realized this, she gasped lightly and adopted a more serious expression.

"You…weren't trying for this, were you?" Dr. Lane asked cautiously.

"No," Misty answered rather quickly.

"Not at all," Ash added in a similar monotone voice.

"Oh," Dr. Lane breathed awkwardly. "I'm sorry. I can tell you're both a little…surprised. Let me give you two a minute to regroup."

Picking up her clipboard, Dr. Lane awkwardly shuffled out of the examination room and left behind a very confused young couple. They sat in total silence for a minute or two before Ash finally looked up at Misty, having not blinked since Dr. Lane delivered the shocking news.

"M-Mist…" Ash began, his voice trembling.

"I can't do this," Misty sighed, her eyes actually widening even further.

"Huh?" Ash murmured.

"I can't do this!" Misty repeated more strongly. "We have two kids that are only two years old! H-how am I supposed to do this? How are _we_ supposed to do this? I can't…I don't know how!"

"Mist, it's okay!" Ash hushed, jumping to his feet and running his hands down Misty's arms. "Please, angel. Relax. It's okay."

"No, Ash, this is bad!" Misty cried. "Oh my gosh, what are we going to do? I feel so…so confused…I'm so worried!"

"I could tell," Ash sighed with a chuckle.

"It's not funny!" Misty cried, smacking Ash on the chest. "Come on, be serious! This wasn't supposed to happen! I take birth control!"

"Yeah, we'll have to talk to the doctor about getting you a new one," Ash breathed.

"Ash, stop screwing around for five seconds!" Misty hissed. "I'm freaking out! Why aren't you?"

"Trust me, I am," Ash assured. "I'm just doing it internally. I hide my panicked nature behind humor and lightheartedness. The amount of teasing I'm doing right now is just to cover up for my own nerves."

"Great," Misty groaned, running a hand through her hair. "This is a disaster."

"We'll be fine," Ash promised, although he didn't sound completely confident. "We have each other, remember?"

"I know," Misty whispered, remembering her and Ash's promise from her first pregnancy. "But it's still scary."

"It is," Ash agreed. "It was scary the first time, too. But look at how great everything turned out! Look at how perfect Aiden and Michelle are!"

"I know," Misty mumbled, still sounding rather miserable.

"Just stay calm, okay?" Ash tried. "We're not going to tell anyone. Not just yet. We'll go back to Dr. Aaron and have you checked out. And then we'll go from there. Sound good?"

Misty bit her lower lip, but nodded in response. She loved Ash, and she did trust him, but at the same time, her nerves were really frayed and on edge. She was scared. She was worried. She was confused.

And she didn't know what to think.

**XXX**

Two weeks had passed since Misty had been informed of her unexpected pregnancy, and despite all of the fear and trepidation she had dealt with upon learning of it, the young woman was slowly becoming more open to the idea.

In fact, she was even beginning to feel a bit excited.

She knew it would be hard. After all, she still had two toddlers who were very energetic and active. They _were _half Ash's, of course. But Misty couldn't help but to let her mind wander, and just imagine the two playing with a little sibling. Loving it and teaching it everything they knew.

Except for maybe the adventurous little things they did that often gave Misty heart palpitations.

Dr. Aaron's first open appointment hadn't been for those two weeks after the initial diagnosis, and while Ash wasn't thrilled with such a long wait, he was happy with what it had resulted in. Both he _and_ Misty had been able to warm up to the idea of another baby, and now they were both openly talking about it to one another. It was nice, and Ash actually found himself getting more and more excited about it every single day.

Once they actually arrived at the doctor's office, however, some of the nerves had returned. They were still excited, of course, but all of a sudden, the fear seemed to have crept back.

"Ash, I know we finally started to feel better, but…what if we really can't do this?" Misty murmured.

"Don't think that way, Mist!" Ash chirped. "We're going to do great! And this baby is going to be _so_ loved and be _so_ happy!"

"You're right," Misty breathed, smiling at Ash. "Yeah! It'll be fine."

Once the doctor walked in, he smiled at the young couple, who seemed rather excited to see him.

"Ah, Ash, Misty!" Dr. Aaron greeted jovially. "I didn't expect to see you two back so soon!"

"Neither did we," Misty remarked playfully. "But here we are!"

"Yeah, this one wasn't planned either," Ash admitted. "But, we're still excited!"

"Good, you two seem to be great parents to Aiden and Michelle!" Dr. Aaron complimented. "I've seen their pictures in magazines. They have gotten so big! They're both just as adorable as the day they were born."

"They're both really good," Ash informed the doctor. "I mean, sure they act out sometimes and get themselves into trouble. But what toddlers don't? I think they're great!"

"I'm not a good source for that, I'm really biased," Misty admitted with a giggle. "I just think they're the cutest, most wonderful things. They make me so happy!"

"Well, I would assume this new baby would as well," Dr. Aaron chuckled. "Would you like to see it for the first time?"

"Yes!" Misty practically squealed. "Let's do it!"

She knew the whole routine from her first pregnancy: lie back on the examination table, pull her shirt up, and wait for the doctor to put the freezing cold gel on and use the wand to look inside. Before long, the black and white screen flickered to life, revealing nothing more than a small blob that looked absolutely nothing like a baby.

"I was expecting that," Misty breathed. "But it's still a cute blob!"

At this, Dr. Aaron laughed. "How about we listen to its heartbeat?"

"Yeah, let's do it!" Ash cheered.

Dr. Aaron flicked a switch on the machine, but after he did, not a sound could be heard.

"That's strange…" Dr. Aaron muttered, flicking the switch off and then back on. Still nothing.

"Is there something wrong?" Misty murmured, blinking her wide, emerald eyes.

Dr. Aaron hesitated to answer. He just flicked the switch off and on again, but still with no results. He glanced back up at the screen and took a closer look at the blob that had been deemed Ash and Misty's future child. After a quick examination, however, it didn't take long for the physician's shoulders to fall.

"There's something is wrong, isn't there?" Ash whispered.

"I'm afraid there's no heartbeat here," Dr. Aaron concluded, looking towards Ash and Misty with an expression of clear sympathy.

"N-no heartbeat?" Misty repeated, sounding utterly confused.

"I can't detect one on this machine," Dr. Aaron continued. "I'm so sorry, you two."

"W-wait a minute…" Misty began, clearing her throat as she tried to formulate words. "Are…are you saying that…that I…I lost a baby?" Misty looked over at the screen, her eyes filling with tears. "That baby?"

"I'm so sorry," Dr. Aaron repeated. He himself sounded rather pained. The doctor knew, however, that his emotions were nothing compared to what Ash and Misty were feeling at the moment. They both looked completely numb and frozen. "Let me leave you two alone for a bit. Whenever you feel ready, just call me back in. I'll go over the next steps with you."

Without another word, the downtrodden doctor left the room, closing the door behind him. As soon as he heard the door click, Ash shook his head and glanced over at Misty. She looked positively broken; frail and weak. Biting his lip, Ash walked over to her front and looked at her. Her head was down, her hair blocking any and all of her face.

And before he could even say a word, she began to cry.

Biting his lower lip, Ash wrapped his arms around his wife and rested his cheek against the top of her head, allowing her to sob into his chest. As she cried, a tear of his own escaped from Ash's eye, rolling down his cheek and landing listlessly on Misty's bare arm.

**XXX**

For the rest of the day, Misty had locked herself in her and Ash's bedroom, away from the world. Ash was just as upset as she was, but he knew he couldn't follow after her. He had to take care of Aiden and Michelle, who had no idea what had transpired earlier in the day. All they wanted to know was where Mommy was, why Mommy wasn't playing with them or eating with them, and why they couldn't see Mommy since she'd come home.

"Mommy is just resting," Ash promised the two while building blocks with them. "She's very tired. So we have to let her sleep! But you'll both see her soon."

Though they seemed a little flustered by their mother's unusual absence, Aiden and Michelle's daily routine otherwise went undisturbed. Ash was able to ready them for bed and tuck them in without any struggle, which then left him able to be with Misty for the rest of the night.

As it would turn out, the rest of the night was spent the same way she had spent the afternoon: sobbing uncontrollably. Ash, of course, couldn't blame her, and actually ended up crying himself because she was so distraught. It was very startling for him, between seeing his wife so broken and knowing they had lost a child.

Fortunately, Misty fell asleep long before Ash did. She had been crying all afternoon and all night, and eventually it just tired her out. Ash, however, was finding it much more difficult to fall asleep. Misty had finally stopped crying, but she had been doing it for so long that it was burned into his head. He could still hear it, even as she snored softly against his chest. He threaded her hair through his fingers, playing idly with it as he stared up at the ceiling. He wanted to know why: why did their unborn baby have to die? Why did it happen? What had he or Misty done? Had they done something wrong? They didn't deserve this! No one did.

Sighing, Ash looked down at Misty and watched her sleep. She was so beautiful, so delicate. It was so unfair to him that someone as precious as her could have been hurt in such a way. It was downright cruel. He would have allowed himself to be hurt a million times over before he would ever let anyone do anything to his beloved wife. Yet here they were. Both hurt, both confused, both broken.

And Ash felt like there was nothing in the world he could do to fix it.

**XXX**

The next morning, Ash awoke rather late. The sun was shining, spilling through the open windows as the sound of Pidgey chirping filled the air. Ash groaned and sat up, stretching his arms over his head.

"Mist?" He croaked, his voice still rough from the night before. When he got no response, however, the man became a bit more alert. Glancing down, he realized the spot next to him was vacant, the sheets still mused on the bed.

"Misty," Ash breathed to himself. Sliding out of bed, Ash didn't even bother to get changed into day clothes before heading down the stairs. He had no idea where Misty could have been…he really hadn't even been expecting her to get out of bed. She hadn't eaten at all the day before, however, save for breakfast, so Ash's first guess was that she was in the kitchen, having finally given in to her inevitable hunger.

As it would turn out, however, that wasn't the case.

Misty was instead sitting on the floor in the living room, with Michelle in her lap and Aiden in front of her, showing off his various Pokemon figurines and excitedly discussing each of their unique traits.

"Misty?" Ash prodded, sounding positively confounded.

Aiden and Michelle managed to react before their mother, giggling delightedly and running over to greet their father.

"Daddy! Mommy's here!" Aiden squealed, turning around and pointing at Misty, who smiled weakly in response.

"She's playing wif us!" Michelle added warmly.

"Yeah, I see that," Ash breathed before smiling himself. "You two really missed her yesterday, huh?"

"Ya," Aiden laughed. "We love Mommy!"

"I know how you feel, buddy," Ash sighed, looking back over at Misty. Once he was distracted, Aiden and Michelle ran back over to her, resuming their activities. Misty quickly turned her attention back onto Michelle, smiling down at the little girl and playing with her hair.

Ash, on the other hand, just moved towards them, still staring at Misty. He sat down by her side, not taking his eyes off of her as Aiden continued to chatter about his toys. He only stopped when his stomach growled, causing the boy to look between his parents.

"I'm hung-y," Aiden announced innocently.

"Why don't you and Michelle head into the kitchen?" Misty suggested sweetly. "I'll come in a minute to feed you both."

Aiden and Michelle both jumped up and scurried into the next room, giggling and talking to one another like the innocent young children that they were. Once the two were out of earshot, Ash properly faced Misty and opened his mouth to speak. He couldn't get anything out, however, before Misty cut him off.

"I'm still upset," Misty croaked, looking down at her hands. "I'm heartbroken, actually. And I don't think that will change for a while."

"I didn't expect it to," Ash assured her. "I feel just as miserable as you do. Trust me."

"But that doesn't mean we can just…stop," Misty continued, shaking her head. "We've got to keep living. You and I both have jobs, friends, and…we have Aiden and Michelle. And I love them more than anything. More than life itself."

"I do too," Ash agreed.

"They're helping me," Misty sighed. "They don't realize it. They don't know what happened. But they're helping me. Even just sitting here with them…holding Michelle and listening to Aiden get so excited about his toys…it was the first time since yesterday afternoon that I felt remotely better. I finally smiled again. Not a strong one, but I still smiled. With them, I feel like I can start to heal. That things will get better, eventually."

"They will," Ash promised, reaching out to rub Misty's arm. "I know they will."

"It will be okay," Misty repeated more firmly, finally looking up and locking eyes with Ash. "We have each other, too."

"Yeah," Ash breathed, his smile widening as Misty used his own reassurance. "We do. We have each other. We'll _always_ have each other."

* * *

><p><strong>Like I said up top, this was not exactly a new idea I had. I've known for quite a while that Ash and Misty had faced this, that it was a part of their past, and something that would have deeply affected them. Of course, while it's upsetting, we all know that later on, they have Elizabeth, who is a perfectly happy and healthy little girl :)<strong>

**This is a very different subject for me to write about. I'm used to writing all humor and fluff and happy endings. This really isn't any of that. But, if I want to grow as a writer, I've got to try new things! Although this was a sad one, I enjoyed trying it out and expanding on Ash and Misty's personalities and emotions.**


	302. Cheers to Jeers

**I'M DONE WITH SCHOOL! For this year anyway, haha. But this semester was really stressful, so I'm glad it's over! So, to celebrate, here's a brand new one shot! And after the last few which were a bit serious, we've got a fun one!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 9 years old**

**Elizabeth: 3 years old**

**Dakota: 13 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Cheers to Jeers<strong>

"Mom, where are you dragging us?"

Misty sighed and looked over her shoulder. "I'm not really dragging anyone anywhere except for you, Aiden. You're the only one here who's complaining."

The boy looked over at his two sisters, who didn't seem to care either way.

"They don't want to be here either," Aiden concluded. "They're just not saying it out loud like I am."

"Mmhm," Misty hummed.

"How come you won't at least tell me where we're going?" Aiden demanded. "Maybe then I wouldn't complain so much."

"Oh, no," Misty drawled. "You'd be complaining even _more._"

"Even more?!" Aiden gasped. "Come on, Mom! You must be taking us someplace really awful!"

Unfortunately for Aiden, he wouldn't have to question his mother any more than that. They were soon walking up to a large building, with droves of girls standing all around. They were all different ages, varying from little ones around Elizabeth's age to teenagers. Despite the differences in age, they all had similar outfits on: high ponytails, big bows, and colorful tops and skirts.

"Oh, no…" Aiden breathed.

"And this is exactly why I didn't tell you where we were going," Misty concluded.

"Well, it's been a really fun walk with you guys, but I think it's about time that I start heading home," Aiden nonchalantly commented, whipping around in an attempt to make a run for it.

"Uh, no you don't!" Misty warned, spinning around and grabbing the back of her son's shirt. "You're staying right here, young man."

"Why am I being punished?" Aiden questioned. "What did I do to deserve this?"

"Absolutely nothing," Misty replied honestly. "But I made a promise to your cousin, and I'm going to keep it."

"So? You dug your own grave," Aiden muttered. "Why do I have to get thrown in with you?"

"Because it's a nice thing to do, to come and support your cousin," Misty exasperatedly explained. "So could you _try _and be nice to her for just one day?"

"Maybe if she wasn't such a brat," Aiden muttered.

"Aiden," Misty warned.

"Come on, Aiden," Michelle groaned. "Dakota isn't that bad."

"Says you," Aiden huffed. "She sort of _likes_ you, at least! All she does is tease me and make fun of me."

"Maybe because _you've_ been teasing her ever since we were little kids," Michelle challenged. "I can't remember _one time_ we were with Dakota that you weren't on her back!"

"I'm the younger cousin, I've got a pass for that," Aiden easily replied.

"But I'm littler, and you tease me!" Elizabeth squeaked.

"That's because when you're the _brother,_ you've got to be older to tease," Aiden explained. "Sorry, shrimp. I don't make the rules."

"Oh," Elizabeth marveled.

"Don't listen to him, Lizzie," Misty sighed, picking the toddler up. "He's just making things up."

"Mommy?" Elizabeth chirped.

"What is it, sweetheart?" Misty crooned.

"All dese girls gots on bows," Elizabeth noted, looking all around.

"Yes, they do!" Misty giggled. "And who else has a bow on?"

"Me," Elizabeth replied, patting the bright pink bow that was clipped onto the side of her head. "I like bows, Mommy."

"I know you do," Misty snickered. "You've probably got just as many bows as all of these girls!"

"No, I gots more," Elizabeth refuted.

"Oh, excuse me," Misty breathed dramatically.

"Hi, Aunt Misty!"

Misty turned around and smiled. A bubbly blonde was running over to her, beaming and looking very excited.

"Hi, Dakota!" Misty greeted jovially. "Don't you look cute in your uniform!"

"Thanks!" Dakota chirped. Her uniform was white, purple, and metallic gold, with a long sleeved crop top and a short skirt. Her golden blonde hair was pulled up into a very high ponytail, with a gigantic, glitter gold bow adorning the front of it. White sneakers covered her feet, with one purple and one gold star on each outer side.

"Bow!" Elizabeth shrieked, pointing at the big one in her cousin's hair.

"Oh yeah, you love bows, don't you, Lizzie?" Dakota giggled, taking the toddler from her aunt. "Do you want to be a cheerleader like cousin Koty?"

"No," Elizabeth answered simply. "I like dancing more!"

"Yeah, but I dance too," Dakota reasoned. "You can do both!"

"No!" Elizabeth refuted.

"She's the most passionate three year old dancer I've ever met," Misty sighed, shaking her head. "She obviously gets it from her father."

"I don't know, Aunt Misty," Dakota hummed as she put Elizabeth down. "You're pretty passionate too!"

"I guess so," Misty murmured, blushing at the acknowledgement.

"Maybe after watching us compete today, Lizzie will want to become a cheerleader!" Dakota gasped. "After all, _I_ think we're one of the best junior teams in the whole region!"

"Does your team have a name?" Michelle asked sweetly.

"Uh huh!" Dakota replied, putting Elizabeth down so Michelle could see the gold script embroidered on her top. "See? We're the Starlets!"

"That's a pretty name," Michelle hummed, her eyes sparkling.

"Oh my gosh!" Dakota shrieked, startling Michelle. "Do you want to be a cheerleader?"

"Heh…not really," Michelle admitted, a slight blush gracing her cheeks.

"Man, you guys are _so_ stubborn!" Dakota whined. "Whatever! I bet I can convince you! I'm super persuasive! That's what Daddy says."

"Oh…okay," Michelle murmured. She did have to admit that her oldest cousin could be quite overbearing at times, but that didn't mean that Michelle didn't love her.

It also meant that in no way, shape, or form would Dakota ever convince Michelle to be a cheerleader. They were too girly, too preppy, and wore too many bows. Michelle wasn't a fan of such things.

"I'm so happy you guys all came to the competition!" Dakota squealed, clasping her hands together and jumping up and down. "It's going to be so great! All of our stunts are super hard and really impressive! And we've got so much tumbling in it, too. I do a whole bunch of back handsprings! Coach Hannah tells me that I have some of the best form on the whole team. I'm not really surprised, though. Since I'm good at dance, I'm good at all this stuff, too! I've got an advantage!"

"You might want to save your voice for all that dumb yelling you do."

Dakota slowly turned to the side and allowed her sea green eyes to settle into a glare. That harsh stare was reserved especially for the person who had just dared to make such a snide comment: Aiden.

"You know what I mean," Aiden continued rather calmly. "Isn't that all you stupid cheerleaders do? Yell stuff?"

"Aiden," Misty warned.

"Um, _no_," Dakota spat. "For your information, we do stunts, we tumble, and we dance. We don't just 'yell things.' And that is called _cheering_, not _yelling_, you uncultured Swinub."

"Well it sure hurts my ears just as much as yelling does," Aiden sighed.

"Aunt Misty, did you _have_ to bring _him?_" Dakota demanded, folding her arms across her chest.

Misty smirked. Leave it to her niece to be just as direct as her mother. "I was hoping that Aiden would behave himself and support you just like me and the girls. But of course he doesn't want to cooperate."

"Why would I _ever_ want to be at a stupid cheerleading competition?" Aiden barked. "You should have brought _Brandon _instead of me! At least he'd be falling for all of the girls in short skirts."

"Not a bad idea," Misty mused. "I'll remember that for next time."

"Good," Aiden grumbled. "Because there won't _be_ a next time for me when it comes to this dumb event."

"Dakota, where is your mom?" Misty asked, reaching down to cover her son's mouth with her hand.

"Probably inside with the other moms," Dakota sighed. "I just came out here because I wanted to be the first one to see you! But I should probably go back inside and practice."

"Well, I don't want to keep you from that," Misty replied. "We'll follow you inside, but I'm sure I can find your mom myself."

"She's probably already screaming her head off," Dakota scoffed. "She's one of _those_ moms."

"Hey, that's like you at my baseball games!" Aiden marveled, looking up at a once again blushing Misty.

"You mean Aunt Misty actually does that kind of stuff?" Dakota grumbled, glancing between Aiden and Misty.

"Uh, _yeah_," Aiden drawled. "She's always screaming her lungs out! Every time I'm at the plate, or running the bases…she's always yelling. Seriously! She even yells at the umpires!"

"My mom yells at the judges!" Dakota gasped. "It's so embarrassing!"

"And I always think I'm gonna get thrown out of the game!" Aiden groaned.

"Right?!" Dakota squealed.

"Mommy!" Elizabeth giggled, tugging at Misty's leg. "Aiden and Dakota are getting –long!"

"Yeah, they're bonding over how crazy Daisy and I are," Misty grumbled before adding sarcastically, "I couldn't be more thrilled."

* * *

><p><strong>I love writing Aiden and Dakota interactions. They are just polar opposites and really go at one another. They can bond over making fun of others, though. Specifically their mothers :P<strong>


	303. Cake-tastrophe

**Today is May 22nd, which makes it Ash's birthday! I've always loved that his birthday is two days after mine, teehee :P**

**So here's Ash's birthday one shot! Yay!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 6 years old**

**Elizabeth: 9 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Cake-tastrophe<strong>

"Mommy, Daddy needs a cake for his birthday!"

"I know, Shelly. That's why we're going to the bakery."

Michelle glanced up at her mother with a raised eyebrow. "But the bakery's where you get cookies from."

"Yes, it is," Misty giggled just once. "But you get cake there, too!"

"Can I get cake?" Aiden asked.

"You'll get cake on Daddy's birthday," Misty promised. "Just like the rest of us!"

Soon enough, Misty and the three children were walking into the bakery located in downtown Cerulean. Misty had been going there since she was young, and knew the owner very well. The older two children were acquainted with him as well, and were used to receiving free cookies as a gift.

"Ah, Misty! What a nice surprise!"

"Good afternoon, Marco!" Misty greeted with a smile.

"It's a beautiful day outside," Marco commented, taking a look outside the window. "Were you taking the little ones for a walk?"

"Partly," Misty giggled. "We actually came here with a purpose!"

"A goal in mind, eh?" Marco chuckled. "That's just like you! Never very spontaneous, are we?"

"It's not in my nature," Misty admitted. "But you've known that for quite a while."

"Yes, ever since you were little!" Marco laughed. "So, what brings you by, then?"

"We need a cake for Daddy's birthday!" Aiden blurted, running up to the counter.

"Well, look at you!" Marco whistled. "Have you gotten taller since the last time I saw you, little guy?"

"Probably," Aiden replied easily. "I'm gonna be as big as Daddy soon."

"Yes, in his dreams he is," Misty sighed, shaking her head.

"Mommy, I'm tall!" Aiden argued, holding his arm up in the air. "Look! Look how high up I am!"

"You sure are, little guy," Misty humored the boy, looking up to catch Marco's eye. "Three feet off the ground."

Marco snickered at this. "Ah, he's just looking forward to growing up is all! So, little buddy, do you know how old your Daddy is gonna be?"

"I think like fifty," Aiden answered, holding up all five fingers on his right hand.

"No, he is not turning fifty!" Misty gasped, her eyes widening. "Aiden, don't tell people that!"

"But I told everyone that," Aiden murmured, looking over his shoulder at his mother. "He's older than me!"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean he's turning fifty," Misty laughed.

"You've been awfully quiet over there, little girl," Marco commented, peering over the counter at Michelle, who was halfway hiding behind Misty's legs. "You're still shy?"

"I dunno," Michelle mumbled, burying her face in the back of Misty's knee.

"Yeah, she's still a little timid," Misty chuckled. "Come on, Shelly, you know Marco! Quit hiding and say hi!"

Michelle looked up at Marco and slowly waved her tiny hand at the baker.

"At least she's nice and quiet," Marco hummed.

"Not at home she isn't," Misty breathed. "Everyone else sees her quiet side. But at home? She's just as loud as her brother and sister!"

Marco grinned and turned his attention onto the stroller in Misty's grasp. "Not the baby! I've hardly ever heard a peep out of her!"

In her stroller, Elizabeth gurgled and waved her arms in the air, trying to glance back at her mother.

"No, only when she wants something," Misty confirmed.

"Mommy, come on!" Aiden whined. "We gotta pick out Daddy's cake!"

"Well, for once, he's trying to keep me on track instead of the other way around," Misty murmured. "You're right, Aiden. I'm sorry. Let's pick the cake!"

"What cake are we gonna get, Mommy?" Michelle asked.

Before Misty could respond, Marco crowed, "we've got every flavor of cake you could possibly imagine! Chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, red velvet, angel food, devil's food, carrot, marble, spice...and that's just the start!"

At this, Michelle's eyes widened. "Whoa…that's a lot of cake!"

"Mommy, let's get chocolate!" Aiden suggested.

"No, I don't like chocolate," Michelle whined. "Vanilla!"

"Shelly, it's not your cake," Misty reminded the little girl. "We have to get what Daddy likes!"

"I dunno what Daddy likes," Michelle murmured.

"Not fruit!" Aiden squeaked, leading Elizabeth to giggle.

"Well, Daddy's favorite is actually the same as Michelle's," Misty commented, smiling at Aiden's last comment. "Vanilla."

"Yay, vanilla!" Michelle giggled.

"_Nooo_," Aiden whined. "Vanilla is icky and boring!"

"I think I could solve this problem," Marco piped up, beaming at a conflicted looking Misty. "What if I make you a two tier cake? The lower tier, which is the bigger one, can be made of vanilla cake, and the smaller, top layer will be chocolate! That way, there will be more vanilla than chocolate, but Aiden can still have the flavor he likes!"

"Yeah, do that!" Aiden cheered.

"It _is_ a pretty good idea," Misty admitted. "Alright, we'll do that."

"Excellent!" Marco nearly sang. "And what about the inside?"

Aiden's jaw dropped at this. "There's an inside, too?!"

Misty smirked and shook her head. "You're making his day right now, Marco. That boy would eat cake _all day_ if I let him."

"Well of course, cake is delicious!" Marco chuckled.

"What kind of fillings do you got?" Aiden gasped.

"Even more than the kinds of cake I have!" Marco guffawed. "Chocolate mousse, chocolate fudge, chocolate pudding, buttercream, cannoli cream, cherries, peaches, strawberries, blueberries, hazelnut cream, lemon-"

"I want all of it!" Aiden chirped, interrupting Marco's long winded list.

"Aiden, sweetie, you can't just stuff all of that into one cake," Misty giggled.

"So get more cakes," Aiden suggested.

"I don't work in the gym all day to spend my money on hundreds of cakes, little man," Misty hummed amusedly. "Nice try, though."

"Well, what're we gonna put inside?" Aiden demanded.

"If the cake has two layers, that means we can pick two different fillings," Misty explained. "And like you said before, Daddy isn't the biggest fan of fruit. Not when it's being mixed with sugar, anyway. Once I let him eat junk food, you can't put the healthy stuff anywhere near him."

"I think it should have chocolate!" Michelle giggled.

"That would probably taste good in the vanilla cake," Misty agreed. "What kind of chocolate, Shelly?"

"Uh…"

"What about chocolate pudding?" Marco suggested. "Everyone loves that one!"

"You can put pudding in cake?" Aiden marveled.

"You sure can," Marco confirmed.

"Do that one, Mommy!" Aiden pleaded.

"Alright, that sounds good," Misty giggled. "Chocolate pudding in the vanilla cake! And for the chocolate…hmm…"

"I think the buttercream tastes the best in chocolate cake," Marco suggested. "That or the chocolate mousse, but you've already got chocolate pudding in the lower tier."

"That's a good point," Misty mused. "Alright! Buttercream with the chocolate cake. Easy!"

"And what is the cake going to look like?" Marco prodded.

"It's gotta have Pikachu on it!" Aiden cried. "He's Daddy's best friend!"

"Of course!" Marco agreed. "How can I make a cake for the Pokémon Master that doesn't feature his prized Pikachu?"

"And make it red, cause that's his favorite color!" Aiden added.

"Nuh uh, Daddy's favorite color is blue!" Michelle argued.

"No, it's _red_," Aiden bit.

"It's blue!" Michelle yelled.

"Red!"

"Blue!"

"RED!"

"BLUE!"

Elizabeth let out a loud, indiscernible shriek of her own, leading Aiden and Michelle to both cover their ears.

"Well, at least you broke them up," Misty sighed, patting the now smiling infant's head.

"I see what you mean about Michelle's other side," Marco chuckled nervously.

"Yes, her wily side," Misty muttered, rubbing her temples.

"Mommy, what's Daddy's favorite color?" Michelle demanded.

"He seems to like red and blue about equally," Misty replied. "Every time I ask him, he seems to switch. So maybe we can make the top cake red, and the bottom cake blue?"

"That is an excellent idea!" Marco crowed. "I was just about to suggest it myself."

Misty smirked knowingly at the baker, who snickered in response.

"And it has to have baseball on it!" Aiden continued rattling on.

"Baseball?" Misty repeated.

"Baseball is me and Daddy's favorite thing," Aiden informed his mother with a smile. "We play it together, and watch it together, and Daddy watches _me_ play it!"

"What about me?" Michelle tried with a pout. "I don't like baseball."

"Well, what do you and Daddy like to do together?" Misty prodded the young girl.

"Daddy takes me to get ice cream!" Michelle giggled. "And he gets it all over his face like Lizzie!"

The baby squeaked upon hearing her name, looking up at Michelle with wide, curious eyes.

"Ah, and the baby," Marco cooed, glancing down at the infant. "What does Ash do with little Elizabeth?"

"He doesn't change her," Aiden answered, shaking his head.

"Oh, Aiden," Misty sighed, covering her eyes.

"He plays toys with her!" Michelle piped up. "Like rattles and a xylophone!"

"Perfect!" Marco breathed. "And you, Misty? What do you two do?"

"They kiss a lot," Aiden complained, sticking his tongue out in obvious disgust.

"Alright, little man, that's enough out of you," Misty groaned, her entire face turning bright red. "Ash and I like to practice battling against one another. Which is funny, because when we were dating, he _refused_ to battle me! But now he loves it. And sometimes, he'll just sit in the gym with me and watch the Pokémon in the aquarium. Usually the Luvdisc…"

"I know exactly what I want to do with this cake!" Marco exclaimed, pumping his fist. "Yes, I can see it in my head now! It will be very unique and perfectly tailored to him. Your husband will love it!"

"My husband loves _anything_ made out of sugar…or anything _edible_, really," Misty laughed nervously. "But I believe you, Marco. You've never let me down!"

Marco grinned and nodded. "I will get to work on this right away. When you see it, your eyes are going to shine like all of the stars in the sky!"

"Or we can just eat it!" Aiden suggested excitedly.

"You are just _full _of answers today, aren't you?" Misty sighed.

**XXX**

"Whoa, check it out!"

Ash's whole face lit up as soon as his birthday cake was placed in front of him. It was a two tier cake, with the larger base cake covered in blue fondant and the top one covered in red. Sitting atop the red cake was a fondant Pikachu, smiling and surrounded by little toys that Ash typically used when playing with Elizabeth: a rattle, a xylophone, a doll, and a tiny replica of Teddi. Surrounding that red layer, all around its circumference, were baseballs. That same action was repeated around the surface of the blue tier, but with ice cream cones instead of baseballs. Sticking out of the top of the blue layer were fondant Luvdisc, pressed into sticks that went in alternating heights all the way around. In front of the Luvdiscs' sticks, three poke balls made entirely out of fondant sat on the top of the blue tier, looking exactly like the real things.

"Isn't it amazing?" Misty giggled. "Marco worked really hard on it!"

"It's got a bunch of my favorite things on it!" Ash chuckled. "Pikachu, check out that figure of you on the top!"

"Pi-ka!" Pikachu trilled, admiring his likeness from Ash's shoulder.

"And you've got a bunch of Lizzie's toys around you!" Ash laughed. "See? There's Teddi! And the baseballs must be for Aiden…and the ice cream cones are for Michelle! Aww, and the Luvdisc! Those are obviously for my Misty."

"Don't the poke balls look real, Daddy?" Aiden chirped, pointing at the sugary spheres.

"They do!" Ash agreed. "They barely look edible! That's so cool!"

"And this one is vanilla with chocolate pudding in it!" Michelle giggled, pointing at the blue tier. "And then this one's got chocolate cake with butter inside!"

"Uh, butter?" Ash murmured, glancing up at Misty with a worried look.

"She meant to say buttercream," Misty assured her husband. "I didn't stuff your cake with butter, Mr. Pokémon Master."

"Oh, good," Ash sighed, holding a hand over his heart.

"Come on, Daddy!" Aiden urged, tugging at his father's shirt. "I wanna eat the cake!"

"I do too," Ash agreed with a chuckle. "Come on, let's cut it!"

"I'll take care of it," Misty giggled, picking up the knife. "I'll take a piece from the back so the front can stay intact for a bit longer."

As soon as Misty moved to the back of the cake, however, her eyes widened and her face paled.

"Mist, is something wrong?" Ash asked.

"Uh…" Misty stammered, pointing downwards.

Aiden, Michelle, and Ash all peered around the cake, and when they saw what Misty was so stunned about, they all gasped and turned just as pale as the woman prepared to cut into the cake.

The bottom layer was completely torn into, opened up wide to reveal the cake and filling in one crumbled mess. Clumps of fondant surrounded the gaping hole and were littered on the table beneath the cake. Sitting several feet away was none other than baby Elizabeth, her face and hands turned totally blue from the fondant and covered in cake and pudding.

"_Elizabeth!_" Misty shrieked, putting down the knife and reaching for a napkin. "You're supposed to wait until your _own _birthday to do that!"

"I guess Lizzie wanted more for her on the cake than just her toys…" Michelle murmured, tilting her head to the side.

"Or maybe she just wanted the attention for herself," Ash chuckled, reaching over and ruffling the baby's hair. "Can't even have my birthday to myself, huh, pumpkin?"

Elizabeth looked up at her father and grinned, revealing her tiny baby teeth to be just as blue as the rest of her face.

"You're lucky you're so cute, Elizabeth," Misty sighed, throwing the sullied napkin to the side. "Otherwise I don't know _what_ we'd have to do with you."

* * *

><p><strong>Elizabeth: destroying your birthday cake because it just looks so delicious.<strong>

**This one shot made me want some cake. Really bad. Where's MY birthday cake, huh? :P**


	304. Airport Amusement

**Good afternoon, everyone! It's almost officially summertime! It's putting me in a really vacation-y mood...even though we haven't actually agreed on anywhere to go yet. Sigh. But who says I can't write a related one shot about it? Here, take my inspiration!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 3 months old**

* * *

><p><strong><span>Airport Amusement<span> **

"Happy little baby Lizzie!"

Elizabeth watched as her mother tickled her belly, expecting the infant to laugh. Elizabeth, however, was more confused than entertained, ad only watched on with bewildered eyes.

"Come on, sweetheart," Misty crooned. "Smile for Mommy! You're so pretty when you smile!"

Instead, the baby whined unappreciatively and began to kick her legs, demanding without words to be taken out of her carrier.

"Okay, okay," Misty hushed, easily removing the baby from her seat. "Not happy. I know, you don't like waiting around. Mommy will take you for a walk in a few minutes, I promise."

At this, the woman grimaced. Ash had taken Aiden and Michelle to the bathroom while Misty waited at the terminal with Elizabeth. Misty had always thought that being stuck in an airport with two kids was bad. As it would turn out, being stuck in an airport with two kids _and_ a baby was even worse.

Especially when the plane ended up being delayed.

"It shouldn't be taking Daddy so long," Misty murmured as Elizabeth started to fuss again. "But it is. Of course. I don't know what he's doing…"

Elizabeth, however, didn't seem to care about any of that, and just continued to whimper. Sighing, Misty reached over and began to dig through the diaper bag, desperately searching for something that would calm Elizabeth down. She figured that the first thing to try would be a pacifier, which always seemed to keep Elizabeth quiet. Almost as soon as Misty stuck the little pink thing in her mouth, however, Elizabeth spit it right back out, wailing immediately after Misty managed to catch the discarded soother in her hand.

"Alright, so no pacifier…" Misty muttered.

The baby's blubbering was quickly becoming louder and more excessive, which led to Misty feeling even more flustered and panicked than before. Reaching into the diaper bag once again, she pulled out Teddi, feeling more than confident that the stuffed Pokémon would quiet her daughter.

"Look, Lizzie!" Misty crooned. "It's Teddi! Oh, look, he's dancing! Dee-dee-dee! Look at him go!"

Elizabeth stopped whimpering just enough in order to watch Teddi tilt from side to side a few times. After a few seconds, however, the baby smashed her hand against Teddi's face, crying as she tried valiantly to push the bear away from her.

"Not even Teddi will work, huh?" Misty sighed, putting the toy back in the diaper bag. "I don't know what else to do for you, sprinkle! I know what you want, but until Daddy comes back-"

"Hey, Mist!"

Walking towards Misty was none other than Ash, with two energetic children and a Pikachu running up in front of him.

"What took you so long?" Misty whined. "All you did was go to the bathroom!"

"Yeah, well Michelle turned it into a whole big adventure," Ash sighed.

"Hey!" Michelle cried, having pulled herself up into the seat next to Misty.

"I told her to just come in the bathroom with me and Aiden, but she wouldn't," Ash explained.

"It was the _boys'_ bathroom!" Michelle complained. "I'm not a boy!"

"But you're little, Michelle!" Ash groaned. "No one would have cared! It would've been fine!"

"Nuh uh," Michelle grumbled, sinking down further in her seat.

"So Aiden and I went to go to the bathroom first, and then Michelle had to go in the _girls' _bathroom, so we had to wait for her to finish," Ash sighed, holding his hands up.

"Michelle takes a really long time to pee," Aiden complained.

"_Stoooop!_" Michelle whined.

"Alright you two, that's enough," Misty sighed, bouncing the still miserable Elizabeth up and down.

"Whoa, she is cranky today," Ash marveled. "That's unusual."

"Yeah, and of course she chooses the day we're stuck in an airport because of a delayed flight," Misty grumbled. "Perfect timing."

"She's been like this all morning," Ash bemoaned. "I was kinda afraid security would take her away."

Misty smirked at her husband's innocent naivety. What he had been referring to was their eventful trip through airport security. That tended to be hard enough without a baby, but _with_ one, it was even worse.

Misty had thought that packing the stroller away for when they landed would be a better idea than bringing it through the airport. After all, all they really needed was Elizabeth's car seat for the actual plane ride! And it was perfect because she could be carried in it as well. It saved the hassle of having to push a big stroller around everywhere!

Of course, Misty had forgotten that the carrier would have to be checked, which meant Elizabeth would have to be removed from the seat. And as soon as she was taken out of it, she had screamed bloody murder.

Misty had already been stressed out by that point, but Ash felt horrible for the baby and held onto her for his frustrated wife, trying his best to soothe the grouchy thing. Unfortunately for him, Elizabeth was far too disrupted to even care that he was trying to calm her down, and she'd continued to scream until she was finally put back in her carrier. Up until that moment, Ash had managed to catch the winces on the various security staffs' faces, and felt the need to apologize to every single one of them, further irritating his wife. After all, they were pretty much the reason Elizabeth had gone ballistic in the first place, although Ash had made sure to remind her it wasn't actually _their_ decision to check everything that came into the terminal.

"Trust me, security doesn't want to have to deal with this all day," Misty sighed, still bouncing Elizabeth up and down. "I think that maybe taking her for a walk will help. It's all this sitting around that seems to rile her up."

"That's true," Ash agreed. "Elizabeth never has liked sitting still for too long. Three months old and already running us ragged! It's amazing."

"Yeah, a real marvel," Misty quipped sarcastically. "Would you mind staying here with the twins and the bags, Ash? I'm just going to take a quick walk with Elizabeth to see if that will calm her down at all."

"Sure," Ash replied easily. "Since she's that fussy, maybe you want to put her in the carrier. It might put her to sleep."

"Not a bad idea," Misty hummed.

"I do tend to have a good one every once in a while," Ash droned with a smirk.

While Misty was busy pulling out the body carrier for Elizabeth, Aiden and Michelle both jumped out of their seats, chasing one another around and shrieking as they reached out with their small hands in an attempt to take one another down.

"Shh, guys! You're being so loud!" Misty complained.

"Mommy, we're bored," Aiden moaned, stopping in his tracks and pouting.

"Daddy just took you two to the bathroom," Misty replied. "Am I really going to have to take you two out for another walk, too?"

"Yeah!" They both chimed at once, their eyes shimmering at the very idea.

"Great," Misty groaned, throwing her head back. "Why do I open my mouth?"

"It won't be so bad, Mist," Ash assured his wife. "You're already putting Elizabeth in her carrier, so that'll make things easier! Your hands will be free so you can hold onto the twins. You know, so they don't get away from you."

"True," Misty sighed, strapping Elizabeth into the carrier. "Maybe a little walk around the terminal will tire them out, too."

"I'm not gonna get tired, Mommy," Aiden informed his mother.

"And why's that, little man?" Misty asked, getting to her feet so she could ensure that Elizabeth was secure in the body carrier.

"Cause I'm too excited to go on the plane!" Aiden squeaked. "I gotta look for rare Pokémon up in the sky."

Misty smirked and looked over at Ash, who by now had taken up the seat she'd just vacated. "Do you see what you've created?"

"Hey, he's only half mine," Ash reasoned, returning his wife's teasing smile.

"Sometimes I _really_ think he got more of you than me," Misty replied smartly. The now calm Elizabeth cooed softly and wiggled her arms and legs, giggling as she bounced herself up and down in the carrier ever so slightly. Smiling to herself, Misty tilted her head down and left a kiss atop Elizabeth's own head, earning a delighted squeal from the infant strapped to her chest.

"Mommy, come on!" Michelle urged, reaching a hand up towards Misty. "I saw gummies at the store!"

"Alright then," Misty giggled, lowering her own hand and taking Michelle's into it. "Let's go! Aiden, take my other hand."

"I don't wanna," Aiden whined, pouting at the thought.

"Aiden, please don't give me a hard time," Misty sighed. "Just take my hand."

"Mommy, only _babies_ hold their mommy's hand," Aiden complained, earning a glare from Michelle.

"And only naughty little boys who don't listen to their mommies don't get to sit next to the window on the airplane," Misty countered just as evenly.

At this, Aiden's jaw dropped. "NO, Mommy! I gotta look out the window for legendary Pokémon!"

"So then hold my hand," Misty calmly commanded, wiggling her fingers to further hint at her young son. He whined at the idea, but soon enough grabbed her hand and looked up at her with a slight pout, to which Misty responded with a sweet smile.

"Thank you, little buddy," Misty crooned, earning a scoff from her embarrassed son. "Ash, we'll be right back. Keep an eye on the bags, won't you?"

"Of course!" Ash chuckled, leaning back in his seat and propping his legs up on his own carry on. "You can count on me, babe."

"Pika!" Pikachu squeaked, swishing his tail back and forth. He himself was situated on top of Misty's carry on, which he had just promised to personally guard himself.

"Thanks, Pikachu!" Misty giggled. "You're the best!"

With the bag situation settled, Misty walked off holding the hands of her twin six year olds, while Elizabeth eagerly cooed and bounced herself in the carrier.

"Oh, look who's so happy now!" Misty trilled. "Happy, happy baby! You just needed to move a bit, huh?"

Elizabeth babbled nonsense and ceased her bouncing, choosing instead to move her legs around. She always seemed to be fascinated by how they dangled from the carrier, and always tried to move them around as much as possible.

"Mommy, come on!" Michelle urged. "I gotta show you the gummy Pokémon I saw in the store!"

"Alright, we'll get there," Misty assured her daughter. "I don't know if you need any more sweets, though."

"Mommy, I haven't had _any_ candy today!" Michelle cried. "I've been real good!"

"Nuh uh," Aiden refuted, earning a noisy huff from his twin sister. "You messed me and Daddy up at the bathroom –cause you _had_ to go in the girl one!"

"I'm not gonna break the rules!" Michelle shrieked.

"Alright, you two, that's enough," Misty sighed, throwing her head back and rolling her eyes. "Come on. I think we're _all_ a little tired from waiting around for the plane. But that's no excuse to fight with one another. If you two both promise to behave for the rest of the day, I'll get you each something at the store. Got it?"

"Okay!" Aiden and Michelle chimed simultaneously, earning a tired sigh from their mother.

"Bribery at its finest," Misty muttered, gasping as the twins began to giggle and nearly drag her down on the terminal towards the store.

"Mommy, I see them! I see the gummies!"

Michelle relinquished her mother's hand and ran up to a nearby display of Pokémon shaped gummy candies. The young girl snatched a bag off of the display and held it up to Misty with a big smile on her face, eyes glimmering at the prospect of eating the little treats.

"Alright then," Misty murmured, taking the bag from her daughter. "Do you want this to be your special treat?"

"Yes!" Michelle chirped, rapidly nodding her head.

"Easy enough," Misty sighed, holding the bag down by her side. "What about you, Aiden? Do you see anything you like?"

"Yeah!"

Misty turned around and found Aiden with an armful of toy cars, at least a dozen boxes at that.

"Aiden, I said one!" Misty scolded.

"Mommy, I can't pick one," Aiden reasoned with his mother.

"Well, you're going to have to," Misty sighed. "Besides, you've got so many toy cars back home! Do you really need another one? Wouldn't you rather have a snack or a coloring book?"

Aiden blinked at this and quickly dropped all of the toy car packages on the floor.

"Aiden!" Misty groaned.

"I wanna coloring book, Mommy!" Aiden gasped, running over to the magazine stands.

"Fantastic," Misty grumbled, marching over to the pile of discarded toy cars. "Me and my big mouth."

Making sure Elizabeth was secure in the carrier, Misty knelt down and quickly picked up all of the toy car packages that Aiden had discarded. From her mother's chest, Elizabeth giggled and reached out for the boxes as well, wanting to get her little hands on them.

"Thank you for trying to help Mommy clean up, sprinkle!" Misty crooned to the infant. "I am very thankful for that!"

Elizabeth cooed at her mother's voice and continued swinging her legs back and forth. Having successfully gathered up all of the toy cars, Misty stood back up and looked for where Aiden had originally found them. Fortunately, the display was only a few feet away, and she was able to place the cars back without any other incidents.

"Mommy, lookit!"

The woman sighed and turned around, finding Aiden to be holding up a superhero sticker book.

"It's _better_ than a coloring book!" Aiden shrieked, lowering the book and examining the cover. "It's got stickers. And of superheroes."

"Okay, then that will be your treat," Misty replied, taking the book from Aiden. "Come on, let's go buy this stuff and then we'll head on back over to Daddy."

"Mommy, what about Lizzie?" Michelle cried, pointing up at the baby.

"What about Lizzie?" Misty questioned.

"Doesn't she get nothing?" Michelle murmured.

"Elizabeth is too little to be bribed," Misty explained. "Just getting her up and around was enough. I sure wish you and your brother were still that easy!"

"I'm _very_ easy, Mommy," Michelle drawled. "I just wanted gummy Pokémon!"

"Yes, you did," Misty murmured, bringing the candy and sticker book over to the cashier. They were both purchased within minutes, despite the cashier having a star struck moment upon recognizing Misty as the Pokémon Master's wife (she had abandoned her disgruntlement over that being her instant recognition instead of the title of Cerulean gym leader long ago.)

As soon as Misty had the newly purchased goods in her hands and turned around, however, she was absolutely unimpressed to realize that Aiden and Michelle were nowhere in sight.

"Oh my gods," Misty muttered, taking a step out. "Aiden! Michelle! Come on, we have to go back to Daddy now!"

No response. Misty could feel her blood boiling as she looked left and right, back and forth, catching absolutely no sight of her two oldest children. She loved them to death, but they could really drive her insane when they wanted to!

"Aiden! Michelle!" Misty barked, stepping further out of the terminal store. "I swear, if you two don't show yourselves right now, I'm going to-"

"BOO!"

Misty gasped and took a step back. Aiden and Michelle had both jumped out at her, giggling at their success in frightening the poor woman.

"Where did you two go?!" Misty demanded, placing her hands on her hips.

"We were hiding over there!" Michelle cried, pointing off to the right.

"We surprised you," Aiden laughed.

"Well, that's enough surprises for one day," Misty sighed, grabbing the twins' hands and dragging them back down the terminal. "Time to go back to Daddy."

Aiden and Michelle giggled the entire trek back, not fully understanding that their mother was by now tired and irritated. As soon as they got back to Ash, Misty relinquished the twins and lifted Elizabeth out of the carrier, instead handing her off to a surprised Ash.

"What's up?" Ash questioned, raising an eyebrow as he bounced Elizabeth on his lap.

"I'm already fed up and we're not even on the plane yet," Misty grumbled, sitting down next to Ash and rubbing her temples.

"You never _did_ enjoy flying," As commented with a chuckle.

"Yeah, but doing it with kids is even worse," Misty grumbled.

"Mommy! Where's my gummy Pokémon?"

"And my stickers?"

Misty turned her head and glared at Ash, who was chuckling.

"I'm sorry," Ash cleared his throat, looking away sheepishly.

"Tell me," Misty sighed, sinking back in her chair. "When does the vacation actually start?"

"Not at the airport," Ash replied easily.

"_Clearly_."

* * *

><p><strong>I love airports. Seriously. I once got stuck at Orlando International for like...six hours because of a storm, and I didn't really mind it! I think airports are fun for little adventures :P Misty, obviously, doesn't agree.<strong>


	305. A Band of Fun

**I was watching "Steamboat Willies," and I loved the scene where Pikachu and the other Pokémon play with all of the instruments. It was so cute! And I feel like instruments are something that Pikachu has quite an affinity with. Along with ketchup, of course ;) So...let's have a Poke Band! Haha. **

**Elizabeth: 8 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>A Band of Fun<strong>

"Ba ba ba ba!"

Misty grimaced and held her head in her hand, looking down forlornly at the floor.

"Ba ba ba!"

Baby Elizabeth was sitting on the floor, busily smacking the top of a clear plastic drum with a plastic purple drumstick. It was making a loud, hollow noise, one that caused Misty to wince every time it sounded. And every time after that noise sounded, Elizabeth started to sing along, her squeaky voice loud and almost unbearable for Misty's already battered ears.

"Ba ba ba…ba!"

"You're killing me, Lizzie," Misty groaned. "You're _adorable_, but you're killing me. I think I'm going to have to kill Daddy for buying you those toys."

Elizabeth stopped banging on her drum and looked up at Misty, a definitive frown set on her adorable face.

"Oh, I'm sorry, you didn't like hearing that, huh?" Misty crooned. "I won't hurt Daddy. I'm just kidding. I won't hurt your best buddy."

Elizabeth giggled and stuck the drumstick in her mouth, still beaming up at her mother.

"I'd almost prefer that to you banging on the drum," Misty giggled. "But you and I both know that stick doesn't really belong in there, right?"

Elizabeth removed the stick from her mouth and instead began banging it against the drum again.

"Yeah, I would _much_ rather you have the stick in your mouth," Misty sighed, rubbing her temple.

"Pika!"

Misty looked down and found Pikachu to be scurrying into the room, a big smile on his face.

"Hey, Pikachu," Misty giggled softly. "What brings you in here? Did you want to play?"

Pikachu approached Elizabeth, who was still giggling and banging on her toy drum. Picking up the left over green stick, Pikachu hit the drum himself and beamed at the noise it made, looking up excitedly at Misty.

"Right, I forgot that you love playing with instruments," Misty murmured. "You and Elizabeth could probably have your own band, you know!"

Pikachu's eyes positively lit up at such an idea, which did not go unnoticed by Misty.

"Oh no," Misty groaned. "I think I might have just created a monster."

Pikachu ran over to the corner of the room, where more of Elizabeth's toys were stored. He first pulled out Elizabeth's xylophone, which caught the baby's attention. Cooing excitedly, Elizabeth discarded her drumstick and crawled up to the xylophone, grabbing its stick instead and banging on the colorful keys. While Elizabeth played with her xylophone, Pikachu pulled out the next musical instrument: a small, plastic piano with colorful metal keys not dissimilar from the ones on the xylophone. Just as quickly as she'd done before, Elizabeth crawled away from the xylophone and instead began to smash down the keys of the little piano, making a disjointed, harsh melody.

"Ash will buy this kid anything that makes noise," Misty muttered, shaking her head.

Pikachu next threw out a tambourine, which caused Misty's eyes to light up. Now the tambourine she appreciated. That had always been her favorite instrument as a child! She'd had her own and played it every single day. Even at such a young age, Misty had thought she was brilliant at playing the tambourine. A real prodigy, if you would!

Unfortunately for her, Elizabeth showed no interest in the tambourine and kept on playing with her little piano.

"Why does nobody like the tambourine?" Misty lamented, her shoulders sagging.

"Pikachupi!"

Misty felt a tap on her leg, causing her to look down. Pikachu was sitting right in front of her, the big smile still on his face.

"What is it, Pikachu?" Misty asked. "You found all of Elizabeth's musical instruments, I see…"

"Pi!" Pikachu confirmed. "Pika pikachu pi pika pi?"

"Hmm?" Misty hummed.

"Pi-ka!" Pikachu squeaked, jumping up onto the couch and tapping the waistband of Misty's shorts with the end of his tail. It was pointing exactly at her poke balls, which had been clipped onto her waist for the time being.

"Oh, I see!" Misty crowed. "You want some of my Pokémon to come out and play with you guys!"

"Pi!" Pikachu confirmed ,nodding his head.

"Alright," Misty giggled, unclipping two of the poke balls she had on hand. "Come on out, guys!"

Out came two of Misty's most energetic Pokémon: Politoed and Psyduck. Both made good playmates for her children, since they were typically quite happy and had energy to spare when it came to the three kids.

Of course, being the baby, Elizabeth had the energy of about all of them combined, so she was a _real _challenge. Fortunately, Politoed and Psyduck seemed to be able to keep up with her well enough.

"Psy?" Psyduck quacked, grabbing his head and tilting it to the side.

Politoed, on the other hand, began jumping from foot to foot and clapping his hands together. "Toed! Poli! Toed!"

"Pikachu is playing with Elizabeth, but wanted some extra Pokémon on hand to play along," Misty informed the two of them. "Think you're up for it?"

"Poli!" Politoed replied, still clapping his hands.

"Psy aye aye…" Psyduck groaned, tilting his head to the other side.

"Pika!"

The two Pokémon turned around to find Pikachu facing them and smiling. Using both of his paws, Pikachu dragged the two water types over to the collection of toys. In his own "pika speak," which Misty couldn't decipher but was able to tell easily enough what he was up to, the electric type instructed them both to pick an instrument and begin playing with it, but to make sure that Elizabeth chose her instrument first.

Of course, the little girl herself couldn't understand Pikachu, or respond to him, but she seemed to still be quite taken by her piano, and not in any rush to move. With that settled, Pikachu chose to man the xylophone, while Politoed took up the drum. This left Psyduck with the tambourine, much to Misty's amusement.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried, finally catching Elizabeth's attention. "Pi…ka…chu!"

And all at once, the Pokémon began banging on their various instruments, creating a storm of noise that made Misty's eye twitch even more than when it had just been Elizabeth making it.

"Great…" She muttered, wincing as Elizabeth added her happy shrieking to the mix. "I didn't think they were actually going to make their own band! I did this to myself, I guess…"

Psyduck shook the tambourine quite dramatically, so much so in fact that he soon enough lost his grip on it, causing the instrument to smack him right in the face.

"Or I can just blame Ash for actually buying all of this stuff in the first place," Misty mused, tapping her chin. "Yeah, that's definitely what I'm going to do."

* * *

><p><strong>When in doubt...blame Ash.<strong>

**"Come on, Mist...babies LOVE noise!"**

**"Which is exactly why you don't buy them a multitude of noisy toy instruments, Mr. Pokémon Master."**

**You all know that's exactly how that conversation would go down :P**


	306. Ash to the Rescue

**I'm loving summer break! Even though I've been mad lazy since it started...but I kind of deserve to be! I'm STILL tired from school!**

**But look, I wrote something ^^**

**Aiden and Michelle: 9 years old**

**Elizabeth: 3 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Ash to the Rescue<strong>

Elizabeth frowned as she watched everyone scurry around her, doing something to help out in preparation for lunch.

While Brock was busy cooking for everyone, Aiden and Michelle were carrying plates and silverware over to their mother to set up on the table. Even the Pokémon were helping out: Pikachu and Vaporeon setting out their dishes alongside the ones for the other Pokémon, and arranging the canisters of Pokémon food that were to be opened for them.

Needless to say, the little girl was feeling a bit left out.

Getting to her small feet, Elizabeth walked over to where the plates and silverware were stored. She reached in to grab a plate, but before she could, Aiden snatched it from beneath her little fingers.

"Hey!" Elizabeth cried, looking up at her brother and pouting.

"You can't carry around plates, Elizabeth," Aiden scolded. "You're too small!"

Elizabeth's angry pout quickly turned into a disappointed frown. She was a tough little girl who was not easily deterred or upset. But telling her she was too little to do something? That was the trick to getting her frown out.

"See?" Aiden continued, walking up to the table and putting the plate down. "You're too short to reach the table! You'd probably just drop the plate and break it."

"Nuh uh!" Elizabeth argued, her eyes filling up with tears as her little hands formed fists at her sides.

"Look, you'll be big enough to do it _eventually,_" Aiden drawled, a little smirk finally revealing itself as he continued. "But for now? You're betting off sitting over there and staying out of everyone's way."

Elizabeth allowed a little whimper to escape from her mouth as Aiden turned around to face the table again. On his own way over to the table, however, Ash was able to see quite clearly that his young daughter was quite upset. Looking between her and the table, Ash quickly made the connection that she was upset because she'd been unable to help out with the setup.

"Hey, Lizzie!" Ash called out to the toddler. She turned around slowly, her big, emerald eyes still flooded with tears. "How about you come with me to get some water?"

Elizabeth sniffled, but nodded her head.

Ash smiled and started to walk in the opposite direction, looking over his shoulder to ensure that Elizabeth was following after him. All he'd wanted to do was kneel down and scoop up the girl, to hug her and reassure her. But in this situation, the problem was that Elizabeth was feeling babied. So, whenever that happened, Ash tried to make sure that he treated Elizabeth more like a big kid, and not a toddler.

"Would you like to carry the bucket for me?" Ash asked, stopping and pointing at the wooden bucket. Again, Elizabeth nodded wordlessly and picked it up, carrying it by the base and not by the handle. Ash was tempted to speak up, but decided against it, still wanting Elizabeth to feel independent.

This time, she followed at Ash's side instead of behind him. This did admittedly make him feel a little better…and it _definitely_ made his neck feel better!

"The river is right up ahead," Ash informed his daughter, who started to walk ahead. "Do you see it?"

Elizabeth peered over the top of the bucket, and soon enough, her eyes were lighting up.

"Yeah!" She squeaked. "Right there!"

She managed to point around the bucket, up ahead to where a bright blue stream was rushing though the otherwise quiet terrain.

"Good girl!" Ash praised his daughter. "Let's go get some water, okay?"

Elizabeth nodded and scurried over to the edge of the river. Once she got there, she almost slipped, which sent Ash's heart into his throat. He ran up to her with his hands out, but fortunately for him, she managed to regain her footing on her own.

"Oh," Ash sighed, holding a hand over his heart. "How about we put the bucket down, Lizzie? That'll make things a bit easier."

Elizabeth put the bucket down by her feet before looking up at Ash, pulling at her lower lip with her fingertips.

"Now what?" Elizabeth chirped.

"You're gonna help me out!" Ash replied.

"Help?" Elizabeth repeated.

"Of course!" Ash chuckled. "We've got to bring water back to everyone else, right? Can't have lunch without water!"

"Yeah!" Elizabeth giggled.

"That's what the bucket is for," Ash instructed his daughter. "We've got to fill it up with water and bring it back!"

"How does the water go in?" Elizabeth asked, pointing at the bucket.

"That's an easy one!" Ash laughed. "Pick up the bucket, pumpkin."

Elizabeth picked the bucket back up, gazing at her father over the top of it.

"Good, now come closer to the water," Ash urged her. "But be careful! I don't want you almost falling in like last time!"

Elizabeth shuffled closer to the edge of the river, this time nervously looking down to ensure she didn't get _too_ close to the edge. Smirking, Ash gently grabbed onto her sides, keeping the child secure.

"There you go," Ash murmured. "Now you're safe!"

Elizabeth finally smiled at her father, and even threw in a giggle for good measure.

"Now, all you have to do is put the bucket in the river and scoop up some water!" Ash encouraged. "The bucket will be a little heavy once it's all full, but I'll help you out with that."

Elizabeth hesitantly bent at the knees, dropping the bucket into the river just as her father had instructed. Once she lifted it up, she nearly stumbled backwards, the bucket being far too heavy for her to hold on her own. Fortunately, Ash was able to reach out and grab the bucket himself, taking all of the burden off of Elizabeth. She still held onto the bucket, however, wanting to continue assisting her father.

"Wow, great job, Lizzie!" Ash complimented his daughter.

"Thank you, Daddy," Elizabeth giggled, finally letting go of the bucket. "But…it's too heavy!"

"Yeah, that's kind of what I thought," Ash chuckled. "That's alright. You were still a big help! I can carry the water back myself."

"Sure?" Elizabeth quipped.

"Yes," Ash laughed. "I'm sure."

"Okay," Elizabeth sighed, jumping back from her father.

"Thank you for asking, though!" Ash trilled, getting a firm hold on the bucket before walking back in the direction of the campsite. "You're a very considerate little girl."

Elizabeth beamed at this. "I helped, too!"

"Yes, you certainly did!" Ash agreed.

"And I wasn't too little!" Elizabeth giggled.

"No, of course not!" Ash chimed in. "You might be my baby, but you're _never_ too little to help me out, pumpkin!"

"Uh huh," Elizabeth murmured. "Aiden's just –upid."

"Ah…" Ash groaned, furrowing his brow. "Don't call your brother that, Elizabeth. It isn't nice."

"Sorry…" Elizabeth muttered, looking a bit more dejected now than before.

"But it also wasn't nice of him to call you too little," Ash quickly added, not wanting his daughter to get upset. "I'll get him for that, sweetie."

"How?"

"Let's just say Aiden won't be getting any cookies after lunch."

At this, Elizabeth's eyes lit up, and she began to giggle wildly, much to Ash's amusement.

"You're so cute, Lizzie," Ash chuckled. "I'm gonna bring you with me to get water every time we have a cookout!"

"Okay, Daddy!" Elizabeth laughed, skipping alongside him. "I'll help!"

* * *

><p><strong>Elizabeth is just so adorable. I love writing her because all I want to do is hug her :P She's really just that precious!<strong>


	307. Father's Day Fights

**Happy Father's Day, everyone! You know what that means: special holiday one shot! I think this one is particularly cute :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 9 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 3 and a half years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Father's Day Fights<strong>

"I _know_ what Dad wants! He wants tickets to the Starmies!"

"Nuh uh! He wants a new tie!"

"Dad _hates_ ties! He likes watching baseball!"

"No, _you_ like watching baseball."

"Dad likes watching baseball too! But he hates ties! He always rips 'em off when he comes home and says they're stupid!"

"Yeah, but he'll like it if we get him a fun one! Like with Pikachu on it!"

"No, that's stupid."

"_You're_ stupid!"

"What are you two fighting about now?"

Aiden and Michelle whipped around to find Misty walking into the room with Elizabeth at her feet. They had just returned from running a few errands, which was why the twins had been left alone to squabble.

"Aiden and I are trying to figure out what to get Daddy for Father's Day," Michelle replied, her brow furrowing. "But Aiden's idea is really dumb."

"No it isn't!" Aiden argued. "Mom, don't you think Dad would _really_ like tickets to a Starmies game?"

"It's not a bad idea," Misty conceded, earning a scowl from Michelle. "Although he does tend to get tickets for free from the League."

"Oh yeah," Aiden murmured.

"I said we should get him a new tie!" Michelle trilled. "You know, for work!"

"It's a nice thought, Shelly, but Daddy isn't the biggest fan of ties," Misty giggled.

"Told you!" Aiden bragged, pointing a finger in Michelle's face.

"Oh, Mommy, I know!" Elizabeth squealed, throwing her hand up in the air.

"What is it, Lizzie?" Misty crooned. "You have an idea of what to get Daddy for Father's Day?"

Elizabeth nodded her head. "Uh huh!"

Running up to Misty's side, she tugged at the plastic bag in her hand, eventually knocking it down to the floor. With the bag now in her reach, Elizabeth picked it up and pulled out a small cardboard box, opening it up and pulling out a pair of tiny white ballet slippers.

"For Daddy!" She giggled, holding the shoes up to her mother.

"No, Lizzie, those are for _you_," Misty sighed, pushing the slippers back down towards her daughter.

"But Daddy…" Elizabeth whimpered.

"It's very considerate of you to think about giving him your ballet slippers," Misty said kindly. "But you need those slippers for your summer class! You outgrew your old ones, remember?"

"Oh yeah," Elizabeth murmured. "I can give –im my old ones!"

"Daddy doesn't want your gross old shoes," Aiden huffed, earning a scowl from his younger sister.

"Aiden, don't tease Elizabeth," Misty warned.

"_You're_ gross!" Elizabeth bit, pointing a threatening finger at her older brother.

"Oh, she told you!" Michelle laughed, earning a scowl from her twin.

"Elizabeth, the same goes for you," Misty scolded, lowering the toddler's arm. "Behave."

The child huffed and crossed her arms against her chest, not exactly looking guilty for what she'd just done.

"Come on, you guys, we don't have time to be fighting!" Misty sighed. "We've got to figure out what to get Daddy for Father's Day. Any other ideas?"

"Lots of candy!" Elizabeth giggled.

"A new book?" Michelle tried.

"A super rare Master Ball that we've got to climb to the top of a super-secret mountain to get!" Aiden yelped.

Misty sighed and shook her head. "Candy and Daddy don't mix, he's never read a book a day in his life, and I don't have the time _or_ the resources to be climbing any secret mountains."

At this, the children all frowned and looked fairly disappointed.

"Don't worry about it," Misty giggled. "We're going to find the perfect present for Daddy! I promise."

"But Mommy, you always get Daddy really lame stuff," Michelle whined.

At this, Misty's eye twitched. "Excuse me?"

"You get him a lot of clothes," Michelle explained. "Really boring clothes, too."

"Because those are for him to train in," Misty explained. "And he loves them!"

"But sometimes you don't even get clothes for him," Aiden piped up. "Sometimes, you get clothes for _yourself _and give it to him as a present!"

"Except he gets all excited every time he opens those up…" Michelle mused.

"Alright, let's change the subject!" Misty pleaded, her cheeks turning fairly red. "We still need to figure out a present for Daddy, right? And no clothes!"

"Yeah, no clothes!" Aiden cheered.

"Please keep _yours_ on," Michelle muttered, shaking her head.

"I think we should get pretty pictures of _me,_ and give them to Daddy," Elizabeth suggested.

"And what about your big brother and sister?" Misty asked.

"They don't matter," Elizabeth replied seriously.

"ELIZABETH!" Aiden and Michelle cried simultaneously.

"Elizabeth, that was not nice," Misty groaned. "Say you're sorry."

Elizabeth looked up at her older siblings and chirped, "I'm sorry you're not cute like me."

"ELIZABETH!" Misty snapped.

"Oh, I've got an idea!" Michelle trilled as her mother rubbed her temples. "What if we took Daddy somewhere?"

"Took him somewhere?" Misty repeated.

"Yeah, Daddy _loves_ going places," Michelle continued. "He's super adventurous, right?"

"That he is," Misty murmured.

"Well…we could take him somewhere!" Michelle giggled. "Somewhere outdoors. With lots of chances to see different Pokémon! And we could make it just like when you and Daddy were on a journey together! We'll walk everywhere, get lost a few times, eat outside…oh! We could even invite Brock! He could cook for all of us!"

"I _am_ perfectly capable of cooking for us, you know," Misty teased.

"Yeah, but we're trying to make it like your old journeys," Aiden jumped in. "And according to Dad, you couldn't cook back then."

"I like Brock's cooking bestest," Elizabeth added.

"Gee, thanks guys," Misty quipped sarcastically.

"Come on, Mom, I think it's a great idea!" Michelle chirped. "And it would be really good training for me and Aiden, since we _do_ turn ten in a few months."

"Oh, don't remind me of _that!_" Misty groaned, earning a giggle from Elizabeth. "It really is a pretty good idea. And it doesn't even cost anything! Let's do it."

"Alright!" Aiden and Michelle cheered, high fiving one another.

"What do you think, Lizzie?" Misty sweetly asked her young daughter. "Sound like fun?"

"I guess…" Elizabeth muttered. "But only if I can wear my tutu!"

At this, Misty groaned and rubbed the back of her neck. "A tutu isn't really a suitable form of travelling clothes, sprinkle…"

**XXX**

"Guys, this was the best idea ever! I'm having so much fun! I also really like Lizzie's travel outfit of choice."

Misty sighed and shook her head. Elizabeth, in the end, had won out in the "battle of the travelling tutu." So now, she was walking around in a layered lilac tutu, her white shirt tucked into it and a little pink backpack strapped to her shoulders.

"I just hope she doesn't try to leave in one when she's ten," Misty murmured.

"Hey, my baby can wear her tutu wherever she wants to wear it!" Ash laughed, picking Elizabeth up and sitting the giggly toddler on his shoulders. "It _is_ a bit itchy though."

"It tickles?" Elizabeth asked, poking at the back of her father's neck.

"Just a bit," Ash confirmed. "But I think I can live with it."

"Pika…" Pikachu grumbled. He, on the other hand, had been sitting on Ash's shoulder, and was now stuffed beneath the stiff tulle.

"Hey, Brock, have you found a good spot to stop and eat yet?" Misty asked.

"Just about," Brock replied, glancing up from his pokenav. "There's supposed to be a nice meadow just up ahead."

"Does it have flowers?" Elizabeth gasped.

"I think so, little lady," Brock chuckled.

"Alright!" Aiden cheered, running up ahead of the group. "I can't wait to eat!"

"You can't just go ahead and eat, Aiden!" Michelle yelled. "You have to help us set up! And get water and firewood…"

"Says who?" Aiden scoffed.

"It's the _considerate _thing to do!" Michelle snapped. "Then again, I'm not surprised you know nothing about that. You really are like some kind of wild Pokémon."

"Michelle!" Misty scolded.

"I'd rather act like a wild Pokémon than a goody two shoes!" Aiden fired back.

"Aiden!" Misty cried.

"Man, when they promised me an authentic travelling experience, they weren't kidding!" Ash marveled.

"Well, you know what they say," Brock sighed, "the apples don't fall far from the tree."

At this, Elizabeth blinked and began to look around. "I like apples. Where's the apples?"

Brock let out a soft chuckle, much to Ash's confusion. "Oh boy. There's the two sides of you!"

"What do you mean?" Ash queried.

"Aiden is you with a temper, and Elizabeth is just good old, regular you," Brock replied, the smirk still playing on his lips.

"Oh," Ash breathed, laughing right after. "Hey, I guess you're right! The apples really don't fall far from the tree!"

"Daddy, _where's_ the apples?! I want one!"

* * *

><p><strong>Basically, Elizabeth better reflects calm Ash, and Aiden better reflects angry Ash. And Michelle is all Misty :P Though Elizabeth IS smarter than Ash. Really. She's just a little girl here, give her a break :P<strong>

**I hope you all enjoy your Father's Day today! See you all next time :)**


	308. Personal Assistant

**Sup guys! I've been hard at work on the next chapter of A New Era, but until then, here's a new one shot for you to enjoy!**

**Elizabeth: 2 and a half years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Personal Assistant<strong>

"Chippy?"

Ash looked over at his daughter and smiled. "Those aren't chips, you silly girl! Those are Goldeen crackers!"

Elizabeth raised the small orange snack closer to her face, only inches away from her eyes. "Go-deen?"

"Yes, Goldeen," Ash chuckled. "Do you know anyone who has a Goldeen, pumpkin?"

"Mommy?"

"Uh huh."

After staring at the cracker for a little while longer, Elizabeth held it out towards Ash, who looked a little confused by the action.

"What's up, Lizzie?" Ash questioned.

"Eat!" Elizabeth trilled.

"Yeah, you're supposed to eat that!" Ash laughed.

"Eat!" Elizabeth repeated, still holding out the cracker.

"Oh," Ash breathed in realization. "Do you want _me_ to eat it?"

"Ya!" Elizabeth squealed.

"Thank you, Lizzie!" Ash gasped, reaching out to take the cracker. Once he did that, however, the toddler shrieked unhappily and pulled the cracker away, rapidly shaking her head. "Huh? I thought you wanted _me_ to have the cracker!"

"Eat!" Elizabeth cried.

"Yeah, I was gonna eat it!" Ash exclaimed.

"No," Elizabeth murmured.

"No?" Ash repeated.

Elizabeth scooted closer to Ash, holding the cracker right against his lips.

"Oh," Ash murmured. "You want to feed me the cracker?"

"Ya!"

"Okay," Ash chuckled.

Elizabeth pushed the little snack into his mouth, to which he smiled at her.

"Yay!" Elizabeth cheered.

"Yay!" Ash repeated. "This is very tasty, Lizzie!"

Elizabeth reached back into her cup and pulled out another cracker, holding it up near Ash's mouth once again. "Eat!"

"More?" Ash asked before allowing Elizabeth to put the cracker in his mouth. "Thank you!"

Elizabeth giggled and reached into the cup again, pulling out a third cracker and offering it to Ash in the same fashion she'd done with the last two.

"You're just gonna keep feeding me, huh, Lizzie?" Ash murmured. "That's very nice of you! But that's your snack! Don't you want some for yourself?"

"No."

Ash smirked at that response. "So selfless, aren't you?"

Elizabeth giggled and put her cup down, running up to Ash and wrapping her arms around his neck. "Daddy!"

"Yes, I'm Daddy!" Ash laughed.

Elizabeth smiled and separated herself from Ash, patting the top of his head as she babbled happily to herself.

"I'm very happy that you want to play nice right now, cutie pie," Ash trilled, sitting up and separating Elizabeth's hand from his head. "But Daddy's got some work to do! Are you going to let Daddy do his work?"

Elizabeth looked up at her father and frowned. He was shuffling paperwork in front of him, getting it all in order. Not happy with no longer being at the center of his attention, Elizabeth whined and reached over, grabbing the first few pages of Ash's paperwork and throwing them to the floor.

"I guess that's a no," Ash muttered.

"No!" Elizabeth repeated.

"Lizzie, I can play with you again once I'm all done with my work, okay?" Ash tried, using a sympathetic tone.

That didn't appear to be the right approach, however, as Elizabeth could only reply with a serious pout. Smirking, Ash got up and retrieved his tossed paperwork, peering out of the corner of his eye to ensure that Elizabeth wouldn't take the rest of his work and trash it. Fortunately, she remained in one spot, pouting and otherwise not budging.

"Aw, I can't look at your sad, grouchy face!" Ash crooned. "I know, you just want to do _everything_ with me. I'll give you something, okay? You'll stay busy while I do my work."

Grabbing a pen and a blank piece of paper from the nearby desk, Ash walked back over to the toddler and handed over the two new items, all while keeping his paperwork to himself.

"Here you go, baby," Ash cooed. "You can draw a little picture while Daddy does his work!"

Still pouting, Elizabeth took the pen and began to scribble on the paper. Smirking, Ash sat down beside her and began to fill out his own paperwork, trying to move as quickly but efficiently as possible. Halfway through the paperwork, however, Ash's pen ran out of ink. And no matter how much he shook it, or pressed its tip against the paper, nothing would come out.

"Man," Ash groaned, getting to his feet. "Lizzie, Daddy has to go get a new pen so he can finish his work. Can you stay here and be a good girl?"

Elizabeth looked up at her father with bright eyes and nodded.

"Awesome!" Ash chuckled, hustling into the kitchen. He threw out the old pen and walked over to the nearby desk, picking up a new one. Once he had it in his hand and was able to walk back into the living room, however, he was met with a less than pleasant sight.

Elizabeth had abandoned her sheet of scribbles and instead taken over his paperwork, where she was currently drawing all over one of the pages with the pen Ash had previously given her.

"Elizabeth!" Ash gasped, running over to the surprised girl and taking the paperwork away from her. "What are you doing?"

"I hewp!" Elizabeth squeaked.

"Oh…" Ash groaned, running a hand through his hair. "You were trying to help me with my paperwork?"

Elizabeth beamed and nodded her head. "You'we done now!"

"Yep," Ash agreed, picking up the paperwork and placing it on top of a nearby table. "I'm definitely done now."

"We pway?" Elizabeth asked, her voice soft and sweet.

Ash sighed before laughing and picking Elizabeth up off the couch. "Sure, baby girl. We'll play now."

"Yay!" Elizabeth cheered, giggling as Ash carried her on his hip. "Pway, pway, pway!"

**XXX**

"So, Ash, how was your day with Elizabeth?"

Ash glanced up at his wife with a questionable look, to which she expectantly snorted.

"She drove you up a wall, didn't she?"

"No," Ash murmured, shaking his head. "She's been trying to be my personal assistant all day."

"Your personal assistant?" Misty repeated.

"Yeah, she wouldn't let me do anything on my own," Ash explained. "She was feeding me snacks, tried to do my paperwork for me…"

"Now how exactly does an almost three year old do a grown man's paperwork?" Misty asked.

"Easy," Ash chirped. "She takes your papers and scribbles all over them with pen."

"Yikes," Misty muttered.

"Well I can't exactly yell at her," Ash sighed.

"Yes you can," Misty scoffed. "She misbehaved!"

"Yeah, but she's my baby, and she just thought she was helping," Ash tried. "So I can't yell at her for that."

"Of course not," Misty hummed. "You're Daddy dearest."

"That's right," Ash quipped, smirking at Misty.

"But otherwise, she behaved, _right?_" Misty pressed.

"Yes," Ash promised.

"And you're not lying just to cover for her, right?"

"Nope."

"Good," Misty sighed, crossing her arms. "But maybe she should watch her step."

At this, Ash raised a wry eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you said she's trying to be your personal assistant," Misty explained. "And even though Scott is your _manager_, I sometimes think he's so obsessed with you that he wants to wiggle his way into bed with us."

"Ew, gross," Ash muttered, his face twisting in disgust the more he thought about it.

"I'm just saying!" Misty laughed. "We don't need him competing with our toddler for your affection! Or, at least, your business transactions."

"Whatever," Ash groaned, rubbing at his eyes with the heels of his palms. "Now I've got to spend the rest of the night getting that nasty image out of my head."

"Please, like I'd ever allow that to happen anyway. I'm a _much_ tougher opponent than Elizabeth, trust me."

* * *

><p><strong>True life: Misty is more territorial than a toddler :P<strong>

**Personally, I don't want to imagine Scott doing that with them either, so I feel bad for Ash in that respect :P**


	309. Training the Toddler

**I don't really know where the inspiration for this one came from. I just wanted to write about the relationship between Aiden and Elizabeth, because I really love it :P Even when Aiden's being a brat...hint hint ;)**

**Aiden: 8 years old**

**Elizabeth: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Training the Toddler<strong>

"Mom! Guess what!"

Misty, who had been busy feeding the Pokémon in the gym's aquarium, looked down and found that Aiden had run up to her. He had a big smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes, the combination of which usually meant that he was up to no good.

"Aiden, what did you do?" Misty asked cautiously.

"Nothing," Aiden murmured, looking offended by the notion.

"I'm sorry," Misty apologized, throwing her son an earnest smile. "You just had that…look."

Upon that explanation, Aiden perked back up very quickly. "It's okay! But I still have something really cool to show you!"

"Alright," Misty breathed, slowly getting down from the ladder she'd been perched atop. "Show me!"

She followed after her son, who was quickly running down the corridor. He ran straight through the lobby, which was empty save for Violet who was manning the front desk. Aiden made a sharp right turn immediately after exiting the lobby, entering the playroom that had been established within the gym shortly after the twins' birth. Sitting in the middle of the floor was Elizabeth, not moving a single inch and staring straight ahead at the door.

"Aw, hi, Lizzie!" Misty sweetly greeted her young daughter. "Are you and Denny having fun?"

Oddly enough, Elizabeth did not respond, which confused Misty. Elizabeth was a sweet, loving, and very excitable child. Typically, any time _anyone_ spoke to her, she responded right away, and with great fervor and interest. Now, however? She was just sitting absolutely still and quiet.

In other words, not like Elizabeth at all.

"I've got this," Aiden assured his mother, who raised an eyebrow in response. "Lizzie, come here!"

At this, Elizabeth's eyes lit up and she got to her feet, scurrying right over to a proud looking Aiden.

"Good girl!" Aiden crooned, patting his sister's head. "Now, speak!"

Elizabeth turned and glanced up at her mother. "Hi, Mommy!"

Misty switched her gaze between Aiden and Michelle, not responding to Elizabeth's greeting right away.

"Hi, Mommy!" Elizabeth repeated.

"Hi, sweetie…" Misty finally replied, still looking rather bewildered.

"Are you thirsty, Mom?" Aiden kindly asked his mother. "You must be, -cause you've been doing all sorts of work around the gym this morning!"

"I…guess so?"

"Elizabeth, go get Mommy something to drink!"

Elizabeth turned back around and scurried towards the mini fridge in the corner, opening up the door and removing a juice box to bring back to Misty. Once she got back to the two, however, Aiden didn't look pleased with the girl.

"Elizabeth!" He scolded. "You forgot to close the refrigerator door!"

Elizabeth looked over her shoulder and blinked at the appliance. "Oops."

"Remember, when you open a door, you have to close it," Aiden reminded his sister. "We've gone over this a bunch of times today!"

"Oops."

Sighing, Aiden picked something up off the nearby counter and trilled, "I'm sorry, Elizabeth, but you know what happens when you make a mistake."

He sprayed the little girl just once with water from the bright blue spray bottle in his hand before Misty gasped and snatched it away from him.

"AIDEN!" Misty shrieked.

"What?" Aiden chirped.

"You don't squirt your little sister with a spray bottle!" Misty hissed, holding up the plastic container for further emphasis. "She's not a naughty Meowth!"

"Meow?" Elizabeth mewled.

"Elizabeth, I didn't say speak!" Aiden groaned.

"Aiden, I don't like this little game you're playing with her," Misty warned.

"It's not a game," Aiden quickly replied. "Well, Lizzie thinks it is. I was just training her was all!"

"_Training her?!_" Misty repeated, her voice incredulous.

"Yeah," Aiden replied as though it were obvious. "It's turning out great so far! Check it out! Lizzie, sit!"

The little girl took a seat on the floor, smiling up at her stunned mother and pleased brother.

"Good girl!" Aiden complimented, once again turning towards the counter. "You get a treat this time!"

Elizabeth clapped her hands together as Aiden knelt down in order to give her a cookie. "What do you say?"

"Thank!" Elizabeth chirped before taking a little bite out of the treat.

"See?" Aiden crowed, standing back up and facing his mother. "It's working out great!"

"Aiden!" Misty snapped. "Your little sister is _not_ a Pokémon! She's a little girl! She doesn't need to be trained!"

"Well, you're potty training her, isn't that basically the same thing?" Aiden muttered.

"NO!" Misty cried. "I'm teaching her to use the bathroom, not to become a police Growlithe!"

"But this is really helpful!" Aiden tried. "She'll only come when you want her to come, she'll get things for you…she's super obedient! You just have to give her a treat every once in a while."

"I knew I should have let Violet look after Elizabeth," Misty groaned, bending down to pick the toddler up. "Come here, baby. It's okay."

"Mom, I wasn't doing anything bad!" Aiden cried. "Look, she's fine with it!"

Misty looked Elizabeth in the eyes, leading the toddler to giggle. "Lizzie, do you _like_ your brother training you?"

Elizabeth twisted her mouth and shook her head. "No, Mommy."

Misty looked around the toddler at Aiden, giving him her patented _I-told-you-so_ look.

"Okay, well then, she lied to me," Aiden grumbled, folding his arms across his chest.

"Gee, I wonder why," Misty droned sarcastically. "Considering you were spraying her with water every time she didn't listen to you…"

"When there are rewards, there also has to be punishments!"

"Mommy?"

Misty looked down at Elizabeth, who was tugging on her shirt. "What is it, baby?"

"I had uh oh."

"You had uh oh?" Misty repeated, causing Elizabeth to nod. "Why didn't you go to the potty?"

"Denny said no," Elizabeth chirped, resting her head on Misty's shoulder.

If Misty was considered angry before, now she was downright _furious_. She looked up at Aiden with pure fire in her eyes, sending a chill up her son's spine.

"Aiden," Misty seethed. "I told you a _hundred_ times today that if Elizabeth asked to go to the bathroom, you _had_ to take her!"

"Yeah, but we were training, and-"

"Well _your_ 'training' is messing up the only training she actually _needs!_" Misty snapped.

"Sorry, but maybe she should have _listened_ then!" Aiden sighed.

"Well then, let's use your methods," Misty muttered, leading Aiden to raise an eyebrow. Misty held out her arm and began to squirt Aiden with the spray bottle, causing the boy to shriek.

"MOM!"

At this, Elizabeth giggled and started to clap her hands, enjoying the scene that was unfolding before her. Aiden, on the other hand, could only groan and look down at his now damp clothing.

"And _that's_ why we don't use spray bottles on people," Misty huffed, placing the container back down on the counter. "Come on, Lizzie. Let's go clean you up."

As Misty carried the toddler out of the room, Elizabeth looked over her shoulder at Aiden and _smirked_, much to the boy's bewilderment.

"What?" Aiden muttered.

Elizabeth giggled once again and pointed a little finger at Aiden, her eyes twinkling. "Bad!"

"MOM! Elizabeth is calling me names!"

* * *

><p><strong>Aiden's just practicing for when he becomes a Pokémon trainer! Or one of the male deciphles of Officer Jenny XD<strong>


	310. Babysitting: Bonnie

**Alright, guys. This is an exciting update for me. I know how much all of you loved the previous babysitting chapters, and I've had a lot of requests for the Kalos characters to babysit. Well, I FINALLY got one down, and the first one to babysit from Kalos will be my personal favorite of the group: Bonnie!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Babysitting: Bonnie<strong>

"Oh! Oh! Ash, please let me babysit Aiden and Michelle! _Pleeease!_"

Ash cocked an eyebrow and looked over his shoulder, eyeing the blonde seventeen year old who stood behind him with a pleading look.

"Bonnie-"

"Come on, I can handle it!" Bonnie interrupted determinedly. "They're so super cute! And I know how to keep them entertained!"

"It's not that easy, Bonnie," Ash sighed. "They're two-year-olds. They're moodier than Misty on her…uh, forget I said anything."

"You _have_ to let me!" Bonnie continued, completely unfazed by Ash's nearly catastrophic comment. "I'm only here for another few days, and I don't know when I'll be back! I want to babysit the twins before they don't need to be babysat anymore!"

Ash groaned and slowly shook his head. "You're not gonna quit begging until I say yes, are you?"

"That's right!" Bonnie confirmed.

"Alright," Ash sighed, finally showing Bonnie an impish smirk. "You can babysit them."

"Yay!" Bonnie cheered, jumping up and down.

"De-ne!" Dedenne rallied alongside his trainer.

At this, Ash chuckled and shook his head. Bonnie may have been a teenager now, and a Pokémon trainer on her own right, but she still maintained the same personality she'd had as a child: cheerful, energetic, and kind hearted.

"But it's going to be a little bit of a challenge," Ash reminded Bonnie. "Remember: they're not babies. They can walk, they can get into things, and they can talk back. You've got to keep them entertained, or else things are going to turn ugly."

"Well, it's a good thing I'm super entertaining!" Bonnie chirped. "Just trust me, Ash! The twins will be having the most fun they've ever had…well…ever!"

"I sure hope so," Ash muttered, rubbing the back of his head.

**XXX**

"What do you mean we're going out for dinner? I didn't get a babysitter for the twins."

"No, but I did."

Misty turned around and gave Ash an incredulous look. "Who did you find to babysit the twins on such short notice?"

"Uh…bmny."

Misty rolled her eyes and marched over to Ash, who had replied with his mouth buried in his hand. Gently yanking on his hair to pull his head up, causing Ash to grunt, Misty smirked and hummed, "try speaking _without_ covering your mouth. You know I can't understand you."

"Right," Ash mumbled, closing his eyes. "Bonnie."

Misty's expression remained static. "Excuse me?"

"I got Bonnie to babysit the twins," Ash reiterated.

Misty blinked and then bit her lower lip. "Is that such a good idea?"

"I don't know," Ash admitted. "But she wouldn't stop begging me, Mist! She's really excited about it."

"I know, and that's part of my concern," Misty murmured. "Bonnie is a sweet girl…a _really_ sweet girl. But you know what happens when she's that excited. She gets a little overzealous, and from there…"

"I'm sure Bonnie will be on top of things!" Ash assured before pulling his shoulders back. "I hope…"

"Her personality will mix well, with Michelle at least," Misty mused. "But Aiden might be a lot for her to handle. I hope she's able to control him."

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see," Ash sighed. "I can't exactly go back on my word now. It's not right. Besides, this is good for Bonnie! She's already a teenager, and already a Pokémon trainer. The more experiences she can get with responsibility, the better."

Misty giggled just once and sat down on Ash's lap, surprising the young man. "You? Talking about responsibility? That sure is funny!"

Ash's face flashed red at the comment. "H-hey! I'm plenty responsible! I'm the Pokémon Master, I've got tons of Pokémon, _and_ I've got two kids! I know all about responsibility!"

"I was just teasing you, baby," Misty laughed, leaning forward and quickly kissing Ash's lips. "You've grown up a lot since we first met. I'm very proud of you."

"Thanks," Ash chuckled, his blush only intensifying. "You've grown up a lot too! And…in more way than one."

Misty rolled her eyes and lifted Ash's head up from beneath his chin with her fingers, still smirking at the man. "I'm up _here_, Mr. Pokémon Master."

**XXX**

"Ah! You're both _so_ cute!"

Aiden and Michelle stared up at the blonde teenager with blank expressions. They didn't seem excited, but they didn't seem upset either. If anything, they just seemed to be uncaring, and at most, confused.

"I don't know how your mommy and daddy even stand it!" Bonnie giggled. "I would just let you two get away with _everything!"_

"Trust me, if you see some of their antics, you'll realize that they're not so cute."

Bonnie looked up towards the stairs and found Misty standing on the middle step, her arms crossed while an impish smirk played on her lips.

"Hi, Misty!" Bonnie giggled. "But come on! I can't imagine these two making any trouble!"

"Oh, believe me, they do," Misty sighed. "And yes, they are extremely adorable. I'm glad other people see it! I'm their mother, so of course I think they're the cutest things to have ever existed. I thought they were the cutest things from the second they were born! And trust me, most babies _really_ aren't cute then."

"You're definitely the cutest babies _I've_ ever seen!" Bonnie addressed the twins, who were still busy staring at her.

"No baby," Aiden whined, throwing in a pout for good measure.

"Aw, even your voice is cute!" Bonnie squealed.

"Bonnie, try not to let their cuteness blind you," Misty sighed, walking all the way down their stairs. "Remember, once Ash and I leave, they may very well act up. If they do it, you can't just let it slide. You've got to take care of it."

"Right!" Bonnie cheered. "But…how do I do that?"

Misty laughed just once and rubbed her temple. "You're going to have to be a little bit stern. You know, tell them not to do something, _maybe_ put them in a time out if it's something especially bad…"

"That's no problem at all!" Bonnie declared.

Misty's smirk only grew as she slowly shook her head. "Even though you just said before you'd let them get away with everything?"

"Uh…" Bonnie stammered and blushed, nervously laughing as she rubbed the back of her head. "I guess I was just kidding! Yeah, I was! Promise!"

While Bonnie was trying to overcome being flustered, Michelle shakily pulled herself up to her feet and toddled over towards Misty, gently hugging the woman's leg.

"Aw, what is it, baby?" Misty crooned, picking up the little girl.

"Sert!" Michelle chirped.

"Ah yes, of course that's what you want!" Misty giggled.

"What does _that_ mean?" Bonnie asked Misty.

"That's Michelle's way of saying 'dessert,'" Misty replied. "She and Aiden already ate dinner, so now she wants a little treat!"

"Is she allowed to have one?"

"Of course!"

At this, Bonnie's eyes lit up. "I could give Aiden and Michelle dessert! If…that's okay with you."

Misty smiled at Bonnie's sudden coyness. "Definitely! I think that's a perfect first activity for you to do with them. Once Ash and I leave, you should bring them into the kitchen and find them each a little treat."

"Sounds great!" Bonnie giggled.

During this whole exchange, Michelle stared at Bonnie over her shoulder, carefully examining the young blonde. Misty caught onto this soon enough, however, and found it to be rather sweet.

"Michelle, how about you go to Bonnie?" Misty asked kindly. "Would you like that?"

The little red head mumbled softly and inaudibly, much to Bonnie's bewilderment. Misty wasn't surprised, but she wasn't deterred either.

"Michelle is a little bit shy," Misty explained to Bonnie. "But she'll open up soon enough. It'll help if you hold her."

Bonnie let out a shriek and jumped up and down a few times before finally relaxing. "Yes! I would _love_ to hold her!"

Misty handed Michelle off to Bonnie, earning a good, long whine from the toddler. Bonnie, however, was not discouraged by such a thing, and instead smiled at the moody child.

"Hi, Michelle!" Bonnie greeted. "You sure are beautiful!"

_This_ was the trick to calming Michelle down. She looked up at Bonnie and grinned, all of her tiny white baby teeth put on display.

"Hey, that sure cheered her up!" Bonnie giggled. "You just like to be complimented, huh? I've known your daddy for a really long time, and I bet he just spoils you and your brother!"

"Says who?"

Ash chuckled at Bonnie's shocked face as he came trouncing down the stairs, an amused sparkle twinkling in his eyes.

"Ah, I'm just kidding," Ash scoffed. "I really _do_ spoil them. It's bad."

"I've told him a million times to stop, but of course he doesn't listen," Misty sighed, playfully pulling at her husband's cheek.

"Ouch!" Ash whined. "Come on, Misty, let go!"

"Why?" Misty teased. "Am I _embarrassing_ you?"

"Yeah, a little! You're also pinching my cheek a little too tight…ow."

"Oh, sorry!" Misty gasped, letting go of Ash's face. "Here, I'll make it better."

She leaned up and kissed Ash on the cheek, causing Michelle to cover her eyes and Bonnie to snicker. Ash, on the other hand, felt the warmth move from just his cheek to all over his face, and not in a pleasant way.

"Misty…"

"Mmhm?"

"You're embarrassing me even worse than before."

Misty turned and saw Michelle's covered face, and Bonnie's obvious attempts to try and hide her laughter. "Oh. I'm sorry!"

"I think we should leave now before you make it any worse," Ash muttered, grabbing his wife's hand.

"Hey!" Misty cried.

"Don't worry about the twins, you guys!" Bonnie trilled as Ash dragged Misty towards the door. "We're going to have lots of fun!"

"Just take care of them and keep them out of trouble," Ash sighed, opening the door and stepping out. Before he left completely, however, Ash turned back around and faced Bonnie, causing the teenager to huff.

"What _now?!_"

"Don't let them take advantage of you, Bonnie," Ash sighed, showing the girl a sympathetic smile. "I know it sounds silly for a pair of two year olds, but they're very hard to resist. Just don't give them too many treats, make sure they clean up their toys, and get them to bed on time. Don't let them fight you on it!"

"Ash, quit treating me like a little kid!" Bonnie whined. "I know what I'm doing!"

"Okay, okay!" Ash breathed, holding up his hands in self-defense before closing the door behind him and effectively leaving Bonnie alone with the two toddlers.

"Done?" Michelle squeaked, her eyes still covered.

"Yeah, Mommy and Daddy are done being gross," Bonnie giggled. "You can uncover your eyes now, cutie pie!"

Michelle lowered her hands and blinked before glancing back up at Bonnie.

"So cute!" Bonnie trilled.

"Lady?" Aiden whined, getting to his feet and pulling at Bonnie's leg.

"Aiden, you silly boy, you know my name!" Bonnie giggled. "It's Bonnie, remember?"

"Want –sert," Aiden complained, completely ignoring Bonnie.

"Oh, yeah, dessert!" Bonnie breathed. "Come on, you two! Let's get something tasty to eat!"

Aiden ran ahead of Bonnie, while the teenaged blonde carried Michelle in her arms. As soon as she stepped into the kitchen, Aiden was already busy trying to pull himself up into his chair, but with little success.

"Be careful there, little guy!" Bonnie warned. "We don't want the chair to fall down on you! I'll help out in just a second, okay?"

She put Michelle down in her sky blue booster seat and strapped the little girl in before moving onto Aiden, who had pretty much ignored her last waning and was still trying to climb into the seat on his own.

"Hold up, little man!" Bonnie laughed, bending down and lifting up the boy as he laughed. "Whee! Up we go!"

Just like Michelle before him, Bonnie managed to strap Aiden into his red booster seat without a fight. Both children were now giggling and playing with one another, reaching out and hitting each other's hands repeatedly.

"What do you guys want to have for dessert?" Bonnie asked sweetly.

"Cookie!" Michelle squealed.

"I cweam!" Aiden yelped.

"Perfect!" Bonnie trilled. "I can do both of those no problem!"

She placed three cookies on a plate for Michelle, and scooped some vanilla ice cream into a bowl for Aiden, covering it with rainbow sprinkles.

"Here you two go!" Bonnie announced, placing each dessert in front of its respective child. "Hope it's yummy!"

Neither toddler was quick to dig in, however. Instead, they chose to glance over at one another's dessert, and before long, they were both pouting, much to Bonnie's concern.

"What's wrong?" Bonnie murmured. "I thought that's what you both wanted!"

"I wan- cweam too," Michelle whined, pointing at Aiden's bowl.

"I wan cookie!" Aiden wailed, pointing at Michelle's plate.

"Oh, you guys want _both_," Bonnie muttered. "But…your mommy told me you can both only have one treat each!"

Aiden and Michelle both looked up at Bonnie, their lower lips sticking out and their eyes wide. For a pair of children who had fairly different faces, Bonnie couldn't help but to notice how similar their pouts were. They were both so sad, and so cute…

"Oh, I can't resist," Bonnie groaned, turning back towards the counter. "Okay! One more ice cream _and_ cookies coming right up!"

With her back turned towards them, Aiden and Michelle's pouts quickly dissolved, and they instead smiled victoriously at one another.

**XXX**

"Vroom! Vroom! Look at your car go, Aiden!"

The little boy giggled as Bonnie wheeled the tiny toy towards him. As it "drove" past him, Aiden squealed and shouted, "beep beep!"

"Yeah, that's the sound a car makes!" Bonnie giggled. "You sure are smart, little guy!"

Aiden smiled and took the car from Bonnie, glancing up at the teen afterwards to see what she would do about it. All she did, however, was let out a high pitched laugh, which in turn caused Aiden to laugh himself.

"You're funny, too!" Bonnie giggled. "I can _definitely_ tell you take after your daddy!"

"Beep beep!" Aiden repeated, holding up the car.

"Hug!"

Bonnie shrieked out of surprise as Michelle threw herself at her, a stuffed Pikachu held in her hand.

"You want a hug?" Bonnie giggled, pulling the toddler into her lap.

"No, Pika!" Michelle laughed, holding up the stuffed toy.

"Oh, _Pikachu_ wants a hug," Bonnie breathed, smiling at the toddler. "Well, I can give Pikachu a hug!" She took the plush from Michelle and gave it a big hug, causing Michelle's face to light up.

"Yay!" Michelle cheered.

"Yay!" Bonnie repeated, holding the toy up in the air. As she handed Pikachu back to Michelle, she took a look around the room, cautiously biting her lower lip. "Boy…we sure did make a mess in here!"

Indeed, the twins' toys were laid out all over the place. On the floor, on the couch, in almost every visible space. There were toy cars, plush Pokémon, coloring books and crayons…it looked like a toy box had exploded inside of the living room.

"And it's almost bedtime, too," Bonnie informed the twins. "Do you think we should start cleaning up the toys in here?"

"No!" Aiden chirped.

"No!" Michelle repeated.

"I'm sure it won't take long!" Bonnie prodded, reaching over and picking up a nearby plush Piplup. "See? Here, Michelle. Why don't you put your Piplup away?"

The little girl put down her Pikachu and instead took the Piplup from Bonnie, staring at the toy for a few moments before tossing it away.

"Or not…" Bonnie sighed.

"De! Dene!"

Those squeaks managed to get Aiden and Michelle to their feet, especially when they saw the tiny electric type running towards them.

"Hey, Dedenne!" Bonnie greeted her partner. "Did you have a nice nap?"

"Ne!"

"Po-mon!" Aiden cried, pointing at the creature.

"Yeah!" Bonnie giggled, getting up and lifting Dedenne into her arms. "This is my partner, Dedenne!"

Aiden and Michelle stared up at the Pokémon with wide eyes and dropped jaws.

"You've never seen a Dedenne before, have you?" Bonnie asked sweetly. Both toddlers shook their heads, keeping the same stunned expressions. "Yeah, they're hard to find outside of Kalos! Which is too bad, because I think Dedenne is one of the cutest Pokémon in the whole wide world!"

"I wanna!" Michelle cried, holding her hands up and curling up her fingers.

"What?" Bonnie crooned. "You want to hold Dedenne?"

Michelle beamed and nodded her head, still holding her hands up towards Bonnie.

"Alright," Bonnie giggled, handing down the electric type. "Just be gentle, okay?"

Michelle nodded again and held the little mouse in her hands, giggling as Dedenne rubbed its nose against hers. "Ah! Coo!"

"You think Dedenne is cute, right?" Bonnie questioned.

"Ya!" Michelle chirped.

"Gimme!" Aiden wailed, holding his hands out towards Dedenne.

"Oh…okay, you can take turns holding Dedenne!" Bonnie promised, seeing the matching flashes going off in both Aiden and Michelle's eyes. "Hey, I know! Why don't we play a _game_ with Dedenne?"

"Gama?" Aiden repeated, albeit incorrectly.

"Yeah, Dedenne can play lots of fun games!" Bonnie replied. "Want to see?"

"Ya!" Aiden and Michelle chimed together.

"Great!" Bonnie trilled. "Let's play!"

**XXX**

"Bon-nie! Look!"

"Yeah, Dedenne is really good at jumping over the stick!"

Michelle giggled as Dedenne continuously jumped over the stick she'd been holding out for him. He'd been going back and forth like that for a while, but so far, neither he nor Michelle had gotten sick of it. Aiden was watching too, although he was ready to play the next game with Dedenne.

The trio was so busy playing with Dedenne, in fact, that they failed to hear the door open, or Ash and Misty walking in immediately afterwards.

"Bonnie?!"

The blonde whipped around and gasped. Ash's right hand was holding onto Misty's left, but his free hand was now settled on his hip, and his eyes narrowed.

_Oh no! _Bonnie wailed internally. _I totally lost track of time!_

"Uh…h-hi!" Bonnie greeted nervously, trying to ignore her inner thoughts. "How was your dinner?"

"Good," Misty replied softly. "Bonnie…how come the twins aren't in bed?"

"Oh, well, they wanted to play with Dedenne, and I guess we just lost track of time," Bonnie admitted sheepishly.

"And you let them start playing with Dedenne before all of their other toys were put away?" Ash asked, looking around the messy room.

"I _did_ ask them to clean up!" Bonnie defended herself. "But they didn't want to."

"Bonnie, it doesn't matter if they want to or not," Ash groaned. "You're supposed to make sure they do it!"

"I can't help it that they're so cute!" Bonnie cried. "They just look at you with their big, sparkly eyes, and their adorable smiles with all of their tiny baby teeth, and I couldn't force them to do _anything!_"

Ash sighed and shook his head. "How did I know this was going to happen?"

"Well, at least the twins are happy!" Misty crooned, kneeling down to be at eye level with the toddlers as they came running up to her. "Right, sweethearts? You had fun with Bonnie?"

"She the bestest!" Michelle giggled.

"I wike Bonnie!" Aiden added.

At this, Bonnie's face lit up. "Ah! They like me! They had fun!"

Ash's stern expression melted as soon as he saw how excited Bonnie was. After all, he couldn't exactly be mad at the blonde teen. She wasn't perfect…and neither was he. Nobody was, in fact. All she'd wanted to do was have fun with the twins, and she'd certainly accomplished that. They were happy, and she was too.

As Bonnie continued to jump up and down, Ash approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder, instantly stopping the girl and causing her to look worried all over again.

"Ash…" she murmured, sounding quite regretful.

"Good job, Bonnie," Ash complimented.

"Huh?" Bonnie breathed, her sapphire eyes widening.

"The twins sure are happy!" Ash chuckled. "It sounds like they had a great time with you!"

"Oh…well, I hope so!" Bonnie giggled.

"Not bad for your first time babysitting," Ash quipped, causing Bonnie to blush.

"So…you'd let me babysit the twins again?" Bonnie asked hopefully, her eyes shining.

"Yeah!" Ash replied. "But…let's let them get a little bit older first. Maybe then they won't be so irresistible."

"I don't know about _that…_" Bonnie murmured, a smirk playing at her lips. "I think they're gonna be _really_ cute for a _really l_ong time!"

* * *

><p><strong>It took me a while to figure out what Bonnie's issue would be when it came to babysitting the twins, and eventually, through watching more XY episodes, I concluded that it would be the twins' cuteness that trips Bonnie up. After all, she finds pretty much every Pokémon cute, so of COURSE she'd find Ash's children to be adorable ;)<strong>


	311. Who's Your Mommy?

**I really wanted to write something with Delia, something having to do with her young age and dealing with the twins, so I came up with this! Delia is probably one of my favorite characters to write :)**

**Aiden and Michelle: 3 and a half years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Who's Your Mommy?<strong>

"Grammy, know why I like it here?"

"No, sweetheart. Tell me why you like it here!"

"-cause I can eat _all_ the stuff I want!"

"I shouldn't be surprised," Delia giggled. "You certainly do love your food, don't you, Aiden?"

The little boy beamed and nodded his head. He loved his grandmother, who had affectionately been dubbed "Grammy" before Aiden and Michelle had even been born. Because they did have two grandmothers, both Delia _and_ Misty's mother, Ash and Misty figured it would be easier for the twins to differentiate the two by giving them different names. Calling them both "grandma" might have gotten confusing for two such young children, after all. So, while Misty was still pregnant, Delia had started to refer to herself as "Grammy" when it came to the twins, and the name had ended up sticking.

"Grammy?" Aiden murmured.

"Yes, baby?" Delia crooned.

"Do you got more pie?"

Delia smirked at her grandson's question. "Aiden, you've already had two pieces of pie today! Aren't you full yet?"

Aiden frowned and shook his head.

"There's pie in the oven right now," Delia informed the boy. "It should be done in a few minutes! But you should try and leave some for the customers, dear!"

Aiden sighed sadly at such a suggestion and began to twist himself around in his seat. He and Michelle had been spending the last hour with Delia at her restaurant: the Pallet Diner. It was one of Aiden's favorite places in the world, because it always smelt like food. He liked to sit at the counter and spin in the chairs, appreciating the attention from whichever patrons came in and sat alongside him. Pretty much everyone who came to the diner was a citizen of Pallet, so they all knew that Aiden and Michelle were Delia's grandchildren and loved seeing the two. They were definitely adored by the people.

"Oh, visitors!"

Aiden squeaked and picked his head up, looking towards the front door of the diner. Two older women were walking up to the building, laughing and talking to one another.

"They're not regulars," the hostess mumbled, looking out the door. "Which means they're not from around here!"

"It's always so much fun to get customers from other places," Delia giggled. "Michelle, why don't you help Kaleigh get those nice ladies seated? I'll go get Maddie from the back."

"Okay!" Michelle chirped. She was much shyer than her brother, but she loved Kaleigh, the diner's hostess, and had a habit of following the blonde girl around everywhere, wanting to help out wherever she could.

The two women walked in, greeting Kaleigh with great warmth.

"A table for two?" Kaleigh asked sweetly.

"Yes, please!" The first of the women replied.

"Excellent!" Kaleigh trilled. "Follow me!"

While the women followed Kaleigh, Michelle did exactly the same. She stood next to the blonde and watched as the guests sat down, receiving their menus from Kaleigh. As the women perused the menu, Michelle squeaked softly and peered up at the table, her little fingers gripping the side. The second woman out of the two caught Michelle out of the corner of her eye and quickly smiled at the girl, causing Michelle to murmur and hop away from the table.

"My, what a cutie!" The woman giggled. "Look at her, Nina!"

The first woman glanced over in the same direction as her friend and beamed. "Well, look at that! Hello there, little one!"

Michelle whined and inched closer to Kaleigh, holding onto the young woman's leg.

"She's a bit shy," Kaleigh giggled, bending down and lifting Michelle up into her arms. "My sister will be over in just a minute to take your drink orders!"

"Thank you," Nina replied cheerfully, still smiling up at Michelle. The toddler furrowed her brow and looked the other way, reaching out for Delia who had just returned from fetching her waitress.

"Oh, what is it, Michelle?" Delia crooned, taking the fussy child from Kaleigh.

"Those ladies over there really thought Michelle was a sweetie," Kaleigh giggled. "Naturally, Michelle didn't like all of the attention."

"You're so silly!" Delia gasped, tickling Michelle's stomach and causing the girl to reluctantly giggle. "You should _love_ being complimented like that! Everyone sees how cute you are!"

"You got Maddie?" Kaleigh asked, turning to look towards the table. There, she did in fact see her brunette sister taking the women's orders.

"Yes!" Delia replied. "Once she comes back, I'll probably go introduce myself to them. Since I've never seen them before, of course! I like getting to know the people who come in here."

"They seem like very nice ladies," Kaleigh commented.

"What do you say, Aiden?" Delia asked her little grandson, who was still busy spinning himself around. "Would you like to go meet some new people?"

Aiden's eyes widened, along with his smile, and he quickly nodded his head. Aiden _loved_ chatting, and meeting new people was a personal favorite of his. In that sense, he was just like Ash.

Jumping off of his chair, Aiden followed after Delia, hopping alongside her as she walked up to the table where the two unfamiliar women were sitting just as Maddie walked away from them.

"Hello!" Delia greeted kindly, capturing the women's attention. "I just wanted to come over and introduce myself! My name is Delia, I'm the restaurant owner."

"It's lovely to meet you!" Nina replied. "My name is Nina, and this is my friend Perla."

"A pleasure," Perla trilled.

"Are you two from Pallet Town?" Delia asked.

"No," Nina answered. "We're from another small town not too far off. But we've got some friends from here who have told us all about this place, and we wanted to try it out!"

"It certainly is a cute little place," Perla added. "I'm so excited to try the food!"

"Get pie," Aiden advised the woman, who looked down at him and smiled. "It's _weally_ tasty!"

"Well, how can I turn down _that_ advice?" Perla asked rhetorically, giggling afterwards.

"It's the bestest pie," Aiden continued, jumping up and down. "And I eats _lotsa_ pies!"

The two women giggled at Aiden, causing him to beam. He just _adored_ being the center of attention.

"Yes, he's very passionate about his dessert," Delia laughed, ruffling the boy's hair.

"Your children are just adorable!" Nina cooed, causing Delia's eyes to snap open.

"Huh?" Delia unintentionally squeaked.

"Your son and daughter," Nina continued, motioning towards Aiden and Michelle. "They're just about the sweetest things I've ever seen! How old are they?"

Delia was still gawking, but managed to recover enough in order to respond. "Three and a half."

"Oh, that's such a fun age!" Perla sighed.

Delia pursed her lips and tried to resist sighing. This was actually a fairly common occurrence. Delia had been mistaken as Aiden and Michelle's mother a few times before. It wasn't a completely outlandish assumption: she was only 44 years old, and she didn't even look it. Most people actually thought Delia was in her mid to late thirties, which the woman considered to be a wonderful compliment.

Being mistaken as the mother of who were actually her _grandchildren_, however, had always felt very strange for her. And she always went to correct it as quickly as she could.

"Actually-"

"Hi, Delia!"

As if on cue, Misty walked right through the front door, grinning at her mother-in-law. Michelle, who was still in Delia's arms, began to wiggle and reach out towards Misty, trying her best to get out of Delia's hold.

"Mommy!" Michelle cried, surprising Nina and Perla.

"Okay, okay!" Delia laughed, placing Michelle down on the floor. It took only a matter of seconds for the child to run up to her mother and into her awaiting arms. Misty in turn smiled and lifted her daughter up, giving the child a big hug.

"Oh, I missed you, Shelly!" Misty giggled. "You're so sweet."

"Mommy, guess what?" Aiden squealed, running up to his mother.

"What, sweetie?" Misty asked kindly.

"I ated pie!" Aiden giggled.

"Oh, _Grammy's_ pie?" Misty cooed. "That means it was especially delicious, right?"

"Uh huh!"

Delia looked back over at Nina and Perla, who both looked shock. In turn, Delia showed off a sheepish grin and finally admitted, "Those aren't my children. They're my grandchildren."

"No!" Nina gasped.

"You can't be old enough to be a grandmother!" Perla added. "You look so young!"

"Well, I _am_ young," Delia giggled. "I'm only in my forties."

"Forties?" Nina repeated incredulously. "I would have guessed thirties!"

"I get that a lot," Delia confessed.

"We're so sorry!" Perla cried, her face turning red. "Oh my goodness, how embarrassing…"

"It's perfectly alright," Delia laughed. "This isn't the first time it's happened! It's quite common, in fact. I think my daughter-in-law is actually pretty amused by it!"

"By what?" Misty asked, moving closer to Delia.

"That people think Aiden and Michelle are actually my children," Delia replied.

"Oh, yeah!" Misty laughed. "I'm not really surprised, to be honest. You're still young! After all, I kind of look more like I could be their older sister or something…"

"Well, I certainly wish I had both of your genes," Nina murmured. "If I looked that good at either of your ages…I certainly would have had a lot of fun!"

"Mommy?" Aiden whined, glancing up at his mother.

"What is it, buddy?" Misty sighed.

"I want more pie!"

Misty sighed and dramatically rolled her eyes as the rest of the women laughed. "Speaking of which…I'm sure I'm going to have a lot of fun running after this kid later while he's on his sugar high."

"See, that's how you can tell I'm the grandmother," Delia giggled. "I spoil them without consequence!"

"And that's how you can tell I'm the _mother_," Misty grumbled teasingly. "_I'm_ the one who has to deal with the consequences!"

* * *

><p><strong>I also wanted to write about Delia's restaurant. That's something I want to explore more of. It's like a fun little side of her that's different and cool to write about.<strong>


	312. Brat Packs

**My one shot inspiration has been really high lately. Not sure why. But whatever, it's fun! Except for this one. I was kind of annoyed writing this one. You'll see why as you read it, lol.**

**Elizabeth: 8 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Brat Packs<strong>

"I hate kids."

Ash chuckled as he stared across the table at his wife, whose head was resting in her hands.

"Mist, how can you hate kids?" Ash asked. "We've got three of 'em."

"Oh, no, I love _our_ kids," Misty explained. "Other people's, though? Not so much."

"That's not true," Ash teased. "You've always loved kids! You love your nieces, you love our friends' kids…and every time you see a baby, you get all sparkly eyed and start cooing like a crazy woman!"

"That's all true," Misty conceded.

"You don't hate kids," Ash concluded with a laugh. "You hate _brats._"

An ear piercing scream from behind Misty caused the woman to dramatically roll her eyes and shake her head. "You don't know the half of it."

Ash leaned to the side, peering over at the table located directly behind them. A couple with four children was seated there, and it was definitely a sight to see. The parents were only concerned with speaking to one another, and were paying absolutely no attention to any of their children. The kids were all fairly young, with the oldest looking to be around Aiden and Michelle's age, and the youngest similar in age to Elizabeth, who just so happened to be with Ash and Misty herself. From her high chair, Elizabeth was busy staring at the other couple's baby, who was also a girl. _That_ little girl, unlike Elizabeth, was not quiet. She had been screaming for the past ten minutes, in fact, and repeatedly throwing her bottle to the floor. Instead of doing something about it, the mother would simply pick the bottle back up and return it to the infant, not once stopping her conversation. And the cycle would just continue like that, over and over again. The older three children were also busy screaming, which was even more unacceptable considering their ages. They all seemed to be fighting over one specific crayon, despite the fact that there were enough on the table for all three of them. And no matter how loud they got, their parents paid absolutely no mind to them.

"Sheesh," Ash muttered, looking back over at Misty. "Could you _imagine_ if our kids behaved like that?"

"Please, I would never allow it," Misty scoffed. "Some people just really aren't meant to be parents."

"Yeah, and it's always the people who end up having a whole pack of 'em," Ash commented.

"I mean, I understand that kids will act up from time to time," Misty sighed. "But our kids certainly don't do it in public. They know how to respect other people! I don't care so much if they bother _us_ at home, but I'm not okay with doing it to other people."

"I know," Ash agreed. "I mean...you think the parents would do something. Maybe take the baby outside and try to calm her down? Tell the older kids to be a little quieter? Maybe even take _them_ outside?"

One of the middle two children managed to snatch the crayon out of the oldest's hand, earning an angry, unintelligible scream from that child.

"How hard is it to get your kids to stop screaming like a flock of wild Spearow?" Misty grumbled. "_Especially_ when they're closer to Aiden and Michelle's age. That's just irresponsible!"

"I think it's even worse that they're not even paying attention to the baby," Ash replied, watching as the infant once again threw her bottle to the floor and began to scream. "I mean, obviously she's upset about something! I _never_ ignore Elizabeth when she gets fussy."

Hearing her name, Elizabeth looked over at Ash and cooed happily, showing off a big smile to her father. In turn, Ash chuckled and tickled beneath the baby's chin, who giggled in response.

"You're so cute!" Ash crooned. "Yes you are!"

The baby at the other table let out an even louder yell, and this one seemed to finally bother Elizabeth. The little one frowned and started to whine, waving her arms in the air.

"Aw, it's okay, sweetie," Misty murmured, toying with the little girl's hair. "You're much better behaved than that baby over there, aren't you? You're so much sweeter!"

That worked in calming Elizabeth down. She turned her head to grin at Misty, babbling softly as her mother talked sweetly to her.

"No, you're not a little brat," Misty cooed, playfully poking Elizabeth's nose. "And I don't ignore you! No! Because I'm a _good _mommy!"

Elizabeth clapped her hands together just once before turning her attention back onto the miserable baby. Although still screaming, the other baby had caught sight of Elizabeth, and was now staring back at her. The neglectful mother, who was once again picking up the baby's bottle, also caught sight of Elizabeth, and for the first time all night, seemed transfixed on something other than her husband.

"Elizabeth, stop staring at that kid," Misty muttered, gently turning the baby's head away. "We don't need you dealing with any influences like that."

"She can't ever turn out to be like that," Ash reasoned with his wife. "We actually pay attention to her!"

Elizabeth looked back over at Ash and held a hand out towards him, wiggling her fingers to try and catch his attention. Chuckling, Ash began to play with each of her fingers one by one, thoroughly entertaining the baby and causing her to giggle.

"Your baby is so cute!"

Misty looked up and winced. It was the same woman from behind them, and Misty had to resist the unnaturally strong urge to strangle her.

"Uh, thanks," Misty muttered, quickly averting eye contact with her in order to play with Elizabeth.

"It sure is hard to keep them quiet, isn't it?"

A flash went off in Misty's eyes, and right away, Ash knew what was forming in her head. He shot her a warning glare, but that didn't seem to affect Misty at all. Looking back up at the woman, Misty smirked and shook her head just once.

"No. Not really."

At this, the woman looked fairly affronted. Misty, however, didn't exactly care, and quickly went back to playing with Elizabeth's tiny hands.

"How old is your daughter?" The woman asked Ash, obviously not wanting to deal with Misty any longer.

"Eight months," Ash replied, counting in his head to make sure he had the right number.

"Oh!" The woman breathed. "So she's just a bit younger than my Kenzie!"

Misty looked up at Ash and raised an eyebrow. Ash knew exactly what she was trying to say to him: _that baby is _older _than Elizabeth? Wow._

Ash, on the other hand, glanced over at the curly blonde baby. She was still screaming, reaching down for the bottle that she had once again thrown. Her father was busy reading the menu, and completely ignoring her. That managed to tick _Ash_ off, so now he was just about as irritated as his wife. Even through his aggravated state, however, he was able to see that the three older children were now missing from the table.

"Excuse me?" Ash questioned staidly. "But…I think your other children are missing."

The woman turned around and groaned, causing Ash to furrow his brow. She didn't exactly sound concerned…or even shocked. If anything, she just sounded tired.

"They always do that," the woman dismissed, actually _laughing _about it afterwards. "They're so adventurous!"

"GIVE IT TO ME!"

Ash nearly fell out of his seat when that scream sounded. The oldest of the woman's four children came darting out from beneath another couple's table, the two middle children running straight after her. They were all screaming at one another and clamoring for the crayon in the oldest girl's hand. The continuous loud noises and yelps eventually upset Elizabeth once again, and she was soon fussing all over again. Frowning, Misty lifted the baby out of her high chair and instead chose to bounce the little one on her lap, kissing the young thing's head in an attempt to calm her down.

"Oh, I told them to stop fighting over that crayon fifteen minutes ago," the woman muttered. "Guess they didn't want to listen!"

"Do you think maybe you should take it away from them?" Ash suggested quietly.

"Or tell them to stop bothering other people who are trying to eat?" Misty recommended more sternly.

"They're just playing!" The woman refuted. "They think everywhere is a playground."

"Yeah, except this is a _restaurant,_" Misty drawled, causing her husband to bury his face in his hands. His wife really didn't know when to keep her mouth shut. "My older kids are around their age, and they _never_ act this way when we go out. You should really try a little harder to tell them to behave."

Now the woman seemed _very_ offended by Misty's advice. "My children are angels! You can't berate them for being children!"

"Yes, wonderful," Misty droned, motioning towards her whiny daughter. "Children who are so out of control they make other kids cry. Great! Real angels!"

Gasping out of horror, the woman stomped away from the table, returning to her own in order to rant to her husband, who was still absorbed in the menu. Meanwhile, their baby was still screaming, and their three older children were running circles around the table, still fighting over the one crayon.

"Mist, I know that woman is a total…well…moron, but you really need to learn how to hold it in," Ash sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Please, I'm just trying to keep things real," Misty scoffed, causing Ash to furrow his brow. "I'm all for letting everyone raise their kids how they want to, but flat out _ignoring them_ when they're being pests is just uncalled for. She'd better hope one of those kids doesn't end up falling and cracking their head open."

"We all know what will happen if one of them does," Ash muttered.

"The mother will whine and blame the restaurant," Misty responded easily.

"Yep."

Misty managed another nasty side eye as the two middle children began pushing one another at the table, whining and yelling as they fought.

"Well, at least now we know the apples really _don't_ fall far from the tree," Misty muttered. "A bratty woman is just _destined _to have bratty kids."

"Ya…" Elizabeth murmured, clasping her hands together.

"See?" Misty hummed, smiling amusedly. "Even Elizabeth agrees!"

* * *

><p><strong>I'm all the way with Misty on this one. The people that live behind me literally have wild animals for kids. They are sooo misbehaved it's ridiculous. It literally makes me never want to have kids. Then again, I know for sure my kids would be raised MUCH better than those brats, so who knows. <strong>

**Moral of the story: don't let your kids act like brats. It's annoying as all hell.**


	313. Water Wars

**If you like some Aiden, Michelle, and Elizabeth exclusive one shots, with just a dash of Pikachu and Vaporeon thrown in, you'll quite like this chapter ;)**

**Aiden and Michelle: 8 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 2 and a half years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Water Wars<strong>

"Aiden, spway water!"

The boy chuckled as he twisted the wheel shaped knob attached to the house, turning on the water. Elizabeth, who was standing by the emerald green rubber hose, watched on in fascination as the water began to spill out of its opening, causing her to giggle.

"Mowe, Aiden!"

"More?" Aiden repeated, causing Elizabeth to nod. Smirking, Aiden continued to turn the knob, looking over his shoulder just in time to watch the hose begin thrashing against the ground, going crazy as the more highly pressurized water burst out of it. Elizabeth, in turn, shrieked with excitement and jumped out of the way, holding up her little fists as her bright green eyes followed the hose's erratic movements.

"Funny!" Elizabeth giggled.

"You like that, huh?" Aiden chuckled.

"Ya!"

"Aiden, what are you and Elizabeth doing?"

The raven haired boy glanced up and found his twin sister to be standing above him, her arms crossed against her chest with a single eyebrow raised.

"Playing with the hose," Aiden replied simply, getting back to his feet. "Check out how much fun she's having!"

Michelle looked out to the center of the yard, where Elizabeth was frantically running in circles as the hose whipped around, spraying her with cold water.

"Isn't that a little bit dangerous?" Michelle muttered.

At this, Aiden dramatically rolled his eyes. "Michelle, _come on_. It's a _hose_. They've had those things for probably like…a hundred years! It's just a rubber tube."

"Yeah, but look at it whipping around!" Michelle cried, motioning towards the flopping hose. "Besides, didn't Mom and Dad just buy Elizabeth a water toy?"

"What, you mean that stupid little sprinkler?" Aiden asked.

"Aw, I think it's so cute!" Michelle giggled. The aforementioned toy was sitting several feet away: a green base with pink and purple plastic flowers spurting out of the top, built with holes in the middle where the water was supposed to spray out. "I bet Elizabeth would really like to play with it."

"Nah, she's good," Aiden quickly refuted.

Rolling her eyes, Michelle moved closer to her younger sister and called, "hey, Lizzie! Do you want to play with the sprinkler Mommy and Daddy bought you?"

Elizabeth followed her sister's pointed finger to the childish sprinkler, the sight of which instantly caused her eyes to light up. "Ya!"

Michelle smirked and looked over her shoulder at Aiden, who seemed perturbed. "See? I told you!"

"I don't even know how that stupid thing plugs in!" Aiden argued. "Look at how…small it is. Small and dumb."

Michelle sighed and shook her head. "Come on, Aiden. It's the easiest thing in the entire world. You just don't want to look because you don't like the toy. Look."

Aiden reluctantly watched as his sister turned the knob until the water off. Elizabeth let out a displeased sigh as the hose finally stood still, the water no longer spraying her. Walking over to the end of the hose with the sprinkler toy in hand, Michelle knelt down and attached the end of the hose to the pink connector on the side. Once the hose was secure, Michelle walked back over to the knob and turned the water back on, watching as water began to shoot through the holes of the flower. Giggling, Elizabeth started to run around the sprinkler, shrieking joyfully as the water rained down on her.

"Not so hard," Michelle commented, smirking at her brother. "And look at how happy Lizzie is!"

"How'd you know how to do that?" Aiden huffed.

"Because _we_ had a sprinkler when _we_ were little," Michelle drawled. "Don't you remember the Octillery that had the legs that whipped around and sprayed water everywhere?"

"Oh yeah, and the water came out of his mouth, too!" Aiden chuckled at the memory.

"See?" Michelle teased. "Sprinklers are fun!"

"No, _ours_ was fun," Aiden corrected. "You could pretend Octillery was attacking you, and you could dodge his tentacles! But look at Elizabeth's dinky little sprinkler. Those flowers don't even move! It's lame."

"Well, what do you expect?" Michelle questioned. "Elizabeth is a girly girl. Of course Mom and Dad were going to buy her something pink and sweet."

"They should have just bought another one of those Octillery," Aiden scoffed.

"But they didn't," Michelle sighed. "And it really doesn't matter. Elizabeth is _loving_ that thing! She could care less."

Aiden twisted his mouth and watched Elizabeth run around the sprinkler for a few more seconds before approaching the water knob once again. With neither of his sisters looking, Aiden turned the knob so the water pressure was much higher than before. As a result, the water shooting up from the flowers suddenly came quicker and harder, causing Elizabeth to shriek and jump away from the sprinkler.

"Aiden!" Michelle gasped out of horror.

The boy, on the other hand, was practically rolling on the ground in laughter, trying desperately to respond but failing miserably thanks to the constant brigade of laughter that had overtaken him.

"You're such a pest," Michelle grumbled, turning the knob back so the water pressure wouldn't be so high.

Elizabeth, however, didn't move back any closer to the sprinkler. Instead, she ran over to her older brother and sister, looking up curiously at them.

"Lizzie, don't you want to go play with your sprinkler?" Michelle asked sweetly.

"No," Elizabeth squeaked. "Hose!"

"Wha…?" Michelle muttered.

"Ah, I knew you'd come around!" Aiden chuckled, jumping to his feet. "You want to play water wars, Lizzie?"

"Ya!" Elizabeth giggled.

At this, Michelle raised an eyebrow. "What's water wars?"

"It's when we chase each other with the hose and see who comes out the most soaked," Aiden replied easily.

"That just sounds like a way for you to torture Elizabeth," Michelle muttered.

"Nah, Lizzie is pretty good at water wars," Aiden refuted. "It's because she really likes running around with the hose."

"Shelly, you pway with us!" Elizabeth demanded.

Michelle groaned and tilted her head back. "Do I _have_ to? I always end up getting tortured during Aiden's games!"

"Yes," Elizabeth replied quite seriously.

"It'll be a lot of fun," Aiden assured his twin. "Lighten up a little bit and maybe you won't be so miserable!"

This didn't amuse Michelle one little bit. "How can I possibly 'lighten up' when it comes to playing with you? You got me stuck in a tree when we were five!"

"Yeah, but there's no climbing up any trees in water wars," Aiden dismissed. "Unless, of course, you choose to. Then there is."

"I definitely won't be climbing any trees today," Michelle grumbled, shaking her head.

Elizabeth whined impatiently and began tugging at the white and pink striped ruffle on her pink tankini top. "Pway! Now!"

"Alright, shrimp," Aiden muttered with a smirk, walking out to the middle of the yard in order to retrieve the hose and bring it back towards the house.

"You'we slow," Elizabeth complained through a pout.

"And you're a pain in the butt," Aiden remarked, reaching out for the water knob. "You need to cool off!"

Before Elizabeth could react, she was hit with a heavy flow of water, causing her to shriek. Michelle's eyes widened, and Aiden began laughing manically.

"Got ya!" Aiden cheered.

"Aiden, that's horrible!" Michelle gasped. "She's so much smaller than us!"

"Hey, she's almost three, she can handle it," Aiden scoffed.

"If Mom knew you were spraying water from the hose in Elizabeth's face, she'd kill you," Michelle continued, narrowing her eyes.

"No, she'd tell Elizabeth that it helps build character!" Aiden refuted. "Remember: if it involves water, Mom's okay with it."

"Not with drowning our little sister she's not!"

"Pfft, says you."

"My tuwn!" Elizabeth cried, running up to Aiden in an attempt to grab the hose.

"Nuh uh!" Aiden teased, holding the hose up above his head. "You gotta _earn_ the hose! I can't just give it to you!"

"I want it!" Elizabeth whined.

"Then come and get it!" Aiden laughed, running out into the middle of the yard. Elizabeth furrowed her brow and chased after her brother, hands reaching out desperately for the hose. Michelle, on the other hand, just stayed behind and rolled her eyes.

"Gimme!" Elizabeth whined.

"Nope!" Aiden chuckled. As he ran, the hose sprayed water left and right, occasionally drenching himself in the process. That didn't seem to bother the boy, however. Soon enough, his red swim trunks printed with blue and white circles were just as wet as his younger sister's pink tankini, but that didn't deter Aiden from running around with the hose. It was a hot day, after all, so getting wet didn't exactly bother the boy. He just really liked teasing his younger sister, and that made it all worth it.

"Got!"

Aiden's eyes widened in surprise as he was stopped short. Looking backwards, he realized that Elizabeth had grabbed onto the back of the hose, and was now smirking up at him.

"Elizabeth, you're supposed to get the hose out of my hands!" Aiden cried. "You're cheating!"

"Nuh uh," Elizabeth squeaked.

"Aiden, just give her the hose," Michelle groaned. "This is literally the stupidest thing I've ever seen."

Rolling his eyes, Aiden finally handed the hose over to Elizabeth, who giggled at her victory. Once she was in possession of the hose, Aiden turned around to glare at Michelle, who didn't look at all affected by such a glare.

"Why do you always have to ruin the fun?" Aiden grumbled.

"I didn't ruin the fun," Michelle replied simply. "I was just standing up for Elizabeth because she can't do it on her own."

"She can speak! She can stand up for herself!"

"She's not going to stand up to you!" Michelle barked. "She looks up to you, for some weird reason!"

"It's because I'm great!"

As Aiden and Michelle valiantly argued back and forth, Elizabeth continued to giggle and run around with the spraying hose. She carried it over to a nearby tree and glanced up for a quick second, giggling with delight soon after. Lifting the hose up as high as she could, Elizabeth aimed the water directly up at the tree.

Aiden and Michelle's bickering was soon cut off by a pair of shriek cries, both of which captured the twins; attentions. They looked up towards the tree just in time to see Pikachu and Vaporeon falling from one of the branches. Vaporeon managed to land on her paws in very elegant fashion, while Pikachu wasn't as fortunate and landed flat on his stomach.

"Gotcha!" Elizabeth cheered, still giggling. "I wined the water war!"

"Wow," Aiden breathed. "She's amazing."

Michelle's eyes widened and she smacked her brother's shoulder, causing him to yelp in pain. "Idiot! Don't encourage her!"

"Pika…" Pikachu grumbled, ears falling down to the sides of his head.

"See?" Aiden huffed. "Even Pikachu thought the tree was a safe place. Nope."

"At least he got out of it on his own!" Michelle cried.

"Well, technically, he didn't…"

"Oh, shut up."

* * *

><p><strong>Elizabeth just wants to play is all! Well, and win. She IS Ash's daughter after all! Misty's too, for that matter.<strong>

**Talk about a competitive family.**


	314. Pool Party

**Today is July 12th, which means it's Misty's birthday! In my headcanon, at least. So, what does that mean? Misty's birthday one shot! Woohoo!**

**Aiden: 7 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 23 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Pool Party<strong>

"Hey, Lizzie! Look what I have!"

"Wha Den-EEP!"

Elizabeth shrieked as a bucket of water was unceremoniously dumped atop her head. Aiden chuckled and cast the red plastic container to the side, still laughing as the little girl pulled the wet hair away from her eyes.

"That was good," Aiden hummed. "Right, Lizzie?"

Instead of an actual response, however, all the boy got in response was incessant wailing and crying. He looked down in horror to see Elizabeth covering her face with her hands, her entire body shaking as she bawled.

"AIDEN!"

He looked up with wide eyes, biting his lower lip as his father stormed towards the two of them. Right away, he reached down and lifted Elizabeth into his arms, helping to move the wet bangs away from her eyes.

"I didn't mean to make her cry, Dad!" Aiden yelped.

"But you did," Ash bit. "Why would you even think it was a good idea to pour an entire bucket of water on your little sister?"

"Because she likes surprises!" Aiden cried. "I thought she'd laugh!"

"She likes _fun_ surprises," Ash groaned. "Getting a bucketful of cold water dumped on your head isn't exactly a fun surprise, Aiden. If anything, it's a little frightening."

"I don't know, I thought she'd like it," Aiden muttered.

"Just don't do anything like that again, okay?" Ash sighed. "It's your mother's birthday, and if she sees Elizabeth bawling like this because of something you did, she's _not_ going to be happy."

Aiden looked up hopefully at his father. "So you won't tell?"

"No, I value my life too much to tell her something like this on her birthday," Ash grumbled.

"Daddy…"

Ash looked down at his sniveling daughter, who was still rubbing at her eyes with a little hand.

"What is it, pumpkin?" Ash crooned.

"I'm cowd."

"Yeah, that makes sense," Ash sighed. "Come on, sweetie, let's go get a towel for you! That'll dry you up nice and good."

Ash carried the toddler over to a nearby lounge chair and wrapped her up in the towel that they had brought with them especially for Elizabeth: the one with her favorite cartoon character, Princess Sophie. Because it had been left out in the sun, the towel was warm, and that was enough to calm Elizabeth down almost instantly. She finally showed off a little smile as she buried herself deeper into the material, curling up into a ball with a small sigh.

"Good, a nap can't hurt either," Ash chuckled. He pulled the back of the chair down so it was completely flat, and laid Elizabeth down where the shade started so she wouldn't be left out in the hot sun.

"Aw, Lizzie fell asleep?"

Ash turned on a heel and smiled as his wife came towards him, her eyes sparkling. "Heh, yeah! Guess all of this playing really wore her out!"

Several feet away, Aiden pulled a deftly guilty expression and managed to slink away before his mother caught sight of him.

"Where are Pikachu and Vaporeon?" Ash asked curiously.

"Pikachu is helping my mom out in the kitchen," Misty replied with a smile. "I think he wanted some time in the air conditioning! Vaporeon, on the other hand, is down on the dock with my dad. He's getting the boat ready to go out, so she's probably keeping watch. She also just really seems to enjoy sitting on the dock for some reason."

"Makes sense, since she is a water type," Ash chuckled. "How about Michelle? I'm surprised she's still not splashing around in the pool!"

"The older girls sidetracked her," Misty explained, referring to her three nieces. "They're all in the boathouse looking for games to play out on the lawn. But I'm sure it won't be long until Michelle is back in the pool! It's like she can just hear it calling out to her."

Ash chuckled at that. "She _does _take after her mother."

Misty snickered just once at the mention. "I'm well aware of that. But how can I complain? I'm a water type trainer, and my daughter just so happens to be in a love affair with the water. It's every water specialist's dream for her children!"

_Well then, it's a good thing I didn't tell Misty about Elizabeth crying after getting a bucket of water dumped on her head! _Ash thought to himself.

"By the way, do you have any idea what kind of a cake your mother made for me?"

Ash turned back towards Misty and smirked at the woman, who was wearing a look of sheer innocence. "Why do you have to be so nosy, huh?"

That look of innocence quickly transitioned into one of offense. "I am _not_ nosy!"

"You are about sweets."

Finally, Misty relented with a definitive blush. "Fine. Can't argue with that. But you're one to talk! After all, _you're_ the one who got himself into my laptop before!"

"To do something special for you!" Ash defended himself. "Besides, your password was just too easy. Our kids' birthdays was the first thing I guessed, and I got in!"

"We're not talking about easily guessable my passwords are," Misty huffed. "Quit changing the subject. I want to know about that cake!"

"Mist, I don't know _anything _about the cake, and I'm being totally honest with you," Ash sighed. "I asked Mom what she was doing, and she wouldn't tell me a thing! Guess she knew you'd be sniffing around for hints."

"Please, not everyone is as snippy as you are when it comes to me," Misty hummed. "Everyone else thinks I'm lovely!"

"Little do they know," Ash remarked teasingly under his breath.

"What was that?!"

Ash grinned from ear to ear and threw his arms out to the side, wrapping Misty into a bone crushing hug before she could even react. "Not a thing, dear!" He pressed his lips hard against her cheek and gave her a gigantic kiss, causing Misty to make a face afterwards. "What? You don't like affection?"

"Not when you're practically trying to eat my face," Misty grunted, rubbing the back of her hand against her cheek. "What was that for?"

"Because you're so cute," Ash easily replied. "I couldn't resist you anymore!"

"If you let me go inside and take a peek at the cake in the fridge, maybe I'll let you not resist me for a little while longer," Misty purred.

"Nice try, angel," Ash crooned. "But that's not going to work on me! I've got strict orders from both my mom _and_ yours to not let you into the kitchen."

At this, Misty's eyes widened. "My mother is in on this too?!"

"What can I say? She clearly knows her daughter."

Misty pouted and folded her arms across her chest. Slowly, however, the sulk on her face began to melt away into a look of contemplation, causing Ash to become a little bit nervous.

"Uh…Mist?"

At last, Misty showed off a smirk, directed right at Ash. "You were given orders to keep _me_ out of the kitchen."

"Yeah…?"

"Not you."

"I…don't understand."

Giggling, Misty moved up closer to Ash and began to gently rub his chest, bringing a blush to the young man's face. "Sweetie…if you go inside and take a look at the cake for me, I'll do something _very _fun with you later."

"L-like what?" Ash stammered.

Smirking, Misty looked over Ash's shoulder and nodded her head just once. "See that pool over there?"

"Yes," Ash responded quickly without even a backwards glance.

"Well, if you manage to find out what my cake is made of, I'll come outside tonight with you, and we'll go swimming together. Just you and I. Bathing suits completely optional."

Now Ash's entire face was burning red. Misty managed to hold back a fit of giggles, although it certainly wasn't an easy task. Flustering up Ash had always been one of her favorite things, and no matter how many times she did it, it never managed to get old.

"S-so…all I have to do is find out about your cake, and then we'll do…do that?" Ash blabbered.

"Yep," Misty chirped, holding up all ten of her fingers. "Look! Not a single one crossed. I promise."

Without another word, Ash all but ran past Misty, causing the woman to smirk. She knew how to get _exactly_ what she wanted, especially from Ash. It was all quite simple.

And in the end, she won out, too.

**XXX**

Back inside, Ash was constantly looking around for his mother and mother-in-law. At the moment, neither one of them was in the kitchen, and that left him free to look in the fridge. At the same time, however, he knew that either one could return in the blink of an eye. They both seemed to possess that skill for some strange reason. Misty did as well. Ash assumed it came with being a mom.

Quickening his pace just in case, Ash managed to reach the kitchen, still with no mothers in sight. Reaching the fridge, Ash grabbed onto the handle and pulled it open, peeking inside. Almost immediately, he found himself face to face with the confection that his mother had baked especially for Misty's birthday.

It was fairly simple, but still beautiful: a large sheet cake covered in bright green frosting, with the words "Happy Birthday, Misty!" daintily written out in light blue icing. In each corner stood sugar statues in the likenesses of Vaporeon, Oshawott, Corsola, and, most amusingly, Psyduck.

Looking over his shoulder, and still seeing no one, Ash quickly ran over to a nearby drawer and pulled out a knife. Walking carefully back over to the fridge, (he had never been able to unhear his mother yelling at him to not run with sharp objects) Ash sliced the knife into the edge of the cake as delicately as possible, not wanting to leave behind a noticeable cut. Pulling it out swiftly, Ash examined what had been pulled out of the cake along with the knife, looking more closely for a quick second before carefully licking some of it off in order to taste its flavor.

"Got it!" Ash quietly cheered to himself. Hearing footsteps coming down the stairs, Ash gasped and closed the fridge door as quickly as possible, throwing the knife into the sink and rushing back outside before anyone could catch him in the kitchen.

He was met halfway by Misty, who hadn't moved since their previous interaction.

"Well?" Misty prodded.

"It's a sheet cake covered in vanilla icing that's dyed green," Ash explained. "There are sugar Pokémon on the top. All water types. The cake on the inside is blueberry."

"Oh, one of my favorites!" Misty giggled.

At this, Ash smiled. "You're happy now?"

"Yes!" Misty laughed, throwing her arms around Ash's neck. "Thank you, sweetheart!"

"Heh, don't mention it! So…do I get my reward later?"

Misty smirked and arched an eyebrow at Ash's inquiry. "But of course, Ashy! I'm not going to go back on my word!"

**XXX**

That night, Misty had managed to beat Ash to the pool. It was fairly typical…Misty always got a new burst of energy when water was involved. Ash, however, was not in the business of being late to a skinny dipping appointment, and was now rushing to get outside. He hadn't even bothered to put anything on for his trip outside. Instead, he had simply chosen to wrap a beach towel around his otherwise naked body. It would certainly do for now, as clothes _definitely_ wouldn't be needed out at the pool.

"Ash?"

The Pokémon Master's breath hitched, and he completely froze. Slowly turning his head around, Ash found his mother to be staring at him, hands placed squarely on her hips.

"Hey, Mom!" Ash greeted, his voice a bit higher than usual. "What's up?"

Delia scowled and raised an eyebrow. Subconsciously, Ash held the towel around his body a bit more tightly, fearing whatever question or comment was coming his way.

_Well _now _I regret not wearing any clothes! Mom's definitely going to want to know why I'm running around the house at eleven o'clock dry and in a towel!_

"I know that you came in here before to look at Misty's cake," Delia hummed. Ash let out a deep sigh of relief, much to his mother's confusion. "Ash!"

"Oh, sorry!" Ash cried, his cheeks reddening a little bit. "But…how'd you know?"

"You didn't exactly hide it very well, Ash. I found the cake covered knife in the sink."

"Oh."

"You seem to forget that I also have _very _sharp eyes, especially when it comes to my cooking. I could have seen that cut from a million miles away!"

"I did it for Misty!" Ash blurted. "You know how impatient she gets with sweets! Sorry, Mom."

Delia smirked and shook her head. "It's quite alright, dear. That was actually quite sweet of you! Besides, I'm not about to punish my adult son for trying to please his wife."

"Thanks!" Ash trilled, his eyes lighting up.

Looking her son up and down, Delia finally seemed to realize that he was in nothing but a towel. "Where are you going like that, Ash?"

"Uh…the shower."

"But…the shower is back down the hall. You walked right past it."

"Oh? Oh, yeah! Right! I was just…going to get a little something to drink first! It was a pretty hot day, I'm still thirsty."

"I see," Delia breathed, smiling at the man. "In that case, I won't keep you, then!"

"Thanks, Mom!" Ash barely managed to get out as he turned around and bolted towards the stairs. Once he was out of earshot, Delia let out one short laugh and shook her head.

"How stupid does he think I am? I know that if I look out a window in the next fifteen seconds, I'm going to see him and Misty jumping into that pool stark naked."

* * *

><p><strong>I had no idea where I was going with this one, but I really like how it turned out. I just love having Delia there to outsmart her poor son! He thinks he's got one over on her, but he's dead wrong ;)<strong>


	315. Babysitting: Clemont

**I bet you guys are excited for this one! That's right, we've finally got Clemont's babysitting chapter! This one might have a bit of a different feel to it than the other babysitting chapters. It's a fun one!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Babysitting: Clemont<strong>

"Hmm…"

"Whatcha doing?"

"Ah!"

Michelle hid her smile behind her hand, although that didn't do much since you could still hear her giggling. The reason for her laughter had been quite simple: she'd distracted Clemont, who was quite busy working on something, and he'd ended up hitting his head on it.

"Sorry!" Michelle managed to squeak out once she was done giggling.

"It's alright," Clemont assured weakly, rubbing the top of his head. "You really spooked me, huh?"

"Yeah," Michelle chirped. She hopped over to Clemont's side, leaning over on her toes to get a closer look at the contraption he was so busy with. "What's this?"

"Just a little invention I'm working on," Clemont replied. "I think you and your brother are really going to like it!"

At this, Michelle furrowed her brow. "Aiden only likes food and cars and Pokémon!"

"Well, this _does_ have to do with the first one," Clemont mused. "So I'm sure he'll be ecstatic!"

"Is it almost done?" Michelle questioned.

"Just about," Clemont confirmed. "All I need to do now is screw the device's back plate into place, make sure all of the wires are good and tight, and that the machine's electrical flow is running smoothly! Any kinks there and it won't function the right way."

Michelle blinked and threw the gym leader a blank stare. "Huh?"

Clemont turned back towards Michelle and smiled once he saw her look of confusion. "Don't worry, Michelle! I can teach you about this kind of stuff when you get older! Maybe then you can invent some things like I do!"

"I don't think so," Michelle refuted, shaking her head at such a thought.

"Well, since the machine is almost done, how about you go get Aiden?" Clemont suggested. "That way the two of you can both see what I've come up with!"

"Okay," Michelle trilled, turning away from the blond and running into the living room, where she knew her brother was playing. She found him just as she'd left him: playing around with Clemont's Heliolisk.

"Aiden, come on!" Michelle urged.

"Why?" Aiden whined, holding his hands out to catch the ball that Heliolisk was carrying around in his mouth. "We're playing!"

"Clemont made something," Michelle murmured.

At this, Aiden looked over his shoulder at his sister with wide eyes. "That's bad!"

"Uh huh…"

"It's gonna blow up," Aiden muttered, looking down at his hands.

"He-li," Heliolisk chimed in. As the gym leader's Pokémon, Heliolisk knew this to be true.

"Maybe he knows what he's doing now!" Michelle squeaked.

Aiden made a noise of doubt before getting to his feet and reluctantly following his sister out into the backyard, where Clemont was standing proudly next to his now completed invention. Neither of the twins could tell what the machine was, but they both knew they wouldn't even have to ask.

"How would you two like something sweet to eat?" Clemont asked kindly.

"Yeah!" Aiden and Michelle cheered, their apprehension quickly forgotten.

"Well, you don't have to want for much longer," Clemont promised with a smirk, the lenses of his glasses shining in the sunlight and blocking the view of his eyes. "The future is now thanks to science! Clemontic Gear, on!"

He took a step back and held his arms out towards the machine he had just finished building. Aiden "oohed" out of fascination, while Michelle remained in place.

"Presenting the Automated Jellybean Dispenser Mach Three!" Clemont announced, smirking sheepishly immediately after. "The first two didn't exactly pan out…"

"What's it do?" Michelle finally asked.

"This incredible machine has the ability to dispense an upward of one thousand jellybeans per hour!" Clemont replied, placing his hands on his hips. It was quite strange. Clemont was usually a very timid person. He was quiet, reserved, and actually pretty nervous and downright awkward. When it came time to present one of his inventions, however, he perked up effortlessly and suddenly became a total rock star of sorts. Time after time…even after his inventions blew up!

Which, in reality, was pretty often.

"Whoa, that's a lot of jellybeans!" Aiden crowed. "Science is cool!"

Michelle turned her head to glare at her brother. He knew just as well as she did that every time Clemont created something, it ended badly. But as soon as he actually saw the invention, Aiden seemed to forget the imminent danger and automatically become impressed. It kind of freaked Michelle out.

"How about we give it a trial run?" Clemont asked.

"Yeah, let's do it!" Aiden giggled, jumping up and down. "Let's eat jellybeans!"

Nodding just once, Clemont knelt down and pressed the red button on the front of the machine. It made a loud churning noise before spitting out a single jellybean, red in color. Shrieking, Aiden jumped forward and took the morsel out of the compartment.

"Red's my favorite!" He giggled before popping it into his mouth. "Yummy!"

"Hmm, that's strange," Clemont hummed. "It should have _definitely _dispensed more than one by now! Let's see…"

While his face was right in front of the machine, it churned once again, this time spitting out an entire stream of jellybeans. They hit him right in the face and knocked the gym leader down to the ground, groaning in pain. Aiden and Michelle looked up from Clemont to the machine in horror, just in time to see smoke rising from the top of it.

"Uh…Clemont…" Michelle squeaked.

The blond inventor picked himself up just in time to witness his machine breaking down. Without having to think, Michelle grabbed her brother's hand and pulled him far away from the machine, reaching a safe distance just as the contraption exploded.

"Aww, the jellybeans…" Aiden whined.

"No, Clemont!" Michelle scolded her brother.

They both looked back over at the scene with worried eyes. Fortunately, the destructed machine hadn't hurt Clemont…much. He was just a bit stunned, covered in soot with his hair poofed out. Behind him, the machine was totally annihilated, jellybeans from the inside spilling out onto the ground.

"Jellybeans!" Aiden giggled, running up to the dispenser and grabbing a handful of the treats, stuffing them into his mouth before spitting them right back out. "Blegh, they're all burnt!"

"Ew," Michelle groaned, narrowing her eyes at her brother.

"Oh, I can't believe it didn't work! I thought for sure I had it this time!"

Aiden smiled and walked over to Clemont, comfortingly patting the gym leader atop his charred head. "It's okay, Clemont! I liked that explosion!"

Clemont groaned and hung his head, obviously not feeling any better after Aiden's "reassurance."

"I suppose the Automated Jellybean Dispenser will just have to be put on hold for now," Clemont sighed. "Oh well. At least I have plenty of other inventions to work on!"

Michelle's face paled almost immediately as Clemont turned to look at her. "Eh?"

"I _do_ have another invention on hand that I'd like to ty," Clemont continued, oblivious to Michelle's nerves. "Would you like to help me out, Michelle?"

Michelle pulled her shoulders back and, before she could process what she was doing, nodded her head. After just two shakes, she wined and held onto the sides of her head, as though that it would prevent it from ever moving again. She hated being so compliant!

"Great!" Clemont cheered. "You don't have to worry, Michelle. I've got lots of confidence in this one!"

_Why did Mommy and Daddy have to go away today? _Michelle thought miserably.

**XXX**

"Clemont, what's this one do?"

Clemont chuckled at Michelle's shaky inquiry. "Not to worry, Michelle! I've tested this one more extensively than the Automated Jellybean Dispenser. It's one that I'm sure will work! After all, the future is now thanks to science!"

"That's what you said before!" Michelle whined.

"Well, this time, the future really _is_ now," Clemont promised the disgruntled girl. "You'll see! Clemontic Gear, on!"

Michelle rolled her eyes up in order to see Clemont holding a small metal box with two metal arms emerging from the top, a pair of gloved hands at the end of each arm.

"Uh…"

"This one is called the Perfect Ponytail Maker Express!" Clemont announced. "It's able to make a pristine ponytail in just a matter of seconds! As a result, you end up with no bumps, no fly aways, and best of all, no cramped hands!"

Michelle furrowed her brow and placed her own two hands atop her head. She loved Clemont, but his inventions were bad, and now she had to be afraid that his new machine would tear her hair out!

"How about we give it a try?" Clemont asked sweetly.

"Do we have to?" Michelle finally whined.

"It'll only take a matter of seconds!" Clemont assured her. "After all, that's how I designed it!"

"Did you make it for Bonnie?" Michelle asked. She knew the gym leader's younger sister typically wore her hair up.

"Partially yes, but Bonnie won't ever let me use it on her, I'm afraid," Clemont sighed. "I don't think she trusts my inventions for some strange reason."

_I don't blame her, _Michelle thought begrudgingly.

"Now, just hold still," Clemont instructed, watching as Michelle reluctantly pulled her hands away from her head. "My invention will do all of the work!"

The young girl squeezed her eyes shut as she heard the mechanical box in Clemont's hands began to whirr. The hands of the invention were soon musing up her hair, gathering up all of the strands and pulling them atop her head. Michelle waited the entire time to feel fire on her head, but she never did. And before she knew it, her hair was tied up perfectly without any incident.

"Wow!" Michelle marveled, turning her head to look at herself in the mirror. "It worked!"

"I told you it would!" Clemont chuckled. "And look at how nice you hair looks!"

"Yeah, Mommy's really gonna like it!" Michelle giggled. Jumping off the chair she'd been seated in, Michelle scurried over to Clemont's side and hugged the gym leader's legs. "Thank you, Clemont!"

"Aw, don't mention it!" Clemont replied, patting the girl atop her head. "I'm happy to help!"

The blond watched as Michelle flitted out of the room, giggling while her ponytail swung behind her. Clemont smiled to himself as he watched her leave, but soon enough, his attention was brought back into the kitchen as the machine in his hands started to hum.

"Huh?" Clemont murmured. "What's-"

Before he could finish, the invention blew up in his hands, not only leaving him frazzled and dirty, but covering the kitchen in ashes and pieces of the now destroyed machine.

"Well, at least Ash and Misty will be impressed by their daughter's _hair…_" Clemont laughed nervously to himself before groaning sadly and hanging his head. "Oh, what a _mess._"

* * *

><p><strong>The reason I felt that this one was a bit different is because I don't really view Clmont as a "warm and cuddly" character. Of course he's very sweet, and he's good with kids, but I just have a hard time imagining him sitting around playing games with them. It's more like he's going to make inventions that he thinks will make them happy or make watching them easier, and of course all they're gonna do is blow up and make things harder XD And like his daddy, Aiden is just fascinated by it, even though he knows it's going to end in disaster ;)<strong>

**Serena will more than likely be the next babysitting chapter. I've got a few ideas for her which should be fun!**


	316. A Real Life Cinderella

**Who's ready for some Misty and Elizabeth adorableness? Because that's what I've got for you right here! Let's see what kind of trouble these two are getting into now ;)**

**Elizabeth: 3 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>A Real Life Cinderella<strong>

"Mommy!"

"What is it, sweetie?"

"Teddi's happy!"

"Oh is he?"

"Ya!"

"And why's that, sprinkle?"

"Um…cause he's wif you! And me! We awe togefer!"

"Yes, we are!" Misty giggled. "That makes me happy, too!"

"See, Teddi?" Elizabeth babbled to her stuffed toy. "Mommy's happy, too! Evewybody's happy! Yay!"

Misty smiled at her daughter's overwhelming enthusiasm and joy. She might have been biased, but Misty firmly believed that she had one of the sweetest, happiest toddlers in the entire world. Everyone Elizabeth came across instantly fell in love with her. Her joy was completely infectious, and she never failed to make people smile. Misty was amazed that such a little girl possessed such an extraordinary gift! It certainly made her proud of her young daughter.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, Lizzie?"

"Lookit Teddi dancing!"

"I can't see him right now, baby," Misty replied. "Not while you're in your stroller! Can you show me in a little bit once you're out?"

"Maybe," Elizabeth responded coyly. "Onwy if Teddi's still dancing then."

"Well, I hope he is!" Misty teased. "I would love to watch Teddi dance!"

Elizabeth was an easy toddler to take out when it came to errands. While most little kids fussed or got impatient, Elizabeth was quite content to sit in her stroller and chatter with her mother, stuffed toys, or anybody who would listen, really. There were even times when Elizabeth would just plain pass out during errands, and sleep peacefully in her stroller while Misty got everything done. Misty _loved_ having such an easy kid. Of course, that's when Ash turned it around and reminded Misty that Elizabeth took after him, and therefore, it was all thanks to _him_ that they had such a sweet daughter.

That wasn't exactly fun for her, although Misty couldn't really argue with her husband on that point.

"Mommy?"

The only issue with Elizabeth was that as a curious child, she asked an awful lot of questions. It could become pretty exhausting for the girl's mother.

"Yes, sweetheart?" Misty sighed.

"Awe we done now?"

Now the gym leader couldn't help but to snicker. Yes, her daughter was sweet and fairly patient for a three year old. But she was still just a three year old. She liked to know when exactly things were going to happen.

"We're just about done, sprinkle," Misty assured the toddler. "I just need to pick one last thing up from the pharmacy, and then we can go home and play!"

"Can I gets bandies?"

"Why do you need band aids?" Misty asked, using the correct word. "Did you get an ouchie?"

"No. I just wan- bandies. Pwincess ones!"

"You know what, Lizzie? Since you've been so good for Mommy today, I will gladly buy you a pack of band aids!"

"Yay!"

Misty smiled and rolled her eyes. Yes, this is where she could see it. Elizabeth was most certainly the child of Ash Ketchum. Most children would have asked for toys or sweets as a reward for being so well behaved. But no, all Elizabeth wanted was some band aids.

She couldn't exactly complain about _that_, either.

**XXX**

"Whew, finally done!"

"Yay!"

Misty giggled along with her daughter as she opened up the front door and pushed the stroller inside. "I bet you want to come out of there, huh?"

"Yes," Elizabeth replied in a sweet fashion. "Let's pway!"

"Alright, alright!" Misty laughed, walking over to the front of the stroller and lifting her giggling daughter out. "Ah! Who's my big girl, huh? Is it you, Lizzie?"

"Ya!" Elizabeth chirped. "I'm a big giwl, Mommy!"

Misty smiled and lowered the girl to her face in order to give the child a quick kiss before placing her down on the floor. As soon as she was there, however, Misty noticed something a little off with the girl.

On her right foot, Elizabeth was sporting a pink glitter ballet flat. She _should_ have been wearing the same shoe on the left, but instead, all Misty saw was a bare foot.

"Elizabeth," Misty began slowly, causing the toddler to turn around and look up in interest. "Where's your other shoe?"

The toddler looked down at her feet and then back up at her mother, wordlessly shrugging her shoulders.

"You don't know?" Misty gawked.

"Nuh uh."

"Oh…oh no," Misty groaned, burying her face in her hands. "This…this means your shoe fell off somewhere in the city, doesn't it? Because I _know _you left the house with two shoes on!"

"Me too," Elizabeth squeaked, batting her long, dark eyelashes at her flustered mother.

"Okay, well…we're going to play a _new_ game," Misty informed her daughter, whose eyes lit up at the prospect.

"What's it?" Elizabeth squealed.

"It's called 'go back out and find Elizabeth's shoe!'" Misty sighed, picking the toddler back up and placing her in her stroller once again.

"Dat sounds fun," Elizabeth commented, glancing up at her mother. Gasping, the child pointed out to the middle of the living room and cried, "Teddi! Teddi comes, too!"

Misty bit her lower lip and ventured out into the living room, picking up the stuffed Pokémon that Elizabeth had dropped on the floor once she'd been let out of the stroller.

"Hold onto him tight, okay?" Misty implored, holding the bear in front of Elizabeth. "Don't drop him like your shoe!"

"No, Mommy," Elizabeth refuted, holding her hands out towards the toy. "No dwop!"

"Good girl," Misty murmured, handing Teddi off to Elizabeth and smiling as the child snuggled the bear. "Before we leave, I think we should take your other shoe off. We don't need to lose that, either."

Misty knelt down and removed the girl's other pink flat, throwing it into the bottom basket of the stroller just in case she had to show it to someone in order to match it up to the missing shoe. In retrospect, losing the shoe was kind of Misty's fault. Almost all of Elizabeth's ballet flats had an elastic strap on them to prevent this kind of thing from happening. Except for this one particular pair. They didn't have elastics, but as soon as Elizabeth saw the pink and the glitter, there was no tearing her away from them. At least Misty now knew that Elizabeth wearing the strapless flats while riding in the stroller was a big no-no.

"Mommy?"

"More questions, huh, kiddo?"

"Yes."

"What is it, sprinkle?"

"My foots are cold," Elizabeth murmured, wiggling her toes.

"_Feet_," Misty corrected kindly, opening the door once again and pushing the stroller back outside.

"Feets," Elizabeth repeated.

"Your feet won't be cold out here," Misty assured the toddler. "It's summer! Your toes will be nice and warm in the sun."

"Sun!" Elizabeth squealed, leaning back in the stroller and kicking her legs up and down. "Mommy, let's gets tan!"

At that, Misty nearly choked on her own breath. "Elizabeth, where in the world did you learn that from?!"

Elizabeth sat back up in the stroller and looked up at Misty with a big smile. "Aunties!"

"Okay, well it's time to limit your alone time with aunties," Misty sighed, shaking her head. "Can't believe they taught my three year old what a _tan_ is…"

**XXX**

"Seriously, _where_ could this shoe be? How can I not find a bright pink, sparkly shoe? It's one of the most obnoxious things I've ever seen!"

"Hey, Misty!"

The woman stopped in her tracks, unintentionally narrowing her eyes as the source of the voice approached her. Elizabeth, who saw this figure as well, had a much different reaction. She let out a tiny squeak and shuffled further against the back of the stroller, shoulders pulling up towards her ears.

"Danny," Misty sighed, running a hand through her amber locks. "I'm sorry, I'd love to stay and talk, but I'm kind of-"

"Looking for something?"

Misty blinked and raised an eyebrow. "Yeah…how did you know?"

Smirking, Danny laughed just once and removed his hand from behind his back. "I only know of one person who wears things like this."

In his hand was the glittery pink ballet flat that perfectly matched the one in the basket of Elizabeth's stroller.

"Oh my gosh, you found Elizabeth's shoe!" Misty gasped, taking it from the young man. "Thank you so much, Danny!"

"Don't mention it!" Danny chuckled. "I was going out to the front of the store before to sweep, and that's when I found the shoe. Somehow, I just knew it belonged to Elizabeth! I was actually just heading towards your house to see if it was actually hers. But I'm glad I ran into you!"

"Yeah, we got all the way home, and it wasn't until then that I realized Elizabeth was missing _one _shoe," Misty grumbled.

"Like a modern day Cinderella!" Danny crooned, folding his arms across his chest and smiling at the toddler. In turn, she clutched Teddi tighter to her chest, staring up unblinking at the young man.

"I think someone needs to say thank you!" Misty trilled, walking over to the front of the stroller in order to lift Elizabeth out.

"Oh, wait!" Danny cried, catching Misty's attention. "I don't think you want to put her down without any shoes on."

Misty watched on with a smile as Danny reached into the basket of Elizabeth's stroller, retrieving the two glittery flats.

"Princess, may I put your shoes back on?" Danny asked the girl, bowing to her like a prince.

Elizabeth, in turn, whined and turned her head away, burying it in between Misty's neck and shoulder. Misty looked back at Danny and smiled. She had this all figured out. Somewhere along the line, Elizabeth had developed a crush on Danny. A sweet, innocent little crush. Of course, Elizabeth had no idea what a crush was. She just thought Danny was cute, and had a real affinity for him. Danny knew it too, and he liked to play along with Elizabeth.

"You're sure your girlfriend is okay with you flirting with a toddler?" Misty playfully asked the eighteen year old.

"Lacey thinks Elizabeth is the cutest thing in the entire world," Danny laughed. "And she thinks it's even cuter that Elizabeth's got a crush on me! Besides, how can I let this little cutie down? I've known her since she was just a little baby!"

Elizabeth finally picked her head up enough to look at Danny, a delicate blush visible on her cheeks.

"Lizzie, would you like Danny to give you your shoes back?" Misty asked.

This time, Elizabeth nodded her head. Chuckling, Danny glided forward and slipped each shoe onto its respective foot before backing off and smiling at the girl.

"There you go!" Danny crowed. "No more shoeless princesses wandering around the city!"

At long last, Elizabeth showed Danny a smile. A small one, one that was clearly impish and shaky. But it was a smile none the less.

"Thank Danny, baby girl," Misty sighed, finally placing the child on the ground in between them. Elizabeth stared up at Danny, hands tugging at the skirt of her pink crepe dress. Her feet, which were once again in the glittery pink ballet flats, scuffed nervously at the sidewalk.

"Fank you!" Elizabeth blurted out before running behind her mother and burying her face behind the woman's knees.

"You're very welcome, Lizzie," Danny laughed. "And you don't have to be so nervous around me! We're really great friends, right?"

Elizabeth peered out just a little bit, slowly nodding her head.

"Come here," Danny beckoned, kneeling down and holding his arms out. Knowing exactly what that meant, Elizabeth shrieked laughingly and ran into Danny's awaiting arms, giving the teenager as tight of a hug as she could manage. "Argh! You're a very good hugger, Lizzie!"

"I know," Elizabeth chirped before letting go and flitting back over to her mother.

"Are you ready to go back home now, little one?" Misty asked.

"Yes," Elizabeth replied quite definitively. "We gotta pway, Mommy!"

"Oh yes, we do still have to play," Misty agreed, picking Elizabeth up and sitting the toddler back down in her stroller. "We can't forget to play! That's very important."

Danny chuckled at Misty and Elizabeth's playful back and forth banter. "Oh, wait!"

Misty watched on curiously as Danny kneeled before the stroller. When he came back up, he was holding both of Elizabeth's ballet flats out towards Misty.

"I know you and Lizzie want to go play, but I don't think you want to play Cinderella again," Danny teased with a smirk.

"No," Misty confirmed, taking the shoes from Danny and throwing them into the basket. "We're _definitely_ done playing Cinderella."

* * *

><p><strong>Danny is Elizabeth's innocent little<strong> **crush ^^ Her fascination with him will come up some more later on as well. Hmm, maybe I should do a babysitting chapter with Danny! That'd be interesting :P**


	317. Pokemon Land

**Hey, guys! So, do you remember the episode where Ash, Misty, and Brock are attacked by the giant Pokémon who turn out to be robots? Of course you do! It's a classic! Well, a thought popped into my head. What would happen if, once it was turned back into a proper amusement park, they returned there? One of them has to be a little scarred, right?**

**The answer might surprise you ;)**

**Aiden and Michelle: 3 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Pokémon Land<strong>

"Ash, let's take the kids to Pokémon Land!"

Ash groaned and buried his face deeper into the pillow. That did nothing for him. He was soon being shaken by the shoulders, and when that didn't work, had knees digging into his lower back.

"Uuugh…Misty…"

"Come on, Ash!"

"I don't bother _you_ when _you're_ trying to take a nap," Ash grumbled, finally picking his head up from the pillow.

"Actually, you do," Misty deadpanned.

"Yeah, but for _important_ stuff."

"Asking me to make you lunch is not important, Ash."

"Well, I think it is!"

"Can you just listen to me? Please?" Misty pleaded.

"I'm listening," Ash sighed, putting the side of his head back down on the pillow.

"I think it'd be so much fun to take the twins to Pokémon Land," Misty continued, her voice sweet and airy. "It's so wonderful! They'd have so much fun. Just imagine how excited they'll be when they see all of those rides! Well, Aiden, anyway. But I'm sure there are things that Michelle won't be afraid of!"

"Michelle's practically afraid of the wind," Ash groggily reminded his wife. "A crowded amusement park is not going to be a thrill for her."

Narrowing her eyes, Misty leaned down further so her elbows were now spiking his upper back. Ash groaned, his exhaustion re-emerging as he tried to balance all of Misty's weight on his back.

"It'll be fun," Misty reiterated. "Michelle won't be scared, she'll be thrilled! It's been my dream to take them to Pokémon Land! Ever since they were born!"

"You've said that about a lot of things," Ash muttered.

"Because I have a lot of dreams for our children," Misty replied innocently. "I'm a good, passionate mom."

"Ugh, fine, we can take them," Ash decided, closing his eyes once again.

"Really?" Misty gasped.

"Yeah," Ash grumbled. "Just not today, and _only_ if you get off of my back."

"Oh, sorry," Misty giggled nervously, rolling off of her husband's back and onto the bed. "I forgot!"

"Mmm."

**XXX**

"Wow, guys, look at this place!"

Ash arched an eyebrow at Misty's excited squeal and glanced down at the stroller where the twins sat. Neither one looked very excited to be there…in fact, they both looked confused.

"Doesn't this look like so much fun?" Misty continued, pushing the twins' stroller down the walkway. "We're going to go on rides, and see all different kinds of Pokémon!"

While Misty was busy fussing over the amusement park to the twins, Ash took in his surroundings and raised an eyebrow. The beach setting he could see in the back of the park seemed very familiar for some strange reason. It was as though he had been there before.

"Mist, isn't this the place where we were almost killed by the gigantic, robotic Pokémon?" Ash asked slowly, his suspicions bubbling over.

"…yes…" Misty responded hesitantly.

"Huh, never realized that till now," Ash murmured.

"Well, originally this place was opened by Team Rocket to try and make more money for themselves," Misty recanted, rolling her eyes at the thought. "But after it got destroyed…by us…Team Rocket abandoned the property, and it was bought by people who actually _aren't_ evil and turned back into a wholesome amusement park!"

"Oh, good," Ash chuckled. "I wouldn't want to take our kids to a place run by Team Rocket!"

"Me either," Misty agreed. "But it's not anymore, thank goodness! And the twins are going to have the best time!"

"If you say so," Ash sighed.

"I do," Misty confirmed. "In fact, I think the first place we should go is the giant Pokémon ride!"

Ash's eyes widened at this. "Are you nuts?!"

"Relax, sweetheart!" Misty groaned. "That was _years_ ago! The ride is safe. The robot Pokémon aren't going to hurt the twins."

"I guess so…" Ash muttered. "I just can't stop imagining being stuck on that cart with those gigantic Pokémon chasing after us!"

"Po-mon?" Aiden crooned from his seat.

"Yes, sweetheart!" Misty giggled. "_Big_ Pokémon! You're going to be so amazed by it!"

Ash sighed and shook his head. He was glad Misty had managed to get over her fear of the amusement park. Unfortunately for him, those memories had never exactly subsided. He still had a rather uneasy feeling as they walked through the park, and couldn't help but to think that some giant robot was going to start chasing after him at any moment.

Sure, it sounded stupid, but what he had dealt with all those years ago had been pretty traumatic.

Ash walked alongside Misty and the stroller until they finally reached their destination: the Giant Pokémon Safari.

"Here it is!" Misty breathed, parking the twins' stroller alongside all of the others that were lining the fence. "Come on, Ash. Help me get the twins out."

Pressing his lips together, Ash knelt down and unbuckled Michelle, lifting the little girl out of the stroller. She still didn't look excited to be there, and for once, Ash could share in her feelings. Of course, the only reason _she_ wasn't excited was because she didn't like trying new things. Michelle had no idea about the time her parents were nearly killed by gigantic robots. Had she known that? There wasn't a chance that Ash and Misty would have been able to get her _into _the park.

"What dis?" Michelle murmured, pointing at the giant sign that marked the entrance to the ride.

"Oh, it's just a ride, princess!" Ash replied.

"Wha- kinda ride?"

"Well, you sit in a big car, and you get driven through a safari," Ash explained. "And you get to see some Pokémon!"

"Wha- kinda Po-mon?"

"Oh, lots," Ash chuckled, following Misty through the entrance to the ride. "I don't even know all of the Pokémon we'll see! Guess it's gonna be a surprise!"

Michelle let out a discontented noise at that. She really wasn't a fan of surprises, and Ash knew it. Smirking, Ash comfortingly patted the girl's back and kept on walking, hoping that she'd be able to keep her composure on the way to the ride.

**XXX**

"Michelle, sit down, sweetie."

"Why?"

"You can't be climbing all over me when the ride starts! You're gonna go flying, little princess."

Michelle looked up at her father with a completely blank expression, doing nothing but blinking her big, green eyes. With a loving smile, Ash held Michelle's chin between his fingers and tilted her head down in order to press a kiss atop of it, greatly amusing the little girl.

"Daddy!" Michelle squeaked, wrapping her arms around Ash's chest.

"Good girl," Ash chuckled, picking Michelle up and sitting the little girl down in his lap. "Let's sit now, okay? We can have fun on the ride together!"

Michelle giggled once again and clapped her hands together, looking out the side of the train car they were seated in.

"Well, Michelle sure looks excited!"

Ash looked over at his wife, who was sitting on his other side. She was smiling sweetly at him, Aiden seated on her own lap.

"Yeah, she's really jumpy," Ash chuckled. "I guess she's actually looking forward to this! There was no reason for me to worry, huh?"

"Of course not," Misty giggled. "You're so free spirited, but when it comes to the twins, you get so nervous! There's no need to be so worried, sweetheart."

"You're right," Ash hummed, "as always."

Suddenly, the train car began to move, much to Aiden and Michelle's delight. They began to roll into the "safari" that made up the main portion of the ride, and right away, Aiden became overly excited.

"Mommy, I wanna be cwoser!" Aiden cried, reaching out towards the window.

"Okay, buddy," Ash chuckled, reaching over and picking up the boy in order to put him closer to the window. "Make sure you leave enough room for your sister, okay? She wants to see, too!"

"Come –ere, Shelly!" Aiden urged, holding his hand out towards the girl.

Misty cooed sweetly as Michelle took her brother's hand, allowing the boy to pull her off of their father's lap and closer to the window. Although he knew Misty was right about being too worried, Ash still wanted to take precaution, so he held onto the back of both children's shirts, ensuring that neither one would fall out of the open window.

"Whoa! Chawizawd!"

Ash's ears perked at Aiden's squeaky voice. Looking over the twins' head, he managed to see the oversized fire type stomping around behind the trees. A twinge of anxiety bubbled in the bottom of his stomach, and he subconsciously held onto the twins' shirts more tightly.

"Daddy!" Aiden squeaked. "Dat's the most biggest Chawizawd _evew!_"

"Yeah, it's pretty cool, buddy," Ash muttered, his tone completely flat.

"Lookit! He's usin- fwamefrower!"

As the burst of fire shot through the sky, Ash gasped and lunged forward, holding both toddlers against his chest.

"Ash!" Misty scolded.

"It's okay, I'll protect both of you!" Ash cried, squeezing the children more tightly.

"Daddy!" Michelle whined, wiggling in her father's grasp.

"Chawizawd's not scawy!" Aiden argued, trying to push Ash's arm away.

"Ash, let go of them!" Misty growled, successfully removing her husband's arms from where they were stationed around the toddlers.

"Ah…" Ash stammered, looking over his shoulder in order to meet the angry gaze of Misty. "I'm sorry, honey."

Misty sighed and shook her head. "You don't have to be sorry, Ash. You didn't really do anything wrong. But…just try and clear your head, okay? Look, the twins are having fun! You should have fun, too."

"Right," Ash murmured, holding his hands up in the air. "Fun. Like the twins. Yeah."

With their father now off of them, Aiden and Michelle returned to the window of the train car, peering out into the faux safari in order to look for more "gigantic Pokémon."

Although he was no longer holding onto the twins, Ash still look distressed. Even from behind him, where his back was turned to her, Misty could tell Ash was anxious. His muscles were tense and rigid, giving him a much more intimidating look than usual. Smiling to herself, Misty began to rub Ash's back. Almost instantly, his muscles relaxed, and he let out a content sigh.

"Thank you," Ash muttered without turning around.

"Mmhm," Misty hummed, resting her head on Ash's shoulder and kissing his neck before turning her attention back onto the twins.

**XXX**

"Hewe, Daddy."

Ash blinked hard as something cold was pressed against his lips. Looking down, he realized that Michelle was holding her chocolate covered ice cream to his mouth.

"What, princess?" Ash breathed.

"Eat!" Michelle squeaked.

"That's your ice cream, baby!" Ash crooned. "It's for you to eat."

"Shawe!" Michelle urged.

Smirking, Ash took a small bite out of the ice cream before smiling at his daughter. "Mmm! That sure is yummy!"

"Yeah, Michelle clearly thinks so too."

Ash watched as Misty knelt down to wipe at the girl's face with a napkin. That was when Ash realized the toddler's entire mouth, and most of her face, was covered in chocolate.

"Whoa, someone made a mess," Ash chuckled. "You really dove into that ice cream, huh, princess?"

"I stuffeded it, Daddy," Michelle replied, whining as Misty went at her face again.

"I'm sorry, Shelly, but you are really a mess right now," Misty sighed.

"I'm surprised Aiden fell asleep before he could get a treat!" Ash laughed, peering into the stroller where Aiden was fast asleep, his head resting on his shoulder.

"Seeing all of those big Pokémon got him a bit too excited," Misty giggled. "It really wore him out!"

"Yeah, that makes two of us," Ash muttered, running a hand through his jet black hair.

Misty smirked and sat down on the bench beside Ash, sitting Michelle into her lap while she continued to busily eat her ice cream. "Except you were a _different_ kind of excited."

"Yeah," Ash chirped sarcastically. "If by excited you mean terrified."

"I didn't realize your post-traumatic stress from that incident was so bad," Misty muttered, frowning as she spoke. "I'm sorry, Ash."

"You don't have to apologize," Ash chuckled. "You were right about the twins loving this place. Even Michelle, which is pretty surprising!"

Ash reached over and rubbed his hand against the top of the girl's head. She was not to be deterred from her ice cream, however, and paid the action no mind.

"There's more to life than just me," Ash continued. "In fact, it's pretty much all about the twins now! It's our job to make them happy, take care of them, give them all kinds of different experiences. And they had the time of their life here. Just because _I _don't really like it doesn't mean the twins shouldn't enjoy it. Besides, I like to see them so happy! That makes up for me being a little…stressed."

"I'm glad," Misty sighed, cuddling up to Ash's side. "But I'm going to try not to stress you out again. Promise. I don't like seeing you so worked up, especially since it's so rare."

"Thanks, Mist," Ash murmured, slinging his arm around his wife's shoulders.

"And since you were _so_ good about it today, I'll give you some good stress relief later," Misty hummed, looking up at Ash and batting her eyelashes.

In turn, Ash's whole face turned bright red, his heart pounding valiantly against his chest. "Hey, Shelly, I might need some more of that ice cream…"

* * *

><p><strong>Ha, get it? Cause he needs to cool down. I'm terrible.<strong>

**So Misty really doesn't care about what happened in the past, and ASH is the one traumatized by it. Quite honestly, I would be too. But at least the twins had fun! And no one almost died this time, either :P**


	318. Adventure Awaits

**By far, one of my favorite things to have come out of XY so far is the pairing of Grant and Viola: fleuredegrandeshipping, for those of you who didn't know the name. I just think they're so cute together! So, I wanted to include them in the future-verse. Why not?**

**Aiden and Michelle: 9 years old**

**Elizabeth: 3 years old**

**Autumn: 10 years old**

**Cameron: 5 years old**

**Harlow: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Adventure Awaits<strong>

"Aiden, are you _sure _you know what you're doing?"

The boy glanced up at the girl who was teasing him and glared at her, spurred on even more as she threw in a smirk for good measure.

"Of course I do!" Aiden huffed, getting to his feet. "I'm a natural born climber!"

"We'll just see about that," the girl hummed, spinning around to pick up an unmarked blue mesh bag. She wrung it between her hands, watching intently as her palms became coated in pure white powder.

"Uh, what's that?" Aiden murmured, pointing at her coated hands.

"Chalk," the girl replied simply. "It keeps your hands from getting sweaty when you climb and reduces the risk of slipping."

"Wow, Autumn," Aiden marveled. "You sure know a lot about rock climbing!"

"Of course," Autumn replied through a smirk. "I've only been doing it for most of my life!"

Being the daughter of two gym leaders was interesting enough, but being the daughter of two gym leaders with intense side hobbies made life even _more_ interesting for young Autumn. At the tender age of ten, the girl was already strikingly beautiful. Her skin was darker, a mocha complexion that was _just_ light enough to see the pink of her cheeks. It looked even more gorgeous when combined with her olive green eyes, flecks of brown just barely visible in the light. Her hair, a medium shade of brown, was almost always twisted into a braid that rested in front of her right shoulder. Today was no different, and the light that was shining through the windows of the Cyllage City gym caused her natural blonde highlights to show up more than usual.

"Would you like some?" Autumn offered kindly. "It might help you out."

"Please, I don't _need_ help," Aiden scoffed. "But…I guess I could use some chalk."

Giggling just once, Autumn tossed the small bag at Aiden, her smile growing even more once the boy caught it hard, powdered chalk flying up towards his face and causing him to cough.

"You're certainly interesting, I'll give you that," Autumn commented, turning toward the rock wall and gripping two separate rocks with her chalk covered hands. "Come on! Let's get climbing!"

**XXX**

"Ash, where are Autumn and Aiden?"

The raven haired Pokémon Master glanced up at his wife, who was looking all around the room as though the two kids would pop out from behind some furniture.

"They decided to go rock climbing in the gym," Ash replied easily.

This, however, was not exactly a comforting response for Misty. Eyes widening, Misty folded her arms and cried, "seriously?! You let him go _rock climbing?!_"

"Mist, it's not a big deal," Ash assured his flustered wife. "Autumn is really experienced with it! She promised she'd help Aiden out. Besides, it's not like they're climbing alone. Grant made sure that one of his apprentices would be keeping an eye on them while they climbed."

"Oh, thank goodness," Misty sighed, covering her heart.

At this, Ash smirked mischievously. "Heh, you were just worried that Aiden would be scaling rocks unsupervised!"

"Well, yeah," Misty drawled. "The last time Aiden did something 'extreme' on his own, he broke his arm."

"Ah, the mountain boarding incident," Ash realized. "Yeah, that was pretty hard headed of him."

"Just a bit," Misty seethed through ground teeth.

"But this is different!" Ash refuted. "He's got protective gear this time, all of the right stuff. Last time, he just threw down a wooden board and went at it. That's what all of us kids in Pallet used to do! Can't say there were never any injuries, but you know."

"Country living at its finest?" Misty asked playfully.

"Hey, you know that I love Pallet, but I don't think anyone is going to try and convince you that living in the countryside is bustling and full of adventure," Ash chuckled. "You've pretty much got to make your own fun around there."

"Mommy! Daddy!"

Ash, who had been sitting on the floor with his back against the couch, laughed as he was tackled by a small girl, his back colliding against the couch.

"Whoa, fast girl!" Ash marveled. Elizabeth giggled herself and peered up at her father, brushing her bangs away from her eyes with a small hand. "What have you been up to, pumpkin?"

"I feeded the Pokémon!" Elizabeth squealed.

"Who's Pokémon?" Misty asked sweetly, kneeling beside Ash and their young daughter. "Grant's?"

"Yeah huh!" Elizabeth confirmed. "He's got lots of 'em! And they're all so _big!_"

"Elizabeth is certainly a wonderful helper! You must be proud, Misty."

The water type specialist smirked and looked over her shoulder just in time to see Grant entering the room.

"She's definitely a help to me," Misty giggled. "Feeding the Pokémon is her absolute favorite thing to do! Sometimes she can make a mess of it, but how much can you expect out of a three year old? She does what she can, right, sprinkle?"

"Yes, Mommy!" Elizabeth chirped, clasping her hands together. "I'm _so_ good!"

"She doesn't beat around the bush, either!" Grant laughed. "Sounds like someone else I know."

"Go! Onix!"

A stuffed version of the rock type went flying through the living room, Elizabeth watching it with her emerald green eyes. Once it landed right in front of the fire place, the person who had launched the toy followed suit, darting into the room with eyes only for the stuffed Pokémon.

"_Cameron_," Grant warned in a sing-song voice. "What have I said about throwing your toys around when there are guests over?"

"Don't," Cameron replied, picking his Onix back up as he stared at his father.

Cameron was a sweet boy who, just like his older sister, looked like the perfect mix of both his mother and father. His skin tone was the same shade as Autumn's, but his eyes were gray, the exact same color as Grant's. His hair was a lighter brown than Autumn's, though not by much, and instead of her blonde highlights, he had natural lowlights that were a nearly black dark brown. His hair was predominantly straight, save for the one small curl between his eyes.

"That's right," Grant replied with a smirk. "But you also know that _Mommy_ doesn't like it either, right?"

"Uh huh," Cameron murmured, hiding his mouth behind Onix's head. That's what he tended to do when he was trying to hide a smile he knew he shouldn't have on.

"Alright, Cam," Grant chuckled. "I'll keep this our little secret. Only if you promise not to do it again! Got it, bud?"

"Yes, Daddy," Cameron crooned before shuffling over to Elizabeth, holding his toy out. "Lizzie! Wanna play?"

"Okay," Elizabeth squeaked, jumping out of Ash's lap. "But onwy if I tell Onix what to do!"

"Okay!" Cameron laughed, sitting down on the floor and facing Onix at Elizabeth.

"Cam's just here to appeal to the ladies," Grant laughed. "I've got to say, for a five year old, he's pretty good at it!"

"He reminds me a lot of Aiden when he was that age," Misty remarked. "Except for the flintiness. Aiden never really cared about little girls. He was a firm believer in the cooties."

"Makes sense," Ash hummed. "I was too at that age."

"Why am I not surprised?" Misty muttered.

"Viola, you're such an amazing photographer!"

"Thank you, Michelle! I'm glad you liked my shots!"

With a big smile on her face, Michelle came flitting into the living room, right past an amused Grant.

"Mom, Dad, Viola took the most beautiful pictures!" Michelle gushed. "We went to this gorgeous meadow full of flowers! There were even some Pokémon there too! Like Butterfree and Flabébé! Viola knew exactly how to take pictures of each one. And she even let me take some, too! It was so much fun!"

"Flabébé?" Elizabeth squeaked, looking up at her older sister in interest.

"Yeah, they were so cute!" Michelle giggled. "I could show you all of the pictures we took, Lizzie! I bet you'll really like them!"

"Yeah!"

"When you two told me Michelle loved all different kinds of art, you weren't kidding!" Viola informed Ash and Misty. "I've never met a nine year old so interested in photography! Besides my own daughter, of course. She was so intrigued!"

"Michelle loves taking pictures," Misty giggled. "She doesn't have a professional camera like yours, but even with her own camera, she takes impressive pictures!"

"Yeah, I don't know what I like better," Ash remarked, "her drawings or her photos! She does both really well!"

"Though I'm not sure where she got all of that from…" Misty mused.

"Kids certainly are interesting, aren't they?" Grant wondered aloud, slinging one arm around Viola's shoulders. "Just like rocks! Each one is so different, so unique! But also so resilient with one purpose: to form a foundation for the future."

At this, Viola hummed curiously and raised an eyebrow. "Rocks are a foundation for the future, honey?"

"Rocks are a foundation for everything, my dear," Grant teased, winking at his wife. "Without them, we would never be able to ascend the great mountains of life!"

"Oh boy," Viola giggled. "You are _really_ on a roll today, huh?"

"Da-ddy!"

Grant's smile only widened when he heard that. Removing his arm from Viola's shoulders, he lifted the little girl out of his wife's arms, snuggling her as she giggled happily.

"My sweet little Harlow," Grant trilled. "I'm sure you had fun out with Mommy, now didn't you? You love going on all of Mommy's photography adventures!"

Harlow picked her head up from Grant's chest and smiled at the man. The youngest child of Grant and Viola shared the striking looks of her older sister and brother. The same mocha skin tone, light enough to see the blush on her cheeks, just like Autumn. Her eyes were hazel, though with more green than you would normally see in most hazel eyes. They did count as hazel, however, because there was more brown visible in her eyes than Autumn's olive green pair. Harlow's hair was the lightest shade of the three siblings: chestnut brown locks that ended just above her shoulders in a flood of wispy, delicate curls. Just like Autumn, she had natural blonde highlights scattered throughout that she had inherited from her mother.

"Harlow likes photography, too," Viola giggled. "And by that, I mean she enjoys_ being_ photographed."

"Pwetty!" Harlow squealed, pressing her hands against her cheeks.

"Yes, so humble," Grant snickered, kissing the toddler's forehead before placing her on the floor. "Why don't you go play with Cam and Lizzie, cutie pie?"

The girl toddled over to the two and cautiously sat down beside Elizabeth, leaning over to pat the stuffed Onix on its head.

"I've never understood how Harlow ended up being so delicate," Grant mused.

"Especially considering you're the _least _delicate person in the entire world," Viola teased, tapping her husband's nose.

"We wonder the same thing about Elizabeth," Ash chuckled. "It's pretty confusing how a regular old country boy and a super athletic tomboy could end up with a princess for a daughter."

"But we love our little princess, don't we?" Misty crooned, squeezing Ash's cheeks.

"Yeah!" Ash chuckled.

"Gross," Michelle grumbled, narrowing her eyes. "If you guys keep _that_ up, I'm gonna go rock climbing with Aiden."

At this, Cameron's jaw dropped. "Aiden went rock climbing?!"

"Yes," Viola replied. "With Autumn."

_Now_ the boy was not happy. He had developed quite the admiration for Aiden (which was understandable, seeing as he only had two sisters) and wanted to do whatever the boy was doing.

"I wanna go!" Cameron whined.

"Cameron, you're playing with Elizabeth and Harlow," Viola tried. "Why don't you just keep playing?"

"No," Cameron whined, pushing the stuffed Onix away from him. "I wanna go see Aiden!"

"It's not a bad idea, Vi," Grant piped up, using his nickname for Viola. "We could go see what those two are up to!"

"Yeah, make sure that Aiden hasn't fallen off the rocks or anything," Misty muttered, shaking her head.

"There you go worrying again," Ash teased, twirling a strand of Misty's hair around his finger.

"Come on, Mom," Michelle scoffed. "If Aiden falls off of anything, he probably deserves it! Maybe it'll put his brain back in order."

"MICHELLE!"

**XXX**

"Wow, Aiden! You made it to the top!"

The boy chuckled and beamed at his friend. "Of course I did! That wasn't so bad!"

"I'm impressed," Autumn admitted. "Most boys fail out before they even get halfway to the top."

"_Just_ boys?" Aiden questioned.

"Nah, a lot of trainers," Autumn replied with a giggle. "I like to watch them try, and usually fail! My dad says that's not very nice, but I can't help it!"

Over the course of a very short time, Aiden and Autumn had become good friends. Ash had become friends with both Grant and Viola back during his travels throughout Kalos, but Misty had only ever met the two gym leaders in passing. Once she had been properly introduced to Viola's older sister Alexa a few years prior, and learned that Viola and Grant were married with children close in age to her own, however, Misty had become more acquainted with the two, and now the families were actually fairly close. Interestingly enough, Aiden and Autumn had bonded the best out of any of the kids. They both actually had very similar personalities, and loved to run around and adventure with one another. In fact, she was one of the only girls who Aiden could stand.

"Hey Autumn?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm confused about something," Aiden began. "Since your dad is a rock type trainer, and your mom is a bug type trainer, and one likes rock climbing and the other one taking pictures…how come you're named after a season? I mean, isn't your brother kind of named after a camera?"

"No, he _is_ named after a camera," Autumn laughed. "And my sister is named for rocks. Well…her name _means _something about rocks. But for me, both of my parents are really into nature. It's like the one thing that ties rock climbing and photography together! I ended up being born on the first day of fall, so they decided to name me Autumn!"

"Oh, that makes sense!" Aiden crowed.

"Yep," Autumn chirped. "They always tell me had I been born any earlier, I probably would have been named Summer."

"That's funny," Aiden chuckled.

"So, I could ask _you_ the same question," Autumn teased, confusing Aiden. "I know for a fact that your name means 'little fire.' So why would your mom, who's a water type trainer, give her son a name that represents fire?"

"Oh, that's an easy one!" Aiden laughed. "My mom didn't pick my name! My dad did!"

"Uh…" Autumn trailed off.

"He had no idea it meant that," Aiden continued with a smirk. "He just liked the name a lot. My mom found it what it stood for a little later on. But she decided she liked it, because she could tell I was gonna be fiery. So, she thinks it really suits me!"

"That's interesting," Autumn hummed. "You're really interesting, Aiden!"

"Thanks, I guess," the boy murmured.

"Aiden! Autumn!"

Both children crawled over to the edge of the cliff and peered down, finding their parents and siblings to be staring up at them.

"Hey, guys!" Aiden greeted with a wave.

"You actually made it to the top?" Ash called.

"Yeah!" Aiden cheered. "I didn't even need Autumn's help! All she did was give me chalk!"

"Way to go, champ!" Ash cheered.

"He's taken after Ash in every single way," Grant remarked. "Incredible!"

"Yes, and Autumn's done the same with _you_," Viola teased. "I don't think our daughter's got a single ounce of me in her!"

"Yes I do!" Autumn called back playfully. "You know that I love taking pictures just as much as I love rock climbing, Mom!"

Viola snickered and raised a wry eyebrow. "Just as much?"

"Well…not _as_ much," Autumn admitted, earning laughter from the adults.

"Au-tie!" Harlow squealed, finally catching sight of her older sister.

"Pway!" Harlow cried, holding her tiny hands up towards the girl. "Pway wif me!"

"Aw, you want me to come down and play with you?" Autumn asked with a giggle. "Okay! Come on, Aiden!"

The boy's brown eyes widened as Autumn clambered towards the edge of the cliff. "What?! You mean we're climbing back down already?!"

"Yeah, I can't really say no to my little sister when she asks to play," Autumn sighed. "She's too cute! Aren't you the same way with Lizzie?"

"Yeah, but-"

"So let's go!"

Aiden groaned and threw his head. "But…I'm tired."

_Now_ Autumn couldn't help but to burst into giggles. "You're _tired?_"

"Just because I was actually able to climb up here on my own doesn't mean it was easy!" Aiden blurted, his cheeks turning a deep shade of red.

"Fine, take the elevator," Autumn conceded, much to Aiden's bewilderment. "Either way, I'll still beat you to the bottom."

Now _this_ set Aiden off. Narrowing his eyes, he headed straight for the edge of the cliff, dangling off of it as he steadied his feet on a jutting ledge of rock. "Oh yeah? Well, you're about to see _why_ my name means little fire!"

"Bring it on!"

Misty sighed and rolled her eyes. "Those two…"

"Hey, I think Autumn's good for Aiden!" Ash commented, causing his wife's eyes to nearly bulge out of her head.

"HUH?"

"Yeah," Ash replied as though it were obvious. "They make really great friends!"

"Oh," Misty groaned, smacking a hand against the front of her face. "You still don't get it, do you?"

"Huh? Get what? I'm confused."

* * *

><p><strong>Teehee, Misty thought Ash was talking about Autumn and Aiden together as a couple. He's got poor word choice :P They would look cute together, but I think of them more as very good friends! They do have a lot in common, after all ^^<strong>


	319. More Home Movies

**Consider this one a sequel to the previous home movies chapter. There were none of Elizabeth, so now it's her turn! They're showing them to her for a reason, though. What could it be?**

**Elizabeth: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>More Home Movies<strong>

"What's the matter, sprinkle?"

"I miss Denny and Shelly."

Misty frowned at her daughter's response. The little girl was lying down on the couch, one cheek pressed against the cushion with the other one up in the air, her face staring at the blank television screen. She had been acting this way ever since Aiden and Michelle had left on their journey, only getting up to eat or go to dance class. Otherwise, she just wanted to stay in one spot and really do nothing at all.

"Lizzie, you can't just sit there for the rest of your life," Misty comforted the child.

"No," Elizabeth agreed. "Just 'til I go."

"Until you go?" Misty reiterated.

"Yeah," Elizabeth murmured. "When I leave, too."

"Oh, you mean on your own journey?"

"Uh huh."

"Well, that's six whole years from now," Misty informed the girl. "Besides, Mommy doesn't want to think about that right now! I don't want to let my beautiful little girl go! You and I are each other's buddies, right?"

Elizabeth just whined in response. Not even the sound of a door opening could distract her. It did, however, catch Misty's attention, and she turned her head just in time to see Ash walking through the door.

"Hey, babe!" He greeted cheerfully before stopping in his tracks. "Wait…"

Misty watched as Ash's eyes shifted from side to side, his arms hanging idly out towards his sides.

"Yes?" Misty prodded.

"Something is off."

"What?"

"Elizabeth didn't come running up to me," Ash deducted with a frown. "She _always_ comes to meet me at the door!"

"Well, your littlest fan is lying other there," Misty informed her confused husband, pointing at the living room couch.

"Huh?" Ash murmured, moving towards the couch. "What do you mean?"

He peered over the back of the couch and was met with the sight of Elizabeth lying miserably in the center.

"Whoa, she looks rough," Ash muttered.

"Ash!" Misty gasped.

"She looks depressed!" Ash cried.

"I know this sounds strange, but I think she is…" Misty sighed.

"Mist, she's four years old," Ash murmured.

"I know, but she's just so miserable," Misty groaned. "All she says is that she misses Aiden and Michelle. She won't even play, Ash. I'm starting to get very worried."

Pursing his lips together, Ash leaned over the back of the couch and lifted Elizabeth up as though she were a sack of potatoes, laughing as he lifted her up. Elizabeth, however, had no reaction for him, and kept on a staid face in the entire time.

"Come on, Lizzie!" Ash chuckled. "Aren't you going to laugh for Daddy?"

"No."

Ash frowned and turned to face Misty, who shrugged in response. As he stood there sulking over his young daughter's lack of enthusiasm, Ash suddenly got an idea that he believed was rather brilliant.

"Hey, Lizzie?" He asked sweetly. "I've got a fun idea for all three of us! How about we all sit on the couch together and watch some of those home movies?"

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow in interest. "Princess movie?"

"No, the videos of you, Aiden, and Michelle when you were really little!" Ash chuckled. "We never _did_ get to watch any of you as a baby. Would you like to see some?"

"I guess…" Elizabeth muttered. She didn't sound overly enthralled, but it was better than any other response she had given so far.

"Awesome," Ash chuckled, sitting the little girl back down on the couch. "You can sit right between me and Mommy! And she'll come sit down with you while I put on one of the videos!"

Misty nodded with a smile and walked around the couch, sitting down on Elizabeth's left side. Ash, meanwhile, knelt before the TV and scanned the stacks of DVDs that were collected on the lower shelf of the stand.

"Ha! This one is actually marked!" Ash cheered. "So I _know _it's got Elizabeth in it."

The aforementioned child watched as her father opened up the DVD case and slipped the disc into the player. As it whirred, Ash got to his feet and joined his wife and daughter on the couch, sitting by Elizabeth's right side. Exchanging a playful smile with Misty, the young parents snuggled into their daughter, causing her to finally giggle for the first time in a long time.

"You're so cute!" Misty trilled, tapping the girl's nose.

"Yeah, and you've always been," Ash added, pointing at the screen. "Look!"

Elizabeth turned to look at the TV. As soon as she saw it, she let out a delighted squeal and held her fists beneath her chin.

"_Here's little Elizabeth! Finally at home!"_

_The camera was focused on a sleeping baby Elizabeth, who was inside of her carrier. Her pouty lips were parted just slightly open, making her small tongue visible. She was outfitted in a pair of white cotton pajamas, with three large, pink bows running down the front._

"I'm cute!" Elizabeth trilled, causing her parents to giggle.

"This was the day you came home from the hospital," Ash informed the little girl. "You'd never been at home before!"

"_Daddy, is she still sleepin?"_

"_Yeah, little buddy! She's just a baby. She needs lots of sleep."_

_A mop of black hair suddenly appeared on screen, sticking his head right near Elizabeth's._

"Aiden?" Elizabeth asked, pointing at the TV.

"Yep, that's your big brother!" Ash confirmed.

"_Whoa," Aiden murmured, lifting his head to look directly at the camera. "She's still really small!"_

"_She's not going to get any bigger after just a few days, champ," Ash chuckled. "She's gonna be small for a little while! That's why you're gonna help me and Mommy take care of her, right? You're going to be a good big brother?"_

_Aiden's eyes lit up as he rapidly nodded his head. "The bestest!"_

_Immediately after, the boy looked back down at Elizabeth and kissed her forehead._

"Oh my gosh!" Misty cooed. "That's one of the sweetest things I've ever seen! I don't ever remember watching this before! I didn't even know this happened!"

"I think you were upstairs resting at this point," Ash mused. "That's why I made sure to record it for you!"

"Aiden loves me," Elizabeth murmured, her smile widening.

"Aiden always loved you!" Misty giggled, tickling the girl's cheek. "He was so happy to have a little sister!"

_On the screen, Elizabeth began to let out squeaky, strangled cries, her tiny fists starting to flail by her face._

"_Uh oh, someone's getting fussy," Ash murmured. "Aiden, you want to do your first mission as big brother for me?"_

"_Yeah!" Aiden cheered._

"_Go into the bag by the front door and get me one of the pacifiers. Do you remember what they look like?"_

_Aiden nodded and ran over to the front door. Ash took the camera off of the whimpering Elizabeth and instead focused it on Aiden, who was now squatting in front of Elizabeth's diaper bag, digging through the front compartment._

"_Find it?" Ash asked._

_Aiden didn't respond right away, but after a few more seconds, he held his arm up, a pink pacifier in hand._

"_Good boy!" Ash cheered. "Give it to your little sister, now."_

_Aiden scurried back over to the carrier, Ash following him with the camera the entire time. Once he reached the carrier, Aiden knelt down next to it and gently coaxed the pacifier into Elizabeth's mouth._

"_There you go, baby," Aiden murmured._

_Elizabeth began to slowly suck on the pacifier, and in a matter of seconds, she was totally silent, as though nothing had ever happened._

"_I did it, Daddy!" Aiden gasped, looking up at his father with a beaming face._

"_You did!" Ash agreed. "Great job, buddy! I'm proud of you!"_

"_I did it," Aiden marveled, this time more quietly. His smile, however, was just as wide, and he still seemed just as enamored. With that grin still on his face, Aiden leaned over once again and kissed Elizabeth's cheek. "I did it, Lizzie!"_

Ash turned his head and looked over at Misty, who had her own smile on her face. In her emerald eyes were visible tears, and all of a sudden, Ash wasn't sure he had chosen to do the right thing.

"My sweet little boy," Misty whispered, shaking her head.

"Aiden helped me!" Elizabeth laughed.

"He didn't want to see you cry," Misty murmured. "He just wanted to help. He loves you so much, Lizzie."

"Mommy?"

"Mmhm?"

"You think dat Aiden thinks –bout me?" Elizabeth asked warmly.

"What, you mean while he's away?" Misty asked, leading Elizabeth to slowly nod her head. "Oh, I'm sure he does, sprinkle! I bet he thinks about you all the time."

"Kay," Elizabeth trilled, resting her head on Misty's shoulder.

"_Don't you look cute in the sink?"_

_Elizabeth mumbled and barely cracked open her sleepy eyes, staring at the camera through the small opening between her lids._

"_I bet Mommy is so excited that you're finally in the water!" Ash chuckled. "Even if it's just the sink. Right, Mommy?"_

"_You know me too well, Ash," Misty hummed, scooping up some water in her cupped hand and pouring it on the baby's bare chest._

"Why am I in a sink?" Elizabeth asked. "Am I fruit?"

"No, you're not fruit," Ash snorted.

"You're getting your first bath!" Misty giggled.

At this, Elizabeth's brow furrowed. "In the _sink?!_"

"When babies are first born, they're too tiny to put in the bathtub," Misty helpfully explained to her bewildered daughter. "Look at how small you are! Putting you in the bathtub would be very scary."

"Oh, yeah," Elizabeth murmured. "I am very tiny!"

Ash laughed at that. "Well, here you were only a few weeks old. So you're not much bigger than you were in the first one. Maybe just a little bit."

"I look sleepy," Elizabeth noted.

"You slept a lot when you first came home," Misty recanted. "You could barely even wake up for a bath!"

"_She's being nice and quiet so far," Ash noted. "Better than Aiden and Michelle."_

"_That's because she's pretty much asleep," Misty snorted._

"See?" Misty laughed. "I know!"

"_Let's just hope she stays asleep when it's time to wash her hair," Misty grumbled, scooping up some more water and slowly dripping it down on top of the baby's head. It dampened her dark red hair, earning a whine from the sleepy baby. Her eyes began to creak open again, this more widely than before. Slowly but surely, she was becoming more alert…and more unhappy._

"_You need the soap?" Ash asked._

"_Yes, please," Misty answered._

_Ash's hand suddenly appeared on the screen, handing Misty a light purple bottle full of baby soap. Taking it from him with one hand, Misty poured a dollop of soap onto the baby's body and began to lather her up, earning some more powerful whines from the baby._

"_Shh, no fussing," Misty whispered. "It's not so bad."_

_Elizabeth, however, seemed to disagree. She raised her arms up, face twisting as she started to howl. Groaning, Misty leaned over and began showering the baby's face with kisses, trying desperately to calm her down._

"_Why is Lizzie in the sink?"_

_Another red head popped up next to Misty, ponytail swinging wildly behind her as she gazed at the baby._

"_We're bathing her," Ash responded._

"_In the sink?!" Michelle exclaimed._

"Where have I heard this conversation before?" Ash chuckled.

"Me and Shelly thinks the same!" Elizabeth giggled.

"_Michelle, would you like to be a big help for Mommy and Daddy?" Misty asked._

"_Yes!" Michelle chirped, her eyes lighting up at the prospect._

"_Get some of that shampoo over there and pour it into my hand for me," Misty beckoned. "That way I don't have to let go of Lizzie."_

_Reaching across the counter, Michelle picked up the mint green bottle and opened the top, flipping the bottle upside down to pour the liquid into her mother's awaiting hand._

"_Thank you, sweetheart," Misty sighed, gently rubbing it into Elizabeth's head. This only made the baby's situation worse, as she began to splash around unhappily in the water._

"_Aw, poor Lizzie!" Michelle gasped, leaning in closer to the baby. "Why's she so cranky, Mommy?"_

"_This is just new for her, sweetie," Misty explained. "So she's a little bit uncomfortable right now. She's not in pain or anything!"_

"_That's good," Michelle squeaked, reaching out to rub underneath Elizabeth's chin. "You don't hafta be scared, Lizzie! That's just water! Mommy really likes water."_

_As Michelle paid her special attention, Elizabeth slowly began to settle down. Letting out a soft murmur, Elizabeth turned her head towards Michelle, finally opening her eyes all the way to stare at the older girl._

"_Mommy, look!" Michelle marveled._

"_Ah, she's finally awake!" Misty trilled. "All the way awake!"_

"_You're so silly, Lizzie," Michelle laughed. "You can't sleep through a bath!"_

_The baby let out a guttural noise, bending her arms back and wiggling her fingers as she continued to stare at Michelle._

"_Ticky ticky," Michelle whispered, still rubbing beneath Elizabeth's chin. Finally, the baby let out an awkward, clunky laugh, smiling weakly at her older sister. At that particular age, it was the best smile she could manage._

"_Look at that, you've made her so happy!" Misty laughed._

"_Way to go, Shelly!" Ash complimented the girl._

"_I did good!" Michelle cheered, smiling back at Elizabeth. "Yay, happy baby!"_

"That sweet little smile of yours," Misty crooned. "It was the funniest looking thing!"

"Hey!" Elizabeth cried.

"Babies that age can't really smile," Misty calmly explained to her flustered daughter. "But you tried your hardest! They were funny looking, but we knew what you were trying to do. And we loved it!"

"Yeah, those were my favorite!" Ash agreed. "And look who got it out of you!"

"Shelly!" Elizabeth squealed.

"She was always good at getting that silly smile out of you," Misty giggled. "You adored Michelle when you were a baby, Lizzie. Your eyes just sparkled when she showed up!"

"I still love Shelly, Mommy," Elizabeth murmured.

"I know you do, baby," Misty whispered, toying with the girl's hair.

"_I think Lizzie's ready for her breakfast!"_

_Elizabeth, who was older than she'd been in the first two videos, was sitting in her highchair, holding her white bib covered with pink polka dots in her chubby little hands. She was also busy looking around the room, paying her father absolutely no mind. _

"_Lizzie!" Ash trilled. "Look at Daddy!"_

_With her mouth still hanging open, the infant turned her head and stared right into the camera, eyes widening as she did so._

"_There's Daddy's little pumpkin!" Ash laughed. "Hi, sweetie!"_

_Elizabeth let go of her bib and instead reached out for the camera, tongue slowly peeking out as she concentrated on her prize._

"_Uh uh, this isn't food!" Ash cried, leaning back. Suddenly, the camera's view flipped over, a loud crashing noise sounding as the ceiling soon appeared on the screen. As Ash groaned, Elizabeth's giggles could be heard overpowering his sounds of pain._

"Daddy fell!" Elizabeth shrieked laughingly, pointing at the screen.

"Aha…I forgot about that," Ash chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.

"My husband, everyone," Misty sighed, shaking her head.

"Hey, I was trying to capture a beautiful moment!" Ash cried.

"That's great, except I hadn't even started feeding her yet," Misty snickered.

"_Oh, Ash, what did you do?"_

"_N-nothing!" _

_Misty leaned over, her towering figure appearing on screen. She had one eyebrow raised and her hands situated firmly on her hips. _

"_You're lying on your back in the middle of the kitchen," Misty sighed. "It's clearly _something_."_

"_Uh, I fell."_

"_Mmhm."_

"Ew, I'm still in my pajamas," Misty grumbled.

Ash furrowed his brow and held his hands up in bewilderment. "How can you tell?"

"I know what my pajamas look like!"

"Your pajamas from four years ago?"

"Yeah! Besides, that's my bedhead. That I know. I didn't even get a chance to brush it? Ick."

"Mommy, when we watch dese, you always talk –bout your hair," Elizabeth commented.

"She does, doesn't she?" Ash chuckled.

"It's not my fault I look gross," Misty muttered. "I mean, I guess it is. But still."

"You were too excited to feed Lizzie her solid food for the first time!" Ash crooned.

"Yeah, or I was up too late with her to function," Misty sighed.

"_Come on, you clumsy thing," Misty giggled, helping Ash back up along with the chair. "Let's get you upright again!"_

"_Thanks, Mist," Ash laughed, fully pointing the camera at her. She was wearing a flowy, powder blue shirt that fell off of one shoulder, leaving it bare, along with a pair of super short pajama shorts printed with flying paper airplanes. As she turned around and walked away from him, her shirt lifted up, revealing one bow at either side of her hips._

"_Where are you going, Mommy?" Ash teased._

_Misty stopped dead in her tracks and looked over her shoulder, smirking at Ash. "I'm going to get Elizabeth her food, Daddy. Do you really have to film my backside?"_

"_Yeah!" Ash chuckled. "Of course I do!"_

"_Why don't you film the baby instead?" Misty hummed, moving forward to the counter. "She's a lot more interesting than my butt."_

"_Depends on the day," Ash murmured as he turned the camera back onto Elizabeth._

"_ASH!" Misty scolded. _

_The young father chuckled huskily to himself as Elizabeth looked up at him, eyes twinkling with curiosity. She stretched her arms out to the sides, wiggling her fingers as she blinked her wide, green eyes. _

"_You're so cute!" Ash cooed. "Right?" _

"_Ah…" Elizabeth blabbered, sticking one finger in her mouth._

"_Uh oh, someone is hungry!" Ash trilled. "Mommy, Elizabeth wants to know where her food is!"_

"_Yeah?" Misty drawled. "In a few seconds, she's going to be wondering where her _Daddy _is."_

_Elizabeth smiled around her finger, as if she actually understood what her mother was saying._

"_No, don't laugh at that!" Ash hissed, only causing Elizabeth to laugh even more. "Man."_

"_Daddy!"_

_Ash grumbled as his body tumbled forward, the camera lens bumping into the tray of Elizabeth's high chair. A new set of giggles filled the air as two small hands reached for the lens, pulling it back up and then sharply to the left so her face was in view._

"_Michelle…" Ash groaned._

"_What are you filming?" Michelle chirped, her face only inches away from the camera at this point._

"_We're going to feed Elizabeth baby food for the first time," Ash replied. "Could you let go now, princess? My neck's starting to hurt."_

"_Oh, yeah!"_

_Michelle jumped off of her father, scurrying over to the side of Elizabeth's highchair. This captured the baby's attention, causing her to coo and look down at her big sister._

"_Lizzie's gonna eat!" Michelle sang, giggling afterwards. The baby added on to the jovial sounds, clapping her hands together and gurgling excitedly._

"_Okay, I have Lizzie's breakfast right here!"_

_Both Michelle and Elizabeth looked up as Misty walked back over to the highchair, placing a pink plastic bowl on the tray._

"_What's that?" Michelle asked, leaning over to examine the contents. When she saw it, she pulled a face of utter confusion, which led Misty to giggle. _

"_That is banana oatmeal!" Misty replied. "It's made especially for little babies like Lizzie!"_

_Pulling a chair closer to the infant, Misty picked up a spoon that was covered by purple rubber on the end and scooped up some of the oatmeal, moving it towards Elizabeth. The baby, in turn, sealed her lips shut, pulling back to distance herself from the offering._

"_Come on, Lizzie, open up!" Misty trilled. "This is yummy!"_

_Elizabeth whimpered and looked away, obviously not interested in the mush. _

"_Can I try, Mommy?" Michelle asked sweetly._

"_Sure," Misty breathed, handing the spoon over to Michelle. "Just be careful, okay?"_

"_Yeah!" Michelle giggled. She moved the spoon towards Elizabeth much faster, making just a touch of contact against her lips. This left some of the oatmeal on the baby's mouth, but she kept those lips sealed, refusing to let any of the food in._

"_Not working, huh?" Misty murmured._

"_No, Mommy," Michelle sighed._

"_Come on, Lizzie, you haven't eaten in a few hours!" Misty prodded. "You should be hungry by now!"_

_Elizabeth grumbled and patted a hand against the tray of her highchair, not bothering to look up at Misty._

"_Well _someone's_ being a grouch," Ash remarked. "And for once, it's not my wife!"_

_The camera suddenly whipped around to Misty, who had grabbed hold of the device. "Ash Ketchum, if you keep this up, we're gonna find out what your insides look like."_

"_Uh…does that mean you're gonna shove the camera down my throat, or does that mean you're gonna rip my intestines out with your bare hands?" Ash asked nervously. _

"_I'll let that be a surprise," Misty drawled with an evil smirk before returning the camera's focus to Elizabeth, who by now was just peering up at her parents and sister with an agitated glare._

"_Maybe she just doesn't like oatmeal," Michelle suggested._

"_But she's never had it before," Misty groaned. "How could she know?"_

"_Maybe she's smart!" Michelle trilled. "Smarter than Daddy."_

"_Michelle!" Ash scolded._

"_How come everyone's yellin-?"_

_Ash turned the camera towards the doorway, where Aiden was standing and tiredly rubbing his eye._

"_Well, look who finally woke up!" Misty crooned._

"_Yeah, cause you're all yellin-!" Aiden complained._

"_Sorry, sweetheart, we didn't mean to yell," Misty apologized. "We're just trying to feed Elizabeth is all! And she's not really cooperating with us."_

_Arching an eyebrow, Aiden scurried over to Elizabeth, leaning on the girl's tray and examining her for a few short seconds._

"_She doesn't have any food!" Aiden exclaimed._

"_It's right here," Misty replied, holding up the bowl._

"_Let me try!" Aiden cried, reaching out for it. Cautiously, Misty handed the plastic bowl off to Aiden, watching with intent eyes as the boy scooped up some more oatmeal with the spoon. "Open up, Lizzie!"_

_He moved the spoon towards her, making noises with his mouth as it approached her lips. Giggling, Elizabeth opened up and accepted the food, smiling back at Aiden as she gummed at the bite before swallowing the mouthful._

"_What?!" Misty gasped._

"_No way!" Michelle cried._

"_Aiden, how did you do that?" Ash asked._

"_I just made airplane noises," Aiden replied with a shrug. "Babies like that kind of stuff! I used to."_

_Misty glanced over at the camera, looking beyond it at her husband. "Seriously?"_

"_What?"_

"_How is that we've had three kids and we haven't figured this out by now?!" Misty bellowed, Elizabeth's shrieking laughter flooding in the background. _

"_Hey, don't look at me!" Ash cried. "I'm just the cameraman!"_

Elizabeth looked between both of her parents, who were wearing unamused looks on their faces. "You guys didn't know how to feed me."

"We knew how!" Misty groaned. "You just wouldn't work with us!"

"What's with all this 'we' stuff?" Ash grunted. "You and Michelle were the ones who couldn't get Elizabeth to open her mouth! I was an innocent bystander."

"Yeah, you're always _so_ innocent," Misty bit, rolling her eyes.

"Aiden was the smartest!" Elizabeth giggled.

"First time I've ever heard that one," Ash remarked.

"He took care of me," Elizabeth murmured, hugging herself as she smiled sheepishly. "Aiden loves me."

"Aiden and Michelle _both _love you," Misty assured the child. "Look at all of the nice things they did for you!"

"Yeah, Michelle might not have gotten it, but she sure tried to feed you," Ash continued. "Neither one of them ever hesitated to help you out!"

At this, Elizabeth giggled and pressed her palms against her cheeks, obviously enamored by such an idea. As she giggled, the video phone began to ring, causing Elizabeth to jump right off the couch.

"I'll get it!" Elizabeth squealed, racing into the kitchen. She was a very social little thing, and always volunteered to answer the phone for her parents.

"I didn't upset you, did I?" Ash asked his wife softly.

"Of course not," Misty replied, wrinkling her nose. "What makes you think that?"

"I saw you getting a little teary eyed," Ash explained. "I was afraid that maybe I'd made a mistake putting the videos on."

"No, you helped," Misty refuted, smiling at her husband. "Seeing them actually made me feel a lot better. It brought back good memories and made me forget about missing our babies for a little while. It was a nice distraction."

"As long as I didn't hurt you," Ash breathed, reaching to rest a hand on his wife's knee.

"Denny! Shelly!"

Upon hearing the unmistakable squeal of Elizabeth's excited voice, Ash and Misty exchanged shocked looks.

"They must have called home," Ash breathed, a smile soon appearing on his face.

"Come on!" Misty urged, grabbing her husband's hand and pulling him off the couch. "We have to go see them! I bet Elizabeth's going to tell them all about the videos we just watched!"

"Yeah, that'll be a fun reaction," Ash grumbled. "I'm sure I'll be thrown under the bus for that one!"

* * *

><p><strong>She just misses her big brother and sister is all :) But of course she knows they love her! Yay for sibling love :)<strong>


	320. Under the Sea

**I've been on such a roll with these one shots, you guys. Inspiration is everywhere! This one I got from the episode Hold the Phione :)**

**Aiden and Michelle: 8 years old**

**Elizabeth: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Under the Sea<strong>

"Glub glub glub…"

"Ash, please rein Elizabeth in."

Looking down, Ash caught sight of his and Misty's two year old on her knees, pressing her face against the submarine's porthole.

"Come on, Lizzie, let's keep our faces to ourselves," Ash chuckled, picking the girl up and sitting her on his lap.

"But Daddy, I wanna see Pokemons!" Elizabeth whined.

"You're going to see Pokémon," Ash assured the fussy toddler. "But we haven't even started moving yet! Besides, other people want to see the Pokémon too. You're not the only person in the submarine, pumpkin!"

"No," Elizabeth agreed, "but I'm the cutesest!"

"Yes, you are," Ash snickered.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, Lizzie?"

"Awe we gonna see Luvdiscs?"

"Maybe!"

"I gots 'em on me," Elizabeth squeaked, pulling out her cerulean blue t-shirt printed with pink and yellow Luvdisc.

"Yes, you do," Ash chuckled, gently patting the girl's hand. "Let's put your shirt down, now. You're a little too young for this kind of thing."

Elizabeth was confused by that comment, but put her shirt back down anyway. "Daddy, I down now?"

"No, you gotta stay with me," Ash replied. "Mommy doesn't want you wreaking havoc throughout the submarine!"

"I'm good!" Elizabeth wailed, throwing down her balled up fists.

"Shh," Ash hushed. Impressively, this calmed the girl down very quickly. She had a bit of a temper, inherited from her mother, but Elizabeth's bond with Ash was so strong and she was so close to him that it was easy for him to calm her down. Elizabeth pretty much listened to anything Ash said. Most of the time, anyway.

"Daddy," Elizabeth whined.

"What is it, baby?"

"I wan' Denny hold me now."

"I don't know if Aiden wants to hold you," Ash replied honestly.

"He will."

Sighing, Ash asked Misty to sit in his spot on the bench so he could try and hand Elizabeth off to Aiden. Misty, of course, found this to be absolutely adorable and took up his seat right away. With that secure, Ash carried Elizabeth towards another nearby porthole window, which Aiden and Michelle were sharing. Both siblings were quietly looking out into the water, obviously hoping to get a glimpse of some water types before the submarine started moving. Unlike Elizabeth, however, they knew it wasn't likely, having learned from their mother that water types didn't typically swim out that close to the shoreline and preferred to stay out further and deeper. That didn't stop them from looking, albeit without pressing their faces against the window and messing around…like Elizabeth.

"Aiden," Ash beckoned, causing the boy to look over his shoulder. "Elizabeth's been asking me if-"

"Hold me!" Elizabeth shrieked, holding her hands out towards Aiden.

At this, Aiden groaned and narrowed his eyes. "Do I have to?"

"Hold me," Elizabeth repeated, this time throwing in a pout for good measure.

"Okay, okay," Aiden sighed, standing up to take the toddler from Ash. He held her atop his arms, the little girl's pink and yellow tutu skirt curtaining his forearm. Settling back down into kneeling position, Aiden kept his head next to Elizabeth's, ensuring they could both see. As soon as she was back in front of the window, however, Elizabeth leaned forward, pressing both of her hands flat against the glass and attempting to do the same with her face.

"Aiden, make sure Elizabeth doesn't do that," Ash instructed the boy, pulling the little girl's hands away from the window as she wined. "She keeps trying it."

"I know what to do with her," Aiden assured his father, smirking up at the man. "She likes trouble, just like me. I can keep her out of it easy!"

"I'm good," Elizabeth commented, glancing up at her brother.

"No, you're not," Aiden refuted.

Elizabeth twisted her face and began to swing her turquoise sandal covered feet, which quickly brought Aiden's hand down to stop them in place.

"Hey!" Elizabeth cried.

"You're going to kick Michelle," Aiden calmly explained to the toddler. Hearing her name, Michelle looked down and realized that Aiden had a hand on Elizabeth's ankle. "You have to hold still."

"I still," Elizabeth repeated.

"Elizabeth, why don't you stand between me and Aiden?" Michelle asked sweetly. "That way his arms don't get tired, and you get your own space!"

"Kay," Elizabeth chirped, sliding easily out of Aiden's arms. She situated herself between her two siblings, occasionally standing on her tip toes to better see out the window.

Seeing that his children were now settled, and that Elizabeth was safe with Aiden and Michelle, Ash headed back over to the bench where Misty was sitting. He squeezed in next to her, the first thing he received in response being a sweet giggle.

"Aren't they just the sweetest?" Misty asked.

"Yeah, they're great!" Ash chuckled.

"I'm glad Aiden and Michelle are so good with her," Misty sighed. "My biggest fear was of them being bossy and excluding the way my sisters were with me. They never agreed to hold me or even share with me." Twisting her mouth, Misty let out a small huff and muttered, "Damn were they selfish."

At this, Ash chuckled. "Well, it's a good thing our kids aren't! Aiden and Michelle love Elizabeth. I mean, I wouldn't have blamed Aiden for saying no to holding Lizzie. He almost did, actually! But once she starts begging, neither of them can say no. Him or Michelle, I mean."

"I think we raised them very well," Misty boasted, proudly puffing her chest out.

"Well yeah, we're great parents!" Ash agreed cheerfully.

"And since the kids are having such a wonderful time together, that means you and I can enjoy the submarine ride ourselves," Misty hummed, resting her head on his shoulder. "I hope we get to see Luvdisc."

"Luvdisc?" Ash appreciated with a smirk. "Mist, you've got Luvdisc back at the gym!"

"I know, but they're _so romantic_," Misty sighed. "Don't you remember when you made me that little picnic inside of the gym, and all of the Luvdisc swam around us while we ate?"

"I do," Ash replied, still smiling at his enamored wife.

"They're called the rendezvous Pokémon for a reason," Misty giggled. "Besides, you know the old legend! If we see a school of Luvdisc swim by, we're destined to be in love forever!"

"I don't need to see a bunch of Luvdisc to know that, babe," Ash teased, nosing the top of his wife's head. "I know I'm going to love you forever! But since you love the Luvdisc so much, I hope we see some. For your sake."

"Aw, you're so sweet!" Misty giggled, hugging Ash's arm.

"I just didn't know you loved Luvdisc _that_ much," Ash mused.

"They're some of my favorites!" Misty giggled. "Why do you think I dressed Elizabeth in her Luvdisc shirt today?"

"Because they're water types?" Ash lamely guessed.

"Well yeah," Misty trilled. "But also because I've been hoping all day that we'll see some!"

Before either one knew it, the submarine was moving, beginning its slow descent beneath the water. Elizabeth oohed excitedly, having never seen anything like it before.

"Lookit, Denny!" Elizabeth squealed, tugging at her brother's red shirt. "Undew the watew!"

"Yeah, isn't it cool?" Aiden laughed. "It's a lot different than going underwater in the pool!"

"Whewe's Pokemons?" Elizabeth whined.

"It's still going to be a few more minutes until we see any Pokémon, Lizzie," Michelle calmly informed her little sister. "Just stay patient, okay?"

Obviously not liking that idea, Elizabeth turned around and ran back over to her parents. Completely oblivious to their lovey-dovey position, Elizabeth rested her head on Misty's knee and whined, "Mommy, I wan' Go-deen cwackews."

"Well, considering where we are right now, I can't tell if she's just excited to see the water types and it's _cute_, or if the fact that she's eating food in the shape of them is _scary_," Ash remarked.

"Nah, she just _loves_ her Goldeen crackers!" Misty giggled. "I'll give you some, sweetie."

Reaching into the mint green diaper bag, Misty pulled out a purple plastic cup and turned its clear plastic top until a small opening appeared, giving Elizabeth access to the food inside while keeping the cup spill proof.

"There you go, sprinkle," Misty crooned, handing the snack cup over to Elizabeth. "Make sure to share with Aiden and Michelle if they ask for some, alright?"

Elizabeth nodded slowly as she pulled out one of the cheese crackers and stuffed it in her mouth. As she chewed on the morsel, she scurried back over to Aiden and Michelle and squeezed in between them once again.

"Easy," Misty sighed, holding her hands out in victory.

"You're a good Mommy," Ash cooed, throwing his wife a playful smile.

"I've had a fair amount of practice," Misty laughed, resting her head in her hand as she gazed out the nearest porthole.

Back where Aiden, Michelle, and Elizabeth were taking up residence, the youngest of the trio was quickly shifting her emerald eyes side to side, raptly searching for any kind of water type. So far, however, she'd had no luck.

"Lizzie, look!"

The toddler squeaked upon hearing her name. Looking up, she found her older sister to be pointing at something outside the window. Turning her head, Elizabeth followed the finger until she saw a group of blue fish Pokémon swimming by, their mouths open to reveal four extremely sharp teeth per creature.

"Pokey," Elizabeth breathed, eyes widening.

"Those are Remoraid," Michelle informed her younger sister.

"Wemywaid," Elizabeth repeated, her youthful lisp impeding her ability to properly pronounce the name.

"See how sharp their teeth are?" Michelle giggled.

"I gots shawp teefs!" Elizabeth cried, opening her mouth to show Michelle her itty bitty baby teeth.

"I don't think they're as sharp as a Remoraid's," Michelle snickered.

"No way! Guys, look!"

Michelle and Elizabeth looked back out the window upon hearing Aiden's excited yelp. Just swimming past the window was one massive Pokémon, with a long body; dark blue on top and white for the underbelly. Its eyes were red, and were glowing brightly in a nearly menacing manner.

"Whoa," Michelle breathed. "Speaking of sharp teeth…"

Elizabeth let out a small squeak, unsure of what exactly she was looking at. The glowing eyes were definitely troubling her a bit, however.

"I can't believe we're so close to that Sharpedo!" Aiden exclaimed. "Check out how big it is!"

Elizabeth whined and took a tiny step back. As though he had sensed the toddler's fear, Sharpedo turned its head towards the window, the yellow star on its snout becoming visible. In one quick second, Sharpedo opened its mouth, revealing rows upon rows of vicious looking teeth before snapping it closed.

"MOMMY!" Elizabeth wailed, running back towards her parents.

After exchanging stunned looks with her husband, Misty bent down at the waist and lifted Elizabeth into her lap, watching on curiously as the toddler continued to whimper and fuss.

"What happened, baby?" Misty crooned.

"Scawy!" Elizabeth cried, pointing at the window.

Following her daughter's tiny finger, Misty saw the Sharpedo just as it was swimming up to the next window, its mouth closed this time.

"Wow, a Sharpedo!" Ash marveled, sounding just like his son. "That's so cool!"

"Nuh uh," Elizabeth muttered, shaking her head in disagreement. "Scawy."

"The Sharpedo isn't going to hurt you, baby," Misty murmured, kissing the top of the toddler's head. "You're safe in the submarine! Besides, he's just swimming around! Not doing anything bad."

"I sawed his teefs," Elizabeth murmured, eyes still full of terror. "Shawp!"

"Yeah, Sharpedo have very sharp teeth," Misty confirmed. "And when one falls out, a new one comes right back in!"

Elizabeth whined and shook her head, not exactly liking that information.

"But they do look a little scary, huh?" Misty murmured.

"I no wike," Elizabeth whimpered, looking away from the window.

"It's okay, no one is going to make you go near the Sharpedo again," Misty assured her upset daughter. "Do you want some juice? Will that make you feel better?"

Still frowning, Elizabeth quickly nodded her head. She was soon enough handed a dual tone pink sippy cup full of apple juice, which Elizabeth happily took by the side handles and began to drink out of.

"Well now I know what kind of Pokémon to never catch for Elizabeth," Ash said through a smirk.

"Yeah, I definitely wouldn't do that," Misty teased.

As Elizabeth drank her apple juice, the now content girl was once again able to look out the window. Right now, there were no other Pokémon swimming by, but after the Sharpedo encounter, Elizabeth found herself to be a little more patient than she'd been at first. Not removing the spout from her mouth, Elizabeth allowed her emerald eyes to flicker around, switching between the different portholes. As her eyes found their way back to the one closest to her and her parents, a group of familiar Pokémon swam by. Blinking just once, Elizabeth shifted her eyes from the window down to her t-shirt, and then back up to the window. Once she'd confirmed her suspicions, the girl's eyes widened, and she finally pulled the sippy cup out of her mouth.

"Mommy! Daddy!" She squeaked, gaining the duo's attention. "Wuvdisc!"

Gasping, both Ash and Misty looked out the window, and were amazed to see the pink, heart shaped Pokémon fluttering past the window.

"Look at how many there are!" Ash marveled.

"And they're so cute!" Misty squealed.

"Wuv-wen!" Elizabeth exclaimed, looking up at her mother.

"What are you saying, baby?" Misty asked sweetly. "Luvren?"

"Yea!" Elizabeth giggled. "Wuv-wen!"

"Yes, Luvren is a Luvdisc!" Misty replied. "And so is Caserin! You're so smart, Lizzie!"

"I smawt!" Elizabeth repeated, beaming afterwards.

Chuckling, Ash plucked Elizabeth off of Misty's lap, instead choosing to sit her in his own. Elizabeth titled her head back to smile at him before putting the spout in her mouth once again, drinking more apple juice out of the cup.

"Seeing Luvdisc is good, right, Lizzie?"

"Why?" Elizabeth squawked.

"Because it means we'll love each other forever!" Ash replied.

"I wuv you f-evew now, Daddy!" Elizabeth giggled.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yea."

Misty smiled at Ash, who was too absorbed in his conversation with Elizabeth. Eyes sparkling, Ash let out a short laugh before asking, "you really already knew that, huh, Lizzie?"

"Uh huh. I wuv you."

Positively beaming, Ash snuggled Elizabeth closer to him, resting his head atop her own as he looked over at Misty.

"Now _I'm_ really glad we got to see Luvdisc," Ash murmured, his smile actually widening as he spoke. "Everything they say about them is true!"

* * *

><p><strong>Can't you just imagine little Elizabeth running around a submarine, excited about all of the Pokémon? And...scared of the bigger, scarier ones? She loves most Pokémon, but if she gets scared...look out.<strong>


	321. Baby's First Festival

**How is it August already? Like, for real? We're getting a BIT too close to school for my comfort!**

**Oh well. Time to make the most out of what I got left! And of course, in this little futureverse, the beginning of August marks the Water Festival of Cerulean City! So, to coincide with the one shot I have coming out in a few days for Elizabeth's birthday, here's one about her very first festival! FLUFF WARNING AHEAD!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 6 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 11 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Baby's First Festival<strong>

"Hey, Lizzie! Look at this wand! Isn't it cool?"

The baby's emerald eyes widened as a shining blue orb was moved close to her face. Cooing out of both delight and wonder, Elizabeth reached up with her little hands and tried to grab at the glass sphere. Aiden, in turn, moved it further away from her, causing the baby to shriek. Chuckling, Aiden moved it closer to her once again, and repeated this action a few more times until Misty finally realized her prop was missing.

"Oh, Aiden."

The little boy gasped as the stick was removed from his hands. Whipping around, he was relieved to see it was only his mother who had taken it back.

"Mommy, I was just showing Elizabeth your wand!" Aiden crowed.

"That was very sweet of you, dear," Misty giggled. "But it's not a wand! It's a scepter!"

"Sorry," Aiden apologized. "A seepter."

"Yeah, something like that," Misty hummed.

"I think she really liked it," Aiden continued, peering over the edge of Elizabeth's stroller. The baby smiled up at him and reached for his face, successfully getting a hold of his nose. Groaning unappreciatively, Aiden took a step back, causing the baby to giggle once again. "She liked my nose, too."

At this, Misty laughed. "Aw, she loves you! That's why."

Reaching into the stroller after putting her scepter down, Misty lifted the cooing infant out and into her arms, holding the little one against her body.

"Mommy, Lizzie's never been at the festival before!" Aiden breathed, his eyes widening at the prospect.

"Nope!" Misty chirped. "This is her first one! Isn't that right, my little water princess?"

"Mama!" Elizabeth squeaked, reaching up for her mother's face. She had been dressed perfectly for the occasion: in a white and cotton candy blue striped dress with a pastel pink bow at each thick strap, and pink piping around her waist.

"Everyone is going to make a big fuss over you, because you were born during the festival last year," Misty murmured to the baby, who was looking around the room in seeming disinterest. "But you're not going to get scared, right? No, you _love_ the attention! You're like a little superstar!"

Elizabeth turned her head back to Misty and smiled at her, causing Misty to smile back. With a single giggle, Elizabeth reached up for her head and carelessly pulled the pink bow out of her hair, waving it around in her hand as she shrieked laughingly.

"Yeah, you love the attention," Misty sighed, taking the bow out of Elizabeth's hand. "Come on, let's pass you off to Daddy! Mommy has to get ready to give her speech now. Come on, Aiden!"

"Kay!" Aiden trilled, scurrying after his mother.

The duo quickly enough found Ash standing right down the hallway, leaning against the wall with his arms folded against his chest, watching Michelle as she ran around in circles, waving a little flag with a big smile on her face as Pikachu followed suit.

"What are you two up to?" Misty asked kindly.

"Michelle got a little present from Marco," Ash chuckled. "As you can see, she's pretty excited about it."

"I got a flag!" Michelle giggled, running up to Misty in order to show off the gift. "Look at how shiny it is!"

"Yes, it's beautiful!" Misty agreed.

"I'm gonna wave it around when you go up and talk," Michelle informed her mother, holding the flag against her heart. "Cause I'm proud of you, Mommy!"

"Aw, thank you, sweetie!" Misty crooned.

"Shelly, doesn't Mommy look so beautiful in her dress?" Ash asked, finally taking himself off of the wall.

"Yeah!" Michelle cheered. "It's my most favorite!"

"I'm just glad I was able to fit back into it," Misty muttered, placing her hands on her hips. "I mean, I _did _have a year, but still."

"Hey, as long as _you're_ the one wearing the dress, and not me, everything is okay," Ash teased.

"You'll never let me forget that, will you?" Misty trilled.

Ash's face went blank at that question. "I had to stand before all of Cerulean City wearing a skin tight dress, make up, and a wig. No."

"Well, that's my job again, so you don't have to worry about a thing," Misty teased. Still smirking, she handed Elizabeth off to Ash, watching as the baby murmured and kicked her legs back and forth. "Oh, by the way, she pulled this out of her hair. Try and put it back in for me, okay?"

Ash held his hand out and allowed Misty to drop the pink bow in his hand.

"Uh…" Ash stammered, staring at the hair accessory.

"Thank you, sweetheart!" Misty trilled, kissing Ash on the cheek. "You're such a big help! And you two…" She glanced down at Aiden and Michelle, who were both staring up innocently at her. "Behave for Daddy, okay? I'll see you as soon as I'm done with my speech!"

"Okay, Mommy!" They trilled simultaneously.

As Misty walked away, Ash was busy trying to wrangle Elizabeth and place the bow back in her hair. His incoherent grumbling and the baby's miserable whining managed to catch the twins' attention. They looked up to find him with one arm wrapped around the baby, the other one struggling to clip the bow into her hair.

"Come on, Lizzie," Ash groaned. "Hold still!"

Despite the baby's wiggling, Ash managed to get the bow back in her hair. Unfortunately, he had clipped it right in the front, where it was now awkwardly placed on her bangs, right between her eyes.

"Daddy, she looks silly!" Aiden laughed.

"I don't know anything about little girls and their hair and bows!" Ash whined.

"I can fix it!" Michelle announced, throwing her hand up in the air. Blinking his eyes, Ash knelt down and allowed Michelle to get close to the baby. Unclipping the misplaced bow, Michelle hummed softly to herself, observing the baby to try and figure out where the best place to put the bow was. Elizabeth, on the other hand, simply giggled and reached out for her older sister, curling her fingers in want.

"Ma!" Elizabeth squealed.

"Ah! Here!" Michelle breathed. Moving the bow to the left side of the girl's head, Michelle easily clipped it in, smiling afterwards. "Perfect!"

Humming to himself, Ash turned Elizabeth around and beamed at her. "Wow, Shelly, that looks great!"

"Yeah, better than what Daddy did," Aiden remarked, earning a glare from his father.

"Thank you!" Michelle giggled.

"Now that _that's_ fixed, let's go watch Mommy!" Ash decided. He got back to his feet and walked towards the room, Aiden and Michelle chasing after him. Misty gave her annual festival speech to the citizens of Cerulean from the balcony of city hall. Nearly everyone who lived there, including tons of visitors and tourists, stood low on the ground before her. Her family, on the other hand, got to watch it from inside city hall, in the room from which the balcony extended. Of course, that meant they had to watch Misty from behind, but with three little kids, Ash would have rather kept them contained in one room instead of in a sea of people.

"Mama!"

Ash looked down and found Elizabeth holding her hand out towards Misty.

"Yeah, that's Mama!" Ash chuckled.

"Mama ba! Mama ba!"

"I'm not totally sure what that means," Ash admitted with a laugh. "But we're gonna listen to Mama, okay? You want to hear her speech, right, pumpkin?"

Elizabeth started to whimper as she pointed to the ground. "Da! Da!"

"Okay, okay," Ash hushed, placing the baby on the floor. "Just stop yelling, little girl."

Smiling contently, Elizabeth steadied herself on her hands and knees and began to crawl around as quickly as she possibly could. Ash kept a close eye on her, making sure that she wasn't about to find her way out onto the balcony. Unfortunately for him and Misty, Elizabeth was now at the age where she was becoming very adventurous, and a little bit more independent. She wanted to crawl around _everywhere_, and it was hard to hold onto her when she didn't want to be held.

Unfortunately, doing this distracted Ash from Misty's speech. It really wasn't even a long speech to begin with, but having to trail a nearly one year old who was weaving in and out of various city representatives, and trying quite valiantly to get herself into trouble by tugging at furniture and opening drawers, didn't help. In fact, he was amazed that Aiden and Michelle had managed to stay in one place during it and not get distracted by all of the movement he'd done.

Once he heard the raucous applause, and saw Misty turn to re-enter the room, Ash bent down and quickly lifted Elizabeth up, instantly angering the baby. She started to fuss, and by the time Misty was back in the room, Elizabeth was full out wailing.

"What happened?" Misty asked breathlessly.

"I picked her up," Ash replied simply. "Needless to say, she wasn't alright with that."

"Oh, she was crawling around," Misty murmured.

"And trying to get into everything," Ash grumbled. "I missed your whole speech! Sorry, Mist."

"That's just fine," Misty assured with a smile. "Keeping Elizabeth out of danger is much more important to me! And with so many people in here, I'm just glad she wasn't stepped on."

"Me too," Ash agreed.

"Well, I need to get changed before I go down and do anything else," Misty sighed. "How about I take Elizabeth off your hands for now? I'll try to calm her down."

"Sounds great," Ash chuckled tiredly, handing the screaming baby off to Misty. "Thanks, babe."

"Aiden, Michelle, do you want to head out with Daddy?" Misty asked.

"No, I wanna stay with you!" Michelle chirped, running up to her mother's side.

"I wanna go with Daddy," Aiden decided.

"We can just meet up on the street," Ash announced, pulling Aiden closer to him. "I'll keep my poke gear on."

"Perfect," Misty sighed, balancing the unhappy Elizabeth on her hip. "And try not to feed Aiden too many sweets, please! It's barely eleven o'clock in the morning."

"Got it," Ash droned, reaching down for his son's hand. "Come on, champ. Let's go see what the festival has to offer this year!"

**XXX**

"Whoa! Daddy, lookit that!"

"What, champ?"

"The cotton candy! They put it in a Froakie toy! It looks like his frubbles!"

"Hey, you're right!" Ash marveled, catching sight of the treat. "That's so cool!"

"Can I have it?" Aiden pleaded, grabbing onto his father's pants.

Ash smiled sympathetically at his young son. "You remember what Mommy said, buddy! No sweets!"

"No," Aiden refuted. "She said not _too_ many."

Ash's brow furrowed. "Of all times to start listening to what Mommy says, you choose now?"

"Yeah, cause it's –bout food."

Ash couldn't help but to snicker at that response. "Alright, alright. I'll get you some Froakie cotton candy. But that's it! For now. Okay?"

"Got it!" Aiden chirped, tugging at the bill of his bright yellow baseball cap.

**XXX**

"Shelly, keep a sharp eye out for Daddy and Aiden, okay?"

"Kay. But Mommy?"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Why don't you just call him?" Michelle asked, glancing up at her mother.

"That would be ideal," Misty admitted, blushing delicately. "But I've kind of got my hands full at the moment."

Her hands were resting over where her stomach should be. Between them, however, was Elizabeth in her body carrier, whining and fussing. Even after a feeding and some singing from her mother, Elizabeth was still grouchy. Misty knew that putting the baby in her stroller would only make things worse, and that pushing that big thing around the crowded festival grounds was too difficult anyway. So, she had put the baby in the body carrier, figuring Elizabeth might be happier to at least dangle her legs.

Clearly, that wasn't making much of a difference.

So, as Misty walked, she kept her hands on Elizabeth and occasionally bounced up and down, trying to soothe the antsy infant. That, however, wasn't helping out much either.

"Please, Lizzie," Misty sighed, holding a hand against the baby's head to gently press it against her chest. "Mommy's trying! You're not cooperating."

Misty and Michelle stopped in place, Elizabeth's cries only intensifying. Letting out a desolate whine, Misty sped up her bouncing, hoping by some miracle it would settle Elizabeth down.

"I don't see Daddy anywhere," Michelle whined through a sulk. "Or Aiden."

"Yeah, it's a little too crowded around here," Misty sighed.

"Misty!"

Hearing her voice, Misty spun around and was pleasantly surprised to see her hairdresser approaching her.

"Hi, Cassandra!" Misty greeted.

"Oh my gosh, look at the baby!" Cassandra squealed, bending at the knees just enough so she was at eye level with Elizabeth. "She is the cutest little cupcake I have _ever _seen!"

"Hey!"

Looking over at Misty's side, Cassandra giggled and bowed her head apologetically. "Michelle! You silly girl, don't you know that you're just as beautiful? I've told you that since _you _were just a baby!"

"Yeah!" Michelle trilled before giggling.

"Elizabeth definitely is cute, but she'd be even _cuter_ if she'd stop fussing," Misty sighed.

"Yeah, she does seem a little upset," Cassandra noted. "Do you have any idea why?"

"She's really into crawling right now and doesn't necessarily like being confined by me and Ash when she feels like scooting," Misty scoffed. "But needless to say, the Water Festival isn't exactly the best place for a mobile baby."

"Cause Lizzie will get stepped on!" Michelle added, tugging at the pretty bow on the right strap of her mint green tank top.

"Yes, she will," Misty sighed, smiling at Cassandra.

"Well, perhaps little Lizzie will cheer up once she gets my gift!" Cassandra giggled.

"You got Elizabeth a gift?" Misty questioned.

"Of course!" Cassandra trilled. "After all, her first birthday is in just four days! And she's the first baby ever born to a gym leader during the festival! Since this is also her _first _festival, that means she gets a nice little gift!"

Misty watched as Cassandra reached into her bag, pulling out a tiny tiara dotted with blue gemstones.

"Tada!" Cassandra laughed. "A tiara for the water princess!"

At this, Misty's jaw dropped. "Cassandra…you bought a _one year old_ a tiara?"

"Don't worry, Misty, it's not a real tiara!" Cassandra assured the woman. "It's just something that we sell at the salon! But how can we have a water princess without a tiara?"

Michelle watched on with a scowl as Cassandra placed the tiara on top of Elizabeth's head, making sure not to disturb the bow that was clipped onto the left side of her head.

"There!" Cassandra breathed. "Perfect!"

And then, as though it were a miracle, Elizabeth stopped fussing. She made a small noise of interest and looked up at Cassandra, blinking her wide, emerald eyes.

"Wow, Cassandra, you did it!" Misty breathed.

"I've always been very good with babies," the hairdresser admitted with a smirk.

"Mommy…"

Misty glanced down at Michelle, who was pouting with her arms folded against her chest. It was obvious that she was upset, and Misty was pretty sure she knew about what, but she also knew that Michelle would never voice her upset in front of someone else.

"What's wrong, Michelle?" Misty murmured.

"How come Lizzie gets a crown?" Michelle grumbled. "_I'm_ Daddy's princess._ I _get called princess."

Before Misty could respond, Cassandra giggled and piped up, "don't worry, Michelle! I wasn't about to leave you out, sweetheart."

The young girl watched as Cassandra went into her bag once again, pulling out a second tiara. This one was bigger than the one she'd given to Elizabeth, and it had a mixture of both blue and green stones.

"Oh, it's so pretty!" Michelle marveled.

"I knew I picked out a good one!" Cassandra trilled. "May I crown you, Princess Michelle?"

"Yeah!" Michelle laughed, jumping forward.

Misty watched on with a smile as Cassandra carefully placed the tiara atop Michelle's head. It was so amusing. Michelle was not at all a girly girl. She didn't like dressing up, and really didn't even care about anything related to princesses. She only got defensive because Ash's special nickname for her was "princess," and it had been since the day she was born. So, whenever she got jealous, Michelle was more than pleased to wear a tiara on her head to show off her "princess status."

"There, two water princesses!" Cassandra squealed, clasping her hands together. "Aren't we just the luckiest citizens in the entire Pokémon world!"

Elizabeth giggled at Cassandra's excitement, clapping her hands together as she squealed.

"Oh, happy baby!" Misty trilled, bouncing Elizabeth once again. This time, it actually made the baby laugh even harder instead of doing absolutely nothing.

"Mommy, now that Lizzie's not crying, you can call Daddy!" Michelle informed her.

"You're right, sweetheart!" Misty laughed, reaching into her back pocket for her poke nav.

"No need, babe."

Misty yelped as another hand overlapped hers, a pair of lips against her cheek soon following.

"Ash," Misty murmured, rolling her eyes up towards the sky.

"I found you first!" He teased, feeling her hand slip out from beneath his. He kept his hand on her backside, however, finding it too good of a spot to move on from. "What happened to calling me, huh?"

"Our daughter was throwing a fit!" Misty cried. "I couldn't take my hands off of her!"

"Well, she's nice and quiet now!" Ash chuckled, lifting the baby out of her carrier. "Ah, I gotcha, baby girl. Hey, where'd that tiara come from?"

Elizabeth smiled at her father and reached up to gently touch the accessory with her fingers, squealing delightfully when she felt the metal against her skin.

"Cassandra gave it to her," Misty replied. "And look, she gave one to Michelle, too!"

"Well, that makes sense," Ash murmured. "They_ are_ the water princesses, after all!"

"And that makes Aiden the water _prince!_" Michelle giggled, pointing at her twin. For once, however, he had no response. Not even a protest. Instead, he was too busy stuffing his face with the Froakie cotton candy Ash had bought for him.

"Ash!" Misty gasped. "I said no sweets!"

"No, you said not _too many_," Ash refuted, using Aiden's example from before. "That's the only thing I got him!"

"Is good," Aiden murmured, looking up at his mother. He had cotton candy all over his face and mouth, and looked the very definition of a mess.

"Oh, Aiden," Misty sighed. "I think you've got more of that cotton candy _on _you than _in_ you."

"Just like when he was a baby, huh?" Ash chuckled.

"I need to get a napkin and clean you up," Misty informed the boy, reaching down to toy with his cap. "Before you end up getting your face stuck to something."

"Uh…too late on that one, Mist."

Humming, the woman looked down and realized that her son's cheek was attached to her bare calf, his chocolate brown eyes wandering up to look at her.

"…oops," he squeaked.

"And to think I was worried about _Elizabeth_ being the one underfoot," Misty muttered.

"See, Lizzie?" Ash crooned, tickling his baby daughter's stomach. "Isn't the festival lots of fun?"

"Ya!" Elizabeth squeaked, bringing a smile to Ash's face.

"Lizzie's having so much fun she doesn't even wanna crawl around anymore!" Michelle giggled.

"Nope!" Ash agreed. "Now the only person we have to worry about getting stepped on is your brother!"

"Mommy, don't walk so fast!"

"I'm _trying_, Aiden!"

* * *

><p><strong>Aiden will create trouble anywhere he goes. It really doesn't matter; he's gonna find a way to start something up :P<strong>

**So, hopefully you guys enjoyed this one! I really had fun writing it. Elizabeth's birthday one shot will be next...and that's gonna be REALLY fun and fluffy! Stay tuned!**


	322. First Birthday Bash

**And we're here! August 5th! Of course, that means it's Elizabeth's birthday! Yay! I realized I hadn't written her a first birthday one shot like I did for Aiden and Michelle, so here it is now! It's a bit fluffy, fair warning ;)**

**Aiden and Michelle: 6 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 1 year old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>First Birthday Bash<strong>

"Oh, Lizzie. What has your mommy done?"

Ash was holding onto his and Misty's one year old daughter, looking around the exquisite ballroom of the Imperial Shoreline Hotel. The resort just so happened to be the most elegant hotel in all of Cerulean, and was a personal favorite of Misty's. She often went to the resort's spa, and they had previously celebrated their engagement party and the twins' first birthday there. Now, it was Elizabeth's turn to have her first birthday fêted, and while Ash knew the party was going to be held at the hotel, he hadn't exactly expected to be met with such an extravagant display.

The room itself was already over-the-top: high open arches bordered by white pillars trimmed in gold, with massive, sophisticated crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The decorations, however, were a whole different story. Misty's sisters had helped in selecting the theme: first birthday princess. The color scheme was pink, white, and black, with tiaras and the pattern of damask visible all over the place. All of the tables featured white tablecloths, with the chairs dressed in alternating pink and black covers, the alternate color used as a sash on each one. A balloon bouquet was placed in the center of each table, made up of six white latex balloons printed with black damask, two pink crystal graphic stars, and one gigantic tiara balloon with a big "1" printed on the front. The lights shining from beneath the open arches had been changed to pink, causing the entire ceiling to take on the colorful hue.

"Pik!" Elizabeth squeaked, pointing at the balloons.

"Yeah, you see pink, don't you?" Ash murmured. "Lots and lots of pink."

"What do you think, Ash?"

The young man turned his head just in time to see his pretty wife bustling up to him. The party hadn't even started yet and she already looked a bit ruffled, her curly ponytail slowly beginning to fall out of place and the zipper running down the front of her color block dress pulled down to her chest.

"It looks fine," Ash assured his wife in a gentle manner, reaching out to zip her dress back up. "Just relax, babe."

Misty looked down in surprise, obviously not having realized she was almost falling out of her dress. "Oh! Thank you, Ashy."

"Don't mention it," Ash chuckled. "I might have liked that view, but even I know that's not totally appropriate for a baby's birthday party."

Misty glanced back up at her husband and smirked. "I didn't mean to almost put myself on display!"

"I know, it's because you've been running around like a headless Torchic," Ash sighed.

"Because I want everything to be-"

"Perfect."

"Yeah."

Ash smiled sadly at his wife. "Which is exactly what you were doing for Aiden and Michelle's first birthday. And it drove you nuts then, too!"

"Especially when everything _wasn't_ perfect," Misty muttered.

"Right," Ash laughed, offering his finger to baby Elizabeth as she began to fuss. "So there's no need to get so stressed out! Whatever happens…happens. The room looks great, Elizabeth looks cute…everything is fine so far. You need to enjoy this day too, sweetheart!"

"You're right," Misty sighed, smirking at her husband. "I don't understand how you can be so dense yet be so good at making me feel better whenever I'm all worked up."

"If there's anything I know, it's my Mist," Ash teased.

Elizabeth's whines became increasingly louder, her brow furrowing as she moved Ash's finger away from her. Making a soothing "shh" sound, Ash started bouncing the baby up and down, trying to calm her down.

"Hey, come on, baby girl!" Ash chirped. "You can't cry at your own birthday party! You're supposed to be having fun!"

As Ash talked to the baby, her whimpering slowly began to die down, and she was soon doing nothing more but sniffling.

"I see how it is," Misty murmured, catching Ash's attention. "She started to fuss as soon you began to talking to _me_. Once your attention was back on _her_, though, she calmed down! What a little manipulator!"

"You just want to hear Daddy talk to you?" Ash cooed, kissing the baby's cheek.

"Dada," Elizabeth repeated, reaching up for his face.

"Aw, my sweet baby," Ash breathed, kissing her nose. "I can't believe how big and smart you've gotten! You used to be _so_ tiny. Did you know that? You were so tiny!"

Elizabeth smiled back at her father and giggled just once. She couldn't exactly respond, and she probably didn't understand exactly what he was saying, but she sure liked his voice. It was one of her favorite things! Ash knew that too, and continued babbling away to her in order to keep the baby content. It also seemed to be keeping Misty's mind off of things, which could only help.

"You know where you were one year ago?" Ash asked, his smile growing as the baby stuffed her fingers into her mouth. "Right in there!"

Ash pointed out at Misty's stomach, which was now perfectly flat. Elizabeth followed her father's finger and stared at her mother's stomach, causing Misty to giggle as she unconsciously laid a hand there.

"Mama?" Elizabeth questioned.

"Yeah, you were in Mama's tummy!" Ash chuckled, pulling Misty into them and rubbing her midsection. "She had a big, big belly, and little you was in there. And I used to put my hand there and feel you kick all day long! You sure kicked Mama an awful lot, you naughty little thing!"

Elizabeth giggled once again and rested her head on Ash's shoulder.

"And then one day, you were here!" Ash finished. "It was really late at night, and it took a really long time. But in the end, we got you! You showed up and you were so cute, and Mommy and I loved you right away."

"But we always loved you," Misty cooed, snuggling into Ash as she kissed Elizabeth's face. "We loved you from the minute we knew we were going to have you! And we loved you for all of those months before you were born. Even when you wouldn't stop kicking me, or moving around at night…I always loved you, my little sprinkle."

Still smiling, Ash gently pressed Misty's cheek down onto Elizabeth's and kissed both of their foreheads at the same time. Elizabeth shrieked delightedly and reached up to wrap her arm around Misty's face. Misty, on the other hand, let out her own giggle and turned her head to kiss Elizabeth's temple.

"We've got a happy baby now!" Misty murmured against Elizabeth's skin. "Right, sprinkle? You're a happy girl now that you've got all of Mommy and Daddy's attention?"

Elizabeth mumbled to herself and reached out towards her mother, grabbing onto the zipper of the woman's dress in order to toy with it. After a few tugs, the baby managed to pull it down ever so slightly, causing her to shriek excitedly.

"Hey, you undid my work," Ash playfully complained. Not even his voice was working to regain Elizabeth's attention, however. She was too busy staring at her mother, fingers still lingering towards the zipper of her dress.

"Ash, I'm going to nurse Elizabeth before the guests arrive," Misty informed her husband, taking the baby from him. "It'll help calm both of us down, and I see her eyeing me anyway. Is that right, Lizzie? I know what you want!"

"Mama," Elizabeth squeaked, burying her face into the opening of her mother's dress to try and get her food.

"Whoa, okay, you don't want to wait!" Misty laughed, switching Elizabeth's position so the baby was now being held against her hip and not her front. "Just give me a second, sweetie."

"Is there anything you need me to do while you're busy?" Ash asked sweetly.

"Lily and Violet should be arriving with Elizabeth's birthday cake soon," Misty hummed.

"Oh, so you want me to help them?" Ash questioned.

"NO!" Misty scolded, causing Ash's eyes to widen. "Not after the twins' first birthday I don't! Don't you go anywhere near that cake, Ash Ketchum!"

"Alright, alright, I won't touch the cake!" Ash sighed.

"You can just make sure that Aiden and Michelle haven't gotten themselves into any trouble," Misty continued.

"Got it," Ash murmured, holding his hands up in defeat. Misty, in turn, giggled and pressed a kiss against Ash's cheek before striding towards the doorway of the ballroom, Ash following right after her. Once they were out of the ballroom, Misty hung a left, but Ash kept walking straight, where he could see Aiden and Michelle chasing after one another.

"What are you two crazies doing?" Ash asked playfully, walking over to the twins.

"Playin' tag," Aiden replied simply. "We're bored, Daddy. Lizzie's party is boring!"

"That's because it hasn't started yet," Ash chuckled. "Trust me, once the party starts you'll have lots of fun! All of your friends will be here, and you'll get to play with them-"

"I'm hungry, Daddy," Aiden complained, allowing his shoulders to drop.

"Or you can eat with them," Ash added with a smirk.

"How come the whole party's pink?" Aiden whined.

"Because Elizabeth is a girl," Ash replied.

"So?" Aiden scoffed. "Shelly's a girl and she _hates_ pink."

"It's kinda icky," Michelle agreed, tugging at the skirt of her blue and green floral printed dress.

"Well, we didn't know what your favorite color was when you were a baby," Ash explained. "And because you two were twins, we kind of just made everything pink and blue! But now we know that _Aiden's_ favorite color is red, and _Michelle's_ favorite color is blue."

"Light blue," Michelle corrected.

"Ah yes, how silly of me," Ash teased. "_Light_ blue."

"Daddy!"

Ash sighed and looked over at Aiden, who was still whining. "What now, champ?"

"I'm _really_ hungry," Aiden muttered.

"How about we go sit down inside the ballroom?" Ash asked kindly. "It's not time for dinner just yet, but I think there are some little snacks in there! Maybe I can get you two something."

Squeaking excitedly, Aiden and Michelle were happy to run alongside their father in the hopes of getting some food. He pushed open the heavy white doors, allowing the twins to run past him so he could close the door behind them. As soon as he'd turned back around, Ash found that the twins had already settled themselves at a table, staring expectantly at him.

"I've never seen you two actually sit down so fast," Ash remarked, sounding genuinely impressed.

"Cause we're hungry!" Michelle giggled.

"Alright, well I'll go get you guys a few little things," Ash sighed. "We don't want to spoil our dinner, do we?"

"No," Michelle refuted.

"I'm always hungry," was Aiden's avoidant response.

"Yeah, you take after me!" Ash laughed, ruffling the boy's hair. "Stay here, guys. I'll be right back."

He walked over to the table full of appetizers, grabbing two plates and surveying the food. Just like the rest of Elizabeth's party, and the twins' before hers, it was completely over the top. It looked more like the spread for the cocktail hour of a wedding than a baby's first birthday! Being a lover of food, however, Ash didn't really feel that he could complain. In his world, the more food there was, the better.

He could let this little detail slide.

Soon enough, both plates were filled with various selections for the twins: one slice of mozzarella along with several cubes of cheddar cheese, a cluster of grapes (red for Aiden, green for Michelle), and two strawberries. Ash had also put pepperoni on Aiden's plate, and pieces of melon on Michelle's.

As soon as he brought the plates over to the table, both kids' eyes completely lit up. They had definitely taken after Ash, and had quite the affinity for food themselves. Aiden more so than Michelle, but when she was hungry, she was _all_ about food!

"There, that should be enough to hold you two over until dinner," Ash breathed. "Looks yummy!"

Of course, he never got a response because both kids were too busy stuffing their faces. That was better than hearing them complain and whine, however, so Ash would take it.

"Oh my gosh! Like…what are you doing in here?!"

Ash groaned and turned around, finding his blonde sister-in-law to be running up to him with a frantic look on her face.

"The twins were hungry, Daisy," Ash explained. "I had to give 'em something!"

"But the room was supposed to be a surprise!" She wailed. "We worked so hard on it!"

"Trust me, Daisy, neither of them care what the room looks like."

At this, Daisy gasped and looked highly offended, causing Ash to roll his eyes.

"They're a couple of six year olds! One's a boy, and the other is a tomboy! You think they're really _that_ excited for their baby sister's pink princess themed birthday party?"

"Yes! Because it's fabulous!"

"Well, I don't know about the decorations, but they're _loving _the appetizers, so good job on that," Ash complimented the flustered woman with a handsome smile.

"Great," Daisy sighed. "Where's Misty?"

"Feeding the birthday girl," Ash quipped. "Why? You need her for something?"

"Not necessarily," Daisy replied. "Violet and Lily just came back with the cake, so I thought she'd might like to see it."

"Oh, I wanna see!" Ash trilled.

Daisy narrowed her eyes as soon as those words left Ash's mouth. "I'm sorry, but I'm not letting you anywhere near that cake."

"Come on, Daisy," Ash groaned. "I'm not going to ruin it! I won't _touch_ the cake! But I can't do anything to it if I'm just _looking_."

"Oh, fine," Daisy sighed. Fortunately for Ash, she relented fairly easily. He was convinced it was because she secretly thought he was quite handsome, but Misty just insisted it was because she was a total pushover. "But you'd better keep your hands behind your back the entire time!"

"You know, _technically_, it wasn't even me who destroyed the twins' cake," Ash grumbled, hiding his hands behind his back. "Michelle was the one who smashed it to pieces."

"Yeah, but how can we blame that on an innocent little baby?" Daisy hummed. "It's much easier to blame the big, bad Daddy."

"Clearly," Ash muttered.

"Daisy! Like…look at this cake!" Violet squealed.

"Yeah, isn't it the cutest?!" Lily giggled.

As soon as Ash saw the cake, his eyes widened. It was made up of three round tiers: the top white, the middle light pink, and the bottom darker pink. Ribbons of fondant with a big matching bow were wrapped around the top and bottom tiers in light pink and white, respectively. The middle tier had a "quilted" effect with tiny black hearts at the tip of each diamond shape. Sitting atop the uppermost tier was a silver fondant tiara, adorned by a centered black heart and smaller black details like swirls.

"Wow guys, it's gorgeous!" Ash laughed.

"Well duh!" Lily trilled. "We would _never_ get our little niece an _ugly _cake!"

"That would just make us bad aunts," Violet added, as though it were obvious.

"Oh my gosh! Look at how cute!"

The adults all turned their heads just in time to see Misty striding over to them, her emerald eyes sparkling as she set them on the newly delivered cake. In her arms was a now content Elizabeth, who seemed just as enamored as her mother.

"Ca!" Elizabeth squealed, reaching out towards it.

"Yes, cake!" Misty giggled. "Oh, you're so smart!"

"I never thought I'd hear Misty compliment anything pink," Daisy giggled.

"How could I not compliment that cake?" Misty gushed. "It's beautiful! And perfect for my baby girl!"

Positively beaming, Ash walked over to Misty and lifted the baby out of her arms. The little one was wearing the most beautiful dress for her big day; a white rosette bodice with a double layered pink tulle skirt, the end of each layer lined in white satin with a pink bow tied at her waist. On her head was a silver tiara, adorned with a pink rhinestone '1' on its front. Even her little feet were covered by white dress shoes.

"I bet you can't wait to smash your face into that, can you, pumpkin?" Ash teased, rubbing his nose against the baby's as she shrieked with laughter. "See? Everything is perfect so far! And your mommy was so worried that it would be one big mess!"

"Ash, shh!" Misty scolded. "Don't say that! The party hasn't even started yet! Things could still go wrong!"

"Come on, babe, stop freaking out," Ash sighed, smiling at his flustered wife. "I know how important this party is to you, but we should just enjoy it together as a family! Take things as they come. Elizabeth is happy, and that's all that matters. After all, this party is about celebrating her! Not your sisters' party planning skills, as good as they may be."

"You mean _great_," Daisy butted in, earning a glare from her youngest sister.

"I know you're right," Misty sighed before smiling sadly. "I'm sorry. It's Elizabeth's day, not mine. I'm happy just to have our little girl with us."

Elizabeth looked over at her mother and cooed before smiling at the woman. "Mama!"

Returning her baby's smile, Misty strode forward and leaned down to repeatedly kiss the baby atop her head.

"My sweet, sweet girl," Misty cooed. "You're Mommy's little angel, aren't you? I love you so much, sprinkle."

"Whoa, look at that cake!"

Misty pulled away from Elizabeth but kept her hands on Ash's biceps, looking down as the twins scurried over, their eyes wide in fascination.

"It's huge!" Aiden marveled.

"You guys think that looks pretty good, don't ya?" Ash asked teasingly.

"Yeah!" Michelle giggled. "I want some now!"

"No, no," Misty playfully scolded. "Tearing through one first birthday cake was enough, little lady!"

At this, Ash's eyes widened. "So you _do_ admit that Michelle was the one to destroy the cake!"

"Well, of _course_ she was," Misty replied easily. "But how can I hold a grudge on an innocent little baby? Besides, you _are_ the one who let her out of your sight."

"Just for a second…" Ash murmured. "But it's fine! Elizabeth's cake is in one piece! No one is going to wreck it. Not me, and not Michelle."

At this, Michelle looked up at her father and narrowed her eyes. "Hey!"

"Daddy's just teasing, princess," Misty crooned, scooping both Aiden and Michelle into her arms and snuggling them. "We're all going to enjoy the cake together, just like the party!"

"Cause that's what families do!" Ash added, smiling at his wife and twins. "And that _includes_ the teasing, little girl."

Michelle smirked and shook her head, causing both Ash and Misty to laugh.

"You know what, Ash?" Misty breathed. "I was wrong about one thing."

"There's a shock," Ash muttered sarcastically, though he was still smiling at Misty.

"This day isn't only about Elizabeth," Misty continued. "It's about all of us. As a family! It _is_ Elizabeth's first birthday, but it's also the day our family was completed! Elizabeth was the missing piece that we needed. And one year ago today, we finally got her! So yes, this party is for her. But that doesn't mean we can't use it to celebrate our family at the same time!"

"I like that," Ash replied, smiling at his wife. "Yeah, it's perfect!"

"Just like our family," Misty hummed, smiling boldly to herself as the twins giggled and hugged her. "So perfect."

* * *

><p><strong>Misty learned from the last time! Sort of! She still freaked a little :P But of course it's all okay, because they have each other!<strong>


	323. Left Hand Man

**I don't know why I think of this random stuff, but I do. Like I was wondering the other day, would any of the kids be left handed? I think it came up because in dance, my teacher asked if I was left handed because I do everything better on the left side.**

**I'm actually right handed, so I guess I'm just weird. No surprise there!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Left Hand Man<strong>

Misty had never minded rainy days when she was younger. She found them to be quite soothing, actually. The sound of water falling from the sky and pattering on everything from the sidewalk to the roofs of the houses, and the stillness from outside, with not a soul wandering around. It was as though everything in the world had been put on pause, and life had just stopped for only a little while. It all seemed so whimsical and enchanting.

Once she'd become a mother, however, Misty had _quickly_ learned that rainy days were actually a curse.

It meant that her precious angels were trapped inside, bored with nothing to do. Except, of course, to drive her insane. That they could still do. And boy did they do it well. Rainy days meant Misty had to find ways to keep her two children occupied for fear of their wrath.

Or both of them jumping off the couch and potentially breaking bones or destroying furnishings.

"Hey! Would you two like to draw some pictures?"

That question posed by their mother was just enough to get Aiden and Michelle to stop "playfully" wrestling one another. Of course, in Misty's eyes, it had been anything _but_ playful, and she knew it was only a matter of time before one of the two, or both, got hurt as a result.

"Yeah!" Aiden cheered, jumping off of his sister. "I'ma dwaw Pikachu, Mommy!"

"That sounds wonderful!" Misty crooned. "Come on, let's go sit at the table!"

The twins eagerly followed behind, right into the kitchen. Misty lifted both of them up into their respective booster seats and strapped them in. Whenever she's forgotten to do that, both children took notice, and practiced leaping out of the seats.

More heart palpitations for their poor mother. Although, in retrospect, it _had_ been her fault anyway.

But Misty liked to ignore that little fact.

With both Aiden and Michelle settled, Misty handed them each a blank piece of paper and left the container of crayons in the middle of the table. Normally, Misty was pretty obsessive about that kind of stuff. She preferred to keep things like crayons in the box. Her rowdy two year olds, however, obviously disagreed with that, and had basically ripped the box apart upon first use. So now, the crayons were stored in a colorful plastic bin given to them by Delia. It did make Misty's eye twitch a bit, but if it was easier for the twins, than Misty certainly wasn't going to complain about it.

It was also a lot easier to just throw the crayons back in the container rather than rearranging them in the original box.

Just as she'd gotten the twins settled with their paper and crayons, the doorbell rang, causing Misty's ears to perk.

"A visitor?" Misty hummed.

The twins were unaffected, by Vaporeon was bothered by the sudden intrusion. Hissing softly, she leapt gracefully off the couch and strode towards the door, poking her nose at it and narrowing her eyes.

"Well, Ash certainly shouldn't be home by now," Misty mused. "Who else could it possibly be?"

Walking towards the door, Misty delicately shooed Vaporeon off, not exactly sensing any danger like her Pokemon was. Huffing, Vaporeon took a few steps back, but still chose to stand behind Misty, eyes still stuck in their narrowed state.

When Misty opened the door, she was surprised to find her brunette mother-in-law staring back at her, holding a dark umbrella over her head.

"Delia!" Misty gasped out of surprise.

"Hello, dear!" Delia greeted. "Would you mind if I came in?"

"Not at all!" Misty replied, getting out of her way. "I don't want you standing out in the rain!"

"Thank you," Delia giggled, stepping inside as she held her umbrella out to close out. "My goodness it's a mess out there! Those streets are going to flood sooner rather than later."

"What are you doing out in a storm like this?" Misty asked her mother-in-law. "Ash would be freaking out if he knew!"

"Which is exactly why we won't tell him!" Delia giggled. "I'm hoping to leave before he comes home."

"Oh, no, you don't have to," Misty assured the woman. "In fact, it would be lovely if you stayed for dinner! I already have everything I need to cook anyway. Adding on one more person won't hurt, especially when the twins barely eat what I make."

"I suppose I'll wait and see what the storm looks like," Delia finally decided. "I can't lie and say it was fun coming out here. But I wanted to, so I made the trip! Hopefully I didn't inconvenience you."

"No, not at all," Misty refuted. "The twins are just in the kitchen drawing! Not much for them to do on a rainy day, after all."

"Ah, and those two are exactly who I came to see!" Delia trilled, moving towards the kitchen.

Misty smirked and followed after Delia. She adored how much Ash's mother loved the toddlers. Aiden and Michelle were Delia's whole world. Sure, she owned a restaurant and was a brilliant homemaker with a real flair for cooking, cleaning, sewing, and gardening. She loved her fitness classes, going out for long runs, and spending time with her beloved Mimey. But when it came to Aiden and Michelle, nothing compared. Delia would drop everything in a heartbeat for the both of them. She was the ideal image of a loving grandmother.

"Aiden! Mchelle!"

"GWAMMY!"

Misty giggled as Delia scurried over to the two, giving each their own hug and seemingly a thousand kisses.

"Oh, it's so good to see you two!" Delia crooned. "I think you've both gotten bigger since last week!"

"No, Gwammy!" Michelle refuted laughingly.

"No?" Delia gasped. "I really thought you had! I guess I was wrong then, huh?"

"Ya," Michelle squeaked before returning to her picture.

"What are you little cuties drawing, hmm?" Delia hummed, glancing down at the paper. "Oh, Michelle! I know what you're drawing, my little princess! Is that a mermaid?"

"Uh huh!" Michelle giggled. "See?"

The toddler pointed at the big, scribbled mess of green that she'd drawn.

"Is that the mermaid's tail?" Delia asked kindly.

"Ya!"

"Impressive," Misty commented, smirking at Delia.

"Oh, you should've _seen_ the things Ash came up with as a child," Delia laughed. "He would tell me was drawing a Charmander, and it was _purple_. Made no sense! But hey, he was very creative. Good for him."

"Sounds like my husband alright," Misty sighed.

"And what do we have over here, little guy?" Delia cooed, glancing over at Aiden's paper. "Oh, Pikachu! Of course! He's your favorite, isn't he?"

"Pikachu's my fwiend," Aiden murmured, continuing to scribble Pikachu's yellow fur. As he did this, the watchful Delia's eyes widened, and her happy expression quickly transcended into something else. It looked almost like surprise to Misty.

"Delia, is something wrong?" Misty asked kindly.

"No," Delia replied honestly. Looking up at Misty, the brunette blinked just once and asked, "Misty, did you know that Aiden is left handed?"

"Huh?" Misty breathed, looking over to observe Aiden. Indeed, she realized that he was holding the yellow crayon in his left hand. "Interesting…how could that be? Ash and I are both right handed. Looks like Michelle's right handed too."

Misty pointed at the little girl, who was coloring using her right hand.

"This might sound crazy, but I think he got it from me," Delia murmured.

"I thought you were right handed, too!" Misty exclaimed. "I've seen you write with your right hand before!"

"You have," Delia confirmed. "I'm not naturally right handed."

Misty furrowed her brow at that response. "Wait…what?"

"I was born left handed," Delia replied with a giggle. "When I was Aiden's age, I colored with my left hand! And when I entered school, I started off writing with my left hand. But I grew up in a bit of a different time. They frowned upon children being left handed!"

"Why would they care so much about what hand a kid writes with?" Misty muttered.

"That's a very good question," Delia hummed. "They just didn't think it was proper! As soon as my teacher realized I was using my left hand to write, she started discouraging it. She would take the pencil out of my left hand and put it in my right. Every time. I could never get away with writing with my left hand! I tried using my left hand at home, because it felt more comfortable. But my teacher told my parents about it, and soon enough they were discouraging it too. They had always remained very old fashioned, and that meant not having a lefty for a daughter. My handwriting was definitely sloppy that year, but after being forced to use my right hand, I slowly got better at writing with it, and soon enough, I was 'right handed.' I've tried writing with my left since, and I'm still good with it, but using my right feels more comfortable now. It's what I grew up with, after all."

"That's so ridiculous," Misty grumbled. "You'll never see me take the crayon out of Aiden's hand! If he wants to use his left hand to color, why not?"

"It's certainly a strange thing," Delia agreed. "I always assumed Ash would end up left handed as well, and I always swore that I would never change him. But he turned out right handed! Of course, that doesn't mean I tried to make him a lefty. I just left him alone. As long as my son could write, I didn't care what hand he used."

"It just seems like such a silly thing to get worked up over," Misty sighed. "There are much bigger things to be concerned about, after all. I don't think the hand my kids use to color and write with will determine anything."

"Precisely!" Delia chirped. "After all, they turned me into a righty, and I _still_ became an unmarried teenage mother."

Misty stared back at her mother-in-law with wide eyes and a dropped jaw. Delia, in turn, just giggled and looked back down at the twins to watch them color.

"You know, Delia, you can _really_ shock me sometimes."

"I know, dear."

"I like that about you."

"Thank you, sweetheart!"

* * *

><p><strong>Delia is the best ever. She reminds me so much of one of my favorite English teachers: sweetest woman EVER who would sometimes just come out and say the weirdest shit, still in her high pitched voice with a smile on her face! Good times :P<strong>


	324. Forever My Teddi

**This is a shorter little one that I got from watching the DP episode "Stopped in the Name of Love!" It's full of Daddy/daughter fluff :)**

**Elizabeth: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Forever My Teddi<strong>

"DADDY!"

Ash yelped and nearly fell off of the hammock he'd been trying to nap on. Regaining his balance, the man sat upright, looking out towards the house just in time to see his young daughter frantically running over to him. She was squeezing her treasured Teddi between her hands, and as soon as she got up to him, he realized that she looked frantic.

"Lizzie, what's wrong?" Ash asked, picking the toddler up and sitting her in his lap.

"Daddy," Elizabeth murmured worriedly, "I fink Teddi's gonna evo-ve."

"Evolve?" Ash repeated with a chuckle. Of course, he knew that was impossible for a stuffed Pokémon. Elizabeth, however, had a very active imagination, and she seemed fully convinced that this was a thing that could happen. Of course, Ash was not the kind of parent to immediately refute his children's thoughts or feelings, even if they were totally outlandish. Instead, Ash liked to play along. He thought it made them feel like they were being heard.

"He's vewy stwong, Daddy," Elizabeth continued, not sounding at all placated. "And dat means evo-ve."

Ash sighed and smiled down at his daughter, who still looked concerned. "Lizzie, sweetie, what makes you think Teddi is going to evolve?"

"Cause he's stwong," Elizabeth repeated. "Like Bellspwout."

"Ah, I see," Ash breathed. Now it made sense. He'd had no idea where Elizabeth had even gotten the whole idea of evolution from. But now he remembered that just a few days ago, she'd seen a Bellsprout evolve at Professor Oak's ranch. It was the first time Elizabeth had ever seen a Pokémon evolve. Clearly, it had stuck with her.

"I didn't know Teddi was so strong!" Ash continued conversationally. "Have you two been training behind my back?"

"Ya."

"There you go!" Ash cheered. "You're a natural born Pokémon trainer, baby girl!"

"Daddy, Teddi can't evo-ve."

Ash hummed as Elizabeth frowned, looking down sadly at Teddi.

"Why don't you want him to evolve?"

"Cause I wove my Teddi," Elizabeth whimpered, hugging her stuffed toy even closer. "We'we bestwest fwiends. I wan' him to be my Teddi fowevew."

"I see," Ash murmured. "Well…what about Teddi? Does _he_ want to evolve?"

"No," Elizabeth replied. "He wan-s to be my Teddi fowevew, too."

"That's normal, you know," Ash informed his daughter, who seemed surprised by this fact.

"Weally?"

"Yeah! Pikachu never wanted to evolve into Raichu. He still doesn't! Luckily, Pikachu can't evolve on his own. He needs a thunder stone to evolve! I had one once, too. And I almost used it…twice! But both times, Pikachu was sure he didn't want to evolve. And I was going to do whatever my buddy wanted. We're both glad he's still a Pikachu. I couldn't imagine him any other way!"

"He youw Pika fowevew?" Elizabeth mumbled.

"Yep," Ash chuckled. "He's my Pikachu forever!"

"I can'ts stops him," Elizabeth whimpered, stroking a finger between Teddi's eyes. "He's gonna evo-ve, Daddy."

Ash smiled sweetly at his upset daughter. "You can stop him, Lizzie!"

"Huh?" Elizabeth squeaked.

"Pokémon don't _have _to evolve," Ash continued. "You can use something on them called an everstone so they won't evolve!"

"Daddy, I need!" Elizabeth cried, jumping up excitedly. "We gots to stop Teddi!"

"Alright then," Ash laughed. "How about we go out and look for an everstone?"

"Kay!"

Smirking, Ash lifted Elizabeth off of his lap and stood her in the grass. She continued holding onto Teddi, refusing to let the stuffed bear out of her sight.

"I bet we can find one over there," Ash said, pointing over at the collection of rocks that sat against the side of the house. "Let's go look!"

Of course, Ash knew they weren't going to find a _real _everstone in their backyard. Not like they needed to, anyway. After all, Teddi wasn't a real Pokémon, and he wasn't actually going to evolve. But Elizabeth was just a toddler, so she wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a real everstone and a rock. It would work just fine.

Elizabeth flitted ahead of her father, eyes locked firmly on the collection of rocks. Needless to say, she got there before Ash, but once she was there, she had no idea what to look for.

"Daddy?"

"What's up, pumpkin?"

"What's I'm lookin' for?"

"An everstone!" Ash chuckled.

"I dunno what dat looks like," Elizabeth murmured.

"Oh, right," Ash murmured sheepishly. "An everstone is light gray and perfectly round! They're smooth, too."

Elizabeth crouched down, holding Teddi in her right arm as she scoured through the rocks with her left hand.

"Find anything yet?" Ash asked after a few moments.

"No," Elizabeth squeaked. "Help, Daddy!"

"Okay, okay!" Ash chuckled, crouching down next to his daughter. "Let's see what we can find in here."

He flipped through quite a few rocks that were either too dark, too rough, or not round enough. Finally, after discarding several rocks that did not fit the bill, Ash picked up a perfectly round, smooth stone that matched the exact color he'd been looking for.

"Hey, check it out, Lizzie!" Ash crowed, catching his daughter's attention. "I found an everstone!"

Upon seeing the rock, Elizabeth's eyes widened, and she let out a tiny "ooh" of fascination.

"Here," Ash urged, handing the rock over to his young daughter and closing her tiny fingers around it.

"What I do?" Elizabeth asked, staring at the rock.

"Just touch it against Teddi," Ash explained. "Once you do, he won't be able to evolve!"

Taking on the task as though it were the most important thing she'd ever be asked to do, Elizabeth gently tapped the rock against Teddi's forehead, staring at the stuffed bear the entire time to see if there would be any change.

"And there you go!" Ash cheered. "Now Teddi won't evolve!"

Looking back up at her father, Elizabeth positively beamed. "Yay! My Teddi fowevew!"

Ash chuckled as Elizabeth quickly discarded the rock, hugging Teddi close to her and burying her nose between the bear's two ears.

"I wove you, Teddi."

* * *

><p><strong>She's just the sweetest. I always want to just hug Elizabeth whenever I'm writing her! And Ash, of course, for being so sweet to her :)<strong>


	325. Teeth Trouble

**We've had a lot of focus on Elizabeth lately, so now it's time to focus on Aiden and Michelle! Oh, and Sam, too ;) I got this idea from reviewer Eileen K, who I'm very thankful for for the inspiration!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 4 years old**

**Sam: 4 and a half years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Teeth Trouble<strong>

Michelle was not a fan of new experiences, and her parents were well aware of this fact.

Going to the dentist was not a new experience for the girl. She had first been taken there when she was just a year old, along with her brother, and again when she was two, and then three. She had no recollection of either of these visits, however. Michelle had just been too young to remember such things, too young to even fuss, in fact.

Now that she was four, and it was time to go back again, Michelle was _freaking out._

It was as though she had never been there before, which to Michelle, was exactly what it felt like. She couldn't remember what the dentist had done, and that it wasn't that bad. No matter how much Misty tried to tell her, Michelle refused to listen. She was fully convinced that the dentist was the root of all evil.

Misty always made sure to schedule Aiden and Michelle's appointments at the same time. Not only because it was easier for her, but because she always figured that it helped Michelle to see just how brave Aiden was when it came to things like the doctor or dentist. Her son never fussed…unless it came to shots.

Then all hope went out the window.

But luckily, the dentist involved no shots! Misty had hoped that would be enough to convince Michelle that the dentist wasn't so bad, but it hadn't.

Of course, that didn't mean Misty was going to give up on trying! After all, she didn't want to take her daughter into the dentist's office screaming and crying. Not only did it make her feel bad, but it also hurt her ears.

So, the day before the appointment, Misty sat outside with both of her children and calmly explained what would happen at the dentist. Looking at their teeth, brushing them, flossing them…pretty much all of the things that happened at home! Finally, it seemed like Michelle was calming down and accepting that a trip to the dentist was no big deal!

And then Sam showed up.

Just as Misty was finalizing her conversation with the twins, Professor Oak appeared with Sam, who was wearing his usual look of mischievousness.

"Oh, Professor Oak!" Misty greeted, sounding rather surprised. "What a lovely surprise to see you here in Cerulean!"

"It's not by coincidence!" Professor Oak chuckled. "I came here to see you, my dear!"

"Me?" Misty asked, sounding surprised.

"Yes! You see, I needed some advice for some water type Pokémon I'll be observing over the next month. And I figured you were the best person to ask!"

"Oh, no problem!" Misty giggled. "Sam, sweetheart, would you like to play with Aiden and Michelle while your great grandpa and I talk?"

"Yeah!" Sam cheered.

Misty reached out and ruffled the boy's hair before standing up and following Professor Oak. Once the children were left alone, Sam grinned boldly at the twins, who both grimaced in response.

"How come your Mommy was talkin' to you guys?" Sam asked. "Are you in trouble?"

"No!" Michelle argued.

"She was talkin' to us 'bout the dentist," Aiden explained.

"The dentist?" Sam repeated.

"We have to go there to-mow," Michelle grumbled.

At this, Sam's eyes positively lit up. "The dentist is _so_ bad!"

"Huh?" Michelle squeaked.

"It's really scary there!" Sam whined in dramatic fashion. "They make you put all kindsa weird stuff in your mouth!"

"What kinda stuff?" Michelle murmured.

"Drills and knives and stuff like that," Sam replied easily. "And they make blood come out, too!"

"B-blood?!" Michelle cried, covering her mouth with both hands.

"And he _knows_ if you eat candy!" Sam continued. "And he tells you that you can't has it anymore, and if you don't listen, the next time you go, he makes you bleed even _more!_"

That was just about enough for the timid little girl. With all of her mother's hard work completely unraveled, Michelle sunk down to the ground and began to cry, tears streaming down her face as her pale cheeks quickly reddened.

Aiden, however, was not at all happy with this little display. Growling, he spun around and grabbed Sam by the shirt, shaking the boy as hard as he possibly could.

"Hey! Quit it!" Sam yelped.

"You made my sister cry!" Aiden yelled.

"So?!"

"That's mean!"

"_Yeah_, but it's _funny_, too!"

Snarling, Aiden let go of Sam and shoved the boy to the ground, causing him to cry out.

"That hurt!"

"So what?!"

"I'm gonna tell on you!"

"I'm gonna tell on you _first!_ You made Shelly cry!"

"What's going on out here?!"

A violent shiver went up Aiden's spine as soon as he heard that voice. Whipping around, he found himself facing his mother and Professor Oak, both of whom looked horrified by the scene before them: one child crying, another one all but lying in the dirt, and the third still standing.

"Mommy, Sam made Shelly cry!" Aiden blurted, pointing an accusatory finger at the brunet boy.

"Samson!" Professor Oak scolded.

"I didn't!" Sam argued.

"Oh, really?" Professor Oak drawled. "Then why is Michelle sitting on the ground crying?"

"I…dunno," Sam squeaked, nervously looking away.

"I'm sure she's not crying for no reason," Professor Oak continued. "That's extremely rude, Sam! You should be treating others nicely! How do you think your mother and father will react when I tell them you've been bullying other children who are supposed to be your friends?"

"Don't!" Sam cried, jumping to his feet. "I didn't mean to! I just thought we were playing!"

"Nuh uh!" Aiden argued. "You meant to do it!"

"No I didn't!"

"Yeah you did!"

"Okay, boys, that's enough," Misty sighed, kneeling between the two.

"Thank you for all of your help, Misty," Professor Oak piped up, grabbing Sam by the hand. "But I think I should take this little guy home. He's going to be in an awful lot of trouble when we get there."

"Great Grandpa, I didn't mean to!" Sam whined.

"That's a lie, Sam, and you know it," Professor Oak grumbled. "We'll finish discussing this when we get home."

Nodding at the older man, Misty added, "call me if you have any other questions. I know our session got cut a bit short."

"I will take you up on that offer," Professor Oak chuckled weakly. "Thank you, dear!"

As the older man dragged away his protesting great grandson, Misty turned her attention back onto Aiden, who was still wearing a look of disdain.

"What was Sam talking about that made Michelle cry?"

"He was telling her –bout the dentist!" Aiden tattled. "He said all this scary stuff! _That's_ why Shelly's crying!"

"Okay," Misty breathed, "but how come when we came back outside, I saw Sam sitting on the gound?"

"Um…"

"Aiden, did you push him?"

"…no?"

"I think you did."

"No!"

"Aiden," Misty sighed. "I know that you love Michelle, and that you're very protective of her. I'm so thankful for that! But that doesn't mean you push other people. If you were that worried about Michelle, you should have come and talked to me. Professor Oak and I would have taken care of things."

"Kay," Aiden grumbled, still looking annoyed. "But Sam's still mean."

"Yes, what he did to Michelle wasn't nice," Misty agreed. "But like I said, that doesn't mean you push him. Because that's not nice either!"

"Yeah…"

Smiling, Misty ruffled the boy's hair and gave him a kiss on the forehead, much to the child's displeasure.

"Ew! Mommy!"

Giggling, Misty walked over to Michelle and gathered the girl in her arms, giving the still whimpering child a hug. "Alright, let's try to fix this. _Again._"

* * *

><p><strong>Poor Michelle. It is pretty much Sam's fault. He can be quite the jerky little boy, can't he? He's certainly inherited a lot of Gary!<strong>


	326. Toddler Bed Blues

**Morning, y'all! Or...maybe it's the afternoon. I don't know, I'm pretty lazy in the summertime :P I've got a fun one shot here that was inspired by the recent "storyline" I have going on on the Misty blog I've got on Tumblr (and if you haven't seen that yet, check it out! The URL is on my profile.) So buckle up, this is going to be a fun one!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 7 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Toddler Bed Blues<strong>

"Mommy? Whewe's cwib?"

Misty turned her head and smiled at the confused toddler in her arms. "We put it up in the attic! You're too big for a crib now, sprinkle!"

This seemed like horrifying news to little Elizabeth. "Whewe I sweep now?!"

"Oh, you silly little girl!" Misty laughed, rubbing her nose against the girl's. "You get your own bed, just like Aiden and Michelle have! But yours is a _little_ bit different. It will still have rails on the side, just like your crib! But a little bit smaller."

Elizabeth blinked, not fully understanding what was being explained to her.

"Look!" Misty urged, pointing over at the corner of the room. "See? Daddy is building it right now!"

The toddler narrowed her eyes at the sight. Her father was busy hammering away at a white wooden sleigh bed, complete with two short railings that looked exactly like what had been on her crib, only shorter and not as long. These bars, instead, barely went halfway down. It was just enough to prevent her from rolling out and hitting her head on the floor.

"I wan- my cwib," Elizabeth announced.

"No, Lizzie, you're too big for your crib!" Misty refuted.

"No I not!"

"Elizabeth, your crib isn't safe for you anymore," Misty calmly explained. "You know how much you _love _climbing out of it at night?"

"Ya!" Elizabeth giggled.

"I know, _you_ think it's fun," Misty remarked with a smirk. "But it's very scary for me and Daddy! We always think you're going to get hurt! You'll be a lot safer in the bed, sprinkle. See, you can climb out now without landing so hard on the floor!"

"Down," Elizabeth demanded, pointing at the floor.

Sighing, Misty placed the toddler on the floor and allowed her to wander over to the bed. Elizabeth approached it with great uncertainty, but also with a sense of wonderment. She grabbed onto one of the bottom posts and tried to shake it, but wasn't very successful due to her small stature.

"What's up, pumpkin?" Ash chuckled. "You checkin' out the new bed?"

"Ya," Elizabeth murmured before looking up at her father. "Daddy?"

"Yeah?"

"I dunno if I wike it."

"This is very exciting for you, Lizzie!" Ash crooned. "It means you're becoming a big girl! Just like Shelly! Don't you want to be a big girl like Shelly?"

Elizabeth made a strange face, but still nodded in response.

"You're still gonna be my baby," Ash promised the pouty toddler. "No big girl bed is ever going to change that!"

"I baby," Elizabeth murmured, sticking out her lower lip. "Dat means I has cwib."

"No, no more crib!" Ash chuckled. "Big girl bed!"

Elizabeth whined and shook her head. "No! Cwib!"

Ash looked up at his wife with a desperate expression. Sighing, Misty walked over to Elizabeth and once again scooped up the toddler, who was still whimpering.

"Lizzie, I've got some fun little surprises for you!" Misty trilled. "Would you like to see them?"

Still frowning, Elizabeth nodded her head. Carrying Elizabeth over to the closet, Misty opened the door and pulled out a plastic bag, kneeling down and settling the child on the floor.

"Why don't you open this up and see what's inside?" Misty prodded.

Reaching out, Elizabeth pulled a soft, folded up piece of fabric out of the bag, and stared at her mother in confusion.

"Wha- dis?"

"Open it up!" Misty giggled.

Blinking, Elizabeth threw the fabric onto the floor, and then back up at her bewildered mother.

"Did-n open."

"Here, I'll help you," Misty sighed laughingly, unfolding the material herself. As it was stretched out to its full size, Elizabeth gasped and jumped down on her hands and knees to further examine. "What do you see, sprinkle?"

"Ba-weenas!" Elizabeth squealed.

"Yes, ballerinas!" Misty giggled. "This is the _new_ comforter for your _new_ bed! Isn't it pretty?"

Elizabeth feverishly nodded her head without picking it up. The comforter she had been gifted with was white in color, adorned by thick pink ribbon arranged in a quilted shape. Embroidered in each diamond shaped opening was either a ballerina wearing a pink, yellow, or purple leotard and tutu made of satin or a pair of ballet slippers. At each of the comforter's four corners, the ribbons were tied off into bows. It was completely, absolutely, over-the-top girly, and of course, Elizabeth _loved_ it.

"Daddy!" Elizabeth cried urgently, finally picking her head up to look over at her father. "Lookit!"

Wiping at his forehead, Ash walked over to where Misty and Elizabeth were sitting and smiled at the toddler. "What's got you so excited, pumpkin?"

"Dis!" Elizabeth squeaked, pointing at the comforter.

"Wow, look at that!" Ash marveled. "A ballerina blanket! Is that for your new bed, sweetie?"

"Ya!"

"You sure are a lucky girl," Ash informed his daughter. "A new bed, _and_ pretty new sheets to go with it!"

"Look, Lizzie, it's even got a pillow case to go with it!" Misty continued, holding up a white sham adorned with the three ballerinas and bordered by ruffled pink satin.

"Gimme!" Elizabeth cried, holding her hands out for the sham.

"No, Lizzie, that's not what we say when we want something," Misty scolded the toddler. "Ask for it nicely."

"Pease?" Elizabeth murmured.

"Good girl!" Misty crooned, handing the sham off to Elizabeth for her to examine it. "And these sheets will go on underneath your comforter! They're pretty too, huh?"

Elizabeth looked away from the sham for just a few moments, enough to glance at the light pink sheets printed with white hearts in her mother's hands.

"Ya," Elizabeth murmured before returning to the sham. "Pwetty."

"You really like that pillow case, don't you?" Misty asked playfully.

"Ya."

Misty giggled at her daughter's zombie-like tone. "Well…what if I told you I have _one more_ surprise for you?"

Elizabeth finally looked up again, this time with wide eyes. "Mowe?!"

"Mmhm!" Misty hummed. She went back into the closet and pulled out another plastic bag, handing it over to her toddler daughter. "See what's inside, Lizzie!"

The little girl reached into the bag and pulled out a light pink nightgown, complete with a tiered tulle skirt and sleeves and a satin bow at the neckline.

"Pwincess!" Elizabeth squealed.

"It does look like a princess dress, right?" Misty asked. "Those are new pajamas for you! So tonight, when you go to sleep in your big girl bed, you can wear those!"

"Look at that," Ash breathed. "A new bed, new sheets, _and_ new pajamas? You sure are one lucky girl, Lizzie!"

The toddler giggled and hugged the nightgown against her chest, rocking it back and forth as she smiled.

"What's going on in here?"

Misty looked up and smiled at their new visitor. "Aiden, today is a very big deal for your little sister!"

At this, the boy raised an eyebrow. "Why? Her birthday was three days ago."

"Yes, it was," Misty confirmed. "But today, she's moving from her crib into a toddler bed!"

"Oh yeah, I remember those days," Aiden sighed.

"You do?" Ash asked in surprise.

"Nah," Aiden replied with a laugh. "But I _do_ remember that bed!"

Elizabeth followed her brother's finger, which was pointing at the nearly completed white toddler bed sitting in the corner.

"I had lots of fun when I slept in that bed," Aiden sighed. "It was great to hide under! Dad could never find me."

"You were small and tricky!" Ash hissed.

"That's a good tip for you, Lizzie!" Aiden bragged. "Whenever you don't want anyone to find you, hide under your bed. It's a great hiding spot. No one ever thinks to look there, even when you've hidden there a hundred times!"

"Kay," Elizabeth trilled, putting the nightgown down on her lap.

"Aiden!" Misty scolded. "Don't teach your little sister where to hide from us!"

"Hey, I'm just trying to be a good older brother!" Aiden cried. "She needs life advice, doesn't she?"

"Not _that_ kind of life advice!"

"S'okay, Mommy," Elizabeth assured her mother. "I no hide!"

"That's my good girl," Misty giggled, tickling beneath the toddler's chin and causing her to giggle. "Always so well behaved, right? You never cause any trouble for Mommy and Daddy!"

**XXX**

"Mommy! Daddy! Up!"

"Ugh," Misty groaned, rolling over onto her back and squeezing her eyes tight. "Why's she got to cause trouble?"

Ash's only response was a loud snort. Unfortunately for his wife, he was a heavy sleeper and not easily woken. Rolling her eyes, Misty sat up and stared ahead at Elizabeth, who was standing at the foot of the bed.

"What is it, Lizzie?" Misty breathed.

"I no wike my bed," Elizabeth whispered.

"Lizzie, it's such a nice bed!" Misty tried. "You've got your pretty new sheets, and your pretty new nightgown…just try to go back to sleep, baby."

"I don- wanna."

"It's too late, Elizabeth," Misty sighed, lying back down. "It's way, way past your bedtime, and you need to go to sleep."

"No!"

Rolling her eyes, Misty reluctantly dragged herself out of bed, picking up the toddler and carrying her back down the hall, into her own bedroom.

"It's time to go to sleep," Misty reiterated, placing Elizabeth in the toddler bed and pulling the sheets and comforter over her small body.

"No!"

"Shh, Lizzie," Misty sighed, stroking the child's hair. "No yelling, okay? You're going to wake everyone else up. Go to sleep."

Elizabeth huffed, threw on a pout, and stared right back at her mother. Undeterred, and too tired to keep arguing, Misty turned around and quietly walked out of the room. Once she was sure her mother was gone, Elizabeth jumped out of bed, which admittedly was much easier than doing with her crib, and scurried over to the parallel corner, where all of her stuffed Pokémon were kept in a neat little mountain.

"Bedtime!" Elizabeth squeaked. She picked up the first two toys she saw: a Blitzle and Ponyta, and threw them onto the bed. She next grabbed a Togepi and Swirlix and repeated her actions from before. Elizabeth continued this until the pile was quite diminished; about half of the stuffed Pokémon now sitting on her bed. Giggling, the little girl ran back over to the bed and pulled Teddi out from beneath the sea of other stuffed Pokémon. Holding him in her hands, she ran out of her room, down the hall, and back into her parents' room, where Misty had clearly had no trouble falling back to sleep.

"Mommy!" Elizabeth cried, running over to the side of the bed this time in order to tug at her mother's arm. "Mommy!"

"Mmm," Misty whined, refusing to open her eyes.

"Mommy, I gots twouble!" Elizabeth hissed.

"No, you _are _trouble," Misty groaned, pushing herself up by her hands. "What's wrong _now_, Lizzie?"

"All da Po-mon seepin- in da bed," Elizabeth explained in her squeaky little toddler voice. "I can- fits!"

"…what?" Misty breathed.

"Dey want to," Elizabeth added without trying to explain herself.

"You're killing me here, kid," Misty grumbled, slipping out of bed once again. Elizabeth flitted out of the room herself this time, not needing to be picked up. Misty followed after the toddler, straight to her bedroom, and was less than pleased to see all of the stuffed Pokémon sitting in her bed.

"See?" Elizabeth drawled.

"_Elizabeth!_" Misty groaned.

"Wha?"

"Why did you put all of those stuffed Pokémon in your bed?!"

"Dey wanted sweep!"

"No, Lizzie, that's _your_ bed!" Misty sighed.

"Look!" Elizabeth cried, holding Teddi up. "No woom fow Teddi!"

"What, they kicked him out?"

"Ya."

Sighing, Misty shook her head and asked, "what do you expect me to do about this, Lizzie?"

"Sweep in bed wif you?" Elizabeth asked hopefully.

"No," Misty quickly refuted, causing her daughter's face to fall. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth, but you need to learn to sleep in your new bed!"

Elizabeth watched on sadly as her mother removed every last stuffed Pokémon from her bed. Once it was cleared out, Elizabeth was once again lifted up and placed back in her bed. This time, however, she didn't allow Misty to tuck her in. Instead, Elizabeth sat up with her arms crossed, glaring up at her exhausted mother.

"You know that I love you, sprinkle," Misty murmured. "That's why I just want to do what's best for you! Don't be mad, okay?"

Elizabeth didn't respond. Instead, she chose to indignantly look away. That alone broke Misty's heart, but she knew she was doing the right thing by her daughter. After all, Elizabeth wasn't going to be a tiny little toddler forever, and that meant she couldn't sleep in her parents' bed forever.

With a sympathetic smile, Misty turned around and walked out of Elizabeth's room. Fortunately for her, Ash was still asleep, so she was able to climb into bed without any worries. Once she climbed back in, however, she felt his strong arms wrap around her, bringing a smile to the woman's face.

"I thought you were asleep," Misty muttered.

"I was…kinda," Ash chuckled.

"So…you heard Elizabeth come in here? Twice?"

"Yeah."

Still smirking, Misty reached behind her and punched Ash below the waistline.

"MISTY, FU-"

"Why didn't you help me?!" Misty hissed, flipping over and glaring at her husband.

"I thought you had it under control!" Ash whined, his voice more high pitched than usual. "Ugh, gods, you _really_ didn't have to do that!"

"I just left our daughter absolutely miserable!" Misty cried. "I really could've used some help, Ash! She's acting like I'm forcing her to sleep in a dungeon! It's just a toddler bed! I didn't think that was such a big deal!"

"Well, it is for her," Ash sighed. "She's used to sleeping in a crib, Mist! Lizzie had no problem sleeping in her crib. She really never fussed in it. Yeah, she climbed out at night once she got older, but she thought she was having fun!"

"So you're saying I did the wrong thing?" Misty asked, narrowing her eyes.

"No!" Ash quickly cried. "No, not at all. I was the first one who thought we switch her out of her crib! I was afraid of her getting hurt, you know that. But I can understand why she'd be upset about the whole thing."

"Elizabeth just normally doesn't mind change," Misty sighed. "I didn't think this would be any different."

"She picks and chooses," Ash chuckled. "Adorable but unpredictable, she is."

And then their conversation was broken up by a shrill, miserable wail.

This time, it was _Ash_ who sat up and found Elizabeth at the foot of the bed. Unlike the previous two times when Misty saw her, however, Elizabeth was in hysterics. She had Teddi tucked under one arm, tears streaming down her face as she hiccupped.

"Lizzie?" Ash crooned. "What's wrong, baby girl?"

"I-I no wike it," Elizabeth bawled, shaking her head. "N-no!"

"Are you scared?" Ash asked softly.

Elizabeth hiccupped and nodded her head.

"Aw, you don't have to be scared, little pumpkin!" Ash breathed. "It's just a bed!"

"D-Daddy…" Elizabeth sobbed. "N-no…no bed! No –wone!"

"What?" Ash cooed. "You don't want to be in your room alone?"

Whining, Elizabeth shook her head. "Stay wif me? Daddy stay?"

Ash looked over at Misty, who was biting her lower lip in contemplation. Unfortunately for her, and perhaps fortunately for Elizabeth, Ash was a lot more easily swayed than his wife, and watching his daughter cry was never okay in his world. No matter what the circumstances were, Ash felt he had to do whatever he could to get her to stop.

"Yeah, I'll stay with you," Ash sighed, sliding out of the side of the bed. "Come on, baby girl. It's okay."

He lifted her up into his arms, smiling as the toddler rested her head on his shoulder. Carrying her back into her own bedroom, Ash first laid the little girl down before crawling in next to her. As soon as he was settled, he realized just how unpleasant this night was going to be. He was definitely too tall for the bed, and too broad as well. Luckily for Elizabeth, it really didn't affect her because she was so small. For Ash, however, any unnecessary movement would lead to either hitting his feet against the footboard or knocking his head against the headboard.

"Daddy?"

Ash blinked and looked down at Elizabeth, who in turn was staring up at him with eyes so bright that they shined even in the dark.

"What is it, pumpkin?"

"Whewe do staws sweep?"

"Huh?"

"Aftew night night," Elizabeth squeaked. "Staws go bye bye! Whewe dey go?"

"Oh," Ash breathed. "They go…higher up in the sky. They don't like it when the sun is out. So, they wait until the sun sets, and then they come out again!"

"Oh. Kay!"

Ash smirked and closed his eyes, letting out a gentle breath as he tried to drift back into sleep.

"Daddy?"

Opening his eyes once again, Ash was not surprised to see Elizabeth still staring at him…wide awake.

"Yes, baby?"

"How much Po-mon has you seended?"

"I don't know _exactly_ how many," Ash mused. "But I've seen a lot!"

"All of 'em?"

"I'm not sure," Ash hummed. "There are so many Pokémon in the world! There might still even be some we haven't discovered yet! So, probably not."

"Oh."

"Time to go to sleep, little girl," Ash trilled, closing his eyes. "You're safe here with me. No reason not to go to sleep now…"

Finally, at long last, there was silence. Sweet, sweet silence. Everything so quiet and so still that Ash could practically hear the summer wind blowing outside of Elizabeth's windows.

"Daddy?"

And, as soon as it had begun, it ended.

Groaning, Ash dragged a hand through his unruly raven locks, not even opening his eyes this time. "Lizzie, sweetie, you have to go to sleep, okay? I agreed to stay in bed with you, but that meant you had to go to sleep, remember?"

Elizabeth blinked just once before asking, "Daddy, what'we we has fow bweakfit?"

"Okay," Ash sighed, sitting up and getting out of the bed. Right away, Elizabeth started to fuss, whimpering and flailing. "Relax, pumpkin! I'm not going anywhere!"

In fact, Ash had only gotten up to get something from the top of Elizabeth's dresser. Once he had it, he slipped back into the tiny toddler bed and coaxed the object into his daughter's mouth: a blue and pink pacifier with cherry blossoms printed on the front.

Sure, it might have seemed a little bit silly, but when it came to Elizabeth being too chatty, too fussy, or too wired, especially at night, her pacifier worked like a charm. Almost as soon as you popped it in, she calmed down considerably. And at night, it was typically only a matter of time until she fully conked out.

Fortunately, tonight was proving no different, even with the new toddler bed put into play. Elizabeth sucked quietly on the pacifier, keeping her eyes locked on Ash. He stroked her hair and kissed her forehead, making sure to pay attention to her, but more soothingly. No more talking. Everything was nice, calm, and quiet now. Soon enough, her eyelids were drooping, and her breathing had become gentler. In just a matter of minutes, she was fast asleep.

_Finally, _Ash thought to himself, letting out a tired yawn before resting his head against Elizabeth's and finally falling asleep himself.

**XXX**

In the morning, Misty was busy getting breakfast together in the kitchen. Aiden and Michelle were seated at the table, talking and giggling to one another. Normally, Misty would have questioned what they were up to, but she figured it was better than having the two of them fighting. Besides, she was still pretty exhausted from having to deal with multiple toddler related meltdowns in the night.

Speaking of which…

The creaking sound of weary footsteps was the first thing that actually tore Misty's attention away from the stove. Looking towards the stairs, she unsuccessfully tried to choke back a laugh as her miserable looking husband walked, or rather hobbled, into the kitchen. In his arms was Elizabeth, who looked very content and well rested. She still had the pacifier in her mouth, however, and remained quiet and calm. She wasn't exactly a morning person, and it took her a little while to actually wake up.

"Good morning, honey," Misty greeted cheerfully. "How are you?"

"How do I look?" Ash grumbled, not looking at all amused by his wife's inquiry.

"Not too good," Misty admitted. "You look like you've got a hunchback and two bad knees."

"I'm a six feet tall, 29 year old man," Ash drawled. "I should not be sleeping in a bed made for a two year old."

"Hey, you're the one who volunteered!" Misty trilled.

"Don't remind me," Ash grumbled. He hobbled over to the table and sat Elizabeth down in her pink and white booster seat, Aiden and Michelle watching on the whole time. Once Elizabeth was secure, Michelle looked her father right in the eyes and let out a soft, innocent giggle, earning an eyebrow raise from her father. "What's so funny, Shelly?"

"You, Daddy!" Michelle laughed as though it were obvious. "You actually slept in Lizzie's bed!"

"I had to!" Ash groaned. "She wouldn't stop crying! Your little sister really hates that new bed of hers."

"She won't hate it forever," Michelle assured her father. "I _liked_ that bed! I thought it was cute."

"I guess that's true," Ash murmured. "And you hated everything when you were little!"

"Hey!"

"Sorry, princess. But it's true!"

"But I didn't make _you_ sleep in my bed with me!" Michelle cried, narrowing her eyes. "I was good!"

"Maybe so, but you weren't necessarily good," Ash sighed. "You definitely cried just as much as your sister, if not more!"

"Ha!" Aiden laughed, earning a glare from his twin.

"Well, the good news is you won't have to sleep in that little bed anymore," Misty assured her husband, striding over to Ash and placing her hands on his shoulders.

"Why's that?" Ash asked warily.

"Because I won't allow it," Misty replied simply. "Elizabeth is going to have to learn to sleep in that bed on her own. I let last night slide, but that's it. If she comes into our room tonight and asks again, the answer is no."

Ash frowned and looked down at Elizabeth. Having heard her name come out of her mother's mouth, Elizabeth had tilted her head back in order to look in that general direction. Her eyes were wide, the pacifier still covering her mouth. She looked so sweet, so cute, so _innocent…_

"Maybe it wasn't _so_ bad," Ash muttered, looking back at his wife as her eyes widened.

"No, Ash, no! Don't…ugh. You know what? If you really want to bring that pain upon yourself, go ahead. But don't come crying to me when you can't walk the next morning."

Raising an eyebrow, Ash scoffed, "funny, what _you_ did to me last night could have done the same exact thing."

* * *

><p><strong>Pffft, Ash. Such a dramatic man :P<strong>

**Everyone knows what Misty did, right? I wanted to make sure it was clear without directly stating that she, ya know, punched him in that area...lol.**


	327. A Whole Lot of Luvdisc

**Happy Sunday, everyone! I've got a brand new one shot here for you, a really fun one! We get to see the "Ash side" of Elizabeth in this one ;)**

**Elizabeth: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>A Whole Lot of Luvdisc<strong>

"Heartley, play nice with the other Luvdisc!"

Misty giggled as she watched Elizabeth from behind. The little girl was peering into the glass tank, watching all of the Luvdisc swim around together. There were ten in total, and none of them were really used for battling. Instead, the Luvdisc were mostly utilized for water ballets. Aside from that, they lived happily in the gym aquarium, playing with one another and creating enchanting scenes for visiting trainers.

The "heads" of the school of Luvdisc were Caserin and Luverin, the male and female Luvdisc who belonged to Misty and Daisy respectively. They had been caught many years ago specifically for use in water ballets; all Daisy's idea. Of course, Misty had sometimes used Caserin for battle. He wasn't the strongest battler, but he did seem to like it quite a bit. Daisy's real desire, however, had been for Caserin and Luverin to fall in love so that their performances would be more believable. Originally, Luverin had wanted nothing to do with Caserin, who loved the female Luvdisc on his own accord. After seeing how brave he could be while in a fight with Team Rocket, however, Luverin fell for him, and the two rendezvous Pokémon had been mates ever since.

In that time together, they'd managed to produce eight different eggs, creating themselves a nice family. The first egg they'd eve' laid had been quite the experience for Misty. Of course she'd cared for Pokémon eggs before, but never one where both parents were present, intended to raise the offspring on their own, and lived in water with other Pokémon. Both Nurse Joy and Brock had spent a lot of time over at the gym, teaching Misty all sorts of different things about mating and what to do for the Pokémon. She had caught on pretty quickly, and after eight eggs, she pretty much considered herself an expert on the subject.

Because she couldn't have called all of them "Luvdisc," each one had been given their own unique name. Only one out of every four Luvdisc born was male, and that much was obvious when it came to the gym's resident family of pink water types. Out of the eight offspring, only two were male: the eldest, Niri, and the sixth hatched, Ceri. The other six Luvdisc: Airi, Carys, Manami, Noa, Ren, and Heartley, were all female.

Heartley was, without a doubt, Elizabeth's favorite. It was the first egg she'd been able to help Misty care for, and that alone had given the young girl quite the attachment to the little water type. Once it had finally hatched, Misty had allowed the precocious four year old to name the little one. Elizabeth had somehow rather easily decided on the name "Heartley," and that was that. She now considered Heartley to be "her" Pokémon, and was very possessive of the water type.

"Mama, can I show you the Luvdiscs?" Elizabeth squeaked.

"You want to tell me their names?" Misty asked sweetly.

"Uh huh!"

Misty giggled. "Go ahead, baby. I'm watching."

In order to keep each female Luvdisc designated so she didn't mix them up, Misty had given each one a little accessory. The males were easy enough to tell apart: Caserin was the largest, Niri was medium sized, and Ceri the smallest. The different colored bows on each Luvdisc had also helped Elizabeth to learn which one was which, and she loved showing off that knowledge to her mother.

"That one's Airi," Elizabeth began, pointing at the Luvdisc sporting a sky blue bow.

"Uh huh," Misty confirmed.

"There's Carys," Elizabeth continued, referring to the Luvdisc with a yellow bow.

"Mmhm."

"Manami's the one with the green bow!"

"Yep!"

"Noa has purple…"

"She does."

"Ren's got red…and Heartley has the pink bow!"

"You're so smart, Lizzie!" Misty giggled. "That's a lot of Luvdisc to know, but you know them all!"

"Yeah!" Elizabeth gasped. "I love 'em all of 'em a lot, and I gots to know all of 'em! And I do."

"Daddy would be very proud of you, too," Misty added. "You know how happy it makes him that you love Pokémon so much! Do you think you'll train with Heartley when you get older?"

Elizabeth looked up at her mother with a serious expression. "Mommy, I already do."

Misty flattened her brow and frowned at her daughter. "Elizabeth, you know you're not supposed to be training any Pokémon. You're too little!"

"But that's dumb," Elizabeth commented simply.

"It's not dumb," Misty gently scolded. "Those rules are in place to keep you safe. I don't want anything to happen to my beautiful baby girl! I'd never be able to forgive myself, Lizzie."

That, however, was not a good enough answer for the unhappy child. "That's no fun."

Misty smirked at her daughter's reaction. "Just trust me, okay, sprinkle? I know what I'm talking about."

Elizabeth didn't necessarily agree with her mother, however. In fact, she didn't agree at _all._ It wasn't fair that she couldn't train with _her_ Pokémon just because she was little! Pouting, Elizabeth trudged away from the aquarium tank, leaving behind a giggling Misty. Walking straight up to the video phone in the lobby, Elizabeth pointed a finger at it and turned towards Misty.

"What is it, sweetie?" Misty asked kindly.

"Call Daddy!" Elizabeth ordered.

"How come?"

"I wanna talks to him."

"He might be busy," Misty warned her daughter. "But we can try."

Misty knew exactly why Elizabeth wanted to talk to her father, but she wasn't about to stop the little girl. She knew that Ash had her back on this one, and might be able to talk Elizabeth down more gently than she had.

Luckily, Ash picked up after only a few rings, and seemed surprised to see his young daughter on the other end of the line.

"Lizzie?"

"Daddy!" Elizabeth cried.

"What's the matter, pumpkin?" Ash asked sweetly. "Aren't you having fun in the gym with Mommy?"

"No," Elizabeth squeaked, much to Misty's horror. "Daddy, she said I can't train Heartley now!"

"Am I wrong?!" Misty demanded, butting into the conversation.

"Uh…" Ash stammered, pushing his chair back as though that would create more space between him and the two girls. "N-no, not really. Lizzie, you know you're too young to be training Pokémon! But that doesn't mean you and Heartley can't be friends!"

Elizabeth twisted her mouth and scooted off the chair, walking away without another word. Misty allowed her eyes to follow the adamant child but they were soon placed back on Ash, who was smirking and obviously holding back a chuckle.

"What's so funny, Mr. Pokémon Master?"

"Elizabeth," Ash replied as though it were obvious. "She's so stubborn! Like-"

"You?" Misty interrupted.

"No, _you!_" Ash argued.

"Hey, I may be stubborn, but when it comes to being told 'no,' _you're_ the one who's worse off," Misty scoffed.

"And you're saying she gets that from me?"

"YES!"

"Hey, she just wants to work with Pokémon," Ash continued, smiling at his wife. "I'm proud of her for that! She clearly watches us and just wants to do what we do."

"Yeah, except she's _four,_" Misty sighed. "And you know that means training Pokémon is out of the question!"

"I'm not saying she should be training Pokémon, Mist," Ash assured his wife. "I'm just saying that maybe we should find another way to distract her from it rather than just saying no! That's why she's so upset. I know _I_ used to get upset whenever my mom would tell me no, especially when it came to training or having my own Pokémon! I think we can come up with something more creative to distract Lizzie."

"Like what?"

"Uh…not sure."

At this, Misty nearly fell over, earning a hearty laugh from her husband. "I'll figure _something _out, Mist! I've got lots of time to think, after all."

Raising an eyebrow, Misty tilted her head and asked, "aren't you supposed to be doing paperwork?"

"Yeah. That's why I've got plenty of time to think!"

Misty sighed and hung her head. "How they allow you to get away with this kind of stuff I'll never know."

Ash smirked and winkled playfully at her. "Easy when you're the Pokémon Master!"

**XXX**

"Heartley, how come Mommy and Daddy don't gets it?"

The young rendezvous Pokémon blew a series of bubbles out of its mouth before jumping out of the water, just enough to press a little kiss against the tip of Elizabeth's nose. Giggling, the girl leaned over just a bit more, her nose just barely breaking the surface of the water.

"We're friends, right?"

Heartley beamed and nodded.

"Then how come I can't train you?!" Elizabeth whined, stomping her foot against the stepladder she was standing on. "It's not fair."

Heartley frowned, perfectly mimicking Elizabeth's own expression. As the two pouted, the small sun roof in the ceiling burst, glass falling to the floor as a large fishing net came down and collected Elizabeth along with all of the Luvdisc in the tank.

"Nabbed 'em!"

"What a success!"

"These adorable little love Pokémon will make an excellent addition to the boss' collection!"

"Mommy! Help!"

Humming, the Rocket trio glanced down, and shrieked upon realizing they had unintentionally captured something outside of the Pokémon variety.

"Da baby twoip?!" Meowth cried.

"How did _she _get in there?!" James gasped.

"Ugh, clearly the apple doesn't fall far from the twerp tree!" Jessie hissed. "Even the littlest twerp has to get in the way of everything!"

"But what do we do?" James asked. "We can't just release her! That will release all of the Luvdisc as well!"

"And ya know we need da Luvdisc fer da boss!" Meowth added.

"Which is why we're not going to let the baby twerp go!" Jessie growled. "Mommy twerp will just have to learn her lesson!"

"And that is…?"

"Don't leave your children lying around in places where they can be taken by thieves!"

"But…we _did_ break into the twerpette's gym…"

"Yeah, so da baby twoip shoulda been safe down dere," Meowth agreed with James' prior reckoning.

"Oh, be quiet, you two!" Jessie snarled.

"MOMMYYYY!"

"Ah!" Jessie cried, leaning over the edge of the balloon basket. "Be quiet, tiny twerpette!"

"Team Rocket! What are you doing with my daughter?! _And _my Luvdisc?!"

The three villains shrieked and looked down, finding themselves to be staring at a _very _angry Misty.

"Uh oh!" Meowth wailed. "Busted!"

"Mommy, help!" Elizabeth cried.

"Don't worry, Lizzie! Mommy is going to save you!" Misty reached for her waist and pulled out a poke ball, throwing it in the air. "Vaporeon, aurora beam!"

The water type opened her mouth and unleashed a swirling vortex of rainbow colors, quickly cutting the net from the bottom of the basket. As Elizabeth and all of the Luvdisc began to fall, before Misty could even order another attack, Elizabeth used her own squeaky little voice to make a command.

"Heartley! Water gun!"

The pink bow clad Luvdisc flipped so she was facing downward. Pursing her lips, the rendezvous Pokémon spit out a stream of water, creating a fountain that caught Elizabeth and all of the other Luvdisc.

Misty watched on with wide eyes as the water slowly let up, gently dropping Elizabeth and the family of Luvdisc on the floor. Once everyone was safe, Heartley stopped her water gun and performed several flips in the air before landing in Elizabeth's waiting arms.

"Yay, Heartley!" Elizabeth cheered with a giggle.

"Ey, did dat baby twoip just use a Pokémon?!" Meowth cried.

"No way, she's too young for that kind of stuff!" Jessie argued.

Narrowing her eyes, Elizabeth held Heartley up and yelled, "oh yeah? Heartley, again!"

The water type repeated her actions from before, pursing her lips and firing off a water gun that was not powerful enough to send the villains flying, but enough to get all three of them soaked.

"Let's finish them off, Vaporeon," Misty sighed. "Hydro pump!"

Vaporeon fired off a much stronger version of Heartley's water gun, this one actually powerful enough to send Team Rocket sailing out of the gym…empty handed.

"Team Rocket's blasting off again!"

As the group disappeared, Elizabeth giggled and scurried up to her mother, who was still wearing a look of shock on her face.

"See?" Elizabeth trilled. "I did it! I used an attack, Mommy!"

Finally, Misty showed off a weak smile. "_You_ didn't use the attack, sweetheart. Heartley did!"

"Yeah…" Elizabeth trailed off. "But I tolds her what to do! I did!"

"Yes, you did."

"Are you proud of me?"

Misty would be lying if she said that question didn't make her heart quake. "Yes, sprinkle. I'm proud of you."

At this, Elizabeth's entire face lit up. "So I can train wif the Pokémon now?"

"One step at a time, kiddo!" Misty laughed. "I think that's enough battling for one day for you, baby."

* * *

><p><strong>Of course, we all know that a little down the line, Elizabeth ends up acquiring a habit for pretending to be the Cerulean City gym leader ;) She's just very impatient and very in love with Pokémon, just like Ash!<strong>

**And also, I LOVE the idea of Misty having all those Luvdisc. As we learned in a past chapter, she finds them to be adorable and very romantic, so having a bunch of them to live in the aquarium and swim around is perfect for her :)**


	328. Party Shocker

**Life can be very stressful sometimes, can't it? Let's see...I start school exactly two weeks from today, and they cancel one of my classes. One of my MAJOR classes. Ha. Ha ha ha. And everything else is full. HA. Excuse me while I cry.**

**Anyway, that's my life, and no one is here for that. Fact of the matter is I'm stressed out, and when THAT happens, I write. So...take this one shot! Hopefully you all find it as funny as I did.**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Party Shocker<strong>

"I was invited to Erika's garden party."

Misty raised her eyes and set them onto Ash. He was sitting in the driver's seat, his hands gripping the wheel and eyes never once moving from the road ahead.

"What? A garden party?"

"Yeah, apparently. Should I go?"

"I guess so…it would look sort of bad if we didn't."

"Yeah, that's…wait a minute, did you just say _we?_"

"Well, yeah. We both got invited, didn't we?"

"Uh…"

Misty folded her arms across her chest and raised an eyebrow as she fully whipped her head around to stare at Ash. "Why are you hesitating to answer that question?"

"Uh…"

"Ash Ketchum, you answer me right now! We both were invited to Erika's party, _right?_"

"Uh…no?"

Misty's eyes widened at this, and Ash braced himself for the outburst.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN NO?!"

"Misty, shh!" Ash hissed, reaching a red light and finally looking away from the road to instead peer over his shoulder, where both Aiden and Michelle were asleep in the backseat. "Don't wake them up!"

"What the hell is that about?!" Misty fumed, although she _had _lowered her voice for the sake of the sleeping children. "_I_ work with her, not _you!_ I thought she _hated _you!"

"Me too," Ash laughed dully.

"So why would she invite _you_ to some stupid garden party and not _me?_"

"I don't know, maybe she did invite you! I'm not really sure!" Ash panicked.

Misty narrowed her eyes at Ash's backtracking. "You _just_ said I wasn't invited to the party. Now you're _not sure?_ Make up your mind!"

"Well, _Erika_ didn't directly invite me, not at first, anyway," Ash explained in a rushed fashion. "I was at work, training, and _Lance_ came up to me during the middle of it and asked me if I was going to the party. I told him I hadn't heard anything about it. But he told me that I had been invited by Erika. So, I went to her and asked."

"Yeah?" Misty pressed. "And what did _she_ say?"

"She got all giddy and excited and asked me if I was really going to go," Ash replied. "I told her yes, since she was so excited about it."

"But she didn't say anything about me?"

"You never really came up during the conversation."

"So there, that doesn't mean no," Misty giggled just once, smirking at her bewildered husband who had returned his eyes to the road ahead. "It just means she forgot to mention it! So, I'll come with you."

"Misty, I don't think that's such a good idea…"

At this, Misty sulked. "Why not?"

"Because she didn't say you could come!"

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I wasn't invited!"

"It also doesn't mean you _were_ invited," Ash grumbled.

"What was that, Ash Ketchum?"

"Nothing…?"

"Whatever, I'm sure she was just so excited about the prospect of you going that she forgot to include me in the invitation," Misty grumbled. "I have a gym leader meeting tomorrow, so I'll just ask her about it there."

"I don't see why you even want to go," Ash reasoned with his flustered wife. "You don't like Erika! So why do you care so much if you go to her party or not?"

"It's not that, Ash, it's the principle of the thing," Misty sighed, as though explaining the whole situation was a chore. "It is true that Erika and I are not the best of friends. In fact, we're pretty much enemies. But we're still co-workers, and we're both adults! We try to keep things cordial, for work's sake."

"Mmhm," Ash hummed.

"I mean, come on!" Misty continued quite valiantly. "We invited her to our wedding, to the twins' introduction to all of the League workers…it would only be right if she invited me to her garden party."

"I guess," Ash murmured. "But there are still plenty of other things we didn't invite her to."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"Our engagement party, the twins' first birthday party, their blessing…"

"Because those were pretty much just our family and very close friends!" Misty whined. "Most of the other gym leaders weren't invited either! Except for Forrest, but he was invited because we're good friends with him, not because I work with him."

"Right."

"So why wouldn't I be invited to this garden party?!"

"I don't know, Misty!" Ash cried in exasperated fashion. "It's not my party. I'm just an innocent invitee! If you want answers, you're gonna have to go to Erika yourself."

"And I said I will! Tomorrow. At the meeting."

"You do that, babe."

At this, Misty arched an eyebrow. "Was that sarcastic?"

"No!" Ash laughed tiredly. "No, I really mean it, Mist. Talk to Erika. You should probably try and clear up the air between you two anyway."

"And when it goes badly?" Misty asked warily.

"I'll be waiting at home so you can rant to me and scream into all of the pillows we have in our living room," Ash replied simply.

"Aww," Misty crooned, reaching out to rub her husband's shoulder. "You're the sweetest guy a girl could ask for, Ashy!"

"Heh, I try!"

**XXX**

"Erika!"

The grass type gym leader furrowed her brow as Misty came skirting up to her, a purely determined look set on her beautiful young face.

"Misty?" Erika asked in obvious surprise.

"I'm glad I caught up to you," Misty sighed.

Erika shook her head and blinked hard. "You are?"

"Yeah!" Misty trilled. "I've got a question for you."

"Well, this certainly can't be good," Erika frankly remarked, folding her arms across her chest.

Misty's jaw dropped at the sudden change of tone. "Why would you think me having to ask you a question is so bad?"

"Let's be honest with one another," Erika requested, earning a single nod from Misty. "You and I have really never gotten along."

"Right."

"Our personalities just don't click!"

"Mmhm."

"And I know for a fact you don't appreciate the way I've treated your husband over the years."

"Well…_sometimes_ it's funny," Misty admitted, shifting her eyes to the side.

"That's why I'm assuming you seeking me out so actively just to ask a question isn't necessarily a good thing," Erika finished. "If I had to guess, I'd say that I said something off color to your husband that you're not exactly happy about."

"No, that's not it at all!" Misty refuted. "I was going to ask you about the party you're hosting!"

Upon hearing those words, Erika's eyes widened, and she seemed almost even more shocked than when Misty had first approached her.

"I heard that you'd invited Ash, but you hadn't told him anything about mine," Misty continued, oblivious to Erika's shock. "I just assumed that maybe you'd forgotten about it in the moment. Because why would you invite my _husband _to a party and not me?"

"Yeah, why?" Erika asked sarcastically through ground teeth.

"It's a good question, right?" Misty prompted, still unaware of Erika's distress. "But I knew it was just an oversight!"

"I…I didn't-"

"You don't have to worry about it, Erika," Misty laughed. "We all make mistakes every now and then! Just let Ash and I know if you need us to bring anything to the party, okay?"

"I…but I…_what?!_"

**XXX**

When Misty returned home that evening, she found Ash waiting for her in the living room, just as he always was whenever she returned from a gym leader meeting.

"So, how'd it go?" Ash asked.

"Great!" Misty trilled. "It was pretty obvious that my invitation just skipped Erika's mind. No big deal!"

"So…you _were_ invited?" Ash questioned.

"Well, technically, Erika never actually said 'yes,' but the way she was responding to my questions and acting certainly made it seem like she just forgot," Misty explained, causing Ash's eyes to widen. "I knew I was right about the whole thing! Now that that's settled, I can go get started on dinner."

Ash didn't bother to move his head as Misty walked past him, right towards the kitchen. As soon as she was out of the room, his poke gear rang. Reaching down to his waist, Ash pulled off the device and held it in his hands, grimacing as he read the words that were scrawled across the screen.

_Why the hell did you open your big mouth about my party to your wife?!_

* * *

><p><strong>The party was supposed to be kept a secret from Misty, if that wasn't made clear. Even though, yes, Erika is stupid enough to invite Misty's HUSBAND, and expect him to keep it a secret from her. Of course, Ash didn't realize the party was supposed to be a secret. He's dense, remember? ;)<strong>


	329. Babysitting: Serena

**You guys asked, and I listened. You've all been asking for a while, so I've been working hard on this one. And I think it will really appease all of you! It's super long, super detailed, and hopefully super in character ;)**

**That's right: it's Serena's turn to babysit!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 7 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Babysitting: Serena<strong>

"Lizzie! Let's get dressed, little girl!"

"No!"

Serena sighed and stepped into the toddler's room, eyes looking around for the sneaky child. The young woman knew full well that her goddaughter was hiding somewhere around there. It was just a matter of actually finding her.

"Come on, Lizzie!" Serena tried. "You _love_ it when I dress you up! Don't you always tell me I'm the most fashionable person you know?"

Although she received no vocal response, Serena was tipped off when she realized the ballerina embroidered comforter on the girl's bed was rustling around.

"Okay…" Serena murmured, placing her hands behind her back as she slowly approached the bed. "I guess you win then, Elizabeth. You're hiding from me, and I can't find you! You're very good at this game. Much better than I am!"

Stopping by the side of the bed, Serena leaned over and raised an eyebrow. From beneath the comforter, she could hear muffled giggles, and that's when she knew she'd cornered her target.

"Gotcha!" Serena boasted, grabbing onto the comforter and lifting it up. She was met with the sight of Elizabeth lying on her back, hands held up by her head as her giggles increased in intensity. "You thought you could hide from me, huh, little doll?"

Elizabeth only responded with more giggles. Smirking, Serena grabbed onto the toddler by her sides and lifted her out of bed, instead standing her up on the floor. Once she was upright, Elizabeth giggled again and ran towards her stuffed Pokémon in the corner, kneeling down and grabbing at them one by one.

"We can play after you get dressed," Serena suggested. "How does that sound?"

"No!" Elizabeth chirped.

"No?" Serena repeated with a gasp. "I thought you'd want to wear that pretty new dress I bought you!"

_That_ caught the toddler's attention. She looked over her shoulder with a dropped jaw and wide eyes, obviously excited by the prospect of a brand new dress.

"Pink?" Elizabeth asked.

"Of course it's pink!" Serena replied playfully. "What other color would I get for my little doll?"

Elizabeth shrieked and popped back up, beaming at her godmother. "Sery, let's dwess now!"

"Yes, let's get dressed!" Serena agreed. "Do you need your diaper changed, Lizzie?"

"No," the little girl squeaked, running back over to her bed.

"You're sure?" Serena questioned.

"Ya!"

"Just making sure, little doll."

Serena always had to double check with the toddler. Right now, her favorite word was "no," and she used it for absolutely everything…even when she actually wanted something. That would often lead to some serious temper tantrums from the girl. Fortunately, Serena was quite familiar with these tendencies, and she knew at this point how to avoid them.

"Let's get you out of your pajamas first," Serena calmly instructed the toddler. Elizabeth beamed and held her arms out, allowing Serena to unzip her purple footed pajamas printed with big pink polka dots. "There we go! Nice and easy!"

"Sery, dwess!" Elizabeth cried, holding her hands up in the air.

"I'm gonna get the dress, you silly thing!" Serena laughed. "Look, it's right here!"

Elizabeth giggled delightfully as Serena plucked the hanger off of the knob of one of her dresser drawers. Hanging from it was the brand new dress that Serena had brought especially for her beloved goddaughter: a white, short sleeved bodice with a shirred skirt of pink, black, and white stripes, with a matching bow on the right side of the collar.

"Pwetty!" Elizabeth squealed.

"Isn't it?" Serena giggled. "I saw it on display in Lumiose City, and I thought it was just perfect for my little doll! Now, put your arms up!"

Elizabeth did exactly as she was told, scrunching up her face as the dress was pulled over her head. When she opened up her eyes, Elizabeth looked down and was more than pleased to see that the dress was now on her body.

"Pwetty!" Elizabeth repeated, looking up at Serena with glittering eyes.

"I'm glad you love it!" Serena giggled. "Now that you're all dressed, I think we should go get Aiden and Michelle! Do you think they're up?"

"No," Elizabeth replied simply, jumping back onto her bed to retrieve Teddi.

"You sure seem confident about that!" Serena giggled. "So then, how about we go wake them up, huh? You wanna do that?"

Elizabeth grinned at her godmother and nodded her head. Jumping off her bed, Elizabeth ran straight out of her room and down the hall to her older sister's bedroom. Poking her head into the partially open doorway, Elizabeth giggled and ran fully inside, Serena gasping and hurrying after the toddler.

"Lizzie, wait!" Serena cried in a hushed voice.

"Hi, Shelly!"

"Oh, hi, Lizzie."

Poking her own head into the doorway, Serena was surprised to see the seven year old girl up and about. She was going through her drawers, looking through clothes, and seemed a bit frustrated.

"Is everything okay in here, Michelle?" Serena asked kindly.

"I don't know what to wear, Serena," Michelle complained. "I've got plenty of clothes, but nothing feels…right."

"Ugh, I _hate_ those days," Serena remarked, shaking her head. "Luckily for you, I'm very experienced in them! But perhaps once I pick out the perfect outfit for you, we can go shopping downtown!"

"Clothes shopping?" Michelle asked.

"Of course!" Serena giggled. "That's the _best _kind of shopping!"

"I've never really liked clothes shopping too much," Michelle admitted. "But it's always fun with Dawn…and you know just as much about clothes and fashion that she does!"

"So you trust me?" Serena questioned with a trill.

"Yeah!" Michelle giggled.

After picking out a cute outfit for Michelle to wear: a pair of blue and white jacquard printed jeans with a white high-low shirt, Serena led Elizabeth into Aiden's room while Michelle got dressed in order to check on the boy.

Of course, _he_ was still asleep.

"He is _just_ like Ash," Serena muttered, shaking her head.

"Sery," Elizabeth whined, tugging at the blonde's hand.

"What is it, sweetie?"

"We gots to wakey Denny!"

"Yes, we do!"

"I jumps."

"No, no, don't jump on him," Serena gently scolded. "We're going to wake him up nicely!"

"Nice?" Elizabeth repeated, frowning at the idea.

"Yes, nice!" Serena giggled. "See, you can wake your brother up very sweetly! All we have to do is walk up to him, like this…" Serena led Elizabeth over to Aiden's bed, still holding the toddler's hand, "and very gently shake his shoulder, like this!"

Serena reached out with her free hand and lightly shook Aiden by the shoulder, causing the boy to whine.

"Aiden," Serena beckoned sweetly. "Come on, it's time to wake up! We've got lots of fun things planned for today, but we can't get started until you get out of bed!"

"Mm, go –fout me," Aiden grumbled from beneath the covers.

"We can't go without you, silly boy!" Serena giggled. "It's going to be a group trip! Besides, you're not even eight years old yet. I can't leave you home alone!"

"Mmm…ya. You can."

Smirking, Elizabeth climbed up onto the bed and shrieked, "wakey time!"

She started jumping on her older brother, causing the boy to cry out and jump up from beneath the covers. Elizabeth giggled at her success, while Serena groaned and hung her head.

"Well, I tried…"

"Get off me, shrimp!"

"Nuh uh!" Elizabeth whined, plopping down and folding her arms. "You'we –azy!"

"You mean lazy," Aiden huffed, gently pushing Elizabeth off of him. At this, the toddler _screamed_, which was a way over the top reaction. Of course, Serena knew that.

"Alright, alright," Serena hushed, separating the two by picking Elizabeth up. "Aiden, it isn't nice to push your little sister. And Elizabeth, there's no need to yell like that, either. I know Aiden didn't hurt you."

"Ya!" Elizabeth cried in response.

"No," Serena sighed, placing Elizabeth on the floor. "Now, we have to brush our teeth before we leave, right?"

"No," Elizabeth squeaked.

Rolling her eyes, Serena looked over at the disgruntled Aiden and kindly requested, "Aiden, will you please get dressed while I finish getting Elizabeth ready?"

"I guess," Aiden grumbled, not moving from his spot in bed.

"Thank you," Serena trilled, reaching down to grab Elizabeth's hand once again. This time, the toddler whined. "Come on, Lizzie. It's time to brush our teeth!"

"No!"

"Yes," Serena countered simply.

The little girl fussed and protested the entire way to the bathroom, but Serena didn't let that deter her. She loved Elizabeth dearly, and had ever since the day she was born. But at the same time, Serena also knew that she was going through the rough "terrible twos" phase, and that when Elizabeth acted up, it wasn't time to coddle her. It was part of the reason, after all, that Ash and Misty felt she could properly watch the toddler when they weren't around.

"No bwuf!" Elizabeth cried as Serena pulled her into the bathroom. "No!"

"Elizabeth, it's very important that we brush our teeth!" Serena gently scolded the child. "Besides, you know I'll be gentle. I'm not going to hurt you."

Serena bent down and lifted Elizabeth up, sitting her on the bathroom counter. Elizabeth kept the pout on her face, crossing her arms and turning her face away from Serena.

"Which toothbrush is yours, Lizzie?"

The toddler chose not to respond to that question, which was what Serena had been expecting.

"I bet I know which one it is," Serena teased, picking up the tiniest toothbrush out of the five. It was light pink in color, with small, soft bristles. "This certainly looks like a little princess' toothbrush, doesn't it?"

"No."

Smirking, Serena covered the bristles with Elizabeth's special toddler toothpaste and moved the brush towards the girl's mouth. "Open up wide, Lizzie!"

This girl whined and turned her head in the _other_ direction.

"Come on, Elizabeth," Serena prodded. "I know you're only acting this way because Aiden upset you! But remember, he didn't mean any of that! He's just a grouch in the morning."

Elizabeth finally turned back towards Serena and gave the woman a small nod. "Gwumpy Denny."

"Yes, grumpy Aiden," Serena giggled. "Now, will you let Sery brush your teeth for you?"

Elizabeth beamed and nodded her head before opening up her mouth. Giggling, Serena started to delicately scrub at Elizabeth's teeth, giving the toddler a thorough, though gentle, cleaning.

"Spit it out now, little one," Serena crooned.

Elizabeth blinked and leaned over the sink, spitting out the toothpaste in her mouth.

"Cwean?" Elizabeth squeaked, grinning widely at Serena and baring every last one of her baby teeth.

"Yeah, sparkling clean!" Serena giggled. "Your teeth look like tiny little pearls, cutie pie!"

As Elizabeth giggled with delight, both Aiden and Michelle came squeezing into the bathroom, already fighting over who was going to get to use the sink first in order to brush their teeth.

"You two can certainly share the sink," Serena reasoned with the bickering twins, lifting Elizabeth off of the counter and holding the toddler against her hip.

"No we can't!" Michelle whined.

"Yeah, Michelle's a girl, so she needs the whole sink _and_ the whole mirror all to herself!" Aiden bit.

"Well, can't argue with that point," Serena murmured. "Us girls_ do_ need our private bathroom time."

"Michelle doesn't do a very good job with all that time," Aiden remarked, scrunching up his nose as he spoke.

"Hey!" Michelle cried, shoving Aiden from behind.

"Alright, no more fighting!" Serena scolded. "You two are both old enough to work this out. Brush your teeth and then come downstairs so we can go. While you two are doing that, I'll finish getting your sister ready."

As Serena walked out of the bathroom with Elizabeth in her arms, she could still hear Aiden and Michelle bickering behind her. "Guess that didn't work."

"No!" Elizabeth trilled, giggling afterwards.

"Oh, Lizzie, you're so silly," Serena sighed. "Come on. We're going to get your shoes on and put you in your stroller! By the time we're all done with that, I'm sure your big brother and sister will be downstairs and ready to go."

Serena carried the toddler downstairs and placed her by the side of her floral printed stroller. Giggling, Elizabeth reached inside of the stroller, lifting her legs up to try and climb into it. Fortunately, Serena managed to catch sight of this before the stroller fell on top of the girl, and stopped it from happening.

"Whoa!" Serena breathed. "I really can't take my eyes off of you for a second, can I?"

"No!" Elizabeth chirped.

"At least you got it right for once," Serena sighed.

"Sewy?" Elizabeth murmured.

"What is it, little doll?"

"-ooh!" Elizabeth squealed, pointing down at her bare feet.

"What's the matter, baby?" Serena cooed.

"-ooh!" Elizabeth repeated. "Needs –ooh!"

"You're trying to say 'shoe,' aren't you?" Serena giggled.

"-ooh!"

"Okay, we'll put your shoes on," Serena laughed.

She grabbed the toddler's nearby shoes: a pair of white ballet flats with black accents at the toe and heel. Once they were on, Elizabeth murmured curiously and knelt down, pulling at the black elastics running across her feet.

"Fee!" Elizabeth giggled.

"You're so silly, Elizabeth," Serena commented, picking the toddler up and sitting her down in the stroller. "There! Nice and comfy now, I bet."

"I'm gonna beat you downstairs, Shelly!"

"Get out of my way, Aiden!"

Sighing, Serena looked over her shoulder and watched as the twins came barreling down the stairs, shoving one another at each and every step.

"Guys, come on, quit it!" Serena groaned. "The last thing I need is for either of you to come tumbling down and get hurt! Your mom will _kill_ me."

"Nah," Aiden refuted. "She'd kill us before she'd kill you!"

"Either way," Serena muttered. "Put your shoes on, and then we can head out!"

"We are we going?" Aiden asked, plopping himself down by the front door in order to pull his sneakers on.

"Downtown," Serena replied simply.

"What's downtown?" Aiden questioned.

"Stores."

At this, Aiden made a face. "Like _shopping_ stores? I hate shopping."

"I know, you're just like your father," Serena sighed. "Don't worry, buddy. I've got a nice reward planned for you if you behave and let us girls do what we need to do!"

"Like what?"

"A nice lunch at your favorite restaurant in the city!"

Aiden's eyes widened. "The Burger Stop?!"

"Yep!"

"Oh boy!" Aiden cheered. "Okay! I'll try not to complain."

"Good to know," Serena giggled, draping Elizabeth's pink fleece coat over the hood of the stroller. "You should both take a light jacket with you, in case it gets cool. It _is_ the fall!"

Aiden and Michelle both snatched their light coats off of the rack and beamed up at Serena, silently showing her they were ready to go.

"Great!" Serena cheered, opening up the front door. "After you two!"

The twins bustled out of the front door, Serena following behind with Elizabeth's stroller. She closed the door behind them and started down the walkway, Aiden and Michelle continuing to lead the way as they talked calmly to one another. Serena found it amazing that the two could fight like a Seviper and Zangoose when they wanted to, and then get along like the best of friends just minutes later. Of course, she had grown up as an only child, so she didn't know what it was like to have any siblings. Ash had grown up the exact same way, and since Aiden and Michelle were twins, he had learned _very_ quickly what siblings were like.

That always made Serena laugh.

She'd had such a crush on Ash when they were young. It had all started when they'd met at Professor Oak's summer camp as children. It took years for them to meet again, but Serena had never forgotten him. Traveling through Kalos with Ash had been one of the best experiences of Serena's life. So when she went to visit him in Kanto, she was less than pleased to meet the redheaded monster named Misty.

Serena could not believe the way Misty treated Ash. The yelling, the teasing, the threats! It had horrified her to no end, and in turn, Serena had decided right away that she didn't like Misty. After all, how could someone be so horrible to someone as sweet as Ash?!

So, imagine her shock when later that night, she'd caught Ash and Misty sitting on Ash's porch…

_Kissing._

Unable to resist herself, Serena had burst in on them. She couldn't help it! She was so stunned that it had clouded her judgment. So much so, in fact, that Serena had failed to realize how completely _embarrassed_ Misty was by getting caught, and how much worse it all got when Serena demanded to know from Ash how he could possibly love someone who was _so_ nasty to him.

Amazingly enough, Ash did not get mad at Serena for the intrusion. He didn't yell at her, scold her, or even frown at her. Instead, he'd just showed her a sweet smile and calmly explained:

"_I know it seems like Misty is really mean to me, but she's not. Misty cares about me a whole lot! That's just kind of how our relationship works. Yeah, she teases me, but I tease her right back! She's tough, so I know she can take it. And we both know that none of it is meant to hurt the other. Trust me, for every verbal licking Misty gives me, she gives me the same amount of love right back! Besides, as soon as I realized just how much I loved Misty, I vowed that I would protect her forever, no matter what. It's something that she really needed. You've only seen one side of Misty. I think once the two of you become better friends, you'll learn a whole lot more about each other!"_

And that they did. From that moment on, Serena quickly learned that Misty was not at all how she seemed. Yes, she had a bit of a temper. She was certainly more fiery, outspoken, and sassy than Serena was. But that didn't make Misty a bad person. Not at all! In fact, she was actually quite sweet. She introduced Serena to some of the best boutiques in Cerulean…after Serena discovered that Misty was not 100% tomboy and quite enjoyed shopping herself.

Serena later learned that Misty had experienced a rough childhood, and never exactly felt cared for. That's when it all made sense…why Ash had said he'd vowed to take care of Misty. Whether she loved him or not, Ash had made a promise to himself to protect her. He knew he was capable of giving Misty the love and care she'd been denied of for most of her life. So, no matter what their situation was, he was going to give it to her.

But of course Misty loved him right back.

How could you not? He was so sweet and so kind…it was the whole reason Serena had fallen in love with him in the first place. But of course, she understood Ash and Misty's relationship, and respected it. That was part of the reason she and Misty had managed to become friends.

Once they all got a bit older, and Ash and Misty were married with children, Serena came to adore all three of them. She'd become especially enamored with Elizabeth. Of course, a large part of that had to do with the fact that Elizabeth was Serena's goddaughter. It was a special relationship that Serena had never thought of before. She knew she would never have any nieces or nephews to spoil, so instead, she got to do that with Elizabeth. And she loved every second of it. Serena loved Aiden and Michelle as well, and was close to all three of the children.

"So, Michelle, what kind of outfit do you think you'd like to get?" Serena asked the older girl.

"I'm not sure," Michelle mused. "Something either blue or green! _Maybe_ purple. But no pink!"

Serena smirked at this. "I meant what _kind_ of outfit! You know, a dress? Or a skirt?"

"Oh," Michelle breathed. "I'm not sure. I don't like dresses and skirts all too much. Only sometimes! I like pants a lot better."

"Well, what if I find you a _pretty_ skirt?" Serena crooned. "Would you at least try it on for me?"

"I guess so," Michelle murmured. "As long as it's not pink!"

"Okay," Serena giggled. "No pink! Got it!"

**XXX**

"Serena, this is _boring!_"

"Aiden, remember what I said about complaining!"

The boy grumbled and sat down beneath a rack of dresses, folding his arms across his chest. Elizabeth, on the other hand, giggled and reached out for her brother, wiggling her tiny fingers out of excitement.

"Hi, Denny!" Elizabeth squawked.

"But I'm hungry already," Aiden murmured. "I want to have lunch now! Can we?"

"Aiden, we just got here," Serena sighed. "I promise that as soon as we find Michelle a new outfit, we'll go get something to eat!"

That didn't seem to be a good enough answer for Aiden. Once Serena walked away to point out a few different tops to Michelle, Aiden got up and lifted Elizabeth out of her stroller, placing the toddler on the floor.

"Lizzie," Aiden softly beckoned. "You want to play a game with me?"

"Ya!" Elizabeth squeaked.

"Kay!" Aiden chuckled. "Come on, follow me!"

Serena and Michelle were so busy with one another that they both failed to see Aiden and Elizabeth scurrying away behind them.

"Oh, Michelle! Look at this cute shirt with seashells on it!" Serena squealed. "It's just perfect for you!"

"Yeah!" Michelle agreed, her eyes lighting up. "It really is!"

"And I bet we could find a really cute skirt that goes with it!" Serena continued. As soon as she saw the grimace on Michelle's face, Serena smirked and corrected, "_maybe_ a pair of pants."

"Yeah, that sounds good!" Michelle giggled.

"Look out! It's the clothes monster!"

Serena and Michelle both whipped around just in time to see a small pie of clothes walking past them. The sound of shrieking giggles could be heard from beneath a frilly pink skirt, and right away, Serena knew who it was.

"Elizabeth!" Serena hissed, kneeling down and stopping the toddler in her tracks. The giggles only increased as Serena removed the skirt from the girl's face, fully revealing her as Elizabeth. "What in the world are you doing?!"

"Pwayin wif Denny," Elizabeth murmured once she sensed that Serena didn't find her actions funny.

"This isn't playing, Elizabeth," Serena sighed, plucking the rest of the clothes off of the toddler. "This is being naughty! These clothes are here for people to buy, not for you to mess around with!"

"Denny towd me to," Elizabeth grumbled.

"Don't blame the whole thing on your brother, little lady," Serena scolded. "You went along with him!"

"Cause is Denny!" Elizabeth whined.

"Alright, back in the stroller with you, tiny troublemaker," Serena groaned, picking Elizabeth up and sitting the toddler back down in her stroller. "Now I just have to find your brother and keep him out of any more trouble."

"Denny's hi-ng," Elizabeth informed her godmother.

"Hiding?" Serena guessed.

"Ya!"

"Not for long he isn't," Serena grumbled, grabbing the handle of Elizabeth's stroller. "Michelle?"

The redhead's ears perked, and she whipped around out of curiosity.

"I'm sure you know where to find your brother, right?" Serena asked.

"Yeah, of course!" Michelle replied cheerfully.

Serena smirked. She had always thought the whole idea of twins being on the same wavelength was a total farce. Aiden and Michelle, however, had proved it to be true, and Serena thought it was simply fascinating!

She also found it extremely helpful for situations such as these where Aiden was acting up and being a bit of a brat.

"Could you find him for me?" Serena requested. "It would be a big help!"

"Sure!" Michelle giggled.

She darted past Serena, scouring her eyes beneath every last clothes rack she came across. Eventually, the girl stopped at a sale rack all the way in the back and knelt down, her eyes narrowed and her mouth twisted into an undeniable shape of annoyance.

"Aiden," Michelle drawled venomously, "you better come out of there _right now_, because you're already in trouble."

"Shh!" Aiden hissed from beneath the hanging clothes. "Can't you see I'm hiding?!"

"Yeah, -cause you're in trouble!" Michelle scolded.

"Aiden, come out of there right now!" Serena seethed.

After a few seconds of silence, the boy crawled out rather timidly, glancing up at Serena with quite the apologetic look.

"Why do you like to cause trouble?" Serena asked through a sigh.

"I'm sorry," Aiden apologized earnestly. "I was just bored is all! Shopping's no fun. And I'm hungry."

"And you really had to involve Elizabeth?" Serena groaned.

"Well, yeah!" Aiden trilled. "She's my partner! We have to do all of our stuff together."

"Stuff?" Serena questioned.

"Their _naughty_ stuff," Michelle elucidated, rolling her eyes.

"Ba- Denny an- Lizzie!" Elizabeth squealed in delight.

Sighing, Serena shook her head and remorsefully added, "well, at least you two are getting along now."

"Of course!" Aiden chuckled. "So…can we get lunch now?"

"Aiden!" Serena gasped. "After all of that, you're _really_ asking me for lunch?!"

"I'm really hungry!" Aiden whined. "If we eat lunch, and then we come back here, I won't be bad anymore. I'll be good! I promise!"

Serena narrowed her eyes at this. "You _really_ promise?"

"Uh huh!"

"Hung-y," Elizabeth murmured from her stroller, frowning as her stomach loudly growled.

"Alright, you win this time," Serena grumbled. "But you'd better keep your promise when we come back here! Got it?"

"Yeah!" Aiden cheered, running past Serena. "Let's go! I wanna cheeseburger!"

Smirking, Serena shook her head and turned Elizabeth's stroller around, motioning for Michelle to follow along as well.

"He's _totally_ gonna make more trouble when we come back."

* * *

><p><strong>Serena's reminds me a bit of Dawn's. Very good with these kids, but not quite ready for her own just yet. They're quite a handful, those three! I also threw in a bit of background on the relationship between Misty and Serena. I've had a few requests for a story on when they first meet, so I may very well do that in the near future and expand upon what was explained in this one shot.<strong>

**So, now that we can check Serena off the babysitting list, any other ideas? I'm always open to suggestions! I'm already in the process of writing the next babysitting installment, and the babysitter(s) is/are NOT who you might expect! So look forward to that, and keep those suggestions coming!**


	330. Cuddles

**Okay, officially one week until I go back to school. That's...a little scary! But don't worry. I'm going to work on a few things before I go back, so you can all sit back and enjoy some fun pieces!**

**Michelle: 5 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 2 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Cuddles<strong>

"Hey, Mist? Know what I realized?"

Misty looked over her shoulder at Ash and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Elizabeth really, _really_ like cuddles!"

The woman smirked and watched as Ash held the baby closer to his chest. Her eyes were sealed shut, and she was making content little squeaking noises. Misty _had _noticed those noises before, but never equated them with her being snuggled.

"You think that's why she squeaks?" Misty asked with a giggle.

"I do," Ash confirmed. "She's super quiet otherwise! Except for when she's hungry or needs her diaper changed."

"Yeah, _most_ babies that young are quiet unless they need those things," Misty reasoned with her husband, though she was still smiling at him.

"Exactly!" Ash crowed. "But Elizabeth isn't! She's been making those squeaky little noises since the day she was born! It's kind of unusual."

"Hey, my baby isn't unusual," Misty disputed, getting up from her vanity and walking over to Ash. She took the baby from his arms, earning a disappointed whine from the man. Giggling, Misty tucked the baby away into her own chest, smirking as Elizabeth started to squeak once again.

"I think that just means she's happy," Ash commented, sitting up and crossing his legs.

"Well obviously," Misty giggled. "She knows that she's got a family who loves her very, very much! We all think our little Lizzie is super special, don't we?"

Her mother's soft, crooning voice only increased the baby's squeaks. Misty watched on in silent delight as the infant murmured softly to herself, nothing coherent, and buried her face deeper into Misty's chest.

"I think it's time for this little one to go to bed," Misty whispered, not wanting to disrupt the baby's slumber.

"What?!" Ash cried, sounding highly disappointed.

At this, Misty smirked and raised a wry eyebrow. "Okay, well now you sound like Aiden and Michelle. Why are you so disappointed that Elizabeth has to go in her crib?"

"Because we were cuddling," Ash replied easily. "Can't she sleep in our room tonight? In the cot?"

"Why?" Misty groaned.

"Because I want her near us!"

"Ash, come on," Misty sighed. "You've never once cared before that Elizabeth sleeps in her own room! So why now?"

"I told you, it's because we were cuddling," Ash huffed.

"You can't cuddle with her if she's in her cot," Misty calmly explained. "You're not gonna fit in there, buddy!"

"I don't understand why you decided we couldn't co-sleep with her," Ash complained.

"You know why, Ash!" Misty hissed. "It's because not only am I afraid of one of us squashing her, it's because you and I both need some alone time! You know, _without_ a kid or a baby!"

"I guess…" Ash murmured. "But…she's just so sweet and cuddly! I can't help it that I just want to hold her all night."

Rolling her eyes, Misty marched towards the white lace bassinet in the corner and drawled, "fine. Elizabeth will sleep in our room tonight. _Only _for tonight! Tomorrow she goes back to her own room."

"Okay!" Ash cheered, jumping out of bed and scurrying up to the side of the bassinet. "Put her to bed so I can kiss her goodnight."

Misty looked up at Ash and once again raised her eyebrow. "What about me? I want to kiss our daughter goodnight, too!"

"You can!" Ash assured his wife. "I'll go after you."

Misty narrowed her eyes to scrutinize her husband, but after a short moment, she leaned down and nuzzled the baby's cheek, earning a soft sigh from the tired infant.

"Who's my pretty baby?" Misty cooed, kissing the little girl's cheek. "You're such a sweetie. Night night, Lizzie."

Skirting away from the bassinet, Misty looked over her shoulder to watch Ash from behind as he gave the baby his own "goodnight" treatment. He started to snuggle her with his head, much like Misty had done, but he wasn't in any rush to leave her alone. Eventually, he started to nuzzle her so much, and so energetically, that it woke the baby up. With her eyes wide open, Elizabeth was now fully engaged with her father, squealing and cooing and waving her tiny arms up and down.

"ASH!" Misty hissed.

"What?" Ash whined, barely picking his head up.

"What'd you have to go and wake the baby up for?" Misty groaned.

"I didn't mean to!" Ash cried. "I just couldn't resist that sweet little face! I guess I snuggled her a bit too aggressively and woke her up."

"Now she's all excited," Misty grumbled. "I'll never be able to get her back to sleep now!"

"It's fine, Mist," Ash assured his wife. "I can just cuddle her some more in the bed! I'm sure that'll put her out real easy!"

"Yeah, _or _it'll just make things worse," Misty countered. "Let's just leave her alone, alright? I'm sure she'll fall back asleep on her own easily enough."

Ash bit his lower lip and slowly shuffled back to bed. Misty leaned over and flipped the light switch, sending the room into darkness, save for the moonlight that was pouring in from the window. Baby Elizabeth let out a soft whine, but Misty paid it no mind and slipped into bed next to Ash.

"You're sure this is a good idea?" Ash whispered.

"It's fine," Misty scoffed, snuggling her head into her pillow and closing her eyes. "Go to sleep, Ash."

"Alright," Ash replied uncertainly. "Night, angel."

"Night."

After just a few minutes of attempting to sleep, Ash and Misty were totally disrupted by an ear splitting wail courtesy of their infant daughter. She'd been moaning and whimpering ever since Misty had turned the lights off, but clearly she'd had enough of feeling ignored, and was now voicing that very feeling.

"She sure is giving Aiden a run for his money on best lungs," Misty grumbled, rolling over her back and placing a hand on her forehead.

"Misty, we can't just leave Elizabeth alone to cry!" Ash fussed.

"We're not going to," Misty assured her husband, slipping out of bed in order to fetch the baby. She would have allowed him to do it, but she knew once Ash got his hands on Elizabeth, there was no way she'd end up back in the bassinet.

Rubbing her eyes as she approached the gorgeous cot, Misty pulled up to the side and reached in, lifting out the miserable baby and holding the tiny thing against her chest.

"Shh," Misty whispered, burying her nose in the baby's dark red hair. "No more fussing."

Once she was wrapped in her mother's arms, Elizabeth settled down and became nearly silent, except, of course, for her little happy squeaks.

"Well, I'd rather hear that than screaming and crying," Misty conceded. Patting the baby's back, Misty carried her back over to the basinet and put the girl down, stroking her dark red hair for a few moments before standing up straight and walking away.

And that's when the baby started to scream again.

Ash glanced up at his wife and watched as she pursed her lips, narrowing her eyes as the baby's wails only continued to increase.

"None of this would be happening if you hadn't woken her up!" Misty whined.

"Why is it always my fault?!" Ash demanded.

"Because she was sleeping just fine until _you_ got in her face!" Misty bit.

All of the back and forth bickering between her parents did nothing to upset Elizabeth. She just continued to squeak in her mother's arms, keeping her head against the woman's chest and enjoying the cuddles she was currently receiving.

"Mommy! Daddy!"

Misty dramatically rolled her eyes as Michelle came running into the room, her eyes lit up and searching around.

"Michelle, what are you doing out of bed?" Misty asked slowly.

"I couldn't sleep!" Michelle replied simply.

"You and your sister, huh?" Misty murmured.

"Lizzie's not sleeping?" Michelle asked, peering up at the baby in her mother's arms.

"She _was_," Misty sighed. "But Daddy woke her up."

"I already apologized!" Ash groaned.

"Mommy, put Lizzie on the bed!" Michelle squealed, jumping up onto the foot of the bed and beaming at her mother. "I can make her go to sleep!"

"Shelly, I don't know if this is a good idea," Misty murmured. "I think it would be better if maybe I went into Elizabeth's room and sat in the rocking chair with her."

"No!" Michelle refuted. "I can do it, Mommy! Really! Lemme try!"

Sighing, Misty walked back over to the bed and gently laid Elizabeth down beside Michelle. The baby cooed softly once her back hit the mattress, but otherwise, she didn't move a single inch. She stayed perfectly still, almost like a doll rather than an actual baby.

"You _are_ a little bit strange, lovey," Misty murmured to the baby. "But of course we love you! You're a very special sprinkle!"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes back up towards Michelle, who by now was leaning over the baby and grinning goofily.

"Lizzie!" Michelle beckoned. The baby was already staring at her, so she didn't really do anything else in terms of moving her head or eyes. Her arms, however, finally bounced up and down a few times.

"I like your pajamas," Michelle murmured, poking at the baby's mint green sleeper printed with white bows. "Cause they're not pink!"

"You really don't like the color pink, do ya, princess?" Ash chuckled.

"Nuh uh!" Michelle refuted, wrinkling her nose. "It's too girly!"

With the impish smile still on her face, Michelle lay down on her stomach beside Elizabeth and nuzzled her nose against the infant's cheek.

"Good Lizzie!" Michelle giggled as the baby squeaked yet again.

"Be careful with her," Misty warned as the child's arm stretched over the baby's body.

"I'm careful, Mommy!" Michelle squeaked. "I won't hurt Lizzie."

Misty watched on warily as her older daughter snuggled the younger one, earning more squeaks from the tiny infant. It only took a matter of minutes for both Michelle _and_ Elizabeth to fall asleep, both girls lying still and quiet.

"No way!" Ash marveled, sitting all the way up and leaning forward. "Michelle got Elizabeth to fall asleep!"

"I guess her cuddles must be pretty great!" Misty giggled.

"Better than mine?" Ash asked with a frown.

"Maybe not better," Misty conceded softly, a delicate smile on her face. "But more gentle, yes."

"I guess that makes sense," Ash murmured.

"It's okay, Ash," Misty assured her husband. "You can cuddle me, if you want."

"Yeah!" Ash trilled, his face lighting up. "But…what about the girls?"

Misty glanced down and watched their two sleeping daughters for a few short moments before deciding, "yeah, this is your fault."

"What?!"

"Now we've got _two_ kids sleeping in our bed instead of just one!" Misty cried.

"So, pick them up!" Ash argued.

"How about_ you_ pick them up and see what happens?" Misty seethed.

"Oh no, I'm not falling for that _ever_ again!" Ash cried.

"Fine, so we'll just have to let them sleep here," Misty decided. "We've got no other choice."

"So…no cuddles?" Ash asked softly, a pout appearing on his face.

"Nope," Misty confirmed with a smirk. "And you can thank _your_ cuddle session with Elizabeth from before for that!"

* * *

><p><strong>Poor Ash is just too affectionate. He means well, but sometimes it can just blow up in his face!<strong>


	331. Ring Around the Husband

**So guys, my sister and I are now obsessed with the new show Girl Meets World (it's so cute!) and as a result, I finally started watching Boy Meets World (20 years late...oops!) and I love it just as much. So, I got this idea from watching an episode yesterday...inspired by the best couple on the show! ;)**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Ring Around the Husband<strong>

"Hey, baby!"

Ash nearly fell off his chair as a big, heavy hand came down on his back, knocking just about all of the wind out of his lungs. Puffing just once, Ash peered over his shoulder with a unique look of irritation and intimidation.

"Come on, Surge, I'm a grown man! And the Pokémon Master! When are you gonna stop calling me that?"

"Whenever it stops being fun!" Lt. Surge replied through a hearty laugh that practically shook the whole room.

"Hey, I'm not so little anymore!" Ash argued. "I can take you on!"

He jumped out of his chair and stood up tall in front of the electric type gym leader, finding that his eyes only reached the man's incredibly strong chest.

"Can ya?" Lt. Surge asked teasingly.

"…no," Ash begrudgingly admitted before sitting back down in his chair.

"Get back up!" Lt. Surge urged.

"Why?" Ash asked.

"Cause we're goin' out, that's why!"

"Going out? Where? And who's 'we'? You and me?"

"There's a great place right down the road from here," Lt. Surge explained. "I hang out there all the time, but I felt like goin' with some buddies tonight! I got Lance comin'!"

"You actually convinced Lance to go out?" Ash sounded genuinely impressed.

"Sure did!"

"I don't think I've ever seen Lance out of his office or away from the battle field," Ash marveled. "I might have to come just to see that!"

"Ya should!" Lt. Surge agreed. "Come on, now! You've been holed up in here all day, and that ain't nothing like the Pokémon Master that I know! You got a real sense of adventure and fun!"

"Yeah, I do," Ash breathed, nodding his head. "You're right!"

"So?" Lt. Surge prodded. "Are you in?"

Ash sat there quietly for a few moments, thinking it over. Once he finally reached a conclusion, the young man looked up at Lt. Surge and grinned, earning an amused scoff from the gym leader.

"Alright!" Ash trilled. "Why not! I'll come out with you guys for a little while."

"Great!" Lt. Surge cheered, once again clapping Ash on the back and hurting the young man. "Pack up your things so we can get going!"

**XXX**

Lt. Surge's choice of patronage was a little bit…begrimed, to say the least.

Overall, the whole place was pretty dark. The lights were dim, or at least not functioning at full capacity. It was tight, with tables pulled close together. The bar stools were rather wobbly, one leg shorter than the others and cushioning torn open with stuffing pouring out. The booths that lined the walls weren't in much better shape either, with dark and dusty stained glass lamps hanging above each table.

Despite all of these shortcomings, the place was hopping. Sure, most of the clientele was pretty questionable, and Ash truly wondered how a _gym leader_ managed to hang in such an environment.

Then he remembered it was Lt. Surge he was talking about, and that the man didn't necessarily fit the stereotypical "gym leader" mold.

"Isn't this place great, guys?"

Ash and Lance glanced at one another from across the table, exchanging wary looks.

"It's…different," Lance weakly replied.

"The food looks great!" Ash densely added.

"Ha! The food's not the only great thing about this place," Lt. Surge chuckled, causing Ash to blink. "Take a look over there in the corner!"

Ash turned his eyes just a few degrees and caught sight of a gaggle of scantily clad young women standing around a pool table.

"Girls," Lance commented simply.

"Those aren't just _girls_, Lancey," Lt. Surge whistled, causing the champion to roll his eyes. "Those are _ladies!_"

"Surge, you don't mean to tell me you're that shallow, do you?" Lance asked begrudgingly. "You should look for a woman who's strong and intelligent with good character. Women you find in a place like this are all about appearance, nothing more."

"That'd be great advice, Lancey, if I was actually lookin' for a wife!" Lt. Surge cackled. "I'm just here to have some fun! Aren't you two?"

"…I suppose," Lance replied slowly.

"Then come on, let's go!" Lt. Surge urged. "Those girls are just waitin' to be plucked!"

Lance rolled his eyes, but got out of his seat and proceeded to follow the hulking blond. They both stopped in their tracks, however, when they realized that Ash wasn't following them. He was still sitting at the table, staring over at the two with wide eyes full of innocence. He literally looked like a Deerling in the headlights.

"What're you doin', baby?" Lt. Surge asked gruffly.

"I can't go flirt with any girls!" Ash replied as though it were obvious, keeping on his look of innocence. "I'm married!"

"They don't gotta know that!" Lt. Surge scoffed.

At this, Ash furrowed his brow. "What're you talking about?"

Lt. Surge sighed as he marched back over to the younger man, clearly a little annoyed with his density. Reaching down, Lt. Surge pulled Ash's hand off of the table by his wrist and twisted the thick silver band off of his hand, setting it down on top of the napkin dispenser.

"There," Lt. Surge stated. "Now nobody has to know!"

"But…I'm a little bit famous," Ash muttered. "Won't they recognize me? And know I'm married? After all, the wedding was just two months ago."

"You'd better tone down that ego, baby!" Lt. Surge scolded. "Those girls ain't gonna want nothing to do with that!"

"But-"

"They're also probably all too blindingly drunk to really care," Lance added, cutting Ash off.

Ash blinked and looked over at the girls, watching as one of them tripped over the feet of another. "Yeah, they _do_ look a little out of it."

"So quit hesitatin'!" Lt. Surge yelled, causing Ash to jump out of his seat. "Let's go, babies!"

**XXX**

Misty wasn't really worried when Ash returned later than usual.

He had called her earlier and informed her he was going out with Surge and Lance. Misty was a little surprised that _Lt. Surge_ of all people was involved, but she chose not to question it, because he kind of scared her.

In fact, Ash managed to roll through the door just as Misty was getting ready for bed. The two weren't currently in the most ideal living situation. They had just gotten married two months ago, and had chosen to have their home built from scratch. As a result, they didn't have a set place to live at the moment, and were making due inside of the Cerulean City gym. It was good enough: there was a bathroom, a kitchen, and a king sized inflatable mattress to share.

Obviously it wasn't the permanent solution, but it worked in the short run.

Ash walked into the lobby like a zombie, his brown eyes wide and unblinking. Misty looked up from the mattress and smiled at her husband, who wasn't able to return the action. "Hi, honey!"

"…hi."

"Did you have fun with the other guys?"

"Uh…yeah."

Misty furrowed her brow at this. "Really?"

"…yes."

"What did you do?"

Ash knew he should have kept his mouth shut. He really should have. If he did, Misty would never know! But he was so guilty. He felt so, so guilty. He hadn't done _anything_, but he still felt guilty. It was one of Ash's biggest flaws, he believed. He could never lie.

Not very successfully, anyway.

"We…went to a bar," Ash weakly replied.

"A bar?" Misty repeated. "You're not old enough to drink!"

"I didn't drink!" Ash cried.

Misty giggled. "Relax, Ash! I was only teasing. I don't care if you drank or not. You know that I'm not legal either, and _I've_ drank before. I've been _drunk _before!"

"I still didn't drink," Ash muttered.

"Alright then," Misty laughed. "So, what _did_ you do? Eat?"

"Yeah…"

"Play any games? Like pool or darts?"

"Yeah…"

Misty glanced back up at Ash and raised an eyebrow. "You're acting a little bit funny, Ash. Are you sure everything is okay?"

Biting his lower lip, Ash let out a torturous whine before shaking his head and throwing himself down on the inflatable mattress, messing up the blanket that Misty had just cleanly lain across it.

"Ash!" Misty whined.

"I can't lie to you, Misty," Ash fussed. "I love you too much!"

"Ash," Misty repeated slowly, "what did you do?"

"At the bar, Lt. Surge forced Lance and I to hang out with a bunch of drunk women," Ash rushed out, barely able to look at Misty's confused face. "I didn't do anything, Misty! I just stood near them! They were talking to me and flirting with me, but I didn't do anything! I knew not to. I barely even looked at them, Mist."

"I believe you," Misty breathed. "Ash, just because I'm your wife doesn't mean you're not allowed to talk to other women! I know I'm the jealous type, but I would never get mad at you for talking to another female. That would just be a little too psychotic."

"Yeah," Ash murmured, "but…"

"You still seem pretty distracted," Misty mused. "Is there something else you're not telling me?"

"I was really worried about going over to hang out with the girls, so Surge told me to take off my wedding ring," Ash continued softly. "Actually, _he_ took it off for me."

Misty's face looked static. "But you put it back on, right?"

"No…"

Misty narrowed her eyes. "So you went over to a bunch of women without wearing your wedding ring?"

"Yeah, but it wasn't my idea!"

"So what?!" Misty bit, alarming Ash. "You should've known better, Ash! You should have put that ring back on as soon as Surge took it off!"

"I thought you said it wasn't a big deal that I was talking to other girls!" Ash cried.

"It isn't!" Misty wailed. "But that's because I thought you were wearing your ring! Do you know what happens when a woman sees an attractive man with a bare finger? She thinks she's got a live one!"

"Come on, Mist, we're famous!" Ash crowed. "You think those women didn't know I was married?"

"That doesn't matter, Ash," Misty growled. "They were probably drunk, hanging out in some dark, dingy bar. They're not there to respect someone's marital status, Ash! When you're that out of it, all they see is a ringless finger, and no amount of prevalent headlines or photographs could change that."

"I still don't understand why that matters," Ash continued, shaking his head. "Lots of guys don't even wear wedding rings! So what's the big deal if I take mine off?"

"Because it means something to me!" Misty blurted.

"…what?" Ash breathed.

"That ring is not just some piece of metal that you wear around your finger," Misty seethed. "It's got meaning behind it!_ I_ wear my engagement ring and my wedding ring every single day, and _you're _supposed to do the same. It connects us!"

"But we know that we're connected," Ash reasoned. "We don't need rings to tell us that!"

"Ash, you're only thinking of the ring as a tangible object!" Misty wailed. "That's not how I look at it! It's symbolic! It goes deeper than just what it's made out of! How do you not see that?"

"I don't know," Ash replied quite honestly.

"Well, I do," Misty huffed, crawling onto the mattress and pulling the sheets over her body. "It's because you're just a typical man."

Ash scrutinized his wife as she curled up into a ball and proceeded to ignore him as she fell asleep. Standing up, Ash grabbed his pajamas from the top of the nearby shelves and prepared to get changed into them. As he clutched the shirt and boxes in his hand, however, he realized that his finger felt quite a bit different. Looking down, his eyes nearly fell out of his head when he realized that his right index finger was bare.

"Oh my gods," Ash breathed, slowly raising his eyes. "I left my ring at the bar!"

**XXX**

The bar was surprisingly rather empty late at night.

Ash had expected it to be crawling with creepy stragglers or totally wasted singles. But it was pretty much vacant. Other than two guys sitting in the corner booth, the only person occupying the space was the bartender, busily wiping down the bar's surface.

Keeping himself set on his mission, Ash marched back over to the table where he'd been sitting before with Lt. Surge and Lance and glanced atop the napkin dispenser. Much to his horror, the ring wasn't there.

"Hey kid, looking for something?"

Snapping up, Ash turned to stare at the man behind the bar, obviously the only one who could possibly be talking to him.

"Uh, yeah," Ash responded, oblivious to the fact he'd just been called a kid. "For my-"

"Ring."

Ash gasped as the man held up the thick silver band. Grinning widely, Ash ran over to the man and took the ring, breathing a sigh of relief as he slipped it back onto his finger. "You found it! Thanks for not getting rid of it…or selling it on the internet."

"Uh…of course not," the bartender muttered, furrowing his brow at Ash's reaction.

"My wife would have killed me if she found out I left this behind," Ash sighed, tensing his fingers so he could feel the precious metal against his skin. "She was already mad enough when she found out I took it off in the first place."

"See, now that's what I find strange," the bartender interjected, causing Ash to look back up. "What's a married guy like you doing in a place like this?"

"Oh, it was just because my friends came," Ash answered, sounding quite like a child. "They invited me! Well, the big one did."

"Lt. Surge," the bartender commented. "I know the guy very well. He's a regular around here."

"Yeah, that's how he made it sound," Ash sighed.

"That's good fun and all, but I know for a fact that you're the Pokémon Master, and you just married that sweet gym leader from Cerulean," the bartender continued.

"Well, she's not _always_ sweet…" Ash sighed. "But she is pretty great."

"I've seen the way you look at her, on TV and in magazines and newspapers and things like that," the bartender spoke. "You love her a whole lot, I can tell. Not surprising. She's a gorgeous woman."

"She's pretty," Ash agreed, his tone mystified and entranced.

At this, the bartender chuckled. "I can tell she loves you just the same! Really, kid, you're much better off taking her out to a nice restaurant or something. Stick together and stay away from all of those outside sources."

"Uh…outside sources?"

"The drunk girls."

"Oh."

"You don't want to throw away a relationship like that, kid," the bartender assured the younger male. "It's too valuable. I've seen one too many of those trashed in this place."

"Yikes," Ash muttered.

"I know a young kid like you doesn't want other guys thinking he's whipped," the bartender chuckled lowly. "But trust me, it's not so bad for what you get in exchange. Besides, I don't really think you're whipped, now are you?"

"No," Ash replied, quickly shaking his head.

"Besides, even if you were, I don't think you'd mind it all too much," the bartender remarked with a short laugh, catching Ash's curiosity. "You love her too much, don't you?"

Ash smiled sheepishly at the idea, but slowly nodded his head. "Yep. I do. She can tell me whatever she wants, but it doesn't change a thing. I love her…no matter what."

**XXX**

When Misty heard the door to the gym open and then close again, she didn't even let it faze her. She pretty much knew it was Ash, although she had no idea why he had even gone out again in the first place. She assumed that maybe he had gone for a walk to clear his head after their previous blowup.

But at this point, she was just too tired and only wanted to sleep. She wasn't about to sit up and question him. There'd be time for it in the morning.

As she tried to fall back into sleep, Misty felt a weight come down next to her on the mattress, followed by a pair of arms wrapping around her body and a head resting on her shoulder.

"Ash," Misty breathed.

"Yeah?" Ash asked softly.

"Where were you?"

Fine. Since she was already awake, she might as well ask now.

"Don't worry about it, babe."

"Did you go back to that bar to hang out with those floozies?"

"What? No! I thought you said you weren't mad!"

"I'm not!" Misty giggled. "I was just asking."

"No," Ash refuted once again, shaking his head. "I just needed to knock some sense into myself was all."

"You didn't punch yourself in the face, did you?"

"…Mist, why would I do that?"

"I don't know. Just seems like something you might do."

"Oh. No. It was a lot less violent than that, thankfully."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"And what did you realize while you were out, might I ask?"

"That it was wrong of me to not think about your feelings when it came to my ring," Ash explained. "You're right. I was just thinking of it as a piece of metal. But, the more I thought about it, the more important I realized it was to me. Just as important to me as it is to you."

"I knew you'd come around eventually," Misty hummed.

"I love you more than anything in the world, Misty," Ash whispered.

"I know you do, honey. I love you more than anything in the world, too."

"Even when I'm being dense?"

Misty playfully mulled over this for a few seconds before giggling and assuring him, "yeah, even when you're being dense. Do you still love me when I'm being overbearing?"

"Yeah," Ash replied more quickly than Misty had. "I could never feel any other way about you."

* * *

><p><strong>So this one is two months after Ash and Misty get married. Misty's already pregnant, she just doesn't know it yet :P<strong>

**Also, I just want to say that I love writing Lt. Surge. He's crazy, he's fun, and I love it.**


	332. Pajama Problems

**Hey guys! I just got back from a nice last weekend of summer trip, and I'm still not ready for school! Yay! Good thing I still have two more days. I'm milking them for all they're worth, trust me.**

**And until then, here's something I think that Ash and Misty would eventually deal with when it comes to having a tomboy for a daughter ;)**

**Aiden and Michelle: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Pajama Problems<strong>

"Mommy, are we goin- to get me a new baseball glove?"

"No, Aiden. I already told you what we're going to get!"

"I don't –member, Mommy."

Sighing, Misty looked down at her young son, who was holding his right hand in her left, and replied, "you and Michelle both need a new pair of pajamas! It's getting colder out, so you need a set that's a little warmer."

"Can I picks them?" Aiden asked.

"Of course," Misty giggled.

Michelle was holding onto her mother's right hand, but she remained far quieter than her brother. Sometimes she was just as chatty, but other times, like now, she was very quiet. There was really no telling which Michelle you were going to get. She was a bit of an enigma, but a sweet girl either way.

"So, Michelle, what kind of pajamas do you think you'd like to get?" Misty asked, trying to get something out of the child.

"No dress," Michelle replied. "And no pink."

"Well, I could've guessed those things!" Misty giggled. "And what about you, Aiden?"

"I don't care," Aiden grumbled. "Jammies are dumb."

"I bet you'll find something you really like!" Misty refuted, reaching the store they'd been looking for and leading the twins in. "Oh, look, Michelle! The girls' pajamas are right over here. Let's find you something you'll like."

Michelle twisted her mouth in distaste as her mother plucked at a pair of purple and white striped pajamas.

"These are cute, don't you think?" Misty asked the little girl.

"No," Michelle muttered, shaking her head.

"No?" Misty repeated. "Why not?"

"They're purple," Michelle grumbled.

"You _like_ purple!" Misty cried.

"I don't want purple jammies," Michelle replied.

"Okay then," Misty murmured, moving over to the next rack. "Oh, what about these?"

Michelle studied the next set of pajamas her mother had chosen: a light blue long sleeved top and pants printed with tiny pink and white flowers.

"There's pink on it," Michelle whined, scrunching her nose up.

"But it's not _all_ pink!" Misty cried. "You only don't like things that are _all_ pink!"

"I don't want _any_ pink," Michelle refuted.

Groaning, Misty looked over at Aiden and asked, "how about we start with you instead, little man? You're a bit less picky than your sister."

"I guess," Aiden sighed.

After heading over to the boys' section, it only took Aiden a matter of minutes to pick out the pajamas he wanted: a simple red long sleeved shirt and pants set with thin white stripes and black bordering the wrists, ankles, and neckline. After Aiden picked out his pajamas, however, Michelle's eyes widened when she spotted a pair she liked herself.

"Mommy!" Michelle cried excitedly.

"What is it now, seashell?" Misty sighed.

"I found jammies!" Michelle giggled.

"You did?" Misty gasped.

"Uh huh!"

"Show me!" Misty encouraged.

Michelle skipped over to a pair of pajamas that were long sleeved with pants, just like her brother's. Instead of being red with white stripes and black accents, however, it was printed with camouflage in all different shades of blue.

"Michelle…" Misty breathed, "Those are _boys'_ pajamas."

"I don't care," Michelle squeaked, turning towards the pajamas to better examine the set. "I like them!"

"Hey, you can't wear those!" Aiden cried. "You're a girl!"

"So?" Michelle muttered.

"Those are for boys," Aiden responded.

"So?" Michelle repeated. "I like them!"

Aiden glanced up at his mother, expecting her to tell his twin "no." Instead, however, Misty let out a gentle sigh and smiled at her young daughter.

"Alright, Shelly," Misty conceded. "If you really want those pajamas, then that's what you'll get."

"Huh?!" Aiden cried.

"Yeah!" Michelle cheered, hugging her mother's legs. "Thank you, Mommy!"

Standing behind his sister, Aiden scowled and folded his arms. He didn't like this at all. Not one little bit.

**XXX**

That night, Aiden and Michelle both got to wear their new pajamas. Michelle had talked excitedly about it all day long, but Aiden wasn't looking forward to it quite as much as his twin. And when it actually came time to put on the pajamas, it only made things worse.

"Are you two ready to show Daddy your new pajamas?" Misty called up the stairs.

"Yeah!" Michelle cheered. Aiden, on the other hand, said nothing.

"Alright, come on down!" Misty giggled, smirking at her husband's amused expression.

Michelle came hopping down the steps, beaming up at her father. Ash pulled back and examined the little girl's camouflage pajamas.

"Wow, check those out!" Ash marveled.

"You like 'em?" Michelle giggled.

"Yeah, those are really cool!" Ash chuckled. "So…where's your brother?"

"I dunno," Michelle responded with a shrug.

Sighing, Misty walked over to the stairs and looked up, finding Aiden at the top of the stairs. "Aiden, come on! Daddy wants to see your new pajamas!"

The sound of soft footsteps followed, Aiden coming down the stairs with a miserable pout on his face. Ash's smile disappeared as soon as he saw the expression on his son's face, however.

"Well, I like those pajamas, but I don't like that look on your face, little guy," Ash commented. "What's with the pout, bud?"

Narrowing his eyes, Aiden pointed at Michelle and cried, "she's wearin- _boy_ pajamas!"

"Huh?" Ash asked, looking over at an unaffected Michelle.

"She didn't like any of the pajamas meant for girls," Misty explained. "Instead, she really liked those. And yes, they came from the boys' section! But I really don't think that's a very big deal."

"I guess not…" Ash murmured.

At this, Misty's jaw dropped. "What? You do?"

"I didn't say that! I just-"

Ash's argument was cut off by the doorbell ringing. Raising an eyebrow, Misty turned and walked over to the door, opening it up and taking a small jump back when she saw who was waiting for her.

"Brock?!"

"Hey, Misty!" The Pokemon doctor chuckled.

"What are you doing here?" Misty asked in surprise.

"Ah, I was in the city for something, and figured I'd drop by for a little surprise visit!" Brock crowed. "That's not a problem, is it? Am I interrupting something?"

"No, not at all," Misty assured the man, a smile finally reappearing on her face. "Please, come in!"

Brock waltzed into the house, grinning as Aiden and Michelle both squealed and went running for him.

"Hey, guys!" Brock greeted with a laugh, kneeling down to catch both kids in his arms. "Argh, you two are getting so big! Stop growing up!"

"Brock, look!" Michelle cried, hopping away from the man. "We got new jammies!"

"That's awesome!" Brock crowed. "You both look great!"

"Yeah," Aiden murmured, "-cept Michelle's got _boy _pajamas."

"What's wrong with that, little guy?" Brock asked.

"She's a girl," Aiden replied simply.

"That doesn't mean she can't wear boy pajamas!" Brock scoffed. "I'm surprised you don't think that makes her cooler!"

"Huh?" Aiden squeaked.

"Yeah, think about it," Brock explained. "You've got a twin sister who's _so cool_ that she's willing to wear the same stuff you do! You don't want to deal with pink and glitter and all that other girly stuff, do ya?"

"No way!" Aiden replied, shaking his head.

"Of course not, you hate those kinds of things!" Brock chuckled. He knew the little boy so well. "Besides, I bet you think Michelle's pajamas are pretty cool, huh?"

It took a few seconds for Aiden to respond, but once he did, it was with a big smile and a hearty nod.

"Exactly what I thought!" Brock bragged, watching on as the twins giggled and ran off to play with their toys.

"So, Brock, you don't think it's a big deal that Michelle is wearing boy's pajamas?" Aiden asked.

Now it was Misty's turn to look offended once again. "I knew you had a problem with it!"

"I don't have a problem with it!" Ash argued. "It's just…she's my little girl, and I've kind of always expected that she'd be wearing frilly dresses and lots of pink. But she doesn't really like dresses, and she hates pink. I guess I just didn't realize how much of a tomboy she actually is."

"I don't think that has anything to do with it," Brock replied. "I mean, look at it this way. Michelle, although she _is_ a tomboy, wears girl's clothes all the time. Just not anything pink. But I've always gotten her clothes from the girls' section, and I know for a fact that Misty always dresses her in 'girl' clothes, too."

"She's never said anything bad about her clothes," Misty chimed in. "She just saw that one set of pajamas and liked them! I didn't see any reason to say no."

"Besides, it's not like you have any reason to worry," Brock chuckled. "Actually…when I was around the twins' age…I had this princess costume that I _really_ liked."

Misty covered her mouth to try and hide a giggle, while Ash just looked highly amused. "Brock…you used to dress up like a pretty little princess?"

"I don't know why!" Brock cried, his whole face turning red. "I really think my mom wanted a daughter. She came home with it one day, for no reason at all, and I totally loved it! Pretty much gave my dad a heart attack when he saw me in it, actually."

"That's amazing," Ash breathed, the smirk still on his face.

"Was it pink?" Misty choked out through spurts of laughter.

"Pink and white," Brock grumbled. "With lots and lots of glitter."

Misty, at this point, couldn't help but to burst out in hysterical laughter, managing to turn around just enough in order to bury her face into Ash's chest. He was laughing as well, but made no move to cover it up.

"Come on, guys!" Brock cried. "Don't make fun of little me!"

"We're not making fun of you!" Misty picked her head up, though she was still giggling. "I'm laughing because I'm imagining you _right now_ in a princess dress!"

"Hey Brock," Ash snickered, "the next time you try to pick up a girl, can I tell her that story?"

"NO!"

* * *

><p><strong>I could totally imagine Brock going through a phase like that as a kid. Poor, misunderstood guy :P<strong>


	333. Hotel Horrors

**Whoa. School. It really hasn't been bad so far, I really enjoyed my first two days! I have no classes on Friday, which is why I say two :P It's just...I'm not really used to doing all this anymore, lol. Gotta get back into the swing of it! And all of my sorority stuff hasn't even started yet. Oof.**

**But that's not until next week! I've still got the weekend to look forward to, and now, you've all got a new one shot to read! This one is a bit of a spinoff from the toddler bed chapter.**

**Elizabeth: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Hotel Horrors<strong>

Ash and Misty's wanted nothing more than for their children to grow up as normally as possible. That's why they lived in a regular house, not a mansion. That's why they played with other kids, played on sports teams and took dance class, and weren't ridiculously spoiled just because their parents had the money to do so.

Of course, sometimes, living a _totally_ normal life just seemed to be out of the equation.

While Scott respected Ash and Misty's wishes, he also refused to give his Pokémon Master anything but the best. Especially when it came to travelling to the various League competitions.

Ash didn't like to leave his wife and children behind, so unless there was some extenuating circumstance, they always came with him. Scott refused to have the family stay in a standard hotel room, and despite their desire for a normal family life, Ash and Misty couldn't argue with that. Having three kids could sometimes be a little tricky, and stuffing them all into one tiny room would only add to the frustration. The more space Ash and Misty could get for all of them, the better.

That's why Scott always booked them the biggest suite in the city's nicest hotel.

In this instance, Ash was gearing up for the Ever Grande Conference; Hoenn's regional League championship. It was located in Ever Grande City, which Misty loved because of all the water views. They had a perfect view of it from their suite; complete with a living area, small kitchen, porch, bathroom with dual vanity, and two bedrooms: one with two queen sized beds, and another with a single king sized bed.

Aiden and Michelle took up residence in the room with two separate beds, which was a dream in itself for their parents. Not only did Ash and Misty get a room all to themselves, but Aiden and Michelle each got a bed to themselves, which meant no fighting over who got which side or late night arguments about one rolling onto or hitting and kicking the other in their sleep.

Of course, Ash and Misty didn't totally have the room to themselves. They always _had_…that was until Elizabeth came along.

She was still too young yet to sleep in a bed that didn't have guard rails. She had just moved into a toddler bed a month ago, and the transition hadn't been as easy as her parents were hoping for. It was getting better, but Elizabeth still wasn't sold on it, and she still complained of missing her crib.

In a hotel room, however, there were no toddler beds. There was either a crib, or a regular bed. Ash and Misty knew they couldn't put Elizabeth in a regular bed, but at the same time, they didn't want to put her back in a crib and give her a false sense of security.

So, the only other option they could think of was bringing Elizabeth's playpen with them.

She really didn't use it to play in anymore, and she'd never liked sleeping in it at other people's houses anyway. But neither Ash nor Misty really felt like they had a choice in the matter. The last thing they needed, or wanted, was for Elizabeth to roll out of bed at night and hit her head.

So, the playpen it was.

Their first night in the hotel, Misty busied herself with bathing the children while Ash set the playpen up in his and Misty's room. Scott was a little annoyed; he'd wanted to go out with Ash and get a drink while discussing the opening ceremony being held the next day. Other than just setting up the playpen, however, Ash was tired, and didn't feel like drinking the night before a big event. Fortunately for him, Scott was not on the same floor, but rather on the one below in a one bedroom suite.

That made it a lot easier to not have to hear from him, especially when Ash could just ignore his poke gear, which Scott was currently blowing up like a desperate teenage girl.

Once the grey and green playpen was upright, Ash began to fill it with all kinds of things he and Misty had packed specifically to place in the playpen: the toddler's pink receiving blanket, some stuffed Pokémon (including her personal favorite, Teddi), and two pillows from her bedroom back home: one a ruffled white flower, and the other a simple white square with a big pink 'E' embroidered in the center.

"There!" Ash crowed, standing back up and placing his hands on his hips. "This looks comfy enough, doesn't it, Pikachu?"

Ears perking, Pikachu jumped off of the pillow he had settled himself onto and instead leapt into the playpen, scurrying around and sniffing all of the toys and pillows.

"Pikapichu!" Pikachu trilled.

"Yeah, it smells like Elizabeth," Ash chuckled. "That's why you like it, huh?"

"Pi!"

Pikachu promptly curled up into a ball atop Elizabeth's pink blanket, causing his trainer to sigh wearily.

"Come on now, Pikachu," Ash urged, lifting the yellow mouse out of the playpen. "I know you're tired, but that's where Elizabeth is going to sleep! You can share the bed with me and Misty."

At this, Pikachu narrowed his eyes. "Pi pika Pikachupi pika pikachu."

"_No_, we're not going to be doing anything! We're both too tired."

"Pi."

"I'm serious, Pikachu!"

"Ash, are you and Pikachu having a conversation in here?"

Ash looked over his shoulder and chuckled nervously. "Misty! Heh…maybe…"

Smirking, Misty shook her head and walked further into the room. "You two are too funny. The sweetest little friends I've ever seen!"

"Hey, I'm not little!" Ash cried. "Pikachu is, but not me."

"Chu!"

"Well, you are!"

Elizabeth, who was being held in Misty's arms, giggled as her father and Pikachu continued to banter back and forth. "Fun-ny!"

"What's that, little pumpkin?" Ash crooned. "You think we're funny?"

"Ya," Elizabeth murmured.

"I'm glad that Daddy and Pikachu are able to entertain you, little girl," Misty giggled. "But it's bedtime now!"

"Bed-ti," Elizabeth mumbled, staring up at Misty as the woman placed her in the playpen. "Mommy?"

"Shh, it's bedtime," Misty repeated, toying with the toddler's hair.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, I'm Mommy," Misty giggled. "And I need you to go to sleep now, okay? I'm going to go to bed, and Daddy is going to go to bed. So we're all going to bed!"

Elizabeth closed her mouth, and simply watched as her mother walked over to the bed, climbing into the right side as Ash hopped onto the left. Elizabeth continued watching as they both switched the lamps off, settling in next to one another so they could relax. Normally, they didn't go to bed so early, but with Elizabeth staying in their room, they didn't have much of a choice. Besides, Ash _did_ have the opening ceremony the next day, so he didn't really mind.

Unfortunately for them, Elizabeth _did_ mind. She hated bedtime, and even more than that, she hated sleeping in her playpen.

"Mommy?"

Misty groaned and buried her face in Ash's side.

"Just ignore it," Misty grumbled against her husband.

"Got it," Ash replied through a yawn.

"Mommy?"

Misty sighed and continued to try and block out her young daughter's squeaky voice, desperate for some sleep after a long day of travel.

Elizabeth huffed and gripped the edge of the playpen more tightly. She had been standing inside of the enclosure ever since her mother had put her in, refusing to sit or lie down. What was worst about the playpen was the height of the sides. Elizabeth couldn't crawl out like she'd been able to do with the crib. The enclosure's walls were just too high.

"Mommy?"

Still no response. That really just wasn't working, Elizabeth had come to realize.

"Daddy?"

Ash mumbled in his shallow sleep, subconsciously contemplating whether or not to get out of bed and tend to the fussy, whiny toddler.

"Daddy?"

Ash began to stir, but his shirt was soon in the clutches of Misty's fingers. Snapping his head up, Ash stared down at the woman, whose piercing green eyes glowed in the darkness of the room.

"Mist?"

"I know what you're trying to do," Misty hissed. "No."

"But-"

"No! Ash, she's got to learn. We can't keep spoiling her when it comes to bedtime."

The man groaned, but nevertheless put himself back down and closed his eyes. Pikachu, however, didn't like to hear Elizabeth so upset. It broke his little heart.

"Daddy?"

Picking his head up, Pikachu scurried to the end of the bed and took a flying leap into Elizabeth's playpen, earning a surprised squeak from the toddler.

"Pika!" Elizabeth giggled, turning around and kneeling down.

"Pikapichu pi-ka!" Pikachu trilled.

Elizabeth reached out in an attempt to play with the electric type, but Pikachu knew that would only rile the little girl up even more. Instead, he scurried over to her pillows, picking each one up and setting them in the corner. Elizabeth turned her head and watched in fascination, hands thoughtfully pressed together.

"Pikapichu, pika!" Pikachu cried, motioning towards the pillows.

"Wha-, Pika?" Elizabeth murmured.

"Pi-ka," Pikachu repeated, still pointing at the pillows.

"No," Elizabeth refuted, shaking her head.

Pikachu hopped over to Elizabeth and began to tug at the toddler's pajama top with his paws.

"Pikapichu…pika! Pika-chu!"

"No sweepy, Pika," Elizabeth whined.

Huffing, Pikachu let go of Elizabeth and sat on his behind, ears bowing in frustration. He had never thought human children would be so hard to care for! Pichu were stubborn, but not as stubborn as the human offspring he'd come to know and love!

"We can pway!" Elizabeth chirped, picking up Teddi and shaking him in her hands. "I be Teddi."

Sighing tiredly, Pikachu trudged towards the pillows and curled up into a ball, closing his eyes and letting out a gentle breath.

"Pika?" Elizabeth whimpered, dropping Teddi to her lap. When Pikachu didn't respond, Elizabeth crawled over to the Pokémon and began to gently poke his face. "Pika?"

Pikachu whined and buried his face deeper into his arms, trying his best to ignore the little girl. Frowning, Elizabeth crawled over to the pillows that Pikachu had set up and put her head down on them, closing her eyes and settling in, just like the little electric type right next to her had.

Once the silence had set in for a good little while, Pikachu picked his head up to look at the girl. He saw her with her eyes closed, breathing gentle and body still.

She had finally fallen asleep.

Getting back to his paws, Pikachu picked up the girl's pink blanket in his teeth and draped it over her little body. The toddler murmured in her sleep and nestled her head deeper into the pillows, causing Pikachu to smile contently.

With Elizabeth fully tucked in and fast asleep, Pikachu curled up next to her once again, this time just a bit closer. He too closed his eyes, and soon enough was just as fast asleep as Elizabeth was.

Not long after that, Misty herself awoke. She didn't really know why, but she assumed it had to do with the guilt of leaving Elizabeth alone in her playpen, whimpering for attention. Ash always told her that's what it was, anyway. And as much as Misty tried to tell her husband he was crazy, she pretty much knew he was right.

Slipping out of bed, Misty walked quietly over to the playpen and leaned over, taking a peek inside of the enclosure. As soon as she saw that Elizabeth was fast asleep, the surprise on her face was palpable. And when Misty realized that Pikachu was sleeping right next to her, the look changed to one of adoration.

"How sweet!" Misty breathed. "Pikachu really helped out! Aw…now I don't feel so guilty!"

* * *

><p><strong>I just imagine Pikachu would be a very good care taker for the kids. He would love them all so much and help out as much as he can! So sweet.<strong>

**I'm still working on A New Era! Don't know how long the next chapter will take, because all of my meetings and committees start up again this weekend, and then we've got recruitment. Fun stuff. But I will try and write whenever I get the chance! Worse comes to worse, there'll probably be a few one shots up here and there :)**


	334. Baseball Blues

**UUUUGH, school. Only two weeks in, but I don't feel like I'm drowning...yet! I do have to read an entire book by Monday. Gross. But I already read it in HS (thank you, college English!) sooo skimming it? I think so.**

**I did have time to whip up this one shot, though! Go me :P**

**Aiden and Michelle: 8 years old**

**Elizabeth: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Baseball Blues<strong>

"Mom, can I try out for travel baseball? Please? _Please?_"

Misty raised an eyebrow and leaned back from her young son, who was jumping up and down with an overly excited look on his face.

"Travel baseball?" Misty repeated. "What brought this up? Although, if what I'm thinking is right, should I say _who?_"

"Brandon is trying out, he told me about it!" Aiden cried.

"There we go," Misty hummed with a smirk.

"You can't even play travel baseball 'til you're eight, Mom!" Aiden continued. "And guess what?"

"You're finally eight?"

"Yeah!"

"I don't know, Aiden," Misty sighed. "A travel team involves a lot of commitment! You'll have practice more than twice a week-"

"I don't care!" Aiden interrupted. "I want to practice more than twice a week!"

"And you'll certainly have more than one game a week," Misty continued.

"I know!" Aiden cheered. "That's the best part! And you get to go everywhere, all over the region and even to other places, and play against a whole bunch of other teams!"

"It's just not going to be easy," Misty informed her son, who didn't seem at all bothered by this fact.

"Nothing's easy!" Aiden laughed. "You gotta work for everything! People who are lazy don't get anything. Know who taught me that?"

"Who?" Misty asked with a playful smile. She already knew the answer, but she figured she'd let Aiden tell her.

"Dad!"

"Ah, of course."

"So, can I try out, Mom? Please?"

Misty sighed and looked down at her son, who was wearing quite the pleading look. His hands were clasped together, lower lip sticking out in a definitive pout. She'd have been lying if she said she didn't find it completely adorable. Aiden had taken after Ash in every single way imaginable, and Misty just loved it.

Even if it _could_ sometimes drive her crazy. It was still worth it overall.

"Yeah, I guess you can," Misty finally relented, causing Aiden to whoop with joy. "Just remember!_ If_ you make the team, you're going to have to put your all into it. No quitting!"

"You got it!" Aiden cheered. "I'll be great, just like Dad!"

**XXX**

"Misty, please explain to me why we're spying on our son."

Misty turned her head to glance over at her husband, who was wearing a painfully bored expression on his face.

"Because this is a big deal for him!" Misty hissed. "And I want to make sure our baby boy is okay."

"Come on, Mist, he's not a baby anymore," Ash sympathetically reminded his wife. "He's growing up, and he's _really_ independent. We need to let him do his own thing."

"Hey, I allowed him to try out for this team, so I'm allowed to watch!" Misty rebutted.

"You're just having a hard time letting go," Ash sighed. "If he makes the travel baseball team, you know that just means more time away from you."

Misty bit her lower lip, but chose to not directly answer that statement. "I just want to watch him. That's all."

Ash sighed and turned his head. In the open field behind them, Pikachu was playing with Michelle and Elizabeth in order to keep the two girls occupied. They'd been dragged along as well, but unlike their mother, neither one had any interest in watching their brother tryout for a baseball team.

"Oh, Ash, did you see that throw?! It was amazing!"

Turning his head back around, Ash peered through the wire fence and caught sight of his son taking a small hop back. He had already missed the throw, but decided to humor his wife anyway.

"Yeah, it was great!"

"You didn't see it, did you?"

"Yes I did."

"You were watching the girls and Pikachu."

"Uh…no comment?"

Smirking, Misty clutched the wire that her fingers were hooked around shook her head. "You're really being stubborn, aren't you?"

"I'm not being stubborn," Ash refuted. "I'm just trying to give Aiden some of the independence that he wants…and needs."

"Whatever," Misty huffed, clearly uninterested in being convinced. "Trust me, Ash. It's a good thing that we're here supporting our son, and you can't convince me otherwise!"

"Well technically, we're not supporting him, we're just spying on him."

"Details."

Ash sighed and rolled his eyes before looking through the fence once again. "Oh, that was a bad drop."

"What?!" Misty gasped, eyes widening. "What do you mean a drop?!"

"I mean Aiden dropped the ball," Ash elucidated.

"No, Aiden never drops the ball," Misty refuted.

"Well…I just saw him drop it."

"One dropped ball isn't a big deal!" Misty snapped. "I'm sure he's just a bit nervous. The coaches will understand that!"

Ash, however, was seeing things much differently than his wife. For every "amazing" thing that Misty saw their son do, Ash saw a mistake. Trailing behind the other boys as he ran, nearly tripping over the bases, striking out at nearly every pitch that was thrown to him…

It wasn't like Aiden at all.

As soon as the tryouts were finished, all of the young boys gathered around the coaches, hope evident in all of their eyes. Misty let out an excited squeal and grabbed onto Ash's arm, causing her husband to gasp in displeasure.

"Ash, look!" Misty trilled. "They're finding out if they made the team or not!"

"I can see that, Mist," Ash grunted. "Will you let go of my arm? You're cutting off my blood flow."

Misty quickly let go of her husband's arm before gently patting the section she had so mercilessly grabbed. As she did this, she looked back out towards the field, watching as small clusters of young boys trotted away from the coaches; some in jubilation, others with their heads hung.

"This is like torture," Misty whispered, not daring to tear her eyes away from the field.

"How do you think Aiden feels?" Ash scoffed.

"Worse than me."

"Mhmm."

The next two boys to turn away from the coaches were Brandon and Aiden, causing an elated gasp to rip from Misty's throat.

"They're coming!" Misty hissed excitedly. "Oh, it's always a good thing when they're together! Those two are the best of friends, it's so cute! Always there for each other. Aww…I wish I had a friend like that when I was younger."

"Mist…"

"Brandon looks so happy, doesn't he? Look at him skipping! And that big smile on his face! That's good news, it has to be! And if Brandon got good news, that means Aiden must have as well!"

"Not exactly…Mist, look at-"

"I can't really see Aiden's face, can you? He's got his head down. I can't see past the visor of his hat!"

"I can," Ash grumbled, looking down at the grass.

"You can?" Misty asked urgently. "Tell me, Ash! Is he just as smiley as Brandon? Are his sweet brown eyes all twinkly and bright? They look like yours all the time, of course, but when he's happy, you can _really_ see the resemblance!"

"Misty, he's not happy!"

The gym leader squeaked, her expression dropping considerably as she glanced over at her husband. "Wait…what do you mean he's not happy?"

"He's not nearly as giddy as Brandon," Ash sighed. "There's disappointment on his face, Mist. I can tell."

"But…but how do you know?" Misty muttered. "How do you know for sure?"

"You said it yourself," Ash breathed. "Aiden and I look exactly alike. And when I'm disappointed…that's what my face looks like."

Misty breathed out and looked through the fence once again. Brandon and Aiden were both getting closer, neither one's expression or demeanor remotely changing. Jumping to her feet, Misty grabbed Ash by the back of his shirt and yanked him up as well, trying her best to drag him behind her.

"M-Misty!" Ash choked, loud enough for their daughters and Pikachu to hear, causing them to stop playing and instead stare up at their father.

"Back away from the fence!" Misty cried urgently, letting go of Ash's shirt and waving him along with her hand instead.

Looking over his shoulder, Ash realized that Brandon and Aiden were about to come through the gate. Gasping, he hurried after Misty, quickly stopping by her side by planting his heels into the ground.

As soon as the boys passed through the opening in the fence, Brandon gave Aiden a hearty farewell, while Aiden only returned a halfhearted wave. Ash and Misty watched on with baited breath as Aiden walked towards them, his head down and face no longer visible.

"Hi, Aiden," Misty greeted softly, moving towards her son. "Is everything okay, sweetheart?"

"Champ?" Ash tried, his voice coming out a near whisper.

Aiden finally picked his head up, tears evident in his dark brown eyes as his lower lip quivered. It rarely ever happened, but Misty recognized all of those traits right away. She knew what was next.

Before the boy could even speak, Misty strode forward and held Aiden in her arms, pressing her hand against the back of his head. Even with his face buried in her chest, the sound of muffled cries could be heard, and before long, the boy's shoulders were visibly shaking as well.

Misty glanced over at Ash, who was wearing a mixed expression of shock and sadness.

_This is why I had to come, _Misty mouthed to her husband before resting her cheek against the top of her son's head.

**XXX**

"This isn't fair."

"Misty, not every kid is going to make the team. Our son just so happened to be one of them."

"That's not what I mean, Ash," Misty groaned. "I don't like to see our son in pain. I don't like to see him upset. I didn't bring him into this world to be hurt! It makes me feel awful."

"Of course you didn't," Ash breathed, kneeling in front of Misty and holding her face in his hands. "You love Aiden. You love the girls, too. You don't want any of them hurt. I don't either. That's the last thing we want for our children. But unfortunately, it's inevitable. Especially as they get older."

"I hate it," Misty whispered, her voice full of pain.

"I know you do," Ash assured her. "I do too."

"I'm supposed to protect him, Ash," Misty murmured. "I'm supposed to protect him from pain. And I couldn't."

Ash sighed and moved his hands away from Misty's face, instead choosing to wrap his wife in a tight hug. "We can't always protect them. I wish we could."

"That's not fair."

Ash smirked at his wife's muttered response. "No, it's not."

The couple sat in silence for a little while longer before Misty sighed and got to her feet, brushing past her bewildered husband.

"Where're you going?" Ash asked softly.

"I need to talk to Aiden," Misty replied. "I wanted to give him some space for a little while, but now I think I need to go back in there. I might not be able to prevent the hurt, but at least I can make it go away. Or…_try_ and make it go away."

"You can do it," Ash assured his wife. "I know you can."

Smiling weakly, though appreciatively, Misty gave Ash a single nod before walking out of the room and down the hall, to where Aiden's room was located. She pressed her ear against the wooden door, listening closely for any sound from the other side. What she heard were some sniffles, and that was enough to get her heart breaking all over again.

Reaching down, Misty grabbed the doorknob and twisted it, pushing the door back. Entering the room, Misty found her son lying on his bed, face buried in the pillow as he continued to cry.

"Aiden," Misty breathed softly. "Come on, buddy. No more crying. Please?"

Aiden whined in response and just barely turned his head, looking up at his mother with red, puffy eyes.

"Oh, sweetheart," Misty sighed, sitting down on the edge of the boy's bed. "I hate to see you so upset. I really do. I'm sorry."

Sniffling once again, Aiden sat up next to his mother, looking down bashfully at his knees. "Mom…can I ask you something?"

"Of course," Misty murmured.

"Is this why you didn't want me to try out for the team?"

At this, Misty's eyes widened, and the color drained from her face. "Wh-what do you mean, sweetie?"

"You were afraid I'd get cut, right?" Aiden continued. "I know you didn't want me to try."

"Oh, Aiden," Misty sighed, toying with the boy's raven locks. "You really want to know the truth?"

"Yes," Aiden squeaked.

"That's exactly why I was hesitant," Misty confirmed. "It's not that I didn't believe in you, Aiden! Not at all! I just want to protect you is all. But…I know that's wrong. I know I have to let you grow up and be independent. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Aiden replied softly. "I think I got too confident."

"Hmm?" Misty hummed.

"I kind of thought that maybe they'd just put me on the team because of dad," Aiden sheepishly admitted. "I _did_ still try my hardest! But…I also thought I was gonna get on because of my name. That wasn't right either."

"No, it wasn't," Misty agreed. "We were both wrong."

"I'm gonna try again."

Blinking, Misty looked down at her son, who was staring ahead at the wall.

"You mean for the team?"

"Yeah," Aiden replied. "I'm going to keep practicing. Maybe next time I won't make so many mistakes."

"That's a good idea," Misty agreed, smiling at her son. "I bet Dad would be more than happy to help you!"

"You're right!" Aiden agreed, his eyes lighting up as he finally looked up at his mother. "Do you think he'd practice with me right now, Mom?"

"More than likely," Misty giggled. "Why don't you go ask him?"

"Kay!"

Aiden jumped off of his bed and ran out of the room, Misty watching on with a smile on her face. She knew that no matter what, and no matter how many years passed, Aiden would always be her baby. Yes, he was growing up, and becoming more independent. He didn't need her to take care of him at every waking moment. But he still needed her. He needed her love and her comfort. And Misty was more than happy to give it to him.

She'd give it to him for the rest of her life.

* * *

><p><strong>I love the relationships between all of my characters, but Misty and Aiden is a very special one for me that I love to write. He's her only son, so of course Misty is very protective of him. She wants him to be his little boy forever, even though she knows he can't be. And Aiden knows it too! That's how he caught on to his mom.<strong>


	335. Angel

**I'm dying from school. Okay, not really. I've just been really busy and have like no downtime aside from sleeping. But I got asked a question on my Misty Tumblr about how Ash came up with the nickname "angel" for her, and that inspired a really awesome one shot.**

**A pre-kids one, too! I know some of you guys really like that :)**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Angel<strong>

"Ash?"

"Mmm…yeah, Mist?"

"You've got a little…something on your face."

Ash blinked his big, innocent eyes as he stared back at Misty. The two had joined some of their friends for a little lunch, and being as enthusiastic about food as he was, Ash had ended up with spaghetti sauce all around his mouth.

Just like a little kid.

"Here," Misty sighed, plucking the napkin off of her lap and wiping at Ash's face, just like a mother would. "I'll get it."

"Misty!" Ash cried from behind the napkin.

"Shh, I'm helping you!" Misty scolded. "It's fine. It's just our friends."

Ash turned his eyes across the table, where May and Dawn were sitting with amused looks on their faces. He sighed as Misty lowered the napkin and smirked at the young woman, who by now was wearing a charming smile.

"Thanks, angel," Ash muttered, shaking his head as he smirked.

"Don't mention it!" Misty giggled, resting her head on Ash's shoulder. "I love you."

"Love you too," Ash mumbled, a blush gracing his cheeks. He still felt a little embarrassed saying that in front of his friends, despite the fact that he and Misty were engaged.

"Hey Ash, how come you call Misty 'angel'?" May asked.

At this, Dawn gasped rather loudly. "May! That's his pet name for her!"

"Yeah, I know," May drawled. "But why?"

"Because he likes it!" Dawn cried.

"It's not just that I like it…" Ash murmured.

"So one day, he just started calling her angel? Just like that?" May queried.

"I guess so," Dawn responded. "But it sure is a sweet name! It's so romantic…and cute…"

"Wait a minute…you guys seriously think Ash just started calling me 'angel' for fun one day?" Misty laughed.

"Well, isn't that how most pet names are?" Dawn asked.

"I don't know, but that's not how mine came about," Misty mused. "I mean, come on, why in the world would he call me an angel? I sure as hell don't act like one."

"That's true!" Dawn trilled.

"Oh, thanks," Misty drawled sarcastically.

"So…he didn't just call you 'angel' one day and roll with it?" May tried.

"Nope," Misty giggled. "Not at all! Ash may be a bit dense, but he's actually got a rhyme and a reason for everything!"

"Hey!" Ash cried.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but it's true," Misty quipped, smiling at her fiancé. Ash, however, didn't return the smile, and instead kept shooting her a disapproving look. "Come on, Ashy. You can't stay mad at your angel!"

As soon as that last word left her lips, Ash's expression cracked, and he was soon wearing a huge smile that stretched from ear to ear. May and Dawn were both amazed by this, and at the same time, leaned in together, closer to Ash and Misty and making the young couple nervous.

"Okay, you have to tell us this story!" May demanded.

"How come?" Ash croaked.

"Because it's so obviously adorable!" Dawn squealed. "I mean, the way you looked so mad at Misty, but then she used the word 'angel' and you got that big smile on your face…oh, it has to be so sweet!"

"Come on, guys, do you two have to know every single detail about me and Misty's relationship?" Ash groaned.

"YES!" May and Dawn cried simultaneously.

"Oh, Ash, just tell them the story," Misty sighed. "It's not like it's some big secret!"

"I know it's not," Ash muttered. "I just…it's just…"

"You get nervous when it comes to getting all cutesy in front of other people," Misty answered for her fiancé.

"Yeah…"

"Fine, then_ I'll _tell the story," Misty sighed. "After all, May and Dawn will both probably burst if I don't."

"No!" Ash cried, alarming his fiancée. "I…I'll do it. I mean, I want to. I want to tell the story."

"You do?" Misty murmured.

"Yeah," Ash replied softly. "That story means a lot to me. So…I want to be the one to tell it."

"AW!"

Misty blinked hard and looked across the table, smirking as she saw both younger girls' eyelashes fluttering.

"Guys, I'm the one who's supposed to be fawning over Ash's romantic gestures, not you!" Misty laughed.

"I just can't help it!" Dawn squealed. "You're both so cute!"

"Ash, _please_ tell this story before Dawn's head explodes," Misty teased.

"Got it!" Ash chuckled. "Let's see…"

_We had been dating for a little bit, and we were both back to traveling with Brock. It was pretty much the same as always: some nights were spent in a Pokémon Center, and others out in the forest. We had taken to sleeping in tents while outside. I think Misty's bug phobia had actually managed to get worse with age. She was okay with sleeping in old, abandoned cabins, but out in the middle of the forest? No way! We started off with a tent for me and Brock to share, and one for Misty alone. Girls need their alone time, right? Well, after Misty and I started dating, and we'd been doing that for a while, she wanted us to share a tent. Brock definitely raised his eyebrows at that, but I wasn't about to argue! I thought it sounded like fun!_

Thought_ is the key word here._

_It turns out that sharing a tent is like…a preview of living in the same house. Even though we were only in the tent at night, Misty gave a really hard time. She didn't want me looking at her first thing in the morning, she wanted most of the tent to herself, she got mad so fast and there was nowhere to escape…_

"Are you finished?"

Ash smirked at his fiancée, who had her arms crossed and looked less than pleased.

"With your list of poor tent sharing skills I am!"

"Then continue the story, jerk," Misty muttered, rolling her eyes.

"See what I mean?"

"ASH!"

"Well, anyway…"

_So all of that kind of made both me and Misty a little testy. We had actually been pretty good about not fighting with one another since we'd started dating, but the whole "sharing a tent" thing seemed to reignite all of that. It wasn't as bad as usual, just teasing and angry glares and that kind of stuff. It was getting on Brock's nerves, though. I remember that at one point, he just got so sick of us acting like kids that he went into the forest for a while to look for firewood or something like that._

_I don't think we actually needed any of it._

_But Misty and I didn't know that, and we didn't really care either. We were too busy being bratty with one another. While Brock was gone, pretty soon after he'd left, actually, I decided to sit down in the middle of the campground so I could have a little snack. We'd just done a little bit of shopping in the previous town, and I'd bought a box of some of my favorite cookies. Of course, I was already more than halfway done with the box…in fact, I think I only had a cookie or two left!_

_I took one out, and I was getting all excited to eat it. Seriously, my mouth was watering just from looking at the thing! But just as I opened my mouth, _someone _took the cookie right out of my hand!_

"Are we to assume that someone was you?" May hummed, looking pointedly at Misty.

"How could you guess?" Misty giggled.

"Yeah, it was Misty," Ash grumbled, shaking his head. "Big surprise."

_So she rips this cookie out of my hand. I'm ticked. I turn around, and I've got _fire _in my eyes. I'm seriously so mad that I'm seeing red! And it's _not _just because of Misty's hair. It was because of what she'd done, combined with that sneaky little grin on her face. That was just making things worse! I wanted to knock that smirk right off of her face._

_And then…that's when it happened. That's when it came out. _

_The nickname._

_I'll never forget it. I was still glaring at her. I was _so _mad. I had my eyes narrowed, and my teeth were all ground together. And she was still smirking. So, while I was still glaring at her, I finally hissed:_

"_You're a real angel, aren't you?"_

_It was probably the most sarcastic thing I'd ever said. Even to this day! I was just so fed up with her. I couldn't even yell. I just wanted to keep on acting like a brat. So, I got sarcastic. I expected Misty to get all huffy, and to throw a fit like she usually did when she got all upset or bested. _

_But she didn't._

_In fact, her smile only got more mischievous. She got that matching little twinkle in her eye, and my jaw just clenched even tighter. I knew she wasn't giving me that cookie back. Not ever. And now, she wasn't even going to let my snarky comment bother her!_

_I'll never forget her response, either._

"_Of course I am!"_

_That's when I stopped being so angry._

_Once she said that, I just kind of stared at her. She hadn't said it sarcastically. Not like I had. She seemed really confident, actually. She'd been dead serious. I knew she knew I was being sarcastic, but she didn't care. She was just smiling at me, and she still had my cookie, and she was just fine._

_And it was really cute!_

"Ever since then, I've called her 'angel' for a nickname," Ash murmured fondly. "We both know it's kind of a joke. It came from one, anyway. But Misty knows that I love her. That nickname has special meaning to both of us."

"We pretty much stopped fighting after that," Misty agreed. "And I _did_ give Ash his cookie back."

"Only half," Ash grumbled.

"Oh, _that_ you can remember," Misty quipped.

"I just told an entire story! I've got plenty good memory!"

"I wasn't talking about the story, Ashy. I meant with other things!"

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"Hmm…birthdays, anniversaries, things you need to bring to work with you on a daily basis…"

"Come on, Mist, why do you have to call me out like that?!"

"I'm not calling you out! It's just teasing!"

May and Dawn both looked at one another while Ash and Misty bickered back and forth across the table.

"So, when Ash said they were done fighting, he just meant back _then_, right?" Dawn asked hesitantly.

"Oh yeah," May scoffed. "That whole thing probably only lasted for about a day anyway. Those two aren't happy unless they're at one another's throats."

* * *

><p><strong>I really love this one, guys. I love getting Ash's POV and writing them before they were parents. Writing this one put me in such a good mood ^^<strong>


	336. Mirror World Matters

**Oh my gosh, I finally finished a new one shot! I've been so busy with school and sorority stuff, I've had no time to actually finish writing :(**

**BUT I was inspired by the latest episode, The Cave of Mirrors, and just HAD to give everyone mirror counterparts. I actually started writing this story after the Japanese premiere, and remembered it was still in progress after the dub aired. Oops.**

**Enjoy!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 9 years old**

**Elizabeth: 3 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Mirror World Matters<strong>

"Wow, this place is beautiful…"

"Right? I knew you'd love it! It's perfect that Serena agreed to watch the kids while we came out here."

"Yeah, who knows what those three would be doing," Misty muttered, leaning over to stare at her reflection. "I love them dearly, but you know they'd end up destroying something in here!"

"Not on purpose, of course!" Ash chuckled. "They'd be sorry about it."

Since they were in Kalos on a trip, Ash thought it would be a good idea to take Misty to Reflection Cave. It was one of Kalos' most beautiful landmarks, and Ash knew it was something that Misty would be drawn to. The cave was full of reflective crystals that acted almost like mirrors. You could literally stare back at yourself on the walls of the cave, and the whole thing felt very enchanting.

"I wonder if this is what it would feel like to live in a glass house," Misty mused, running her hand along one of the crystals.

"More like a house of mirrors," Ash laughed. "You know, like at those cheesy carnivals!"

"Those are a little bit freaky," Misty admitted. "At least this has some charm to it!"

"I don't know," Ash murmured. "Something pretty freaky happened to me last time I was in here…"

"What kind of freaky?" Misty scoffed. "'Zubat jumping out at you' freaky?"

"Please, there's no Zubat here!" Ash playfully scolded. "That's a Kanto specialty. Besides, what I witnessed was a lot freakier than a hoard of Zubat…"

Ash continued walking ahead of Misty, peering into each of the mirror-like crystals. Once he got up to a certain one, however, he realized that his reflection looked a little bit different.

"What the…"

"It's you again!" His reflection gasped, eyes widening.

"Pika?" Pikachu, who had been sitting on Ash's shoulder, squeaked. He realized that Ash's reflection had a bare shoulder…meaning Pikachu did not have a reflection.

"Pikachu!" The reflection gasped, reaching out and grabbing Pikachu.

"Hey, not again!" Ash cried. He reached out and grabbed onto his reflection's arm, slowly being pulled through the crystal. Just as this was happening, Misty managed to turn around and see it all, much to her horror.

"Ash, where are you going?!" Misty shrieked. She ran forward, jumping up and wrapping her arms around her husband's waist. Unfortunately, he was already halfway through the mirror, and by grabbing onto him, that meant she was going through as well.

Before either one knew it, they were landing hard on the ground, Misty still holding onto Ash's waist, and Ash still gripping Pikachu. The electric mouse, who didn't like being stretched between two sets of hands, let out a low growl and abruptly shocked both of them, Misty becoming included due to her proximity to Ash.

"Ow…"

Misty shook out her head and blinked. That had sounded like her husband, but at the same time…it didn't. It sounded different. Weaker than his usual voice, in fact. Picking her head up, Misty realized that there were actually _two_ Ashes, and that's when she let out a terrified scream and jumped up.

"WHAT?!" Misty shrieked. "W-wait a minute. Why…Ash, why are there two of you?!"

"Because we got pulled into the mirror world," Ash grumbled, getting to his feet as he rubbed his head. Pikachu scurried up Ash and settled himself on the man's shoulder once again, glaring at Mirror Ash.

"The mirror world?" Misty repeated incredulously.

"It's literally a mirror image of ourselves and the world we live in," Ash explained. "Everyone's got a mirror counterpart."

"Oh, I want to meet mine!" Misty squealed.

"I don't know if you really do, Mist."

"Huh? Why not?"

"That really hurt!"

Ash and Misty both looked over at Mirror Ash, who was sitting on his knees and…crying.

"Uh…why's he crying?" Misty muttered.

"Because he's my mirror image," Ash sighed. "He's not a clone. He's the exact opposite of me."

"Oh, no…"

"Come on, quit crying," Ash sighed, reaching down and grabbing his mirrored self's arm, pulling him back to his feet. "You're just fine!"

"Yeah…" Mirror Ash murmured timidly.

"Well, you're right," Misty remarked. "This is definitely freaky."

"Why did you try to take Pikachu again?" Ash asked his mirrored self. "Where is _your_ Pikachu? Did he run off again?"

"No," Mirror Ash practically whispered. "I…I left him with someone else."

"Who did you leave him with?" Ash questioned.

"Elizabeth…"

"Wait, you mean Elizabeth has a mirror image, too?" Misty piped up.

"I guess so," Ash sighed.

"I didn't have a choice!" Mirror Ash wailed, beginning to cry again. "She's so…so scary…"

"Scary?" Misty repeated incredulously. "She's a three year old."

"Yeah, but she's the _opposite _of _our_ Elizabeth," Ash added. "So…this worries me a little bit."

"ASH!"

Both Ashes jumped at the sound, causing Misty to roll her eyes.

"This is ridiculous," Misty grumbled.

"Uh…gotta go!" Mirror Ash cried, running straight out of the Reflection Cave.

"Hey, wait up!" Ash yelled, chasing after himself. "Misty, come on!"

"Well, obviously!" Misty shouted back, trailing behind her husband.

**XXX**

When the trio reached the edge of the cave, the two "originals" were surprised to see their youngest daughter staring back at them. Or, at least…her mirror image.

She had a definitive glare on her face, and was holding Mirror Pikachu in her arms. He was wearing a devious smirk, with a matching glint going off in his eyes.

"Elizabeth…" Mirror Ash began weakly, "sorry, I-"

The toddler huffed and turned away from her father, showing him her back. Mirror Ash began to whimper again, this time out of fear. Misty, however, was anything but amused by her daughter's behavior. Even if it _technically_ wasn't her daughter.

"Elizabeth!" Misty scolded, causing the girl to look over her shoulder. "That's very rude! You cannot speak to your father that way!"

At this, Mirror Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "You'we not my mom. You can't tell me what to do!"

"Excuse me?!" Misty hissed. She was in full on "mommy mode" at this point. "I _am_ your mother!"

"No," Mirror Elizabeth refuted, pointing to the side. "_She_ is."

Misty turned her head and caught sight of…herself, leaning over to look into one of the mirrored crystals as she applied mascara to her eyelashes.

"Oh boy," Misty muttered, rolling her eyes as she marched over to the woman. "Hey, you! Uh, me. I mean…whatever! Listen up!"

Mirror Misty hummed curiously and looked up, fluttering her dark eyelashes in interest. Her makeup was far more apparent than Misty's, and it looked a lot less natural.

"You need to teach your daughter some manners," Misty bit, pointing over at Mirror Elizabeth. "She's very rude!"

"Oh, her?" Mirror Misty asked in disinterest. "She's, like, a total lost cause. I'm scared of her!"

"Uh…what?" Misty muttered.

"She's like…_totally_ possessed by something," Mirror Misty continued. "I really think she's like…the devil child or something. No way she's Ash's kid."

Mirror Ash whined at this, but once again, it was a scared whine. Groaning, Misty turned around and stomped towards Ash, rolling her eyes.

"Well, isn't my mirror self just pleasant?" Misty grumbled. "Reminds me of my sisters. Blegh."

"Ooh! Hi there!"

Ash made an uncomfortable noise as Mirror Misty flitted over to him, hands on her hips as they swayed back and forth.

"Uh…"

Mirror Misty giggled and pushed her chest out at the flustered man, winking at him. "You certainly are cute, aren't you?"

"HEY!"

Misty pulled her husband away and got in the face of her mirror counterpart, eyes narrowed in sheer anger.

"Like, what's your problem?" Mirror Misty whined.

"That's _my_ husband!" Misty bit. "_Yours_ is over there!"

Misty pointed towards Mirror Ash, who was currently being taunted by both Mirror Elizabeth and Mirror Pikachu at the same time.

"Please, he's like…useless," Mirror Misty huffed, rolling her eyes.

At this, Misty's own eyes widened. "But…but…don't you love him?!"

"Eh, he's _kind of_ cute, I guess," Mirror Misty drawled. "But like, I mostly only married him 'cause he does everything I tell him to do."

"That's terrible!" Misty cried.

"Yeah, everyone said he was no good for me," Mirror Misty continued, oblivious to the fact that Misty was talking about _her_ and not the situation. "But I _sooo _didn't listen! And I should have. He's just a lousy, basic trainer. _I'm_ the one making all the money in this relationship!"

"But he's the Pokémon Master," Misty murmured.

"Ha!" Mirror Misty laughed. "No he isn't! He was too _scared_ to challenge for Pokémon Master. He's still just a regular old trainer! And he can hardly win a field battle! He loses _way_ more money than he makes. Like…if I wasn't so gorgeous, we'd be done for! Without all of my modeling and movie roles, he'd be eating dirt."

Misty furrowed her brow and glanced over at Mirror Ash. He was standing completely still, sighing sadly as Mirror Elizabeth repeatedly poked him with a stick, cackling almost evilly as she did so.

Before Misty could ask another question, or get another jab out, a young boy came running up to her, and Misty instantly recognized him as the mirror image of her only son.

"Oh boy, visitors!" Mirror Aiden trilled. "How exciting! It's so nice to meet you!"

Misty blinked hard, unsure of how to respond to her son actually being polite.

"Ugh, Aiden, you're not supposed to like, talk to strangers or whatever," Mirror Misty grumbled, pulling a nail file out of her pocket and running it against the tips of her fingernails.

"But Mother, they look just like you and Father!" Mirror Aiden exclaimed. "It's uncanny! Where in the world did you two come from, then?"

"The other side of the mirrors," Misty replied, jabbing a finger over her shoulder to point at the reflective crystals.

"Fascinating!" Aiden marveled. "That means a whole different world besides our own must exist!"

"You've got that right, buddy," Misty sighed.

"Ugh, Aiden, you're such a nerd! All I ever hear come out of your mouth is blah, blah, blah. You give me such a headache!"

Mirror Aiden turned around and gave a small, apologetic bow. "I'm so sorry, dear sister! I will try to limit how much I speak."

"How about you just don't speak at _all?_" She scoffed.

"Mirror Michelle," Ash noted. "She's also pretty rude, huh?"

"She's also making fun of Aiden for being smart," Misty muttered. "Usually, she makes fun of him for being _dumb_. Either way, it's wrong."

"Aiden, don't you think you should stand up to your sister?" Ash kindly asked his mirror image son. "You'll never become a Pokémon Master if you just let people push you around like that!"

"I suppose that would be true, if I wanted to be a Pokémon Master," Mirror Aiden mused.

"Wait…you don't want to be a Pokémon Master?" Ash murmured.

"Of course not!" Mirror Aiden laughed. "I don't want a career in Pokémon training! That would very much be a waste of my time. I think I might like to be a scientist, or perhaps even an author!"

"Huh, interesting," Misty hummed. "Our son back home has never even _read _a book!"

"Whatever, those are boring!" Mirror Michelle trilled.

"I kind of agree, next to being a coordinator," Ash murmured.

"Ash!" Misty scolded.

"I don't want to be a coordinator!" Mirror Michelle giggled at the notion. "I want to be a model, like Mom!"

"I _knew_ one of you had to turn out like me!" Mirror Misty squealed. "Still totally wasn't worth all of those years of like…baby stuff, though."

"Huh?" Ash breathed. "But…don't you love your children?"

"I mean, I _guess_," Mirror Misty sighed, sounding annoyed by the question. "I like…didn't really want kids."

Now Misty was just getting annoyed with her mirror counterpart again. "Then why did you _have_ them?!"

"I didn't know how babies were made!" Mirror Misty cried. "First off, it took me like…_forever_ to even get my stupid husband to look at me naked, which is _soooo_ ridiculous because look at me! Do you know how many guys would _kill_ for that opportunity? He's _so_ ungrateful!"

For the first time, Ash and Mirror Ash had something in common: they were both blushing.

"Anyway, by the time I finally got him to do what I wanted, I, like, ended up pregnant!" Mirror Misty wailed. "Those were the _worst_ nine months of my life! I got so fat and gross! And then I messed up and had to do it _again_ just to have a demon baby."

Ash frowned and looked over at Mirror Elizabeth, who was commanding Pikachu to try and zap Mirror Aiden as best as he possibly could while the boy dodged the bolts, screaming in terror.

"I don't get it," Ash whined, looking over at Mirror Misty. "I mean, I do. This isn't our universe. It's an alternate one. But still…_my_ Lizzie is so sweet! She loves Aiden and Michelle more than anything, she'd never send a Pokémon after them! And I certainly wouldn't call her a devil child."

"Ash, you know that our Elizabeth is still good," Misty murmured to her husband. "This Elizabeth is just her mirror counterpart! You have to remember that our Elizabeth is an angel."

"I know," Ash sighed. "It's just hard to see her acting up like this."

"Right, like it doesn't suck to watch me hate my own children," Misty scoffed rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, that's not fun either," Ash conceded.

"Um, Ash…" Mirror Ash weakly piped up.

"What's up?" Ash asked, looking at his mirror counterpart.

"The sun is setting," Mirror Ash informed his braver half, pointing up towards the sky.

"Oh no!" Ash gasped.

"What's so bad about that?" Misty questioned.

"Once the sun sets, the two universes both separate," Ash explained to his wife.

"Which means…?"

"Which means we won't be able to get back to our own universe!" Ash groaned.

"WHAT?!" Misty shrieked. "No way! We have to go back! I have to see our kids after this! Not to mention my mirror image is giving myself a headache."

Mirror Misty looked up just enough to glare at the real Misty for a short moment before returning to her makeup application.

"I think maybe it would be best if we went back to our universe now," Misty announced, turning to narrow her eyes at her mirror image. "This one's pretty unsettling."

"Oh, _you_ can go," Mirror Misty quickly dismissed her counterpart. "But I'd _love _it if _your_ version of Ash were to stay!"

"What, and take the mopey one?" Misty countered. "Dream on!"

"Worth a shot," Mirror Misty quipped before retrieving lipstick out of her bag.

"I think it would be very nice of us to show our parents' mirror counterparts back to the cave, don't you agree?" Mirror Aiden asked his two sisters, having finally been given a reprieve from Pikachu's attempted attacks.

"What, and get my brand new shoes all dirty?!" Mirror Michelle cried.

"Nuh uh!" Mirror Elizabeth refuted. "We should gets 'em stuck hewe fowevew!"

"Oh please, you'd only want them stuck here so you could, like, torture them," Mirror Michelle scoffed, flicking Elizabeth on the forehead.

"OW!" Mirror Elizabeth screamed before pointing at her older sister. "Get hew, Pikachu!"

"Pika!"

Mirror Pikachu gave Mirror Michelle a good jolt, causing the older girl to shriek in pain.

"Elizabeth! That really, really hurt!" Mirror Michelle wailed. "You're, like, _such_ a brat!"

She charged for the evil little toddler, who in turn giggled and ran away from her older sister, Mirror Pikachu trailing not far behind. Mirror Aiden watched them for a few seconds before sighing and turning back towards Ash and Misty with an amused smile on his face.

"Come now, we don't have to waste our time watching those children run after one another!" Mirror Aiden laughed. "My sisters are certainly a bit rude, but that doesn't mean I have to be! I will gladly show you back to the crystal from which you came and return you to your own universe."

"Uh…thanks, Aiden," Ash muttered. Seeing his son so mature and well-spoken was still really disorienting for the man.

"Mother, Father, I'm heading inside of Reflection Cave!" Mirror Aiden announced to his parents. "It won't take me too long, I'm sure! After all, I _do_ know the most effective route to get to their specific crystal."

"That's nice, sweetie," Mirror Misty drawled in an uninterested manner, still busy with trying to perfect her lipstick.

"Are you going to be careful?" Mirror Ash asked timidly. He'd been very quiet up until that point.

"Of course!" Mirror Aiden laughed at the idea he'd be anything but. "Don't you worry, Father. I will ensure that Ash and Misty return safely to their place of origin."

"But-"

"Oh, for Arceus' sake," Mirror Misty grumbled, cutting Mirror Ash off. "Just get them back to wherever they came from, kid! You're totally interrupting my beauty routine!"

"Certainly!" Mirror Aiden chirped. "Follow me!"

Ash and Misty exchanged bewildered looks, but chose not to argue and simply follow after Mirror Aiden. They both tried to bid farewell to their mirror selves, but neither Mirror Ash nor Mirror Misty seemed to care all too much. Mirror Ash looked far too nervous, while Mirror Misty was too busy applying her makeup.

"This is such a strange place," Misty sighed, looking up at the dull green sky. "I couldn't imagine spending every day of my life here."

"It's just different from what you're used to is all," Ash chuckled. "This _is_ an alternate universe, after all!"

"Yeah, but not a very nice one," Misty grumbled. "All I want to do now is get back to our own universe and hug our children."

"It's not so terrible here!"

Misty looked around her husband upon hearing the squeaky voice of Mirror Aiden.

"Really?" Misty asked.

"Really," Mirror Aiden laughed. "I know that my parents seem a little bit…scatterbrained. My father seems too skittish, and my mother too uncaring. But I promise that they're not! I'm more than content here. And I would assume my sisters feel the same!"

"Uh…assume?" Ash repeated.

"We don't talk very much," Mirror Aiden admitted. "All Michelle does is make fun of me, and Elizabeth…well, she's pretty scary. But we do get along sometimes! Enough, anyway."

"Sounds like _our_ Aiden, Michelle, and Elizabeth," Ash chuckled.

"Yeah, except ours seem to get along better than these three," Misty sighed. "And I _never_ thought I'd be saying that."

"Really?" Mirror Aiden hummed. "I wonder what my counterpart in your world is like, then."

"Trust me," Ash teased, "you're better off wondering!"

At this, Mirror Aiden furrowed his brow, but continued leading Ash and Misty deeper into the cave. "Ah, here it is! This is the correct crystal!"

"How do you know?" Ash asked, gently tapping on the reflective surface. "I mean…I'm not questioning you. You're really smart! But…all of these crystals look the same."

"I know exactly which crystal leads to which universe!" Mirror Aiden bragged. "And this one is yours!"

"Huh, that's pretty cool!" Ash marveled.

"That's great, but how are we supposed to get back through it?" Misty questioned. "It was _your_ version of Ash who pulled us through before. There's no one on the other side to pull us through!"

"In order to get back to your own universe, you've got to really wish for it," Mirror Aiden explained. "Think of why you want to get back there so badly."

"Well, that's an easy one," Misty murmured, closing her eyes. "I want to get back to our own universe so I can see _my_ Aiden, Michelle, and Elizabeth. I can't live without them."

"Sounds like we want the same thing," Ash chuckled.

"Excellent!" Mirror Aiden crowed. "Then wish for it with all of your might, and the portal back to your world will open up right before your eyes!"

Ash and Misty turned to face the crystal, staring deep into it as their wishes spiraled around in their heads, silently pounding to be released. As Ash and Misty thought of their children, how much they love them and how badly they wanted to see them after the debacle of this mirror world, a portal in the crystal opened up, revealing Ash and Misty's cave of origin to them.

"Whoa," Misty breathed, her eyes widening.

"Quick! You have to go through!"

The gym leader looked over her shoulder at the mirror image of her son, eyes still wide.

"How come? What's the rush?"

"The sun is setting," Mirror Aiden rushed out. "That means the universes are splitting as we speak! No matter how hard you wish for what you want, you won't be able to get back once the universes have been pulled apart."

"Which means we won't be able to get back to Aiden, Michelle, and Elizabeth," Misty breathed, looking up at Ash in horror.

"Then let's go!" Ash urged, grabbing his wife's hand and holding onto it. "Follow me!"

Ash jumped right into the open portal without a second thought, Misty shrieking behind him as she was pulled along. Mirror Aiden watched on with a little smirk, chuckling very softly as soon as they were both through the portal.

"That certainly made for an interesting day," the mirror boy mused.

**XXX**

Ash fell straight out of the portal, landing hard on his back. Misty landed right on top of him, knocking all of the wind out of the Pokémon Master's lungs.

"Oh, Ash! I'm so sorry!"

Misty jumped off of her husband and reached out, pulling the man up by his arms.

"It's fine," Ash wheezed, shooting his worried wife a smile to show her that he was okay. "I'd rather me get hurt than you!"

"I'd rather have neither of us get hurt," Misty sighed, running her fingers through Ash's black hair.

"I'm not hurt, though," Ash murmured. "I'm okay."

"Just a little winded?" Misty teased.

"A little," Ash confirmed with a smirk.

"I think I know what would make you feel better," Misty whispered, her own lips bending into a smirk.

"What, in this cave?" Ash drawled. "That's crazy, Mist! But, I guess if you really want to add it to the list…"

"No, you dolt," Misty groaned, tugging at Ash's hair. "Our _children!_"

"Oh, well that's a great option, too!" Ash laughed, jumping to his feet.

"I just want to hug all of them," Misty whimpered, wrapping her arms around her body. "After that…that was just so strange. They looked like our babies, but they certainly didn't act like them. And I know it's because they were mirror counterparts, but still. Hearing myself call Elizabeth a devil child? That was just upsetting."

"Our Elizabeth isn't a devil child," Ash assured his wife. "She's a little angel. And we're lucky to have her! Just like we're lucky to have Aiden and Michelle."

"We are," Misty agreed, the smile returning to her face.

"So, I think we should go see them," Ash decided. "You in?"

"Of course I'm in!" Misty affronted. "I'm the one who came up with the idea!"

"You're so cute," Ash chuckled. "I'm lucky to have you as my Misty."

At this, Misty blushed and sheepishly dug the toe of her right sneaker into the ground. "And I'm lucky to have you as my Ash."

"But you're not lucky enough to beat me to the hotel!"

Misty looked up in horror, her eyes widening as Ash bolted away.

"YOU JERK! GET BACK HERE!"

* * *

><p><strong>This might call for a sequel one day. Not sure. I feel like Mirror Michelle and Mirror Elizabeth need more screen time! My personal favorite was actually Mirror Misty :P<strong>


	337. Dining Declaration

**I'm trying SO hard to write my essays, I swear! It's just not really working? I hate literary criticism, so writing essays about it is just even worse. Blegh.**

**In the meantime, though, I WAS able to finish another one shot! Priorities.**

**Aiden and Michelle: 9 years old**

**Elizabeth: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Dining Declaration<strong>

Going out to eat with three children was hard.

Going out to eat at _nice restaurants_ with three children was even harder.

Typically, when it came to eating out at places that were more upscale, Ash and Misty left the kids in the care of one of their friends or family members. In this particular, instance, however, they were celebrating the twins' upcoming tenth birthday; a huge deal in the Pokémon world. For that, they wanted the whole family together.

That included the youngest member of their brood: four year old Elizabeth.

Now that they were older, Aiden and Michelle did much better at eating in restaurants. They had gained a lot of patience and no longer fussed or squirmed at the table. Elizabeth, however, was a different story. She was still just a toddler. And while Elizabeth was typically a well behaved little girl, much better behaved than most children her age, she lost patience very quickly when it came to restaurants. Though she was good, Elizabeth was also very energetic, and sitting in one place for too long was not her idea of fun. Once her food came, she would settle down and happily eat (she had inherited her father's appetite, much to Misty's dismay) but any time before and after typically consisted of Ash and Misty trying to keep the girl quiet and calm.

So naturally, they worried about bringing Elizabeth to such a nice restaurant. But they also refused to leave the little girl behind for such an important occasion, so it all came down to just having to keep her in check.

It sounded much easier in theory, of course.

**XXX**

"Daddy, look!"

"What is it, baby girl?"

"Lookit my dress."

Ash smirked and looked Elizabeth up and down to intently study her silver and white dress, complete with a ruffly tulle skirt and a metallic silver bow at the right side of her waist.

"It's very pretty!" Ash complimented his daughter.

"I'm a princess," Elizabeth giggled, poofing the skirt up with her hands. "A ballerina princess!"

"You're always a ballerina princess, pumpkin," Ash assured the happy little girl.

"Daddy?" Elizabeth murmured, suddenly coming down from her little burst of energy.

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Is cold in here," Elizabeth grumbled, folding her arms and shivering a bit for good measure.

"Why don't we put this on, then?" Ash asked, holding a gray cardigan out towards the girl. "I knew you'd be a bit cold in that dress."

Ash hadn't thought in the first place it was a smart move for Misty to allow Elizabeth to wear a sleeveless dress to dinner. It was the end of November, after all. The weather was much colder. Misty insisted it was fine, however, and as added insurance, had grabbed a cardigan for Elizabeth before heading out.

Of course she'd made the wise move.

Nodding her head, Elizabeth turned her back to Ash and held her arms out, standing patiently as he slipped on the little button up sweater. Of course, being Elizabeth, she couldn't just wear a _plain_ cardigan, so hers had a chiffon flower sewn onto the left breast.

"Better?" Ash asked.

"Yeah!" Elizabeth giggled.

Now that she was warm, the toddler chose to sit down on her father's lap and mindlessly toy with his deep blue tie. Ash hated dressing up; he found suits to be so constricting. _Especially_ the pants! They always seemed to be so tight on him. Dress shirts weren't his favorite either. They were so stiff! So really, there was no part of dressing up that Ash actually enjoyed. So he hardly minded that as Elizabeth played with his tie, it slowly began to come undone. Suddenly, he felt like he could actually breathe again.

"Ash!"

Gasping out of fear that he'd been caught, Ash's head shot up, and he was met with the sight of his wife. Luckily for him, she didn't seem annoyed. In fact, she was just confused by his antsy response.

"Come on, our table is ready," Misty urged.

"Oh, yeah!" Ash chuckled. "Come on, pumpkin."

He lifted Elizabeth off of his lap, much to the girl's disappointment. Normally, Ash would have just carried Elizabeth to the table (he carried her almost everywhere…he was a bit attached) but in such a nice place, he didn't feel that was exactly appropriate. Before he could follow after the girl, however, Misty stopped him in his tracks and went to work on fixing his tie.

"Mist…" Ash groaned.

"Ash, you cannot walk into that dining room with your tie halfway undone," Misty sighed, continuing to fix Elizabeth's work.

"I didn't even think you'd notice," Ash grumbled, an impish smirk playing on his lips.

"Please, you think I don't know you by now?" Misty quipped. "I'd have been able to see this messy tie from a mile away."

"Yeah, but only you, babe," Ash teased. "No one else."

"Well, it's fixed now, so we won't have to worry about that," Misty giggled, patting her husband's chest. "Come on, now."

They followed their waiter to the back of the restaurant, their children following along dutifully and quietly. Aiden was wearing a nearly identical suit to his father, but had chosen to wear a red tie instead of a blue one. Michelle was outfitted in a pale yellow, one shoulder chiffon dress adorned with chunky rhinestones at the neckline.

The family, mainly because of their status, had been escorted to a slightly more reclusive table towards the back of the restaurant. Of course, there were still other diners around them, so Ash and Misty were still going to be wary of Elizabeth.

All five of them took their seats and began looking over their menus…save for Elizabeth. She kept the fancy leather bound book closed, and silently glanced between her mother and father. When neither of them felt her eyes on them, Elizabeth finally lost patience and decided to speak up.

"Mommy? Daddy?"

Misty put down her menu and stared across at the child. "What is it, Lizzie?"

"Where's my crayons?"

"Uh…crayons?"

"I wanna color," Elizabeth murmured, looking utterly disappointed.

"Oh," Misty breathed in realization. "Lizzie, sweetie, this is a very nice restaurant. They don't have crayons for little kids."

Elizabeth looked horrified by this news. "No crayons?!"

"No," Misty replied. "So how about we-"

"Mommy, I'm so bored!"

"Oh no," Misty grumbled, resting her head in her hands.

"Lizzie, we just sat down," Ash tried to reason with his upset daughter. "Don't throw a fit! Mommy and I will figure out something fun for you to do while we wait for dinner."

Elizabeth stayed quiet after this, but didn't seem to necessarily like the answer. She started to pout and sat back in her chair with her arms across her chest. It didn't look great, but Ash and Misty both figured that as long as she was quiet, they didn't have to take any drastic measures right away.

"Yes, they have steak here!" Aiden cheered.

"Oh, one of your favorites!" Misty giggled. "I guess we know what _you'll_ be getting to eat, then."

"The steak here is awesome," Ash chimed in. "I've come here with Scott a few times before, and the steak is my favorite thing on the menu! I might just get that too."

"What about you, Michelle?" Misty asked her older daughter.

"The different types of pasta they have sound so good!" Michelle chirped. "Maybe I'll get one of those."

"You never can get sick of pasta, huh?" Ash teasingly asked his daughter.

"Nope!" Michelle giggled. "It's one of my favorites!"

"Lizzie, do you see anything you'd like to eat?" Ash asked kindly.

"No," Elizabeth whined, sinking down further in her chair.

"Elizabeth, you didn't even open the menu," Misty scolded.

"No," Elizabeth repeated, pushing the menu away.

Rolling her eyes, Misty grabbed the leather-bound book and opened it up, flipping all the way to the back where the children's menu was. "Do you have _any _idea of what you want?"

"Pizza," Elizabeth muttered.

Misty scanned the menu and, once she was done, nearly smacked her head against the table. "There isn't any pizza, I'm afraid."

This only ticked Elizabeth off even more. "Mommy, I want pizza!"

"I can't help it, Elizabeth! There's no pizza!" Misty cried exasperatedly. "How about a bowl of spaghetti? You like spaghetti!"

"I don't _want_ spaghetti!" Elizabeth whined. "I want pizza!"

"There is _no pizza_, Elizabeth," Misty repeated sternly.

"They gots to make me pizza, cause of Daddy," Elizabeth replied simply.

Ash's eyes widened at this. "Elizabeth, what does that mean?"

"You're a Pokémon Master," Elizabeth murmured, glancing up innocently at her father. "They gots to make me whatever I want, -cause you're my daddy."

"They don't have to make you _anything_, young lady," Misty hissed. "Daddy and I have told you a thousand times that no one has to do anything special for you because of who Daddy is. You're a normal little girl, you're not going to get any special treatment."

"Why?" Elizabeth whined.

"Because that would make you a spoiled brat," Misty hummed.

"Nuh uh," Elizabeth refuted.

"Elizabeth, please pick something else to eat," Misty practically pleaded. "You're not going to get pizza tonight, and you just have to accept it. I'll get you pizza tomorrow. But for tonight…how about steak, like Aiden? You like that, right?"

"No," Elizabeth grumbled.

"Elizabeth, I'm not in the mood for an attitude," Misty warned. "If you really don't want steak, then pick something else."

"I only eat steak," Elizabeth complained. "I don't eat nothing else. It's all icky."

"Then you're going to eat steak," Misty decided. "It's one meal. You'll live."

Elizabeth frowned and distastefully pushed the leather-bound menu as far away from her as possible. In the process, she nearly knocked over her glass of water, which Ash luckily enough managed to catch before it went toppling down and soaked the table cloth.

"Why are you not behaving tonight?" Misty sighed, glancing down at Elizabeth. Aiden and Michelle were already glaring at her out of aggravation.

Before Elizabeth could answer, or perhaps continue to ignore her mother in an act of defiance, the family's water came over, a kind but professional smile on his face.

"Good evening," he greeted. "My name is Sterling, and I'll be your waiter for tonight. May I start you all off with something to drink?"

"Could I have soda?" Aiden asked.

"Of course!"

"I'd like the lychee lemonade, please," Michelle requested.

"Certainly."

Misty looked over at her youngest daughter, who was still wearing quite the pout.

"Elizabeth," Misty breathed, "what would you like to drink?"

"Punchy," Elizabeth muttered.

"You want fruit punch?"

"Yeah."

"Do you have fruit punch?" Misty nervously asked the waiter.

"Not the regular kind, but we can certainly whip something up," Sterling informed the woman. "I personally think our freshly made fruit punch is _much_ better than the store bought kind!"

"Hopefully my daughter agrees with you," Misty murmured.

After Ash and Misty ordered their own drinks: alcohol, which was a rare choice when they were out with their children, Elizabeth began to stir in her seat once again.

"What's with all the wiggling, pumpkin?" Ash curiously asked his daughter.

"I hafta go to the bathroom," Elizabeth squeaked.

"Uh…" Ash stammered, looking up at Misty.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," Misty sighed, getting up from her chair. "Let's go, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth jumped out of her seat, having suddenly regained her enthusiasm, and raced towards the entryway of the dining room.

"Elizabeth, don't run!" Misty scolded. The child stopped in her tracks and looked over her shoulder, frowning at her mother. "Don't give me that look. You know that's not appropriate in here."

Elizabeth flitted ahead of Misty after that, although the young mother made sure to keep close behind. In order to get to the bathroom, the two had to cross through the lobby once again, were quite a few patrons were waiting to be seated. Of course, they all recognized the Pokémon Master's daughter and wife, and the hushed whispers that so aggravated Misty soon began to creep up. Elizabeth, however, was unaffected by this, and instead chose to stop in front of the intricate display of wine bottles, stacked on top of one another in a beautifully lit glass case.

"Look, Mommy!" Elizabeth gasped excitedly, pointing at the display. "It's your favorite!"

The hushed whispers died down, and soon enough, all of the excited guests were simply left staring at Misty's blood red face.

"Elizabeth!" Misty groaned, smacking a hand against her forehead.

"What?" Elizabeth whined innocently. "That's just grown up juice! That's what you tolded me!"

"Okay, let's just get to the bathroom and get done with that, alright?" Misty rushed out, grabbing the child's hand and pulling her in the direction of the restroom, away from the clearly amused gaggle of strangers.

Once Elizabeth finished up with the bathroom, she and Misty headed back to the table. As soon as they got there, Ash could see the frustration playing out on his wife's face.

"Everything alright there, Mist?"

"Yeah, sure, let's go with that."

Elizabeth pushed herself up on her chair by her hands, leaning forward to take a sip out of the straw in her specially made fruit punch. As soon as she tasted the mixture of fruit juices, however, the child made a face and stuck her tongue out in disgust.

"ICK!" Elizabeth cried. "Icky! Mommy, this is icky!"

Ash's eyes widened, and he once again set them on his wife. Narrowing her eyes, Misty picked up her wine glass and stared deeply into its white contents before sighing tiredly.

"Well, Elizabeth may hate her juice, but I_ love_ mine."

* * *

><p><strong>I feel like every parent has been there with a little kid. My sister used to be like that when she was young!<strong>

**Poor Elizabeth knows not what she does :P**


	338. Babysitting: Team Rocket

**Okay. So THIS one is a lot of fun. Remember how I said the next babysitting chapter would be a little different? Well, as you can see, things are going to get pretty interesting around here ;)**

**Let's see if Team Rocket is just as bad at this as they are at...pretty much everything.**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 1 month old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Babysitting: Team Rocket<strong>

"Blegh. Look at that litter of twerps."

James took the binoculars from Jessie and peered into the window of the twerps' home. He was met with the sight of a newborn baby fast asleep in her pink bouncer seat, a pacifier occupying her mouth. A young raven haired boy was leaning over her head, tilting his own from side to side as he examined the little being. And then a third child, a little girl with bright red hair, popped up beside the boy, a cheerful smile set on her young face.

"I don't see what's so wrong about the twerps having baby twerps," James replied, lowering the binoculars. "They're grown up! Still twerps, but adult twerps."

"James, it's the principle of the matter!" Jessie hissed, snatching the binoculars from her male partner. "Those twerps have never given us a break, not a single day in our lives! And then they go ahead and reproduce like a couple of Lopunny. It's revolting."

"There's only three little ones…" James murmured. "That's not so many!"

"Yeah?" Meowth, who had been quiet up until that point, bit. "Well, dat's more dan enough to add onto our misery!"

"He's right!" Jessie seethed. "As soon as those tiny toddling twerps get bigger, they'll be just as annoying as their parents!"

"But why would we even have to go after them?" James whined. "They don't have a super powerful Pikachu!"

"We have to go after them by default," Jessie huffed, as though it were obvious.

"Yeah, or else we wasted all dat time chasin' after deir parents," Meowth agreed.

"I guess, but I still don't really see the point," James admitted.

"Good, you don't have to," Jessie quipped.

"If you really tink about it, dose kids have already caused us heaps of trouble!" Meowth exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" James chirped.

"We've been tryin-a swipe 'em since da days dey was born," Meowth elucidated. "As much as we hate da twoips, you and I both know dat dey're super talented, so of course, dat gets passed on to deir kiddies!"

"And that means an excellent set of future Team Rockets for the boss!" Jessie sighed dreamily.

"Except we've never actually managed to wiggle them away from their parents before," James reminded his counterparts. "They always outsmart us!"

"All the more reason to hate them," Jessie grumbled.

"Come on, Jess, dere's gotta be a way to snag dose kids without da twoips catchin- on!" Meowth urged.

"Oh yeah?" Jessie scoffed. "Got any fabulous ideas, fur brain?"

"As a matter of fact, I do!" Meowth bragged.

"You do?!" Jessie and James cried.

"Of course!" Meowth trilled. "Don't act so surprised!"

"It better be a good one," Jessie growled.

"Yeah, what makes you think that _your_ plan will work better than anything else we've tried before?" James agreed.

"Cause unlike you twos, I'm not a moron!" Meowth snapped. "Just listen up, and listen good, and maybe for once in our lives, we'll get away wit- some-tin!"

**XXX**

"You two aren't bothering your baby sister, are you?"

Aiden and Michelle's heads both snapped up at the same time, offended expressions plastered on both of their faces. Ash, who had asked the apparently belligerent question, gasped and fell back against the counter, eyes wide and blinking relentlessly.

"Nuh uh!" Aiden refuted.

"Yeah, we love her!" Michelle added.

"We're just lookin- at her," Aiden commented. "She's not any bigger!"

"Well, yeah," Ash chuckled. "It's only been a month. She's still supposed to be small! She's gotten a _little_ bit bigger since she was born."

"Not a lot," Michelle murmured.

Sucking just once on her pacifier, Elizabeth opened her eyes and stared up at her older siblings, a content coo escaping from her lips despite the fact her mouth was currently occupied.

"Daddy, she woke up!" Aiden giggled. "Lookit! She looks all confused."

Ash smiled and joined his older children, kneeling down beside Aiden to look down at the baby. Elizabeth, in turn, moved her eyes only on to Ash, and as soon as she saw him, she began to stir with obvious excitement.

"Hello, pretty baby!" Ash cooed. "Look at those big, beautiful eyes of yours! Who do you see with those eyes? Aiden, and Michelle, and Daddy? Is that who you see?"

Elizabeth raised her hands towards her face and curled them up into tiny little fists. At this, Ash chuckled delightfully and lifted the baby out of her bouncer, raising the little thing to his face and rubbing their noses together. Elizabeth squealed and began to flail her arms up and down, opening her mouth wide as she tried her best to smile at her father. Being as she was still so young, however, the smile was as uncoordinated and goofy as they came.

"You're so funny," Ash laughed.

"She makes funny faces!" Aiden agreed.

"She does, doesn't she?" Ash chuckled. "They're so sweet!"

"She still doesn't have any teeth!" Michelle marveled.

"Nah," Ash replied. "She's still too young! And I'm sure Mommy is happy right now that she doesn't have teeth."

"What am I happy about?"

Ash chuckled and looked over towards the kitchen doorway, where Misty had suddenly appeared.

"Elizabeth not having teeth," Ash replied.

"Oh, yeah," Misty stifled through a yawn. "That's fine."

Michelle looked over her shoulder and frowned. "Mommy? Are you tired?"

"Yeah," Misty sighed, walking into the kitchen. "I am, baby."

"How come?" Michelle squeaked.

"Is it cause the baby cries all the time?" Aiden questioned.

"Yeah," Misty repeated, moving over to the counter and opening up one of the top cabinets. "I love her, but she sure is making me sleepy."

Ash furrowed his brow as Misty pulled out a teabag and dropped it onto the counter. She stood there for a few seconds, lowering her head to stare at the lone bag.

"Mist?"

"…yes?"

"I think you're forgetting something, babe."

"…maybe."

Smirking, Ash got to his feet, Elizabeth whining softly and burying her face into the man's chest. Ash smiled and kissed the top of her head, walking over to the cabinets and opening up the one next to the one Misty had opened. He pulled out a white ceramic mug, placing it on the counter next to the solitary teabag.

"That might help," Ash murmured with a chuckle.

Misty groaned and folded her arms on top of the counter, resting her head atop of them.

"I'm tired…"

"I know, honey," Ash breathed, rubbing his wife's back.

"I wanna take a nap."

"Then why don't you get back into bed and rest?" Ash asked.

"Can't," Misty muttered, shaking her head. "Baby…kids…you."

"You don't have to worry about us, Misty," Ash whispered. "I can take care of everyone! I've got it under control."

"I feel bad."

"Don't feel bad! That's what I'm here for."

The baby in Ash's arms began to wail unhappily, fingers desperately gripping at Ash's shirt.

"Oh…she's grouchy," Ash commented, twisting his mouth.

"That's because she's hungry," Misty sighed. "And _that_ you can't help me with, unfortunately."

"You don't have anything in the fridge?"

"No, I haven't had any time! I barely have time to sleep, so why would I have time to do that?"

"I don't know! I was just asking."

Wearily fluttering her eyelashes, Misty took the tearful baby from Ash's arms and buried her nose in the infant's soft hair. "Lizzie…I'll feed you. Maybe you'll go back to sleep after that."

As the baby continued to blubber, the doorbell began to ring unendingly, causing Misty to let out a loud, aggravated groan.

"Don't worry, I'll get it," Ash assured his wife, resting a gentle hand on her shoulder.

The gym leader watched on with wide eyes as Ash stepped around her, moving towards the front door.

"It's too early for people to come and say hi!" Aiden announced definitively.

"Maybe it's Grammy," Michelle mused.

"Oh, yeah!" Aiden marveled. "And maybe, if it's Grammy, maybe she's got presents!"

"Yeah!" Michelle agreed with a giggle.

"Now, now you two," Misty sighed. "You know that life isn't all about presents! Besides, I highly doubt it's Grammy. She said she was going to be working at the restaurant today."

"I think she changed her mind, Mommy," Aiden informed his mother matter-of-factly.

"Do you?" Misty asked, finally smiling for the first time that morning.

"Uh huh," Aiden murmured. "I bet she found really good presents and wanted to bring 'em instead of doing boring stuff like work."

"You certainly do have a wonderful imagination, little man" Misty giggled.

"Wait, I'm really confused. How did you even know we need any help?"

"Oh, come now! Those big, dark circles underneath your eyes tell the whole story! You can see them on every television interview you've given in the past few weeks, dear Pokémon Master."

Ash walked back into the kitchen, a frown on his face as he subconsciously rubbed at his cheeks.

"My eyes don't look _that_ bad…do they?" Ash muttered.

"Ash, who's at the door?" Misty asked, completely ignoring her husband's question.

"I don't know, some babysitting service people or something," Ash groaned. "Seriously, it's that noticeable?"

"A babysitting service?" Misty repeated, the twins curiously looking up at her. "Why would they be here? I didn't call any babysitting service. Did you?"

"No," Ash muttered. "Didn't I sound just as surprised as _you_ when I opened the door?"

"Well, we don't need any of that," Misty grumbled. "You know that I won't leave the kids alone with anyone but our family and friends."

"Me either," Ash groggily agreed. "So…can you send them off?"

Misty dramatically rolled her eyes, earning a strangled cry of protest from her husband.

"You know I'm not good at that kind of stuff!"

"Oh please," Misty muttered, walking towards her husband and preparing to pass the whiny infant off to him. "I can't believe I _still _have to do all of the dirty work."

"That won't be necessary, twerpette."

Misty looked up with a furrowed brow, bewildered to see three strangers standing just feet away from her.

"How did you three get into my house?" Misty gruffly demanded, holding the baby closer to her chest.

"It's not exactly a challenge when your husband leaves the door wide open," the woman, who was wearing a pair of big, overpowering glasses crowed.

Misty turned her eyes onto Ash in order to glare at him. He, in turn, chuckled nervously before clearing his throat and stepping protectively in front of his wife.

"Either way," Ash interrupted, "we don't really need any babysitters here. My wife and I have got everything under control."

"Really? Sure don't look that way!" The shortest of the trio, outfitted in an obnoxiously colored vacation shirt and oversized hat quipped.

"We're fine!" Ash cried, covering his eyes with his hands.

"Keep telling yourself that," the taller male, hair tied back into a ponytail with a visor wrapped around his head, scoffed. "Malamar, hypnosis!"

A gigantic, squid-like Pokémon emerged from the man's poke ball, firing off rings of purple at the two horrified parents. Misty successfully hid the infant in her arms, protecting the little thing from the attack. She and Ash were not so lucky, however, and both of them instantly fell into a deep sleep, dropping to the ground. As Misty was falling, the unknown woman dashed forward, grabbing Elizabeth from her mother's hold and therefore protecting the baby from any potential injuries.

"Oops," the woman drawled, removing her glasses and smirking at the two older children. "Did _we_ do that?"

"AH!" Michelle shrieked.

"Bad people!" Aiden yelled, pointing a finger at the trio.

"Excuse you, little twerp, but we do have a proper name," the male scoffed, removing his visor and letting his hair down.

"Yeah, and dat's Team Rocket!" The smallest added, shedding his own disguise.

"Still bad people," Aiden muttered, narrowing his eyes.

"Now, now, there's no reason to get so upset!" Jessie crooned, holding a hand out towards the twins. "All you two have to do is come with us! That's not so hard."

"Nuh uh!" Aiden cried. "We're not gonna go with you!"

"Yeah!" Michelle agreed.

"I don't think you two heard me right!" Jessie drawled, although her face was reflecting a completely different emotion. "You're both coming with us, and we're going to introduce you to a _very_ nice man! He's got _big_ plans for you!"

"Shelly, run!" Aiden urged, grabbing his sister's hand and pulling her out of the room.

"WHAT?!" Jessie roared. "Get back here, you little brats!"

James and Meowth both gasped as the woman charged after the children, quickly following behind her.

"Jess, be careful!" James warned. "You're holding the baby twerp!"

"Forget the baby twerp!" Jessie snarled. "It's those two older ones who need to be taught!"

Letting out a shrill, near ridiculous screech, James managed to reach forward and snatch baby Elizabeth from Jessie's grasp just before the furious magenta haired woman set off after the older set of kids.

"Wait fa- me!" Meowth cried urgently, firing right off on Jessie's tail.

Sighing tiredly, James glanced down at the innocent baby, who was staring up at him with slightly narrowed eyes.

"I'm not about to run around like a fool," James huffed. "Those two are so dense, they don't even realize what precious cargo you are! We'll just take the gentle approach, hmm?"

**XXX**

"You two little twerps better get out here right now!"

Michelle turned her head towards her brother and whined softly. Narrowing his eyes, Aiden pressed a finger against his lips, silently warning his sister to stay quiet.

"I'm scared!" Michelle squeaked in response.

"S-okay!" Aiden softly assured his sister. "I'ma get 'em!"

The two had chosen to hide behind the living room couch, having already looped through the den and the two rooms' connecting hallway. And while Michelle was quite nervous about the whole situation, Aiden was not.

Getting on his hands and knees, Aiden crawled towards the end of the couch, earning another frightened wail from his twin. Whipping his head around, Aiden glared at the girl, who proceeded to roll her lips in as a sign of silence. Looking back ahead, Aiden continued crawling, until he was just barely able to see past the furniture. He could see Jessie and Meowth lingering by the doorway, currently peeking into the adjacent coat closet.

Biting his lower lip, Aiden jumped to his feet and quickly but quietly charged towards the corner of the room, grabbing onto a handful of his toy cars that had been piled there. Misty had been telling the boy for weeks to put them away, but now Aiden was _especially_ glad he hadn't listened to her.

With all of the cars collected, Aiden placed his palm atop them and gave a gentle push, watching as the toys began to roll towards the doorway. With that completed, Aiden turned around and once again ran behind the couch, settling himself next to his sister and pressing his back against the wall.

"What'd you do?" Michelle murmured.

"I made a trap!" Aiden giggled.

Across the hall, Jessie scowled and slammed the closet door shut.

"Those two…" she seethed.

"Dey're just as smart as da parents!" Meowth marveled.

"Please," Jessie spat. "The twerps are _not _smart. They're just a special breed of stupid."

Whipping around, she marched towards the living room doorway, completely unaware of the die cast toy cars lurking beneath her feet. She stepped right on the bright red one in the center, slipping backwards almost as soon as her foot went down.

"WAH!"

Meowth winced as Jessie's back hit the floor hard. Aiden and Michelle didn't get to see the fall, since they were both still hiding behind the couch, but just the sound of it was enough to get them both giggling like crazy.

"Uh…you okay, Jess?" Meowth murmured nervously.

"OF COURSE I'M NOT!" Jessie fumed, shooting back up. "I KNOW those bratty little twerps are behind this!"

Snarling, Jessie reached down and grabbed a blue car, chucking it so far that it nearly hit the opposite wall.

"Those two are going to be SO sorry when I get my hands on them!" Jessie shrieked, fumbling back to her feet. "I'm going to turn them both into tiny twerp coats!"

Furrowing his brow, Meowth walked slowly past Jessie, making sure to avoid the toy cars that were still scattered on the floor. Once he was past the diversion, he began to make his way towards the couch, Jessie still carrying on behind him. Keeping as quiet as he possibly could, Meowth reached the side of the couch and leaned over, standing on the very tips of his back paws. In just the sliver he'd managed to peak through, Meowth had received a glimpse of Aiden and Michelle, which brought a victorious smirk to his face.

"Jess!" Meowth whispered in a hurried fashion.

Rolling her eyes, Jessie stepped over the mess of toy cars and marched over to Meowth, hands on her hips.

"What is it now, Meowth? Can't you see I'm in the middle of venting?"

"Yeah, dey can tell all da way from here tah Sinnoh," Meowth scoffed.

"Excuse me?!"

"Just relax!" Meowth ordered. "Besides, I got some-tin dat'll cool ya head right down!"

Twisting her mouth, Jessie followed after Meowth, who stopped rather short and pointed behind the couch. Raising an eyebrow, Jessie moved closer to the furniture. Pressed up against the wall, Aiden and Michelle both pulled faces of horror, slowly inching towards the opposite side of the couch.

Unfortunately for them, Jessie leaned in enough to see them just before they managed to make a clean escape. The devious look of victory on her face was enough to earn a shriek from both children. Even Aiden, who was not easily startled, found that Jessie's face at the moment was pretty disturbing.

"GOT YA!" Jessie cheered.

Both children screamed, jumping to their feet and running out the opposite side of the couch. Scowling, Jessie stood up straight and lunged for the twins, who just barely managed to escape through the doorway.

"I've had just about enough of this," Jessie seethed, reaching for a poke ball. "Seviper, get those two!"

The fang snake Pokémon emerged from its sphere, opening its mouth wide as it slithered after Aiden and Michelle. The little girl, who was trailing behind her brother, let out a terrified scream and held Aiden's hand even tighter, moving up so close to the boy that she was practically stepping on his feet.

"Michelle!" Aiden complained.

"Scary!" Michelle argued, her eyes wide with fear.

Narrowing his own russet orbs, Aiden scanned his surroundings as he ran for anything that could potentially stop Seviper in its tracks. Just as he turned the stairs, Aiden caught sight of a bin full of toys, something that his mother had been intending to bring up the stairs the night before. Sitting right on top of the basket's contents was a large rubber ball; exactly what Aiden had been looking for.

He ran up to the basket and swung Michelle behind the railing of the stairs. Nervously, the little girl gripped onto the white wooden bars and peeked through them, watching her brother with a sense of great timidity.

Picking up the ball, Aiden held it between two hands as he leaned over on his left foot, waiting for Seviper to get closer. Before long, the poison snake was only about two feet away from Aiden, its mouth open wide to reveal its two large fangs.

"Aiden!" Michelle squeaked.

"Take this!" Aiden yelled over her, tossing the ball hard at the snake.

It landed right between Seviper's jaws, the snake's fangs placed directly over the surface of the ball. That meant the big rubber sphere couldn't pop. Instead, it just kept the Pokémon's mouth firmly open, and unavailable for use.

"Se?!" Seviper cried out in a guttural fashion. It was hard to hear, with the ball holding its jaws open.

"Whoa!" Michelle marveled, her eyes sparkling as she let out an unsure giggle.

"Let's go to the kitchen!" Aiden decided, running past his sister and urging her to follow him. "We gotta get Lizzie and try to wake Mommy and Daddy up!"

"Kay!" Michelle chirped, following after her brother.

They both scurried into the kitchen, and were more than stunned to see James sitting at the table, gently tickling Elizabeth's chest. The baby, in turn, was moaning unhappily, scowling at the man and kicking her legs.

"Hey, let go of our little sister!" Aiden barked.

"Eee!"

James jumped out of his seat, eyes wide as he nearly stumbled backwards. Once he regained his footing, he looked down at the twins and glared at them.

"How have you two little twerps not gotten caught yet?" James demanded.

"Cause you guys are dumb," Aiden plainly stated.

"WHAT?!" James cried. "How dare you! Didn't your parents teach you any manners?!"

"Yeah," Michelle murmured. "And they taught us that you're mean, too."

"You think you're funny, huh?" James growled, eyes narrowing even more deeply as Aiden laughed at his sister's comment. "I'll show you both! Carnivine, come on out!"

Aiden and Michelle both took a step back as the bug catcher Pokémon was released…and proceeded to wrap its vines around James' body. Shrieking, James held his arms out in front of himself, the baby in his arms still making noises of discontent as she waved her arms around.

"No, Carnivine!" James scolded. "Get the tiny twerps, not me!"

With James currently distracted, Michelle ran up to him and grabbed a chair, climbing up on top of it and carefully snatching Elizabeth from the man's hold.

"Gotcha!" Michelle giggled, sitting down and sliding off the chair. Once she was back on the floor, Michelle glanced down at the baby, who by now was smiling and quite content.

"Wow, Shelly," Aiden breathed. "You saved Lizzie!"

"Yeah, I did!" Michelle trilled. "Now Team Rocket can't get her!"

"But we still gotta wake up Mommy and Daddy," Aiden murmured.

"Yeah," Michelle agreed softly.

With James still incapacitated, the twins scurried over to their parents. Aiden knelt down and started to shake his father as strongly as he possibly could. Unfortunately, Ash was quite solid, and Aiden was small. His attempts to shake Ash awake weren't exactly working.

"Daddy, wake up!" Aiden urged. "Come on!"

"Mommy?" Michelle squeaked, gently nudging Misty's shoulder with her foot. "Get up, Mommy! Me and Aiden and Lizzie need help!"

Elizabeth gurgled for a short moment, as though chiming in with her older sister.

"This isn't working," Aiden groaned.

"YOU LITTLE BRATS THINK YOU CAN HARM MY SWEET SEVIPER AND GET AWAY WITH IT?!"

"She found Seviper!" Michelle cried. "And she sounds really mad!"

"Daddy, come on!" Aiden barked, pulling at Ash's hair. "Wake up! Help us!"

Unfortunately, no matter how hard Aiden tried, Ash was just not waking up. The little boy whimpered just once and leaned back on his heels, frowning down at his knees.

"Aiden…" Michelle murmured. "What're we gonna do?"

"I…I dunno," Aiden admitted. "I can't think of nothing else to stop 'em! And Mommy and Daddy won't wake up."

"Does this mean we're gonna get taken?" Michelle whispered in horrified fashion. As though sensing her older sister's fear, Elizabeth let out a whimper of her own, wiggling desperately in Michelle's arms.

It was at that moment that James finally managed to remove Carnivine from its death grip. At the same time, Jessie and Meowth came barreling in through the kitchen doorway, Seviper hissing menacingly behind them. The twins (and baby Elizabeth) were totally surrounded, and they knew it. Aiden jumped to his feet and stood protectively in front of both of his sisters, switching his glare between both sets of Team Rocket.

"Pi…ka…CHU!"

Aiden saw a burst of bright yellow light out of the corner of his eye, followed by a chorus of screams. Whipping around, the young boy's jaw dropped as he saw Jessie, Meowth, and Seviper all being shocked. As the attack ended, they all slumped to the ground, everything from their clothes to their skin and hair charred. Landing in front of them was little Pikachu, staring up expectantly at the surprised twins.

"Pikachu!" Michelle cheered.

"You've been upstairs the whole time, haven't you?" Aiden asked.

"Pika!" The electric mouse confirmed.

Though the small group behind him was certainly incapable of doing anything at the moment, Pikachu knew James was still fine and alert. Scowling at the blue haired man, Pikachu allowed a series of sparks to jump from his cheeks as a warning. Shrieking, James started to back up until he hit the table, Carnivine following suit. Once Pikachu felt that James wasn't going to make any rash moves, he instead turned around and chose to shock _Ash_, much to everyone's surprise.

"Daddy!" Michelle cried out of concern.

"WAH!"

Ash flew up in the air just a few inches and then came crashing back down, groaning in pain as soon as his body hit.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu growled.

"Mmm…Pikachu?" Ash murmured, picking his head up and looking around. His vision was fuzzy for a few seconds, but it soon enough came back into focus, and the first thing he saw was James standing in front of the kitchen table. "Team Rocket!"

"They've been chasin' us, Daddy!" Aiden cried.

"And they took Lizzie, too!" Michelle added, nodding towards the baby. "But look, Daddy! I saved her!"

"That's so great, princess," Ash breathed, taking the baby from her. "I'm so happy you're all safe! But now…"

He looked at James and Carnivine, and then the scorched group that was slumped behind him. With narrowed russet eyes, Ash pointed his finger and commanded, "Pikachu, get 'em!"

Pikachu used quick attack to go after James and Carnivine, who both shrieked and ran in the opposite direction. Making a sharp turn, Pikachu followed after the two, white streaks still trailing behind him as he ran. James and Carnivine ended up tripping on the pile of Jessie, Meowth, and Seviper, who were all still sprawled on the floor.

"Pika…" Pikachu warned, cheeks sparking once again.

Crying out of fear, Team Rocket and their Pokémon managed enough strength to get back to their feet and run right out the front door, causing Pikachu to turn around and smile triumphantly at his trainer.

"Pika-chu!"

"Yeah, you did great, buddy!" Ash chuckled.

Giggling just once, Michelle ran up to Ash and hugged his leg, rubbing her cheek against his knee.

"Daddy, Aiden did good, too!" Michelle trilled. "He did all kinds of stuff to stop Team Rocket! And he made me less scared!"

"He did?" Ash marveled, looking over at a sheepish Aiden. "Great job, champ! I'm really proud of you."

"Thanks!" Aiden chirped, his face lighting up.

"Daddy, how are we gonna wake Mommy up?" Michelle inquired. "We can't shock her like Pikachu did to you!"

"Nah, definitely not a good idea," Ash agreed, glancing down at his wife. She actually looked quite peaceful, snoring very quietly and not moving all too much. "You know what? Maybe we shouldn't wake her up. Maybe we should just let her sleep. She does need to catch up on her rest, after all!"

"Yeah, I like that!" Michelle laughed.

"Although, we probably shouldn't have her sleep on the floor," Ash murmured, smirking at the idea. "I'll put Lizzie down and bring Mommy up to bed."

A loud grumble pierced the air, causing Ash to look down at his two children with a raised eyebrow. Michelle was looking solely at Aiden, who had a blush on his face.

"Heh…can we eat breakfast, too?" Aiden asked sweetly.

"Yeah, sure thing," Ash chuckled. "I bet all of those little pranks really worked up an appetite, huh?"

* * *

><p><strong>So the answer to that first comment is yes, they're just as bad at this :P<strong>

**I was going for the Home Alone vibe on this one. Kids get stuck with the bad people who are so dumb that they can outsmart them. I like to torture Team Rocket. I'm a bad person. **

**So...any other babysitting suggestions? Comment with 'em and let me know!**


	339. Sister Act

**I just wanted to let you guys know that I AM still working on A New Era. It's just going quite slowly because those chapters are so much longer, and they require a lot more research, so I haven't had as much time to do it with school right now. **

**One shots, however, are easy! I can bang them out really fast, and they really don't take any research. So, for now, you can all have some one shot goodness :P**

**Michelle: 6 years old**

**Elizabeth: 15 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Sister Act<strong>

Elizabeth blinked her wide, green eyes as she stared up at her older sister in fascination.

To Elizabeth, Michelle was something incredible. Even at her tender age, Elizabeth understood that Michelle was her big sister. "Sissy," she had managed to begin saying. Misty thought it was the cutest thing. Michelle did love Elizabeth, but very often, she just wanted to be left alone. Elizabeth was getting bigger now, older and smarter. She had much more freedom than she'd had as a baby. She was beginning to toddle, just short amounts and rather unsteadily, but Elizabeth always seemed to make Michelle her target. The baby just _loved_ following the older girl around.

Michelle, on the other hand, didn't exactly love being trailed.

She was much quieter than her younger sister. Yes, Elizabeth was just a toddler. Still considered a baby by some, actually. But already, it was quite clear that Elizabeth had a much bolder personality. Michelle had no problem with that, of course, but when she wanted quiet, alone time, Elizabeth always seemed to be there.

Like right now.

All Michelle was trying to do was read a book. It was a good one that her friend Selena had recommended to her. Reading was probably Michelle's favorite hobby, other than drawing, and she liked to do it in isolation.

Elizabeth, however, enjoyed sitting right next to Michelle. Practically in her lap, in fact. And having a pair of eyes locked on her while she read didn't exactly thrill Michelle either.

"Hey," Michelle huffed, lowering her head so her face was right in Elizabeth's. "Why don't you go play with Pikachu? Or Vaporeon? They like you a whole lot. I do too! But…I'm trying to read."

"Sissy," Elizabeth babbled in response.

"Elizabeth," Michelle countered. "Go play somewhere else for now."

At this, Elizabeth narrowed her eyes. It was ever so slightly; they still looked pretty wide. But it was just enough to tip off that perhaps Elizabeth's mood had changed a bit. With a small huff, just about as quiet and unrecognizable as the narrowing of her eyes, Elizabeth reached out and grabbed a lock of Michelle's hair, yanking on it.

"OW!" Michelle cried. Immediately after, she put her face right back into Elizabeth's, growling at the smaller girl. It was a fairly ferocious growl for a barely seven year old, full of anger and aggravation. It was fierce enough that it certainly would have startled most toddlers.

And for a short moment, it _did_ seem to faze Elizabeth.

Her face contorted, nose scrunched up as her eyes narrowed even further. Her lips bent into a recognizable frown, head bowing a slight degree out of either bewilderment or vulnerability.

But just as quickly, she picked her head right back up. Her emerald eyes were staring deeply into Michelle's, eyebrows furrowed in sheer determination. Her nose scrunched up even more, and the corners of her lips pulled up just enough to reveal the itty bitty, pearly white baby teeth that resided in her mouth.

And with all of that in place, Elizabeth growled right back at her older sister.

Michelle pulled back with a gasp, eyes widening as Elizabeth started to giggle.

"Aw, are you two playing together?"

Michelle snarled and looked over her shoulder, glaring at her father.

"Nuh uh!" Michelle refuted. "I'm trying to read my book, and Elizabeth won't leave me alone!"

"You know that's just because she loves you," Ash chuckled. "Lizzie is totally innocent!"

"No she isn't," Michelle grumbled. "She just growled at me!"

"Growled at you?" Ash repeated, sounding quite fascinated. "Huh. Didn't know a kid that young could do that!"

"Well, she did," Michelle muttered, looking back down at her book.

"That's alright, I can get this adorable little pumpkin out of your way for a bit!" Ash cooed, beaming as Elizabeth laughed wildly at his silly voice. "I was going to take her outside for some fresh air! Yes I was!"

"Daddy, do you _still_ have to talk to her like that?" Michelle groaned.

"Of course I do," Ash replied, picking up the giggly Elizabeth and holding her in his arms. "She's a baby!"

"She's not really a baby anymore."

"Shh," Ash teased, smirking at his older daughter. "She'll always be _my_ baby. Just like you!"

"…okay," Michelle sighed, once again returning to her book.

"Do you want to come with us?"

Michelle groaned and looked up from her book for what felt like the millionth time. She turned her head to stare at her father, who was pulling Elizabeth's fluffy, bright pink jacket over her upper body.

"No," Michelle replied simply, watching with narrowed eyes as her father sat Elizabeth down in her stroller. "All I want to do is read my book!"

"I just figured you've got lots of time to read your book," Ash casually commented, kneeling down to slip the toddler's tiny white, pink, and gold sneakers on. "Soon it's gonna be too cold to go for a walk! I thought you might like to get some fresh air while you still can."

Michelle continued to scowl at her father, but now the gears in her brain were turning. Yes, she did love reading. But she also loved being outside. She may have been quiet, but she had also inherited a bit of an adventurous streak from both of her parents, so she loved the outdoors. The wind and fresh air, the open sky and plenty of big spaces to run around in and explore…it was something she couldn't resist.

Also, it was _really_ hard to say no to her dad when he was being all sweet like that.

"Fine," Michelle grumbled, reluctantly putting her book down on the couch. "I'll go."

"I knew I'd convince you!" Ash chuckled.

"How?!" Michelle demanded, snatching the sky blue fleece coat her father was holding out towards her.

"Because you're my baby girl," Ash replied as though it were obvious. "I know you better than anyone else in the whole wide world!"

"What about Mommy?"

"Mommy knows you just as well as I do."

"And Aiden?"

"Him too."

"Does Lizzie?"

Ash smirked and looked down at the toddler, who was staring up at Michelle with wide, unblinking eyes, her little lips forming a great smile as she watched the older girl tug her coat on.

"Yeah," Ash confirmed, nodding his head. "Lizzie knows you really well, too."

* * *

><p><strong>Elizabeth idolizes Michelle. Isn't that cute? Michelle doesn't think so, but I think the rest of us do :P Ash thinks it is!<strong>


	340. Problems in the Pumpkin Patch

**So I went pumpkin picking for the first time in a million years last weekend. It was really fun, and it gave me a new chapter idea! I don't really like fall, but I do like the quintessential fall things. Go figure.**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 2 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Problems in the Pumpkin Patch<strong>

"Mommy, I wanna get the biggest pumpkin ever!"

"You know, Aiden, sometimes just because something is the biggest doesn't mean it's the best."

Aiden stopped in his tracks and spun around, staring at his mother with wide eyes and a slack jaw. Misty, however, wasn't about to back down from her last statement. She just smiled sweetly at Aiden, who still looked positively baffled.

"Huh?!" Aiden finally managed to gasp. "No way! The biggest pumpkins are the bestest ones!"

"Sweetie, you just think that because that's what Daddy taught you!" Misty giggled. "Trust me, you don't need to find the biggest pumpkin in the patch for it to be perfect."

Aiden twisted up his face, clearly unsure of his mother's belief.

"Hey, I did not teach him that size is everything!" Ash argued, his rough voice causing Misty to jump slightly. "I make sure that Aiden understands the good in everything!"

"Of course you do," Misty crooned, smirking at her husband. "But you _do_ have to admit that you put an emphasis on bigger being better."

"I do not," Ash calmly argued.

"Yes you do," Misty maintained. "You do it with trophies, badge collections, battles, not to mention just between the two of us…"

"Well I definitely didn't say anything to Aiden about _that!_" Ash hissed, his whole face turning red.

"And I hope you never do," Misty quipped.

"Mommy, Daddy, hurry! Or else we're gonna leave without you!"

Ash and Misty both snapped their heads up, Aiden's urgent voice alarming them both. He was sitting in the back of a tractor filled with hay, staring impatiently at his parents. Sitting next to him was Michelle, who had her hands on Delia's legs as she chatted excitedly to her beaming grandmother. The farm that the family had chosen to go to in order to pick pumpkins was located in Pallet Town. Of course, there weren't any farms in Cerulean City, so it wasn't like they had too many options. But this farm was a very good choice. It was one that Ash had been going to since he was young, and he loved it. There was lots to do, much more than just picking pumpkins. There was a corn maze and plenty of fall treats to buy. There were even fresh vegetables and herbs to pick, a small playground, and a petting zoo filled with sweet baby Pokémon.

Instead of walking to the pumpkin patch, Aiden and Michelle had apparently chosen to take the hay ride. It wasn't that they were lazy. No, the twins were anything but. They were full of energy and expended it all the time. But to them, this hay ride was something that they loved. They only got to do it at the farm, so whenever they saw it, they just _had_ to do it.

"Ash, can I even do that?" Misty asked her husband, eyes flickering with nervousness. "Maybe it's better if I just walk there."

"Mist, the baby will be fine," Ash chuckled, toying with his wife's hair as he glanced down at the little baby sleeping against her body. "This is no more dangerous than riding in a car. I swear, you're so fearless until it comes to the kids!"

"Because I'm protective!" Misty whined.

"More like worrisome," Ash teased.

"Watch it, mister."

"Mommy, Daddy, come on!"

Aiden was becoming more and more impatient. That much was evident on his face and in his voice. Smirking, Ash wrapped his arm around Misty's back and encouraged her, "let's go, angel. Before our son's head explodes."

Misty giggled quietly, but followed her husband's suggestion, carefully climbing into the tractor bed while keeping a protective hand on Elizabeth. Aiden beamed at his mother as she sat down, wincing once her butt hit the hay.

"Not very soft, is it?" Misty murmured.

"You're such a city girl," Ash chuckled, climbing in beside her. Pikachu, who had been perched on Ash's shoulder the whole time, jumped off and began to prance around in the hay, curiously sniffing at the straws. "This is some of the best stuff you can get around here, as far as sitting's concerned!"

"What about a couch?" Misty deadpanned.

"Yeah, that's fine for the inside of a house," Ash scoffed. "But I'm talking about outside! I'd much rather sit on piles of hay than a slab of old wood. That stuff is _really_ uncomfortable."

"Because you've got so much experience with farm life?" Misty quipped.

"Of course I do!" Ash scoffed. "Look, we're at a farm right now. In Pallet Town. Half of the place is farms! Just because I didn't _live_ on one doesn't mean I didn't spend a whole bunch of time at 'em. Mom used to take me to the farm all the time when I was a little kid! Right, Mom?"

"Of course!" Delia giggled. "Ash used to love visiting all of the farm Pokémon. It was so cute! Of course, I loved going to the farm for their fresh herbs and vegetables. But not Ash. He used to whine and complain the entire time until I took him to see the Pokémon! And I do remember once that when he and Gary were little boys, they got lost in the corn maze. They were in there for so long that I thought Ash was just hiding from me on purpose so he wouldn't have to pick out any more vegetables!"

"That does sound like something I'd do," Ash laughed.

"You're _sure_ that's not why you 'got lost' in there?" Misty teased.

"No!" Ash quickly refuted. "Gary was a jerk and purposely split up from me! I was running around like a crazy person looking for him!"

"Cause you missed him?" Misty giggled.

"No, because I wanted to kill him," Ash muttered.

Smiling contently to herself, Michelle moved away from her grandmother and instead inched closer to her brother, eyes wide and sparkling. "Daddy, are we gonna go lookit the baby Pokémon?"

"Of course, princess!" Ash trilled. "I may be a grownup, but I do still love visiting all of the farm's Pokémon!"

Michelle giggled once again, her whole face lighting up with sheer excitement. "I hope they have baby ones, Daddy!"

"They usually do," Ash assured his daughter.

At this point, Misty had all but tuned out of the conversations going on around her. She was busy watching baby Elizabeth sleep, completely unaware of the world going on around her. To Misty, that was amazing. It sounded so nice: to just be so innocent and blissfully unaware. The world could often be a scary place, and sometimes, Misty wished she could just ignore it.

Ash turned his head and caught sight of Misty quietly examining the baby, watching the tiny thing sleep. Smiling boldly, Ash gently touched his fingertips to the back of Misty's neck, catching the gym leader's attention. She stared up at her husband with wide, surprised eyes, but all he did was smile back at her.

"She sure is cute, isn't she?" Ash commented.

"Yeah," Misty breathed. "Nice and quiet, too."

"I don't know where she got that from," Ash murmured. "I was not a quiet baby. Or a quiet kid. I'm still not quiet."

Misty smirked at this. "I don't think I was ever very quiet, either."

"Maybe she's not our kid," Ash mused.

"Oh really?" Misty drawled. "Who's would she be, then?"

"I don't know," Ash admitted. "An alien's, or something. Someone who's actually quiet."

"Nice guess," Misty scoffed. "But I think she looks like too much of a combination of us to not be ours."

The tractor soon pulled up in front of the pumpkin patch, and by that point, Aiden was practically jumping out of the hay.

"Aiden, be careful!" Misty warned, gently tugging at her son's shirt. "You could fall right out!"

"Nuh uh, Mommy," Aiden refuted. "I'm not gonna fall out!"

Despite his protests, Misty still refused to let go of his shirt. As soon as the tractor reached a complete stop, Aiden managed to wriggle out of his mother's grasp and crawl towards the back of the tractor bed, bouncing on his knees as he waited for the gate to be opened.

"That boy," Misty sighed, shaking her head. "Well, we definitely know he's _yours_, Ash."

"Not even surprised," Ash chuckled, smirking as the barrier was dropped and Aiden practically flew out of the tractor bed.

Michelle, on the other hand, was not as eager as her brother. With a wary look on her face, Michelle clambered over to Ash and crawled onto his legs, glancing up at her father with pleading eyes.

"Daddy?" Michelle murmured.

"I know, you're scared to jump out like Aiden," Ash laughed, encircling Michelle in his arms and holding her against his body. "It's alright. I'll carry ya."

Michelle smiled at her father as he scooted towards the back of the tractor bed, easily sliding out and landing with his feet on the ground. Pikachu flew out after his trainer, scurrying up the man's body and sitting back on his shoulder. Once Ash was settled, he held his free hand out for Misty, offering her help to get back on land herself.

"You're such a gentleman," Misty teased through a giggle.

"I try," Ash quipped.

He did the same for his mother, and after that, they were all able to follow after Aiden, who had already made a beeline for the side of the patch with the biggest pumpkins.

"Look at his face," Ash commented. "He's so determined!"

"Daddy, I can go back down now," Michelle calmly informed her father. "I was only scared to climb out."

"You want to run around the pumpkins with Aiden?" Ash asked.

"Yeah!"

Ash placed the little girl on the ground and watched her run right after her brother, eventually meeting up by a pumpkin that seemed to be twice their size.

"Oh no, now _she's _gonna get roped onto the giant pumpkin train," Misty sighed.

"You might be surprised," Delia teased. "On the ride over here, Michelle told me she'd much rather have a bunch of smaller pumpkins than one big one! Maybe she's trying to convince Aiden of that."

From the distance they were at, the adults couldn't hear Aiden or Michelle, but as soon as Aiden began tugging at the stem of the pumpkin he and Michelle had gathered around, it became pretty obvious to all three of them that Michelle had done absolutely no convincing.

"Yeah, if that's what she's trying, he's not listening," Ash sighed, picking up his pace to reach the twins more quickly. "Aiden, what are you doing?"

"I want this one, Daddy!" Aiden cheered.

"Buddy, that's the first pumpkin you've seen all day!" Ash chuckled. "You're not supposed to pick the first one."

"Why?"

"Because this patch is huge! I bet there's an even better pumpkin somewhere around here."

"Bigger?"

"Maybe!"

Aiden's entire face lit up at the prospect, and he quickly whipped around, running through the patch in search of a "bigger, better" pumpkin.

"Daddy?" Michelle softly questioned.

"What is it, princess?" Ash asked.

"I think I want a small pumpkin," Michelle announced. "A few small pumpkins!"

"Yeah?" Ash questioned. "Why's that?"

"Cause then I'll have more to paint!" Michelle chirped.

"That's a good point," Ash agreed.

"But…maybe I just want one big one," Michelle decided, holding up her right index finger. "Cause then we can cut it up together, Daddy!"

"You know I'm not very good at that, Shelly," Ash chuckled.

"But we can try," Michelle suggested softly.

"Yes, that we can," Ash laughed.

"Daddy! I did it! I found the best pumpkin in the whole farm!"

Michelle glanced back up at her father with a look that was clearly questioning if her twin was insane. Smirking, Ash reached his hand down and ruffled Michelle's hair, smiling at the girl.

"He's just excited is all," Ash informed his daughter. Looking over his shoulder at Misty and Delia, Ash encouraged, "come on. Let's go see what his next best discovery is."

Michelle ran ahead of her father, partly eager to see the pumpkin her brother had chosen, and partly eager to watch him get in trouble if he'd done something foolish. Of course, Ash knew this and tried to keep close behind his daughter, while also walking slowly enough for his wife and mother to keep up.

Although Delia had been taking in all of the sights around her, she soon locked her russet eyes on Misty, and realized that the young mother was staring down at baby Elizabeth with obvious concern.

"Misty, is something bothering you?" Delia asked kindly.

"I'm just afraid that Elizabeth's head might be too cold," Misty fretted. "I mean, I know she's got her little coat on, and her feet are covered, but still…maybe her head needs to be covered, too."

Delia giggled softly. She thought Misty was just the sweetest thing. The gym leader had always been so tough, and so serious. But then the twins arrived, and then Elizabeth, and Misty had become much softer. Most of her life revolved around the children now, so the change in her demeanor was certainly understandable.

"Well, it's a good thing I brought this little hat for her!" Delia trilled, pulling a pink knit cap out of her bag. It had two tiny ears on the top, almost like a Teddiursa's, and a knit bow on the front.

"Oh my gosh, it's so cute!" Misty breathed. "Delia, did you make that yourself?"

"Of course I did!" Delia replied. "I'm always making things for my grandbabies! Now, let's put this on Lizzie's head and keep her extra warm!"

Delia gently tugged the cap on over Elizabeth's head, nervously biting her lower lip as the infant mumbled unappreciatively in her sleep. Once the hat was secure, Delia removed her hands and smiled at the baby, who went back to silence as soon as she was no longer being touched.

"There, perfect!" Delia breathed. "Doesn't she just look precious?"

"Yeah, and warm too!" Misty giggled.

"You're not worried anymore?" Delia teased.

"No," Misty murmured, blushing as she tried to hide her smirk.

"Aiden, let go!"

"No! I want this one!"

"You're hurting it!"

"You can't hurt a pumpkin!"

"Yeah huh!"

Misty blinked and looked up, finding Aiden tugging at the stem of the pumpkin he had apparently deemed the perfect one.

"Aiden!" Misty scolded, causing the boy's head to snap up. "Don't pull at the stems like that!"

"But Mommy, I can't pick it up," Aiden whined.

"You can't pick it up because it's too big for you," Misty sighed. "I think the only person here who can carry a pumpkin that big is Daddy."

"What, and kill myself over it?" Ash grumbled.

"You're strong, you're not going to throw your back out over a pumpkin," Misty sighed.

"You'd be surprised," Ash scoffed. "That thing's gotta weigh close to a hundred pounds."

"So?" Misty affronted. "I weigh _more_ than a hundred pounds, and you can pick me up no problem."

"Because you're not as solid as a pumpkin!" Ash cried. "Look, I can pick it up, but I can't carry it all the way back to the front of the farm. We should probably find a wagon or something to put it in."

"Or we can use a Pokémon!" Aiden suggested, eyes wide with excitement.

"Pika!" Pikachu squeaked. Jumping off of Ash's shoulder, Pikachu scurried up to the pumpkin and grabbed it with his paws, trying desperately to move it from its spot.

"Pikachu, I don't think you're the Pokémon for this job," Ash chuckled.

"Pi," Pikachu sighed, lowering his head.

"That's alright, I think I know who is!" Ash assured the disappointed mouse, plucking a poke ball off of his belt. "Snorlax, I choose you!"

Aiden giggled with delight as the sphere popped open, revealing the hulking figure of the normal type. As soon as he emerged from the ball, Snorlax fell backwards and let out a loud, obnoxious snore so loud that it shook the ground and caused both Aiden and Michelle to fall to the ground.

"Snorlax, come on," Ash groaned. "Wake up! We need your help!"

"Ash, do you really think you can get Snorlax to listen to you?" Misty murmured.

"Of course I do!" Ash quickly fired back. "He's my Pokémon, after all! He'll listen to me!"

Snorlax didn't seem to hear anything that Ash said, as he let out another loud snore. Aiden popped up, followed closely by Michelle. The two children slowly approached Snorlax, gently poking at his side.

"Hey, Snorlax! Wake up!" Aiden beckoned.

"Mommy's making scrambled eggs!" Michelle tried, knowing how much Snorlax loved food.

Somehow, although there were no scrambled eggs in the area, that little tease seemed to do the trick. Snorlax sat up with a mighty yawn, rubbing at his eyes with equally massive paws.

"Well…at least he's awake…" Delia marveled.

"Yeah, but something tells me that as soon as Snorlax realizes there's no scrambled eggs, he'll go right back to sleep," Misty sighed.

Lowering his paws, Snorlax mumbled contently and looked around the patch, eyeing all of the pumpkins he was surrounded by.

"Great, you're up!" Ash cheered. "Could you do us a favor, Snorlax?"

"Snor?" The normal type mumbled groggily.

"Aiden wants a really big pumpkin, but it's too heavy for any of us to carry," Ash explained. "Could you pick it up and carry it to the front of the farm? If you help us out, I can reward you with something _really_ tasty!"

"This one!" Aiden cheered, running back over to the pumpkin he'd picked. "Isn't it awesome?"

Yawning once again, Snorlax managed to get to his feet and stomp over to the pumpkin. Aiden's eyes widened in awe as Snorlax picked up the pumpkin with complete ease...

And then proceeded to take a big bite out of it.

"Wha?!" Aiden cried, his face falling almost instantly. "No, Snorlax! You weren't supposed to _eat _it! You were supposed to _carry_ it!"

Despite Aiden's protests, Snorlax polished off the rest of the pumpkin, carelessly tossing its leftover stem behind him. With that done, Snorlax got back to his feet and turned around, hulking over to the corn maze that stood just several feet away. Misty and Delia both blinked hard as Snorlax made it to the border of the maze, reaching out and pulling several ears of corn to stick in his mouth as though they were nothing.

"Alright, that's enough of that!" Ash cried, retrieving the normal type's poke ball. "Snorlax, return now!"

The hungry Pokémon was soon sucked up in a ray of red light, returned to the ball from which he could no longer attempt to eat half of the farm's crops.

"Well…that was a close one," Ash sighed.

"I think you should probably never call Snorlax out at a place full of edibles ever again," Misty huffed.

"Can't say I disagree with that," Ash groaned.

"I can't believe Snorlax ate my pumpkin," Aiden whined, folding his arms.

"Don't worry, Aiden!" Michelle assured her twin. "We'll find an even _better_ one! Come on!"

Michelle took off running, Aiden following closely behind. Ash and Misty both smiled, clearly pleased to see their children getting along so well and helping one another out instead of just teasing.

"You know Aiden is still going to go after a gigantic pumpkin, correct?" Delia hesitantly asked her son.

"Oh, I know," Ash confirmed. "Come on. We'd better go get a wagon to drag it to the front of the farm. Not gonna try out any other Pokémon helpers today."

* * *

><p><strong>Snorlax wasn't originally part of the plan. But when I realized someone would need to carry the pumpkin, and there's edibles everywhere...well, how do you NOT go with Snorlax?<strong>


	341. The Missing Daddy

**I SHOULD be studying for a test. Buuut that's boring, and I'm in a bit of a mood. So what do I do? I write!**

**It was worth it. This one is super cute.**

**Michelle: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>The Missing Daddy<strong>

"Daddy, I gots a ques-on."

Ash tapped his pen against his cheek, looking down at Michelle. Her emerald eyes were wide, full of curiosity and wonderment.

"Is it a quick one?" Ash asked playfully.

"I dunno," Michelle murmured, shrugging her shoulders.

Sighing, Ash smirked and looked across the table, where Pikachu was pawing at a stack of papers. "I don't really have a choice here, do I, buddy?"

"Pika," Pikachu squeaked, looking up with a furrowed brow.

"Alright, Shelly," Ash laughed, glancing back down at Michelle. "Fire away!"

"How come we only gots one grandpa?"

Ash blinked hard and dropped his pen on the table. Across the way, Pikachu let out a quiet, timid "pi" before returning to messing with the stack of papers he was seated next to.

"Uh…what do you mean, Michelle?" Ash asked softly. It was a stupid question. He knew exactly what Michelle meant.

"When we go see Grandma and Grandpa, they're both there," Michelle explained, her eyes still staring deeply into her father's. "But when we go see Grammy, it's just her!"

"Yeah…"

"And Selena tolded me that she's got _two_ grandmas, and _two_ grandpas," Michelle continued, holding up two fingers to elaborate. "So how come I only gots one?"

Ash bit his lower lip. Michelle was still so young. She knew there were bad people in the world, but to her, those bad people were Team Rocket and Pokémon hunters. She didn't believe that bad people could exist within a family. Within her _own_ family. Michelle had a big heart, just like him. She was timid, but once you had her trust, you had it for good. Ash knew that Michelle was too young to know the truth. He hadn't known the truth at that age.

But he_ did_ have to tell Michelle _something_.

"Come 'ere, princess," Ash sighed, lifting Michelle off the floor. She giggled the entire way into the living room, up until Ash placed her on the couch and sat down beside her. It wasn't until Michelle looked up at his face that she stopped giggling, and became serious once again.

"Are you gonna tell me, Daddy?" Michelle asked softly.

"Yeah, of course I'm gonna tell you," Ash murmured.

The young girl smiled hopefully and folded her hands together, waiting patiently for her father to answer her burning question. She failed to notice his darker eyes, and his paler cheeks.

"Shelly, not everyone has two grandpas," Ash calmly explained. "Did you know that I don't have _any_ grandmas or grandpas?"

At this, Michelle's eyes widened. "Not one?"

"Nope," Ash replied, shaking his head. "It was…it was just me and Grammy. That's all."

"What about your daddy?" Michelle murmured.

"I didn't have a daddy," Ash admitted, looking down sheepishly at his hands for just a moment before picking his head up to glance at his daughter. She looked highly confused, her brow furrowed and nose scrunched up. "Well…okay. _Everyone's_ got a daddy. Some people just don't get to grow up with them! And that was me. I didn't grow up with my daddy."

"Why not?" Michelle asked. "Did he work a lot?"

"I'm not sure," Ash sighed.

"How come you don't know?" Michelle grumbled. She felt like her father was lying to her, or keeping something from her.

"I never met my daddy," Ash answered, shaking his head.

At this, Michelle's eyes widened. "Never?"

Ash shook his head. "Nope."

"Not even one little time?"

"Nuh uh."

Michelle frowned and looked down at her feet. "That's sad, Daddy."

"It could be, sometimes," Ash conceded, smiling sadly as he picked Michelle's head up with his fingers. "But luckily for me, I had a really great mommy!"

"Grammy?" Michelle whispered.

"Yeah, Grammy," Ash chuckled. "She loved me _so_ much. She still does! But when I was little, she had to do _everything_ that Mommy and I do together for you and Aiden! She cooked and cleaned and played with me, but she also had to go to work."

"But if you didn't have a daddy, who playeded baseball with you?" Michelle murmured. She knew that was one of Ash and Aiden's favorite things to do together.

"Grammy did," Ash replied with a laugh. "She wasn't very good at it. She couldn't even catch the ball! But she tried very hard. I appreciated that."

"Oh," Michelle murmured, looking back down at her feet.

"You still sound so sad," Ash noted quietly. "Are you, little princess?"

Michelle nodded, keeping her head down.

"You don't have to be sad," Ash assured his young daughter. "I'm not sad! I was very happy growing up. I don't feel like I missed out on anything."

"But…"

"But what?" Ash murmured. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

"Me and Aiden will have you, right?" Michelle asked softly.

"Huh?" Ash breathed. "What do you mean?"

"I like having a daddy," Michelle whimpered, finally looking up and revealing eyes full of tears. "I don't want you to go, Daddy."

"Oh, sweetheart!" Ash crooned, picking Michelle up and sitting her in his lap. "I'm not going anywhere! I'll always be here for you and Aiden. I love being your daddy."

Unfortunately for Ash, Michelle didn't seem convinced. She started to sniffle, body gently shaking with sobs. It tore him apart from the inside, and that's when something came out of Ash's mouth that he never expected, or even wanted, to say to his daughter.

"I'm not my daddy," Ash promised Michelle, his voice tight. Michelle sniffled again and looked up at her father. Ash smiled sadly as a stray tear rolled down Michelle's cheek, and made quick work to wipe it away. "I learned from the very beginning that I'm different! I love our family. I love you and Aiden and Mommy so much. I want to be with you guys forever."

"Forever?" Michelle repeated whimsically.

"Yeah," Ash replied, smirking as he dipped Michelle upside down, causing her to shriek with laughter. "Forever and ever and ever!"

"Daddy, down! Put me down!"

"Huh?" Ash teased. "What was that?"

"Pumme down!" Michelle roared with laughter.

"Oh, well why didn't you just say so?" Ash laughed, flipping Michelle right side up and standing her on the couch. "Better?"

"Yeah," Michelle trilled, nodding her head.

"I'm glad," Ash quipped. "Now, can I go finish my work? There's a whole lot of it."

"And you wanna play with me!" Michelle squealed.

"I do!" Ash confirmed. "But I can't until I finish all that yucky work."

"It is yucky," Michelle agreed.

"See? You and I are too perfect to ever be separated," Ash teased.

Beaming, Michelle threw herself down and wrapped her arms around Ash's shoulders, pressing her lips against Ash's cheek and giving him one gigantic kiss.

"Muah!" Michelle finished dramatically, pulling her head away from Ash's and giggling.

Ash raised an eyebrow and turned his head towards Michelle, who was smirking. "Do you really think you can give better kisses than me, princess?"

"Maybe," Michelle teased.

"Well then, looks like that yucky work is going to have to wait a little while longer," Ash hummed, turning his body and playfully tackling Michelle down on the couch. "I'm gonna show you who the _real_ kiss master is!"

Michelle squealed in delight as her father kissed her all over her face, continuing to giggle and shriek as she squirmed desperately between his hands. She still had a hard time understanding what it could have been like to grow up without a daddy, without someone to play with you like this and love you in the way she knew only a daddy could.

But at the same time, Michelle knew she had _her_ daddy, and he gave her all of those things and she was as happy as could be.

And that was enough to keep her laughing.

* * *

><p><strong>I've put this in a few different one shots now. Obviously this is something that Ash and Misty's children would be pretty curious about and ask about often. They're not totally getting the whole story, of course, but the older they get, the more they understand. <strong>

**And trust me, it does go much deeper than this ;)**


	342. Mommy's Little Boy

**Hello, hello, everyone! How are you all? I've been so busy lately! But this semester is flying by and I can actually almost see the end, unlike last year!**

**In the meantime, here's a sweet one shot focusing on the relationship between Misty and (young) Aiden, which I love writing just as much as I do Ash and his daughters ^^**

**Aiden: 15 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Mommy's Little Boy<strong>

"Aiden, do you love me?"

"Ya!"

"You love me a whole lot?"

"Ya."

Misty was lying on her stomach in the living room, head resting on her folded arms as she watched Aiden play before her. He was such a sweet baby. Misty could barely believe the amount of love she had for the boy. Smile widening just a bit, she picked only her head up, still staring right ahead at her little son.

"Will you give Mommy a kiss?"

Aiden peeked up from his toy train just enough to look into his mother's eyes. He was still quite young, and still learning about everything in life. This included skills such as talking and listening. Sometimes, when Misty asked for a kiss, he'd oblige. Other times, he'd look at her like she had three heads. Right now, it seemed to be the latter.

So Misty was surprised when Aiden took his tiny fingers off of the toy train and leaned forward, falling until his hands hit the floor, which steadied him. Letting out a short, unique mixture of a squeal and a giggle, Aiden pressed his lips against Misty's nose, giving her a sloppy, uncoordinated kiss.

"Oh, Aiden!" Misty exclaimed, laughingly joyfully. "Thank you so much! That made me so happy!"

Aiden leaned back and picked up his toy train once again, as though nothing had just happened. Misty smirked and put her head back down, fluttering her eyelashes as she watched Aiden move the train back and forth.

Misty had always wanted to be a mother. Ever since she was a little girl. Many people found that surprising, because of her personality. People had always found her to be so abrasive that they couldn't imagine her having _or_ caring for small children. But Misty had never taken any of that into account. She loved babies and children, and had always known that she wanted her own.

There was only one small catch, however. When Misty was little, she had only wanted _girls._

Misty could never imagine herself with a son. She had always thought that boys were nothing but trouble. Messy and loud and obnoxious. She believed she didn't need to deal with that aggravation. Sure, girls could be annoying, but hey, she _was_ one. And she had three older sisters who, while growing up, were the definition of bratty. Misty could deal with whiny little girls. But boys? Boys who would take out their frustration by hitting? Boys who would roll around in the mud and dirt? Boys who would inevitably grow up and become mongrels of some sort?

_That_ Misty couldn't handle.

And yet, here she was. With a son.

But oh, did she love him. She thought he was just the most wonderful thing. He was just _so _cute! The same black hair and brown eyes as his father. The same nose, ears, and face, too. The only thing he'd gotten from Misty was his smile. But he was also so happy! He never failed to light Misty up. He had the most infectious laugh, and the squeakiest voice. You could just tell how much he loved mealtimes, and his toys, and his parents' Pokémon. At just over a year old, Aiden was already as jovial as his father. To Misty, it was the most amazing thing. She couldn't believe that such a young kid could be so warm and so receptive.

In hindsight, all of Misty's ideas about little boys were totally wrong. In fact, they were downright stupid. Of course, Misty wouldn't admit that to anyone. But she knew it herself, and in her mind, that was all that mattered.

"Hung-y."

Misty blinked and looked back up at Aiden. The little boy was now pouting, and had just pushed the toy train away from him.

"Oh, sweetie, you're hungry?" Misty crooned.

Aiden looked ahead at his mother and nodded sadly. Smirking, Misty got up to her feet and bent over, picking Aiden up and holding him in her arms. Once he was secure, Misty pressed her lips against the top of Aiden's head and gave him a kiss, smiling against his raven hair as he mumbled happily in response.

She walked into the kitchen, snuggling the toddler as though he were a teddy bear. She held one hand against his back, and the other against the back of his head, listening as the little thing continued to babble nonsensically. He could talk. Just barely. He knew a few words, most of them short and mangled and a bit difficult to understand. But he tried to talk a lot more than just those words, and all of that came out as nothing more than "baby speak."

"Mama!" Aiden blabbered.

Misty smirked. Now that was one of the words he knew well, and could say quite clearly, and that Misty understood.

"Yes, I'm your mama," Misty crooned, kissing Aiden's head again. "And I love you very much!"

"Mama."

Misty's smile grew, and she gave Aiden an even tighter hug. The little boy whined and started to flail in her arms, kicking his legs in quite the valiant attempt to escape.

"Okay, okay, it's alright!" Misty hushed, holding onto the boy as well as she possibly could while he squirmed. All of the fight that Aiden was putting up actually made it quite hard to seat him in his gray and red high chair. She was used to it, however, and soon enough succeeded. Once Aiden was seated, he stopped kicking and fussing, and remained surprisingly quiet.

"My goodness you're strong," Misty huffed, folding her arms across her chest as she stared down the toddler.

In response, Aiden giggled and leaned back in his high chair. Misty smirked, knowing full well that Aiden didn't quite understand her, but just found her tone to be amusing. He had always been strong, since before he was born, in fact. Michelle hadn't been too much of a kicker, but Aiden had more than made up for it. All day and all night…it was as though he had never even slept.

But Misty remembered how much Ash had loved it. How much his eyes had lit up every time he felt it.

"_He's like me is all," Ash had said to her so many times, face glowing while his hand rested on her belly. "Good and strong." _

She giggled softly to herself as she retreated to the pantry, grabbing the pouch of yogurt drops that Aiden and Michelle loved so much. It was a good snack for toddlers, something that wasn't messy and that they could feed themselves.

"Here you go," Misty crooned, opening up the bag and spilling some of its contents onto the high chair's tray.

Aiden picked up one of the purple circles and studied it closely before raising his eyes and blinking hard. "Mama?"

"It's mixed berry!" Misty giggled. "One of your favorites, right?"

"Ya," Aiden drawled before popping the drop in his mouth. Once he tasted it, he laughed excitedly, looking up at his mother with sparkling eyes.

The same sparkling eyes as his father.

"Isn't that yummy?" Misty asked.

"Ya!"

The young mother giggled and walked over to the sink. Now that Aiden was content with his snack, she figured that now would be a good time to do the dishes that were sitting in the sink.

It was a comfortable routine that Misty had settled into rather easily. She had figured out a good balance between caring for the gym and the house, and battling challengers in the gym. Most of the morning was spent in the house, cooking breakfast for Ash and herself and feeding the twins. Once Ash left for work, Misty would try and get some cleaning in, although that could be hard when the twins were fussy and demanding her attention. Sometimes after breakfast, she went straight to the gym, and spent the morning there until lunch. Her sisters worked at the gym as well whenever they didn't have modeling or acting jobs, and they did well with watching after the twins while Misty fed the Pokémon or adjusted the pool levels. Sometimes challengers would come by in the morning, the eager ones like her husband had been as a child. Most of them came along in the afternoon, however. Either way, Misty always took a lunch break to go back to the house. She preferred to eat there, along with the twins, and then put them down for their naps. It gave her some much needed alone time, although that was typically spent cleaning if she hadn't been able to do it in the morning. The whole afternoon was then finished out at the gym, until it drew closer to dinnertime, when Misty closed up for the day and went back home to make dinner.

"Mama! Mama!"

"I'm coming, sweetie," Misty sighed, turning off the faucet and drying her hands on a nearby dish towel. She walked swiftly over to Aiden, who was bouncing up and down in his high chair on the verge of tears. "What is it, little buddy?"

Aiden moaned sadly and shook his head, holding his arms out in front of him as though he were trying to push his mother away.

"Why do you do this, huh?" Misty murmured, picking up another yogurt drop and placing it against her son's lips. "Here."

Aiden opened up his mouth and ate the yogurt drop, settling down almost instantly. Misty sighed and stroked the boy's hair, watching as he picked up another drop and placed it in his mouth.

"You just wanted some of Mama's attention, didn't you?" Misty cooed. "You wanted Mama to come back to you?"

"Mama," Aiden blabbered, clumsily grabbing at another drop with the palm of his hand.

"I know, you're not used to not having your sister here!" Misty teased, leaning down to kiss Aiden atop his head once again before heading back to the sink. "You've got me all to yourself."

Aiden looked up at his mother and giggled once again before turning his attention back onto the yogurt drops.

Scoffing playfully, Misty turned around and returned to the sink. She was used to the twins being needy and whiney. As was typical with twins, when one wasn't fussing, the other was. And, during the _best_ of times, they fussed simultaneously and tried to outdo the other. Fortunately today, Ash had decided that he and Michelle could use a "daddy-daughter day," and that Misty could get some one-on-one time with Aiden. It was something that the two did every once in a while. They both thought it was good to give each child individual attention from time to time, since they were almost always together.

Misty once again sunk back into her calming, standard routine of scrubbing the dishes and drying them off while Aiden busied himself with his snack. She was still a rather tough, independent woman who prided herself on her role as gym leader, but at the same time, Misty had no problem being a mother and housewife on top of it. She didn't completely mind cooking and cleaning, and part of her actually found it to be rather relaxing. She felt that she could juggle all three things quite well.

It was a bit of a disappointment for her father, but Misty didn't much care about that. She'd known since she was young that her father's dream for her had been to go to college, and earn a degree in something expedient. Pokémon research, if he could have his way. She had halfheartedly agreed to look at schools with him upon returning from her second round of travels with Ash and Brock, just to appease him. It's not that she hadn't wanted to go. College sounded alright to her. But she had been content with just being a gym leader, and perhaps one day moving forward and becoming a member of the Elite Four.

But things all seemed to take off from there.

Ash became the Pokémon Master, and proposed to her. They were married quite quickly (wedding planning was a good excuse to skip out on browsing universities) and even faster than that, Misty became pregnant with the twins. She cut out college completely, wanting to focus on her pregnancy and learning how to become a good wife and mother. She became proficient in cooking and cleaning as her maternal instincts emerged, and by the time the twins had arrived, it became clear to Misty that caring for two babies would become nearly a full time job.

Once she'd finished washing the last plate, Aiden began to fuss again. Enough time had passed that Misty knew by now he'd had to have finished his snack. Turning around, she smiled once she saw that the tray was, in fact, bare.

"I know my little man so well, don't I?" Misty teased, walking over to the highchair. Aiden was on the verge of tears at that point, throwing his head around and howling as he thrashed his arms up and down. "Alright, alright. You don't have to get so upset, I'm here."

Misty lifted the whiny boy out of the highchair, and in the opposite scenario of what had happened previously, he relaxed once he was in Misty's arms.

"I see how it is," Misty grumbled, walking back into the living room with her son. "I'm no good when you're hungry, but once you're full, I'm much better than that mean and nasty highchair, huh?"

"Mama," Aiden chirped, looking up at his mother and fluttering his eyelashes.

"Now how can I stay mad at such a sweet face?" Misty crooned, rubbing her nose against Aiden's. "Oh, I can't!"

She carried him back into the living room, placing him on the floor with a cautious giggle. Aiden looked down at the floor and then back up at his mother, wide brown eyes rapidly blinking.

"What is it?" Misty asked curiously, looking down at the same spot Aiden had been. "Oh, I see. Your train isn't there! You pushed it away before, right? Don't worry, I'll get it."

As Misty began to walk towards the corner of the room, she suddenly felt resistance against her leg. It wasn't very strong, but it was enough to catch her attention and stop her in place. Looking down, she realized that it was Aiden who was holding onto her, once again staring up with wide eyes.

"Aiden?" Misty questioned. "Don't you want me to go get your toy?"

"No!" Aiden squeaked, giggling afterwards.

"No?" Misty repeated. "Well, if you don't want your train, what do you want to play with? You want your blocks? Or your cars?"

"No," Aiden replied, shaking his head. "Mama!"

"Me?" Misty murmured, pointing at herself.

"Mama, pway!" Aiden pleaded, giggling as he begged. "Pway!"

"Oh, you want to play with me?" Misty asked, her eyes lighting up.

"Ya!" Aiden trilled, still giggling.

"Okay!" Misty wholeheartedly agreed, getting down on the floor and sitting on her knees. "What do you want to play? You tell me."

Grinning from ear to ear, Aiden got to his feet and hobbled over to Misty, grabbing at the woman's shoulder and trying to step up on her thighs.

"What are you doing?" Misty asked, trying to stifle a laugh.

"Dow, Mama!" Aiden commanded, tugging at his mother's shoulder. "Dow!"

"Uh…okay…" Misty muttered, lying down on her stomach just as she'd done before.

Squealing with delight, Aiden clambered over to her side and threw himself down on her back, earning a slightly aggrieved _oof_ from his mother. This only caused Aiden to giggle even more, finding his mother's noises to be just about the funniest thing he'd ever heard.

"Are you having fun?" Misty whimsically asked the toddler.

"Ya!" Aiden babbled, rolling up and down her back.

"I could tell," Misty quipped. "Can't say the same for my back…you're just lucky that I'm young, little man. Cause if I wasn't…well, I wouldn't be getting up so easily."

"Mama sa?" Aiden cooed, stopping in his tracks to stare over at his mother.

"Hmm?" Misty hummed. "Oh, no. Not at all, sweetie. I'm very happy! I'm just teasing you is all."

"Te?" Aiden tried, blinking just once.

"You'll learn a whole lot more about what that is when you get older," Misty giggled, knowing full well her son did not understand a single word she was saying. "That's pretty easy, since you live with me and Dada."

"Dada!" Aiden squealed, rolling over onto his back and arching his head so far back that it nearly touched the floor.

"Yes, you love Dada," Misty giggled, still watching her little boy. "But you love Mama too, right?"

Jumping up, Aiden managed to get himself on all fours and crawl up Misty's back until his head was resting atop hers. Misty tried to roll her eyes up to look at him, but they wouldn't go far enough. As if he realized this, Aiden giggled again and tilted his head down lower, weighing Misty's down so far that her chin had no choice but to touch the floor.

"Mama," Aiden murmured, turning his head so it was now his cheek resting on the top of Misty's head. "Wuv Mama."

Smiling to herself, Misty blissfully closed her eyes and reached her hand up, placing it atop the young boy's head.

"Mama loves you too, Aiden," Misty sighed, toying with his delicate black locks. "Of course I do. You're my little boy. I love you _so_ much."

* * *

><p><strong>I just want to pick him up and hug him! So sweet :3<strong>

**I've got a Halloween special coming up for you guys on Friday, so stay tuned for that!**


	343. Candy Caper

**HAPPY HALLOWEEN, EVERYONE!**

**Just like I promised you, I have a special one shot to mark the occasion! So settle in and get into the Halloween spirit!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 7 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Candy Caper<strong>

"Twick a tweat!"

Ash raised an eyebrow as he watched Elizabeth jump up in the air, reaching out for the bowl of candy that was settled on the table.

"Twick a tweat!"

"Lizzie," Ash beckoned sweetly, catching the toddler's attention. "What are you doing, baby? Do you want some candy?"

"Ya," Elizabeth squeaked. "But I twick a tweat!"

"Hmm?" Ash hummed. "What? You're trick or treating? Is that it?"

"Ya!"

"Lizzie," Ash chuckled, shaking his head. "That's not how you trick or treat! You have to go to _other_ people's houses! You can't just take candy from our house."

"No stwangew," Elizabeth murmured, shaking her head.

"Huh?"

"No," Elizabeth repeated, still shaking her head. "No."

"Oh," Ash breathed, suddenly realizing why Elizabeth was acting so strangely reluctant. "You're scared because Mommy and I taught you to never talk to strangers, right?"

Pressing her tiny hands against her cheeks, Elizabeth nodded her head to confirm to her father that this was, in fact, why she was so nervous.

"You don't have to worry about that, pumpkin!" Ash assured his daughter, kneeling down and holding his arms out towards the toddler. In return, she giggled wildly and ran into them, allowing her father to pick her up. "Mommy and I will be there with you! Besides, this is a bit different than talking to strangers who come up to you. They're expecting little kids like you to come to their house for candy! That's what Halloween is all about."

"Oh," Elizabeth squeaked, her emerald eyes widening.

Ash smirked and kissed Elizabeth's cheek. The little girl was so cute, and still a bit naïve. She was still very young, after all. She'd already celebrated two Halloweens, but she was too young to know what was going on. All she'd been able to do was get dressed up in a costume and pushed around in her stroller. This was the first time that Elizabeth would be able to dress up and walk around with her older brother and sister, to go up to people's houses and get candy put in her little basket.

Ash and Misty were both excited for it, but at the moment, Misty was busy helping the twins out with their costumes. That meant Ash was in charge of Elizabeth for the time being.

"How about we go put on your costume, little girl?" Ash asked playfully. "You're very excited to wear it, aren't you?"

"Ya!" Elizabeth trilled.

"Of course," Ash snickered, carrying Elizabeth up the stairs. "You haven't stopped asking to wear it since the day we bought it!"

The costume was stored in the closet in Elizabeth's room, high up enough where she couldn't reach it. Because, had she been able to, she would have been dragging it around and begging to be put into it. Ash plucked the white satin hanger off the rack, and as soon as the costume came into view, Elizabeth's eyes positively lit up.

"Icy!" Elizabeth squealed, pointing at the costume.

"Yeah, icy!" Ash chuckled.

The costume was a beautiful ice blue color, complete with a sheer cape adorned by glittery white snowflakes. The bodice was sparkly and the long sleeves sheer, a single snowflake charm twinkling at the chest.

"On!" Elizabeth ordered, throwing her arms up in the air.

"Just hang on a second there, little girl," Ash hushed, slipping the dress off of its hanger. Once it was free, Ash was able to lay the costume on his young daughter's bed and get her out of her day clothes before pulling the dress onto her. Once it was on, Elizabeth pulled a face of pure delight, pulling the cape out behind her.

"Icy!" Elizabeth repeated.

"You love that costume, don't you?" Ash quipped.

"I buiwd a snowyman!" Elizabeth giggled, letting go of the cape and waving her arms around in front of her father.

"Whoa, be careful!" Ash teased, grabbing his daughter's wrists. "We don't want to fill the house up with snow and ice, now do we?"

"Oh!" Elizabeth breathed, realizing her father was right.

"I think we should wait on building snowmen and ice castles until we get outside," Ash decided.

"Ya," Elizabeth agreed.

"You need your crown now, don't you?" Ash asked, starting to stand up. Before he could get there all the way, however, Elizabeth ran forward and grabbed onto his legs, squeezing them tight.

"No!" She cried.

Smirking, Ash knelt back down, watching as Elizabeth took a valiant leap backwards. "What is it, your highness?"

"No cwown," Elizabeth stated.

"No crown?" Ash repeated with a surprise. He'd never herd Elizabeth say _that_ before.

"Icy queen no cwown," Elizabeth informed her father, shaking her head. "Membew?"

"Oh, you're right!" Ash crowed. "Yes, the ice queen doesn't wear a crown. Now how could I forget!"

"Mommy do haiw," Elizabeth continued, tugging at her dark red locks. "Ow."

"Don't pull so hard," Ash chuckled, finally standing back up to his full height. "Come on, I'm sure Mommy will do your hair for you! Let's go see how she's doing with Aiden and Michelle and show them all your beautiful costume!"

Elizabeth began to giggle wildly, spinning around and running right out of the room, her delicate cape flowing behind her. Ash watched as she made a sharp left turn into Aiden's room, and then ran right back out, across the way into Michelle's room.

"Guess no one was in there," Ash laughed to himself.

"Arr!"

"AH!"

Eyes widening, Ash hurried into Michelle's room, where he found the older girl brandishing a sword towards her younger sister.

"Hey, quit holding up the ice queen!" Ash scolded.

"Dad, I'm a pirate," Michelle calmly replied, pulling the plastic sword back down by her side. "I spare no one! And that includes royalty. They have all the best treasures, you know!"

"I see," Ash sighed, glancing down at Elizabeth. "You okay, little pumpkin?"

"Uh huh," Elizabeth chirped.

Smirking, Michelle quickly whipped around, her black leather boots clicking together. That, along with her black leggings, red headscarf, and her red and gold dress complete with a short, striped skirt, black leather belt, and short puffy sleeves lined by lace completed her pirate look, although the plastic sword definitely didn't hurt.

"Don't worry, Dad! I've got a sword too!"

Ash's eyes snapped open once again as Aiden went sailing off his bed, pointing his own plastic sword at a surprised Michelle.

"Since when do ninjas have swords?" Michelle demanded, grabbing Aiden's prop and shoving it down.

"Uh, since _always_," Aiden replied, slicing his toy sword back up and sticking it in his red belt. "We don't just fight with our hands and feet. Duh."

Michelle rolled her eyes as Aiden pulled the face cover of his hood back up in order to cover his mouth. Elizabeth, on the other hand, watched on in confusion and slight apprehension as Aiden walked towards her, only his brown eyes visible beneath the hood.

"Don't worry, ice queen," Aiden promised. "I'll protect you from any lame pirates that come near you."

"Kay!" Elizabeth trilled, giggling afterwards.

"Hey! I'm not lame!" Michelle barked.

"Okay, that's enough," Misty sighed, siding off the side of Aiden's bed. "I swear, you two could fight over anything."

Aiden and Michelle's expressions turned thoughtful for a quick second before they both earned a wicked smirk, turning back towards one another with devious glints in their eyes.

"That is not a challenge!" Misty barked.

"Twick a tweat!"

Misty blinked and looked down at Elizabeth, who was once again holding out her cape as she beamed at her mother.

"Heh…Lizzie's _really_ been trying to figure out how trick or treating works," Ash chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh, well, we're all ready to go!" Misty giggled, kneeling down to smile at Elizabeth. "Then you can learn all about trick or treating!"

"No!" Elizabeth cried, dropping her cape.

"Huh?" Misty breathed. "Why not?"

"Haiw," Elizabeth whined, tugging at her dark red locks once again. "Ow."

"Come on, Lizzie, what did I say about pulling so hard on your hair?" Ash sighed.

"Oh, right, you want your braid," Misty murmured. "I forgot! But that won't take long. Ash, take the twins downstairs and get all of the baskets together while I work on Elizabeth's hair."

"You got it!" Ash chirped. "Alright, ninja boy and pirate girl. Follow me!"

Aiden and Michelle both sailed out of the room, eagerly following their father down the stairs. When Aiden got to the bottom, he curled up into a ball and did a front roll, popping back up just as quickly as he'd gone down.

"Wow, you're really getting into character, huh?" Ash marveled.

"I gotta make sure I can sneak around like a real ninja!" Aiden exclaimed. "I'm sure I'll get more candy that way!"

That confident look still plastered on his face, Aiden ran over to the kitchen table, where he'd laid out one of his pillow cases that he'd taken out of the linen closet earlier in the day.

"A pillow case?" Michelle questioned, raising an eyebrow as Aiden proudly held out the rectangle of fabric.

"This is step two in getting lots more candy," Aiden informed his bewildered twin. "Those dinky little plastic pumpkins barely hold anything! Sure, it's fine for a really little kid like Lizzie, but big kids like you me and need something bigger! We move faster, so that means more candy for us."

"Dad?" Michelle asked tentatively, looking over at her father.

"I see nothing wrong with it," Ash dismissed with a shrug. "I used to use a pillow case when I was younger. Your brother is right, it holds a lot more. Plus, sometimes, when adults see that you have such a big bag, they give you more candy than they would with a small basket!"

"See?" Aiden boasted. "Dad knows what I'm talking about!"

"I guess it makes sense," Michelle murmured. "Okay! I'll go get a pillowcase too!"

The pirate girl charged back up the stairs, straight to the linen closet in order to grab a pillowcase like her brother. Normally, she'd go for something in light blue, her favorite color, but for this occasion, she settled on a bright red one that matched her costume.

Before heading back downstairs, however, the girl became distracted by the delighted giggles of her younger sister. Eyes flickering with interesting, Michelle poked her head into the bathroom, where she found that her mother was just finishing tying off the side braid she'd crafted for Elizabeth.

"Wow, Lizzie, you really look like an ice queen!" Michelle marveled.

At this, Elizabeth's head whipped around, and her eyes widened. "Weally?"

"Oh, yeah!" Michelle crowed. "Exactly like her! You've got the same dress, and the same hair-"

"An- ooh!" Elizabeth interrupted, swinging her feet out. The skirt pulled back just enough to reveal a pair of light blue costume shoes, adorned with one snowflake charm each just like on her dress.

"I'm going to have to bring a more comfortable pair of shoes for when she inevitably complains," Misty muttered to her older daughter before smiling at her. "Thank you, Shelly."

"No problem!" Michelle trilled. She knew exactly what her mother was talking about. Elizabeth would sometimes get upset, because she didn't _actually_ have blonde hair like her favorite character. So, telling the kid she looked _exactly_ like her was enough to make her whole day.

"Alright, ice queen, you're all set!" Misty cheered, picking Elizabeth up off the counter and standing her on the floor. "Let's get ready to go trick or treating."

"Twick a tweat!" Elizabeth squealed, running out of the bathroom.

"Right, because she needs a bit more energy," Misty remarked, smiling at her giggly older daughter.

**XXX**

Elizabeth, for the life of her, could not understand this Halloween ritual.

Her older siblings had no reservations about just running up to people's houses and taking candy. Not even her big sister, who was usually pretty quiet. Elizabeth was typically very outgoing and bubbly, but in this case, she was just too confused to do anything.

Why did she have to ask strangers for candy? There was plenty of candy at home. And talking to strangers was bad.

That's what her mommy and daddy had taught her.

Yet _they_ were the ones who kept pushing her towards the houses! She would keep saying "no" over and over and over again, running around to hide behind their legs or a nearby bush. Neither one seemed to understand. Aiden was disappointed in his little sister and had to make sure to take extra candy for her. He would take her handful and drop it into her pink plastic bucket, much to Elizabeth's delight. Now _that_, she believed, was what trick or treating was all about.

"Lizzie, come on, you've got to go trick or treating like me and Shelly!" Aiden urged the toddler. She was too busy sifting through her candy, ignoring everything that he said to her. "Mom!"

"I can't force her, Aiden," Misty replied. "She's obviously hesitant to do it."

"Yeah, she's still really little," Ash added. "I'm not surprised that she's a bit skittish about the whole thing."

By the time they got to the next house, Elizabeth still wanted nothing to do with going up to the house. At this point, Ash and Misty had given up on trying to coax the child into doing it, so they just stayed quiet and allowed her to hang back with them.

Just as she'd done at every house before this one, Elizabeth watched her older siblings with particular interest. She watched them ring the doorbell, standing almost completely still as the door opened. They would then say what Elizabeth had been running around the house all day saying: "trick or treat." And that was what gave them delicious handfuls of chocolate and caramels.

At this house, however, the offerings were a bit different.

Elizabeth's eyes widened as she saw the woman at the door pull out a small bunch of colorful lollipops. Elizabeth recognized the wrappers, and instantly knew they were her favorite brand of lollipop. She also happened to know that Aiden loved them just as much as her, and began to worry that he wouldn't bring back any for her as he'd been doing at other houses with different types of candy.

So she decided to take matters into her own hands.

Letting out a strangled, urgent cry, Elizabeth broke away from her parents, running at full speed towards the house. Ash and Misty both gasped, but neither one went after her. They were both too shocked to move, really.

"Lolli!"

Aiden and Michelle both blinked and looked down, finding Elizabeth to be squeezing between them both.

"Elizabeth?" They both asked at the same time.

"Pease?" Elizabeth squeaked, holding a hand up towards the woman.

"Aw, aren't you just the cutest thing!" The woman exclaimed, causing Elizabeth's eyes to widen. "What a beautiful ice queen!"

"Me," Elizabeth murmured.

"Elizabeth, you've gotta say the words!" Aiden hissed to his younger sister.

"Woo?"

"You know," Aiden grumbled, "trick or…?"

"Oh," Elizabeth breathed before beaming up at the woman. "Twick a tweat!"

"You are just precious!" The woman squealed. "Here, you can have some extra just because you're so adorable."

Elizabeth's eyes sparkled as multiple lollipops made their way into her basket.

"What do you say?" Michelle prodded.

"Fank –ou!" Elizabeth squawked before spinning around and running back towards her parents, a huge smile on her face.

"Hey, look at that!" Ash cheered, kneeling down and lifting Elizabeth up in the air. "You did it, pumpkin! Now _that's_ how you trick or treat!"

"See, that wasn't so bad!" Misty crooned as Ash lowered the child.

"No," Elizabeth refuted. "Mowe!"

"You want to go to more houses?" Misty asked sweetly.

"Ya!" Elizabeth cheered. "I'm boo-ful!"

"Huh?" Misty murmured.

"I'm boo-ful," Elizabeth repeated.

"I think Lizzie only liked that lady because she kept saying how pretty she was," Aiden informed his parents, shaking his head.

"Oh," Misty breathed. "That makes sense."

"Dow, Dada!" Elizabeth ordered. "I'm boo-ful! Boo-ful get canda!"

Ash and Misty exchanged horrified looks.

"Uh…did she just say she gets candy because she's beautiful?" Ash muttered.

"In a much less articulate fashion, yes," Misty replied statically.

"Yeah, she got extra lollipops just because she was 'so cute' and 'so beautiful'," Michelle scoffed.

"I think that woman just made a monster," Ash groaned.

"Yeah, except _she's_ not the one who's got to deal with it," Misty sighed.

"Dada, dow! Canda!"

* * *

><p><strong>She just thinks she's beautiful, damn you :P<strong>

**Elizabeth and I have the same costume. Obviously, she's supposed to be Elsa. But...a Pokémon world version of Elsa. I'm just regular, our world Elsa :P**

**What are you all dressing up as? I'd love to know! Costumes are my favorite part of Halloween ^^**

**Oh, and candy. Obviously.**


	344. Kindergarten Trainer

**Happy November, everyone!**

**The weather outside is getting colder, I'm getting closer to the end of the semester...fun stuff! And I've got a new one shot for you all. Awesome, right?**

**Elizabeth: 5 years old**

* * *

><p><strong><span>Kindergarten Trainer<span> **

"I gots to dress up for school on Monday, Mommy!"

Misty raised an eyebrow and looked down at her young daughter, who was cheerfully skipping alongside her.

"What do you mean dress up? Are you having a party in class, sprinkle?"

"No, Mommy!" Elizabeth laughed at the idea. "We hafta dress up like Pokémon trainers!"

"Oh, I see," Misty breathed. "What kind of Pokémon trainers?"

"Famous ones," Elizabeth murmured as she became distracted. The young girl flitted away from her mother and towards a pile of fallen leaves, crouching down to examine the colorful foliage.

"Elizabeth, come back here," Misty sighed.

"Hang on, Mommy!" Elizabeth cried, not taking her eyes off of the leaves.

Misty furrowed her brow as Elizabeth continued to survey them, rocking forward on her toes every now and then. After about a minute passed, Misty grew very impatient, and began to walk towards her daughter.

"Elizabeth, we have to go home now," Misty warned. "Come away from the leaves."

"Found it!"

Misty jumped slightly as her daughter shrieked, giggling immediately afterwards. Elizabeth reached out with a small hand and snatched one of the leaves, jumping back up to her full height and spinning around to face her mother with wide, glimmering eyes.

"What did you find?" Misty murmured.

"This!" Elizabeth cheered, holding a leaf out towards her mother. It was perfectly shaped, with not a single tear or shred on its surface. Its color was a vibrant orange, just about as bright as fire. It actually seemed to grow more intense the further down the leaf it got, just like a real flame.

"A leaf," Misty deadpanned.

"A_ special_ leaf!" Elizabeth corrected. "I've been looking all day for it!"

"For that one specific leaf?"

"Uh huh."

"Why?"

"It's a secret," Elizabeth admitted, looking down sheepishly at the sidewalk. "Sorry, Mommy."

"It's fine," Misty assured her daughter, although she was still perplexed. "But let's go. We don't want to get home too late!"

"Okay!" Elizabeth chirped, hurrying back to her mother's side.

"Now, why do you have to dress up like a famous Pokémon trainer?" Misty asked as the two continued to walk.

"Cause in school, we're learning all about different Pokémon trainers," Elizabeth explained all in one breath, as most children her age did. "And Miss Wendy said we should all pick one out and then talk about 'em in front of the whole class! Cause then we get to learn more."

"Well, that sounds like a lot of fun!" Misty giggled. "Do you have any idea who you want to be?"

"Maybe," Elizabeth murmured. She was busy examining the leaf she had picked out.

The gears in Misty's head began to turn, and a sense of overwhelming excitement began to rise in her chest. "Could you be a gym leader?"

"Uh huh!"

Misty's smile was so wide that she was afraid it might crack her face. Elizabeth was still busy studying her leaf and didn't notice.

"Lizzie, how about you dress up like _me_ for class?" Misty suggested hopefully. "Wouldn't that be so much fun?"

"Yeah," Elizabeth replied distractedly.

"None of your friends can dress up like their mommies and say that they're the gym leader of Cerulean City," Misty continued on excitedly, her eyes sparkling. "Wouldn't it be awesome to teach your friends all about that? You know everything that I do in the gym, after all! You know more than anyone else I know!"

Now _this_ caught Elizabeth's attention. She glanced up at her mother with wide, disbelieving eyes. "More than Aunt Daisy, Aunt Violet, and Aunt Lily?"

"Yeah!" Misty giggled.

"And more than Daddy?"

"Of course!"

Elizabeth's whole face lit up. "I wanna dress like you, Mommy! I'm a gym expert!"

"I think that's such a good idea, sprinkle!" Misty crooned, her excitement fully through the roof at this point. "Your friends are going to be so impressed when you come into class with all of that knowledge!"

Running off the fumes of those compliments, Elizabeth practically ran the rest of the way home, though she was still mindful of the leaf in her hands. Once they got there, Misty opened up the front door and let Elizabeth inside before following after the child. She hung Elizabeth's light pink backpack up on the wall hook and then did the same with her pink puffer vest after successfully removing it from the child.

Elizabeth settled herself in the living room with her treasured leaf, only further befuddling her mother. Knowing she would get no solidified answers, however, Misty decided to leave Elizabeth be and simply begin preparing dinner for when Ash came home.

By the time he came home, Misty was just about done cooking, which is exactly how she liked things. She knew Ash better than anyone (it would have been a crime if she didn't) and knew just how ravenous he was when he came home from work. Making him wait for dinner was never a good idea. It was like a form of torture for the man.

Which, of course, was knowledge that came in handy whenever Misty was upset with him.

"Ash, make sure to wash your hands before we eat," Misty calmly hummed as she drained out the pasta.

"Come on, Mist, they're not that dirty!" Ash scoffed, raising his palms to look at them. He was met with a coating of grime and dirt, both of which were the result of hard training.

"Pi-ka," Pikachu deadpanned, turning narrowed eyes onto his trainer.

"Okay, so they're a bit dirty," Ash grumbled, furrowing his brow.

He walked up to the sink and turned the faucet on, placing his hands beneath the running water and drenching them before lathering up with soap.

Elizabeth, who had heard her father enter the house, came running into the kitchen, her emerald eyes brimming with excitement.

"Daddy! Daddy! Look!"

Ash looked over his shoulder and grinned as soon as he saw the bright orange leaf in his daughter's hands.

"Hey, you found it!" Ash cheered, turning off the faucet and drying his hands on a piece of paper towel that Misty had ripped off for him. He knelt down, Elizabeth moving closer to him with the leaf still held out.

"It was between school and here," Elizabeth excitedly explained. "I found it in a big pile of leaves, just like you said!"

"I told you I know what I'm talking about!" Ash chuckled.

"We hafta to put it with the others, right?" Elizabeth asked.

"You got it," Ash confirmed, taking the leaf from his daughter as gently as he possibly could. "There. Nice and easy so we don't break it!"

"That'd be bad," Elizabeth mumbled, her eyes widening. "It took me _forever_ to find that one!"

"I'll be extra careful with it," Ash promised, winking at his young daughter as she giggled and skipped away.

"You're behind this little leaf game?"

Ash smirked and turned to face his wife. "Guess you finally caught on to mine and Lizzie's act."

"What's it for?" Misty asked, raising an eyebrow. "Elizabeth said it was a secret."

"It's not really a big secret," Ash assured her, shaking his head. "I just told her it would be _our_ little secret is all. See, when I was younger, Mom and I would find different flowers and leaves and press them into a book. I thought it was pretty cool, but at the same time, I also knew that I would totally get made fun of if other kids knew I did that. It sure was fun hunting out different things to press, though! I think that's part of the reason I got so good at finding Pokémon."

"Of course you do," Misty hummed. "Everything you do somehow leads back to your Pokémon training career."

"Either way," Ash cleared his throat, earning a teasing look from his wife, "I knew Lizzie would totally be into that. You know, looking out for all different kinds of plants. I taught her how to press 'em into a book and all of that. We kind of just started, and since it's fall, she's really big on the leaves right now. She's always looking for different colors! She's been looking for a bright orange one like this for a while now."

"Ah, so _that's_ why she was so excited," Misty murmured, her smile widening.

"Please don't tease me," Ash pleaded, his eyes flooding with concern.

"Oh hush, I'm not going to," Misty scolded, tearing off another piece of paper towel and lying it down on the counter. "I think it's sweet."

"You do?" Ash breathed, watching as Misty gently took the leaf from his hands.

"Yeah, I do," Misty confirmed, placing the leaf on top of the paper towel. "I like that you teach our children all kinds of different things and keep them adventurous."

"Aw, thanks!" Ash trilled.

"But I do think that you and Elizabeth should eat dinner first and worry about pressing the leaf after," Misty added, the smirk returning to her face.

"I agree with you on that one," Ash snickered, nodding just once. "It smells really good!"

Once the family sat down to dinner, Elizabeth began to excitedly chat about her day. She was like most five year olds, and when she got the chance to talk, she wasn't going to stop. Fortunately, Misty was actually quite patient with her children, and Ash was totally into everything they did, so both listened raptly and didn't try to interrupt.

In fact, Misty only piped up by taking advantage of Elizabeth's quick juice break.

"Lizzie, tell Daddy about what you have to do for school on Monday!" Misty trilled.

"Oh!" Elizabeth squeaked, as though she had suddenly remembered. "Daddy, I gotsta dress up like a Pokémon trainer!"

"Do you now?" Ash asked.

"Uh huh!" Elizabeth confirmed. "A famous one, and we gotsa talk about 'em in front of the whole entire class! But I'm not nervous."

"No?" Ash quipped.

"Nuh uh," Elizabeth murmured. "I know everything, Daddy."

"I see," Ash laughed. "Well, who are you gonna go as? Got any ideas?"

"Yeah," Elizabeth replied simply before stuffing a forkful of pasta in her mouth.

"…who?" Ash pressed, leaning forward in his seat.

Elizabeth patiently chewed her food, taking her precious time before swallowing the mouthful and beaming at her father.

"Mommy!"

A look of bewilderment overtook Ash's face. Misty, of course, was too excited about Elizabeth's answer to even notice.

"Isn't that so sweet?" Misty crooned. "She wants to dress up like her mommy and teach her friends all about me!"

Ash, however, was not sharing in his wife's thrill. Instead, he just continued to look confused.

"That sounds nice, Lizzie," Ash began tentatively. "But…wouldn't it be even cooler if you dressed up like _me?_"

Elizabeth's eyes widened, and Misty dropped her fork on the table.

"I can do that?" Elizabeth gaped.

"Of course you can!" Ash replied. "Why couldn't you?"

"Because I'm a girl," Elizabeth murmured, scrunching her nose up. "And you're a boy."

"So?" Ash chuckled. "I've dressed up like a girl lots of times, Lizzie! You can dress up however you'd like!"

"Ooh, yeah!" Elizabeth cheered, jumping up and down in her seat. "I _could_ be you, Daddy!"

"Lizzie, you already said you wanted to be _me!_" Misty cried, sounding much more like a child than her 32 year old self.

"I love you, Mommy," Elizabeth murmured, sounding almost guilty. "But Daddy's the Pokémon Master! I'll be the coolest!"

Ash grinned proudly, while Misty's cheeks slowly but surely began to burn a deep crimson. She tightened her fist, digging her fingernails into her palms as she seethed. And then, quite suddenly, she relaxed.

She had an idea.

"Lizzie, if you dress up like me for school, I'll give you a real badge to bring and show off," Misty announced, her composure quickly changing.

"Whoa!" Elizabeth breathed, her eyes widening. "Yeah?"

"Sure!" Misty chirped. "What's a gym leader without a badge?"

"Oh, _one_ badge," Ash quipped sarcastically. "Lizzie, I've got more badges than you can even count! I bet your friends would be really impressed if you brought 'em all in."

At this, Elizabeth's jaw dropped. "Every single one?"

"Yep," Ash replied, turning his head and smirking at his flustered wife. "Can't be a Pokémon Master without each and every one!"

Clenching her jaw, Misty whipped her head towards Elizabeth and countered, "Forget the badges. Lizzie, if you dress up like Mommy, I'll let you pick out any pair of my shoes you want, and you can wear them as part of your outfit!"

"Even heels?" Elizabeth gasped.

"Even heels," Misty confirmed.

"Ooh, I want to! I want to!" Elizabeth cheered, clapping her hands together.

"Come on, Lizzie, _anybody_ can wear a pair of high heels!" Ash refuted. "But I'm the only person in the world who has the real, world known Pokémon Master's hats! And if you dress up like _me_, you can wear one!"

"David talks a whole bunch about your hats," Elizabeth giggled.

"That's a real nice offer, Ash," Misty scoffed. "But you seem to have forgotten that your most _famous _hat is with our son! No one cares about your cheap backups."

"Um, lots of people do, actually," Ash huffed.

"You keep telling yourself that, buddy," Misty practically laughed. "But let's face facts. She won't need any of your ratty old hats when she shows up to class with my dear Vaporeon! Those kids will be _floored!_"

"Oh yeah?" Ash pressed. "Not as floored as when they see Elizabeth with Pikachu! Those kids will freak!"

Elizabeth allowed her eyes to bounce back and forth between her bickering parents as though she were watching an exhilarating ping pong match.

"Pikachu may be cute and cuddly, but my Gyrados is super powerful," Misty bragged. "All the other kids will be so jealous when Elizabeth gets to show up with him! _And _she can even command him!"

"Gyrados_ is_ a powerful Pokémon, but he won't fit into my Pokémon Master's trophy like Pikachu will," Ash scoffed.

"Oh, so you're saying Elizabeth can bring that gigantic trophy to school with her?"

"Yep!"

"It's bigger than she is!"

"Which is exactly what makes it so impressive!"

Sighing, Elizabeth slid off of her chair, walking quietly towards the door. Having finished his bowl of food, Pikachu jumped to his paws and scurried after the child, jumping up on her shoulder to catch her attention.

"Pi-ka?" Pikachu squeaked.

"Maybe it'll be a whole lot easier if I dress up like Serena," Elizabeth deducted, shrugging her shoulders.

"Oh, so if she dresses up like you, does that mean she gets to bring in a book full of smashed leaves?"

"YOU SAID YOU WEREN'T GONNA TEASE ME!"

"Well…I take that back."

* * *

><p><strong>You KNOW Ash and Misty would absolutely compete over something like this. This is their pride on the line, after all :P<strong>


	345. Bumps and Bruises

**Throwback for this chapter! You may remember that in A New Era, Eryn (when she first meets Aiden and is exhibiting her stalker-ish tendencies) says that he has a small dent in his skull from hitting his head on the stairs when he was a toddler.**

**Well...here's that story.**

**Aiden and Michelle: 23 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Bumps and Bruises<strong>

"Ah! Ah!"

Misty worriedly peeked around the doorway of the kitchen, where she was able to catch sight of Aiden playing in front of the stairs. He had some of his Pokémon figures sitting on the second lowest step, and it appeared he was having them battle one another.

"Ash, maybe we should move Aiden away from the stairs," Misty suggested.

Ash, who had been sitting on the couch watching TV, leaned forward and gave Misty one of his cheeky little smiles.

"Nah, he's just fine!" Ash dismissed. "He's not trying to climb up 'em or anything."

"I'm not so sure…" Misty murmured.

"I've got my eye on him," Ash promised. "He's okay, Mist."

Michelle was lying down next to Ash on the couch, rolling back and forth while she made nonsensical noises. At one point, she came close to rolling off of the couch, causing Ash to gasp and jump forward, catching the small thing as she erupted into a fit of giggles.

"You can keep an eye on both of them at the same time?" Misty asked warily.

"Yes," Ash sighed, sitting Michelle back upright. "Just trust me, okay?"

Misty sighed heavily, but gave no worded response. She retreated back into the kitchen, effectively leaving Ash alone with the two toddlers once again.

Fortunately, Michelle seemed to have satisfied her need for trouble, and had no problem just sitting on the couch snuggling her stuffed Piplup.

"Good girl," Ash commented, patting his young daughter's head. She cooed happily in response, but otherwise stayed nice and quiet.

Ash looked back over towards the stairs, where Aiden was still playing with his Pokémon figures. The older male scoffed. He loved Misty, but honestly, sometimes her worrisome tendencies got to be a bit much. She acted as though the children needed to be padded or something. Ash knew for a fact that they were pretty resilient. Sure, he worried too, but mostly about bigger stuff. Things like them potentially being kidnapped. Not them tripping and getting a scrape.

Smirking, he looked back at the TV, though his face fell once he remembered what was on.

"Shelly, do we really have to keep watching this show?" Ash crooned. Michelle looked up at him and squeezed her toy tighter, blinking her wide, emerald eyes. "What if Daddy just changed the channel really quick…"

As soon as Ash changed the channel, however, Michelle started to screech, apparently horrified that her father would ever do such a thing. She wailed and yelped and started smashing her toy Piplup up and down, throwing a fit of epic proportions.

"Okay, okay!" Ash gasped, grabbing the remote and putting Michelle's show back on. As soon as she saw the colorful characters running around on the screen once again, Michelle quieted down, sinking back into the couch and acting like nothing had just happened.

Ash sighed and tilted his head back. He didn't understand how a child so young could already have a personality just like Misty. And with so few words, too! He had learned fairly quickly that children came before you in every way, shape, or form, no matter what you were doing.

That _especially_ included the TV.

But at least now Michelle was quiet and content. That was pretty much how Ash knew he was doing a good job. So long as the kids weren't crying or complaining, that basically meant success.

So naturally, when he heard a blood curdling scream courtesy of his son, Ash knew he'd made a serious mistake.

First came the scream that caused Ash to jump off the couch. Next he saw Aiden sprawled out on the hardwood floor, his head resting against the bottom step.

"Damnit!" Ash hissed beneath his breath, running over to the little boy.

Of course, the sound of that scream was not about to get past Misty, and she too came storming into the foyer, a look of horror set on her beautiful face.

"What happened?!" Misty demanded, kneeling down beside the hysterical Aiden.

"I…I think he fell," Ash timidly replied.

"You _think?!_" Misty seethed. "What do you mean you _think?_ You were supposed to be watching him! You took your eyes off of Aiden?!"

"I looked away for five seconds because Michelle was starting to throw a tantrum!" Ash cried.

"Five seconds is five seconds too many!" Misty yelped, carefully picking Aiden up. "Oh my f-…Ash! He's bleeding!"

"What?!" Ash gasped.

Looking down at the step, Ash realized that the slick wood was now covered in blood, a decently sized shallow puddle that cleared up in the space where Aiden's head had been resting. Looking up at the boy's head, Ash saw that there was blood there as well, smeared across his forehead and matting his raven hair.

"Get something to stop it!" Misty ordered over Aiden's howling. She was holding both of her hands against the back of his head, trying to keep her fingers away from the bloodied area. Ash could see that her face was pale and her eyes wide. Misty_ hated_ blood. And there sure was a lot of it.

But that was her son. She couldn't exactly hightail it out of there while he was bleeding and crying hysterically.

Statically nodding his head, Ash jumped up and ran into the kitchen. While he was busy fixing up something to help Aiden, Michelle watched on curiously from the couch. She didn't look too scared, just a bit worried, if anything. She sat and watched her brother sob loudly, her mother trying her best to console the poor thing. Abandoning her stuffed Piplup, Michelle turned around so her stomach was against the couch, and allowed her legs to dangle off the edge. Cautiously, she jumped down, landing unsteadily on her feet but not falling down. Turning around, she began to move towards Aiden and her mother, but stopped as soon as Ash came rushing back into the room, a dish towel in hand.

"It's gonna get stained, but I don't think paper towels are gonna do much," Ash murmured, crouching down next to Aiden.

"I don't care about staining the stupid towel," Misty hissed, snatching it from her husband and pressing it against Aiden's head.

"Do you have it right over the cut?" Ash asked.

"I don't know!" Misty blurted, quickly becoming undone. "This is a lot more than just a cut! What if he needs stitches?!"

"Just relax," Ash breathed, gently taking the towel back from his wife. "Getting worked up isn't going to help anything. Especially Aiden."

Misty growled quietly and bit her lower lip. She watched as Ash peeled back Aiden's matted black hair, squinting his eyes as he tried to study the boy's skull.

"Found it," Ash grumbled. It wasn't out of anger, but rather out of concentration. He took the dishtowel and pressed it against the wound, applying just enough pressure to try and stop the bleeding while not hurting Aiden.

Amazingly enough, as soon as this was done, Aiden started to calm down. His face was still extremely red, as were his eyes. There were tears still running down his cheeks, and he was still hiccupping and whimpering from the previous crying fit. Otherwise, however, he had calmed down rather nicely. Misty was finally able to take her hands off of his head, since Ash's were now situated there, and instead held onto him by the torso.

"It's okay," Misty whispered to the boy in a far more calm and reassuring tone than she'd been using since the whole ordeal had started. "You're okay."

Finally feeling like she could make her move, Michelle scurried closer to her parents and brother, leaning in curiously between the two.

"Mama?" Michelle squeaked, pointing at her brother. "Ai-en ow?"

"Yeah, Aiden got an ouchie," Misty replied. "But he's going to be okay! It just hurt, huh?"

Aiden mumbled incoherently and hiccupped once again.

"Kay, Ai-en," Michelle assured her brother, reaching out and touching the boy's shoulder.

"Aw, Shelly is trying to make you feel better!" Misty giggled. "Isn't that nice, Aiden?"

Aiden just hiccupped in response, but this time, he did manage the tiniest of smiles.

"I think the bleeding stopped."

Misty looked up from Aiden and over at Ash, who had removed the towel from Aiden's head and was once again examining the wound.

"How does it look?" Misty murmured.

"It's pretty gross," Ash admitted. "But I actually don't think he needs stitches."

"Wait…really?" Misty breathed.

"It's a close one, but not quite," Ash confirmed. "Trust me, I've _seen_ big old gashes that need stitches, and this isn't one of 'em."

"Where have you seen such grizzly things?" Misty demanded.

"Easy," Ash chirped. "On myself."

"Wait…what?" Misty deadpanned.

"I got hurt all the time as a kid," Ash scoffed. "Are you really that surprised?"

"No," Misty admitted. "I just didn't think you'd actually pay enough attention to know what's a serious injury and what isn't."

"I got hurt enough where I didn't really have a choice but to learn what was bad and what wasn't," Ash chuckled. "Guess it ended up coming in handy, though!"

"You're insane," Misty muttered, shaking her head.

"I'm not even being funny!" Ash laughed. "I had this one really gross one when I was about seven. I tripped while I was running around outside and my chin basically got pierced by a branch. I had like…five or six stitches from it."

"Do you have a scar to prove it?" Misty teased, suddenly feeling much more relaxed.

"A really tiny one," Ash confirmed, leaning forward. "Look close."

Misty's face turned a dim shade of red as Ash's face came within inches of her own. She allowed her emerald eyes to scan his chin, eventually spotting a small scar scanning just barely two inches. It was practically the same color as his flesh, just a bit paler, so that made it even harder to see.

"It's small," Misty commented lamely.

"Yeah, for such a gruesome injury, it's really not a very impressive scar," Ash agreed, pulling back and smirking at Misty. "I've got better ones."

"I'm sure," Misty murmured.

"Aiden will _definitely_ have something left over from this," Ash continued. "Luckily, it'll be under his hair. No one will ever see it."

"I'll know it's there, though," Misty sighed. "I don't think I could possibly forget."

"Neither of us will," Ash agreed. "But Aiden is okay. That's the most important thing. It was scary, but he's alright. The worst is over."

"True," Misty breathed. At this point, Aiden was totally quiet. No more hiccupping, no more sniffling. Other than the dried blood on his forehead and in his hair, it was as though nothing had happened. "Alright, traumatic injury expert. What now?"

Ash chuckled at his new title. "We should clean him up, obviously. Wash away all that gross blood. Just on his forehead for now, though. Don't wanna touch the gash too much."

"We're not just gonna leave it like that, are we?" Misty asked in a horrified manner.

"No, of course not," Ash refuted. "We have to disinfect it and then try and wrap a bandage around it. We can't use a regular one since, ya know, the gash is under his hair."

"You know," Misty commented, getting to her feet and holding Aiden against her, "I never really thought we'd be in a situation where you knew more than me."

Ash stood up along with Misty and smirked. "Well, it's like my mom says. If you dropped me off at a school somewhere, I'd flunk out in about five minutes. But if you dropped me off in the middle of the woods somewhere, I'd not only survive, I would thrive."

**XXX**

Aiden squirmed when Ash went to disinfect his wound, but luckily didn't cry again. He stayed still when the bandage was wrapped around his head, and didn't even once pick at it. Impressive for a kid who wasn't even two years old yet.

Once he was all fixed up, Misty sat him down on the couch with a sippy cup full of juice so he could relax after all of the time he'd spent working himself up. He sat there and watched his little cartoons with Michelle, who sat just as patiently next to him. Occasionally, out of the corner of her eye, Michelle would catch Aiden touching the bandage that had been wrapped around his head. Not so much out of pain or impatience, but rather out of curiosity. Michelle, of course, didn't exactly understand this, and simply thought that her brother was still hurting. She would just lean forward and kiss his bandage, and then pull away and smile at the boy.

"All bettew!" She'd announce, throwing her arms up in the air.

Ash and Misty watched this little cycle from the same step that Aiden had hit his head on. The blood there had been cleaned up as well, and aside from the bandage wrapped around Aiden's head and the fresh wound that existed beneath it, all evidence of the incident was officially gone.

Including the bloodied dishtowel.

"I think we might be in trouble," Misty commented at one point, glancing over her shoulder at her bewildered husband.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked.

"Aiden's just like you," Misty sighed. "I'm pretty sure this isn't the last incident this kid is going to have."

Both Ash and Misty were right in their own assumptions.

A scar was, in fact, left on Aiden's head beneath his hair, along with a very minor dent in his skull that had horrified Misty the first time she'd ever felt it. Aiden, of course, was unfazed, and actually thought it was pretty cool.

On Misty's end of the guessing game, she had been correct in assuming that Aiden's stair incident would be far from his last episode of injury. On the minor side, countless falls and scrapes followed. As he got older, there was a jump off the bed that resulted in a broken leg scare that ended up as just a minor ankle sprain. Not long after that, a slip in the kitchen would lead to a split lip and his first set of stitches. Just about two years after that, a broken arm from falling down a hill and hitting a rock.

There were several occurrences in between those, but those were the most severe. The ones that stuck out the most in Misty's mind and actually happened to give her reoccurring nightmares from time to time.

She loved her husband, and her son, but she always wondered why in Arceus' name they had to be so much alike.

* * *

><p><strong>Poor kid. The other injuries of his I put in you'll recognize are from other stories (the split lip from a one shot in here, and the broken arm from a separate one shot that I published an awfully long time ago.)<strong>


	346. Baby Crazy

**Hello hello!**

**So, I received a request on Tumblr for a one shot where Elizabeth meets Kady for the first time. I thought that was an absolutely ADORABLE idea, so I ran with it! So...thank you to the lovely anon for this idea!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 7 and a half years old**

**Elizabeth: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Baby Crazy<strong>

Elizabeth loved babies.

She had yet to meet a _real_ one, but she still loved them. She had stuffed baby versions of her favorite princesses, wrapped up in soft blankets. Those she could be a bit rougher with. She also had a nicer baby doll, the same exact one her older sister had received at the same age: with painted red hair and blue-gray eyes that opened and closed. Elizabeth had named this doll Issy and took the very best care of it: pushing it around in its stroller, changing its clothes, and pretending to feed it. As most young girls did, Elizabeth truly thought of Issy as a real baby, and treated her as such.

But that didn't change the fact that Elizabeth was still quite curious about real babies. She had yet to ask her parents for one (much to Ash and Misty's relief) but she did show off that curiosity quite a bit in public. Whenever she saw a real baby, she would get excited and call for Misty.

"_Baby!" She'd squeal, pointing at the small thing._

"_Yes, baby," Misty would reply with a giggle, lowering her daughter's hand. "Don't point, Lizzie. It isn't nice."_

Elizabeth just wanted to see one up close, so it seemed. She thought that they were very cute, as she often told her mother whenever she saw a baby.

"_Coot," she'd murmur, unable to properly pronounce the word._

"_Yeah, babies are very cute!" Misty would agree. "You were a very cute baby once."_

Despite their many friends, however, not a single couple had had a baby since Elizabeth was born. For the past two years of her life, Elizabeth had been the youngest. She had been treated as the baby, and quite enjoyed it. But at the same time, Elizabeth wanted to be a bit older. She wanted there to be someone younger for her to play with.

Fortunately, she didn't have to wait_ too_ long for her wish to come true.

Just three months after Elizabeth's second birthday, Dawn gave birth to a baby girl named Kady. Elizabeth was beyond ecstatic about this news. All she wanted to do, and all she kept asking Misty to do, was meet the baby. And hold the baby. And kiss the baby.

Elizabeth just _really _wanted to see the baby.

And so, just a little over two weeks later, Ash and Misty found themselves in Sinnoh with their three children. Aiden couldn't have cared less about the baby. Sure, he was happy for Dawn and Kenny, but he didn't have much interest in sitting around looking at a baby. Understanding that (and not wanting to hear any grumbling out of him) Ash and Misty had given Aiden permission to walk around Twinleaf Town with Barry in search of Sinnoh-native Pokemon.

Michelle was more excited to see the baby. She loved Dawn, _adored _her, in fact, and just knew that her daughter would be the cutest thing in the whole entire world.

But it was different for Elizabeth. Michelle had experience with babies. Heck, she'd_ lived_ with one for a while: Elizabeth. But the younger girl hadn't. This would be her first experience with a baby.

Misty hoped that Elizabeth would remember what she had told her a hundred times before the visit: that babies were small and fragile, and that they couldn't play like an older kid could. Elizabeth seemed okay with that, but Misty knew full well that could all change once Elizabeth actually saw the baby.

She was very fickle, as most toddlers were.

But Elizabeth continually insisted to her mother that she knew that the baby wouldn't be able to play.

"Babies awe too li-l," Elizabeth informed her mother in Dawn and Kenny's living room after being warned for what seemed like the millionth time that the baby wouldn't be able to play. "Dey sweep."

"Yes, babies like to sleep," Misty replied, nodding her head.

"That's not completely true," Ash refuted. "Michelle hated sleeping when she was a baby!"

"I did?" Michelle asked, raising her eyebrows.

"You and your crib were mortal enemies," Ash recalled, smirking at the curious older girl. "As soon as we put you down in there, you'd start screaming bloody murder."

"Chu," Pikachu agreed. He remembered quite vividly Michelle's numerous (and loud) tantrums as an infant.

"That's so weird," Michelle muttered. "I thought that _Aiden_ would've been the worse baby!"

"Aiden was pretty content, oddly enough," Misty mused. "He loved eating and sleeping, and just those two things were enough to make him happy."

"He did get pretty upset when you didn't feed him fast enough, though," Ash chuckled.

"Oh, right, that," Misty groaned. "Yeah, when Aiden was hungry, and you didn't take care of it within a matter of seconds, he'd let you know that he was upset. And he was probably the loudest baby I've ever heard in my life."

"Lungs of steel in that kid," Ash agreed.

"Pika…" Pikachu grumbled, shaking his head.

"Ah, but you loved them!" Ash teased, scratching Pikachu behind the ears. "Even if all of their screaming gave you a headache."

"Pi," Pikachu trilled, smirking at his trainer.

"Pika!" Elizabeth beckoned, holding her arms out towards the electric type. He squeaked happily and bounced towards the toddler, settling in her lap and allowing the child to scratch him between the ears.

"He still loves us now," Michelle commented with a giggle.

"Of course!" Misty agreed. "You're all just a lot quieter now than you used to be."

"_Sometimes_," Ash corrected, smirking at his wife.

"When they're not arguing," Misty agreed.

"Hey!" Michelle whined.

"Hey!" Elizabeth chimed in, although she giggled afterwards. She was just doing it to copy her older sister.

"Okay, I finally got the baby!"

Elizabeth's eyes widened, and all of a sudden, all interest in Pikachu was lost.

"Baby!" Elizabeth exclaimed, glancing up at her mother.

"Yes, that's the baby," Misty replied, leaning into Elizabeth. "But you can't be so loud, okay? It might scare her."

"Scawe the baby?" Elizabeth murmured.

"Yes," Misty confirmed. "They don't like loud noises."

"Oh," Elizabeth murmured, her eyes widening. This was all brand new information to her, and she was fascinated.

"Ash, I think you should hold Kady first!" Dawn announced with a giggle.

"Me?!" Ash cried. "Why me?!"

"Because you're her godfather, duh!" Dawn trilled. "Besides, I've always thought you were so sweet with babies."

"Oh, come on, Ash," Misty prodded. "Just hold the little thing! Babies _adore_ you."

"Well…alright," Ash relented, much to Dawn's delight. Still giggling, she handed the little one off to Ash, positively beaming as he smiled down at the baby.

"Isn't she just adorable?" Dawn gushed.

"Of course," Ash chuckled, still staring at the baby. "She's cute! Doesn't look like Kenny at all, though."

"Ash!" Misty gasped, her eyes widening.

"What? There's nothing wrong with that," Ash calmly argued. "Michelle doesn't look very much like me. But I still know she's my daughter."

"You and Michelle have the same smile," Misty refuted, smirking as she looked between the two. "It makes you two look a lot more alike than you think. I'm sure Kady shares _something_ with Kenny."

Ash twisted his mouth and looked back down at the baby, carefully observing her. Being the curious little girl that she was, Elizabeth crawled over to the opposite side of the couch, settling herself next to her father. Sitting on her knees, Elizabeth leaned forward, wanting to get her own good look at the baby.

"Here," Ash murmured, adjusting the baby ever so slightly. "Can you see, Lizzie?"

"Uh huh," Elizabeth murmured, transfixed by the little person before her.

She had pale skin and amazingly pink cheeks. A tiny button nose that was unmistakably Dawn's, and full, pouty lips. Her hair was dark blue, and wispy, and her eyes right now were closed.

"Baby?" Elizabeth whispered, glancing up at her father.

Ash let out an enamored breath and smiled at his toddler daughter. "Yeah, this is a baby."

Elizabeth blinked and looked back down at baby Kady, carefully studying the infant.

"Coot!" Elizabeth squealed, bouncing up and down on her knees. "Daddy, baby's coot!"

"Yeah, she's very cute!" Ash agreed.

"Itty?" Elizabeth asked, tilting her head.

"Itty bitty?" Ash laughed, knowing what Elizabeth meant. "Yeah, she's really small. Most babies this young are!"

Elizabeth continued staring at Kady, picking up a little hand and holding it out tentatively towards the infant. Dawn noticed this almost immediately and giggled sweetly.

"You want to touch her, Lizzie?" Dawn asked.

"Ya," Elizabeth trilled, nodding her head.

"You can," Dawn assured the girl. "Go ahead!"

"But be careful," Misty warned her daughter.

"I'm sure she'll be fine, Misty!" Dawn giggled once again. "Elizabeth is pretty gentle."

"She's _dainty_," Michelle added, smirking at her godmother.

"Just like me," Dawn hummed.

Elizabeth had tuned out of the conversation at this point, and was busy stroking baby Kady's soft hair. It was easy to see that the toddler was beyond fascinated. She had barely looked at anyone else _but_ Kady since she'd been placed in Ash's arms. She had plenty of people around her, but Elizabeth didn't really seem to notice or care.

She really only cared about the baby.

"Aw, look at how good Elizabeth is with Kady!" Dawn marveled. "I'm not really surprised. Elizabeth is such a sweetheart. But it's still just about the cutest thing I've ever seen! I'm glad they're already such good friends."

"Elizabeth's just been _dying _to meet a real, living baby," Misty laughed. "Something tells me that after this, her baby dolls won't be as much fun."

"You and Daddy could always give us _another_ baby sister!" Michelle suggested warmly. "Then Elizabeth could always have a real baby to play with!"

"NOT HAPPENING!" Ash and Misty cried simultaneously, alarming Michelle but causing her to burst into a fit of giggles at the same time.

"They're not babies forever, Michelle," Misty grumbled.

"Although sometimes I actually think it might be easier that way," Ash mused.

"No way!" Dawn argued. "It can't be any harder than having to change diapers or feed the kid every two hours or make sure she's still breathing at night!"

"Yeah, you wouldn't think so," Ash mused. "But then they grow up, and they learn how to speak…and talk back…and argue…and beat each other up…"

"Howd!"

At the same time, everyone blinked and looked down at Elizabeth. She was wearing quite the determined look, staring up at every single adult with wide, unblinking eyes.

"You mean…hold the baby?" Ash asked.

"Ya!" Elizabeth squeaked, nodding her head.

"I don't know," Ash murmured, glancing up at Dawn.

"I don't see why not!" Dawn trilled.

"Wait, really?!" Ash gasped.

"We're all here watching her, it shouldn't be a problem!" Dawn continued.

"If you're okay with it," Ash sighed, glancing down at Elizabeth. "You can hold her, okay? But you have to be very, _very_ careful. And I'm going to help you. So no throwing a fit that you can't do it by yourself, got it?"

"Das a wot a wules," Elizabeth muttered, causing Dawn to choke back a laugh.

"Elizabeth, I'm being serious," Ash warned. "Looking at a baby and holding a baby are two very different things. You need to be more careful and gentler than you've ever been before. Understand?"

"Yes," Elizabeth replied, nodding her head.

Misty looked up at Ash and raised an eyebrow. She wasn't 100% sold on the idea, but Elizabeth had just said the word "yes" as clear as a bell. Being a two year old, she still tended to mumble a lot of her words and speak with a typical toddler lisp. But when she responded to a question like that with such conviction and maturity, it reminded Misty that Elizabeth was growing up…and that when she was determined to do something, she was going to do whatever it took to convince everyone else of it.

"Alright," Ash sighed, knowing there was no way he could back out now. "Try and fold your arms like mine."

Elizabeth furrowed her brow and leaned over, trying to study Ash's arms beneath the baby. Michelle giggled and looked up at her mother, who simply smirked in response.

"Lizzie, this will be easier," Misty beckoned, catching the toddler's attention. "You just copy me, okay?"

Elizabeth nodded and watched her mother as she folded her arms on top of one another, forming a cradling hold. Elizabeth did exactly that, glancing back up at her mother to get confirmation.

"Perfect," Misty trilled, nodding her head.

Biting his lower lip, Ash slowly and gently handed the sleeping infant off to Elizabeth, who was staring at her the entire time. Once Kady was nestled in her small arms, Ash kept his own beneath them, irritating the toddler.

"No, Daddy!" Elizabeth argued. "I howd!"

"You are holding her!" Ash retorted.

"No, sewf," Elizabeth grumbled.

"Elizabeth…"

"She's on the couch, Ash, it's just fine!" Dawn refuted. "Leave her alone."

Ash grunted, but finally removed his arms from beneath Elizabeth's. The toddler instantly quieted down, and went back to simply staring at the infant in her arms. Misty giggled sweetly, while Dawn let out a quiet and enamored "aww."

"Baby," Elizabeth murmured.

"The baby has a name, sweetie," Misty giggled. "It's Kady!"

"Kady?" Elizabeth asked, still staring at the baby. The little one mumbled in her sleep, and Elizabeth giggled lovingly. "Kady!"

"They look so sweet together," Dawn sighed, resting her head on the couch.

"They are," Misty agreed. "I think they're going to be the best of friends!"

Dawn smirked and fluttered her eyelashes. "I think Michelle is right. You guys should _totally_ have another baby."

Ash and Misty both narrowed their eyes, leaning in towards a flustered Dawn.

"DON'T ENCOURAGE HER!"

* * *

><p><strong>Everyone's getting on Ash and Misty's nerves! It's best that way.<strong>


	347. Into the Woods

**Hey everyone! I hope all my American readers had a nice Thanksgiving yesterday! I know I did...and now I'm trying to get a whole bunch of work done! My next week is really busy :( That's why I wanted to get a new one shot up before I got lost in the wonderful world of the end of the semester.**

**Enjoy!**

**Elizabeth: 4 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Into the Woods<strong>

"Elizabeth, get your boots on."

The young girl, who had been lying listlessly on the couch, jumped up and stared wide eyed at her grandfather.

"Why?"

"We're going on a little mission," Michael informed his granddaughter. He was already dressed for the cold fall afternoon. "You gotta be bundled up."

Elizabeth scoffed, but nevertheless slid off the couch and scurried towards the front door. Michael watched as Elizabeth sat down, reaching out and grabbing her pink sequin boots.

"You think those are the best boots for wandering around in the woods?" Michael asked. He knew Elizabeth didn't have a choice. Those were the shoes she'd worn to the house, and therefore, the only ones she had. But he always liked to see what kind of a response he'd get out of the girl.

"Yes," Elizabeth replied quite seriously. "They're pretty."

"They are," Michael agreed. "But not very practical. The woods have dirt in them, you know! We might have to climb over rocks or tree branches."

"That's okay," Elizabeth assured her grandfather, hopping back to her feet. "I don't wanna wear ugly shoes like you gots!"

Michael smirked and shook his head. Elizabeth was about as sassy as little girls came. She reminded him so much of Misty when she was young. It was part of the reason that he and Elizabeth were so close. Elizabeth often gave him attitude, a nasty one at that, but Michael didn't completely mind. He typically just laughed it off and played along. Elizabeth simply liked not being scolded for it.

He removed the young girl's pink fleece coat from the hooks, and Elizabeth held her arms out to the sides.

"What're you doing?" Michael asked playfully.

"Waitin' for you to put on my coat!" Elizabeth trilled.

"Ah, I'm doing that now?"

"Uh huh," Elizabeth replied simply. "I already put my shoes on by myself!"

"I see," Michael murmured, kneeling down and slipping Elizabeth's coat. "I suppose that's fair enough then. There, now we're all set! Into the woods we go."

**XXX**

Elizabeth was a girly girl, but did she ever love wandering around in the woods.

Her grandfather was there to look at the natural habitats of woodland Pokémon, but _Elizabeth_ was there for the adventure. She pulled herself over old, downed tree trunks and hopped over bunches of broken branches. If she could find smaller branches that weren't as threatening looking, Elizabeth would stamp down on them, listening to the crack and giggling at the sound.

"Elizabeth."

The young girl squeaked and looked up, locking eyes with her grandfather.

"What?"

"What are you doing?" Michael asked almost impatiently.

"Lookin' around," Elizabeth replied simply. "There's lotsa fun stuff around here!"

"We're looking for Pokémon habitats," Michael sighed, kneeling down beside a tree with a knot in its trunk. "Don't you want to help me?"

"No," Elizabeth chirped.

"Why not?"

"That's boring!"

At this, Michael smirked. "Now Lizzie. I know you don't think that! You love Pokémon. You talk about them all the time!"

"I like playing with Pokémon, and petting them, and watching contests and battles and stuff," Elizabeth murmured. "This is like school. It's boring."

"Oh, Elizabeth, this isn't boring at all!" Michael refuted, looking up into the trees and beaming. "It's fascinating! Learning all about how Pokémon live, how they get along in the wild…it's all so incredible! After all, how can we understand anything about Pokémon without knowing how they live in their natural habitats? Trained and domestic Pokémon are so different from wild Pokémon, even in the same species! And it's those differences that help us to unlock everything there is to know about Pokémon. Do you see what I'm saying, Elizabeth?"

No response.

Humming, Michael looked down and furrowed his brow. Elizabeth had her back to him and was crouched down low, examining something in the dirt.

"Elizabeth, were you listening to me?" Michael asked.

"Huh?" Elizabeth chirped, jumping back to her feet and turning around.

"Guess not," Michael sighed.

"Grandpa, I wanna look at Pokémon," Elizabeth whined.

"Don't fuss, Elizabeth," Michael gently scolded. "Besides, impatience will never get you anywhere. A Pokémon won't appear simply because we want it to."

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes and prepared to argue with her grandfather. Before she could, however, the sound of rustling leaves caused the child's anger to melt away. Murmuring out of curiosity, Elizabeth looked up to the trees, where she just happened to see a shadowy figure jumping between two of them.

"Pokémon!" Elizabeth cried, pointing upwards.

"What?" Michel breathed, looking up.

"Pokémon," Elizabeth repeated, still pointing. "I saw one!"

"You're sure?" Michael deadpanned.

"Yeah!"

"What kind of Pokémon was it?"

"…I don't know," Elizabeth muttered. "It moved too fast! But I know it was one!"

"See, this is exactly why us studying a Pokémon's natural habitat is helpful!" Michael chuckled. "It could help us figure out what kind of Pokémon you just saw."

"Or I could just guess," Elizabeth grumbled.

"You could," Michael sighed. "But then you'd never know if you were right or not!"

"Daddy says that kind of stuff is fun," Elizabeth refuted.

"And you always listen to your daddy, don't you?" Michael asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah!"

"Well, let's try my method, just for once," Michael suggested. "Okay?"

"I guess," Elizabeth grumbled, scrunching up her nose.

"Now, since we're in the woods, there's a much higher chance that the Pokémon you saw was a bug type," Michael began. "Flying types and grass types are a close second option. So, I think we can rule out most other types and focus on those three."

Elizabeth sighed and walked around her grandfather, approaching the tree that she had seen the mysterious Pokémon jump into.

"Because you saw it go between two trees, we have to assume that the Pokémon can either fly or has powerful limbs that makes it especially capable when it comes to jumping," Michael continued, not realizing that Elizabeth wasn't at all listening to him. "So, we're potentially looking at something like a Beedrill, Butterfree, Pidgey, Aipom, or even a Treecko, though that would be very rare. Tell me, Elizabeth, did you happen to see any wings on this silhouette?"

"Pichu!"

"What?"

Elizabeth spun around, facing her grandfather with a huge smile. "Grandpa! It was a Pichu!"

"A Pichu?" Michael repeated. "No, it couldn't be. You see, Elizabeth, while the Pichu-Pikachu-Raichu evolution line _are_ considered forest dwelling Pokémon, they are typically found in wooded areas that harbor more fruit bearing trees, places that are closer to farms and-"

"Pi!"

A flash of yellow flew in front of Michael's face, alarming the older man. He stepped backwards, tripping over a fallen branch and landing solidly on his behind. He groaned at the pain, but managed to open his eyes up just in time to see the baby electric type standing only feet away from him, ears twitching curiously.

"See? I told you!" Elizabeth shrieked laughingly, running up to her fallen grandfather's side. "I told you it was a Pichu!"

"You did," Michael admitted, nodding his head just once.

"I knew it was a Pichu," Elizabeth murmured, running towards the little mouse. "I knew! And you were wrong, Grandpa!"

The Pichu squeaked excitedly and began to playfully chase after Elizabeth, causing the young girl to laugh even more wildly than before.

"I don't think you're ever going to let me live this one down," Michael sighed, getting back to his feet.

"Nuh uh," Elizabeth confirmed, stopping in her tracks. Pichu halted next to her, still beaming at Michael. "I knew better!"

"You did."

"Know why?"

"No. Tell me."

"Cause of Daddy!" Elizabeth trilled. "He tells me all the time that you can find all kinds of Pokémon, even when you're not –specting them! He says you just gotta look really close."

"I'm not surprised," Michael sighed, shaking his head.

Michael had nothing against Ash. Really, he didn't. He thought Ash was a perfectly nice young man. But at the same time, their personalities simply didn't mix, and Michael saw nothing wrong with that. Misty, however, did. She seemed to take serious offense to her father's views on Ash. After all, she truly believed that there was no one in the world who couldn't get along with Ash.

Elizabeth had seemingly ended up just like her mother.

She and Ash were _very_ close. It was the kind of relationship Michael assumed he would have had with Misty had he actually stuck around and been with her more often. In her little world, Ash could do no wrong, and Elizabeth just assumed that everyone else saw it the same way. Michael would never dare to speak ill towards Ash in front of Elizabeth. Surely the little girl would go ballistic and have a full on meltdown. That had apparently happened in the past, with other people. Michael thought Ash was a fine father. He loved his children and took the very best care of them. That was obvious. But Michael did disapprove of the way Ash was so positive about everything, in a way that he almost seemed to be fabricating a false reality for his children. It popped up in the way that Aiden truly believed he could one day become a Pokémon Master, that Michelle truly believed anything in the world could be accomplished if one just tried hard enough, and that Elizabeth truly believed that she could discover anything and everything in the world, without having the hard, scientific facts behind it.

But somehow, in a very strange way, it was almost as if Elizabeth could sense the fact that her father and grandfather didn't have the best relationship. She always seemed to be trying to convince her grandfather that Ash was just wonderful. That he was the best thing in the whole entire world. She complimented him all the time. Michael knew part of that just came from her true love and admiration of him.

But other times, like now, it truly felt like she was doing it to try and sway him.

"Grandpa, look! There goes Pichu!"

Michael looked back down at Elizabeth and followed the direction in which her finger was pointing. He saw the baby electric type scurrying away, back up the tree from which it had first come.

"Where do you think it's going?" Elizabeth asked, sounding genuinely curious.

"It could be looking for food," Michael replied. "Perhaps it lives up in that tree and it's just going back home. Those are the two most likely possibilities."

"Do you think it's got friends up there?" Elizabeth continued. "Or maybe like a Mommy and a Daddy?"

"That's possible too."

"And it could have a big brother and sister, too!" Elizabeth trilled. "Maybe they're Pikachu. And they take care of Pichu."

"That sounds quite a bit like your own life, huh?" Michael asked teasingly.

"Yeah, -zactly!" Elizabeth chirped. "Just like me!"

Smirking, Michael shook his head and replied, "I don't think we're going to get much else done today."

"Why?" Elizabeth asked. "Cause you fell on your butt?"

"No, that's not why," Michael sighed as Elizabeth laughed wildly. "I think we're both just a bit too distracted right now. Besides, it's getting windy, and a little colder. I think I'd like to go back to the house and eat. What do you say? You agree with me?"

"Yeah!" Elizabeth cheered. "I wanna eat, too! Come on, Grandpa!"

She ran up to his side and grabbed his hand, trying her best to drag him out of the woods. Michael chuckled to himself and followed along, gripping Elizabeth's hand just a bit more tightly.

"You're not going to tell Grandma that I fell on my butt, are you?"

"Of course I am, Grandpa!"

"Even if I gave you a lollipop?"

"Yeah. You don't gots the good ones."

* * *

><p><strong>Basically, this one is just supposed to show how different the relationship is between Michael and Elizabeth is from other relationships he has. Elizabeth doesn't really put up with him. She does her own thing and doesn't care if he likes it or not. But she does love him!<strong>


	348. Life Giver

**I'm going to apologize in advance to you guys. Technically, this was supposed to be Aiden and Michelle's birthday one shot. Unfortunately, I've had a few hellish weeks back to back to back (like...never ending, non stop going and going) so this was the best I managed to do with the time I had. Over winter break (which starts in just two weeks!) I will come up with a much more deserving birthday one shot.**

**But for now...this is what I've got!**

**Aiden: 9 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Life Giver<strong>

"AIDEN!"

The newly turned nine year old boy poked his head through the front door, furrowing his brow. "What?"

Misty was standing before him, a navy blue and black device held in her hand.

"Why am I listed in your poke gear as 'life giver'?"

"Because you gave me life!" Aiden laughed, jumping back inside and taking his poke gear from his mother. "I thought that was a perfectly sensible name!"

"Mom would do just fine," Misty grumbled.

"Yeah, but _everyone_ uses that," Aiden scoffed. "I wanted you to have something different!"

"Aiden, this is a serious gift," Misty sighed, easily plucking the device from her son. "In only a year from now, you'll be off on your journey! And this poke gear is the first step towards that. You need to take it seriously!"

"Come on, Mom, it's still my birthday present!" Aiden whined, taking the poke gear back. "Let me have a little fun!"

"You two are arguing already? This is like a new record or something."

Misty turned around and scowled.

"Ash, talk some sense into our son."

"Why's he need me to talk sense into him?" Ash asked, tilting his head.

Misty smirked and rolled her eyes. Ash was just the most adorable thing, and he didn't even try. "He listed me in his poke gear as 'life giver'."

A big smile popped up on Ash's face, causing Misty's scowl to return. "That's so cool!"

"No it isn't!" Misty argued.

"It kind of makes you sound like you've got superpowers," Ash mused. "Which…I guess you kind of do!"

"What?" Misty asked incredulously. "How?"

"You made human beings," Ash elaborated, pointing at a disturbed looking Aiden. "I think that's awesome!"

"Well, I didn't make them on my own," Misty muttered, her cheeks flushing. "Now _that_ would be something. I had babies just like any other woman on the planet."

"But have you ever thought of how actually amazing that is?" Ash asked, sounding almost breathless. "That a woman is able to do that? Make human beings? It's like magic!"

"I don't want to hear any of this!" Aiden groaned, covering his ears. "Man, I never should've let you find my poke gear!"

Ash and Misty exchanged glances, simply staring at one another for a few seconds before smirking. Aiden blinked and slowly lowered his hands, shoulders slumping once his hands were down.

"Guys?" Aiden murmured, furrowing his brow.

"I think we should have a little talk, Aiden," Misty purred, reaching out for her son's arm and pulling him towards the couch.

"About what?" Aiden demanded.

"Dad and I just realized that we never told you the story of when you and your sister were born!" Misty trilled, forcing her son to sit down by gently pushing on his shoulders.

Eyes widening, Aiden jumped back up, forcing Misty's hands away. "WHAT?! I don't want to hear about that! That's…ugh! That's gross!"

"It's not gross," Misty refuted, folding her arms. "It's wonderful!"

"Yeah, and you were such a cute baby!" Ash chuckled, eyes twinkling with mischievousness.

"I don't care how cute I was," Aiden groaned. "I don't want to hear this story!"

"Well, you should care!" Misty dramatically replied, trying her best not to laugh. "I spent twelve hours in labor with you!"

"EW!" Aiden wailed, once again covering his ears.

"She almost broke my hand," Ash grumbled, which finally led Misty to smirk.

"I told you I was sorry," Misty hummed.

"I wasn't holding it against you," Ash chuckled. "If that's all it took to become a dad, then that's totally okay!"

"You guys are gross," Aiden whined, finally managing to get up from the couch. "I'm going upstairs to see Michelle and Elizabeth. Ya know, people who _don't_ skeeve me out when they talk."

"Aiden, there's nothing gross about it!" Misty clicked her tongue. "When you were a little boy, you _loved _looking at your baby book! You especially thought that all of the pictures of you running around with no clothes on were quite funny."

"MICHELLE!" Aiden shrieked, rushing past his mother and up the stairs.

Ash chuckled once again and turned towards Misty, who seemed both highly amused and satisfied with herself.

"Was that wrong of us?" Ash asked, cocking is head to one side.

"Nah," Misty decided after a short second of deliberation. "It was all in good fun! Besides, that will teach him a lesson about using his poke gear like a toy."

"Was it really so bad?" Ash questioned. "Him putting you in his phone as 'life giver'? It bothered you that much?"

"Not really," Misty admitted, shrugging her shoulders. "He just needs to learn to be more responsible! I've got to get some life lessons in there somewhere, after all."

* * *

><p><strong>Sooo yeah. I thought it would be a fun idea, but I didn't get too far with it. Just enough to torture Aiden for a bit. I can't count it as a birthday one shot because Michelle wasn't even in it <strong>

**Soon, I promise! The real one will come :)**


	349. Aiden the Protector

**Okay, sooo...not a birthday one shot. I'm sorry! I've been trying to come up with ideas for it, but I'm blanking :/ But I did come up with this adorable idea last night, so I wanted to write it up! And...I ended up getting it done pretty quickly.**

**So, for now, enjoy this one!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 6 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Aiden the Protector<strong>

"Ow! Stop it, Aiden!"

"You stop!"

"I didn't do anything!"

"You stole my Squirtle!"

"No I didn't!"

"Yeah you did!"

"No!"

"You're a liar!"

Aiden reached out and shoved Michelle by her shoulder, causing the young girl's jaw to drop.

"You pushed me!"

"So what?"

"That's mean!"

"_You're_ mean!"

Aiden pushed Michelle again, this time using both of his hands. The girl stumbled back, falling over and landing on the floor. She stared up at Aiden with a definitive frown on her face, lips quivering and eyes full of disbelief.

"Gimme my Squirtle back!" Aiden demanded.

"I don't have it!" Michelle wailed. She got up to her knees and grabbed onto Aiden's legs, yanking him down to the floor. Aiden fell, nearly on top of Michelle, which only incited the girl even more. She pulled on Aiden's raven locks, causing the boy to howl in pain. Managing to just barely pick his head up, Aiden took his hand and covered Michelle's mouth and nose.

"MMMF!" Michelle shouted from beneath his palm.

"Give it back!" Aiden ordered.

"What is going on in here?!"

Neither Aiden nor Michelle heard the pounding footsteps, but they certainly felt themselves being pulled off of one another. Being held back by his shirt, Aiden looked up and found his father angrily scowling down at the both of them.

"What is going on?" Ash asked again, his voice becoming gruffer.

"Michelle stole my Squirtle!" Aiden complained, pointing at his twin.

"I didn't!" Michelle cried, flailing her arms and legs. "I didn't, Daddy! I told him no! And he pushed me!"

"What?" Ash breathed, now looking solely at Aiden.

"She pulled my hair!" Aiden diverted, still pointing at Michelle.

"I only did it –cause he kept pushing me!" Michelle shrieked. "I got scared, Daddy!"

"Neither of you are right," Ash groaned, gently putting Aiden down. "Michelle, go upstairs to your room. I'll deal with you in a minute."

"But Daddy-"

"Michelle, go to your room," Ash ordered, glaring at the child.

With a huff, Michelle crossed her arms and stomped all the way towards and up the stairs. Once he was sure she was gone, Ash looked back at Aiden, who still seemed highly upset.

"Aiden, how could you do that to your sister?" Ash asked.

"-Cause she stole my Squirtle!" Aiden moaned.

"That doesn't make it right to push her," Ash continued. "You should never put your hands on anyone, Aiden! You could have really hurt her."

"I didn't," Aiden muttered.

"But you could have," Ash countered. "And I don't think you want to hurt your own sister, do you?"

"Maybe," Aiden grumbled.

"Aiden!" Ash growled.

"No," Aiden finally admitted, looking down at his sock covered feet.

"You're the one who's supposed to protect your sisters," Ash sighed. "I've always expected you to do that."

"What does that mean?" Aiden asked, fluttering his eyelashes.

"Protecting your sisters?"

"Yeah."

"Well, Michelle is your twin, and Elizabeth is your little sister," Ash explained. "If you ever see anyone doing something mean to them, or trying to hurt them, it's your job to protect them."

"I don't know how to do that," Aiden replied, shaking his head.

"Sure you do!" Ash trilled. "You just to have to step in and make sure nothing happens to them. Make sure that everyone knows you're not going to let anyone hurt your sisters."

"I can do that?" Aiden murmured.

"Of course you can!" Ash chuckled. "I know you love your sisters, Aiden. Even if you don't always show it. Like just now with Michelle. You two were fighting. That much was obvious. But you still love her, don't you? She's still your sister, right?"

"I guess," Aiden grumbled.

"Aiden…"

"Yeah," Aiden admitted, picking his head up and nodding. "Michelle is my sister. So is Lizzie, but Lizzie's a baby. She doesn't bother me."

"Yes, Lizzie is a baby right now," Ash agreed. "But she's going to grow up and start playing with other little kids. And those other little kids might try and bother her."

"That's not nice," Aiden murmured.

"Neither was you pushing Michelle," Ash replied, causing Aiden's eyes to widen. Ash knew he had finally struck a nerve with the boy. "Aiden, if you were on a playground, and you saw another little boy doing that to Michelle…pushing her and shoving her like that, like you were doing…would you be okay with that?"

"No!" Aiden cried.

"What would you do?"

"I'd tell him to knock it off!"

"Exactly. And what would you do if he wasn't listening?"

"Push him back?"

"No," Ash sighed. "I already told you, Aiden. You can't put your hands on people. Besides, you pushing a little boy who's pushing Michelle won't help with anything! If that happens, you have to go get an adult, okay?"

"Like you or Mommy?" Aiden asked.

"Yes, exactly."

"And you'll help?"

"Of course!"

Aiden twisted his mouth in deep thought before nodding his head. "Okay, I gotcha. I can do it!"

"Good," Ash chuckled. "And do you promise to not shove your sister anymore?"

"I dunno…"

"Aiden!"

"Only if she stops taking my stuff!" Aiden whined, throwing in a pout for good measure.

"Aiden, are you _positive_ that Michelle took your Squirtle?"

"Um…"

"Aiden…"

"No, Daddy."

"Thought so," Ash sighed. "Well that just makes it _especially_ wrong. I'll help you find your Squirtle, champ. But absolutely no more pushing Michelle! She won't trust you to protect her if you do that kind of stuff to her."

"Okay, I won't," Aiden promised, nodding his head. "I won't push her no more!"

"_Any_ more."

"_Any_…more."

* * *

><p><strong>So we got slightly older Aiden in the last one shot, and younger Aiden in this one. Either way, he's quite adorable :P<strong>


	350. Heartsick

**I got a little bit dark again...oops. But I think you'll all like this one! There's a lot of just Ash and Misty focus, which I know a bunch of you love.**

**Aiden and Michelle: 5 and a half years old**

* * *

><p><strong><span>Heartsick<span> **

"Mmm."

Ash smiled against his wife's forehead. They were cuddled up against one another in their bed, trying to take advantage of some peace and quiet in the house since Aiden and Michelle had actually decided to take a nap for once.

"Pretty girl," Ash murmured, kissing Misty's ivory skin. "Shouldn't you try and get a nap in, too?"

"I'm not that sleepy," Misty insisted, cuddling her head against Ash's chest. "I'm not. I just want to rest is all."

"Okay," Ash whispered, kissing Misty's forehead once again. "But if you want to fall asleep, you can. I won't judge you."

"Thank goodness," Misty sighed. "Wouldn't want the love of my life doing that, now would I?"

"Shh, don't be so sarcastic," Ash teased, now choosing to rub his nose against Misty's forehead instead. "This is nice. Let's be good to each other."

Misty smirked, but chose to follow Ash's suggestion and keep her mouth shut. She closed her eyes, not intending to sleep but just to increase the amount of rest she was getting. She also knew at this angle, Ash couldn't see her face, so he couldn't say anything about it.

He was too distracted by her beauty to do so anyway. He threaded her fiery red locks through his fingers, watching the straight, glossy strands slide through each one. He looked at the sharp arches of her eyebrows, her bare, smooth and milky arms, and the undeniably attractive heaviness of her-

_Riiiing! BZZZ! Riiiiing! BZZZ!_

Ash raised his head and looked over at the nightstand. His poke gear was ringing and vibrating incessantly, which he knew meant he was getting calls and texts at the same time. Of course, there was only one person who ever did that to him.

"Mom," Ash groaned, tilting his head back until it hit the pillows.

"Pick it up," Misty murmured, sounding groggier than she had before.

"Nah, it's fine," Ash refuted.

"It might be an emergency," Misty breathed.

"Mom does this all the time," Ash scoffed. "She's not the best with technology. I'd rather just keep lying here with you."

"I don't want you to miss a call from Delia if it's something serious."

"I guarantee you it's not, Mist."

"Still think you should check."

Ash sighed and rubbed Misty's upper arm. "Just wait. It's going to stop."

They both seemed to hold their breaths, waiting for Ash's prediction to come true. After a few more rings and buzzes, his poke gear was silent, and all that could be heard now was the couples' newly released breaths.

"Told you," Ash teased, kissing the top of Misty's head. "It's fine."

"Mmmm," Misty hummed again, snuggling even deeper into Ash's chest.

_Riiiing! BZZZ! Riiiiing! BZZZ!_

"Oh, come on," Ash groaned.

"Ash, you need to answer it," Misty said. "I don't have a good feeling about it."

"Alright, fine," Ash sighed, kissing Misty one more time atop her head. "Just for you."

Misty smiled to herself as Ash leaned over, snatching his poke gear off the night table and holding it against his ear.

"Hello?" He quipped, making sure he sounded extra sleepy. "What's up, Mom?"

"_Ash, you need to come to Pallet. Right now."_

"What?" Ash droned. "Why?"

"_There's something wrong, Ash."_

He could hear the concern in his mother's voice, and right away, Ash knew this was serious. He glanced down at Misty, who was still in her relaxed state. He didn't want to bring her any unnecessary stress. Biting his lip, Ash patted Misty's shoulder before sitting up and sliding out of bed. Confused, Misty tilted her head back and raised an eyebrow at Ash.

"Is everything okay?" Misty asked.

"Yeah," Ash lied. "I'll be right back, okay?"

He turned and walked out of the room before Misty could respond, leaving behind a very confused wife.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Ash asked once he was sure he was far enough away from his and Misty's bedroom.

"_Professor Oak is in the hospital."_

"What?" Ash gasped, feeling all of the blood drain from his face. "Why?!"

"_We don't really know. Gary called and told me he'd been complaining that his chest hurt earlier, but Professor Oak didn't think it was anything serious. Then he was having a hard time breathing and he collapsed…it's probably something with his heart…oh, Ash, it's so scary…"_

"Okay, I'll come as quickly as I can," Ash promised, clutching his shirt in his free hand. "I just…I don't know what to do about Misty…"

"_I wouldn't stress her out, Ash. It's so bad for her."_

"I know, that's my problem. But this is something she should know, and she should probably come with me."

"_Professor Oak will understand, Ash. It's fine."_

"Is he awake? How does he seem to be doing?"

"_Better than before, but still pretty weak. He's awake right now, and he can speak. But he's definitely not a hundred percent." _

"I…I don't know what to do," Ash murmured, his voice starting to crack with emotion. This was a bad situation, and he knew it. He was scared. He didn't want to know how Misty would react. But he also didn't want to know how Misty would react if he _didn't_ tell her. "I don't know, Mom."

"_Ash, it'll be alright. You do what you think is best. No one will be upset with you either way. You know Misty best. Do whatever it is your heart is telling you to do."_

"Okay," Ash answered slowly, his heart still pounding away in his chest. "Alright. I'll…I'll figure something out. I'll come. I'll be there."

He bid his farewells to his mother and ended the call, clenching his fists as he turned around and walked back into the bedroom. Misty was still lying on the bed, picking her head up once she heard Ash's soft footsteps.

"Ash," Misty mumbled, sounding like she'd just woken up from a short nap. "S'okay?"

"Not really," Ash breathed, too tense to even blink his eyes. "Misty, I need you to listen to me. Just listen. Don't freak out, okay? Promise me."

"Ash, you're scaring me," Misty admitted, finally pushing her whole body up. "What's wrong?"

"Just promise me," Ash repeated, kneeling down on the side of the bed and resting his hand against Misty's cheek.

"I promise," Misty whispered, furrowing her brow.

"Something is wrong with Professor Oak," Ash began slowly, watching as Misty's facial expression changed to fear. "They don't really know what's wrong, but he's in the hospital. Mom wants me to go over there."

"I'm coming with you," Misty breathed, stating it as though it were obvious.

"Is this too stressful for you?" Ash asked.

"No," Misty refuted, quickly shaking her head. "No, it's not. I have to go with you."

"Misty, you already seem stressed out," Ash replied. "I'm not going to put you into this kind of situation. You have to be honest with me. If this is going to hurt you, then I want you to stay here."

"It's not, I'm fine, I'll be fine," Misty rushed out, still shaking her head. "I can't stay here, Ash. I have to come with you. I'll call my parents to come and stay with the twins. I'll do that right now."

Ash dropped his hand from Misty's face and watched as she leaned over to grab her own poke gear. He knew that she was lying to him, and that this was a big mistake.

But Misty was strong willed. There would be no convincing her otherwise.

**XXX**

"Gary, Mom, how is he?"

Delia and Gary turned at the sound of Ash's voices, but their eyes only widened when they saw Misty walking alongside him.

"Misty," Delia breathed, rushing over to the younger woman and holding onto her shoulders.

Ash looked behind him and watched the exchange until Gary grabbed him by his arm.

"Are you nuts?" Gary hissed.

"It was her decision," Ash replied. "She wouldn't stay back, Gary. This isn't what I wanted."

Gary scowled and looked back at Misty. She was staring Delia right in the eyes, unblinking as she listened to every last word the brunette woman was saying to her.

"You had to marry a stubborn one, didn't you, Ketchum?" Gary muttered.

Ash smiled sadly at his old rival. He knew Gary was just stressed. Professor Oak, after all, had pretty much raised the boy. That was his father figure. Ash also knew, however, that Gary was worried about Misty. He teased the both of them like there was no tomorrow, but Ash knew that Gary had a fondness for Misty, and didn't want her to be put in such a situation.

"I didn't have a choice," Ash murmured, shaking his head. "I love her too much."

"Ash."

The Pokémon Master felt someone tugging at his other arm. He turned around and realized it was his mother, who still had her other hand on Misty's shoulder.

"What's up, Mom?"

"Professor Oak asked just before to see you," Delia informed him. "He doesn't know Misty is here."

"Okay," Ash murmured, nodding his head. "I'll go in and see him. Mist-"

"I'm coming too," Misty interrupted, her eyes still unblinking.

"Misty…" Ash warned.

"Please," Misty whispered, striding forward and grabbing Ash's hand. "Let me go with you."

Sighing, Ash closed his eyes and nodded just once. "Fine. Come on."

Although his tone was short, Ash wasn't mad at his wife. He was just frustrated with her stubbornness. He was pretty sure Misty knew this, but just to be safe, as they walked down the hallway, Ash wrapped his arm around Misty's back and kissed the top of her head. As he did this, he could feel her gripping the back of his shirt in her delicate fingers.

They soon reached Room 313, where Professor Oak was lying inside.

"You can handle this?" Ash cautiously asked his wife.

"Yes," Misty squeaked. Her voice sounded quite tight; more high pitched than usual.

Sighing, Ash grabbed the doorknob and twisted it, pushing the door back just enough to poke his head in. What he saw was Professor Oak lying in a hospital bed, looking very pale and exhausted. The constant sound of a heart monitor dinged through the still room; the only sound to be heard.

"Professor Oak?" Ash called softly.

The Pokémon professor made a noise of interest and turned his head towards the door. That's when Ash realized he was pretty out of it; he hadn't even heard Ash open the door.

"Ash, my boy," Professor Oak greeted weakly. "Come in."

"I brought someone else with me," Ash warned, opening the door even wider. He moved out of the way, revealing a rather timid looking Misty. Upon seeing her, Professor Oak's face actually seemed to light up a bit.

"Misty," Professor Oak breathed. He'd tried to sound more excited, but he didn't quite have the energy.

"Hi, Professor," Misty murmured, managing a smile for the man. "How are you feeling?"

"I've been better," he admitted, chuckling just a little bit. "Come here. It's quite alright."

Misty kept walking, trying to keep as close to Ash as possible. He was too focused on Professor Oak, however, and failed to pick up on his wife's anxiety. As she got closer to the professor's bed, she realized he was patting the side of it.

"Sit," he requested softly.

Nodding her head, Misty sat down beside the professor, looking down at him with gentle green eyes.

"It's getting close, isn't it?"

Misty tilted her head. "What do you mean, Professor?"

Smiling weakly, Professor Oak motioned towards Misty's midsection. Looking down, Misty placed a hand on her round belly, giving it a little rub.

"Yeah," Misty replied, finally showing off her own little smile. "Just about."

"How much longer?"

"A little more than a month," Misty breathed, as though she could hardly believe it herself.

"You're excited, aren't you?" Professor Oak murmured.

"Mmhm," Misty murmured.

"You're such a wonderful mother," Professor Oak continued, reaching out and touching Misty's knee. Looking over at Ash, who had sat down on the other side of the bed, Professor Oak added, "you're very lucky, Ash."

"I know I am," Ash laughed softly, looking up at Misty. She didn't meet his gaze, however. She was too busy staring at Professor Oak.

"You've been feeling alright, my dear?" Professor Oak asked as he looked back over at Misty.

"You don't have to worry about me, Professor," Misty murmured. "I'm fine. It's _you_ we've got to worry about."

"There isn't a thing to worry about," Professor Oak practically whispered. "Whatever happens…we can't control it."

Misty's eyes widened just a bit. This Ash did notice, and it placed an unsettling feeling deep in his stomach.

"Professor…" Misty began, her voice as sweet as could be, "don't say those kinds of things! You're going to be just fine. We all know how strong you are!"

"Oh, I'm not as strong as I used to be," Professor Oak refuted. "That's what happens when you get on in years."

"You're only 64, that's not old at all," Misty softly argued. "Come on, I know you'll be fine. I really do."

"You're very encouraging, dear," Professor Oak sighed through a smile. "We'll see."

At this, Misty's face paled even more. Her eyes darted around the room for a few seconds before she gently took Professor Oak's hand and held it in her own.

"I know what I'm talking about," Misty continued. "Just trust me. Here…don't you want to meet her?"

She took his hand and placed it on her stomach, smiling weakly at him all the while. He returned the action and tried his best to press his hand more firmly against her stomach, but just didn't have the strength.

"It's fine," Misty whispered, pressing her hand atop his own so it was closer to her stomach. "See?"

The baby inside kicked just once, lighting up Professor Oak's face once again.

"Well, what do you know," he murmured.

"She wants to meet you too," Misty breathed.

"I can already tell that she's just like Ash," Professor Oak softly remarked, earning a smirk from the younger male. "But I'm sure he knows that."

"She's a tough one," Ash replied, nodding his head. "A little fighter, for sure."

"Then perhaps that just means it really is my time to go," Professor Oak mused.

"What?!" Ash and Misty gasped simultaneously.

"Professor Oak, what do you mean?" Ash asked.

"Have you ever heard the theory that in order for a new life to enter this world, another one must leave?" Professor Oak replied. "Perhaps this is the case. Maybe your little girl is meant to take my place."

"Professor Oak, don't talk like that," Misty nearly begged, holding his hand even tighter. "I don't believe in those kinds of things. There's plenty of room on this planet for the both of you."

"Your daughter has already been through so much," Professor Oak breathed, tilting his head back and closing his eyes. "Ash is right. She's a fighter. I'd be glad to give up my place for her."

"But you're not going to," Misty replied strongly, squeezing Professor Oak's hand. "You're going to be okay! You'll be here when she's born, and you'll meet her. You're both so strong…it'll be perfect."

"Perhaps," Professor Oak whispered before letting his hand drop. Misty watched on in horror, barely able to regain her breath even as he let out a gentle snore, indicating that he was just asleep.

"Come on, Mist," Ash urged, getting to his feet. "He needs his rest."

With that terrified look still on her face, Misty got up as well and walked slowly towards the door, her eyes once again wide and unblinking. Ash closed the door behind them, and the next thing he saw was Misty with her back against the wall, that ghastly expression on her face.

"Misty, what's wrong?" Ash breathed.

"It's…it's just like my grandmother…" Misty muttered.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked.

"This is just like my grandmother…before she…before…" Misty tried to say the word, but just couldn't. She shook her head and allowed her shoulders to slump as she squeezed her eyes shut. "Arceus, it's like I'm reliving it. Every memory of it…every time I step foot in that hospital, in that stupid room…the last time I saw her…"

"I knew this was a bad idea," Ash hissed, mainly at himself. "Misty, sweetheart, come on. Try not to think about it, okay? I understand how hard this is for you. I do. But it's not good for you to-"

"Ash, he can't die for our baby," Misty wailed, still shaking her head.

"No, Misty, tell me you don't believe in that kind of stuff," Ash near pleaded. "You said in there that you didn't!"

"It makes too much sense," Misty whispered, lowering her head. "This isn't fair, Ash. This can't happen. I want them both in our lives. It isn't fair."

"Misty, don't cry," Ash groaned, striding forward and trying to hug his wife. "Come on, I'm worried about you."

"Me?!" Misty sobbed, pushing Ash away from her. "Don't worry about me! No one should be worried about me! I'm worried about Professor Oak, and Gary! And you…"

"Me?" Ash breathed, furrowing his brow. "Why me?"

"Ash, you never let anyone worry about you," Misty whimpered, shaking her head. "But I know…I know that Professor Oak is the closest thing you've ever had to a father. You can't stand there and tell me you're alright."

"I've been better," Ash admitted, nodding just once. "But Mist-"

"No, stop bringing me up," Misty whined. "This isn't about me, Ash."

She finally stepped towards him again, holding his face in her hands. He scowled, but that didn't deter Misty at all.

"Stop worrying about me," Misty commanded. "We have to worry about Professor Oak instead."

"I can worry about the both of you," Ash replied.

"No, stop," Misty scolded, shaking her head. "You're trying to hide everything, Ash. Stop doing that! It's not making me feel any better."

"Don't you see?!" Ash finally snapped, causing Misty to shudder ever so slightly. "I have no choice but to be worried about you! Ever since Mom called me…all I've done is worry! About her, about Gary, about Professor Oak and you…it's all I've done, Misty."

"You're doing it so you don't have to think about yourself, aren't you?" Misty murmured, realization suddenly hitting her. "I know you're worried about all of us…that's just how you are. But you're also doing it so you don't have to think about yourself, right? You don't want to be worried. You don't want to be scared. But you are, Ash. I can tell. I know you too well. You're worried about him, aren't you?"

Ash stood perfectly still, just staring at his wife. His expression remained the same, but his eyes were full of pain.

"Ash…" Misty breathed.

"I don't know what to do, Misty," Ash whispered, shaking his head. His eyes were quickly filling with tears, and Misty could feel a sharp pang in her heart. "I need him to be okay. I…I can't lose him, Mist. You're right. He's the closest thing I've ever had to a father. We've been so close, ever since I was a little kid…I need him to be okay, Misty."

Frowning, Misty embraced her husband, resting her head on his shoulder. He lowered his own head, enough so that it was on Misty's opposite shoulder. He was quiet about it, but Misty could feel the sobs wracking his body. Closing her emerald eyes, Misty mindlessly toyed with Ash's hair, not saying a single word as he let out all of his pent up emotions on her shoulder.

**XXX**

Delia's previous guess had been correct: the source of Professor Oak's problems was his heart.

Ash found it completely ironic that a man like Professor Oak could have a bad heart. He was easily one of the kindest people Ash had ever met.

And yet…his heart wasn't actually all that good.

It was a bit touch and go for the rest of that week. Professor Oak remained in the hospital, and some days were better than others. Ash and Misty spent a lot of time between Delia's house and Professor Oak's, bringing Aiden and Michelle along with them. The young children were naturally good at making people who loved them feel better, and it certainly seemed to be doing wonders for both Delia and Gary. Neither one fully understood what was wrong with the professor; Ash and Misty felt that their children were too young for full disclosure. Instead, they simply told the twins that Professor Oak wasn't really feeling well, and was being taken care of by doctors who would be able to help him.

Of course, they seemed to sense more than that, as most children typically did, and made sure to do everything in their power to make those around them feel much better.

Even young Sam, whom they normally both picked fights with.

During that tough week, Misty and Ash didn't dare leave one another's sides. Misty made sure she was watching after Ash, repeatedly urging him to not fuss over her. He tried his best, but Misty occasionally got just as upset as him, and that's when Ash would jump into action and do his best to make her feel better. There were certainly tears, mostly at night or whenever else the children weren't around, but the two were good at comforting their respective partner.

By the end of the week, however, Professor Oak's condition had vastly improved. Further testing had proved that whatever plagued his heart wasn't that severe, and could easily be controlled by medication. He remained in the hospital for a few more days while taking the medication so he could be observed by doctors to ensure that it was working. After only two or three days, it seemed to be doing wonders. So much so, in fact, that Ash and Misty believed it was okay to bring Aiden and Michelle for a visit.

Seeing the young children brightened Professor Oak up immediately, although he certainly wasn't as pale as he'd been that first day when Ash and Misty visited him. Aiden and Michelle's cheerful dispositions and warm smiles were enough to get Professor Oak laughing and chatting along with the two. When their visit with the man was over, Aiden and Michelle walked out of the hospital holding the hands of their parents. As they stepped into the elevator, Aiden tugged at his father's pants, catching Ash's attention.

"What's up, champ?" Ash asked softly.

"Daddy, I thought you said –fessor was sick," Aiden murmured. "He's not! He's the same as always!"

**XXX**

Roughly a month later, Professor Oak and Misty found themselves in opposite positions. Now, it was Misty lying in a hospital bed, and Professor Oak sitting by her side.

But this situation was very different from the last.

"Isn't she beautiful?" Misty asked softly, smiling at the older man.

Professor Oak smirked and looked down at the baby in his arms. "Extremely so! Her eyes are stunning."

Baby Elizabeth made no noise, but just blinked. Her eyes were completely fixed on the man holding her, full of wonderment and curiosity.

"I knew you'd be able to meet her," Misty teased.

"You certainly did," Professor Oak chuckled. "You are wise beyond your years, my girl."

"You're both good and tough, huh?" Misty crooned, reaching over and gently caressing Elizabeth's cheek. "The professor's got a lot to teach you when you get older, baby!"

"I bet you're going to love Pokémon just as much as your parents and your older siblings," Professor Oak murmured to the baby.

"I don't think Daddy would allow anything else," Misty giggled.

"Hey, I'm right here!" Ash groaned from the other side of the bed. "And you know I'll love my baby no matter what."

"Yeah, but I don't think she's got much of a choice in this family but to love 'em!" Misty laughed.

"There isn't a better family for her to grow up with once that love emerges," Professor Oak noted.

Elizabeth finally made a noise, a strange combination of a squeak and a little cry. Chuckling softly, Professor Oak looked back down at the girl and poked her nose.

"Yes, we're talking about you," Professor Oak murmured. "But they're good things! No one would ever say a bad thing about you, little one."

Ash smirked and looked up at Professor Oak. "You've got a big soft spot for Elizabeth, don't ya, Professor?"

"Of course I do!" Professor Oak laughed, pointing at the left side of his chest. "Right here."

* * *

><p><strong>See, it's okay! I didn't kill anyone! I could never kill Professor Oak, lol. But I wanted a slightly more mature piece, and I think I got it! But still with the happy ending, of course ;)<strong>


	351. Six Year Old Stars

**I FINALLY got down the official birthday one shot for Aiden and Michelle! Took a little bit of thinking but I finally came up with an idea that I liked. Hopefully you'll all enjoy it, too!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 6 years old**

**Elizabeth: 4 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Six Year Old Stars<strong>

"Mommy, do me and Aiden still get to have a birthday?"

Misty looked down at her young daughter with raised eyebrows. "Of course, sweetheart! Why in the world would you think that you don't?"

"-cause of Elizabeth," Michelle sheepishly admitted.

"No, not at all, Shelly," Misty refuted, reaching out and touching the girl's face. "Daddy and I have told you a hundred times, Elizabeth isn't here to replace either of you! You two are still our babies, too. We're going to celebrate your birthday, don't you worry."

Michelle's eyes lit up and she nodded, jumping off the couch and running out of the room. She nearly collided with Ash, who glanced down with a look of surprise. Michelle was a lot less affected, and simply giggled as she continued to scurry away.

"Well, Michelle sure seems to be in a good mood," Ash chuckled.

"She just asked me the strangest question," Misty murmured, staring over her husband's head.

"What'd she ask?" Ash questioned.

"She asked if she and Aiden still got to celebrate their birthday now that we've got Elizabeth," Misty replied, still looking over her husband.

"That _is_ strange," Ash hummed. "I wonder why she'd even think that."

"I think we have to make their birthday extra special this year," Misty decided, finally looking Ash in the eyes.

"Why? Because they didn't think they were going to get one?"

"Exactly."

"I dunno, Mist. You think that's really necessary?"

"I don't want Aiden and Michelle thinking they're not special to us just because we had another baby," Misty continued with a frown. "We love all of our children equally, and they have to understand that!"

"So we're going to throw them some over the top party to ensure that?"

"Yup."

Ash sighed and shook his head. "You and I are _so_ different, Mist."

"Well, we must prove that old adage right," Misty murmured.

"Which is?"

"Opposites attract," Misty replied with a wink.

"Right," Ash chuckled lowly. "I dunno, Mist. I just don't think we need to go crazy to prove to the twins that we love them."

"Oh gods, Ash!" Misty hissed, sounding horribly offended. "This isn't to prove that we love them! I would certainly hope Aiden and Michelle know that we love them…"

"That isn't completely what I meant," Ash murmured, frowning at the notion. "It just came out wrong. I'm sorry, angel."

"I know, it's okay," Misty sighed, watching as Ash sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "That isn't what my plan is. My plan is for Aiden and Michelle to see this big, perfectly planned party, and realize that we've had their birthday on our minds this whole time. That we didn't forget, and they're still going to be celebrated just like they were before Elizabeth arrived."

"So, got any plans?" Ash asked, deciding that arguing with Misty about the subject wasn't going to get him anywhere.

"As a matter of fact, I do," Misty breathed, turning her head and beaming.

**XXX**

"I can't decide if I love this…or if I hate it."

Misty looked at Ash and smirked. "What do you mean?"

Ash furrowed his brow and looked around the room. It was huge and quite open, probably because it used to be a warehouse. Now, however, it had been transformed into a party place for children, filled with various inflatables that they could jump on, slide down, and climb all over.

"I love it because it's perfect for a bunch of little kids," Ash explained, still looking around the room. "But I hate it because I want to go on all of this stuff."

"All of it?" Misty asked with a giggle.

"Yup."

"Even the big inflatable obstacle course?"

"That's what I wanna go on the most!"

Misty giggled and looked down by her feet, where Elizabeth's carrier sat with the baby inside.

"At least Elizabeth is asleep," Misty breathed. "We can put all of our focus on the party."

"She's going to wake up eventually," Ash commented, as though Misty didn't know this.

"Of course she will," Misty murmured. "But I did as much as I could to make sure she'd be asleep for a good portion of the party! I fed her right before we left, so she wouldn't get hungry again for a while, and I rocked her to sleep before even putting her in the car! So she should be good for the next few hours."

"Well, the party hasn't even started yet, and the twins already seem totally distracted," Ash noted, pointing out to the middle of the floor.

Aiden and Michelle were running from inflatable to inflatable, giggling and shouting out everything they were excited about to one another. None of their friends had arrived yet, but Aiden and Michelle were already each other's playmates, so neither one was ever lonely.

"Wow, check out this place!"

Ash and Misty both turned their heads and smiled.

"Hey, Brock-o!" Ash greeted cheerfully, hurrying over to his best friend and pulling the man into a hug by his hand. "Great to see you!"

"Please, I wouldn't miss this for anything!" Brock laughed.

"Where are Forrest, Olivia, and Brandon?" Misty asked.

"Just trying to wrangle the kid and all of the presents," Brock chuckled.

"_All_ of the presents?" Misty repeated, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah, I left mine with them," Brock replied.

"Oh, thank goodness," Misty sighed. "I thought you were just spoiling them to death."

"Oh, we _are_ spoiling them," Brock assured her. "Don't you worry about that."

"Fantastic," Misty sighed.

"BROCK!"

The Pokémon Doctor nearly fell over as he was tackled by the newly turned six year olds, their small arms wrapped around his legs and torso.

"Man, you guys really know how to jump!" Brock gasped through a laugh. "Save some of that energy for the party, huh?"

"Brock, Brock, come look!" Michelle urged, tugging on the man's pants. "Come on!"

"Alright, I'm coming!" Brock laughed, plucking Aiden off of his torso and standing the young boy back on the floor as he ruffled his raven hair. "Show me whatever you want!"

Michelle grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the giant slide, chattering on and on about it for the entire walk. She held out the bottom of her flowy blue top like a princess' skirt, spinning around as she continued to excitedly explain everything in the room.

"Well, they should sleep _wonderfully_ tonight," Ash remarked, smirking at his wife.

"Let's hope," Misty sighed, shaking her head.

"Aiden! Michelle!"

The twins whipped around and began to shriek with laughter the minute they saw Brandon. They gathered around the boy, chatting him up just as much as they'd been doing to Brock. After about a minute, they grabbed his hands and started dragging him towards the giant bounce house against the wall.

"Aiden, Michelle, freeze!" Misty ordered.

The twins followed their mother's order, stopping in their tracks and turning to look at her.

"Take off your shoes first," Misty sighed, motioning towards their feet.

Running over to her, Aiden and Michelle both sat down, removing their respective shoes: Aiden his gray and red sneakers, and Michelle her bright blue high tops. As soon as Aiden's shoes were off, Brandon tugged the younger boy up by his red, black, white, and gray striped sleeve and pulled him back towards the bouncy house. Michelle squealed and followed right after the boys, refusing to be left behind.

"Those kids are crazy," Forrest remarked, walking up to Ash and Misty.

"I remember you being pretty wild as a kid, Forrest," Misty teased.

"As a kid?" Olivia scoffed. "He's _still_ like that!"

"Come on, Olivia," Forrest groaned while the other adults laughed. "You're more embarrassing than my mom!"

It didn't take much longer for the rest of the guests to arrive. May and Drew came with Damien and Rosie around the same time as Gary, his wife Kayla, and their son, Sam. Delia was one of the later ones to arrive only because she had so many gifts for the twins, much to Ash's exasperation. Professor Oak came along with her, and Michelle's best friend Selena, along with her parents, hadn't come too far behind. Daisy, Violet, and Lily each arrived with their respective husbands and daughters after that. Dakota and Vanessa both felt they were a bit too old for the inflatables, but they ended up managing to occupy themselves on one of the corner trampolines, practicing the tumbling that they had learned in dance, gymnastics, and cheerleading. Lola, unlike her two older cousins, was all about the inflatables, and had taken a shine to defeating the younger kids in the obstacle course. Iris and Cilan were among the last to arrive, mainly because Basil, Kokum, and Sage had all decided it would be fun to get into a huge argument before leaving. They had all arrived in one piece, as Cilan had no problem reminding his irritated wife, and that to him was all that mattered.

The adults had no problem hanging back and allowing the children to play, but Misty could occasionally see Ash eyeing the inflatable obstacle course. She sighed and shook her head. Misty really didn't care if Ash went on it or not, but for now he was staying still, and she didn't want to actually give him the invitation to go.

It was only when Lola came running over, fire in her sapphire eyes as she challenged Ash to a race on the obstacle course. He finally looked at Misty for approval, to which she smirked and nodded. Beaming, Ash ran after Lola, the two of them firing off playful insults at one another as they headed for the inflatable.

"So…you said _your _husband acts like a child?" Misty asked Olivia, smirking at the younger woman.

"They're both pretty rough around the edges," Olivia admitted with a little giggle.

Misty and Olivia's conversation was cut short by a sudden wail; shrill and clearly unhappy. Both women looked down by Misty's feet, where Elizabeth was now awake and blubbering.

"I was hoping she'd sleep longer than that!" Misty groaned.

"Don't you worry, Misty," Brock jumped in, proudly hitting his chest. "Godfather Brock's got this!"

Misty decided to bite her tongue on the obnoxious comment she was about to dish out, and instead watched as Brock knelt down and lifted the fussy baby out of her carrier and into his arms.

"What is it?" Brock crooned as Elizabeth continued to whimper. "Are you upset that no one is paying attention to you? Aw, it's okay, little girl. Brocky is here! And he loves you so much, yes he does! I'll give you all of the snuggles and cuddles and attention that you could possibly want!"

"Watching my brother with babies is nauseating," Forrest deadpanned, shaking his head.

Brock, however, was too enamored with baby Elizabeth to say anything in retaliation to his younger brother. He started walking around the room, mindlessly narrating everything he saw to little Elizabeth.

"Look at this!" Brock playfully gasped, walking up to the side of the inflatable slide. "Look how squishy it is!"

He reached out and patted the slide, earning a curious coo from Elizabeth as she reached out to try and touch it herself.

"You wanna feel?" Brock asked sweetly.

He leaned forward until the baby's palm was against the soft material. She babbled nonsensically, patting it and squealing with delight as her hand bounced right back at her.

"Ah, you're so cute," Brock chuckled, shaking his head.

"Brock!"

The Pokémon doctor looked down and found Aiden staring up at him with wide, expectant eyes. Brandon was standing beside him, head slightly tilted to the side.

"What's up, buddy?" Brock asked.

"Go on somethin' with me!" Aiden giggled.

"I'll go with you in a little while, okay?" Brock replied kindly. "I'm watching after Lizzie right now."

"No, come on!" Aiden urged, reaching out and tugging at Brock's pants. "I wanna go now, Brock!"

"In a little bit, Aiden," Brock sighed. "Go play with Brandon for now!"

"We went on everything together already, Uncle Brock," Brandon chimed in. "A whole buncha times! Now we wanna go on stuff with you."

"Guys, I told you I can't do anything while I'm watching Elizabeth," Brock said.

"So give her back to my mom!" Aiden whined. "You don't gotta watch her!"

"Aiden, why're you being so impatient today?" Brock patiently asked his godson.

"-Cause I wanna go on stuff with you!" Aiden cried, still pulling at Brock's pants. "It's _my_ birthday! _Not_ Lizzie's!"

Those were the words that struck Brock. He remembered all of Ash and Misty's stress, their fear of the twins feeling left out once Elizabeth arrived, Michelle's concern that her and Aiden's birthday would be forgotten because of the baby…

And _that's_ when the man felt guilty.

It took only a matter of seconds for him to rush back over to Misty, baby still in his arms. He kissed Elizabeth's head and profusely apologized to the little thing before handing her off to her very confused mother, racing after Aiden and Brandon much like Ash had before with Lola.

"…what just happened?" Misty asked to no one in particular.

"I think my brother has officially lost his mind," Forrest guessed, shrugging his shoulders. "Just my opinion, of course."

* * *

><p><strong>The ending might have been a bit abrupt. Not 100% sure. But I did think it was funny! So there's that.<strong>

**I've got finals for the next week, but only one test and one paper left to write. So look out for some new installments coming your way!**


	352. Lights, Camera, Adorable!

**I'm so close to finishing my finals! Only two and a half more pages of my paper...I can ALMOST see the light at the end of the tunnel! Almost :P**

**But for now...let's have another one shot, shall we? ;)**

**Aiden and Michelle: 6 years old**

**Elizabeth: 7 months old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Lights, Camera, Adorable!<strong>

"Aww, just look at my beautiful baby!"

Elizabeth giggled as her mother tickled her stomach, which in turn made Misty laugh. There was nothing she loved more than the sound of her baby's laughter. Ash, Aiden, and Michelle were all watching the baby and smiling down at the little thing. Her giggles definitely were adorable.

"You guys have the cutest baby sister in the whole wide world," Ash chuckled. "Just look at how happy she is!"

Elizabeth gurgled and looked around at her family. Her emerald green eyes were wide and full of innocence, her full and pouty lips forming a big smile. She was being held in Misty's arms, her back against her mother's body while she looked around the table.

"That's exactly what we've been looking for!"

Ash and Misty both looked up in confusion, and were surprised to see a well-dressed man walking up to them. He was outfitted in a dark gray suit, with a maroon dress shirt underneath and a black tie fixed around his neck. A matching burgundy beret atop his head also helped to add to the well put together appearance.

"This baby is absolutely perfect for my new movie! How excellent!"

The man leaned over so he and Elizabeth were face to face. The baby girl cooed, curling her little fingers into fists that she could wave in the air.

"And she's happy too," the man noted. "Perfection!"

Misty blinked, pulling the baby closer into her. "Excuse me, but who are you?"

"Ah, how terrible of me, I forgot to introduce myself!" The man cleared his throat and stood up to his full height. "The name is Martin Maple. I'm a movie director, you see, and I'm in town shooting my latest film! I was just wandering around downtown in the hopes that perhaps I would find the ideal child to cast in the film, and it would appear that _your _baby is the one!"

"Elizabeth? A movie star?" Ash murmured, trying to imagine the scene in his head. All he could picture, however, was the baby girl crawling down the red carpet while the nosy paparazzi took pictures of her. Basically, it was the life she already led thanks to Ash's profession, save for the red carpet.

"Hey mister, what kind of movie are you makin'?" Aiden called.

"I'm glad you asked!" Martin cried as he pointed at Aiden, who raised an eyebrow at the action. "The movie is about a baby princess who is nearly kidnapped from her parents, and as a result, they refuse to let their child see the outside world because they are so fearful for her safety. Eventually, the princess grows up and tries to find a way to sneak out of the castle. It's really a wonderful tale."

"Does she get out?" Michelle asked, sounding genuinely interested.

"Perhaps," Martin chuckled. "You'll have to see it in order to find out!"

"Boring," Aiden muttered.

Ignoring Aiden's comment, Martin clasped his hands together and prodded, "so, what do you think? Would you mind it terribly if I casted your precious little daughter in my film? It's sure to be a hit!"

"I don't know…" Misty murmured before turning her eyes onto her husband. "What do you think, Ash?"

Before he could respond, Martin let out an over the top gasp, which startled everyone sitting at the table, except for baby Elizabeth. She, instead, began to giggle in a delightful fashion while continuing to wave her fists in the air.

"Ash, as in Ash Ketchum?" Martin marveled, "the Pokémon Master?"

Ash's eyes were still wide with alarm. "Uh…yeah…"

"This is most excellent!" Martin was practically jumping up and down at this point. "Having the daughter of the world famous Pokémon Master in my movie will only make things better! You really do have to say yes, oh please! I know little Elizabeth will make for a wonderful baby princess!"

Ash sighed and turned his head to stare at his baby. She was still laughing and waving her hands in the air. Such a happy, carefree little girl. She probably would have no idea that she was even being filmed. Elizabeth just really loved attention.

"I guess it'd be okay," Ash replied slowly, much to the director's delight. "I mean, she gets photographed by the paparazzi all the time without our permission. Letting her be in a movie can't be that bad, right?"

Misty shrugged. "I suppose not."

"Perfect!" Martin cheered. "Come with me, and I'll bring you right to the movie set!"

**XXX**

"…this is it?"

Ash looked around the "movie set" with confused eyes. It really wasn't much, no big lights or well-built sets. It was just a small wooden castle sitting in the middle of the forest, with some cameramen and other crew standing around waiting to film.

"It's not much of a set," Misty commented, Elizabeth cooing from her arms.

"Well yes, that's what happens when you have a low key budget," Martin mumbled with some apparent disdain for someone that neither Ash nor Misty knew. "Either way, this is where little Elizabeth will be shooting her scenes as the baby princess! Could I see her, please?"

Misty let out a soft, contemplative hum, but eventually agreed to it and gave the baby up to the director. Elizabeth gurgled curiously and started patting the director atop his head, earning an earnest giggle from her mother.

"She's a curious little thing," Misty explained through her laughter.

"Yes…I could tell…" Martin grumbled.

"She should be a good baby actress," Misty continued. "Elizabeth very rarely cries or fusses!"

"At least that's a plus," Martin sighed, holding the baby away from him at arm's length. "Wardrobe!"

At this cry, two young males came running over to Martin, looking the slightest bit panicked.

"Prepare our little star for her scenes," Martin ordered, handing the giggly baby off to one of the men. "She needs to be in the baby princess costume and back on set in ten minutes!"

"Yes sir!"

Ash and Misty watched as the two scurried off with their daughter, who was smiling at them over the shoulder of the man holding her.

"Um…I'm going to follow them," Misty commented, turning on a heel to face the same direction as Martin's wardrobe helpers. "The last thing I need is to find out those two are Team Rocket in disguise."

Ash nodded as his wife hurried after them before turning his attention onto the twins. "So this is pretty cool, huh guys? We're on a real movie set!"

"It's kinda boring," Aiden muttered, leading Ash to chuckle nervously.

"Yeah, it just looks like a forest!" Michelle chimed in.

"Well, they're not all gonna be super fancy…" Ash laughed worriedly. "I think this is just…maybe…on location! Yeah, that's what they call it."

Aiden furrowed his brow and turned towards Martin. "Are you _sure_ you know what you're doing?"

"Aiden!" Ash gasped.

"Of course I know what I'm doing, kid," Martin replied gruffly. "I've directed many films during my storied career! Haven't you ever heard of '_The Drifblim Dilemma'_?"

"Nope," Aiden chirped, shaking his head.

"Well…what about '_Revenge of the Ralts'_?"

"Nuh uh."

"'_Heartbreak for Horsea'_?"

"No…"

"Well, you've obviously seen my biggest hit: '_Inglorious Bastiodon'_."

"What's that?"

Ash hummed nervously as Martin's whole face turned red. "You are talking to a six year old. He really only watches kid movies, ya know."

"Oh, so you've seen my films, haven't you?" Martin trilled, rushing up to Ash and holding his hands together.

"Uh…yeah," Ash drawled, hoping that Martin wouldn't catch his lie.

"I knew I could count on the Pokémon Master!" Martin practically wept. "What a wonderful man!"

"Right…" Ash murmured, taking a step back.

"The baby is all dressed, sir!"

Martin's eyes lit up as he looked around Ash and caught sight of the fully costumed baby. "Wonderful! Excellent! She matches my vision just perfectly!"

Ash turned around himself and smirked once he realized that Elizabeth was back in Misty's arms. He'd been surprised she'd let those strangers hold Elizabeth in the first place; she was very picky about who got to handle her baby, and clearly, she'd reached her breaking point during the process.

As for Elizabeth's appearance, she was now sporting a small gold tiara on her head and was outfitted in a sparkly pink dress, with a skirt filled with far too many layers of tulle. It certainly looked heavier than Elizabeth herself, which seemed to be proven as soon as Misty tried to sit the baby down on the ground and she fell right over.

"Look, Daddy!" Aiden marveled with a giggle. "Lizzie is all topsy turvy!"

"Are you sure that costume is alright?" Ash nervously asked Martin, watching as Misty fussed over the baby and picked her back up. For what it was worth, Elizabeth didn't seem bothered by her spill and was just giggling instead.

"It's perfect!" Martin exclaimed. "The princess in this movie is supposed to be dressed extravagantly at all times, even as an infant! In fact, most of our budget was spent on the princess' wardrobe."

"Can't say I'm surprised," Misty remarked under her breath.

"You're where Aiden gets it from," Ash groaned, shaking his head.

"Alright, it's time to film!" Martin announced, clapping his hands together. "Everyone, in positions!"

Misty nervously took her hands off of Elizabeth, keeping them in midair between them both just in case the baby fell over again. Fortunately, she seemed to have become adjusted to her overly frilly costume, and was now staying upright.

Biting her lower lip, Misty got back to her feet and scurried over to Ash, standing next to her husband and wringing her hands together.

"Are you nervous about Elizabeth being an actress now or something?" Ash asked, watching as Misty twisted her hands.

"No," Misty scoffed, shaking her head. "I'm just worried about her getting weighed down by that ridiculous costume is all."

"I think she's got it figured out," Ash noted. "Our baby girl is a fast learner! Look, she knows how to work that fluffy skirt just fine."

Elizabeth was sticking her tongue out as she picked up the first few layers of skirt and tugged at them, squealing with delight as the tulle fanned around her and kicked up air.

"Elizabeth looks kind of like a doll, Mommy," Michelle noted. "A really girly doll that Vanessa made me play with once."

"She does, doesn't she?" Misty giggled.

"I don't like it," Michelle muttered, scrunching her nose up.

"They're both acting like you!" Ash groaned. "Unbelievable!"

"Why are you surprised?" Misty asked. "They're both half of me!"

"Silence!" Martin ordered, causing both Ash and Misty to jump. "We're about to shoot our very first scene! And it's a pivotal one!"

"What happens?" Michelle asked.

"It's the scene where the baby is nearly kidnapped, causing her parents to worry for her safety," Martin explained. "This, of course, is what leads to the main conflict in the story: the princess being trapped in the castle for a majority of her years growing up!"

"Oh," Michelle murmured, nervously shifting her eyes around.

"Wait, who's pretending to kidnap my baby?" Misty asked nervously. "Is it going to scare my precious little thing?"

"No no, not at all," Martin quickly refuted. "Action!"

A clapboard sounded right before the camera started rolling, capturing Elizabeth's playful antics: her playing with the fluffy skirt of her dress, head tilting up as her eyes followed the wild flying type Pokémon soaring though the forest sky. It was everything that Martin had been hoping for out of his baby actress.

As Elizabeth happily minded her own business, shaking her head back and forth, a loud cackling noise sounded from inside the nearby trees. This caught the baby's attention, earning a curious squeak from the girl as she turned her head to try and identify the source of the noise. A shadowy figure suddenly emerged from the trees, dressed in a black cloak with a gold masquerade mask covering the person's eyes.

Misty's breath hitched, and she subconsciously reached out for Ash's hand. Elizabeth's eyes widened once she saw the figure, but she didn't do much else. She just sat there, watching as the person got closer and closer.

"Ah, if it isn't the young princess," the obvious villain drawled, reaching out towards Elizabeth with long, blood red nails. "Out all alone in the woods, I see! What a terrible mistake the king and queen have made. How foolish, to assume that no harm would ever come to their precious daughter! They are both about to learn their lesson, those fools…"

Elizabeth blinked her eyes, continuing to watch as an arrow was shot at the villain. The shadowy figure shrieked and took a step backwards, glaring over the baby's head.

"You!" A man yelled out. "Stay away from the princess!"

Elizabeth turned her head in the other direction, watching as someone dressed as a knight came running towards her. She was quickly scooped up into his left arm while his right brandished a sword, pointing it threateningly at the villain.

"You'd best disappear back into the trees," the knight threatened. "That is, if you don't want more trouble than you've already got!"

"You stupid knight," the villain hissed. "You think I fear you and your feeble sword? The magic that I possess is much stronger than your measly weapon! I don't believe you'd wish to find yourself cursed, would you?"

"I won't fall for such a bluff," the knight insisted. "You are to leave this place immediately, before the king and queen get word of your attempt to kidnap the princess!"

"Such empty threats, my dear knight," the villain snarled, lowering her hands. "I don't have time for these games. Your life isn't worth my time. But mark my words, the princess will not be safe forever. No matter what you try to do, I will find a way to take her under my wing and turn her to evil. Even if it takes a curse on the whole kingdom to do so! And that you may tell to the king and queen."

Grabbing her cloak, the villain covered herself in the black fabric and was soon engulfed by a puff of dark smoke. The knight groaned and covered his face, turning away. Elizabeth, who was still being held in the knight's other arm, cooed and reached out to where the villain had just been standing. Once the smoke cleared, she was no longer standing there, leaving the knight to look up and snarl.

"Cut!"

With that single command, the whole mood changed. The actor who was playing the knight now held Elizabeth in both arms, smiling down at the baby.

"You're quite a wonderful little actress!" He complimented her. Elizabeth mumbled curiously and reached up towards his face, trying to grab his nose. "Ha! What a funny little thing."

Biting her lower lip, Misty walked towards the actor, holding her hands behind her back.

"Excuse me," Misty prodded gently but confidently, "would it be alright if I took my daughter back?"

"Oh, certainly!" The actor laughed, looking between Misty and Elizabeth as he handed the baby off. "You know, I can see where this little one gets her beauty from."

Misty fluttered her eyelashes as her cheeks turned a fierce shade of red. Behind her, Ash growled and tightened his hands into fists. Michelle looked over at him and took notice of this immediately, blinking her wide, emerald eyes.

"Daddy's jealous," Michelle commented aloud, looking towards a confused Aiden.

"He's jealous of Lizzie?" Aiden asked naively.

"Nuh uh," Michelle sighed, shaking her head. "That knight guy!"

"No way, Daddy's cooler than a knight!" Aiden argued. "Right, Daddy? Knights are lame! Well, not really. I like 'em. But I think it's cooler to be a Pokémon Master!"

"No, he's not jealous –cause that guy's a knight!" Michelle whined.

"Why else would he be?" Aiden muttered.

"Never mind," Michelle grumbled, narrowing her eyes. "You don't get it."

"So, how was she?" Misty asked Martin, walking back over to the director. "Was my beautiful little girl everything you were hoping for?"

"I suppose," Martin murmured. "I was kind of expecting her to be a bit more frightened of the villain, but I suppose that will do."

"Wait…you _wanted_ my baby to cry?" Misty asked, with a scowl.

"Not necessarily cry, but look a little upset or something to that effect," Martin elaborated. "It's fine. I can work with what I got."

"Wonderful," Misty deadpanned, trying her best not to roll her eyes as she walked back to her family. "Well? What did you guys think?"

"I thought Lizzie was really good!" Michelle chirped. "She stayed quiet the whole time!"

"Yeah, and she didn't even spit up on anybody!" Aiden added.

"I personally think Mr. Actor Boy should keep his thoughts to himself," Ash snarled, still glaring over Misty's shoulder.

"Oh, relax," Misty sighed, grabbing Ash's chin and turning his head back towards her. "It was just a little compliment. We all know I love you the most, honey."

"Yeah?" Ash nearly whispered.

"Yeah, you idiot!" Misty seethed, smacking his chest with the back of her hand. "It's been almost thirteen years and you're _still_ questioning it?"

"I'm not questioning it," Ash grumbled as he rubbed the spot that Misty had hit. "I just get nervous is all. I know that other guys think you're pretty. They'd be blind if they didn't think so. But that doesn't mean I want them to say it out loud…"

Misty smirked and moved closer to Ash. "You jealous little boy you."

"I'm not a little boy," Ash muttered, staring down at Misty.

"Oh, I know you're not," Misty replied, tilting her head up to catch Ash's lips in her own before whispering against them, "I know."

"Ick," Michelle spat, looking away from her parents.

"I'd rather watch that dumb thing again than see that," Aiden complained, pointing towards where his younger sister had just filmed her first movie scene.

"HEY!" Martin cried, sounding utterly pained. "What you just witnessed was a masterpiece!"

"Yeah right," Aiden scoffed. "I've seen better stuff on my cartoons!"

"Damn kids," Martin muttered under his breath. "Don't understand anything about cinematics…"

* * *

><p><strong>Aiden and Michelle are obviously very tough critics ;)<strong>

**I've got lots of good stuff coming to you guys soon, including at least one holiday themed one shot, and the next chapter of A New Era! But first...you gotta let me finish this living hell of a Lit paper :P**


	353. Engage to Dissuade

**Guess who finished their Lit paper? This girl! Reaching 9 pages on that was really rough. Never actually thought I'd get there, but I did! I've still got one test, and I've got to actually hand in the paper, but I don't like thinking about those kinds of things...**

**Have this one shot instead!**

* * *

><p><strong><span>Engage to Dissuade<span> **

"What do you mean you're gonna challenge the Cerulean gym?! You can't just do that!"

Misty picked her head up and furrowed her brow as she heard that defiant cry from outside.

"What do you mean? Of course I can! I'm a Pokémon trainer!"

"No you can't. Misty is a special gym leader! She's the best in all of Kanto…no! The _whole entire world! _You can't challenge her unless you're specially chosen!"

"What? No way that's true!"

"Is so. Misty would _never_ accept a challenge from just any ordinary trainer."

Sighing, Misty squeezed the bridge of her nose between two fingers before standing up and glaring over her shoulder at the sliding glass doors that served as the gym's entrance.

"I still don't think you're telling the truth…"

"I am so!"

Rolling her eyes, Misty stomped her foot down just once so that the doors would slide open. She was met with the sight of two young boys, but both were so absorbed in their little standoff that neither one had heard the doors open…or noticed her standing there.

"Gym leaders have to accept any challenge they receive," the boy to the right argued. He sported spiky gold hair and a pair of currently narrowed amber eyes. "It's part of their job!"

"I already told you that Misty isn't an ordinary gym leader!" The other boy shouted. His hair was bright blue and shaggy, unruly to the point that it nearly covered his piercing orange eyes. "None of that applies to her! Just face it, kid. You're not good enough to take on this city's gym leader. Not now, not-"

"_Leo!_"

The blue haired boy's head whipped around, and he found himself in a staring match with the visibly angry gym leader whom he'd been working so hard to defend.

"Misty!" Leo gasped, taking a step back.

"Get inside," Misty grumbled, as though it pained her to give that very order.

Leo put his head down and sulked, but followed Misty's command and brushed past her, right into the gym.

"Now…what's your name?" Misty calmly asked the other boy, who seemed quite startled by this latest revelation himself.

"…Tam…" the boy murmured.

"Tam," Misty repeated before smiling at him. "It's lovely to meet you. Don't listen to a thing Leo says. I would be happy to battle you! But I've been working very hard all morning in the gym, and I need to take a quick lunch break before I do any battling. Would it be alright if you came back in about two hours?"

"Sure!" Tam replied, his face lighting up. "That's no problem at all!"

"Thanks," Misty breathed. "I'll see you back here then, ready for a battle you'll never forget!"

Once Tam had excitedly ran off, Misty scowled and walked back into the gym, hands tightened into fists at her sides.

"You turned him away, didn't you?"

Eyebrow ticking upwards, Misty snapped her head towards the couch against the far right wall, where Tam's combatant had made himself right at home.

"Of course I didn't," Misty hissed.

"What?!" Leo gasped, jumping to his feet. "But why not?!"

"Because a gym leader doesn't just turn away challengers, Leo!" Misty groaned. "That isn't part of the job. And you need to stop trying to convince people that it is. They're going to start thinking I'm some kind of elitist jerk."

"Nuh uh," Leo refuted. "They're just gonna think you're the best! Which they should!"

"Leo, shh!" Misty hissed, raising a finger to her lips. "I've got two toddlers napping in the back, and I don't need them waking up!"

"Sorry," Leo sighed, lowering his voice.

"Besides, I don't need you as a personal bodyguard," Misty continued, smirking at the boy. "Don't you think I'm tough enough to do that on my own?"

"Yeah, you're right," Leo admitted, his own smile forming.

Misty giggled and started walking towards the front desk. "Stay right there, Leo. I'm going to gather up some paperwork to put in my office, and then I'll get you something to eat."

"Okay!"

Leo was a 10 year old boy who lived not far from the gym, in the more suburban area of Cerulean. He loved Pokémon, but unfortunately for him, his parents didn't want him to become a trainer until he was a bit older; around 12 or 13. Misty had known him from the time he was younger after doing some work with his parents, namely his father, and she felt for the boy. So, she would often allow him to hang around the gym and interact with the Pokémon.

Of course, this gave Misty hero status in Leo's mind. He thought Misty was just spectacular. It also made him fiercely protective of her. He refused to believe that anybody could ever beat her in a gym battle, and didn't feel that just anyone should have the right to battle her. So, he went out of his way to make sure people knew how he felt. Misty did everything she could to dissuade the boy from doing it, but that didn't seem to do her much good. He was much too determined.

After Misty had gathered her paperwork and headed towards the back of the gym, Leo sat back down on the couch, swinging his legs as he waited patiently for her to return with the snacks she had promised. Just about a minute later, he heard the glass doors slide open once again, and he turned his head to look that way, eyes widening once he saw the figure.

"Mi-huh…? You?!"

Leo smirked and climbed up onto his knees. "Hey there, Ash!"

The Pokémon Master scowled and narrowed his eyes. Ash had nothing against kids. Of course not. He had two of his own, and he loved them dearly. But his problem with Leo wasn't because he was a kid.

It was because he was convinced that this kid had a crush on his wife.

"What're you doing hanging around in here?" Ash asked, trying not to sound completely miffed.

"Misty invited me in!" Leo chirped.

"And where's she?" Ash demanded.

"In the kitchen getting snacks," Leo replied, pointing towards the back hallway.

"Snacks? For who?"

"Me!"

Ash narrowed his eyes and muttered under his breath, "funny, when I ask her to get _me_ a snack I get a sarcastic comment…"

"Here you go, Leo."

Ash looked up with a scowl on his face as Misty reappeared, placing a small plate of fruit in front of Leo.

"Thanks, Misty!" Leo chirped, quickly picking at the fruit.

"Mist, what about me?" Ash asked in a whiny voice.

"What do you mean?" Misty murmured.

"Don't I get anything to eat?"

"You can get your own snack, Ash. Or maybe you can share with Leo!"

Ash looked down at the boy and narrowed his eyes. "I think not."

"Really?" Misty sighed. "You have to be jealous of a ten year old?"

"I'm not jealous!" Ash stormed, his cheeks quickly turning red.

"Really? Because your face says otherwise."

"I am _not_ jealous!"

"Whatever you say," Misty hummed teasingly, walking back over to the front desk in order to gather more paperwork.

Eyes still narrowed, Ash looked down at Leo, who was busy stuffing his face with grapes as though he hadn't eaten for days.

"You want to share some of those?" Ash begrudgingly asked.

"Not really," Leo replied between bites.

"What?!" Ash stormed. "That's no fair!"

"Ash!"

The Pokémon Master's head snapped up, only to find Misty angrily glaring at him from across the room.

"Aiden and Michelle are napping in the back," Misty sternly reminded him. "Don't wake them up!"

"Got it," Ash sighed, turning his attention back onto Leo. With the younger male distracted by his grapes, Ash reached down and swiped a strawberry, quickly stuffing the bright red berry into his mouth.

"Hey!" Leo cried.

"Tough break, kid," Ash chuckled, his mouth still full of strawberry. "You should keep a closer eye on your food! I know I do."

"I already told ya I didn't want to share," Leo grumbled.

"What was that?" Ash teased. "I can't hear you when you mumble like that, _Leopold_."

The use of his full name caused a deep blush to explode all over Leo's face. "I _hate_ that! Don't call me that!"

"Why?" Ash taunted, jumping out of the way as Leo lunged at him. "That's your name!"

"Oh boy," Misty sighed, shaking her head as Leo chased Ash all around the lobby. "I'm guessing this will never get old for them…"

* * *

><p><strong>I watched the episode A Double Dilemma the other night. You know, the one where May and Max get to that town where everyone is obsessed with their dad (and subsequently, them) and all those town kids gang up on poor Ash just because he wants to challenge Norman? That's how I got the idea for this one! Leo's definitely a bit of a brat, but at least we know why ;)<strong>


	354. A Bright and Early Christmas

**Merry Christmas Eve, everyone! I hope you're all ready for Christmas! I just finished wrapping up all of my presents yesterday...and I'm not very good at it. **

**But I AM good at writing, and because Christmas is my favorite holiday, I really get into the spirit with these updates! So, hopefully you enjoy reading this one as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

**Aiden and Michelle: 8 years old**

**Elizabeth: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>A Bright and Early Christmas<strong>

Elizabeth slowly opened her eyes, mumbling contently as she came to. Reaching up with a little fist, Elizabeth rubbed at her eyes, tilting her head to the side until her cheek hit Teddi. Lowering her hand, Elizabeth mumbled again, and forced her eyes all the way open. She could just barely see everything in her room; the sun was just rising. It was morning.

_Wait…morning._

Elizabeth gasped and jumped up, excitedly flapping her arms up and down.

"Chwistmas!" She squealed, getting up on her knees and jumping up and down. "Is Chwistmas!"

The little girl kicked off her princess sheets and ballerina comforter, nearly tripping over the long, glittery snowflake covered skirt of her ice blue nightgown as she tumbled over the railings of her toddler bed. Once her little bare feet hit the floor, Elizabeth ran out of her room and down the hall, right into Aiden's room.

"Denny! Denny!" Elizabeth cried, jumping up and down at the side of her brother's bed. "Up! Up!"

She reached out and pushed at his side, groaning dramatically as he refused to budge.

"Elizabeth…" Aiden grumbled beneath the sheets.

"Denny, up!" Elizabeth ordered. "Is Chwistmas!"

"Elizabeth," Aiden groaned, throwing the comforter off of himself. "Why don't you go wake up Mom and Dad? That's what _I_ used to do when I was little."

"Cause you didn't gots a Denny," Elizabeth replied, blinking her wide emerald eyes.

"You've got a point," Aiden admitted.

"Come!" Elizabeth urged, jumping up and down again. "We gotsa see!"

"See what?" Aiden asked.

"If Santa cameded," Elizabeth sighed.

"Of course Santa came," Aiden scoffed. "Santa _always_ comes on Christmas Eve night."

"We gotsa check!" Elizabeth whined. "Come, Denny! Come, come, come, come-"

"Alright!" Aiden snapped, jumping up and glaring down at Elizabeth. "We'll go downstairs and see if Santa came."

"Yay!" Elizabeth giggled.

"But we gotta get Michelle first," Aiden decided, sliding out of bed.

"Why?" Elizabeth squeaked.

"If I've gotta be up at this time of the day, then so does she," Aiden declared. "Sounds fair, right?"

Elizabeth twisted her mouth and shrugged her shoulders.

"It is," Aiden responded for his sister. "Come on, let's go wake Shelly up."

Her face lighting up, Elizabeth ran out of Aiden's room, straight across into Michelle's. Michelle was a deeper sleeper than Aiden, but Elizabeth never seemed to have a problem waking her older sister.

Placing her hands on the edge of the bed, Elizabeth stood on her tippy toes, observing Michelle with wide eyes. The older girl was fast asleep, and looked far neater than her twin brother. Her face was actually visible, and she looked very at peace. Pushing up with her hands, Elizabeth managed (albeit very shakily and with a few close slips) to get up on the bed, next to her slumbering sister.

"Up, Shelly!" Elizabeth squeaked, shaking Michelle's shoulder. "Is Chwistmas!"

Michelle grumbled and squeezed her eyes shut even tighter. "Lizzie…"

"Shelly, we gotsta see if Santa cameded!" Elizabeth cried.

Those words caused Michelle's eyes to snap open. Pushing herself up by her hands, Michelle beamed at her equally excited younger sister.

"Santa!" Michelle breathed, jumping out of bed. "I totally forgot!"

"Pwesents!" Elizabeth giggled excitedly.

"And I bet he ate the cookies, too," Michelle laughed, picking Elizabeth up and placing her back on the floor. "And the Stantler probably took the berries!"

"I wefted him a pichure," Elizabeth reminded her sister.

"Right," Michelle noted. "Santa probably took your picture also!"

"I wanna see!" Elizabeth shrieked, darting out of Michelle's room. "Denny!"

"I'm right here," Aiden grumbled as Elizabeth nearly ran into him. "Where's Michelle? Did you wake her up?"

"Duh…" Elizabeth groaned, throwing her head back.

Aiden snickered and shook his head. "I think that's one of the best things I've ever taught you, shrimp."

"No shrimp!" Elizabeth cried, putting her head back upright and pouting.

"Shh!" Aiden hissed. "You're gonna wake Mom and Dad up! We gotta wait to do that ourselves, by jumping on 'em."

"Oh," Elizabeth breathed, her eyes widening.

"Guys, let's go!" Michelle urged, practically skipping out of her room. "We have to make sure that Santa came and left presents!"

She kept on moving down the hall, Elizabeth trailing closely behind and reaching out for the older girl's legs, covered by navy blue pants printed with pink and white snowflakes.

Once Michelle reached the staircase, she had no problem trampling down the steps. Elizabeth, however, backed away almost instantly. She was a typically fearless little girl, but when it came to the stairs, Elizabeth had a habit of shying away. If it was a small set of stairs, she'd go up and down with no problem. To her, however, these stairs were much too high up, and she was scared of slipping and falling down them.

"Denny," Elizabeth whined, whipping around and grabbing onto his red, green, and black plaid pants. "No staiws! No!"

"Alright, take it easy," Aiden chuckled. "I know you don't like the stairs!"

Aiden picked the little girl up, causing her to laugh excitedly and wrap her arms around Aiden's neck.

"Go, Denny!" Elizabeth cheered.

"I'm not a Ponyta, Elizabeth," Aiden grumbled.

"So?"

"You don't need to cheer me on like I'm in a race."

"No, I do it –cause I wike you!"

Elizabeth rested her nose atop the sheer sleeve of her nightgown, rolling her eyes up to watch Aiden's face as he continued to carry her down the stairs. Once they reached the bottom, Aiden's jaw dropped, and Elizabeth looked over her shoulder to see why. As soon as she did, her own jaw dropped as well.

"Denny, down!" Elizabeth commanded. "Down!"

Without a word, Aiden placed Elizabeth back on the floor, and kept his eyes above her as she ran towards the Christmas tree, the little sheer cape attached to the back of her nightgown flying behind her.

"Pwesents!" Elizabeth cheered, rushing up to her sister's side and jumping up and down. "Shelly, -ook!"

"I know!" Michelle gushed. "There's _so_ many of them!"

Elizabeth bent over and tried to pick up a large box that was set before her feet. It was wrapped in red paper covered with Elizabeth's favorite cartoon princesses wearing holiday outfits.

"Dis is mine," Elizabeth announced, trying to drag it closer to her.

"Elizabeth, we can't open any of these until Mom and Dad wake up!" Michelle gasped, gently swatting her younger sister's hands away from the gift.

"Why?" Elizabeth asked. "Santa gaveded it to me!"

"Yeah, but they want to see what we get," Michelle replied. "So we have to wait."

Reluctantly, Elizabeth took her hands off the present and instead moved to the side of the tree, where she found a slightly smaller box wrapped in light blue paper adorned by snowflakes and snowmen.

"Mine!" Elizabeth announced, picking it up.

"How do you know it's yours, shrimp?" Aiden demanded, walking over to the toddler. "You can't read."

"I wead," Elizabeth refuted. "Is mine."

Rolling his eyes, Aiden snatched the present from his sister, causing the toddler to shriek in displeasure. Examining the tag in the corner, Aiden scoffed and rolled his eyes. "This one's for Michelle. Not you."

"Oh," Elizabeth murmured.

"Whoa, look at that giant one!" Michelle marveled, pointing at a box that was on her side. Aiden and Elizabeth hurried over to her, eager to get a look at the gift for themselves.

"Big!" Elizabeth exclaimed, throwing her arms out to her sides.

"Wonder who that one's for," Aiden wondered aloud.

Michelle tip toed over the sea of presents that were bunched up in front of the big box. She leaned over just enough to examine its tag before standing up and looking over her shoulder.

"It's for you," Michelle informed her brother, who broke out into grin just about as massive as his present.

"No way!" Aiden gasped. "That's the biggest present here! I bet it's something really cool!"

"I'm gonna have to write a letter to Santa about this one," Michelle grumbled, crossing her arms. "You weren't good enough to deserve a box that big!"

"Guess I was," Aiden teased.

While her older siblings playfully bickered back and forth, Elizabeth trekked over to the coffee table, taking a look at the plate set in its middle.

"No cookies!" Elizabeth cried.

Aiden and Michelle turned their attention onto Elizabeth, and soon joined her at the table.

"Oh yeah, look at that!" Aiden commented. "All of the cookies we left out for Santa are gone! And the Stantler's berries, too!"

"Most of them, anyway," Michelle added, picking up a leftover spiky red berry that had only a single bite taken out of it. "I guess the Stantler don't like tamato berries!"

"Shelly, -ook!" Elizabeth squealed, grabbing her sister's arm. "My pichur's not here!"

"No, Santa must have really liked it!" Michelle giggled. "Look, he left a little note for you! It says 'thank you for the pretty picture, Elizabeth! I love it! Love: Santa'."

"No miwk!" Elizabeth yelped, dropping the small note her older sister had handed to her as she pointed at the empty glass that sat next to the plate.

"Santa always seems to be really hungry when he comes here," Aiden mused.

"Yeah, I wonder why that is," Michelle agreed.

"Open now!"

Aiden and Michelle both looked down at Elizabeth, who was pouting as she glanced over at the Christmas tree.

"We can't open them _now_, Elizabeth," Michelle groaned. "We need Mom and Dad!"

"Wake 'em up!" Elizabeth demanded.

"We _could_ go wake them up," Aiden murmured.

"You mean climb into their bed and jump on them?" Michelle asked whimsically.

"Yeah, that's exactly what I mean!" Aiden laughed.

"Alright, let's go," Michelle sighed, waving her siblings back towards the stairs. "If we wanna open presents before seven, we've gotta go now!"

* * *

><p><strong>That's right, <em>before<em> 7 AM. These kids don't waste their time! ;)**

**Did you all like this one? I certainly hope so, because coming tomorrow, as an extra little gift, I've got a sequel/prequel of sorts coming...any guesses as to what it might be about?**


	355. A Dark and Late Christmas

**It's still Christmas, guys! Better late than never, right? :P**

**So, yesterday, we had the kids finding all of their presents beneath the tree. But how exactly did those presents end up there? We all know Ash and Misty didn't get off easy...**

**And here's the story to prove it ;)**

* * *

><p><span><strong>A Dark and Late Christmas<strong>

Ash groaned loud enough to drown out the obnoxious, high pitched beeping of the alarm on his wife's poke gear.

"Oh, hush it, Mr. Pokémon Master."

Ash reluctantly rolled over to his front, watching with half open eyes as Misty reached over to her nightstand, picking up her poke gear and turning off the screeching alarm. It wasn't easy to see her, considering it was so late at night…or early in the morning, depending on how you looked at it.

"What time is it?" Ash whined, rubbing at his eyes.

"Two in the morning," Misty groggily replied. "Just like we agreed on yesterday."

"I did not agree on two in the morning," Ash sleepily argued.

"No, but if you had it _your_ way, we'd be putting presents beneath the tree while the kids are still awake," Misty grumbled.

Ash winced as Misty turned on her bedside lamp, which just so happened to have been left at the brightest setting.

"Ow," Misty mumbled, flicking the switch until it was at its lowest level. "That's better."

"I still think two in the morning is way too excessive," Ash continued, now flipping over onto his back. "I mean, why not midnight? Our kids are fast asleep by then!"

"You wish," Misty scoffed. "Elizabeth, yeah. She's usually asleep by then. But I know for a fact that Aiden and Michelle have all of these elaborate schemes where they try and stay up to see Santa. I've heard them chattering to one another at 11:30 before on Christmas Eve night. Making our move at midnight is way too close of a call."

Ash groaned and continued to roll until he felt the edge of the bed. Sitting up, he touched his feet to the floor and stood up, stretching his arms up over his head.

"Alright," Ash announced through a yawn, "let's do this thing."

"Not like we have much of a choice," Misty quipped.

"Pika…"

Ash looked over his shoulder and watched as Pikachu, who had been sleeping atop his pillow, blinked his sleepy, narrowed eyes.

"We woke you up, huh, Pikachu?" Ash asked. "Sorry, buddy! But we've gotta go put presents under the tree."

"Pika-chu!" Pikachu trilled, his ears spiking up.

"What?" Ash asked. "You want to help us?"

"Pi-ka!"

"Alright," Ash chuckled as the electric type jumped up on his shoulder. "You're coming with us, then!"

The combination of noise and light then proceeded to wake up Vaporeon, who'd been fast asleep in her own personal bed in the corner. Pawing at her face several times, Vaporeon got to her paws and mewled curiously, glancing up at her trainer with wide, unblinking black eyes.

"You want to help us out too, Vaporeon?" Misty asked.

"Vay," Vaporeon purred, putting her front paws forward and stretching herself out.

Misty started pulling wrapped presents out of her closet, piling them up on her and Ash's bed. Ash watched as the collection of boxes grew and grew, eyes widening with each present.

"We really got that many?" Ash muttered.

"We always go overboard," Misty sighed, shaking her head.

She and Ash gathered as many presents in their arms as they possibly could, knowing that this was going to require several trips up and down the stairs. Because their bedroom was at the very end of the hall, Ash and Misty had to make sure that they walked past the kids' bedrooms as quietly as possible so as not to wake them. Both Ash and Misty would occasionally peek into the rooms, where the doors were slightly cracked open, and made sure that all three of them were fast asleep.

"Why did we decide to buy Aiden a scooter?" Ash grumbled, trying to keep the giant box wrapped in bright red wrapping paper from slipping out of his arms and down the stairs. "This thing is a pain to carry!"

Once they both successfully made their way down the stairs with their first armload of presents, Ash and Misty started to arrange the gifts beneath the tree. While pushing one box back, Ash accidentally struck one of the heavier ornaments that hung from a bottom branch, nearly knocking it to the floor and causing the rest of the tree to shake, causing bells to ring and chime.

"Ash!" Misty hissed, her eyes filling with horror.

"Sorry!" Ash gasped, his jaw hanging down.

"Be more careful," Misty sighed.

"I'll try," Ash mumbled.

They continued trekking back and forth between downstairs and upstairs, carrying more armfuls of presents every time. Vaporeon didn't do much to help, instead choosing to "supervise" by sitting on the couch and watching Ash and Misty struggle to quietly complete their task. Pikachu, on the other hand, tried his best: carrying a small present or two in his paws, trying to see past the colorfully wrapped boxes as he made his way down the stairs.

About halfway through, Ash started to become hungry; a combination of all of the hard work he'd been doing with the presents, and having already missed the midnight snack he often took advantage of.

"How can you still be hungry?" Misty demanded. "Your mother fed us enough food to last until _next_ Christmas!"

"Because you know I've got an instable appetite!" Ash cried.

"It's _insatiable_," Misty corrected.

"Either way, that's what the cookies are for!" Ash cheered, heading straight for the plate.

"Pi!"

Pikachu dropped his latest little gift and ran towards Ash, climbing up his trainer and perching himself on the man's shoulder.

"There's stuff here for you too," Ash chuckled. "Check out the berries!"

Pikachu hopped onto the table and sniffed at the plate, taking a small bite out of a pecha berry that was sitting before him.

"Cha!"

Clearly delighted with the offering, Pikachu picked up the rest of the berry and continued nibbling at it while Ash stuffed his face with cookies.

All of the eating caught Vaporeon's attention. Setting her eyes on Ash and Pikachu, Vaporeon got back up to her paws and stalked over towards the duo, jumping up on the coffee table just like Pikachu had done. Without a second thought, Vaporeon picked up an oran berry and started eating it right away.

"Ash, I _could_ use your help, you know."

The Pokémon Master looked up sheepishly at his wife, who was hanging over him with her arms folded across her chest.

"I'm gonna go back to helping you in just a minute, babe!" Ash promised. "I just needed to stop for a little snack is all. You could have some cookies too, you know. I'm willing to share!"

"What a surprise," Misty teased.

"Want one?" Ash asked, holding a cookie up towards his wife.

"No, I'm good," Misty giggled, gently pushing Ash's hand away. "I've got to go back upstairs and get more presents. Try and finish up before I come back, okay?"

"Got it," Ash replied, nodding his head.

As Misty went back up the stairs, Ash continued snacking away at the cookies, his chocolate brown eyes floating around. A piece of paper next to the plate caught his attention after just a few seconds, however. Reaching out, Ash picked up the paper and examined the colorful scribbles on its surface.

Nothing was overly legible; they were just splotches of color. Red, blue, black, yellow, pink, purple…they were all scribbled about, in no specific order. Ash smirked, knowing exactly who it was who had drawn this little picture.

"Elizabeth," Ash muttered, smirking to himself.

"Yeah, she drew that for Santa."

Ash shrieked and nearly fell back as Misty's voice suddenly floated into his ears.

"Jeez…" Ash hissed as his wife giggled.

"She was very excited about that little picture," Misty giggled. "Almost more excited than leaving out the cookies and berries!"

"Yeah?" Ash chuckled. "Well then…guess I'll have to give her a little something in return!"

Running into the kitchen, Ash grabbed a blank notecard that had been stuffed in the back of a drawer, and quickly scribbled a message onto it, leaving the little note in the same place that Elizabeth had left her picture.

"I'll have to hide this somewhere she won't find it," Ash noted, holding the folded up picture in his hand.

"PI-KA-CHU!"

His head snapping up, Ash's eyes widened once he saw Pikachu with his tongue hanging out of his mouth, visibly burning red and inflamed.

"Pikachu, what did you do?" Ash groaned, offering some of the milk to his Pokémon.

With a pained whine, Pikachu began to heartily drink from the glass, nearly finishing the entire thing up. Ash peered in and grimaced, shaking his head.

"Gee, thanks, buddy."

"Pi…"

"What did you eat that made you freak out like that?" Ash demanded.

"Pika," Pikachu replied, pointing at the only berry left on the plate: round and spiky in appearance with a hue about as bright red as Pikachu's tongue.

"Oh, a tamato berry," Ash breathed. "Why would you eat that, Pikachu? You know you don't like 'em! They're too spicy for you."

Pikachu narrowed his eyes and glanced back at Vaporeon, who was innocently licking her front paw.

"Vaporeon," Misty sighed, crossing her arms. "Why do you have to cause so much trouble, huh?"

"Vay," Vaporeon purred calmly, swishing her tail back and forth.

"She's always been a pretty fiery little thing," Ash chuckled. "Just like her trainer!"

"Well, she had to get it from someone," Misty teased.

"Are we all done with presents yet?" Ash asked, looking around his wife. The gifts were flowing out from beneath the tree, like a sea of sheer Christmas joy. "There sure are enough there."

"Just about," Misty sighed. "It should only take one more trip up and down the stairs."

The couple did just that, placing the very last presents beneath the tree. It had taken them nearly an hour to complete the task, but they had done it well. They both knew their children would be thrilled come morning.

Well…a _little_ later in the morning.

With their job complete, Ash and Misty were finally able to climb back into bed. Vaporeon reclaimed her spot in the corner, in her little plush bed, while Pikachu settled himself back in atop his trainer's pillow.

Turning his head, Ash glanced at his alarm clock and winced at the time that was displayed in bright red numbers.

3:05 A.M.

"What are the chances the kids let us sleep in past seven?" Ash asked his wife, turning his body around to face her. Her eyes were already closed, but she was still wearing that knowing smirk on her face.

"Not a chance."

* * *

><p><strong>And all of this leads to what happens in the chapter before this! :)<strong>

**I hope all of you who celebrate Christmas had a wonderful holiday and enjoyed every minute of it! Christmas is my favorite holiday, so I know I'm already counting down to it next year ;) **


	356. Off the Walls

**This is a shorter one, but it's been some time since Michelle got her own focus! Time to put the spotlight back on her for a chapter :P**

**Michelle: 2 years old**

* * *

><p><span><strong>Off the Walls<strong>

"Voom…voom voom…"

Michelle's emerald green eyes lit up in sheer joy as they watched the sky blue crayon glide across its surface, leaving behind a long, waxy line. Giggling in delight, Michelle discarded the light blue crayon in favor of a purple one, which she was soon using to draw messy, unclosed circles around the blue line she'd already left.

She was still quite young, but recently, Michelle had come to realize just how much she liked drawing and coloring. It was all she'd wanted to do. Usually, it was her mother who got the crayons for her, and the paper, but today, Michelle had done that all by herself.

Well, half of it, at least.

Putting the purple crayon down, Michelle next reached for a green one, quite similar in color to her eyes. Pressing it down, the little girl began to scribble around her masterpiece, driving the tip of the crayon between the sky blue line and the messy purple circles. This left behind a jagged green pattern, one that closely resembled a wild maze. Michelle pulled the crayon up, creating a rounded arch over everything else she'd already drawn.

"Pwetty!" Michelle declared once she'd leaned back enough to examine her work.

"Michelle, where are you?"

The little girl squeaked and looked over her shoulder, lips parted ever so slightly in anticipation. She watched as Misty walked into the room, her expression changing from calm to one of sheer horror in just a matter of seconds.

"MICHELLE!" Misty shrieked, slapping her hands against her cheeks as she ran up next to the little girl. "What did you do?!"

"I dwaded," Michelle replied softly, turning her head to look at her piece.

"You drew on the _wall!_" Misty howled, now grabbing at her fiery hair.

Indeed, the vanilla bean colored wall of the living room was now covered in Michelle's colorful scribbles. The long, light blue line, the unkempt purple circles, and the wild green spikes and arch. All of it had been plastered right on the fine paint, as though it were one wide open canvas.

"I made it pwetty, Mama," Michelle breathed.

"N-no, Michelle," Misty groaned, trying to keep her temper down. "You…you're not supposed to draw on the walls! Not ever!"

"No?" Michelle murmured.

"You're supposed to draw on _paper_, Michelle," Misty sighed, burying her face in her hands. "Why didn't you come to me and ask me for paper, huh?"

"Dunno," Michelle murmured, reaching for an orange crayon and pressing it against the wall.

"No, Michelle!" Misty scolded, lunging forward and snatching the crayon from her. "Don't keep coloring on the wall!"

Michelle blinked and looked up at Misty, who was definitely not amused by what was going on. But Michelle was young, and didn't fully understand that her mother was upset.

"Mama!" Michelle squealed, pointing at the wall. "Awt!"

"Yes, art," Misty sighed, gently grabbing Michelle's arm and coaxing her away from the wall. "It would look better on paper, though."

"Mama no wike?" Michelle asked, frowning at the prospect.

"No, no!" Misty quickly refuted, knowing that she wasn't exactly doing the right thing. "Your artwork is beautiful, Michelle! But it doesn't belong on the wall. The next time you want to draw, you have to come ask me for some paper, okay? No more drawing on the walls."

"Kay," Michelle mumbled, nodding her head. "No mowe wall."

"I'm surprised you even managed to get the crayons on your own," Misty sighed, kneeling down to toss the loose crayons back in the plastic tub where they belonged. "How'd you do that, huh, little princess?"

"I climbeded a chair, Mama," Michelle replied.

"Well…that's just dangerous," Misty muttered, putting the top of the plastic tub back on. "No more climbing on chairs either, alright?"

"No mowe," Michelle mumbled, sounding rather distracted. Misty knew it was definitely going to happen again sometime in the future…probably by the next day.

"I think it's time for a nap," Misty decided, looking over her shoulder and grimacing at the mess that had been left on the formerly pristine wall.

"Mama nap?" Michelle asked.

"No, _you_ take a nap," Misty replied with a smile. "Mama wishes she could take a nap, sweetheart."

"Mama nap too," Michelle declared.

"No, Mama can't nap," Misty sighed, lifting Michelle up and holding the toddler in her arms instead. "Mama has to look up how to get crayon off the wall!"

* * *

><p><strong>Drawing on the walls seems so out of character for goody little Michelle, but she's so in love with arts and drawing that I could see her doing this as a toddler! No toddler is really all that well behaved, anyway ;)<strong>


	357. Party at the Plateau

**Happy New Year's Eve, everyone! Or, Happy New Year, depending on where you are in the world ;)**

**It's still New Year's Eve where I live, and we're getting ready to have some friends over and ring in 2015! Which is pretty exciting because we usually have no one over. I love being with people on holidays, so I'm very excited!**

**Of course, that's why we're all here: for the special New Year's Eve/New Year's one shot! And this year, we're at a fancy party! Wonder who will be there ;)**

**Aiden and Michelle: 8 years old**

**Elizabeth: 2 years old **

* * *

><p><span><strong>Party at the Plateau<strong>

Ash felt sweat threatening to break out on the back of his neck as his young daughter squealed and darted around people on the dance floor, narrowly avoiding being kicked or stepped on at nearly every turn.

"Elizabeth, come here!" Ash ordered, his eyes dark with concern.

Like most toddlers, however, Elizabeth didn't have much interest in listening to her father. She just kept at it, giggling and squealing with delight as she continued her little game. Ash, on the other hand, simply groaned and buried his face in his hands. In hindsight, it probably hadn't been the smartest of ideas to bring such a young kid to the famed and over the top Pokémon League New Year's Eve party at the Indigo Plateau. Of course, hindsight _was_ 20/20.

"Alright, that's enough now."

Elizabeth's shrieks quickly turned into ones of displeasure as she was scooped up by her less than pleased mother. Misty, however, didn't exactly care that her daughter was unhappy. Her main objectives were to protect Elizabeth _and_ keep her from getting on other's nerves.

She'd just accomplished both.

"You're so good at this, Mist," Ash whined as his wife stomped over to him.

"I'm _good_ at it because I actually intervene," Misty huffed. "When are you going to learn that you can't just tell Elizabeth to stop? It doesn't work!"

"You know it's too hard for me!" Ash whined. "She's so cute, and she just gets so upset when you force her to stop…"

"It's for her own good," Misty grumbled, carrying the squirmy and whiny toddler over to a nearby table. Misty sat the girl down on a table and knelt down so she was at eye level with her. "Elizabeth, knock it off. You know you weren't behaving."

"I wanna pway, Mommy," Elizabeth whined, trying to slide off the chair.

"You weren't playing, Elizabeth," Misty sighed. "You were running around and making trouble for other people! That isn't nice."

"Bowed, Mommy," Elizabeth whined. "Go home now."

"We can't go home yet," Misty murmured. "I know there isn't much for you to do here. You want to play some games? Would that make you happy?"

Despite the frown still present on her face, Elizabeth nodded. Misty stood up and reached into the bag on the chair next to Elizabeth, pulling out her pink bumpered tablet and handing it to the girl. Once it was in front of her, Elizabeth was completely silent and absorbed with whatever was happening on the screen.

"I hate just throwing that thing at her, but sometimes, I don't think I have a choice," Misty grumbled, walking back over to Ash.

"At least it works," Ash chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "So…have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?"

Misty giggled, especially as she saw the blush crawl up on her husband's face. "You have, yes. But I appreciate hearing it again!"

She was wearing a royal blue sheath dress layered over with sequin embroidered lace and a pair of royal blue satin heels with sparkling crystals on the front. Her bright red hair had been curled and pulled half up, half down, perfectly framing her face.

"Have you seen Aiden and Michelle, Ash?"

The Pokémon Master blinked his eyes hard and looked back at Misty, who was staring right at him.

"Huh?" Ash dumbly replied.

"Aiden and Michelle," Misty repeated more slowly. "Where are they?"

"Aiden's probably still with all of the food," Ash chuckled. "Michelle…I don't know."

Misty turned her head and looked towards the buffet table. "Aiden isn't over there. You don't think he and Michelle are causing trouble, do you?"

"Who? Our kids? Never," Ash quipped sarcastically, earning a tired look from his wife. "Alright, probably not Michelle. Aiden? Maybe. There's a shot. The whole bathroom could be flooded at this point. He never learns. Maybe I should go check the bathroom."

"Yeah, there's an idea!" Misty snapped.

"Come on! Why can't we have a battle?"

"You don't have any Pokémon, Aiden."

"No…but my dad does!"

"Well then, I suppose that's a question you'll have to ask him!"

Ash looked around Misty and found Lance walking towards them, Aiden attached to the Kanto Champion's leg.

"I found our son," Ash lamely quipped, pointing down at the boy.

"What?" Misty muttered, whipping around. As soon as she saw Aiden hanging off of Lance's leg, she groaned and placed her hands on her hips. "Aiden! Get off of Lance!"

"It's fine, Misty," Lance chuckled as Aiden detached himself, running over to his mother.

"Mom, can I battle Lance? Can I?" Aiden begged.

"Of course not!" Misty scolded. "You're eight years old!"

"So?" Aiden drawled. "I can borrow one of your Pokémon!"

"You're not borrowing any of my Pokémon, Aiden," Misty sighed.

Scowling, Aiden marched over to Ash and crossed his arms, glancing up at his father. Ash smirked and imitated his son, instead looking down at the boy.

"I already know what you're going to ask me, champ," Ash teased.

"So can I?" Aiden gasped, his face lighting up.

"Absolutely not," Ash scoffed.

"What?!"

"Buddy, you're not ready to battle _anyone_, let alone the champion of this region," Ash almost laughed. "You can take on Lance in a few years' time."

"That's going to take forever," Aiden groaned. "I'll be as old as _you_ when that happens!"

A dark shadow crossed over Ash's less than amused face. "I'm not old, Aiden."

Misty snickered, earning a glare from Ash. "I'm sorry. That was kind of funny."

"We're the same age!" Ash cried. "We're not even 30 yet!"

"They're both old," Aiden promised Lance, glancing up at the dragon master.

"You certainly know how to get your parents all riled up," Lance chuckled. "I promise you, Aiden. Once you're older, I will be happy to have a battle with you."

"Okay!" Aiden cheered.

"I'm beyond grateful that you're so patient with him," Misty sighed, shaking her head. "He is Ash's son, after all. He can really get pushy when he wants to."

"I'm standing right here," Ash grumbled.

"But you know it's true," Misty quipped.

"Aiden is a good kid," Lance laughed. "He reminds me an awful lot of my nephew. In fact, he's here tonight. I bet he and Aiden would get along wonderfully!"

"I don't think I can let Aiden do anything else until he tells me where his sister is," Ash decided.

"I saw Michelle just before," Lance replied for the startled looking Aiden. "She was with my sister. Jade has certainly taken a liking to Michelle! They've got a lot of things in common, it seems."

Lance motioned over to the side of the room, where a woman could be seen talking to Michelle. She was quite beautiful, with auburn hair pulled up into a tight bun and sleek, cat-like brown eyes.

"Jade!" Lance called, waving his sister over.

Picking her head up, Jade smiled at her brother before standing up straight and beckoning for Michelle to follow her. Michelle giggled and nodded her head, eagerly trailing along beside the woman.

"Lance, Michelle is just the sweetest thing!" Jade gushed. "She's such a smart girl! She really talks like she's much older than she is."

"Well, you should complement her parents for raising her so well," Lance replied, motioning towards Ash and Misty. "This is Ash Ketchum, the Pokémon Master, and his wife Misty, the Cerulean City gym leader."

"I know who they are, Lance," Jade teased, playfully smacking her brother's arm before offering her hand to Ash and then Misty. "But it's still a pleasure to meet you both!"

"Thanks," Ash replied. "I've heard a lot about you from Lance! You're a Pokémon doctor, right?"

"That's right," Jade affirmed. "I work at the Pokémon Hospital in Goldenrod City. That's what Michelle and I have been talking about!"

"Mommy, Daddy, Jade is a Pokémon doctor, just like Brock!" Michelle marveled. "She works in this big hospital that's just for Pokémon, and it goes through the Pokémon Center! So she works with Nurse Joy all the time and does all kinds of different things with Pokémon. She gives them checkups and medicines, but she can do stuff like surgery too! It's so cool!"

"That is cool," Misty agreed. "Do you want to become a Pokémon doctor, Michelle?"

"I don't know," Michelle murmured, suddenly sounding very sheepish. "I want to be a coordinator!"

"Nothing wrong with that," Jade giggled. "Coordinators make a nice living!"

"Did Michelle tell you anything about her twin brother?" Lance asked, motioning towards Aiden.

"As a matter of fact, she did!" Jade giggled, kneeling down to the boy. "You're Aiden, right?"

"Yeah," Aiden replied.

"It's lovely to meet you!" Jade greeted. "You sure are a handsome little guy."

Aiden blushed at this and took a subconscious step back, causing Ash and Misty to laugh.

"There's one thing he hates being complemented on!" Ash laughed.

"Sounds an awful lot like my son," Jade remarked.

"Jade, don't you think Ryken and Aiden would get along very well?" Lance asked.

"You're right!" Jade gasped. "They would probably be great friends! I should go find him."

"Ah, your nephew!" Misty marveled.

"Yes, Ryken," Lance chuckled. "He's quite the handful! He's a little bit younger than Aiden and Michelle, but not by much. He's turning 7 in February."

"Come on, Aiden, I'll introduce you to him!" Jade encouraged.

Although still sheepish from being called handsome before, Aiden was intrigued by the idea of making a new friend, and followed Jade without any complaint. Michelle tagged along as well, knowing she could get along with any boy just as well as she could with any girl.

"That should be nice," Ash chuckled. "New friends for a new year!"

"Whatever keeps them out of trouble," Misty quipped, smirking at her husband.

"Ooh!"

Ash, Misty, and Lance all turned their attention onto Elizabeth, who was still transfixed by the game she was playing on her tablet.

"Don't judge me," Misty muttered as soon as she felt Lance's eyes land on her. "I had to keep her out of trouble!"

"She was running around on the dance floor," Ash explained to the champion. "We kind of thought she was gonna get stepped on. Or trip someone."

"She's probably just lonely is all," Lance concluded. With a smirk, he walked over to where Elizabeth sat and knelt down besides the girl, who was too busy to acknowledge his presence. "Hello, Lizzie!"

Elizabeth looked over at Lance before furrowing her brow and returning her game without so much as a greeting.

"Elizabeth!" Misty scolded. "Don't be rude!"

"You're bored, right?" Lance asked, not deterred by Elizabeth's diss. "These adult parties really aren't a whole lot of fun, are they?"

"No," Elizabeth finally responded, although her eyes were still on the tablet's screen. "Bowing."

"Well, it's a good thing I can fix that!" Lance bragged. "I've got a little friend who you can play with."

"Po-mon?" Elizabeth gasped, finally lifting her eyes.

"Not a Pokémon," Lance replied sympathetically. "I had to leave all of my Pokémon at home for the night! I've got a different kind of friend for you. Another little girl. Would you like to play with her?"

"Maybe," Elizabeth murmured.

"We can see," Lance chuckled, standing back up and offering his hand to Elizabeth so she could jump off the chair. Once she was on her feet, Elizabeth glanced up at Lance with expectant eyes, waiting for this new friend to be presented to her. "Follow me, little one!"

Ash and Misty watched as Lance led Elizabeth in the same direction that Jade had just taken Aiden and Michelle in. They exchanged bewildered looks, neither one entirely sure of what to do next.

"Do we follow him?" Ash asked.

"Why?" Misty replied with a smirk. "Don't trust your boyfriend?"

"He is not my boyfriend," Ash sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Could have fooled me. You text him more than you text me."

"I don't have to text you! I live with you!"

"And I couldn't wipe that little smile off your face as you're texting him if I tried."

"That's enough out of you, _angel._"

Misty's smirk widened and she took a step forward, wrapping her arms around Ash's neck. "Well, maybe I should be a little more thankful. After all, we do have some alone time now! Sure didn't think that would happen."

"Yeah, but it's not even close to midnight yet," Ash scoffed.

"So?" Misty teased. "We're not gonna be here at midnight! We'll be at home, and the kids will all be fast asleep."

"Yeah, _Elizabeth_ will. I doubt the twins will be."

"I don't know if they'll make it."

"They did last year. Just barely, but they did."

"Yeah, but we didn't go to a party beforehand last year. I think this might just tire them out enough to put them to sleep before midnight."

"That would be nice," Ash breathed, resting his forehead against Misty's.

They stayed like that for a moment before turning their heads to see where exactly Lance and Elizabeth had gone. What they saw was Elizabeth standing in front of another little girl, just as Lance had promised her. This girl was a bit taller, with wavy light brown hair that fell all the way down her back, two braids crossing over the back of her head. Her eyes were the same dark brown as Lance and Jade's, though a bit different in shape. They were wider, yet still retained the sleekness. She was dressed in a sleeveless, black and white lace dress with a black bow at her waist, and a pair of black patent leather Mary Janes affixed with a small heel.

"Look at that, Lance was right!" Ash chuckled. "Elizabeth made fast friends with that little girl."

"Yeah, but who is she?" Misty wondered aloud.

"That's my niece; Krysten."

Misty took her arms off of Ash and turned around, finding herself face to face with Lance.

"Your niece?" Misty repeated.

"Yeah, Jade's daughter," Lance chuckled. "Just like I knew Ryken would get along perfectly with Aiden and Michelle, I knew Krysten and Elizabeth would bond fantastically as well. Krysten is 4, so she's older than Elizabeth, but that sort of thing doesn't really seem to matter to kids as young as those two."

"Did you force your sister to come here with her children as a distraction for mine?" Misty asked teasingly.

"Not at all," Lance laughed. "Jade insisted on coming this year and bringing the family along. She was worried about Ryken and Krysten having nothing to do, but since I already knew you and Ash were planning on bringing the children, I assured her that at least there would be three other kids close in age to hers."

"I see," Misty hummed. "And how are Aiden and Michelle getting along with your nephew? As well as you expected?"

"Take a look," Lance replied, motioning back over to the wall.

Aiden and Michelle were surrounding a slightly shorter boy with mused auburn hair and steel gray eyes, all three of them chatting excitedly and animatedly.

"They're talking about Pokémon," Lance informed Ash and Misty. "Ryken is also a very big fan. Loves dragon types, fortunately enough."

"You got something to do with that?" Ash cracked.

"Oh, absolutely," Lance replied, smirking at the Pokémon Master.

"It's great that you were able to find them all something to do, Lance," Misty sighed. "But now I'm not sure how I'm going to get these kids home without having to tear them away from their new friends."

"Sheer force," Ash replied playfully.

"Please," Misty scoffed. "You couldn't even pull Elizabeth off of the dance floor before."

* * *

><p><strong>Ryken's name came from a combination of two Japanese names: "Ryuu" which means dragon, and "Ken" which means healthy, strong. I tried combining Lance's (and Ryken's!) love of dragon types and Jade's profession as a Pokémon Doctor.<strong>

**I can't believe this is my last publish for 2014! I feel like this year went by crazy fast. I got to do a lot of really cool, really great stuff, and I accomplished a whole lot that I wanted to do. And I'm bringing a lot of that into 2015, which is very exciting! As far as my writing goes, I definitely want to continue expanding my horizons and my experience; trying out different themes, situations, plots, styles, all of that kind of stuff. And of course, I plan on bringing you guys more one shots to enjoy! Just because I want to try new things doesn't mean I'm going to give up my favorites, of course ;)**

**I want to thank you all for being such amazing readers! I keep on writing for all of the great fans like you, who keep me motivated and excited to write. I hope you all enter 2015 with great expectations, and have a happy and healthy year!**


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